Quiz: how well do you know the Russian World Cup cities?

1. 

   Which World Cup host city is known as the "Russian Riviera" because of its resorts and subtropical climate?

   1. Kazan

   2. Rostov-on-Don

   3. Sochi

2. 

   Where was Russian president Vladimir Putin born in October 1952?

   1. Moscow

   2. Volgograd

   3. St Petersburg

3. 

   Where did the largest and bloodiest battle take place in the second world war?

   1. Volgograd

   2. Moscow

   3. St Petersburg

4. 

   In which city was Tsar Nicholas II and his family executed following the Russian Revolution of 1917?

   1. St Petersburg

   2. Yekaterinburg

   3. Kaliningrad

5. 

   Which city did French actor Gerard Depardieu register as his address after leaving France to avoid higher taxes in 2013?

   1. Samara

   2. Saransk

   3. Moscow

6. 

   Which city had its own leaning tower?

   1. ​K​azan

   2. Sochi

   3. Nizhny Novgorod

7. 

   Where was Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist and author of Crime and Punishment born?

   1. Moscow

   2. St Petersburg

   3. Yekaterinburg

8. 

   The philosopher Immanuel Kant lived and died in which city?

   1. Saransk

   2. Volgograd

   3. Kaliningrad

9. 

   Which city was once named after Soviet writer Maxim Gorky?

   1. Rostov-on-Don

   2. Saransk

   3. Nizhny Novgorod

10. 

    Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space when his Vostok spacecraft orbited the Earth on 12 April 1961. In which city was the Vostok rocket built?

    1. Samara

    2. Yekaterinburg

    3. ​K​azan

11. 

    Which city lies immediately between Asia and northern Europe, and is known as the "gateway to the North Caucasus"?

    1. Nizhny Novgorod

    2. Rostov-on-Don

    3. Sochi

Solutions

1:C - Sochi lies between the Black Sea and foot of the Caucasus mountains. It was the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, 2:C - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in the city on 7 October 1952, when it was named Leningrad, 3:A - Formerly known as Stalingrad, the battle over the city was the largest confrontation in the second world war with an estimated 2 million casualties, ending in a Soviet victory, 4:B - The Romanovs were exiled to Yekaterinburg during the revolution, and were killed by Bolshevik troops in July 1918, 5:B - Depardieu listed Saransk as his residence when he gained Russian citizenship in January 2013 to avoid a planned 75% tax on millionaires in France, 6:A - Believed to be constructed in the early 18th century, the Kazan Kremlin's Suyumbike tower leans by about 6ft, 7:A - Dostoevsky was born in Moscow in November 1821. He died in St Petersburg, 8:C - Kaliningrad is the capital of a small Russian enclave situated between Poland and Lithuania. The German philosopher lived here when it was part of Prussia – Kaliningrad became a Russian city after the second world war, 9:C - The nobel-nominated writer was born in Nizhny Novgorod, and the city was named in his honour by the Soviets in 1932 until the original name was restored in 1990, 10:A - The Vostok, a family of rockets including the first manned spacecraft, was built in the Samara Progress Plant, 11:B - South of the Don river is considered Asia.

Scores

1. 11 and above.

   Excellent

2. 10 and above.

   Great

3. 9 and above.

   Great

4. 8 and above.

   Well done

5. 7 and above.

   Well done

6. 6 and above.

   OK

7. 5 and above.

   OK

8. 4 and above.

   hmm

9. 3 and above.

   hmm

10. 2 and above.

    hmm

11. 0 and above.

    Oh dear

12. 1 and above.

    Oh dear