Countries Breakdown Puzzle #1

Solve the short clues on the right and left. Then combine the letters and unscramble to form a country name.
Example: Clue 1: Mail a letter....SEND; Clue 2: Us, not them....WE; SEND + WE = SWEDEN
Quiz by kiwirage
Rate:
Last updated: February 26, 2019
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedFebruary 19, 2015
Times taken94,156
Average score53.3%
Rating3.81
6:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 30 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Clue 1
Answer
 
Country
 
Answer
Clue 2
Not fake
REAL
=>
BELARUS
<=
BUS
School vehicle
Hammer's target
NAIL
=>
IRELAND
<=
RED
Color of a blush?
Mature, grow older
AGE
=>
ALGERIA
<=
LIRA
Italian money, formerly
Male star-crossed lover
ROMEO
=>
CAMEROON
<=
CAN
Is able to
Unit of land
ACRE
=>
ECUADOR
<=
DUO
Musical twosome
Pseudonym, false name
ALIAS
=>
MALAYSIA
<=
MAY
Shortest month?
To make wood smooth
SAND
=>
HONDURAS
<=
HOUR
3,600 seconds
Florida fruit
ORANGE
=>
SINGAPORE
<=
SIP
Drink through a straw
Make money
EARN
=>
ARGENTINA
<=
GIANT
Enormous in size
Male Hogwarts students
WIZARDS
=>
SWITZERLAND
<=
LENT
Pre-Easter period
+5
Level 81
Mar 27, 2015
Original concept - makes a nice change from the norm.... Maybe you could do a quiz with 3 clues but one of them is a red herring? That'll get the brain ticking.
+2
Level 62
Mar 27, 2015
Ok, here's an extra difficult version! (Instead of a third clue - which makes design difficult - I added a red herring letter to each pair of clues, along with a bonus country to guess).
+1
Level 62
Mar 27, 2015
Great quiz, very challenging, thanks
+13
Level 67
Mar 27, 2015
Words easy,

Countries hard.

"More time, please?"

asks this rhyming bard.

Great puzzle!

+6
Level 27
Jul 16, 2019
He's a poet and he knows it.
+5
Level 27
Jul 16, 2019
He can rhyme anytime.
+7
Level 73
Mar 27, 2015
Great idea for a quiz. But more time needed for this, seriously.
+1
Level 69
Oct 16, 2017
Yeah; I'm a very good descrambler, but I have to agree that this needs more time. Look at all the very, very low percentages on the countries. There's not enough time to get to them.
+3
Level 88
Mar 27, 2015
I agree with the other comments...great quiz, but perhaps add another minute or so?
+1
Level 79
Mar 27, 2015
Nice work. That was pretty awesome. I can't imagine how long it took you to put that together...do you even work? hahaha
+2
Level 68
Mar 27, 2015
Another brilliant quiz idea from kiwirage. I got about half of 'em.
+1
Level 70
Mar 27, 2015
Loved it! :)
+21
Level 49
Mar 27, 2015
'Shortest month' clue threw me off. Couldn't figure out why February didn't work...
+3
Level 63
Mar 8, 2017
Me too! Got it eventually though.
+11
Level 21
Mar 27, 2015
february is the shortest month...
+12
Level 62
Mar 27, 2015
Note the question mark in the clue, indicating a cryptic interpretation. (May has just three letters, therefore making it the 'shortest' month).
+3
Level 69
Mar 27, 2015
May May maybe be the shortest month? Brilliant quiz!
+6
Level 69
May 17, 2016
That's totally a crossword-type clue!
+1
Level 36
Jan 24, 2023
February has 27 days so it is the shortest month
+2
Level 35
May 17, 2023
28 or 29🤦🏻‍♂️
+3
Level 84
Apr 13, 2019
april is the cruelest month...
+3
Level 31
Mar 27, 2015
Such a fun quiz! I did terrible, but sometimes that's fun too! Thanks!!
+2
Level 21
Mar 27, 2015
could use a bit more time, good idea though
+2
Level 78
Apr 15, 2015
Another vote for more time needed.
+1
Level 65
May 30, 2015
If you whizzed this, try "Elements Breakdown Puzzle": #1 and #2!
+1
Level 62
Jun 20, 2015
"Make Money" sounds too much like asking for "mint" or "print" ... I think it would help players to read the clue --> "Make an income"

What do you think?

