22/9/00

The Great Israeli Geography Quiz

If you get even one answer right, you're a genius.

    How well do you know this country? Like most Israelis, you've probably seen it all, from the Good Fence to Dolphin Reef and back.
    You've been all the way out east, and all the way out west.
    You've been coast to coast to coast, from the Med to the Red to the Dead.
    You've been to every major city between Gedera and Hadera. 
    It's such a little country, what's not to know, right?
    Wrong.
    See how well you do in the Great Israeli Geography Quiz. Then get in your car and go visit all these places.

    (Circle the correct answer)

1. Which is closer to Jit?
    Jit Jat
    (Clue: Jit is in Samaria, Jit is in the Galilee, Jat is not far)

2. Which town is both the biblical site of Gilgal and a good place for a cheap shwarma?
    Jaljuliya Jiljiliya

3. If you are Japanese and you say you live in Lotem, where do you actually live?
    Rotem Lotem

4. You're still Japanese, and you jump into a taxi and yell at the driver: "Take me to Mehora, and step on it!" You will end up in the wrong place because he will take you to     Mehora Mehola

5. Which of the following is not a famous Israeli waterway?
    Tzora Tzori Tzipori Tzin Tzon

6. Which of the following famous Israeli streams begins near a university, only no student has ever heard of it?
    Og Oz Gez Ezuz Ziz Zik Tut Rut Lot

7. Are all the names in this quiz real?
    Yes

8. Where do my sister's husband's parents grow peaches?
    Zerahiya Zehariya

9. A tourist from Miami visits Mei Ami. He walks around and says "Shalom" to everyone, real friendly-like. But there are only Arabs here (not that he can tell the difference) because he made a wrong right turn on the way from Hadera. In what village did he shoot a whole roll of film to show the folks back home that he came all the way to Israel and ended up in Miami?
    Arara Arura Ara Arana Araka Atara Araba Arad

10. An Afghanistani tourist from Kabul visits Kabul. Having journeyed west by southeast, where did his hat fly out the window?
    Sa'ar Si'ir Sir Siris Sara Sasa Safa

11. As the crow flies, which of the following places lies between Masada and Mas'ada?
    Massada Masad Mash'had Mas'ha

12. Which of these five residential areas has the biggest swimming pool?
    Ramot Ramot Rama Rama Rama 

13. Why are there more places named "Rama" than "Ramot," despite the fact that Ramot is the plural of Rama?
    kacha zeh

14. Is it true that Aluma has separate sections for men and women?
    Alumim Alumot

15. What's closer to Jaba?
    Jamala Jalama

16. That was a trick question, because the Jaba near Jamala is near Jalama and the other Jaba near Jalama is near Jamala, which is a major problem for the local mailman who's from:
    Jarba Jibya Jib Jalud Jalbun

17. Which is furthest away from the Jordanian city of Akaba?
    Akbara Akraba Akaba

18. Have you ever noticed that on some signs pointing to small Jewish settlements, the UJA's logo appears? (You do not get credit for a correct answer if you said "yes.") What is the only place with a UJA sign that has no Jewish appeal?
    Uja Aja Uza Usha

19. Which two place names in the entire State of Israel can you not spell with a set of Scrabble tiles because there aren't enough Z's and B's for both names?
    Zababida and Zububa

20. By now you probably wonder who gives these weird names to the dots on the map, and whether they're
    Alliterate Illiterate

21. Otherwise, why would we have such places as:
    Dabiya Dabura Daburiya Dahiriya Dahiniya

22. Maybe they're afflicted with a tendency to anagrams, as in:
    Ezer Erez
    and
    Idan Idna

23. Which Israeli town name would be censored off American television?
    Ofakim Afikim Afik Afek Afeka

24. Based on the pattern of the following locales, wouldn't it logically follow that there be a place named Ova?
    Ofer Ofra
    Orot Ora
    Ovot

25. Have you ever noticed the unintended wordplay on this highway exit sign?
      Yehud
    Or Yehuda

26. A person with a stuffy nose who says he lives in Yadud is from:
    Yanun Yamun

27. Ah, but which Yanun?
    Yanun near Yanuv, or Yanun near Yavne

28. Menahem from Menahemya meets Nechama from Naharayim in Mahanayim. Considering that Israelis have no appreciation for wordplay, do you suppose we're the only ones who find this funny?
    haha Haja Hagla Habla

29. Israel is not a narrow country. Anybody who thinks that is mistaken, and probably never traveled from Ein Bokek to Rafiach Yam, which is 107 kilometers to the west. Thus, if the Concorde flew from one to the other, with a refueling stopover halfway between (Beersheba), there would be just enough time to:
    (a) fasten your seat belt (b) say hello to everyone you know on the plane (c) eat supper (d) daven (e) all of the above

30. Which place is near Egypt and not near Nir Israel?
    Nitzana Nitzanim

31. Where is the only property where Arnona property-tax payers pay tax for Arnona property?
    Arnona

32. If Rav Revivo drives from Revaya to Revaha via Rehavia, and Rav Raviv drives from Rehov to Rehovot via Rehov Rehavia, where's the best place to meet for a nosh?
    Revava Revivim Revadim Rehasim Refaim Regavim Reshafim

33. Did I mention that near Revaya is Mesilot, and near Revaha is Melilot?
    no

34. Ben & Jerry's discovers that the favorite ice cream flavor in Ra'anana is banana-nana-ananas. They realize they're on to something big here: Israelis like to lick a tongue twister. Where should they sell mishmish mishmash?
    Michmash Michmanim Michmoret Mishmarot Mishmeret  

35. Maccabi Maccabim beats Betar Beitar 1-0. Cohen scored. Who cares?
    Hapoel

36. What's not near anything?
    Nurit Nirit Nirim Niram Niran

37. Arrange the following in alphabetical order in English, then backwards in Hebrew, and vice versa:
    Yifat Yafit Yatir Yated Yata Yatma Yama Yafa Yafo Yaaf Yaad

38. Is there any difference between Na'aran and Na'ran?
    none Na'an Nein

39. Atarot Airport is between Azarya and Azariya. Ben-Gurion Airport is between Azor and Ezer. Which airport is between Uzer and Uza?
    Dov Dovev Dvira Dvora Dor Dorot Dura Duma

40. MEI_AR: Fill in the blank with a Hebrew letter and spell a place name right next to Metzer.
    Meisar Meishar Meitar Meitzar

41. Say "Thulth" five times fast.
    Thulth Thulth Thulth Thulth Thulth

42. Can you make a sentence with the following Israeli place names?
    (a) Barak Ein-David Lavi, Ein-Mor Jurish Manof Yizre'el -- Even-Yitzhak Shamir -- Ma'as Tel Yasur Rafat: Aneva Shaal Gevim Jerusalem, Gitit? Nordiya Gita Batir Ofer. Tzori.
    (b) Geva Golan Baka? Netanya Nili! Yizre'el Kanot Luzit, Musmus Holit. Gat Tohelet, Duma Saad, Yaar Afula Hashita; Yuval Natav Adam Acre!
    (Tzofar, Gita Lot Anza? Yedidya? Natur Eli, Samar Iron Ik,sa Yaaf Tuba Tel Eilot Tilfit Tzova. Sartaf Saad, Ai?)

The correct answers, where applicable, are in each case the first choice given.