Quizology.Online

Author: Quizologist

  • The Game is Afoot

    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The writer who created Sherlock Holmes was born on this day in 1859. Who was he, and in what city was he born?

    Two

    In the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, who played the role of Dr. Watson, and who directed the film?

    Three

    Who was Sherlock Holmes’ elder brother, and by how many years is he older? (FYI, the answer to the age gap part of the question is one of the first five prime numbers.)

    Four

    The day that Sherlockians celebrate as Sherlock Holmes’s ‘birthday’ has both a Shakespearean and religious festival connection. What is that date?

    Five

    In the world of Sherlock Holmes, which street urchin gang is led by a boy named Wiggins?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • It Puzzles the Will, part 2 — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    William Shakespeare.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions build on yesterday’s theme and are all connected to Shakespeare.

    One

    Which Shakespeare play is named after a medieval royal who, in 1050, made a pilgrimage to Rome?

    Answer: Macbeth.

    Macbeth, King of Scotland from 1040 to 1057, succeeded Duncan I after killing him in battle. His reign was mostly peaceful, but he was killed in 1057 by forces loyal to Malcolm III. Shakespeare’s character Macbeth, is an inaccurate fictionalised account of the historical Macbeth.

    Two

    Which final novel by John Steinbeck derives its title from a quote in Shakespeare’s Richard III?

    Answer: The Winter of Our Discontent.

    John Steinbeck’s final novel The Winter of Our Discontent, published in 1961, draws its title from the opening lines 

    Now is the winter of our discontent
    Made glorious summer by this sun of York.
    — Richard III by William Shakespeare

    Three

    The Tragedy of … is a Shakespeare play which is set during the Trojan War. Complete the title?

    Answer: Troilus and Cressida.

    The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida, often known simply as Troilus and Cressida, a play by William Shakespeare, is set during the Trojan War and explores the love affair between Troilus and Cressida amidst the backdrop of the war. The play’s tone shifts between comedy and tragedy, making it a subject of critical debate.

    Four

    Which 1948 Shakespeare adaptation became the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

    Answer: Hamlet.

    Laurence Olivier’s 1948 film adaptation of Hamlet, which he adapted, directed, and starred in, won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actor. Despite its accolades, the film was controversial among Shakespearean purists due to Olivier’s significant alterations to the original play.

    Five

    An album by Mumford and Sons is named after a song in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. Which album?

    Answer: Sigh No More.

    Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons’ debut album, was released in 2009 and achieved significant success, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200. It received critical acclaim, including a Mercury Prize nomination and a BRIT Award for Best British Album. Its name comes from the song Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, which itself is from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

    Title info (if any)

    It Puzzles the Will

    It Puzzles the Will.
    — Hamlet

    The title seemed fitting as it’s a Shakespearean quote for a Will-themed puzzle.

  • It Puzzles the Will, part 2

    William Shakespeare.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions build on yesterday’s theme and are all connected to Shakespeare.

    One

    Which Shakespeare play is named after a medieval royal who, in 1050, made a pilgrimage to Rome?

    Two

    Which final novel by John Steinbeck derives its title from a quote in Shakespeare’s Richard III?

    Three

    The Tragedy of … is a Shakespeare play which is set during the Trojan War. Complete the title?

    Four

    Which 1948 Shakespeare adaptation became the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

    Five

    An album by Mumford and Sons is named after a song in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. Which album?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • It Puzzles the Will — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    The unaltered title page from 1609 edition of Shake-Speares Sonnets.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns an event that happened on May 20th and, like the others, is connected to ‘Shakespeare’. 

    One

    On this day, Shakespeare’s sonnets were first published. In what town or city, and in which century, was this?

    Answer: London; 17th century.

    In London on 20 May 1609, Thomas Thorpe produced the first publication of Shakespeare’s Sonnets — with the hyphen in the name. It’s unclear whether Thorpe used an authorised manuscript of Shakespeare as his source or an unauthorised copy. This publication is the primary source of the sonnets and contains 154 sonnets and the poem A Lover’s Complaint. The sonnets explore themes like time, love, and mortality, with the first 126 addressed to a young man and the last 28 to a woman.

