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Drinks of the World
Every drink here is made from a plant most people could not identify. Ten questions on which is which.
About this topic
Almost every drink humans consume for pleasure begins as an unpromising plant: a bitter seed, a tough leaf, a starchy root. What turns them into coffee, tea, beer or rum is processing — roasting, steeping, fermenting, distilling — developed over centuries and usually in one region before spreading everywhere. This quiz covers the raw materials and origins. The explanations note where each drink came from and, where relevant, the legal definitions that decide what a producer is allowed to call it.
Questions & answers
Drinks of the World: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1Coffee is made from the roasted seeds of what?
- A A flower bud
- B A fruit known as a coffee cherry Correct
- C A nut that grows underground
- D A dried root
Answer: B. A fruit known as a coffee cherry
Why: The seeds are inside a small red fruit. Ethiopia is generally accepted as the plant's origin.
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2Black tea and green tea come from what?
- A The same plant, processed differently Correct
- B Two unrelated plants
- C Different parts of one tree
- D Two different countries only
Answer: A. The same plant, processed differently
Why: Both are Camellia sinensis. Green tea is heated quickly to stop oxidation; black tea is allowed to oxidise fully.
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3Beer is traditionally made using malted what?
- A Rice only
- B Maize only
- C Rye only
- D Barley Correct
Answer: D. Barley
Why: Malting germinates the grain to convert starch into fermentable sugar. Hops were a later addition for bitterness and keeping.
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4Which drink is distilled from fermented sugarcane products?
- A Gin
- B Brandy
- C Rum Correct
- D Whisky
Answer: C. Rum
Why: Molasses is the usual base. The Caribbean became the centre of production during the colonial sugar trade.
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5Gin must be flavoured predominantly with which botanical?
- A Lavender
- B Juniper Correct
- C Aniseed
- D Coriander
Answer: B. Juniper
Why: Without a juniper-forward character it cannot legally be sold as gin in the EU or UK.
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6Cider is made by fermenting what?
- A Apple juice Correct
- B Pear juice only
- C Grape must
- D Malted barley
Answer: A. Apple juice
Why: The pear equivalent is called perry. Cider means an unfermented apple drink in parts of North America.
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7Which drink is made from the agave plant?
- A Sake
- B Vodka
- C Ouzo
- D Tequila Correct
Answer: D. Tequila
Why: It must be produced in designated regions of Mexico, chiefly around Jalisco, to carry the name.
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8Sake is brewed from what?
- A Millet
- B Cassava
- C Rice Correct
- D Barley
Answer: C. Rice
Why: It is closer to brewing than to distilling, using a mould called koji to convert starch into sugar.
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9Which grape-based spirit is produced by distilling wine?
- A Whisky
- B Brandy Correct
- C Rum
- D Gin
Answer: B. Brandy
Why: Cognac and Armagnac are brandies from specific French regions with their own production rules.
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10Hot chocolate and cocoa powder both come from which plant?
- A The cacao tree Correct
- B The coffee plant
- C The carob tree
- D The vanilla orchid
Answer: A. The cacao tree
Why: The beans are fermented and roasted before grinding. Cocoa butter is the fat pressed out along the way.
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