Apples show up in many ancient folklore stories, as well as crucial scientific discoveries. This quiz explores how this simple fruit became a massive symbol across different eras.
You will see questions about famous paintings, Greek myths, and tales of scientific discovery. Some ask about specific details, while others look at broader meanings of the fruit.
Afterward, explore other topics. Check out our quizzes on symbols in art, learn about vintage art movements, or discover strange art curiosities.
In Western folklore, which biblical garden is the setting where the forbidden fruit, often depicted as an apple, was eaten?
Garden of Alcinous
Garden of Alcinous
Garden of Babylon
Garden of Babylon
Garden of Gethsemane
Garden of Gethsemane
Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
Which Greek goddess threw the golden apple of discord amongst the gods, leading to the Trojan War?
Athena
Athena
Hera
Hera
Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Eris
Eris
Which scientist is famously associated with the observation of a falling apple that supposedly inspired his theory of gravity?
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
In the biblical story of the Fall of Man, the forbidden fruit, often depicted as an apple, represents the acquisition of which of the following?
Immortal life
Immortal life
Wealth
Wealth
Strength
Strength
Knowledge
Knowledge
Which famous painting by René Magritte features a man in a bowler hat with a floating green apple obscuring his face?
The Son of Man
The Son of Man
The Sun of God
The Sun of God
The Face of Nature
The Face of Nature
The Hidden Man
The Hidden Man
In the story of the golden apple of discord, which goddess was awarded the fruit by Paris?
Hera
Hera
Athena
Athena
Artemis
Artemis
Aphrodite
Aphrodite
In Magritte’s ‘The Son of Man’, what color is the apple positioned in front of the subject’s face?
Blue
Blue
Yellow
Yellow
Green
Green
Red
Red
The anecdote regarding Newton and the apple is most famously connected to the development of which scientific theory?
Gravity
Gravity
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Optics
Optics
Calculus
Calculus
In biblical interpretations of the fall of man, the act of eating the forbidden fruit is symbolic of the transition from innocence to what?
Health and vitality
Health and vitality
Imperial power
Imperial power
Wisdom and forbidden knowledge
Wisdom and forbidden knowledge
Agricultural prosperity
Agricultural prosperity
In Greek mythology, the golden apple inscribed with the words ‘to the fairest’ is known as the Apple of what?
Beauty
Beauty
Wisdom
Wisdom
Discord
Discord
Concord
Concord
In Norse mythology, which goddess is specifically associated with guarding a basket of golden apples that grant eternal youth?
Iðunn
Iðunn
Sif
Sif
Frigg
Frigg
Freya
Freya
At which location did the legendary event involving Isaac Newton and the falling apple reportedly take place?
The Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Woolsthorpe Manor
Woolsthorpe Manor
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral
René Magritte, the painter of ‘The Son of Man’, is considered a leading figure in which 20th-century art movement?
Impressionism
Impressionism
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism
Surrealism
Surrealism
Cubism
Cubism
Many scholars suggest that in ancient Mediterranean cultures, the ‘golden apple’ mentioned in myths was likely which fruit?
Quinces
Quinces
Apricots
Apricots
Pomegranates
Pomegranates
Peaches
Peaches
Within Christian iconography, when an apple is held in the hand of the Christ Child, what does it often symbolize in contrast to its role in the Garden of Eden?
Harmony and peace
Harmony and peace
Redemption and salvation
Redemption and salvation
Temptation and sin
Temptation and sin
Death and rebirth
Death and rebirth
In René Magritte’s painting ‘The Son of Man’, what type of hat is the man wearing?
Bowler hat
Bowler hat
Fedora
Fedora
Beret
Beret
Top hat
Top hat
The judgment of Paris and the golden apple of discord were the catalyst events that led directly to which legendary ancient conflict?
The Trojan War
The Trojan War
The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War
The Punic War
The Punic War
The Persian War
The Persian War
In René Magritte’s painting ‘The Son of Man’, what color is the hovering apple?
Red
Red
Yellow
Yellow
Pink
Pink
Green
Green
According to popular legend, what physical concept did Isaac Newton formulate after observing an apple fall from a tree?
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Relativity
Relativity
Gravity
Gravity
Which mythological hero was tasked with stealing the golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides as one of his twelve labors?
Odysseus
Odysseus
Achilles
Achilles
Perseus
Perseus
Hercules
Hercules
Regarding ‘The Son of Man’, how do critics often describe the function of the apple in obscuring the face?
The apple is entirely irrelevant to the meaning of the work.
The apple is entirely irrelevant to the meaning of the work.
The apple’s surface reflects the viewer’s own gaze to create unity.
The apple’s surface reflects the viewer’s own gaze to create unity.
The apple acts as a physical barrier that prevents the viewer from ever truly knowing the subject.
The apple acts as a physical barrier that prevents the viewer from ever truly knowing the subject.
The apple represents the scientific advancement of the 20th century.
The apple represents the scientific advancement of the 20th century.
What specific inscription was written on the golden apple of discord?
Wisdom for the wise
Wisdom for the wise
For the fairest
For the fairest
The price of beauty
The price of beauty
To the one who rules
To the one who rules
You can do better
Not bad
Great!
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