Answer: 1941

Context: In 1941, Reza Shah was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and established the Persian Corridor, a massive supply route that would last until the end of the ongoing war. The presence of so many foreign troops in the nation also culminated in the Soviet-backed establishment of two puppet regimes in the nation; the Azerbaijan People's Government, and the Republic of Mahabad. As the Soviet Union refused to relinquish the occupied Iranian territory, the Iran crisis of 1946 was followed, which particularly resulted in the dissolution of both puppet states, and the withdrawal of the Soviets.

Question: When was Reza Shah forced to abdicate in Iran?


Answer: his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Question: Who succeeded Reza Shah after his abdication?


Answer: the Persian Corridor

Question: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi established what enormous supply route during World War 2?


Answer: the Soviet Union

Question: Who backed two puppet regimes in/around Iran during WWII?


Answer: the Iran crisis of 1946

Question: What happened which ended in two puppet states dissolving and Soviet withdrawal out of Iran after WWII?


Answer: 1973

Context: Due to the 1973 spike in oil prices, the economy of Iran was flooded with foreign currency, which caused inflation. By 1974, the economy of Iran was experiencing double digit inflation, and despite many large projects to modernize the country, corruption was rampant and caused large amounts of waste. By 1975 and 1976, an economic recession led to increased unemployment, especially among millions of youth who had migrated to the cities of Iran looking for construction jobs during the boom years of the early 1970s. By the late 1970s, many of these people opposed the Shah's regime and began to organize and join the protests against it.

Question: What year did oil price spikes in Iran lead to inflation?


Answer: economy of Iran was flooded with foreign currency

Question: What caused inflation to Iran's economy during the oil price spike in 1973?


Answer: an economic recession

Question: Iran's inflation led to what in 1975-1976?


Answer: construction jobs

Question: Why did millions of youth migrate to the urban areas of Iran in the mid 1970s?


Answer: millions of youth who had migrated to the cities

Question: Due to increased unemployment, who mainly opposed the Shah's regime?


Answer: 1979

Context: The immediate nationwide uprisings against the new government began by the 1979 Kurdish rebellion with the Khuzestan uprisings, along with the uprisings in Sistan and Baluchestan Province and other areas. Over the next several years, these uprisings were subdued in a violent manner by the new Islamic government. The new government went about purging itself of the non-Islamist political opposition. Although both nationalists and Marxists had initially joined with Islamists to overthrow the Shah, tens of thousands were executed by the Islamic government afterward.

Question: The new Iranian government following the Shah's downfall dealt with the Kurdish rebellion in what year?


Answer: in a violent manner

Question: How did the new Iranian government handle the rebellions and uprisings following their rise to power?


Answer: non-Islamist

Question: The new Iranian government purged itself of what political opposition?


Answer: were executed

Question: What happened to the nationalists and Marxists that had helped the Islamic ruling government to depose the Shah?


Answer: a group of students

Context: On November 4, 1979, a group of students seized the United States Embassy and took the embassy with 52 personnel and citizens hostage, after the United States refused to return Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Iran to face trial in the court of the new regime. Attempts by the Jimmy Carter administration to negotiate for the release of the hostages, and a failed rescue attempt, helped force Carter out of office and brought Ronald Reagan to power. On Jimmy Carter's final day in office, the last hostages were finally set free as a result of the Algiers Accords.

Question: Who seized the US Embassy in Iran in 1979?


Answer: November 4, 1979

Question: When was the US Embassy in Iran seized?


Answer: Algiers Accords

Question: ALl of the hostages were completely freed as the result of what treaty?


Answer: Ronald Reagan

Question: Who won the 1980 US Presidential Elections after President Carter's repeated failed attempts to resolve the US Iranian Embassy situation?


Answer: 52 personnel and citizens

Question: How many hostages were taken in the US Embassy seizure?


Answer: the Iraqi army

Context: On September 22, 1980, the Iraqi army invaded the Iranian Khuzestan, and the Iran–Iraq War began. Although the forces of Saddam Hussein made several early advances, by mid 1982, the Iranian forces successfully managed to drive the Iraqi army back into Iraq. In July 1982, with Iraq thrown on the defensive, Iran took the decision to invade Iraq and conducted countless offensives in a bid to conquer Iraqi territory and capture cities, such as Basra. The war continued until 1988, when the Iraqi army defeated the Iranian forces inside Iraq and pushed the remaining Iranian troops back across the border. Subsequently, Khomeini accepted a truce mediated by the UN. The total Iranian casualties in the war were estimated to be 123,220–160,000 KIA, 60,711 MIA, and 11,000–16,000 civilians killed.

Question: Who invaded Iran in 1980?


Answer: mid 1982

Question: When did the Iranian army push the Iraqis back into Iraq?


Answer: the UN

Question: Who mediated the truce which ended the Iran-Iraq War?


Answer: 1988

Question: When did the Iran-Iraq War finally end?


Answer: 11,000–16,000

Question: How many civilians in Iran were killed during the Iran-Iraq War?


Answer: 24° and 40° N

Context: Iran has an area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi). Iran lies between latitudes 24° and 40° N, and longitudes 44° and 64° E. Its borders are with Azerbaijan (611 km or 380 mi, with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave, 179 km or 111 mi) and Armenia (35 km or 22 mi) to the north-west; the Caspian Sea to the north; Turkmenistan (992 km or 616 mi) to the north-east; Pakistan (909 km or 565 mi) and Afghanistan (936 km or 582 mi) to the east; Turkey (499 km or 310 mi) and Iraq (1,458 km or 906 mi) to the west; and finally the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south.

Question: What latitudes does Iran lie between?


Answer: 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi)

Question: What is the size of Iran?


Answer: to the south

Question: Where does Iran border the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman?


Answer: 44° and 64° E

Question: What longitudes does Iran lie between?


Answer: the Caspian Sea

Question: What does Iran border with to its north?


Answer: rugged mountain ranges

Context: Iran consists of the Iranian Plateau with the exception of the coasts of the Caspian Sea and Khuzestan Province. It is one of the world's most mountainous countries, its landscape dominated by rugged mountain ranges that separate various basins or plateaux from one another. The populous western part is the most mountainous, with ranges such as the Caucasus, Zagros and Alborz Mountains; the last contains Iran's highest point, Mount Damavand at 5,610 m (18,406 ft), which is also the highest mountain on the Eurasian landmass west of the Hindu Kush.

Question: Iran's landscape is dominated by what geographical feature?


Answer: Mount Damavand

Question: What is Iran's highest mountain?


Answer: 5,610 m (18,406 ft)

Question: How tall is Mount Damavand?


Answer: Alborz Mountains

Question: Mount Damavand is located in what range?


Answer: subtropical

Context: Iran's climate ranges from arid or semiarid, to subtropical along the Caspian coast and the northern forests. On the northern edge of the country (the Caspian coastal plain) temperatures rarely fall below freezing and the area remains humid for the rest of the year. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 29 °C (84.2 °F). Annual precipitation is 680 mm (26.8 in) in the eastern part of the plain and more than 1,700 mm (66.9 in) in the western part. United Nations Resident Coordinator for Iran Gary Lewis has said that "Water scarcity poses the most severe human security challenge in Iran today".

Question: Iran's climate along its Capsian coast and northen forests is?


Answer: Summer

Question: During what season does Iran's northern region's temperatures never go higher than 29c?


Answer: 680 mm (26.8 in)

Question: What is the annual precipitation in Iran's eastern plains?


Answer: 1,700 mm (66.9 in)

Question: What is the annual precipitation in Iran's western plains?


Answer: Water scarcity

Question: According to Gary Lewis of the UN, what is the most pressing human security challenge in Iran?


Answer: 38 °C (100.4 °F)

Context: To the west, settlements in the Zagros basin experience lower temperatures, severe winters with below zero average daily temperatures and heavy snowfall. The eastern and central basins are arid, with less than 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain, and have occasional deserts. Average summer temperatures rarely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F). The coastal plains of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in southern Iran have mild winters, and very humid and hot summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 135 to 355 mm (5.3 to 14.0 in).

Question: In Iran's western Zagros Basin, temperatures do not exceed what level during the summer?


Answer: below zero

Question: In Iran's western Zagros Basin, what are the average daily temperatures during winter?


Answer: less than 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain

Question: The eastern and central basins of Iran experience how much annual precipitation?


Answer: 135 to 355 mm (5.3 to 14.0 in)

Question: What is the coastal plains of Iran's annual precipitation ranges?


Answer: large national development projects

Context: At least 74 species of Iranian wildlife are on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a sign of serious threats against the country’s biodiversity. The Iranian Parliament has been showing disregard for wildlife by passing laws and regulations such as the act that lets the Ministry of Industries and Mines exploit mines without the involvement of the Department of Environment, and by approving large national development projects without demanding comprehensive study of their impact on wildlife habitats.

Question: The Iranian Parliament does not demand environmental impact studies before approving what projects?


Answer: 74 species

Question: How many species of Iranian wildlife are listed by the IUCN as endangered?


Answer: Ministry of Industries and Mines

Question: The Iranian Parliament lets who exploit mines without guidance from the Department of the Environment?


Answer: Department of Environment

Question: The Iranian Parliament passes legislation without the involvement of what department to the detriment of wildlife?


