Agrajag is a tragic and piteous creature who is continually reincarnated and subsequently killed, each time unknowingly, by … — Wikipedia
Is it true or false that this quote from Wikipedia refers to a character from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels who is unknowingly killed by Mort across several incarnations?
Two
Is it true or false that the 1936 Olympic Summer Games were opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II?
Three
Is it true or false that a filoplume is a type of small crusty specimens of lava?
Four
Is it true or false that in 2000 Venus Williams was the first African American woman to win the ladies singles championship at Wimbledon?
Five
Is it true or false that mainland China, which is approximately 5,000 km from east to west, has five time zones?
Today’s questions are all answered as either true or false.
One
Is it true or false that adult male walruses are heavier than adult male polar bears.
Answer: True.
Male Pacific walruses weigh about 800 to 1,700 kg (1,764-3,748 lb.) while polar bear boars weigh about 350 to more than 650 kg (772-1,433 lb.).
Two
Is it true or false that Olga Korbut was the first gymnast to achieve a ‘perfect ten’ at the Olympics?
Answer: False.
Nadia Comăneci, born November 12, 1961, is a retired Romanian gymnast and five-time Olympic gold medallist. At 14, she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 at the Olympics — Montreal, 1976, where she achieved seven perfect 10s: four on the uneven bars and three on the beam. Comăneci won nine Olympic medals and four World Championships. She defected to the U.S. in 1989 and married Bart Conner.
Three
Is it true or false that a genipap is a small fish related to the trout?
Answer: False.
It is a fruit. Genipa americana (genip tree) is a species of trees in the family Rubiaceae which is cultivated for its edible fruits. In English, the tree is known as the genip and the fruit as genipap. It is native to the tropical forests of North and South America, as well as the Caribbean. The fruits are eaten in preserves or made into drinks, jelly or ice cream. The unripe fruit yields a liquid used as a deep purple dye for tattoos, skin painting, insect repellent and food.
Four
Is it true or false that the 1975 novel Shōgun was written by James Clavell?
Answer: True.
Shōgun, a 1975 novel by James Clavell, depicts the transition from Japan’s Azuchi-Momoyama to Edo period. It explores European influences and internal Japanese conflicts leading to the Shogunate restoration, drawing loosely on historical events and figures. By 1980, Shōgun sold six million copies globally. It inspired two TV series (1980, 2024), a musical, a board game, and three video games. Despite its historical setting, it is the third book in Clavell’s Asian Saga series, with six books in total.
Five
Is it true or false that Agent Orange, widely used by the US military in the Vietnam War, had an early form of digitalised artificial intelligence?
Answer: False.
Agent Orange, a herbicide used in the Vietnam War, caused severe health and environmental damage. It exposed millions, leading to illnesses and birth defects. It is estimated that The U.S. military used 19 million US gallons (72,000 m3) of defoliants and herbicides in Operation Ranch Hand from 1962-1971. Legal actions followed, but its classification as a chemical weapon remains debated.
2026 Chinese GP – Mercedes – Kimi Antonelli – Qualifying. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question concerns the date May 5th. Each subsequent question builds on the previous one.
One
In Shangdu on 5 May 1260 Kublai was unanimously elected khan. An English poet later wrote a poem featuring Kublai Khan in which he changed Shangdu’s name to what?
Answer: Xanadu.
Kublai Khan, a Mongolian general and statesman, was the grandson and greatest successor of Genghis Khan. As the fifth emperor of the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty, he reigned from 1260 to 1294. He succeeded his brother Möngke after the Toluid Civil War and expanded the empire, claiming orthodox succession from Chinese dynasties. In 1279, he completed the conquest of China initiated by his grandfather and became the first Yuan ruler to govern the entire country.
Two
Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.
The poet who wrote the poem mentioned in question one wrote another which includes the lines quoted above. Who was the poet, and what poem does the quote come from?
Answer: Samuel Taylor Coleridge; The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797–98 and published in 1798 in Lyrical Ballads, is a seven-part poem recounting a sailor’s tale. The mariner stops a wedding guest to share his story of killing an albatross, his crew’s death, and his redemption. The narrative uses techniques like personification and repetition, marking a shift to modern poetry and British Romantic literature. The mariner’s penance is to share his story.
Three
A song released by a British American rock band in November 1968 has a creature from the poem mentioned in question two as its title. In January 1969, this instrumental track provided the band with its only UK number one hit in their more than fifty years of performing. Name the song and the band?
