English version 2021

Part 1

The author of the question: Aleksandra Leukhina

1. This Russian Federation subject has the biggest number of first-order neighbours (9 members). Its name comes from the surname of famous revolutionary. Name the subject?

А) Primorye territory; B) Kirov region; C) Komi Republic; D) Kaliningrad region.

The author of the question: Fyodor Ivanchenko

2. Vaygach Island and archipelago Novaya Zemlya belong to different subjects of Russian Federation, but they constitute part of the same mountain range. Choose it from the list.

А) The Urals; B) The Caucasus Mountains; C) The Altai Mountains; D) The Crimean Mountains.

The author of the question: Eseniya Malyshenko

3. This is the largest subject of the Russian Federation. It is bigger than Argentina, the 8th largest country in the world. Choose this subject from the list.

А) Krasnoyarsk territory; B) Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); C) Chukotka Autonomous Area; D) Irkutsk region.

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4. Bilibino is the town, named after the geologist, who also was the namesake of a famous painter. The town is surrounded by huge swamps and lakes for hundreds kilometers. One can get there either by air or ice road. That is why nuclear fuel for Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant is delivered by air. What is the number on the map of the Bilibino nuclear power plant?

А) 1; B) 2; C) 3; D) 4.

5. The names of significant educational events often refer to historical and cultural identity of the region and emphasize its most outstanding features. What is the name of the art festival held in Kaliningrad twice a year?

А) Amber necklace; B) Malachite box; C) Diamond cigarette holder; D) Silver ring.

The author of the question: Darya Grebchenko

6. What traditional way of hunting is depicted in this picture of Belomorsk petroglyphs in Republic of Karelia? The petroglyphs were put on the World Heritage Sites List in 2021. It often has the other name on the Internet, according to which the another animal that cannot be met there is hunted. These petroglyphs capture?

А) Seal hunting; B) Northern sea lion hunting; C) Deer hunting; D) Beluga whale hunting.

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7. Which city that held APEC Russia 2012 and known for its cable bridges is depicted on the fragment of the old plan?

А) Sevastopol; B) Murmansk; C) Vladivostok; D) Anadyr.

8. In summer 2021 experts from RGS Underwater research center were about to find out the exact place of this battle: Raven stone mentioned in Chronicles was likely to have been found. What is name of this battle?

А) The Battle of Kulikovo; B) The Battle of Borodino; C) The Battle on the Ice; D) The Battle of Gangut.

The author of the question: Irina Chistyakova

9. The XIX century traveler after whom one of the RGS Golden medals was named. Being a student he traveled all over Spain and took part in the expedition to the Canary Islands, where he made his first scientific discovery: he discovered a new species of calcareous sponges and called it after the indigenous people of the Canary Islands — Guancha Blanca. Name this traveler.

А) Yuri Senkevich; B) Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay; C) Nikolay Przhevalsky; D) Petr Semenov.

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10. The flag of which capital of Russian Federation subject can you see in the picture? This town was built during World War I as a transit port for military cargo transported to Russia. Choose this subject from the list.

А) Murmansk region; B) Altai territory; C) Jewish Autonomous Region; D) Republic of Mari El.

Part 2

The question was granted by PJSC Gazprom

1. During the construction of an offshore export gas pipeline from Russia, its route had to be adjusted. This was done after the discovery of ancient artifacts, in particular the wreckage of Byzantine ships. In which sea were such archaeological finds detected?Choose the name of the river from the list.

А) Azov; B) Black; C) White; D) Baltic.

2. During the Great Patriotic War this peninsula, situated not far from the Norwegian border, had an important role for defense of Soviet polar region — it protected the entrance to the Kola Bay.

Poet Nikolai Bukin who took part in the events on the peninsula mentioned it in a song:

And the waves both moan and cry,

And they beat against the side of the ship…

Melted into a distant fog,

Our dear land.

Name the peninsula.

