24 practice questions with answers and explanations on the authorities, history, geography and culture of Zurich. The app has all 781 questions on Zurich and Switzerland.
Zurich publishes an official question bank. Our questions are written by us and complement it. You can find the official question bank on the canton page under “Official documents”.
Tap an answer to see if it is right. Under “Show answer” you find the solution with an explanation and the source.
Correct answer: B – 7
The Zurich cantonal government is called the Regierungsrat and has seven members (as of 2026). Each member heads one of the seven directorates of the cantonal administration. Voters elect the Regierungsrat every four years.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – Kantonsrat (Cantonal Council)
The parliament (legislature) of the canton of Zurich is called the Kantonsrat. In other cantons the parliament is called e.g. Grosser Rat or Landrat. The Regierungsrat, by contrast, is the government (executive).
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – 180
The Kantonsrat has 180 members (as of 2026), making it one of the largest cantonal parliaments in Switzerland. Its members are elected by the people every four years, most recently in 2023 and next in 2027.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – every 4 years
Voters elect a new Cantonal Council every four years. The Regierungsrat is also elected every four years, on the same day as the Cantonal Council. The last elections took place in February 2023; the next ones will be held in 2027.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Turicum
The Romans called the settlement on the Limmat Turicum. They also brought bathing culture to Zurich. Vitudurum is the Roman name of Oberwinterthur; Vindonissa was in today's Aargau.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – pile dwellings
In the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, people lived on the shores of Lake Zurich in pile dwellings, i.e. houses on wooden stilts by the water. The prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli
Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531) was a priest at the Grossmünster and reformed the church in Zurich, which became a centre of the Reformation. Calvin worked in Geneva, Luther in Germany.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – 1351
On 1 May 1351 Zurich concluded a perpetual alliance with Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden and Lucerne to protect itself against the Habsburgs. Zurich is thus one of the old members of the Confederation.
Source: de.wikipedia.org · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – Zurich
The City of Zurich is the cantonal capital and also the largest city in Switzerland. The Cantonal Council and the government meet here. Winterthur is the canton's second-largest city.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – Zurich, Winterthur, Uster
The canton's three largest cities are Zurich, Winterthur and Uster. Baden and Wettingen are in Aargau, Zug and Cham in the canton of Zug. Bülach and Kloten are smaller Zurich towns.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – about 1.6 million
Zurich is Switzerland's most populous canton. At the end of 2025, 1,628,081 people lived there, i.e. about 1.6 million. That is about 18 percent of the Swiss population.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – the Central Plateau (Mittelland)
The canton of Zurich lies in the Central Plateau between the Jura and the Alps. Most of Switzerland's large cities are in this region. The landscape is hilly and the mountains are not very high.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – with kindergarten
In the canton of Zurich kindergarten is part of compulsory schooling. Compulsory schooling lasts 11 years: 2 years of kindergarten, 6 years of primary school and 3 years of secondary school. Public schooling is free.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – 11 years
Compulsory school in Zurich comprises 2 years of kindergarten, 6 years of primary and 3 years of secondary school, i.e. 11 years. It is followed by an apprenticeship or further schooling such as the Gymnasium.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – the school management (Schulleitung)
Every school in a Zurich municipality has a school management that runs it. The canton and municipalities jointly fund and organise public schools. Parents can take part in parents' councils but do not run the school.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: B – social assistance (Sozialhilfe)
Anyone in need who cannot help themselves receives social assistance from their municipality of residence. Social assistance is a municipal task. AHV and unemployment insurance are federal social insurances.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: C – at the municipal residents' registration office
The municipality is the first point of contact for many matters. When moving, you register with the residents' office of the old and the new municipality. Anyone wishing to marry contacts the civil registry office.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – the civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt)
The civil registry office handles the preparation of a marriage. In Switzerland only the civil ceremony is legally valid. A church ceremony is optional and may only take place after the civil wedding.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – income and wealth tax
The canton and municipalities are financed mainly through income and wealth taxes. VAT, customs duties, tobacco tax and withholding tax are levied by the Confederation. Each municipality sets its own tax rate.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich
The University of Zurich and ETH Zurich are Switzerland's largest universities. ETH is a federal institution, the University of Zurich a cantonal one. Switzerland's oldest university is in Basel.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – a Zurich writer
Gottfried Keller was born in Zurich in 1819 and is one of the best-known Swiss writers. His most famous work is the novel 'Der grüne Heinrich'. He was also state secretary of the canton of Zurich.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – the Böögg, a snowman-like figure
At Sechseläuten in April, the 'Böögg' is burned on the Sechseläutenplatz. It is a large figure made of wood and cotton wool that looks like a snowman. The festival is meant to drive out winter.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: D – The summer will be fine.
After lighting, people time how long it takes for the Böögg's head to explode. Tradition says: the faster it goes, the finer the summer. Many people follow it on television.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
Correct answer: A – the guilds (Zünfte)
Sechseläuten is a festival of Zurich's guilds. Guilds were formerly associations of craftsmen and merchants. Today they parade through the city in historical costumes.
Source: zh.ch · Checked October 2026
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