Answers: Albatross; Fleetwood Mac.
According to Peter Green, inspiration for Albatross was drawn from Santo & Johnny’s Sleep Walk and Eric Clapton’s The Last Meal. Green was reading The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and took the title from it. Fleetwood Mac recorded it over two days in October 1968, initially without plans for a single release. Albatross, which was by Fleetwood Mac’s original line-up, is featured on their “greatest hits” compilations. George Harrison noted in 1987 that Albatross served as a starting point for the Beatles on two of their tracks; it inspired the songs: Sun King and Don’t Let Me Down.
Four
A track by the above-mentioned band, which is from their Rumours album, is the only one written by all five band members at that time. It has been used on the BBC since 1978 as a theme tune for a sports programme. That sport is now covered in the UK by Channel 4, but they have kept the same theme. What is both the relevant track and sport?
Answer: The Chain; Formula One.
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, from their 1977 album Rumours, is the only song credited to all five members. It was crafted from rejected materials by Buckingham, Nicks, and McVie, manually spliced at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California, with engineers Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. A staple of the band’s live shows, The Chain opens The Dance(1997) and appears on greatest hits compilations. It’s their second most streamed Spotify track with over 1.5 billion streams. In the UK, its instrumental is used for BBC and Channel 4’s Formula One coverage.
Five
Following on from above a question about Formula One. In the 2026 F1 World Championship two races were cancelled during April because of the international situation. What circuits, and where are these circuits, were effected by these cancellations?
Answers: The Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain; and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prixes, part of the Formula One World Championship, were set for 12 and 19 April at the Bahrain International Circuit and Jeddah Corniche Circuit, respectively. Scheduled as the fourth and fifth rounds, both races were cancelled on 14 March due to the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war.
Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink.
2026 Chinese GP – Mercedes – Kimi Antonelli – Qualifying. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question concerns the date May 5th. Each subsequent question builds on the previous one.
One
In Shangdu on 5 May 1260 Kublai was unanimously elected khan. An English poet later wrote a poem featuring Kublai Khan in which he changed Shangdu’s name to what?
Two
Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.
The poet who wrote the poem mentioned in question one wrote another which includes the lines quoted above. Who was the poet, and what poem does the quote come from?
Three
A song released by a British American rock band in November 1968 has a creature from the poem mentioned in question two as its title. In January 1969, this instrumental track provided the band with its only UK number one hit in their more than fifty years of performing. Name the song and the band?
Four
A track by the above-mentioned band, which is from their Rumours album, is the only one written by all five band members at that time. It has been used on the BBC since 1978 as a theme tune for a sports programme. That sport is now covered in the UK by Channel 4, but they have kept the same theme. What is both the relevant track and sport?
Five
Following on from above a question about Formula One. In the 2026 F1 World Championship two races were cancelled during April because of the international situation. What circuits, and where are these circuits, were effected by these cancellations?
See Question Three. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1974. Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question concerns today, May 4th. The rest follow a theme related to the first.
One
On 4 May, Napoleon landed on an island to begin his first exile. What island and in what year?
Answers: Elba; 1814.
Napoleon escaped Elba in February 1815 and embarked on his ‘Hundred Days’ before ultimately being defeated at Waterloo and exiled to Saint Helena.
The first question related to ‘exile’ so we will continue with that theme for the remainder.
Two
Which band released the double album Exile on Main St on this day in 1972?
The Rolling Stones.
This double album was the band’s tenth studio album and was recorded at various locations including Mick Jagger’s country house in England and a villa in the south of France, which was rented by Keith Richards.
Three
After eight years in a labour camp and a year of internal exile, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was finally permitted to receive cancer treatment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1954. Which 1966 Solzhenitsyn novel specifically depicts this period?
Answer: Cancer Ward.
Cancer Ward, a semi-autobiographical novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, explores the moral responsibility of those implicated in Stalin’s Great Purge. The story, set in a Tashkent hospital in 1955, follows a group of patients, including the protagonist Oleg Kostoglotov, who reflect on their roles and the lasting impact of Stalinism. Kostoglotov ultimately realises that healing after Stalin is impossible, likening the situation to cancer. Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and dissident renowned for exposing Soviet political repression, particularly the Gulag system. Awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature, his work The Gulag Archipelago challenged the Soviet state and sold millions. Born into a devout Orthodox family, he initially embraced atheism and Marxism–Leninism. Arrested during WWII for criticising Stalin, he served eight years in the Gulag, leading to his conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Released during the Khrushchev Thaw, he published One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in 1962. Exiled in 1974, he settled in the U.S. before returning to Russia in 1994.
