Seven days of questions and answers

Valentine's Day Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 1 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. What is the medical term for an unusually fast resting heart rate?

    Answer: Tachycardia

    Tachycardia describes a heart rate that is faster than the expected resting range.

  2. What does the Spanish phrase “te quiero” commonly express?

    Answer: Affection or love

    Te quiero is a common Spanish way to tell someone that you love or care for them.

  3. Which Brontë sister wrote “Jane Eyre”?

    Answer: Charlotte

    Charlotte Brontë published Jane Eyre under the pen name Currer Bell.

  4. Which confection gets its airy texture from whipped egg whites and sugar?

    Answer: Meringue

    Meringue traps air in beaten egg whites stabilized with dissolved sugar.

  5. Which writer linked Saint Valentine's Day with birds choosing mates in “Parliament of Fowls”?

    Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

    Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval poem Parliament of Fowls made an influential literary connection between the saint's day and courtship.

Daily round

  1. Which fruitlike structure forms below a rose flower?

    Answer: Rose hip

    A rose hip develops after pollination and contains the plant's seeds.

  2. Which flavor comes from the cured pods of an orchid?

    Answer: Vanilla

    Vanilla flavor is extracted from cured seed pods of orchids in the genus Vanilla.

  3. Which nut is the principal ingredient in marzipan?

    Answer: Almond

    Marzipan is a sweet paste made chiefly from ground almonds and sugar.

  4. What is the largest artery in the human body?

    Answer: Aorta

    The aorta receives oxygenated blood from the left ventricle and distributes it to the body.

  5. Which Greek-derived term refers to selfless or charitable love?

    Answer: Agape

    Agape is used for self-giving or charitable love, especially in theological contexts.

Daily round

  1. To which family member did Charles, Duke of Orléans, address an early valentine poem?

    Answer: His wife

    Charles, Duke of Orléans, addressed his fifteenth-century love poem from captivity to his wife.

  2. What does the abbreviation RSVP request from an invitation recipient?

    Answer: A reply

    RSVP comes from a French phrase asking the recipient to respond.

  3. What does the French phrase “je t'aime” mean in English?

    Answer: I love you

    Je t'aime is the standard French expression meaning I love you.

  4. Which seahorse sex carries developing embryos in a brood pouch?

    Answer: Male

    Male seahorses receive eggs into a brood pouch and carry them until the young emerge.

  5. Which Italian city promotes a connection with the fictional Juliet Capulet?

    Answer: Verona

    Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, maintains attractions associated with Juliet.

Daily round

  1. Which famous sculpture shows Venus standing on a shell?

    Answer: The Birth of Venus

    Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus depicts the goddess arriving on a large shell.

  2. What does the Japanese word “ai” mean in a romantic context?

    Answer: Love

    Ai is a Japanese noun meaning love, often conveying deep affection.

  3. Which blood vessels carry blood away from the heart?

    Answer: Arteries

    Arteries carry blood away from the heart, while veins return it.

  4. Which country uses the rose as its national flower?

    Answer: United States

    The United States designated the rose as its national floral emblem in 1986.

  5. How many days does February have in a common year?

    Answer: 28

    February has twenty-eight days unless the year is a leap year.

Daily round

  1. In which U.S. state did Esther Howland establish her valentine business?

    Answer: Massachusetts

    Howland produced her influential cards in Worcester, Massachusetts.

  2. Which bird is commonly used as a symbol of peace and devoted pairing?

    Answer: Dove

    Doves appear in art and ceremonies as symbols of peace, affection, and partnership.

  3. Which goddess was honored by the ancient Roman festival Matronalia on March 1?

    Answer: Juno

    Matronalia honored Juno Lucina and included gifts and observances connected with marriage and childbirth.

  4. Which ingredient becomes caramel when heated until it browns?

    Answer: Sugar

    Caramelization occurs when sugar is heated and develops brown color and complex flavors.

  5. Which museum holds the oldest known printed Valentine's card?

    Answer: British Museum

    The British Museum preserves an early printed Valentine's card dating from the eighteenth century.

Daily round

  1. Which Roman numeral represents the date 14?

    Answer: XIV

    XIV combines ten, four, and the subtraction rule to represent fourteen.

  2. Which postal reform helped popularize mailed valentines in Victorian Britain?

    Answer: Uniform Penny Post

    The affordable Uniform Penny Post made sending cards within Britain much easier.

  3. Which title is traditionally attached to the saint commemorated on Valentine's Day?

    Answer: Saint Valentine

    The holiday's name comes from Saint Valentine, though traditions combine stories about more than one martyr.

  4. Which novel features Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff?

    Answer: Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights centers partly on the destructive bond between Catherine and Heathcliff.

  5. Which planet is named for the Roman goddess of love?

    Answer: Venus

    Venus shares its name with the Roman goddess associated with love and beauty.

Daily round

  1. What ingredient distinguishes milk chocolate from plain dark chocolate?

    Answer: Milk solids

    Milk chocolate includes milk powder or other milk solids in addition to cocoa and sugar.

  2. February takes its name from Februa, a Roman festival associated with what?

    Answer: Purification

    The name February is linked to the Roman purification festival called Februa.

  3. Which mythical sculptor falls in love with a statue he created?

    Answer: Pygmalion

    In classical myth, Pygmalion loves an ivory statue that is brought to life.

  4. Which solid remains after much of the fat is pressed from chocolate liquor?

    Answer: Cocoa cake

    Pressing chocolate liquor separates cocoa butter and leaves a solid cocoa cake.

  5. In which country did the White Day gift-giving custom originate?

    Answer: Japan

    White Day began in Japan and is observed on March 14 as a gift-giving counterpart to Valentine's Day.