Answer: Shiraz

Context: Shiraz, with a population of around 1.4 million (2011 census), is the sixth major city of Iran. It is the capital of Fars Province, and was also a former capital of Iran. The area was greatly influenced by the Babylonian civilization, and after the emergence of the ancient Persians, soon came to be known as Persis. Persians were present in the region since the 9th century BC, and became rulers of a large empire under the reign of the Achaemenid Dynasty in the 6th century BC. The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae, two of the four capitals of the Achaemenid Empire, are located around the modern-day city of Shiraz.

Question: What is the sixth most populous city of Iran?


Answer: 1.4 million

Question: What is Shiraz' population by the 2011 Census?


Answer: Fars Province

Question: Shiraz is the capital of what Province?


Answer: Babylonian civilization

Question: What ancient civilization has majorly influenced the Fars Province?


Answer: 9th century BC

Question: Persians have been in the Fars Province since what century?


Answer: the 1979 Constitution

Context: The political system of the Islamic Republic is based on the 1979 Constitution, and comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The Leader of the Revolution ("Supreme Leader") is responsible for delineation and supervision of the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations, and has sole power to declare war or peace. The heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Guardian Council are appointed by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts elects and dismisses the Supreme Leader on the basis of qualifications and popular esteem.

Question: The Iranina Islamic Republic is based on what document?


Answer: Supreme Leader

Question: What is the Leader of the Revolution also known as?


Answer: The Supreme Leader

Question: Who is the Commander in Chief of the Iranian Army?


Answer: six

Question: The Supreme Leader appoints how many members of the Guardian Council?


Answer: The Assembly of Experts

Question: Who is responsible for electing and dismissing the Supreme Leader?


Answer: the Supreme Leader

Context: The President is responsible for the implementation of the Constitution and for the exercise of executive powers, except for matters directly related to the Supreme Leader, who has the final say in all matters. The President appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers, coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the legislature. Eight Vice-Presidents serve under the President, as well as a cabinet of twenty-two ministers, who must all be approved by the legislature.

Question: In Iran, who has the final say in all matters directly related to the Supreme Leader?


Answer: The President

Question: Who exercises exective powers in Iran?


Answer: The President

Question: The Council of Ministers is appointed and supervised by who?


Answer: Eight

Question: How many Vice-Presidents serve under the President in Iran?


Answer: twenty-two

Question: The legislature approves the 8 vice presidents and how many cabinet members?


Answer: twelve jurists

Context: The Guardian Council comprises twelve jurists including six appointed by the Supreme Leader. The others are elected by the Iranian Parliament from among the jurists nominated by the Head of the Judiciary. The Council interprets the constitution and may veto Parliament. If a law is deemed incompatible with the constitution or Sharia (Islamic law), it is referred back to Parliament for revision. The Expediency Council has the authority to mediate disputes between Parliament and the Guardian Council, and serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader, making it one of the most powerful governing bodies in the country. Local city councils are elected by public vote to four-year terms in all cities and villages of Iran.

Question: How many jurists are in the Guardian Council?


Answer: The Guardian Council

Question: Who can veto Parliament?


Answer: The Expediency Council

Question: What Council acts as a mediator when there are disputes between the Parliament and the Guardian Council?


Answer: four-year terms

Question: How long are the terms of local city councils that are present in all Iranian cities and villages?


Answer: The Guardian Council

Question: Who is responsible for interpreting the Constitution?


Answer: The Special Clerical Court

Context: The Special Clerical Court handles crimes allegedly committed by clerics, although it has also taken on cases involving lay people. The Special Clerical Court functions independently of the regular judicial framework and is accountable only to the Supreme Leader. The Court's rulings are final and cannot be appealed. The Assembly of Experts, which meets for one week annually, comprises 86 "virtuous and learned" clerics elected by adult suffrage for eight-year terms. As with the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Guardian Council determines candidates' eligibility. The Assembly elects the Supreme Leader and has the constitutional authority to remove the Supreme Leader from power at any time. It has not challenged any of the Supreme Leader's decisions.

Question: When crimes are committed by clerics, who handles the cases?


Answer: the Supreme Leader

Question: The Special Clerical Court is accountable to only which body?


Answer: one week annually

Question: How often does the Assembly of Experts meet?


Answer: 86

Question: The Assembly of Experts has how many clerics?


Answer: The Assembly of Experts

Question: Which body can remove the Supreme Leader at any time by constitutional right?


Answer: Since 2005

Context: Since 2005, Iran's nuclear program has become the subject of contention with the international community following earlier quotes of Iranian leadership favoring the use of an atomic bomb against Iran's enemies and in particular Israel. Many countries have expressed concern that Iran's nuclear program could divert civilian nuclear technology into a weapons program. This has led the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran which had further isolated Iran politically and economically from the rest of the global community. In 2009, the US Director of National Intelligence said that Iran, if choosing to, would not be able to develop a nuclear weapon until 2013.

Question: Iran's nuclear program has caused discord within the international community since when?


Answer: Israel

Question: Which country did Iran's leadership was quoted as being a possible target of its atomic weapons?


Answer: UN Security Council

Question: Who imposed sanctions against Iran as a result of Iran's nuclear program?


Answer: 2013

Question: When was it estimated by the US Director of National Intelligence that Iran would be able to develop a nuclear weapon?


Answer: the Basij

Context: Iran has a paramilitary, volunteer militia force within the IRGC, called the Basij, which includes about 90,000 full-time, active-duty uniformed members. Up to 11 million men and women are members of the Basij who could potentially be called up for service; GlobalSecurity.org estimates Iran could mobilize "up to one million men". This would be among the largest troop mobilizations in the world. In 2007, Iran's military spending represented 2.6% of the GDP or $102 per capita, the lowest figure of the Persian Gulf nations. Iran's military doctrine is based on deterrence. In 2014 arms spending the country spent $15 billion and was outspent by the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council by a factor of 13.

Question: What is Iran's volunteer militia force named?


Answer: 90,000

Question: How many full-time members does the Basij have?


Answer: Up to 11 million men and women

Question: How many members in total does the Basij have?


Answer: military spending

Question: In 2007 what was Iran spending 2.6% of its GDP on?


Answer: $15 billion

Question: In 2014, Iran spent how much on weapons spending?


Answer: The Fajr-3 (MIRV)

Context: Since the 1979 Revolution, to overcome foreign embargoes, Iran has developed its own military industry, produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, guided missiles, submarines, military vessels, guided missile destroyer, radar systems, helicopters and fighter planes. In recent years, official announcements have highlighted the development of weapons such as the Hoot, Kowsar, Zelzal, Fateh-110, Shahab-3 and Sejjil missiles, and a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Fajr-3 (MIRV) is currently Iran's most advanced ballistic missile, it is a liquid fuel missile with an undisclosed range which was developed and produced domestically.

Question: What is Iran's most advanced missile?


Answer: foreign embargoes

Question: Why did Iran have to build its own military hardware, vehicles, and weapons after the 1979 Revolution?


Answer: 1979 Revolution

Question: Since when has Iran developed its domestic military infrastructure?


Answer: liquid fuel

Question: The Fajr-3 missile uses what type of propulsion system?


Answer: $70 billion

Context: In 2006, about 45% of the government's budget came from oil and natural gas revenues, and 31% came from taxes and fees. As of 2007[update], Iran had earned $70 billion in foreign exchange reserves mostly (80%) from crude oil exports. Iranian budget deficits have been a chronic problem, mostly due to large-scale state subsidies, that include foodstuffs and especially gasoline, totaling more than $84 billion in 2008 for the energy sector alone. In 2010, the economic reform plan was approved by parliament to cut subsidies gradually and replace them with targeted social assistance. The objective is to move towards free market prices in a 5-year period and increase productivity and social justice.

Question: By 2007, Iran's crude oil exports resulted in how much of its foreign exchange currency?


Answer: large-scale state subsidies

Question: What is a main cause of Iran's constant budget deficits?


Answer: 2010

Question: What year did Iran pass an economic reform plan that would replace subsidies with targeted social assistance programs?


Answer: more than $84 billion

Question: In 2008, how much was Iran's state subsidy in its energy sector?


Answer: about 45%

Question: How much of Iran's budget came from oil and natural gas reserves in 2006?


Answer: diversify Iran's oil-reliant economy

Context: The administration continues to follow the market reform plans of the previous one and indicated that it will diversify Iran's oil-reliant economy. Iran has also developed a biotechnology, nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals industry. However, nationalized industries such as the bonyads have often been managed badly, making them ineffective and uncompetitive with years. Currently, the government is trying to privatize these industries, and, despite successes, there are still several problems to be overcome, such as the lagging corruption in the public sector and lack of competitiveness. In 2010, Iran was ranked 69, out of 139 nations, in the Global Competitiveness Report.

Question: What is a main goal of Iran's market reform plans?


Answer: ranked 69

Question: The Global COmpetitiveness Report in 2010 ranked Iran where out of 139 countries?


Answer: the bonyads

Question: What Iranian nationalized industry has been noncompetitive and managed badly?


Answer: lagging corruption in the public sector

Question: What, along with a lack of competition, has held back Iran's nationalized industries?


Answer: 16,000

Context: Economic sanctions against Iran, such as the embargo against Iranian crude oil, have affected the economy. Sanctions have led to a steep fall in the value of the rial, and as of April 2013 one US dollar is worth 36,000 rial, compared with 16,000 in early 2012. Following a successful implementation of the 2015 nuclear and sanctions relief deal, the resulting benefits might not be distributed evenly across the Iranian economy as political elites such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have garnered more resources and economic interests.

