Today’s Answers
Oxford University Natural History Museum.
Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions have no date connection, but there is a theme.
One
This Sebastian Faulks novel published in 1993 is partly set during a major conflict. What is the novel and in what conflict is it partly set?
Answer: Birdsong; First World War.
Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong follows Stephen Wraysford in the First World War and Elizabeth Benson in the 1970s. It explores trauma and historical recovery, earning acclaim and ranking 13th in the Big Read. Adaptations include radio, television and stage versions.
Two
Columbine, pertaining to the family Columbidae, refers to what?
Answer: Doves (and/or) Pigeons.
Columbine, pertaining to birds of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons) from French Colombine, from Italian Colombina, feminine of colombino ‘dove-like’, from colombo ‘dove’.
Three
The dodo is an extinct flightless bird. To where was it native, and in what century was one last seen alive?
Answer: Mauritius; 17th century.
The dodo, native to Mauritius, was a flightless bird linked to the Rodrigues solitaire and the Nicobar pigeon. After 1598, hunting and habitat loss occurred, and the bird was last seen in 1662; the species has become a symbol of extinction. Although people often blame human hunting, the main cause was the introduction of cats, dogs, macaques, pigs, and rats, which raided nests and competed for scarce food.
Four
The UK’s Hawker Siddeley Harrier evolved from the Hawker P.1127 prototype and which evaluation aircraft? Which branch of the US military also took delivery of more than 100 of these V/STOL aircraft?
Answer: Kestrel; US Marine Corps.
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1/GR.3 and AV-8A were the first V/STOL close-support and reconnaissance aircraft, derived from the P.1127 and Kestrel. The GR.1 entered RAF service on 18 April 1969 at RAF Wittering; the USMC acquired 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A between 1971 and 1976.
Five
Three birds feature on the Australian coat of arms; how many can you name?
Answer: Emu, shrike & black swan.
The Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms features six animal figures representing five different types of animals: a kangaroo, an emu, two lions (representing New South Wales and Tasmania), an Australian piping shrike (South Australia), and a black swan (Western Australia).
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