Food Origins: 10 Questions About Corn, Cocoa and the Three Sisters

How much do you know about Indigenous crop knowledge, companion planting, cacao, and American food history?

Choose one answer per question. There’s no timer. You can skip a question; unanswered questions count as incorrect.

QUESTION 01Which three crops are commonly called the Three Sisters?

Corn, beans and squashRice, wheat and barleyTomatoes, peppers and onionsApples, pears and cherries

QUESTION 02In Three Sisters planting, which crop can provide a climbing support for beans?

SquashCornPotatoPeanut

QUESTION 03What do broad squash leaves help do in a Three Sisters garden?

Attract snowShade soil and conserve moistureConvert corn into beansEliminate the need for sunlight

QUESTION 04What do bean plants contribute to soil fertility through a biological partnership?

SaltNitrogenPlasticSand

QUESTION 05Which Smithsonian museum documents contemporary Indigenous foodways?

National Museum of the American IndianNational Postal MuseumHirshhorn MuseumNational Air and Space Museum

QUESTION 06Chocolate is made from the seeds of which plant?

Cacao treeMaple treeOlive treeCoffee bush

QUESTION 07Where was cacao first cultivated according to the Smithsonian?

MesoamericaNorthern EuropeAntarcticaCentral Asia

QUESTION 08What role could cacao beans serve in parts of Mesoamerica?

CurrencyBuilding bricksWriting paperBoat sails

QUESTION 09Which trio includes foods indigenous to the Americas?

Corn, tomatoes and potatoesWheat, rice and olivesRye, oats and citrusBarley, dates and tea

QUESTION 10What is an important modern theme in Smithsonian programs about Indigenous crops?

Food sovereigntyEnding all farmingReplacing plants with plasticA single global recipe

Keep your curiosity going.