A general knowledge exam is now part of the Miss France Beauty Contest. Take it yourself here with this link (Translated into English) Lighthearted

[KnopkaPixie]

https://www.journaldesfemmes.fr/people/actus/3206612-miss-france-test-culture-generale/

I hope this link works as the translated version, if not, click on the three horizontal dots and it will give you an English version without fuss.

It's quite a difficult test, especially the maths bit which has a few of those awful, "If Henri has a dog with black spots, Jeanine has a dog with brown spots, Marie has a dog with black and brown spots, how much change would Gustave have from buying a chocolate éclair out of a ten euro note if the dogs were walking backwards on a bank holiday?"

Not exactly, but you know what I'm getting at. Are you as clever as Adeline Vetter, Miss Alsace?

The test marks from the Culture Générale count towards the final result so if your regional costume round let you down because you could barely walk straight dressed as a quiche Lorraine or you let slip something political in the interview with the presenter, all is not lost.

Oh damn, doesn't look like the English translation works when you share it. I can auto translate it myself once I'm on the article but I'm on an old Samsung phone and I don't know what you do on other, er, things.

Managed 40/58 in French. Pleased with that!

Oh good for you! The Miss France contest is my guilty pleasure. It's the most retro kitch thing you ever will see!

My favourites, based on regional bias and family connections are:

1. Miss Corse.
2. Miss Réunion.
3. Miss Provence.

Here's all the candidates wearing the traditionally horrific and unflattering formal portrait attire. This year, the organisers have truly excelled themselves with a red velvet flared trouser pant suit with black open toed high heeled sandals.

https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1524106/article/2024-11-18/miss-france-2025-les-portraits-des-30-candidates-regionales?srsltid=AfmBOopg2Dd5dEkVppWGmtpiFQIjpJnuamDRYRQqa6blwgXsyZL8u7VA

I was a bit rubbish. Didn't get my final score because the page reloaded, but I was failing abjectly on French & EU history/geography/politics. Did OK on general geography and maths. Loved that some of the logic questions are actually riddles!

I'd never make the first heat of any beauty contest, anyway, though I'm pleased I could do the damn thing in French.

Delighted to have achieved 54/58 in French. Told DH that I am intellectually ready to be Miss France….he asked if I had sent in my measurements and photo….ah well!

We're doing well, aren't we? If I remove my ''home girl" bias, I want Miss Guadeloupe to win. It's on the 14th of December and live streamed on youtube If you want to watch something that's a bit like Eurovision but better. Nobody's DP is going to complain either, I wouldn't have thought.

They don't just walk up and down a bit, there’s 1970's style formation dancing musical numbers and obviously gay male models holding the contestants hands as they walk precariously down staircases which to me, is light entertainment at its finest, but sadly, we will never see again the apparition of this divine creature as, since 2023, she has been transported to the big dry martini bar in the sky:

https://images.app.goo.gl/pPAD9RQuvnM7NL6M7

She started it the Miss France contest, sort of. Her name was Geneviève de Fontany née Suzanne Marie Thérèse Mullman.

I got 34 in French! Found the French verb conjugation and maths ok, was rubbish at the celebrity bit!

I gave up on the logic puzzles.

They were sneaky! The number sequence was a "look and say", and the one that looked like a complicated algebra problem was just the number of months that have that many days. There were a couple of letter-based ones that were dead simple when you read the example properly.

I got 33/58 taking the test in French.

I only got 28 put of 50. But in my defence I did it in French which I dropped in year 8 in 1981, so I'm actually pretty pleased.
I am rubbish at maths in any and all languages.

25, I think my French A level teacher would be proud, it wasn't my French that let me down rather my sheer lack of celebrity knowledge.

One of those English statement / questions was wrong though wasn't it? Otherwise I might have as many English issues as I do celebrity ones.

Are those photos real, I think they look very weirdly AI / photoshopped and why are they all wearing the same suit, that is quite weird, I'd expect a bit of red, white and blue instead of just red.

Everybody has to wear the same outfit for the formal portrait photoshoot. The unspoken rules are that:

1. It will be hugely dated and make you look awful.
2. There will be one hairdresser who does your hair in heated tongs from the early 2000's and you will have hair over one shoulder, again, early 2000's style.
3. The exceptions to the early noughties hair tong rule is if you are in any way ethnic, in which case you might get blond streaked ringlets or a full on Afro.

Stay tuned for the maillot bain (bathing suit) pictures which will be coming out soon. They took the hopefuls to Côte d'Ivoire (ex French colony) this year. It's basically a study in how to make a good looking young woman look dreadful with the cunning use of frumpy fashion.

The real contenders build up their Instagram using their own choice of clothes and photographer. It's a tough old game.

Here's the bookie's favourites, à la Insta:

www.cnews.fr/divertissement/2024-11-20/miss-france-2025-voici-les-7-candidates-les-plus-suivies-sur-les-reseaux

I had a problem with the, "When did prehistory end?" question.

I think I said when agriculture began but apparently it was when people started writing.

I don't believe either are correct, I was grasping at straws. Not to get too Christian or anything but wasn't it in Western culture something to do with AD and BC? I could be wrong, I often am, what do I know?

Miss Auvergne is stunning.

Loving the posters falling over themselves to make sure everyone knows they did it in French

Let the record reflect that Singleandpround has backed Miss Auvergne and if she gets knocked out in the first round...

*Proud

You can translate it but it's part of the fun. Eurovision style.

I got 23 but one answer was definitely wrong!

Oh. If those pictures were photoshopped they seriously dropped the ball on Miss Champagne Ardenne with her inch of belly button showing in that awful trouser suit. They did her wrong.

34/48 in French. It was the maths ones that got me.

Can anyone explain the croissant and chouquette one for me? Together they cost €2.10 and the croissant cost €2 more than the chouquette, how much was the chouquette? I said 10 centimes but the answer was 5 centimes. Surely it could be either? Or do I need to brush up on both maths and French??

This is exactly the kind of thing I was alluding to in my starting post about spotty dogs and chocolate éclairs. I have no freaking idea.

I guessed right on the five centimes deal because I factored in the "If you're not sure, go for the middle" which served me wholesomely on the "How many Michelin starred restaurants" question as well.

Garlicpest might be able to help us, she does graphs and whatnot.

The choquette was 5c because for the croissant to be 2EUR more it has to be 2.05.

I got 42 correct, I translated probably 20 ish of the questions and muddled through with my 1997 grade c GCSE French for the rest.