“Hot” summer quizzes

There’s plenty of time to play in the summer, especially when you’re on vacation! Why not try a few quizzes on the Language Portal of Canada? They’re sure to enhance your knowledge of vocabulary related to the hot season, in both official languages.

Spotlight on “hot” expressions

It’s summer, and it’s hot. Sometimes we sweat buckets, especially during a heat wave. But the French idiom “on a eu chaud” doesn’t necessarily mean that we perspired … How would you translate this expression into English? “We were hot”? Hmm, maybe not!

The quizzes Hot stuff 1 and Hot stuff 2 will show you that the French adjective chaud isn’t always translated into English by hot or warm.

Try them! Your score will tell you if you’re really “hot”!

Flower riddles

Add a colourful, fresh, fragrant touch to your summer days with the riddle quizzes A bouquet of summer flowers and Another bouquet of summer flowers.

It’s easy! Just figure out the clues that stand for the names of flowers such as yarrow, chrysanthemum and hibiscus. Ready to play?

Summer-flavoured expressions

Imagine that you’re alone, sitting on the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water and eyes glued to a gripping novel. Total escape. Perfect tranquility. And suddenly … Splash! Some kid doing a cannonball snaps you back to reality. You’re drenched, and so is your book. What a mess! Who pulled this prank? Right then, you tell yourself that “it’s no picnic.” But since you’re a ray of sunshine in life, you quickly realize that the incident is a drop of water in the ocean.

How would you say these expressions in French?

Test your knowledge of summer-related idioms with the quiz Summery expressions, which contains seven more idioms to fire up your sleepy brain cells!

Annuals, perennials and other types of plants

After dipping your feet in the pool, get your hands dirty in the garden! But as you’re planting a perennial cactus (yes, some varieties of this succulent plant can withstand Canadian winters), a thorn gets stuck in your thumb … Ouch! Let medicinal plants come to the rescue and treat your poor green thumb!

Want to know what these plants are called in French? And how about annuals, conifers and ground covers?

Time to roll up your sleeves and start digging in Gardening 101: Types of plants!

UFI: Unidentified flying insects

Bumblebee, drone, bee, wasp, hornet, horsefly, it’s all the same to you. They sting and it hurts, right? Oh well, don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one who putz all theze bugzzz in the same bazket.

The quiz Yellow-and-black-striped flying insects should help you tell them apart. And as a bonus, you’ll learn their names in French. A fun-filled trip to the land of insects awaits you!

I hope this overview of quizzes on the Language Portal has piqued your curiosity enough to try them all! Tell me if you liked them in the comments section. I’d also like to hear your suggestions for language quizzes!

Translated by Line Lalande, Language Portal of Canada