Question: How much was 1 US Dollar worth in Iranian Rials in early 2012?


Answer: 36,000

Question: How much was 1 US Dollar worth in Iranian Rials in April 2013?


Answer: 2015

Question: What year did a nuclear and sanctions relief deal happen for Iran?


Answer: embargo

Question: What economic sanction against Iranian crude oil has adversely affected the Iranian economy?


Answer: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Question: What would possibly prevent the even spread of relief benefits from Iran's nuclear and sanctions deal of 2015?


Answer: the most popular tourist destinations

Context: Alongside the capital, the most popular tourist destinations are Isfahan, Mashhad and Shiraz. In the early 2000s, the industry faced serious limitations in infrastructure, communications, industry standards and personnel training. The majority of the 300,000 tourist visas granted in 2003 were obtained by Asian Muslims, who presumably intended to visit important pilgrimage sites in Mashhad and Qom. Several organized tours from Germany, France and other European countries come to Iran annually to visit archaeological sites and monuments. In 2003, Iran ranked 68th in tourism revenues worldwide. According to UNESCO and the deputy head of research for Iran Travel and Tourism Organization (ITTO), Iran is rated 4th among the top 10 destinations in the Middle East. Domestic tourism in Iran is one of the largest in the world. Weak advertising, unstable regional conditions, a poor public image in some parts of the world, and absence of efficient planning schemes in the tourism sector have all hindered the growth of tourism.

Question: What does Teheran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Shiraz have in common?


Answer: 300,000

Question: How many tourist visas were granted in 2003?


Answer: Asian Muslims

Question: Which group made up the majority of granted tourist visas in 2003?


Answer: ranked 68th

Question: In 2003, what was Iran's worldwide rank in tourism revenues?


Answer: rated 4th

Question: What was Iran's rank in the top 10 Middle East destinations according to UNESCO?


Answer: 33.6 trillion cubic metres

Context: Iran has the second largest proved gas reserves in the world after Russia, with 33.6 trillion cubic metres, and third largest natural gas production in the world after Indonesia, and Russia. It also ranks fourth in oil reserves with an estimated 153,600,000,000 barrels. It is OPEC's 2nd largest oil exporter and is an energy superpower. In 2005, Iran spent US$4 billion on fuel imports, because of contraband and inefficient domestic use. Oil industry output averaged 4 million barrels per day (640,000 m3/d) in 2005, compared with the peak of six million barrels per day reached in 1974. In the early years of the 2000s (decade), industry infrastructure was increasingly inefficient because of technological lags. Few exploratory wells were drilled in 2005.

Question: How much natural gas reserves does Iran have?


Answer: second largest

Question: What is Iran ranked in the world in proved gas reserves?


Answer: 153,600,000,000 barrels

Question: How much oil reserves does Iran have?


Answer: 2nd largest

Question: Where does Iran rank in OPEC's top oil exporting nations?


Answer: US$4 billion

Question: How much did Iran spend in oil imports in 2005?


Answer: 2004

Context: In 2004, a large share of natural gas reserves in Iran were untapped. The addition of new hydroelectric stations and the streamlining of conventional coal and oil-fired stations increased installed capacity to 33,000 megawatts. Of that amount, about 75% was based on natural gas, 18% on oil, and 7% on hydroelectric power. In 2004, Iran opened its first wind-powered and geothermal plants, and the first solar thermal plant is to come online in 2009. Iran is the third country in the world to have developed GTL technology.

Question: When did Iran open its first wind-powered plants?


Answer: 2004

Question: When did Iran open its first geothermal plants?


Answer: 33,000 megawatts

Question: How much did Iran's installed capacity of power increase to after it added new hydroelectric power in 2004?


Answer: 75%

Question: How much of Iran's 33k megawatt installed capacity was based on natural gas?


Answer: 18%

Question: How much of Iran's 33k megawatt installed capacity was based on oil?


Answer: Ali Javan

Context: Iranian scientists outside Iran have also made some major contributions to science. In 1960, Ali Javan co-invented the first gas laser, and fuzzy set theory was introduced by Lotfi Zadeh. Iranian cardiologist, Tofy Mussivand invented and developed the first artificial cardiac pump, the precursor of the artificial heart. Furthering research and treatment of diabetes, HbA1c was discovered by Samuel Rahbar. Iranian physics is especially strong in string theory, with many papers being published in Iran. Iranian-American string theorist Kamran Vafa proposed the Vafa-Witten theorem together with Edward Witten. In August 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first-ever woman, as well as the first-ever Iranian, to receive the Fields Medal, the highest prize in mathematics.

Question: Which Iranian scientist co-invented the first gas laser?


Answer: Tofy Mussivand

Question: Which Iranian cardiologist developed and invented the first artificial cardiac pump?


Answer: the Fields Medal

Question: In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani became the first women ever and first Iranian to win what prestigious mathematics award?


Answer: Samuel Rahbar

Question: Which Iranian scientist discovered HbA1c to further treatment and research of diabetes?


Answer: 1960

Question: When did Ali Javan, an Iranian scientist, co-invent the first gas laser?


Answer: Persians

Context: As with the spoken languages, the ethnic group composition also remains a point of debate, mainly regarding the largest and second largest ethnic groups, the Persians and Azerbaijanis, due to the lack of Iranian state censuses based on ethnicity. The CIA's World Factbook has estimated that around 79% of the population of Iran are a diverse Indo-European ethno-linguistic group that comprise the speakers of Iranian languages, with Persians constituting 53% of the population, Gilaks and Mazanderanis 7%, Kurds 10%, Lurs 6%, and Balochs 2%. Peoples of the other ethnicities in Iran make up the remaining 22%, with Azerbaijanis constituting 16%, Arabs 2%, Turkmens and Turkic tribes 2%, and others 2% (such as Armenians, Talysh, Georgians, Circassians, Assyrians).

Question: What is Iran's presumed largest ethnic group?


Answer: Azerbaijanis

Question: What is Iran's presumed 2nd largest ethnic group?


Answer: 53%

Question: Persians make up what percentage of Iran's population?


Answer: 22%

Question: Ethnic minorities such as Azerbaijanis make up what percentage of Iran's population?


Answer: 79%

Question: What percentage of Iran speaks any type of Iranian language?


Answer: Sunni branch

Context: Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and the Sunni branch of Islam are officially recognized by the government, and have reserved seats in the Iranian Parliament. But the Bahá'í Faith, which is said to be the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, is not officially recognized, and has been persecuted during its existence in Iran since the 19th century. Since the 1979 Revolution, the persecution of Bahais has increased with executions, the denial of civil rights and liberties, and the denial of access to higher education and employment.

Question: What other branch of Islam is recognized by the Iranian government?


Answer: have reserved seats

Question: Are the religious minorities in Iran - Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Sunnis - a part of the Iranian Parliament?


Answer: the Bahá'í Faith

Question: What religious minority is not officially recognized by the Iranian government?


Answer: since the 19th century

Question: How long has the Bahai Faith been persecuted in Iran?


Answer: the Bahá'í Faith

Question: Which religious minority since the 1979 Revolution has been persecuted and in some cases executed by the Iranian government?


Answer: the bas-reliefs of Persepolis

Context: The earliest examples of visual representations in Iranian history are traced back to the bas-reliefs of Persepolis, c. 500 BC. Persepolis was the ritual center of the ancient kingdom of Achaemenids, and the figures at Persepolis remain bound by the rules of grammar and syntax of visual language. The Iranian visual arts reached a pinnacle by the Sassanid Era. A bas-relief from this period in Taq Bostan depicts a complex hunting scene. Similar works from the period have been found to articulate movements and actions in a highly sophisticated manner. It is even possible to see a progenitor of the cinema close-up in one of these works of art, which shows a wounded wild pig escaping from the hunting ground.

Question: What were the first known examples of Iranian visual art?


Answer: c. 500 BC

Question: How far back can the first known examples of Iranian visual art be traced to?


Answer: Persepolis

Question: What city was the ritual center of the Archaemenids?


Answer: the Sassanid Era

Question: In what era did Iranian visual art reach its peak?


Answer: 1960s

Context: The 1960s was a significant decade for Iranian cinema, with 25 commercial films produced annually on average throughout the early 60s, increasing to 65 by the end of the decade. The majority of production focused on melodrama and thrillers. With the screening of the films Kaiser and The Cow, directed by Masoud Kimiai and Dariush Mehrjui respectively in 1969, alternative films established their status in the film industry. Attempts to organize a film festival that had begun in 1954 within the framework of the Golrizan Festival, bore fruits in the form of the Sepas Festival in 1969. The endeavors also resulted in the formation of the Tehran World Festival in 1973.

Question: What decade was significant to Iranian film?


Answer: the Golrizan Festival

Question: What Iranian film festival in 1954 was the progenitor of future film festivals in 1969 and 1973?


Answer: 25 commercial films

Question: How many commercial films were produced yearly on average in the early 1960s in Iran?


Answer: 65

Question: How many commercial films were produced yearly on average by the end of the 1960s in Iran?


Answer: Tehran World Festival

Question: What Iranian film festival was created in 1973?


