Montevideo, Uruguay - January 19, 2013
Here is the test my mom and dad gave me. I think I did pretty good.
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1. What terrorist attack
happened in Buenos Aires in 1992?
Israeli and French embassy
Partially
correct. The Israeli embassy was
bombed. The location is now a memorial
called Plaza Embajada de Israel.
2. What building was attacked
by terrorists two years later in 1994?
Argentinian JCC
Correct.
The AMIA bombing was an attack
on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina building. It occurred in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994,
killing 85 people and injuring hundreds.
It was Argentina's deadliest bombing ever,
3. True or False – Buenos
Aires has the largest Jewish community in South America
True.
Correct. Argentina is home to a Jewish community of
more than 200,000, the largest in Latin America.
4. What is the main river that
runs through Buenos Aires?
Nawel Wapi
Incorrect. The Río de la Plata is a river that forms
part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. Some geographers consider the Río de la Plata
a gulf of the Atlantic Ocean, while others consider it a river. For those who regard it to be a river it is
the widest in the world. Nahuel
Huapi is a lake in the foothills of Bariloche.
5. What is an
Argentinian cowboy called?
Goucho
Correct. Gaucho is a loose equivalent of the North American
"cowboy"
6. What does Buenos Aires
mean in Spanish?
Good air
Correct.
7. Who is the
President of Argentina?
Christina
Correct. The current Argentine President is Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner
8. In the United
States, the President works in a White House. What color is the
President’s house in Argentina?
Pink
Correct. La Casa Rosada (Pink House) is the executive
mansion and office of the President of Argentina
9. What is a
mausoleum?
A cemetery where people are buried
in coffins that are in houses
Correct.
10. Where was Tango
invented?
Caminito
Correct.
Caminito
("little walkway") is a street museum and a traditional alley,
located in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The place acquired cultural
significance because it inspired the music for tango.
11. What is the most popular
sport in Argentina?
Soccer known as football in
Spanish
Correct.
12. Who was Eva Peron?
Eva was a women who was known for
helping the poor
Correct. María
Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and
served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is
usually referred to as Eva Perón,
or by the affectionate Evita.
13. What is the main industry in
Argentina?
Taking care of cattle
Correct.
14. What are the three main
products derived from cattle?
Leather, meat, and milk
Correct.
15. What is another name for an
Argentinian pastries?
Facturas.
Correct. Facturas is the generic name
given to the wide variety of Argentinean sweet
pastries
16. Name three traditional
Argentinian foods?
Meat, morsia, ham
Correct.
17. What is the name for an
Argentinian BBQ?
Asado
Correct. Asado is the term used both for a range of barbecue
techniques and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in Argentina
(where it is considered the national dish)
IGUAZU FALLS, ARGENTINA
18. What is erosion?
Erosion is when over time the
rocks under water break so after 1,000 years or even more the waterfalls start
to become strait and that’s erosion
Correct. Specifically, erosion is the process by which soil and rock are removed from the
Earth's surface by natural processes such as wind or water flow, and then
transported and deposited in other locations.
19. What three
countries come together near Iguazu Falls?
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
Partially
Correct. The three countries that come
together near Iguazu Falls are Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
20. Why is the water in
Iguazu Falls orange in color?
Because the red sand gets into
the water with the waves and the wind
Correct. The soil is
intensively red because it is rich in iron.
21. What impact does it have on
nature when the water is not clear?
It can make the water not clear
so fish cannot find their family. Birds
also have an impact because they can't catch prey.
Correct.
22. True or False – Iguazu Falls
didn’t have a waterfall one year because of lack of rain.
True
Correct. A draught in 2006 reduced the waterfall to a
mere trickle of its usual glory.
23. What the name of the
largest waterfall at Iguazu Falls?
The devil’s throught
Correct. Iguazu Falls consist of nearly 270 individual
falls spread out over two miles. The largest and most picturesque waterfall is known
by the name ‘Devil’s Throat’. About
half of the river's flow falls into the Devil's Throat.
24. Is a tree that it is not
native to an area called endemic, exotic, or extravagant?
Endemic
Incorrect. Endemic means “belonging or
native to a particular people or country.”
Exotic means “introduced from another country; not native to the place
where found.”
BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA
25. Areas are broken into states
in America. How are they divided in Argentina?
The states are decided by the Andees
Incorrect. Argentina is divided into 23 different
provinces.
26. What is the mountain
range that runs through Patagonia?
Incorrect. The mountain range that runs through
Patagonia is the Andes.
27. Where is the border
between Chile and Argentina?
The Andees
Correct. Specifically, the top of the mountain range
is the border between Chile and Argentina.
28. What is Yerba Mate?
A traditional tea in
Argentina made with hot water and herbs
Correct. Yerba mate is the national drink of
Argentina. The act of drinking yerba
mate is a highly stylized, ritualistic process, requiring the following
items: The mate, which are green dried leaves and stems; a hollow gourd,
which can be made of anything from plain, hollowed-out wood to ornate
silverware; a metal filter-straw (bombilla),
with a strainer at the end, which can range from the purely functional to the
elaborately crafted; and hot water. The
gourd is filled two-thirds of the way with moistened mate herb. Hot water is then poured into the gourd.
