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The Reader’s Digest Earth Day Quiz

Just how well do you know our planet? To mark Earth Day on April 22, put your knowledge of our natural environment to the test.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 1Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

1. Approximately how many people participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the world’s largest secular observance?

A: 500 million
B: One billion
C: Three billion

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Earth Day Quiz - Tree PlantingPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

B – One billion

Here’s where you’ll find the oldest trees in Canada.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 2Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

2. Immersing yourself mindfully in nature is known in Japan as “Shinrin-Yoku.” What does this literally mean?

A: “Forest bathing”
B: “Going green”
C: “Returning to your roots”

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Earth Day Quiz - Forest BathingPhoto: JudeAnd / Shutterstock.com

Answer:

A – “Forest bathing”

Find out what forest bathing means—and how it can improve your health.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 3Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

3. It’s hard to recycle plastic that’s dirty, low-value or mis-sorted. So, even though many of us put our plastic waste in the blue bin, what percentage of it actually gets recycled?

A: Around 50%
B: Around 22%
C: Around 9%

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Earth Day Quiz - Blue Box for RecyclingPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

C – Around 9%. Reducing single-use plastics would be more effective.

Aside from plastic, here are the everyday items that take the longest to decompose.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 4Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

4. Globally, 2020 was the hottest year so far on record.

True or false?

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Earth Day Quiz - Climate Change Polar Bear on Melting Ice CapsPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

True—2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record.

Did you know that Canada is heating up twice as fast as the world’s average? Find out how climate change is making you sick.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 5Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

5. The adorable sea slug known as the leaf sheep is unusual for an animal because it can get energy how?

A: By desalinating sea water.
B: From photosynthesis.
C: By dissolving plastic.

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Earth Day Quiz - Sea SlugPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

B – From photosynthesis.

Find out what Canada’s ban on single-use plastics will mean for Canadians—and the environment.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 6Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

6. In 2015, which country became the first to outlaw planned obsolescence?

A: Rwanda
B: The Netherlands
C: France

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Le Marais Paris - Place des VosgesPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

C – France

Find out the brilliant ways other countries are replacing plastic.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 7Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

7. What animal’s population plunged from roughly 60 million in 1800 to less than 1,000 in 1889?

A: The plains bison
B: The western lowland gorilla
C: The Asian elephant

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Earth Day Quiz - Plains BisonPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

A – The plains bison.

Check out these photos of the rarest animals on Earth.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 8Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

8. What weather event happens when moonlight is refracted through water droplets in the air?

A: A worm moon
B: A moonbow
C: Spectral fog

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Earth Day Quiz - MoonbowPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

B – A moonbow, also known as a lunar rainbow.

Find out the best places for stargazing across Canada.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 9Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

9. Most old-growth forests on Canada’s West Coast are protected from logging.

True or false?

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Earth Day Quiz - B.C. Old-Growth ForestPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

False. Read up on the long battle to save B.C.’s old-growth forests.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 10Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

10. In what year did the first Earth Day take place?

A: 1966
B: 1970
C: 1974

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Earth Day is April 22Photo: Shutterstock

Answer:

B – 1970

Find out how palm oil has triggered an environmental catastrophe.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 11Photo: Shutterstock

11. Around what proportion of the world’s fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits?

A: One third
B: One fifth
C: 10%

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Earth Day Quiz - OverfishingPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

A – One third.

Find out which seemingly innocent habits are harming the world’s oceans.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 12Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

12. Who wrote, “We forget that we don’t need everything… material things satisfy human beings only so much”?

A: David Attenborough
B: Greta Thunberg and Francisco Vera
C: David Suzuki and Holly Dressel

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Earth Day Quiz - David SuzukiPhoto: Art Babych / Shutterstock.com

Answer:

C – David Suzuki and Holly Dressel.

These shocking statistics may encourage you to rethink single-use plastic products.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 13Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

13. So far, how many mass extinction events have there been in earth’s history?

A: None
B: One
C: Five

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Earth Day Quiz - Dinosaur BonesPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

C – Five

Find out what could happen if the Amazon rainforest disappeared.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 14Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

14. In which country could you visit the Whanganui River, which has been granted legal personhood and rights?

A: South Africa
B: New Zealand
C: China

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Earth Day Quiz - Whanganui RiverPhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

B – New Zealand

Here are 10 lessons we can learn from the most eco-friendly nations on the planet.

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Earth Day Quiz - Question 15Photo: Shutterstock/Brett Walther

15. Who described earth as “a brilliant jewel in the black velvet sky”?

A: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin
B: Environmentalist Jane Goodall
C: Musician Sting

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Earth Day quiz - Earthrise from moon surfacePhoto: Shutterstock

Answer:

A – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

If you enjoyed this Earth Day quiz, see how well you fare against 100 general knowledge quiz questions!