Answer: Khosrow Sinai

Context: After the Revolution of 1979, as the new government imposed new laws and standards, a new age in Iranian cinema emerged, starting with Viva... by Khosrow Sinai and followed by many other directors, such as Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi. Kiarostami, an admired Iranian director, planted Iran firmly on the map of world cinema when he won the Palme d'Or for Taste of Cherry in 1997. The continuous presence of Iranian films in prestigious international festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival, attracted world attention to Iranian masterpieces. In 2006, six Iranian films, of six different styles, represented Iranian cinema at the Berlin International Film Festival. Critics considered this a remarkable event in the history of Iranian cinema.

Question: Which director led off a new age of Iranian film after the 1979 Revolution?


Answer: Viva...

Question: What was the name of Sinai's film that ushered in Iran's new era of film after the 1979 Revolution?


Answer: Abbas Kiarostami

Question: Which Iranian director won the Palm d'Or at Cannes in 1997?


Answer: Taste of Cherry

Question: What was the name of Kiarostami's film which won the Palm d'Or at Cannes in 1997?


Answer: 2006

Question: What year did 6 different Iranian films of six different styles represent at the Berlin International Film Festival?


Answer: 1993

Context: Iran received access to the Internet in 1993. According to 2014 census, around 40% of the population of Iran are Internet users. Iran ranks 24th among countries by number of Internet users. According to the statistics provided by the web information company of Alexa, Google Search and Yahoo! are the most used search engines in Iran. Over 80% of the users of Telegram, a cloud-based instant messaging service, are from Iran. Instagram is the most popular online social networking service in Iran. Direct access to Facebook has been blocked in Iran since the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, due to organization of the opposition movements on the website; but however, Facebook has around 12 to 17 million users in Iran who are using virtual private networks and proxy servers to access the website. Around 90% of Iran's e-commerce takes place on the Iranian online store of Digikala, which has around 750,000 visitors per day and more than 2.3 million subscribers. Digikala is the most visited online store in the Middle East, and ranks 4th among the most visited websites in Iran.

Question: When did the Internet arrive in Iran?


Answer: around 40%

Question: What percentage of Iran's population were internet users in 2014?


Answer: Instagram

Question: What is Iran's most popular online social network?


Answer: Over 80%

Question: What percentage of cloud-based instant messaging platform Telegram's users are from Iran?


Answer: Digikala

Question: What site is responsible for around 90% of Iran's online e-commerce?


Answer: Herbs

Context: Iranian cuisine is diverse due to its variety of ethnic groups and the influence of other cultures. Herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. Iranians usually eat plain yogurt with lunch and dinner; it is a staple of the diet in Iran. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic flavourings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes. Onions and garlic are normally used in the preparation of the accompanying course, but are also served separately during meals, either in raw or pickled form. Iran is also famous for its caviar.

Question: In Iranian cuisine, what is habitually used with fruits?


Answer: plain yogurt

Question: Iranians usually eat what diet staple with lunch and dinner?


Answer: caviar

Question: What delicacy is Iran famous for?


Answer: its variety of ethnic groups

Question: Why is Iranian cuisine so diverse besides being influenced by other cultures?


Answer: Azerbaijanis

Context: Other non-governmental estimations regarding the groups other than the Persians and Azerbaijanis roughly congruate with the World Factbook and the Library of Congress. However, many scholarly and organisational estimations regarding the number of these two groups differ significantly from the mentioned census. According to many of them, the number of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran comprises between 21.6–30% of the total population, with the majority holding it on 25%.cd In any case, the largest population of Azerbaijanis in the world live in Iran.

Question: Iran has the highest population of what group in the world?


Answer: between 21.6–30%

Question: What is the percentage range of Iran's total population is seemingly comprised of Azerbaijanis?


Answer: 25%

Question: What is the majority of organizational estimations of Azerbaijanis' percentage of Iran's population?


Answer: watermelons

Context: Iran has leading manufacturing industries in the fields of car-manufacture and transportation, construction materials, home appliances, food and agricultural goods, armaments, pharmaceuticals, information technology, power and petrochemicals in the Middle East. According to FAO, Iran has been a top five producer of the following agricultural products in the world in 2012: apricots, cherries, sour cherries, cucumbers and gherkins, dates, eggplants, figs, pistachios, quinces, walnuts, and watermelons.

Question: What melon is Iran a Top 5 producer in the world in 2012?


Answer: construction materials

Question: What type of materials is Iran a leading manufacturer of in the Middle East?


Answer: petrochemicals

Question: What type of chemicals is Iran a leading manufacturer of in the Middle East?


Answer: apricots, cherries, sour cherries, cucumbers and gherkins, dates, eggplants, figs, pistachios, quinces, walnuts, and watermelons.

Question: How many agricultural products in 2012 was Iran a top 5 producer in the world? Answer: 12


Answer: home appliances

Question: What type of appliances is Iran a leading manufacturer of in the Middle East?


Answer: The Median

Context: Iranian art encompasses many disciplines, including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking, and stonemasonry. The Median and Achaemenid empires left a significant classical art scene which remained as basic influences for the art of the later eras. Art of the Parthians was a mixture of Iranian and Hellenistic artworks, with their main motifs being scenes of royal hunting expeditions and investitures. The Sassanid art played a prominent role in the formation of both European and Asian medieval art, which carried forward to the Islamic world, and much of what later became known as Islamic learning, such as philology, literature, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, architecture, and science, were of Sassanid basis.

Question: The Achaemind Empire along with what other group became the foundation for the art in later Iranian history?


Answer: Hellenistic

Question: A blend of Iranian and what other type of artwork were the Parthians' art comprised of?


Answer: Sassanid art

Question: What Iranian art played a major role in the formation of medieval art from Europe and Asia?


Answer: Islamic learning

Question: The Sassanid became a cornerstone of what type of learning?


Answer: Great Britain, Ireland

Context: The British Isles are a group of islands off the north-western coast of continental Europe that consist of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. Situated in the North Atlantic, the islands have a total area of approximately 315,159 km2, and a combined population of just under 70 million. Two sovereign states are located on the islands: Ireland (which covers roughly five-sixths of the island with the same name) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The British Isles also include three Crown Dependencies: the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the archipelago.

Question: What is two islands that are part of the British Isles?


Answer: North Atlantic,

Question: Where are the British Isles located?


Answer: just under 70 million

Question: How many people live in the British Isles?


Answer: Isle of Man

Question: What is one of the three Crown Dependencies of the British Isles?


Answer: in the Channel Islands

Question: Where are the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey located?


Answer: 2,700 million years old

Context: The oldest rocks in the group are in the north west of Scotland, Ireland and North Wales and are 2,700 million years old. During the Silurian period the north-western regions collided with the south-east, which had been part of a separate continental landmass. The topography of the islands is modest in scale by global standards. Ben Nevis rises to an elevation of only 1,344 metres (4,409 ft), and Lough Neagh, which is notably larger than other lakes on the isles, covers 390 square kilometres (151 sq mi). The climate is temperate marine, with mild winters and warm summers. The North Atlantic Drift brings significant moisture and raises temperatures 11 °C (20 °F) above the global average for the latitude. This led to a landscape which was long dominated by temperate rainforest, although human activity has since cleared the vast majority of forest cover. The region was re-inhabited after the last glacial period of Quaternary glaciation, by 12,000 BC when Great Britain was still a peninsula of the European continent. Ireland, which became an island by 12,000 BC, was not inhabited until after 8000 BC. Great Britain became an island by 5600 BC.

Question: What is the age of the oldest rocks in the north western part of Scotland?


Answer: 1,344 metres (4,409 ft

Question: What is the elevation of Ben Nevis?


Answer: temperate marine

Question: What type of climate does this area have?


Answer: European continent.

Question: Around 12,000 BC, Great Britain was still a peninsula on what continent?


Answer: after 8000 BC

Question: When is it believed that Ireland became inhabited?


Answer: Pictish (northern Britain)

Context: Hiberni (Ireland), Pictish (northern Britain) and Britons (southern Britain) tribes, all speaking Insular Celtic, inhabited the islands at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. Much of Brittonic-controlled Britain was conquered by the Roman Empire from AD 43. The first Anglo-Saxons arrived as Roman power waned in the 5th century and eventually dominated the bulk of what is now England. Viking invasions began in the 9th century, followed by more permanent settlements and political change—particularly in England. The subsequent Norman conquest of England in 1066 and the later Angevin partial conquest of Ireland from 1169 led to the imposition of a new Norman ruling elite across much of Britain and parts of Ireland. By the Late Middle Ages, Great Britain was separated into the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, while control in Ireland fluxed between Gaelic kingdoms, Hiberno-Norman lords and the English-dominated Lordship of Ireland, soon restricted only to The Pale. The 1603 Union of the Crowns, Acts of Union 1707 and Acts of Union 1800 attempted to consolidate Britain and Ireland into a single political unit, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands remaining as Crown Dependencies. The expansion of the British Empire and migrations following the Irish Famine and Highland Clearances resulted in the distribution of the islands' population and culture throughout the world and a rapid de-population of Ireland in the second half of the 19th century. Most of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom after the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Anglo-Irish Treaty (1919–1922), with six counties remaining in the UK as Northern Ireland.

Question: Which is one of the tribes that spoke Insular Celtic?


Answer: beginning of the 1st millennium AD

Question: When did the Pictish tribe start to inhabit the islands?


Answer: Roman Empire

Question: Who foreign group conquered Britain around AD 43?


