Misha, a brown bear, was the official mascot of which Summer Olympic Games?

The correct answer is B, Athens. The first modern Olympic Games were held at Athens in 1896, two years after Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee at Paris, and Greece was chosen because the ancient Games had been held at Olympia. Option A is wrong because Paris hosted the second modern Games, in 1900, and hosted again in 1924 and 2024; it is where the IOC was founded in 1894, which is the source of the confusion. Option C is wrong because London first hosted in 1908, and again in 1948 and 2012. Option D is wrong because Rome hosted in 1960. Remember the pair 1894 Paris for the committee and 1896 Athens for the Games, because papers set one as the distractor for the other.

The correct answer is B, Munich 1972. Waldi, a dachshund in bright stripes, was the first mascot officially adopted by an Olympic Games, chosen because the dachshund is a German breed known for stamina. Option A is a trap that is close to being right: an unofficial figure called Schuss appeared at the Grenoble Winter Games of 1968, but Grenoble is not Mexico City, and the Mexico City Summer Games of 1968 had no official mascot. Option C is wrong because Montreal in 1976 had Amik, a beaver, the second official mascot. Option D is wrong because Moscow in 1980 had Misha the bear, the mascot that made the idea famous worldwide. Keep the order of the early official mascots in mind: Waldi at Munich, Amik at Montreal, Misha at Moscow and Sam at Los Angeles.

The correct answer is B, London. London has held the Summer Olympic Games three times, in 1908, 1948 and 2012, and shares that record with Paris, which hosted in 1900, 1924 and 2024. Option A is wrong because Tokyo has hosted twice, in 1964, the first Games in Asia, and in the 2020 edition that was postponed to 2021. Option C is wrong because Los Angeles has hosted twice so far, in 1932 and 1984, and has been awarded the Games of 2028, which would be its third. Option D is wrong because Athens has hosted twice, in 1896 and 2004. The trap here is Los Angeles, since candidates count the awarded 2028 edition as though it had already happened, so read whether the question asks about Games held or Games awarded.

The correct answer is D, Fuwa. Beijing 2008 was the first Games to use a set of five mascots, called Fuwa, meaning good-luck dolls: Beibei a fish, Jingjing a panda, Huanhuan the Olympic flame, Yingying a Tibetan antelope and Nini a swallow, their first syllables together making a line of welcome. Option A is wrong because Hodori was the single tiger mascot of Seoul 1988. Option B is wrong because Cobi was the single dog mascot of Barcelona 1992. Option C is wrong because Izzy was the mascot of Atlanta 1996, remembered as the first mascot created on a computer rather than drawn from an animal. Sydney 2000 is the other Games with more than one mascot, three in its case, so keep the figure five for Beijing and three for Sydney when a paper asks for a count.

The correct answer is A, Tokyo. Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1964, the first time the Games were held in Asia, and the edition is also remembered for the first use of satellite television to carry the Games abroad. Option B is wrong because Seoul hosted in 1988, the second Asian Games. Option C is wrong because Beijing hosted in 2008, the third in Asia, and later became the first city in the world to host both a Summer and a Winter Olympics when it held the Winter Games of 2022. Option D is wrong because Bangkok has never hosted an Olympic Games, although it has hosted the Asian Games several times, which is the source of the confusion. The order to remember for Asia is Tokyo 1964, Seoul 1988, Beijing 2008 and Tokyo again in 2020.