А) Rybachy Peninsula; B) Taymyr Peninsula; C) Kerch Peninsula; D) Taman Peninsula.

The author of the question: Andrey Ostapenko

3. Alexander Pushkin wrote in his poem “Caucasus”:

Here rivers are born that tear mountain asunder

And landslides begin with a crash as of thunder.

Here float solemn storm-clouds; and through them cascade

Swift torrents of water; they plunge o'er the edges

Of great, naked cliffs and spill down to the ledges

That patches of moss and dry brushwood invade.

Beneath spread green groves, lush with herbs and sweet-scented

Where birds dwell in peace and where deer browse, contented.

What pattern in nature was described by the poet?

А) The natural water cycle;

B) High-altitude zone;

C) Latitudinal zonation;

D) Natural phenomenon rhythm.

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4. During major land surveying in Russia at the turn of XVIII–XIX centuries the data of current land parcel borders was collected and the development plans for cities were confirmed. Some objects can be seen on modern maps. This city had been the main seaport of Russia for a long time due to its fortunate location on a wide cape at a river mouth. The shipyard shown in a plan over time grew into a large port that is of strategic importance to this day. Name the city

А) Arkhangelsk; B) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky; C) Cherepovets; D) Nakhodka.

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5. There is a fragment from “Ethnographic description of the peoples in Russia” by Gustave Theodor Pauly. Edition of 1862 is kept in RGS library.:

"Although [they] have separated from the Turkic and the Tatar, they belong to the same family; they all lead a nomadic lifestyle and differ from their neighbours in their noble character and warlike spirit. [They] are almost all baptized, but their ideas about Christianity are extremely incomplete, and absolutely absurd prejudices reign among them... As with other neighboring peoples, shamans acted as privileged intermediaries between gods, spirits and people." What is the name of the folk?

А) The Ainu; B) The Ossetians; C) The Buryats; D) The Yakuts.

6. We are used to perceiving territories with colder winters as located closer to the north, but due to the peculiarities of the circulation of air masses on the territory of Russia, this rule is often violated, and our "mental" map diverges from the real one. Which cities of the listed pairs are located within the same degree of latitude?

А) Moscow — Krasnoyarsk ;

B) Vladivostok — Yekaterinburg;

C) Tver — Saratov;

D) Omsk — Pyatigorsk.

7. During the First Russian round-the-world expedition of 1803-1806 under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky, in addition to maps of the studied lands, engravings of coastal views were created that helped subsequent travelers navigate the terrain. One of them depicts the area that Kruzenshtern described in his diary as:"... the valley where we discovered the Tatar village would be especially convenient for the establishment of a colony. This place has a charming appearance. The grass is thick and tall everywhere. The hills and mountains surrounding the valley are covered with the most beautiful pine forest. What is the name of the island?

A) Olkhon; B) Valaam; C) Sakhalin; D) Kotelny.

The author of the question: Marina Gribok

8. Due to the peculiarities of the semi-aquatic lifestyle, this relict species of mammals of the mole family is very difficult to study. Since 2016, the Russian Geographical Society has been supporting research in the floodplain of the Sura River, where the third largest population of them in Russia has been identified. Even those who do not know exactly what it looks like are constantly laughing at this relict animal. According to one version, its name translates as "stinky".

A) River otter; B) Skunk; C) The Russian desman; D) Badger.

The author of the question: Irina Igumnova

9. Ве The great Russian traveler N.M. Przhevalsky noted that Siberians gather and eat this delicacy on long winter evenings. "Throughout Siberia [they] constitute one of the main delicacies of the common people, and often the assembled society, for lack of interesting subjects for the talks, spends most of the evening in silence, only eating [them], which are known in these countries under the apt name of "Siberian conversation". Choose the delicacy from the list.

A) Sunflower seeds; B) Pine nuts; C) Pumpkin seeds; D) Walnuts.