Answer: 9th century

Question: When did the Vikings invade Britain?


Answer: Northern Ireland

Question: What are the six counties in Ireland called that are still part of the United Kingdom?


Answer: association of the word British

Context: The term British Isles is controversial in Ireland, where there are objections to its usage due to the association of the word British with Ireland. The Government of Ireland does not recognise or use the term and its embassy in London discourages its use. As a result, Britain and Ireland is used as an alternative description, and Atlantic Archipelago has had limited use among a minority in academia, although British Isles is still commonly employed. Within them, they are also sometimes referred to as these islands.

Question: Why is the name the British Isles disputed in Ireland?


Answer: does not recognise or use the term

Question: Does the Government of Ireland use the British Isle term?


Answer: Atlantic Archipelago

Question: What is the alternative name that Government of Ireland uses instead of British Isles?


Answer: its embassy in London discourages its use

Question: Does the Government of Ireland's London embassy use the name British Isles?


Answer: writings of sea-farers

Context: The earliest known references to the islands as a group appeared in the writings of sea-farers from the ancient Greek colony of Massalia. The original records have been lost; however, later writings, e.g. Avienus's Ora maritima, that quoted from the Massaliote Periplus (6th century BC) and from Pytheas's On the Ocean (circa 325–320 BC) have survived. In the 1st century BC, Diodorus Siculus has Prettanikē nēsos, "the British Island", and Prettanoi, "the Britons". Strabo used Βρεττανική (Brettanike), and Marcian of Heraclea, in his Periplus maris exteri, used αἱ Πρεττανικαί νῆσοι (the Prettanic Isles) to refer to the islands. Historians today, though not in absolute agreement, largely agree that these Greek and Latin names were probably drawn from native Celtic-language names for the archipelago. Along these lines, the inhabitants of the islands were called the Πρεττανοί (Priteni or Pretani). The shift from the "P" of Pretannia to the "B" of Britannia by the Romans occurred during the time of Julius Caesar.

Question: Where did the first known occurrence of the British Isle name appear in written material?


Answer: Massaliote Periplus (6th century BC)

Question: What is one of the earliest surviving records that mention the name British Isles?


Answer: during the time of Julius Caesar

Question: When did the "P" sound of Pretannia change to the "B" sound of Britannia?


Answer: native Celtic-language

Question: What language do most historians agree upon where the Greek names for the British Isles came from?


Answer: Πρεττανοί (Priteni or Pretani)

Question: What did the ancient Greeks call the people that lived in the British Isles?


Answer: little Britain (μικρής Βρεττανίας - mikris Brettanias)

Context: The Greco-Egyptian scientist Claudius Ptolemy referred to the larger island as great Britain (μεγάλης Βρεττανίας - megális Brettanias) and to Ireland as little Britain (μικρής Βρεττανίας - mikris Brettanias) in his work Almagest (147–148 AD). In his later work, Geography (c. 150 AD), he gave these islands the names Alwion, Iwernia, and Mona (the Isle of Man), suggesting these may have been names of the individual islands not known to him at the time of writing Almagest. The name Albion appears to have fallen out of use sometime after the Roman conquest of Great Britain, after which Britain became the more commonplace name for the island called Great Britain.

Question: What did name did Claudius Ptolemy (Greco-Egyptian scientist) use for Ireland?


Answer: Alwion, Iwernia, and Mona

Question: In later writings, what did Claudius Ptolemy called the British Isles?


Answer: Great Britain

Question: After the Romans conqured the British Isles what became the more common name for the country?


Answer: a work by John Dee

Context: The earliest known use of the phrase Brytish Iles in the English language is dated 1577 in a work by John Dee. Today, this name is seen by some as carrying imperialist overtones although it is still commonly used. Other names used to describe the islands include the Anglo-Celtic Isles, Atlantic archipelago, British-Irish Isles, Britain and Ireland, UK and Ireland, and British Isles and Ireland. Owing to political and national associations with the word British, the Government of Ireland does not use the term British Isles and in documents drawn up jointly between the British and Irish governments, the archipelago is referred to simply as "these islands". Nonetheless, British Isles is still the most widely accepted term for the archipelago.

Question: What is the earliest English usage of the term Brytish Illes?


Answer: 1577

Question: When was this Brytish Illes name used in the English language by John Dee?


Answer: Anglo-Celtic Isles

Question: What is another name that is used for the British Isles?


Answer: "these islands

Question: What is the common term that the Government of Ireland uses when documents are written jointly with the British?


Answer: c. 488–444 Ma and early Silurian period

Context: The British Isles lie at the juncture of several regions with past episodes of tectonic mountain building. These orogenic belts form a complex geology that records a huge and varied span of Earth's history. Of particular note was the Caledonian Orogeny during the Ordovician Period, c. 488–444 Ma and early Silurian period, when the craton Baltica collided with the terrane Avalonia to form the mountains and hills in northern Britain and Ireland. Baltica formed roughly the northwestern half of Ireland and Scotland. Further collisions caused the Variscan orogeny in the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, forming the hills of Munster, southwest England, and southern Wales. Over the last 500 million years the land that forms the islands has drifted northwest from around 30°S, crossing the equator around 370 million years ago to reach its present northern latitude.

Question: When did the Caledonian Orogeny occur?


Answer: mountains and hills

Question: What formed after the craton Baltica and the terrane Avalonia collision?


Answer: craton Baltica collided with the terrane Avalonia

Question: What happened during the c. 488–444 Ma and early Silurian period?


Answer: Variscan orogeny

Question: What formed the hills of Munster and the southern part of Wales?


Answer: northwest

Question: In which direction have the British Isles been drifting?


Answer: Devensian

Context: The islands have been shaped by numerous glaciations during the Quaternary Period, the most recent being the Devensian.[citation needed] As this ended, the central Irish Sea was deglaciated and the English Channel flooded, with sea levels rising to current levels some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, leaving the British Isles in their current form. Whether or not there was a land bridge between Great Britain and Ireland at this time is somewhat disputed, though there was certainly a single ice sheet covering the entire sea.

Question: What was the most recent glaciation that has shaped the British Isles?


Answer: the English Channel flooded

Question: What happened with the Devensian glaciation ended?


Answer: 4,000 to 5,000 years ago

Question: When did sea levels reach their current highth?


Answer: a single ice sheet

Question: What covered the sea between Ireland and Great Britian during the last glacier?


Answer: the Shannon

Context: The islands are at relatively low altitudes, with central Ireland and southern Great Britain particularly low lying: the lowest point in the islands is Holme, Cambridgeshire at −2.75 m (−9.02 ft). The Scottish Highlands in the northern part of Great Britain are mountainous, with Ben Nevis being the highest point on the islands at 1,343 m (4,406 ft). Other mountainous areas include Wales and parts of Ireland, however only seven peaks in these areas reach above 1,000 m (3,281 ft). Lakes on the islands are generally not large, although Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is an exception, covering 150 square miles (390 km2).[citation needed] The largest freshwater body in Great Britain (by area) is Loch Lomond at 27.5 square miles (71 km2), and Loch Ness, by volume whilst Loch Morar is the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles, with a maximum depth of 310 m (1,017 ft). There are a number of major rivers within the British Isles. The longest is the Shannon in Ireland at 224 mi (360 km).[citation needed] The river Severn at 220 mi (354 km)[citation needed] is the longest in Great Britain. The isles have a temperate marine climate. The North Atlantic Drift ("Gulf Stream") which flows from the Gulf of Mexico brings with it significant moisture and raises temperatures 11 °C (20 °F) above the global average for the islands' latitudes. Winters are cool and wet, with summers mild and also wet. Most Atlantic depressions pass to the north of the islands, combined with the general westerly circulation and interactions with the landmass, this imposes an east-west variation in climate.

Question: What is the longest river in Ireland?


Answer: Wales and parts of Ireland

Question: Where are other mountain areas in the British Isles?


Answer: Ben Nevis

Question: Where is the highest point in the British Isles?


Answer: Holme, Cambridgeshire at −2.75 m

Question: What is the lowest elevation in the British Isles?


Answer: mild and also wet

Question: What is the weather like in the summer time in the British Isles?


Answer: European continent

Context: The islands enjoy a mild climate and varied soils, giving rise to a diverse pattern of vegetation. Animal and plant life is similar to that of the northwestern European continent. There are however, fewer numbers of species, with Ireland having even less. All native flora and fauna in Ireland is made up of species that migrated from elsewhere in Europe, and Great Britain in particular. The only window when this could have occurred was between the end of the last Ice Age (about 12,000 years ago) and when the land bridge connecting the two islands was flooded by sea (about 8,000 years ago).

Question: Which continent has similar plant and animal life as the British Isles?


Answer: Europe, and Great Britain

Question: In Ireland where does the native animal and plant species mostly come from?


Answer: about 8,000 years ago

Question: When did the land bridge between Ireland and Britain disappear?


Answer: about 12,000 years ago

Question: When did the last Ice Age end in the British Isles?