+4
Level 62
Jun 21, 2015
The clue does have a natural ambiguity, but, 68% are getting the answer right, so I don't see a need to change it. To "make money" is a perfectly common way of saying 'earn'.
+8
Level 58
Dec 30, 2015
Excellent Quiz Kiwirage! My only suggestion would be that you alter the clue for "sip" which is defined as drinking a little at a time, and has nothing to do with a straw. Other than that, well done!
+2
Level 68
Feb 27, 2019
Absolutely agree.
+1
Level 69
May 17, 2016
One of the cleverest quizzes on here! However, I think your statistics are skewing towards people who took it multiple times. I am not one of the flawless savants who ace all these things, but I'm well above average on all two of the three skills needed here (and only average, I believe, for the word scramble part), but I absolutely needed more time. Maybe bump it up to 5:00 and see? And thanks for your hard work putting this together!
+1
Level 51
Dec 16, 2016
Nice quiz, cool idea, got it with 1.15 remaining. Took a while to get sand
+1
Level 71
Oct 3, 2017
Good quiz, I could have done with more time.
+4
Level 37
Oct 27, 2017
wrote february for shortest month....
+1
Level 52
Dec 27, 2018
Same here. Tricky!
+2
Level 72
Feb 26, 2019
The hints for "musical duo" and "is able to" are switched.
+1
Level ∞
Feb 26, 2019
Fixed, thanks
+4
Level 76
Feb 26, 2019
"Make money" and "shortest month" can clearly mean something different and therefore be easily misunderstood. Poor wording, no matter if you put a "?" at the end (which is kind of a copout for not wanting to write a better question).
+3
Level 66
Feb 28, 2019
I agree with this. Putting a question mark doesn't change the fact that the answer to "shortest month" is February, not May.
+8
Level 62
Feb 28, 2019
As has been noted further up the comment thread, the question mark indicates a cryptic interpretation. It's a common device (used particularly in crosswords) to indicate there's a little bit of mischief or wordplay going on in the clue - that the clue is literally "questionable". Far from being a copout, it's exactly as I intended it to be. You both fell for it, unlike the majority of players who figured it out :)
+3
Level 76
Jul 17, 2019
Right you are, kiwirage. I understood that straight away. Well, maybe not straight, but then I thought, February has too many letters already to be only part of a country name, and I didn't fancy working that one out. So I looked for an easier option. May seemed right to me.
+2
Level 45
Feb 27, 2019
Shortest month is a big vague, thought it meant as in number of days which is February
+4
Level 59
Dec 12, 2020
That is the point.
+1
Level 26
Feb 27, 2019
Got them all on first attempt, go me.
+2
Level 79
Feb 28, 2019
I typed 'wizard' for 'wizards' but it wasn't accepted!
+2
Level 72
Feb 28, 2019
Yes, because the hint is "Male Hogwarts students". In quizzes like this one the spelling matters.
+2
Level 59
Jan 3, 2021
It has to be plural because the S is needed as part of the hint. Otherwise it would spell out "Witzerland"
+4
Level 45
Feb 28, 2019
please change the clue, 'shortest month'. I thought you meant february, not MAY. quite misleading
+5
Level 66
Jul 16, 2019
Crossword puzzles originated the convention of using a question mark at the end of a hint to indicate that it is a trick or pun. The usage here is quite standard. That's why over half of quiz-takers got it right.
+5
Level 53
Nov 14, 2019
why does color of a blush also have a question mark
+1
Level 74
Jul 16, 2019
wow that is extremely tough but great idea only 10/30
+5
Level 60
Jul 16, 2019
Just because you use a straw doesn't mean you are sipping. I sip tea from a mug. Also I think a musical twosome would be a duet?
+2
Level 76
Jul 17, 2019
How else would you describe the process of drinking through a straw? I got it right away, so the description is fine as it is. Funny side note: With just having SIP, I tried to work out what country could have those three letters in it. I got it on my first attempt, and then worked out the fruit from the country minus SIP. Not exactly the way it was intended, but hey - it worked.
+3
Level 46
Apr 24, 2020
Suck and slurp could be used for straws
+1
Level 71
May 1, 2020
I agree, but the clues have to make words that are anagrams of countries, so it is not so easy to find the right words sometimes. I think 'Drink slowly' would be a better clue.
+1
Level 19
Nov 30, 2021
I agree on the duet
+5
Level 58
Jul 16, 2019
Was I the only one that tried 'Peeta' for star crossed lover?
+2
Level 75
Jul 16, 2019
Man, I suck at anagrams. I had every word in the first minute. Halfway through, and after solving none of them, I just started typing countries as fast as I could, which gave me three more answers. Good enough, I guess.
+1
Level 75
Aug 6, 2019
The countries are really hard. I am a state champion at geography, yet I only got three of the countries!
+3
Level 45
Aug 27, 2019
A few corners were cut, like that a musical twosome would be a duet, not a duo. A duo is just a general term for two people. Also, wizard should be accepted for wizards.
+6
Level 52
Sep 4, 2019
the clues are TOO difficult for a non-native english speaker!
+1
Level 51
Oct 2, 2019
February is the shortest month, not May.
+2
Level 51
Oct 31, 2019
Shortest written month, being only 3 letters
+1
Level 53
Nov 14, 2019
The "shortest month" is February, another clue should be given for May
+3
Level 62
Nov 28, 2019
Ok here’s a different clue for you: “Month in which one eats vegetables backwards?”
+1
Level 75
Aug 24, 2020
That was my favourite clue :)
+3
Level 15
Nov 21, 2019
Just got Puzzle Badge; also I’m the 69th comment. Noice 👌
+2
Level 66
Jan 30, 2020
Why would oranges be associated with Florida more than other fruits, or other places? I have never heard of a connection.
+1
Level 39
Feb 1, 2020
Very clever, well done! Look forward to seeing more:)
+5
Level 46
Apr 24, 2020
I don't know why I've never associated "sipping" with "using a straw". I always have envisioned sipping as drinking a little bit of liquid from a cup. So no wonder I could only think of "suck" and "slurp"
+2
Level 77
May 22, 2020
It's because you can sip without using a straw, and you can use a straw without sipping. It's a poor clue.
+3
Level 44
May 1, 2020
The clue about the Orange is too American for the rest of the world. Why would anyone know, or for that matter care about, that? There are a lot of better known clues that could be given for orange.
+1
Level 23
May 12, 2020
Shorthest month is February. Feb. - 28 / 29 days, May - 31 days every year.
+7
Level 62
May 12, 2020
Oh boy.
+3
Level 19
Nov 30, 2021
Lol, here we go again
+1
Level 22
May 13, 2020
Great quiz! :)
+1
Level 45
Jun 26, 2020
So why Orange/Florida ?
+2
Level 75
Aug 24, 2020
You wanna take a wild guess chief?
+4
Level 82
Jun 26, 2020
Just a note: the "musical" part of "musical twosome" makes me think duet and not duo. To me, duet=music, duo=other times. I found that really confusing
+1
Level 59
Jul 11, 2020
11/30 very hard, its hard to guess the right answer and to figure out which country is it. Argentina makes no sense for example
+1
Level 75
Aug 24, 2020
I mean, it makes sense because it's an anagram of EARN + GIANT. I mean, none of them make sense if you're not doing the anagrams. I mean, what?
+2
Level 63
Feb 12, 2021
I thought that February was the shortest month...
+1
Level 17
Feb 17, 2021
25/30 Perfect score to get that badge B)
+1
Level 70
Feb 22, 2021
Brilliant quiz and great serie!