Four
Dante Alighieri, known as Dante, poet, writer and philosopher who was the author of Divine Comedy was, in the early 14th century, exiled from his native city for life. What was that city?
Answer: Florence.
Dante Alighieri, while serving as Florence’s city prior in 1300, was accused of corruption by the Black Guelphs. Still in Rome in 1302, he was considered an absconder by Florence. Dante refused to pay the fine, believing in his innocence and having his assets seized. Condemned to perpetual exile, he risked execution if he returned. In 2008, Florence rescinded his sentence.
Five
Five music questions spread over the past fifty years?
King Crimson’s song Exiles was featured on their 1973 album …’ Tongues in Aspic. What word completes the album title?
Irish singer Enya’s song Exile was from her 1988 album Water…. What four letters complete the album’s one-word title?
Exile, a track from the 1997 album also titled Exile, was performed by a man considered a pioneer of electronic music. Who was this singer?
Exile featured on Slayer’s 2001 album … Hates Us All. What word is missing from the start of the album name?
In 2020, Bon Iver featured on whose song Exile?
Answers
Larks. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic was the full title of King Crimson’s 1973 album.
Mark. Watermark was the 1988 album by Enya.
Gary Numan. Numan was the 1997 exile who was a pioneer of electronic music.
God. Slayer’s Exile came from God Hates Us All (2001).
Taylor Swift. The Exile featuring Bon Iver was by none other than Ms Swift, who Wikipedia describes as ‘the highest-grossing live music artist, the wealthiest female musician, and one of the best-selling music artists of all time’.
May the Fourth Be With You
Star Wars Day is celebrated annually on May 4, originating from the pun ‘May the Fourth be with you’. Though not officially declared by Lucasfilm, it began in 1977 and has since been embraced by fans, Lucasfilm and Disney as a celebration of the Star Wars franchise.
See Question Three. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1974. Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question concerns today, May 4th. The rest follow a theme related to the first.
One
On 4 May, Napoleon landed on an island to begin his first exile. What island and in what year?
The first question related to ‘exile’ so we will continue with that theme for the remainder.
Two
Which band released the double album Exile on Main St on this day in 1972?
Three
After eight years in a labour camp and a year of internal exile, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was finally permitted to receive cancer treatment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1954. Which 1966 Solzhenitsyn novel specifically depicts this period?
Four
Dante Alighieri, known as Dante, poet, writer and philosopher who was the author of Divine Comedy was, in the early 14th century, exiled from his native city for life. What was that city?
Five
Five music questions spread over the past fifty years?
King Crimson’s song Exiles was featured on their 1973 album …’ Tongues in Aspic. What word completes the album title?
Irish singer Enya’s song Exile was from her 1988 album Water…. What four letters complete the album’s one-word title?
Exile, a track from the 1997 album also titled Exile, was performed by a man considered a pioneer of electronic music. Who was this singer?
Exile featured on Slayer’s 2001 album … Hates Us All. What word is missing from the start of the album name?
Today’s five questions centre on American singers who were all born on May 3rd. The title’s relevance to the content is unharmonious.
One
Who is this person described by Encyclopædia Britannica as…
Born in 1919 in New York.
An iconic American singer-songwriter who honed skills on the five-string banjo.
Wrote or co-wrote standards like Where Have All the Flowers Gone, If I Had a Hammer, and Turn, Turn, Turn.
Answer: Pete Seeger.
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) was an iconic American singer-songwriter and activist who championed folk music and inspired the 1960s revival. He co-founded the Almanac Singers, wrote folk standards, popularised hootenannies, and remained active in environmental causes despite being blacklisted. He received numerous honours, including the National Medal of Arts.
Two
These three clues originate from points in the relevant Wikipedia article. Who is this describing?
Born 3 May 1934 in New Jersey.
Solo artist and lead singer known for his powerful falsetto voice.
First number one was Sherry in 1962.
Answer: Frankie Valli.
Frankie Valli, born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio, is an American singer known for his powerful falsetto and lead role in the Four Seasons. He achieved 29 top-40 hits with the group, nine solo, and was inducted into multiple halls of fame. Valli received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
Three
Encyclopædia Britannica reveals the following about this artiste, who is it?
Born on 3 May 1903 in Washington.