Answer: around 6000 BC

Context: As with most of Europe, prehistoric Britain and Ireland were covered with forest and swamp. Clearing began around 6000 BC and accelerated in medieval times. Despite this, Britain retained its primeval forests longer than most of Europe due to a small population and later development of trade and industry, and wood shortages were not a problem until the 17th century. By the 18th century, most of Britain's forests were consumed for shipbuilding or manufacturing charcoal and the nation was forced to import lumber from Scandinavia, North America, and the Baltic. Most forest land in Ireland is maintained by state forestation programmes. Almost all land outside urban areas is farmland. However, relatively large areas of forest remain in east and north Scotland and in southeast England. Oak, elm, ash and beech are amongst the most common trees in England. In Scotland, pine and birch are most common. Natural forests in Ireland are mainly oak, ash, wych elm, birch and pine. Beech and lime, though not native to Ireland, are also common there. Farmland hosts a variety of semi-natural vegetation of grasses and flowering plants. Woods, hedgerows, mountain slopes and marshes host heather, wild grasses, gorse and bracken.

Question: When did the clearing of swamp land and forests begin in the British Isles?


Answer: medieval times

Question: When did the clearing of the swamp land and forest begain to rapidly increase?


Answer: due to a small population

Question: Why was Britain able to keep its ancient forests longer than Europe?


Answer: 17th century

Question: When did lumber shortages start to occur in Britain?


Answer: oak, ash, wych elm

Question: What are three of the most typical type of tress that can be found in Ireland?


Answer: wolf, bear

Context: Many larger animals, such as wolf, bear and the European elk are today extinct. However, some species such as red deer are protected. Other small mammals, such as rabbits, foxes, badgers, hares, hedgehogs, and stoats, are very common and the European beaver has been reintroduced in parts of Scotland. Wild boar have also been reintroduced to parts of southern England, following escapes from boar farms and illegal releases. Many rivers contain otters and seals are common on coasts. Over 200 species of bird reside permanently and another 200 migrate. Common types are the common chaffinch, common blackbird, house sparrow and common starling; all small birds. Large birds are declining in number, except for those kept for game such as pheasant, partridge, and red grouse. Fish are abundant in the rivers and lakes, in particular salmon, trout, perch and pike. Sea fish include dogfish, cod, sole, pollock and bass, as well as mussels, crab and oysters along the coast. There are more than 21,000 species of insects.

Question: Which two animals became extinct in the British Isles?


Answer: red deer

Question: Which species of deer is protected in the British Isles?


Answer: Over 200 species of bird

Question: How many bird species does the British Isles have?


Answer: chaffinch, common blackbird, house sparrow

Question: What are three of the most common birds in the British Isles?


Answer: salmon, trout, perch and pike

Question: What kinds of fish are abundent in the British Isles?


Answer: European adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake

Context: Few species of reptiles or amphibians are found in Great Britain or Ireland. Only three snakes are native to Great Britain: the common European adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake; none are native to Ireland. In general, Great Britain has slightly more variation and native wild life, with weasels, polecats, wildcats, most shrews, moles, water voles, roe deer and common toads also being absent from Ireland. This pattern is also true for birds and insects. Notable exceptions include the Kerry slug and certain species of wood lice native to Ireland but not Great Britain.

Question: Which snakes are considered native to the British Isles but not Ireland?


Answer: Kerry slug

Question: What is the name of the slug that is native to both Britain and Ireland?


Answer: none are native to Ireland

Question: Is the grass nake or the smooth snake native to Ireland?


Answer: water voles, roe deer and common toads

Question: What type of wild life are not native to Ireland but are in Britain?


Answer: England

Context: The demographics of the British Isles today are characterised by a generally high density of population in England, which accounts for almost 80% of the total population of the islands. In elsewhere on Great Britain and on Ireland, high density of population is limited to areas around, or close to, a few large cities. The largest urban area by far is the Greater London Urban Area with 9 million inhabitants. Other major populations centres include Greater Manchester Urban Area (2.4 million), West Midlands conurbation (2.4 million), West Yorkshire Urban Area (1.6 million) in England, Greater Glasgow (1.2 million) in Scotland and Greater Dublin Area (1.1 million) in Ireland.[citation needed]

Question: Which area in the British Isles is s the most populated?


Answer: 80%

Question: What percentage of the population does England have compared to the other areas in the British Isles?


Answer: Greater Dublin Area (1.1 million)

Question: What is the most populated city in Ireland?


Answer: 9 million

Question: How many people live in the area of London?


Answer: Greater Manchester Urban Area (2.4 million), West Midlands conurbation (2.4 million)

Question: What are two other major populated cities in England?


Answer: Scotland and Wales

Context: The population of England rose rapidly during the 19th and 20th centuries whereas the populations of Scotland and Wales have shown little increase during the 20th century, with the population of Scotland remaining unchanged since 1951. Ireland for most of its history comprised a population proportionate to its land area (about one third of the total population). However, since the Great Irish Famine, the population of Ireland has fallen to less than one tenth of the population of the British Isles. The famine, which caused a century-long population decline, drastically reduced the Irish population and permanently altered the demographic make-up of the British Isles. On a global scale, this disaster led to the creation of an Irish diaspora that numbers fifteen times the current population of the island.

Question: Which two areas in the British Isles hasn't experienced a large population growth in the last one hundred years?


Answer: less than one tenth of the population of the British Isles

Question: How does Ireland's population compare to the rest of the British Isles?


Answer: century-long population decline

Question: How long did the Great Irish Famine cause a population decline in Ireland?


Answer: fifteen times the current population of the island

Question: How large is the Irish diaspora that was caused by the Great Irish Famine?


Answer: six groups

Context: The linguistic heritage of the British Isles is rich, with twelve languages from six groups across four branches of the Indo-European family. The Insular Celtic languages of the Goidelic sub-group (Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic) and the Brittonic sub-group (Cornish, Welsh and Breton, spoken in north-western France) are the only remaining Celtic languages—the last of their continental relations becoming extinct before the 7th century. The Norman languages of Guernésiais, Jèrriais and Sarkese spoken in the Channel Islands are similar to French. A cant, called Shelta, is spoken by Irish Travellers, often as a means to conceal meaning from those outside the group. However, English, sometimes in the form of Scots, is the dominant language, with few monoglots remaining in the other languages of the region. The Norn language of Orkney and Shetland became extinct around 1880.

Question: How many groups do these languages belong to?


Answer: Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic

Question: What are the three Insular Celtic languages?


Answer: Cornish, Welsh and Breton

Question: What are the remaining Cetic languages that are still used today?


Answer: Shelta

Question: Which cant is often used by Irish Travellers?


Answer: European mainland

Context: At the end of the last ice age, what are now the British Isles were joined to the European mainland as a mass of land extending north west from the modern-day northern coastline of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Ice covered almost all of what is now Scotland, most of Ireland and Wales, and the hills of northern England. From 14,000 to 10,000 years ago, as the ice melted, sea levels rose separating Ireland from Great Britain and also creating the Isle of Man. About two to four millennia later, Great Britain became separated from the mainland. Britain probably became repopulated with people before the ice age ended and certainly before it became separated from the mainland. It is likely that Ireland became settled by sea after it had already become an island.

Question: What mainland was the British Isles once connected to?


Answer: two to four millennia

Question: When did the British Isles area become separated from the European continent?


Answer: separating Ireland from Great Britain

Question: When sea levels rose what occured in the British Isles area?


Answer: sea levels rose

Question: What happened to British Isles area when the ice melted after the last ice age?


Answer: before the ice age ended

Question: Did Britain become populated with people again before or after the ice came to an end?


Answer: Celtic dialects of the Insular Celtic group

Context: At the time of the Roman Empire, about two thousand years ago, various tribes, which spoke Celtic dialects of the Insular Celtic group, were inhabiting the islands. The Romans expanded their civilisation to control southern Great Britain but were impeded in advancing any further, building Hadrian's Wall to mark the northern frontier of their empire in 122 AD. At that time, Ireland was populated by a people known as Hiberni, the northern third or so of Great Britain by a people known as Picts and the southern two thirds by Britons.

Question: The people that lived in the British Isles during the Roman Empire era spoke which language?


Answer: Hadrian's Wall

Question: What was the name of the wall that the Romans built to mark their northern territory in the British Isles in 122AD?


Answer: Hiberni

Question: During the Roman Empire occupation in the British Isles, what was the name of the people that lived in Ireland?


Answer: Picts

Question: The northern area of Great Britain was populated by what native people during the Roman Empire occupation?


Answer: Britons

Question: What was the name of the native people that lived in the southern parts of the British Isles during the Roman Empire occupation?


Answer: Anglo-Saxons

Context: Anglo-Saxons arrived as Roman power waned in the 5th century AD. Initially, their arrival seems to have been at the invitation of the Britons as mercenaries to repulse incursions by the Hiberni and Picts. In time, Anglo-Saxon demands on the British became so great that they came to culturally dominate the bulk of southern Great Britain, though recent genetic evidence suggests Britons still formed the bulk of the population. This dominance creating what is now England and leaving culturally British enclaves only in the north of what is now England, in Cornwall and what is now known as Wales. Ireland had been unaffected by the Romans except, significantly, having been Christianised, traditionally by the Romano-Briton, Saint Patrick. As Europe, including Britain, descended into turmoil following the collapse of Roman civilisation, an era known as the Dark Ages, Ireland entered a golden age and responded with missions (first to Great Britain and then to the continent), the founding of monasteries and universities. These were later joined by Anglo-Saxon missions of a similar nature.

Question: Which people arrived in the British Isles when the Roman Empire's power was diminishing?


Answer: southern Great Britain

Question: What area did the Anglo-Saxons begin to dominate in the British Isles?


