Quizology.Online

Category: Pursuit of the Trivial

  • D is for… | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

    Devils Tower, Wyoming.
    Image US National Parks Service
    1. What is the pictured US National Monument and in what US state is it located?
      • Devils Tower, Wyoming—Devils Tower, a 1,267-foot igneous rock butte in Wyoming, was established as the first US national monument in 1906. Originally named ‘Bear’s House’ by indigenous peoples, it was renamed “Devils Tower” in 1875 and remains unchanged despite proposals to recognise indigenous ties.
        Tenzin Gyatso – 14th Dalai Lama
        Image Wikipedia
    2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
      • Dalai Lama—The Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, with the title bestowed upon Sonam Gyatso in 1578. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has symbolised Tibetan unity, serving as both a religious and secular leader. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, lives in exile in India and has advocated for Tibetan autonomy while rejecting calls for independence.
        Dacha in Yekaterinburg, Russia
        Image Wikipedia
    3. What is defined as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
      • Dacha—A dacha is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the outskirts of post-Soviet countries. Originating as small country estates gifted by the tsar, dachas have been popular among the Russian upper and middle classes. During the Soviet era, many dachas were state-owned and given to the people, and today, about 62% of Russians visit dachas in the summer.
        Marvin the Paranoid Android.
        Costume used in the TV series, on display at Gunnersbury Park Museum.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was created by which science fiction writer?
      • Douglas Adams—writer of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy created Marvin as the ship’s robot aboard the Heart of Gold. Marvin is a failed prototype of Sirius Cybernetics Corporation’s GPP technology who, despite his vast intellect, is underutilised, leading to severe depression and boredom.
        David Coulthard.
        Champions for Charity 2022.
        Image Wikipedia
    5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?
      • David Coulthard—nicknamed ‘DC’, is a former British Formula One driver who competed from 1994 to 2008. He won 13 Grands Prix, finished second in the Drivers’ Championship in 2001, and retired from Formula One in 2008. After retirement, he became a broadcaster and commentator for Formula One.

  • D is for…

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘D’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

    Devils Tower, Wyoming.
    Image US National Parks Service
    1. What is the pictured US National Monument, and in which US state is it located?
    2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
    3. What is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
    4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was originally created for a radio series by which science fiction writer?
    5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • C is for… | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

    The Vale of Dedham
    Image Wikipedia
    Constables, London
    Image Wikipedia
    1. What word connects the painter of the first image with the content of the second image?
      • Constable—John Constable, artist, is the painter of The Vale of Dedham , pictured, and Police Constable, three of whom are shown in London.
        A 21-foot bronze statue of Shakira erected in 2023 in Barranquilla, Colombia.
        Image Wikipedia
    2. In what country was the singer Shakira born?
      • Colombia—Shakira, a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, and dancer achieved success in both Spanish- and English-speaking markets. Her early career included songwriting, talent competitions, and acting in a Colombian telenovela before releasing her breakthrough album, Pies descalzos, in 1995.
        Roadrunner
        Image Wikipedia
    3. To which family does the roadrunner belong? (Hint, the answer is one word which features in the title of a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey which was adapted into a 1975 Academy Award winning film of the same name.)
      • Cuckoo—Roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), or chaparral birds, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos found in the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America. They are capable of flight but typically flee predators on the ground, reaching speeds of up to 32 km/h. Ken Kesey’s book and subsequent film were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
        One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest poster.
    4. Only one of the countries that border Mongolia fits this theme. Can you name it?
      • China—Mongolia, a landlocked country in north-central Asia, is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It has a continental climate with long, cold winters and short, cool-to-hot summers, featuring a variety of landscapes including steppes, semi-deserts, deserts and mountain ranges.
        Madonna, The Celebration Tour
        Image Wikipedia
    5. The lyric shown below is from a 2009 Madonna single. Which one?

      I guess I just don’t recognise you with your clothes on

      • Celebration—is a dance pop party song by Madonna, released in 2009 as the lead single from her compilation album of the same name. The song received mixed reviews, with some praising its dance nature and others finding it forgettable. It peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached the top spot in several European countries.