One of the best-selling singers in history with sales numbers varying between: 300 million, 500 million, or even 1 billion, depending on source.
Oscar winning actor who famously went to Morocco.
Answer: Bing Crosby.
Bing Crosby (1903–1977) was a pioneering American singer and actor, influential in the 20th century. He made over 70 films — including the ‘Road to’ series — recorded 1,600 songs, and won an Oscar for Going My Way. Crosby innovated radio recording, co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was a global cultural icon, notably associated with Christmas.
Four
Some points taken from a Wikipedia article, but who being described…
Born in Texas on 3 May 1951
Uses a stage name but birth surname is Geppert
Debut album won five Grammy Awards including Song of the Year for Sailing
Answer: Christopher Cross.
Christopher Cross, an American singer-songwriter, gained fame with his debut album, winning five Grammys, including Record and Album of the Year for Sailing. Though his popularity declined in the 1980s, he continued releasing albums and touring. In 2018, he formed Freedonia, releasing two albums and an EP.
Five
Identify this person from these points taken from their Encyclopædia Britannica article…
Born in South Carolina on 3 May 1933.
Singer who is known for powerful vocals.
Their innovative album Live at the Apollo (1963) was in the charts for 66 weeks.
Answer: James Brown.
James Brown, known for his ability to “scream” on key and to blend multiple vocal styles together, was one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. Brown also broke new ground with his landmark ‘live and in concert‘ album Live at the Apollo (1963), which stayed on the charts for 66 weeks.
The Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a loosely defined canon encompassing significant 20th-century American jazz standards popular songs and show tunes.
Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1515–1518), attributed to Francesco Melzi. Royal Collection, United Kingdom. Image Wikimedia Commons
Here are five questions all connected to today, May 2nd.
One
Leonardo da Vinci, artist, architect and engineer, died on this day. In what century, and in what country, did he die?
Answer: 16th century; France.
He died on 2 May 1519 aged 67, Clos-Lucé, France. Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian Renaissance artist and inventor, epitomised the humanist ideal with his diverse talents in painting, sculpture, architecture, and engineering. His insatiable curiosity and mastery of observation fuelled his artistic and scientific pursuits, making him a true Renaissance man. Invited by King Francis I, Leonardo spent the last three years of his life in France, where he continued to work on unfinished paintings and scientific studies, and created his last series of artworks, Visions of the End of the World, showcasing his mastery of expression and imagination. Leonardo died at Cloux and was buried in the palace church of Saint-Florentin, though his grave is now lost.
Two
The King James Version of the Bible was published. In what decade was this, or as second prize, what century?
Answer: 1610s; 17th century.
The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, published in 1611 under King James I, was a revision of the Protestant Bible in English, addressing perceived corruption in existing translations. Approved in 1604, 47 scholars, divided into six companies, worked on the translation at Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge. The KJV sought to be scholarly, nonpartisan, and faithful to the original languages, aiming to popularise the Scriptures. It became the standard English Bible from the mid-17th to early 20th century, influencing English literary style. Authorised for the Church of England, it remains favoured by many Christian fundamentalists.
Three
Anne Boleyn was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Who was her predecessor as Queen and who succeeded her?
Answer: Catherine of Aragon; Jane Seymour.
Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of Elizabeth I. Her marriage and execution were pivotal in the English Reformation. Educated in Europe, Anne resisted Henry’s advances until he sought an annulment from Catherine of Aragon to marry her. This led to the Church of England’s break from Rome. Anne married Henry secretly in 1532, officially in 1533, and was crowned queen. Despite giving birth to Elizabeth, she failed to produce a male heir. Accused of adultery and treason, she was executed in 1536. Posthumously, she became a Reformation martyr, inspiring cultural works. Henry married Jane Seymour eleven days after Anne’s execution.
Four
On this day, a De Havilland Comet became the first jetliner to carry fare-paying passengers. The flight took place in what year and departed from where, with its destination being where?
Answer: 1952; London to Johannesburg.
The de Havilland DH.106 Comet, the first commercial jet airliner, debuted in 1952. After fatal accidents due to metal fatigue, it was redesigned. The Comet 4 series, launched in 1958, served until 1981. Adapted for military roles, the Nimrod variant operated until 2011, highlighting its lasting impact.
Five
Born in 2015, who on their eleventh birthday is third in line of succession to the British throne? Secondly, who is the highest ranked non-titled person to currently appear on the line of succession?
Answer: Princess Charlotte of Wales; Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Quizology.Online 