The person sucks the mate water
out of the gourd with the bombilla,
with the strainer holding out the actual mate
leaves. When the water is gone, the gourd is refilled by the server with
hot water and passed to the next person in the group.
29. Where does the name
Patagonia come from?
The Patagonians
Correct. The name Patagonia comes from the word patagón used by Magellan in
1520 to describe the native people that his expedition thought to be giants. The Patagons were had an average height of 5′-11″
compared to the 5′-1″ average for Europeans of the time.
30. Where does Campanaro Peak
gets its name
from?
Campanaro is shaped like a bell
and in Spanish campana means bell
Correct.
31. What is a tectonic
plate?
A tectonic plate is boiling water under the earth.
Incorrect. Tectonic
plates are large plates of rock that make up the foundation of the Earth's
crust and the shape of the continents. The liquid portion of the earth’s core
underneath the tectonic plates is constantly recirculating, causing the plates
to float around slowly in a process called tectonic drift. The rubbing of the tectonic plates is most
famously known for being the source of earthquakes. When plates push up against each other, they
create mountain ranges and volcanoes.
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
32. What are two grapes that
are grown in the Mendoza region of Argentina?
Shiraz and Malbec
Correct.
33. Of the two you grape
varieties you named, which one is Mendoza is known for?
Malbec
Correct. Malbec is the most popular variety followed,
in planted acreage, by Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
34. What is the difference
between an irrigation system and an aqueduct system?
An aqua duct is used for humans
to drink and irrigation system is for plants
Correct.
35. True or False.
Although grapes are grown in tremendous quantities in Mendoza, very few plants
would survive on their own because Mendoza is desert terrain.
True
Correct. The desert climate and advanced irrigation
system gives Mendoza's grape growers a unique advantage. With complete control
over the watering of their vines, and in combination with the hot daytime
temperatures and cool nights during the grape ripening seasons, conditions are
almost ideal for growing grapes.
36. Many of the wine vineyards we
visited have black protective netting over the grape vines. What is the
primary reason for this covering?
To protect the grapes from
hale
Correct,
but the proper spelling is “hail”.
37. Grape vines are generally
grown in one of three different configurations. Describe the three.
One way is when you let the grape
vines grow in any direction. Another way
is when you put a stick for the vines to hold on to. The last way is when you put poles in the
middle to make the grape vines strait.
Correct. The pergola system allows the vines to grow
horizontally along a roof-like trellis.
The three wire system allows the vines to grow vertically along a
fence-like trellis. The post system is a
single post which allows the vines to grow upward like a tree.
38. What is the difference
between a vine and tree?
Incorrect. A vine is a plant that tends to climb or run
whereas a tree typically has a single trunk grows upward to a considerable
height.
39. Sometimes in Mendoza,
planes will fly into stormy conditions and release “bombs” containing silver
nitrate into the clouds. You can hear the explosions from the
ground. Why do they do this?
To put a chemical to make the
hale smaller
Correct. Planes fly and drop bombs with silver nitrate
to minimize size of hail stones which can damage grapes.
40. When someone says that a
wine has a nice nose or bouquet, what are they referring to?
It smells good
Correct.
41. What is “terrior”
when discussing wine?
It makes the tears come down
faster
Incorrect. The terrior refers to the soil, weather
conditions, grapes, and human factor that contribute to the personality of a
wine.
42. What effect does tannin have
on wine?
It makes the shine darker
Correct. Tannin is found in the skin of red
grapes. Aside from color, tannin gives
red wine its “pucker” taste.
43. When making olive oil,
olives are crushed into a paste and then separated in a centrifuge into three parts.
What are they?
Solid, oil, and water
Correct. Oil makes up only about 15% of the olive. The rest is water and solids.
44. Why do some people test
the quality of olive oil by placing it in a refrigerator?
If the oil freezes it is good if
it does not freeze it is bad olive oil
Correct. The faster the oil solidifies within a refrigerator,
the better the quality.
45. What taste qualities do you
look for in a high quality olive oil?
Bitter tastes
Correct. The antioxidants and other components of a
high quality olive oil appear as bitter and spicy to the tongue.
46. How many days does it take to
make olive oil once the olives are picked?
Incorrect. Olive oil is made in one day.
JOSE IGNACIO, URUGUAY
47. What is the capital of
Uruguay?
Monte vedeio
Correct. Montevideo is the largest
city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay.
48. What is a chacra?
A land were homes are built
Correct.
49. What is the largest and
most important tourist destination in Uruguay?
Punta del Este
Correct. Punta del Este is
known as the St. Tropez of Uruguay, thanks to its
beautiful beaches, upscale resorts and fancy nightclubs.
BONUS
QUESTION
50. Which was your favorite city
this trip and why?
My favorite trip was Barriloche
because it was very modern and had a lot of kids. When I was there I felt like I was home.