    Two

    Who portrayed Elizabeth I in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love?

    Answer: Judi Dench.

    Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 romantic comedy film about a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps during the writing of Romeo and Juliet. The film received critical acclaim, grossed $289 million, and won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

    Three

    Falstaff is a comic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian-language libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from the play … and scenes from Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, by William Shakespeare. 

    This quote from the text of the Wikipedia article about Verdi’s Falstaff has had a Shakespeare play removed from it. What play?

    Answer: The Merry Wives of Windsor.

    Falstaff is a comic opera by Giuseppe Verdi, based on Shakespeare’s works. Though not as popular as his earlier operas, it is now part of the standard repertory, championed by conductors like Toscanini, Karajan, Solti, and Bernstein.

    Four

    In Julie Taymor’s 2010 film adaptation of which Shakespeare play did Helen Mirren play Prospera, Duchess of Milan?

    Answer: The Tempest.

    The Tempest (2010) is a fantasy comedy-drama film based on Shakespeare’s 1611 play. Written and directed by Julie Taymor, who deviates from the original by changing the main character, Prospero, into a female, Prospera, played by Helen Mirren.

    Five

    The port-city of Messina is the setting for a Shakespeare comedy. What comedy, and on what island is the port-city of Messina?

    Answers: Much Ado About Nothing; Sicily.

    Much Ado About Nothing, a Shakespearean comedy, centres on two Messina romances. Claudio and Hero’s love faces challenges from Don John, while Benedick and Beatrice’s witty banter drives the humour.

    It Puzzles the Will

    It Puzzles the Will.
    — Hamlet

    The title seemed fitting as it’s a Shakespearean quote for a Will-themed puzzle.

  • It Puzzles the Will

    The amended title page from first edition of Shake-Speares Sonnets.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns an event that happened on May 20th and, like the others, is connected to ‘Shakespeare’. 

    One

    On this day, Shakespeare’s sonnets were first published. In what town or city, and in which century, was this?

    Two

    Who portrayed Elizabeth I in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love?

    Three

    Falstaff is a comic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian-language libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from the play … and scenes from Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, by William Shakespeare. 

    This quote from the text of the Wikipedia article about Verdi’s Falstaff has had a Shakespeare play removed from it. What play?

    Four

    In Julie Taymor’s 2010 film adaptation of which Shakespeare play did Helen Mirren play Prospera, Duchess of Milan?

    Five

    The port-city of Messina is the setting for a Shakespeare comedy. What comedy, and on what island is the port-city of Messina?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Happy Birthday, Mr. President — Answers

    Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
    Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy.
    Image Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

    Five questions which in some way are connected to today, May 19th.

    One

    The world’s first national park service was established in 1911 in which country?

    Answer: Canada.

    In 1911, Canada established the first national parks service in the world. What began as a cluster of parks in the Rocky Mountains gradually became a national system, fostering tourism and economic growth while upholding conservation ideals. In 1914, the definition of a “Dominion Park” was expanded to include significant historic places, laying the groundwork for a modern system of iconic national parks and national historic sites, which welcome millions of visitors annually, and initiating a tradition of national and international leadership in the management of protected places that continues to this day.
    — Parks Canada

    Two

    Colin Chapman, an English engineer born in 1928, founded which sports car company, and Formula One team?

    Answer: Lotus Cars; Team Lotus.

    Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars, was an English design engineer known for his lightweight, high-handling sports cars. Under his direction, Team Lotus achieved significant success in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500.

    Three

    In 1959, the North Vietnamese Army’s Group 559 was established to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam. The supply route to fulfil this brief became known as what? And what countries, other than North and South Vietnam, did the route traverse?

    Answer: Ho Chi Minh trail; Laos and Cambodia.

    The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a logistical network of roads and trails, ran from North to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia, supporting the Viet Cong and People’s Army of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Despite being heavily targeted by air interdiction, the trail effectively supplied troops in the south.

    Four

    Charlotte, the future queen consort of George III, was born in 1744 in the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was part of what empire?

