Today’s answers are shown below.
Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question relates to today’s date, April 11th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘S’. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘S’ theme.
One
Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away at the age of 84 on this day in 2007, published a novel in 1969. It follows the life and psychological traumas of Billy Pilgrim. What ‘S’ is the title of this novel?
Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five.
Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1969 anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who experiences time travel and psychological trauma after surviving the Allied firebombing of Dresden whilst he was being held as a prisoner of war, like Vonnegut himself.
Two
What ‘S’ is an acoustic sensing method first used by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century but more associated with the Cold War?
Answer: Sonar.
Sonar, a technique using sound propagation, is employed for navigation, distance measurement, communication, and object detection underwater. It can operate passively by listening for sounds or actively by emitting sound pulses and listening for echoes. Initially used by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490, who employed a tube inserted into the water to detect vessels by ear, sonar was further developed during WWI with a passive sonar system to counter submarines developed by 1918. Modern active sonar utilises acoustic transducers to detect objects.
Three
What ’S’ can this description apply to?
- A republic with two heads of state
- Official language: Italian
- Currency: Euro
Answer: San Marino.
San Marino, a landlocked country in Southern Europe. It claims to be the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic, being founded in AD 301. It has a unique political structure with two heads of state, the Captains Regent, elected every six months. San Marino is a member of the Council of Europe, uses the euro, and has a strong economy based on finance, industry, services, retail and tourism.
Four
What ‘S’ was the traditional garment worn by Roman women and the equivalent of the toga worn by men?
Answer: Stola.
The stola was the traditional garment of Roman women, akin to the men’s toga, and was also referred to as vestis longa due to its length. A well-known depiction of the stola is on the Statue of Liberty in New York City, which represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. Libertas, known to the ancient Greeks as Eleutheria, is portrayed wearing the stola, a crown, and sandals.
Five
What ‘S’ connects the Moby-Dick to coffee (at least to 88.889%)?
Answer: Starbuck(s).
Starbuck, the young chief mate, is a thoughtful Quaker who opposes Ahab’s quest for revenge against Moby Dick, believing it to be madness and blasphemous. Despite his objections and desire to return home, he feels bound to obey Ahab.
Moby-Dick didn’t have anything to do with Starbucks directly; it was only coincidental that the sound seemed to make sense.
— Gordon Bowker, co-founder of Starbucks
Quizology.Online 
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