The author of the question: Alisa Sinyavskaya

10. In September 1960, the V World Forest Congress was finishing its work in the American city of Seattle. It was decided to create a peoples' friendship park, in which each delegation had to plant the most common tree of their country. Choose from the list the tree that the Soviet delegation planted.

А) Lime tree; B) Larch; C) Birch; D) Oak.

The author of the question: Kirill Likhachev

11. Match the name of a professional hockey team and the city where it is based.

1) «Neftekhimik»; 2) «Salawat Yulayev»; 3) «Amur»; 4) «Severstal».

А) Khabarovsk; B) Nizhnekamsk; C) Cherepovets; D) Ufa.

Аnswer options:

А) 1А, 2C, 3B, 4D; B) 1B, 2D, 3А, 4C; C) 1C, 2B, 3А, 4D; D) 1D, 2B, 3C, 4А.

The author of the question: Polina Yudina

12. This large lake on the border with China became one of the first objects on the territory of Russia registered in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. One of the most beautiful birds of the duck family, the mandarin, lives here. Choose it from the list.

А) Khasan; B) Uvs Nuur; C) Khanka; D) Zaysan.

The author of the question: Ekaterina Vesnintseva

13. There are cities in Russia that have been granted the status of federal importance, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol. But there is another city of federal significance, which is endowed with the appropriate status for the period of its Russian lease until 2050. Choose it from the list.

А) Temirtau; B) Plesetsk; C) Baikonur; D) Port Arthur.

The author of the question: Lyubov Tsybulskaya

14. Identify the mineral by its description: it is a greenish-silvery stone, its name translated from Greek means "unquenchable", "indestructible". In the old days it was called "mountain flax". In the Urals, large deposits were discovered in 1720, and the city of the same name is also located there. In the Western Caucasus there is a mountain bearing the name of this mineral, which height reaches 2285 meters.

A) Emerald; B) Asbestos; C) Sapphire; D) Malachite.

The author of the question: Sofya Fendrik

15. One of the largest globes in the world is located in the Smolensk region. This art object’s scale is impressive: its diameter reaches 10.5 meters, and the weight is about 12 tons. What object became the basis for the globe?

А) A ruling pen; B) A bathyscaphe; C) A weather balloon; D) A gas holder.

The author of the question: Antonina Popova

16. This form of relief is formed when underground ice thaws (thermokarst), shrinkage of soil and rocks happen. It is a flat, rounded, often treeless hollow with a diameter of up to several kilometers. There are especially many of them in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

А) A canyon; B) Delle; C) Alas; D) A glen.

The author of the question: Tatyana Lozhanova

17. In this Russian city there is a metro bridge, which is considered the longest structure of this type in the world. The metro bridge is unique in its design: with the help of special rollers, the length of the bridge changes, which is explained by a significant temperature difference.Choose a city from the list.

A) Yekaterinburg; B) Moscow; C) Novosibirsk; D) Nizhny Novgorod.

The question was granted by PJSC Gazprom

18. Two of the world's longest export offshore gas pipelines have been laid along the bottom of this sea. At the same time, they are part of the shortest route for the supply of Russian natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula to Europe. In which sea are these pipelines located?

A) Kara; B) Baltic; C) Black; D) Mediterranean.

The author of the question: Eugenia Alembaeva

19. In 1767, Catherine the Great traveled along the Volga from Tver to Simbirsk to get acquainted with the situation in the Volga region. Choose the correct sequence of visits to cities by the Empress.

А) Moscow — Vyatka — Simbirsk — Saratov;

B) Astrakhan — Tver — Volgograd — Kazan;

C) Saratov — Syzran— Samara — Kazan;

D) Uglich — Yaroslavl — Gorodets — Cheboksary.

20. This modern administrative center was founded in the XVI century and is considered the cradle of the Russian Navy. In July 1942 - January 1943, the front line ran along the river of the same name right through the city. In 2012, it became the 15th city with more than one million population in the Russian Federation. Choose it from the list.

