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Winter Quiz: Questions and Answers

Winter gives a quiz plenty to work with: snowflakes and sleeping bears, the shortest day of the year, the brightest stars in the sky, and the food that tastes best in the cold months. Here are 24 winter questions with answers in four rounds: easy ones for kids, winter festivals in Japan, snow, ice and the winter sky, and winter food and sayings. They suit a class before the winter break, a care home's recreation hour, or a quiet evening at home.

October 14, 20267 min read

Every question is multiple choice with the correct answer marked. The first round suits young kids; the sayings round is a favorite with grandparents. Read them out, print them, or play them live.

1

Make the quiz

Create a free account, choose Generate with AI and type "Winter quiz for 10-year-olds, 12 questions". Or copy the questions below into your own quiz and keep the rounds you like.

2

Press Start game

A PIN appears on screen. Players open sheelon.me/join on any phone, tablet or laptop and type it in. No app and no accounts for players.

3

Play at your own pace

You decide when each question starts. The leaderboard updates after every answer, so the last round decides the winner.

Easy winter questions for kids

Six easy questions

How many sides does a snowflake usually have?

FourFiveSixEight

Which of these animals hibernates in winter?

The bearThe foxThe hareThe deer

Which bird of Japan's high mountains turns white in winter?

The crowThe rock ptarmiganThe sparrowThe pigeon

What is special about the winter solstice?

It has the longest daytime of the yearIt is the coldest day of the yearThe first snow always fallsIt has the shortest daytime of the year

In Japan, what floats in the bath on the day of the winter solstice?

Iris leavesCherry blossomsYuzuMaple leaves

Why can you see your breath on a cold day?

The water vapor in it cools into tiny dropsYour breath freezes into iceThe air is dirtier in winterYour body gives off smoke

Winter festivals and days in Japan

Six questions on winter days

What do people shout while throwing beans at Setsubun?

Happy New Year!Demons out, luck in!Snow, snow, come down!Spring is here!

What is the thick sushi roll eaten in silence at Setsubun, facing the year's lucky direction?

EhomakiTemakiInarizushiChirashizushi

Which of the 24 seasonal divisions falls around January 20?

Shokan (minor cold)Toji (winter solstice)Taisetsu (major snow)Daikan (major cold)

Which city holds a famous snow festival with giant snow sculptures every February?

KyotoSapporoNagasakiOkinawa

The day after Setsubun, the old calendar's spring begins. What is that day called?

ShunbunKeichitsuRisshunDaikan

On the winter solstice, people in Japan eat "nankin". Which vegetable is it?

PumpkinDaikon radishChinese cabbageLeek

Setsubun means "the dividing of the seasons". Today it is the day before Risshun, usually February 3, and the beans are thrown to chase out the old season's bad luck before spring.

Snow, ice and the winter sky

Six questions on nature and stars

Which of these stars is NOT part of the Winter Triangle?

BetelgeuseSiriusProcyonVega

Which is the brightest star in the night sky?

PolarisSiriusRigelAldebaran

What drifts onto the Sea of Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido in winter?

Drift iceGlaciersIcebergs from AntarcticaWarm currents

What are the "snow monsters" of Mount Zao?

Statues built for a festivalFrozen waterfallsTrees coated in rime ice and snowWild monkeys in the snow

How do frost columns (shimobashira) form?

Frost falls from the skyDew freezes on leavesSnow is pressed by footstepsWater in the soil freezes and pushes up

What is the name of the bright red star in Orion?

RigelBetelgeuseSiriusSpica

The Winter Triangle question is a good trap: Vega is the bright corner of the Summer Triangle. In winter, Betelgeuse, Sirius and Procyon make the triangle, and Sirius is the brightest star you can see at night.

Winter food and sayings

Six questions on food and words

What is "koharu-biyori", literally "little spring weather"?

A warm, calm day in late autumn or early winterThe first warm day of springA sunny break in the rainy seasonThe hottest day of summer

What does "sankan shion" (three cold, four warm) describe?

Three months of winter and four of springA pattern of about three cold days, then four warmer onesThree snowfalls before the cherry blossomsWarm days that come only in spring

Which expression pictures a harsh winter as a person?

KogarashiHaru ichibanFuyu shogunKanmairi

Which fish is at its fattest in winter and called "kan-buri"?

SauryBonitoSweetfishYellowtail

Which vegetable is in season in winter and goes into almost every hot pot?

Chinese cabbageEggplantCucumberTomato

In snowy regions, what is clearing the snow from roofs called?

YukikakiYukioroshiYukimiYukigassen

Koharu-biyori trips up almost everyone. "Koharu", little spring, is an old name for the tenth month of the lunar calendar, roughly November, so the phrase describes a mild, calm day in late autumn or early winter, not a day in spring. Fuyu shogun means "General Winter", after the "General Frost" said to have beaten Napoleon in Russia in 1812.

Tips for a winter quiz that works

  • Start with the kids' round. Snowflakes and sleeping bears warm up the room before the harder questions.
  • Save the sayings for the end. Koharu-biyori and sankan shion are where grandparents beat everyone.
  • Make it a team game for seniors. At a care home, read each question aloud and let each table answer together on one tablet.
  • Leave time after each answer. The short explanation after every question is where people learn the Vega fact they will repeat all winter.

How do I turn these questions into a quiz?

Create a free Sheelon account, choose Generate with AI and type something like "Winter quiz, 12 questions, for kids". You get a full quiz with an explanation after each answer in about a minute. You can also type these questions in yourself and keep only the rounds you want.

Are these questions good for kids?

The first round is written for primary school kids. The festival and nature rounds suit older kids and adults, and the sayings round is the hardest.

How many people can play?

Up to 50 players per game on the free plan, and up to 150 on Pro. Players never need an account, only the PIN.

Can I make the quiz in Japanese?

Yes. Sheelon writes quizzes in 30 languages, including Japanese, so you can ask for a winter quiz in Japanese or in English. The free plan includes 5 AI quizzes in total.

Make your winter quiz with AI

Type a topic, get a full quiz with explanations, then host it live. Players join with a PIN from any phone.

Make a winter quiz

Free account. Players don't need one.

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