    Answer: Holy Roman Empire.

    Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1761 to 1818, was the longest-serving queen consort. She was a patron of the arts, introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, and was deeply affected by her husband’s illness and the French Revolution.

    Five

    On this day Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a gala to mark John F. Kennedy’s birthday. The gala, a Democratic Party fundraiser, was held ten days before the president’s birthday. What age would the president become on that birthday, and where was the gala held?

    Answers: 45 years of age; Madison Square Gardens, NYC.

    Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy at a 1962 gala, inserting ‘Mr. President‘ for his name and adding a snippet of Thanks for the Memory with new lyrics.

    Happy Birthday, Mr. President

    [Chorus]
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday, Mr President
    Happy birthday to you 

    [Verse]
    Thanks, Mr President, for all the things you’ve done
    The battles that you’ve won
    The way you deal with U.S. Steel and our problems by the ton
    We thank you so much 

    [Outro]
    Everybody, happy birthday

    [Chorus]
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday to you
    Happy birthday, Mr President
    Happy birthday to you 

    [Verse]
    Thanks, Mr President, for all the things you’ve done
    The battles that you’ve won
    The way you deal with U.S. Steel and our problems by the ton
    We thank you so much 

    [Outro]
    Everybody, happy birthday
    — Lyrics from Genius.com

  • Happy Birthday, Mr. President

    Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
    Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy.
    Image Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

    Five questions which in some way are connected to today, May 19th.

    One

    The world’s first national park service was established in 1911 in which country?

    Two

    Colin Chapman, an English engineer born in 1928, founded which sports car company, and Formula One team?

    Three

    In 1959, the North Vietnamese Army’s Group 559 was established to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam. The supply route to fulfil this brief became known as what? And what countries, other than North and South Vietnam, did the route traverse?

    Four

    Charlotte, the future queen consort of George III, was born in 1744 in the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was part of what empire?

    Five

    On this day Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a gala to mark John F. Kennedy’s birthday. The gala, a Democratic Party fundraiser, was held ten days before the president’s birthday. What age would the president become on that birthday, and where was the gala held?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • In the Beginning II — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    Each question refers to a quote from the beginning of a novel and has some questions about the quote.

    One

    Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of … on which a … and a … lay crossed.

    The opening words of Ulysses by James Joyce are quoted above. What three words have been omitted?

    Answers: Lather; mirror; razor.

    Ulysses, set in Dublin on 16 June 1904, parallels Homer’s Odyssey and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It explores themes like antisemitism, sexuality, and Irish nationalism through its allusive and stylised narrative.

    Two

    Once there were four children whose names were Peter, …, Edmund, and ….

    What are the two girls’ names missing from these opening lines?

    Answer: Susan; Lucy.

    The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, published in 1950, is the first part of the seven part The Chronicles of Narnia. It tells the story of four children who discover Narnia through a wardrobe. They help Aslan defeat the White Witch and establish the Golden Age of Narnia.

    Three

    It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a … man in possession of a good …, must be in want of a ….

    What three words are omitted from the opening words of an 1813 English novel, and what is that novel?

    Answers: Single; fortune (and) wife. Pride and Prejudice.

    Pride and Prejudice, a novel of manners by Jane Austen, follows Elizabeth Bennet’s character development as she learns about hasty judgements and the difference between superficial and actual goodness. The novel explores the societal pressures faced by the Bennet family, particularly the need for their daughters to marry well to secure their future.

    Four

    The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forth at daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and … rode among them, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king’s justice done. It was the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of …’s life.

    The same name has been omitted twice from the above opening quote. What is that name, and what 1996 novel is the quote from?

    Answers: Bran; A Game of Thrones.

    A Game of Thrones, the first novel in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, is an epic fantasy set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The novel, praised for its political intrigue and historical influences, won the 1997 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was later adapted into the HBO television series Game of Thrones.

    Five

    Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own. 

    What novel, published in 2000, opens with the above quote? Who wrote it, and what recurring protagonist is introduced in it?

    Answers: Angels & Demons; Dan Brown (and) Robert Langdon.