А) Sevastopol; B) Rostov-on-Don; C) Voronezh; D) Veliky Novgorod.

The author of the question: Sofya Kiparisova

21. These small-numbered folk living in the north of Western Siberia have preserved their cultural traditions. In particular, the playing the harps and shamanism. Their nutrition is based on fish, from which flour is prepared, and juniper tea which replaces common tea. Until 1930 they were called Ostyako-Samoyeds, and what are they called now?

А) Eskimo; B) The Selkup; C) The Ingush; D) Votians.

The author of the question: Fyodor Dokukin

22. In the Far East of Russia, one can observe a unique "river phenomenon" — bifurcation, or separation of the riverbed. As a result , this happens on the Delkyu River:

А) It flows into two oceans;

B) It does not freeze during the winter;

C) All plants become extinct;

C) Salmon do not find the place to spawn.

23. The head of the State Commission for Electrification of Russia, thanks to which the famous GOELRO Plan was implemented, was a statesman, an energy scientist and an Honorary member of the RGS, the author of the translation into Russian of the revolutionary song «Whirlwinds of danger are raging around us …»:

А) Vladimir Lenin; B) Gleb Krzhizhanovsky; C) Felix Dzerzhinsky; D) Lev Berg.

The author of the question: Elena Rygina

24. This Buryat city, founded in the first third of the XVIII century, has long been one of the most important trade centers of the Russian Empire, the capital of the "Tea Way", the starting and ending point of many expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society. In 2020, on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the RGS, a monument to the "Explorers and Discoverers of Central Asia" was opened there. Choose it from the list.

А) Surgut; B) Kyakhta; C) Ulaanbaatar; D) Tomsk.

The author of the question: Yana Sapegina

25. There is a republic in Russia that is surrounded by the territory of another subject of the Federation. The name of the capital of this republic in translation into Russian means "valley of apple trees". Choose this city from the list.

А) Belgorod; B) Maykop; C) Saransk; D) Cheboksary.

The author of the question: Gleb Vinogradov

26. In 2012, a monument to Russian sailors who rescue people from the ruins was erected in this Italian city on the island of Sicily. On the pedestal is written: "To Russian sailors, heroes of mercy and self-sacrifice." Choose a city from the list.

А) Naples; B) Messina; C) Venice; D) Florence.

27. In 1901, travelers Gombojab Tsybikov and Ovshe Norzunov, on behalf of the Russian Geographical Society, visited Lhasa, the capital of then-independent Tibet. Risking their lives, the travelers managed to be among the first in the world to bring IT from there... What exactly?

A) Buddhist praying drum ; B) Photographs; C) Lhasa Apso dog; D) Books in Tibetan.

The author of the question: Tamara Ivanova

28. This Russian Admiral, the member of the Russian Geographical Society, concluded in 1855 the first diplomatic agreement between the Russian Empire and Japan — the Treaty of Shimoda. The expedition during which the agreement was concluded is described in Ivan Goncharov's book "Frigate Pallada". Almost the namesake of the admiral appears among the characters of N.A.Nekrasov's poem "Who Is Happy in Russia?". Choose it from the list.

А) Pavel Nakhimov; B) Samuil Greig; C) Yevfimiy Putyatin; D) Fyodor Ushakov.

The question was granted by PJSC Gazprom

29. In Russia, natural gas is delivered to consumers mainly via gas pipelines. For this, the country has the world's longest gas transmission system. But one region, due to its unique geographic location, has recently been able to receive gas in liquefied form, for the delivery of which special gas carriers are used. What is this region?

A) Leningrad Region; B) Moscow Region; C) Kaliningrad Region; D) Republic of Altai.

The author of the question: Sayana Ausheva

30. Between the basins of which rivers did the traveler Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov discover the watershed mountain range in the east of the Tibetan Plateau, which was named after the Russian Geographical Society?

А) The Mekong and the Yangtze;

B) The Tigris and the Euphrates;

C) The Indus and the Ganges;

D) The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya.