Can I have a ‘P’ please, Bob? — Answers

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Quizologist

Pursuit of the Trivial

Here are today’s answers.

*Jaws* film poster, 1975 (cropped).
See question one.
Image Wikimedia Commons

Today’s questions are not date-related but the answers are consistant with the title.

One

Who wrote the book Jaws, which gave great white sharks such a bad reputation?

Answer: Peter Benchley.

Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel Jaws, commissioned by Doubleday, depicts a great white shark attacking a Long Island town and three men hunting it. A marketing campaign drove success, though reviews were mixed. Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown bought film rights; Steven Spielberg directed the 1975 adaptation, which became the first summer blockbuster. Three sequels followed.

Two

In the human body, what is produced from the sudoriferous (or sudoriparous) glands?

Answer: Perspiration.

The human body has two types of sudoriferous glands: Eccrine glands across much of the body secrete watery sweat for thermoregulation via evaporation, reaching up to 2–4 litres per hour in adults. Apocrine glands in limited areas, mainly the axillae (armpits) and perineal area, produce oily secretions that gain odour from bacteria.

Three

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 70% of a species of big cat live in Amazonia. This cat’s binomial name fits into today’s theme: what is that binomial name and what is its normal English name?

Answer: Panthera onca; Jaguar.

The jaguar is the Americas’ largest cat, a solitary apex predator with a powerful bite. Its range spans from the Southwestern United States to northern Argentina. Listed as Near Threatened since 2002, it faces habitat loss and poaching; conservation focuses on 51 Jaguar Conservation Units.

Four

Erle Stanley Gardner wrote more than 80 novels based on what character?

Answer: Perry Mason

Perry Mason, devised by Erle Stanley Gardner and drawing on Earl Rogers, is a fictional attorney featured in 82 novels and four short stories who exonerates clients accused of murder. Adaptations span films, radio, television with Raymond Burr and Monte Markham’s series, 30 television films, and HBO with Matthew Rhys.

Five

Who was ‘the Gardener’s Daughter’ on Elvis Presley’s album Frankie and Johnny?

Answer: Petunia.

Released in April 1966, Elvis Presley’s twelfth soundtrack album Frankie and Johnny features Dixieland and ragtime styles. Recorded in Hollywood in May 1965, it reached number 20 and was certified Gold and Platinum in 2004.