    Angels & Demons, a 2000 mystery-thriller novel by Dan Brown, introduces Robert Langdon and features conspiracies, secret societies, and the Catholic Church.

  • In the Beginning II

    Each question refers to a quote from the beginning of a novel and has some questions about the quote.

    One

    Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of … on which a … and a … lay crossed.

    The opening words of Ulysses by James Joyce are quoted above. What three words have been omitted?

    Two

    Once there were four children whose names were Peter, …, Edmund, and ….

    What are the two girls’ names missing from these opening lines?

    Three

    It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a … man in possession of a good …, must be in want of a ….

    What three words are omitted from the opening words of an 1813 English novel, and what is that novel?

    Four

    The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forth at daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and … rode among them, nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king’s justice done. It was the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of …’s life.

    The same name has been omitted twice from the above opening quote. What is that name, and what 1996 novel is the quote from?

    Five

    Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own. 

    What novel, published in 2000, opens with the above quote? Who wrote it, and what recurring protagonist is introduced in it?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • In the Beginning — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Each question refers to a quote from the beginning of a novel.

    One

    A name appears in the first short sentence of chapter 1 (‘Loomings’) of a book by Herman Melville, which was originally published in London in October 1851 and in New York one month later. Three questions.

    1. What is the name from the first sentence? 
    2. What was the two word title of the book as published in London in October 1851?
    3. What was the longer title of the book as published in New York in November 1851?

    Answers

    1. Ishmael
    2. The Whale
    3. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale.

    The opening sentence of the book commonly known as Moby-Dick (or Moby Dick) is ‘Call me Ishmael.’ Moby Dick is a novel by Herman Melville, published in London in October 1851 as The Whale and a month later in New York City as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. It is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville’s magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels.
    — Encyclopædia Britannica 

    Two

    It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. … …, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of … …, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.

    This quote is from Part 1, Chapter 1 of a novel originally published in 1949. In the second sentence, a person’s name has been omitted from the start, and the two-word name of the building that person is entering is also missing. 

    1. Who is the person named in the first two words of the second sentence?
    2. What building is that person entering?

    Answers

    1. Winston Smith
    2. Victory Mansions

    The quote is from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four. In a totalitarian future, Winston Smith rebels against the Party and its omnipresent leader Big Brother. He starts a furtive love affair and seeks truth, but is arrested, tortured, and brainwashed until he betrays his lover and accepts the Party’s reality—losing his independence and capacity for dissent.

    Three

    It was a pleasure to burn.

    This quote opens a 1953 novel by Ray Bradbury.

    1. What novel is the quote from?
    2. What does the title refer to?
    3. Who is the protagonist in the novel?

    Answers

    1. Fahrenheit 451
    2. The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns
    3. Guy Montag

    Fahrenheit 451, a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, depicts a future American society where books are outlawed and ‘firemen’ burn them. The novel explores themes of censorship, the impact of mass media, and the preservation of knowledge. It was inspired by the Second Red Scare, book burnings in Nazi Germany, and Bradbury’s concerns about censorship in the United States.

    Four

    We slept in what had once been the ….

    The opening line from a 1985 dystopian novel with a title which is reminiscent of the constituent parts of a work by Geoffrey Chaucer.

    1. What type of room, often found in a school, which ‘We slept in‘?
    2. Who was the author of the book?

    Answers

    1. Gymnasium
    2. Margaret Atwood.

    The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, explores themes of female oppression and resistance in a patriarchal society. The title is similar to the names of stories, ie The Knight’s Tale in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The novel, set in the Republic of Gilead, won the Governor General’s Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

    Five

    Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded … …. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-two million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think … … are a pretty neat idea.

    This quote is missing four words:

    1. What two words follow ‘a small unregarded …’ and complete the first sentence?
    2. What two words near the end of the quote ‘… are a pretty neat idea.’?

    Answers

    1. Yellow sun
    2. Digital watches

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams, follows Arthur Dent’s adventures after Earth’s destruction. The franchise includes radio, novels, comics, TV, games, stage shows, and a film.