Answer: the Dark Ages

Question: What happened to the British Isles and Europe after the Roman Empire ended?


Answer: golden age

Question: What era did Ireland enter when the Roman Empire ended?


Answer: monasteries and universities

Question: What did the Irish build during the Golden Age?


Answer: 9th century

Context: Viking invasions began in the 9th century, followed by more permanent settlements, particularly along the east coast of Ireland, the west coast of modern-day Scotland and the Isle of Man. Though the Vikings were eventually neutralised in Ireland, their influence remained in the cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford. England however was slowly conquered around the turn of the first millennium AD, and eventually became a feudal possession of Denmark. The relations between the descendants of Vikings in England and counterparts in Normandy, in northern France, lay at the heart of a series of events that led to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The remnants of the Duchy of Normandy, which conquered England, remain associated to the English Crown as the Channel Islands to this day. A century later the marriage of the future Henry II of England to Eleanor of Aquitaine created the Angevin Empire, partially under the French Crown. At the invitation of a provincial king and under the authority of Pope Adrian IV (the only Englishman to be elected pope), the Angevins invaded Ireland in 1169. Though initially intended to be kept as an independent kingdom, the failure of the Irish High King to ensure the terms of the Treaty of Windsor led Henry II, as King of England, to rule as effective monarch under the title of Lord of Ireland. This title was granted to his younger son but when Henry's heir unexpectedly died the title of King of England and Lord of Ireland became entwined in one person.

Question: When did Viking invasions begin in the British Isles?


Answer: east coast of Ireland

Question: What is one area where the Vikings created a permanent settlement in the British Isles?


Answer: Denmark

Question: England became a possession of which country when it became conquered after the first millennium?


Answer: 1066

Question: When did the Norman Conquest occur?


Answer: Angevins

Question: In 1169, Ireland was invaded by which people?


Answer: the Pope

Context: By the Late Middle Ages, Great Britain was separated into the Kingdoms of England and Scotland. Power in Ireland fluxed between Gaelic kingdoms, Hiberno-Norman lords and the English-dominated Lordship of Ireland. A similar situation existed in the Principality of Wales, which was slowly being annexed into the Kingdom of England by a series of laws. During the course of the 15th century, the Crown of England would assert a claim to the Crown of France, thereby also releasing the King of England as from being vassal of the King of France. In 1534, King Henry VIII, at first having been a strong defender of Roman Catholicism in the face of the Reformation, separated from the Roman Church after failing to secure a divorce from the Pope. His response was to place the King of England as "the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England", thereby removing the authority of the Pope from the affairs of the English Church. Ireland, which had been held by the King of England as Lord of Ireland, but which strictly speaking had been a feudal possession of the Pope since the Norman invasion was declared a separate kingdom in personal union with England.

Question: Since the Norman invasion who had feudal possession of Ireland?


Answer: Kingdoms of England and Scotland

Question: During the end of the Middle Ages which two kingdoms was Great Britain divided into?


Answer: Church of England

Question: What was the name of the church that King Henry VIII founded?


Answer: King Henry VIII

Question: Which king failed to receive a divorce from the Pope in 1534?


Answer: Crown of England

Context: Scotland, meanwhile had remained an independent Kingdom. In 1603, that changed when the King of Scotland inherited the Crown of England, and consequently the Crown of Ireland also. The subsequent 17th century was one of political upheaval, religious division and war. English colonialism in Ireland of the 16th century was extended by large-scale Scottish and English colonies in Ulster. Religious division heightened and the King in England came into conflict with parliament. A prime issue was, inter alia, over his policy of tolerance towards Catholicism. The resulting English Civil War or War of the Three Kingdoms led to a revolutionary republic in England. Ireland, largely Catholic was mainly loyal to the king. Following defeat to the parliaments army, large scale land distributions from loyalist Irish nobility to English commoners in the service of the parliamentary army created the beginnings a new Ascendancy class which over the next hundred years would obliterate the English (Hiberno-Norman) and Gaelic Irish nobility in Ireland. The new ruling class was Protestant and British, whilst the common people were largely Catholic and Irish. This theme would influence Irish politics for centuries to come. When the monarchy was restored in England, the king found it politically impossible to restore all the lands of former land-owners in Ireland. The "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 repeated similar themes: a Catholic king pushing for religious tolerance in opposition to a Protestant parliament in England. The king's army was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne and at the militarily crucial Battle of Aughrim in Ireland. Resistance held out, and a guarantee of religious tolerance was a cornerstone of the Treaty of Limerick. However, in the evolving political climate, the terms of Limerick were superseded, a new monarchy was installed, and the new Irish parliament was packed with the new elite which legislated increasing intolerant Penal Laws, which discommoded both Dissenters and Catholics.

Question: Which crown did the King of Scotland inherit in 1603?


Answer: his policy of tolerance towards Catholicism

Question: Why did the King of England have issues with parliment in the 17th century?


Answer: political upheaval, religious division and war

Question: What happened to Britain during the 17th century?


Answer: Protestant and British

Question: Who where the ruling class after the revolutionary republic was created?


Answer: revolutionary republic in England

Question: The English Civil War brought about what change to Britain?


Answer: 1707

Context: The Kingdoms of England and Scotland were unified in 1707 creating the Kingdom of Great Britain. Following an attempted republican revolution in Ireland in 1798, the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain were unified in 1801, creating the United Kingdom. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands remaining outside of the United Kingdom but with their ultimate good governance being the responsibility of the British Crown (effectively the British government). Although, the colonies of North American that would become the United States of America were lost by the start of the 19th century, the British Empire expanded rapidly elsewhere. A century later it would cover one third of the globe. Poverty in the United Kingdom remained desperate however and industrialisation in England led to terrible condition for the working class. Mass migrations following the Irish Famine and Highland Clearances resulted in the distribution of the islands' population and culture throughout the world and a rapid de-population of Ireland in the second-half of the 19th century. Most of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom after the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Anglo-Irish Treaty (1919–1922), with the six counties that formed Northern Ireland remaining as an autonomous region of the UK.

Question: In what year was the Kingdom of Great Britain founded?


Answer: 1801

Question: When did the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland unite?


Answer: one third of the globe

Question: How large did the British Empire become by the beginning of the 20th century?


Answer: terrible condition for the working class

Question: What negative factor occurred as a result of the Industrial Revolution in England?


Answer: Most of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom

Question: What was the result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1919-1922?


Answer: Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Context: There are two sovereign states in the isles: Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Ireland, sometimes called the Republic of Ireland, governs five sixths of the island of Ireland, with the remainder of the island forming Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, usually shortened to simply the United Kingdom, which governs the remainder of the archipelago with the exception of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The Isle of Man and the two states of the Channel Islands, Jersey and Guernsey, are known as the Crown Dependencies. They exercise constitutional rights of self-government and judicial independence; responsibility for international representation rests largely upon the UK (in consultation with the respective governments); and responsibility for defence is reserved by the UK. The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent parts: England, Scotland and Wales, forming Great Britain, and Northern Ireland in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Of these, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have "devolved" governments meaning that they have their own parliaments/assemblies and are self-governing with respect to certain areas set down by law. For judicial purposes, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England and Wales (the latter being one entity) form separate legal jurisdiction, with there being no single law for the UK as a whole.

Question: What are the names of the two states that are sovereign in the British Isles today?


Answer: Republic of Ireland

Question: What is another name that Ireland is also called?


Answer: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Question: Northern Ireland is part of which country?


Answer: United Kingdom

Question: What is another name for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?


Answer: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Question: Which three states in the United Kingdom have devolved governements?


Answer: Scotland

Context: Ireland, the United Kingdom and the three Crown Dependencies are all parliamentary democracies, with their own separate parliaments. All parts of the United Kingdom return members to parliament in London. In addition to this, voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland return members to a parliament in Edinburgh and to assemblies in Cardiff and Belfast respectively. Governance in the norm is by majority rule, however, Northern Ireland uses a system of power sharing whereby unionists and nationalists share executive posts proportionately and where the assent of both groups are required for the Northern Ireland Assembly to make certain decisions. (In the context of Northern Ireland, unionists are those who want Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom and nationalists are those who want Northern Ireland join with the rest of Ireland.) The British monarch is the head of state for all parts of the isles except for the Republic of Ireland, where the head of state is the President of Ireland.

Question: Which state send members to the parliament in Edinburgh?


Answer: parliamentary democracies

Question: What type of government does the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies have?


Answer: unionists and nationalists

Question: Who shares power in Northern Ireland?


Answer: United Kingdom

Question: Unionists in Northern Ireland want to remain part of which country?


Answer: the rest of Ireland

Question: Nationalist in Northern Ireland want to join which country?


Answer: European Union (EU)

Context: Ireland and the United Kingdom are both part of the European Union (EU). The Crown Dependencies are not a part of the EU however do participate in certain aspects that were negotiated as a part of the UK's accession to the EU. Neither the United Kingdom or Ireland are part of the Schengen area, that allow passport-free travel between EU members states. However, since the partition of Ireland, an informal free-travel area had existed across the region. In 1997, this area required formal recognition during the course of negotiations for the Amsterdam Treaty of the European Union and is now known as the Common Travel Area.

Question: The United Kingdom is part of what union?


Answer: passport-free travel between EU members states

Question: What does the Schengen area allow in the European Union?