I plan to make a french version of this "countries breakdown puzzle" of yours. Are you ok with it kiwirage? :)

+1
Level 62
Feb 22, 2021
Hi Elboy, yes, that's absolutely fine.
+1
Level 70
Feb 22, 2021
Thank you!
+1
Level 57
Aug 28, 2021
Hat's off to you. (tips cap) Great quiz.
+1
Level 39
Nov 29, 2021
I wrote some helpful code for this quiz.

I do not invite you to cheating, but this quiz inspired me to solve this problem with python :)

def containsAll(str, set):

for c in set:

if c not in str: return 0

return 1

countries = #large list of countries

small_word = 'HOUR' #our input word

i = 0

for country in countries:

if containsAll(country, set(small_word)):

print(country, end = '\t')

i += 1

if not i%10 and i>10:

print()

+1
Level 42
Jan 10, 2022
The shortest month one is kinda shifty as I kept typing February.
+2
Level 76
Apr 21, 2022
When clues have quotes/question marks, it's usually an indication that there is a clever answer.
+1
Level 61
Mar 31, 2022
Please get rid of Harry Potter references - not everyone has read it or seen it, or cares about it.
+6
Level 56
Sep 29, 2022
the answer isnt some kind of deep lore in the books
+2
Level 22
Nov 2, 2022
this is pretty common knowledge, though i do agree that we should start phasing out the harry potter questions that are so popular with these types of quizzes since JK Rowling is queer hating trash
+1
Level 76
Apr 21, 2022
Very fun
+1
Level 55
Oct 10, 2022
How is May the shortest month?
+2
Level 62
Oct 10, 2022
In the same way that September is the longest.
+1
Level 37
Nov 27, 2022
Please accept wizard for wizards.
+1
Level 62
Nov 27, 2022
Should I accept Witzerland for Switzerland?
+1
Level 34
Jan 25, 2023
He got you good
+2
Level 40
Feb 15, 2023
isnt february the shortest month

edit: oh, its the shortest in spelling

+1
Level 35
Oct 23, 2023
Aaaa , shortest spelled month ! Be more specific
+1
Level 24
Nov 14, 2023
Quite easy in my book! Only an uninformed delinquent wouldn't know these simple words. Heh, maybe it's just that my years of studying are finally paying off. Guess we'll never know! Anyway, okay quiz.