Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 24th. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here but is basically the same as yesterday.
Theme
The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions.
After discounting the initial letter which has already been used the remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order.
Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five questions, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
One
Mike … was …; while Cameron was …; and Eddie was a bit of an ass. Three five-letter names are missing from the above statement. What are they?
Two
The nurse shark pictured above is accompanied by a fish of the family Echeneidae. What is the common six-letter name of the smaller fish?
Three
This UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is 15 miles (25 km) long by 7 miles (12 km) wide, is one of the world’s remotest places. It is 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from the nearest inhabited island and almost 2,200 miles (3,500 km) from the nearest continent. Where is it?
Four
What is the most abundant element in the known universe?
Five
The name of which unicameral national legislature means ‘gathering’ or ‘assembly’ in Hebrew?
Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here.
Theme
The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions.
Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order.
Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?
Answers: Lhasa; Tibet and China.
The Potala Palace, pictured, in Lhasa, Tibet, served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. Built in the dzong style, it’s named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical dwelling of Avalokiteśvara. Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, stands at 11,995 feet (3,656 m), making it one of the world’s highest cities. The incorporation of Tibet into China in 1950 remains a contentious issue. While China considers it a rightful part of its territory, many Tibetans and the international community view it as an occupation.
Two
In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?
Independence Day.
Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film, which focuses on a worldwide attack by extraterrestrials, was a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster and grossed over $817.4 million worldwide.
Three
What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?
Answer: Erik the Red.
While exiled, Erik the Red explored a land later known as Greenland, which he named to attract settlers. He returned to Iceland, successfully recruiting colonists, and in c.986 CE, established two settlements on Greenland’s southwest coast, the Eastern and Western Settlements.
Four
Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?
Answer: Treebeard.
Treebeard, an Ent, recounts to Merry and Pippin how the Ents were created to protect trees and how he remembers the vast forests of Middle-earth. He learns of Saruman’s treachery and, realising the danger he poses, rallies the Ents to attack Isengard, destroying it and trapping Saruman in his tower. After the war, Treebeard remains at Isengard, now called the Treegarth of Orthanc, and is entrusted with its care by the king, Elessar (Aragorn).
Five
The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. — Wikipedia
What body of water is missing from this quote?
Answer: Beagle Channel.
The channel was named after HMS Beagle, which surveyed South America’s coasts from 1826 to 1830. During a second voyage, captain FitzRoy took Charles Darwin, who saw glaciers for the first time in the channel, and noted
It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of these glaciers, and especially as contrasted with the dead white of the upper expanse of snow. — Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle
Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here.
Theme
The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions.
Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order.
Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica
One
The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?
Two
In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?
Three
What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?
Four
Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?
Five
The … …, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. — Wikipedia
The first of today’s questions relates to the date, May 22nd. The remainder follow on a theme.
One
The writer who created Sherlock Holmes was born on this day in 1859. Who was he, and in what city was he born?
Answers: Arthur Conan Doyle; Edinburgh, Scotland.
Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish writer, is best known for creating the detective Sherlock Holmes, inspired by his medical professor, Dr. Joseph Bell. Conan Doyle’s medical background influenced his writing, evident in both his Sherlock Holmes stories and his semi-autobiographical novels. Despite the popularity of Holmes, Conan Doyle believed his other works, particularly historical fiction, deserved more recognition.
Two
In the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, who played the role of Dr. Watson, and who directed the film?
Answers: Jude Law; Guy Ritchie.
Sherlock Holmes (2009), directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Set in 1890, they investigate Lord Blackwood, played by Mark Strong, who seems resurrected. The screenplay, by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg, is based on a story by Wigram and Johnson. Released by Warner Bros. on 25—26 December 2009, it grossed $525 million, earning Downey a Golden Globe and two Academy Award nominations.
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.)
Answers: Mycroft Holmes; Seven years.
Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother, is a government official with a unique role, described as a ‘central exchange’ for information across departments. He appears in several stories, including The Greek Interpreter and The Bruce-Partington Plans, where his superior deductive abilities are noted. Mycroft’s exact position is not named, but it is implied to be highly influential and essential to the British government.
Four
The day that Sherlockians celebrate as Sherlock Holmes’s ‘birthday’ has both a Shakespearean and religious festival connection. What is that date?
Answer: 6 January.
Sherlock Holmes’s birth date is celebrated on 6 January, a date chosen by readers and scholars, known as Sherlockians, as it aligns with the character’s symbolic nature of revealing hidden truths. Although Arthur Conan Doyle never explicitly stated Holmes’s birth date, clues in the canon suggest he was born around 1854. The connection is that Twelfth Night is the only Shakespeare play Holmes quotes twice, and Twelfth Night, the religious feast of the Epiphany, is on 6 January.
Five
In the world of Sherlock Holmes, which street urchin gang is led by a boy named Wiggins?
Answer: Baker Street Irregulars.
The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of street boys employed by Sherlock Holmes as intelligence agents. Led by Wiggins, they run errands and gather information for Holmes, who values their sharp minds and ability to gather information. The group appears in three Sherlock Holmes stories, including the novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four, and the short story The Adventure of the Crooked Man.
The Game is Afoot
The post title is a quote by Sherlock Holmes from the short story Adventure of the Abbey Grange by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally used in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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