Answer: 1997

Question: When was a free-travel area created betwen Northern Ireland and Ireland?


Answer: Common Travel Area

Question: This free-travel area in Ireland is now called what?


Answer: presidential elections and constitutional referendums

Context: Reciprocal arrangements allow British and Irish citizens to full voting rights in the two states. Exceptions to this are presidential elections and constitutional referendums in the Republic of Ireland, for which there is no comparable franchise in the other states. In the United Kingdom, these pre-date European Union law, and in both jurisdictions go further than that required by European Union law. Other EU nationals may only vote in local and European Parliament elections while resident in either the UK or Ireland. In 2008, a UK Ministry of Justice report investigating how to strengthen the British sense of citizenship proposed to end this arrangement arguing that, "the right to vote is one of the hallmarks of the political status of citizens; it is not a means of expressing closeness between countries."

Question: What are the two exceptions to the voting rights in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelandand Britain?


Answer: local and European Parliament elections

Question: In what elections are other Europeans who are living in the United Kingdom or Ireland, allowed to vote in?


Answer: UK Ministry of Justice

Question: Which ministry wants to end this type of voting of EU nationals?


Answer: Reciprocal arrangements

Question: What type of arrangement let British and Irish citizens vote in each other's elections?


Answer: The Northern Ireland Peace Process

Context: The Northern Ireland Peace Process has led to a number of unusual arrangements between the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. For example, citizens of Northern Ireland are entitled to the choice of Irish or British citizenship or both and the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom consult on matters not devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of Ireland also meet as the North/South Ministerial Council to develop policies common across the island of Ireland. These arrangements were made following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Question: What has caused several uncommon arrangements between the various states in the United Kingdom?


Answer: choice of Irish or British citizenship or both

Question: What type of citizenship can Northern Ireland people have?


Answer: Government of Ireland

Question: The Northern Ireland Executive meets with what other government to develop policies for the island of Ireland?


Answer: policies common across the island of Ireland

Question: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement resulted in what arrangement?


Answer: British–Irish Council

Context: Another body established under the Good Friday Agreement, the British–Irish Council, is made up of all of the states and territories of the British Isles. The British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly (Irish: Tionól Pharlaiminteach na Breataine agus na hÉireann) predates the British–Irish Council and was established in 1990. Originally it comprised 25 members of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, and 25 members of the parliament of the United Kingdom, with the purpose of building mutual understanding between members of both legislatures. Since then the role and scope of the body has been expanded to include representatives from the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the States of Jersey, the States of Guernsey and the High Court of Tynwald (Isle of Man).

Question: What was one of organizations that was founded because of the Good Friday Agreement?


Answer: all of the states and territories of the British Isles

Question: Which states belong to the British-Irish Council?


Answer: 25

Question: How many Oireachtas members where there in the original British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly?


Answer: 25

Question: How many members of the United Kingdom Parliament were in the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly originally?


Answer: Scottish Parliament

Question: The British-Irish Council has added representatives from which parliament?


Answer: no

Context: The Council does not have executive powers but meets biannually to discuss issues of mutual importance. Similarly, the Parliamentary Assembly has no legislative powers but investigates and collects witness evidence from the public on matters of mutual concern to its members. Reports on its findings are presented to the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom. During the February 2008 meeting of the British–Irish Council, it was agreed to set up a standing secretariat that would serve as a permanent 'civil service' for the Council. Leading on from developments in the British–Irish Council, the chair of the British–Irish Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Niall Blaney, has suggested that the body should shadow the British–Irish Council's work.

Question: Does the Parliamentary Assembly had any kinds of legislative authority?


Answer: issues of mutual importance

Question: What does the British-Irish Council discuss?


Answer: investigates and collects witness evidence

Question: What does the British-Irish Council do?


Answer: biannually

Question: How often does the British-Irish Council meet?


Answer: Niall Blaney

Question: Who recommended that the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Assembly should look very closely at the work that the British-Irish Council does?


Answer: British television, newspapers and magazines

Context: The United Kingdom and Ireland have separate media, although British television, newspapers and magazines are widely available in Ireland, giving people in Ireland a high level of familiarity with cultural matters in the United Kingdom. Irish newspapers are also available in the UK, and Irish state and private television is widely available in Northern Ireland.[citation needed] Certain reality TV shows have embraced the whole of the islands, for example The X Factor, seasons 3, 4 and 7 of which featured auditions in Dublin and were open to Irish voters, whilst the show previously known as Britain's Next Top Model became Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model in 2011. A few cultural events are organised for the island group as a whole. For example, the Costa Book Awards are awarded to authors resident in the UK or Ireland. The Man Booker Prize is awarded to authors from the Commonwealth of Nations and Ireland. The Mercury Music Prize is handed out every year to the best album from a British or Irish musician or group.

Question: What types of media give the people of Ireland information about what is going on in Britain?


Answer: private television

Question: What is available to the people in Northern Ireland so they have access to the media?


Answer: The X Factor

Question: What is one of the most popoular television shows in the United Kingdom?


Answer: authors resident in the UK or Ireland

Question: Who can receive the Costa Book Award?


Answer: croquet, bowls, pitch and putt

Context: Many globally popular sports had modern rules codified in the British Isles, including golf, association football, cricket, rugby, snooker and darts, as well as many minor sports such as croquet, bowls, pitch and putt, water polo and handball. A number of sports are popular throughout the British Isles, the most prominent of which is association football. While this is organised separately in different national associations, leagues and national teams, even within the UK, it is a common passion in all parts of the islands. Rugby union is also widely enjoyed across the islands with four national teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The British and Irish Lions is a team chosen from each national team and undertakes tours of the southern hemisphere rugby playing nations every four years. Ireland play as a united team, represented by players from both Northern Ireland and the Republic. These national rugby teams play each other each year for the Triple Crown as part of the Six Nations Championship. Also since 2001 the professional club teams of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy compete against each other in the RaboDirect Pro12.

Question: What are some of the minor sports in the United Kingdom?


Answer: association football

Question: What is the most popular sport in the United Kingdom?


Answer: four

Question: How many national Ruby teams are there in the United Kingdom?


Answer: southern hemisphere

Question: In which hemisphere do the rugby playing countries meet once every four years?


Answer: each year

Question: How often do the national rugby teams play for the Triple Crown?


Answer: 1895

Context: The idea of building a tunnel under the Irish Sea has been raised since 1895, when it was first investigated. Several potential Irish Sea tunnel projects have been proposed, most recently the Tusker Tunnel between the ports of Rosslare and Fishguard proposed by The Institute of Engineers of Ireland in 2004. A rail tunnel was proposed in 1997 on a different route, between Dublin and Holyhead, by British engineering firm Symonds. Either tunnel, at 50 mi (80 km), would be by far the longest in the world, and would cost an estimated £15 billion or €20 billion. A proposal in 2007, estimated the cost of building a bridge from County Antrim in Northern Ireland to Galloway in Scotland at £3.5bn (€5bn).

Question: The Irish Sea tunnel was first purposed in what year?


Answer: Tusker Tunnel

Question: What is the name of the recent proposal of a tunnel between Rosslare and Fishguard ports?


Answer: The Institute of Engineers of Ireland

Question: Who proposed the Tusker Tunnel?


Answer: £15 billion or €20 billion

Question: What is the estimated cost to build the Tusker Tunnel?


Answer: 2007

Question: In what year was a bridge proposed between County Antrim in Northern Ireland to Galloway, Scotland?


Answer: National Archaeological Museum of Athens

Context: Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup. Athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified "mob football", the antecedent of all modern football codes, these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia.

Question: What Museum has a vase with an image of an episkyros player?


Answer: harpastum

Question: What game did Athenaeus reference in 228 AD?


Answer: kemari

Question: What is the name of a similar, non-competitive game in Japan called?


Answer: Korea

Question: What country is the game chuck-guk from?


Answer: Australia

Question: What country is the game wogabaliri from?


Answer: 1863

Context: The goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play and only in their penalty area. Outfield players mostly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use their head or torso to do so instead. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association), which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years.

Question: What year did the Football Association arrange The Laws of the Game?


Answer: International Federation of Association Football

Question: Who Organizes the World Cups?


Answer: four

Question: About how many years between World Cups?


Answer: England

Question: What country did the Laws of the Game come from?


Answer: goalkeepers

Question: Who are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands?


Answer: eighth century AD

Context: Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century AD.

Question: What century does football in England date back to?


Answer: FIFA

Question: What organization has said that there is no historical connection to association football with any other game outside of Europe?


Answer: mid-19th century

Question: In what century did the modern rules of association football come from?


Answer: England

Question: What country did kids play football in public schools in the 19th century?


Answer: Cambridge Rules

Context: The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.

Question: Which rules were influential to the codes of association football?


Answer: Trinity College

Question: Which college where the Cambridge Rules written at?


Answer: 1862

Question: In what year did John Charles Thring come up with rules that were influential?


Answer: 1867

Question: What year did the Sheffield FA form?


Answer: 1848

Question: What year were the Cambridge Rules first drawn up?


Answer: goalkeeper

Context: At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.

Question: What is the only position specified by the Laws of the Game


Answer: score goals

Question: The focus of strikers and forwards are to do what?


Answer: formation

Question: A team players layout is a what?


Answer: defenders

Question: Who's job is to prevent the opponents from scoring?


Answer: team's manager

Question: Who's the most responsible for the teams tactics?