  • C is for…

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘C’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

    Image Wikipedia
    Image Wikipedia
    1. What word connects the painter of the first image with the content of the second image?
    2. In what country was the singer Shakira born?
    3. To which family does the roadrunner belong? (Hint, the answer is one word which features in the title of a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey, which was adapted into a 1975 Academy Award winning film of the same name.)
    4. Only one of the countries that border Mongolia fits this theme. Can you name it?
    5. The lyric shown below is from a 2009 Madonna single. Which one?

      I guess I just don’t recognise you with your clothes on

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • B is for… | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

    Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
    Image Wikipedia
    1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
      • Baby Jane—Davis was nomininated for an Academy Award for her performance as the title character in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Baby Jane, by Dr Feelgood first appeared on Be Seeing You, a Dr. Feelgood album released in 1977 and was later a single. A track with the same name was the lead single from Rod Stewart’s twelfth studio album Body Wishes (1983).
        A bearded Jeremy Paxman.
        Image BBC
    2.  Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
      • Beards—Pogonophobia, derived from Greek words for “beard” and “fear”, is a fear of beards. The term is often used jokingly, but it has been studied in psychological experiments and has been associated with cultural norms, religious beliefs and societal perceptions. Jeremy Paxman accused the BBC of pogonophobia after facing criticism for presenting Newsnight with a beard.
        Charles Dickens.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was it?
      • Bleak House—Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, published serially from 1852 to 1853, satirises a long-running legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, inspired by real-life precedents. The novel, set in London, is credited with introducing urban fog to Gothic fiction and helped support judicial reform.
        City of Puno, Peru the largest urban area on Lake Titicaca.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
      • Bolivia—Lake Titicaca, located in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is the largest lake in South America. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres. The lake consists of two sub-basins, Lago Grande and Wiñaymarka, connected by the Strait of Tiquina.
        European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
        Image Wikipedia
    5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?
      • Beech—Beech trees, native to Eurasia and North America, are deciduous trees with 14 accepted species. The European beech, Fagus sylvatica, is commonly cultivated for its timber, used in furniture, flooring, engineering, and brewing.

    – ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘beech’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

    – Oxford English Dictionary

  • B is for…

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘B’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

    Amantaní viewed from Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
    2. Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
    3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was the title?
    4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
    5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?

    – ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘…’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

    – Oxford English Dictionary

    Good luck! As usual, I will post the answers later today.

  • A is for… | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

    The Admiral Benbow in Penzance, reportedly an inspiration for Stevenson’s Inn.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
      • Admiral Benbow—The narrator recounts the arrival of a mysterious seaman, the Captain, at the Admiral Benbow inn. The Captain, a silent and brooding figure, pays for a long stay and requests the narrator to keep watch for a one-legged seafarer. The narrator, haunted by dreams of this ominous figure, becomes entangled in the Captain’s web of secrecy and fear.
        The view of destroyed interior of briefing room in Hitler’s headquatter Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg (Ketrzyn) in East Prussia.
        (from left to right Heinz Linge, Martin Bormann, Julius Schaub, Hermann Göring, Bruno Loerzer, unknown.)
        Image Wikipedia
    2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
      • Adolf Hitler—During World War II, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), disillusioned with Nazi Germany, joins the German Resistance. He proposes using Operation Valkyrie to seize power after assassinating Hitler, but the plan fails when Hitler survives the bomb attack. The plotters are arrested, and Stauffenberg, along with other leaders, is executed.
        Alain Prost, 1990, US Grand Prix, Phoenix.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
      • Alain Prost—nicknamed “the Professor”, is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1993. He won four Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles and held records for most wins, fastest laps and podium finishes at the time of his retirement. After retiring from Formula One, Prost competed in various racing series, including the FFSA GT Championship and the Andros Trophy, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
        Uluru/Ayers Rock.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
      • Ayers Rock—Uluru, a landmark in the Northern Territory, is known as Uluṟu by the local Aṉangu people. It was named Ayers Rock in 1873 after Sir Henry Ayers, but officially became Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993 and Uluru/Ayers Rock in 2002.
        Theseus slaying the Minotaur by Bayre.
        Image Wikipedia
    5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?
      • Ariadne—Ariadne, a Cretan princess, helped Theseus escape the Minotaur but was abandoned on Naxos. There, Dionysus fell in love with her, married her, and created the Corona Borealis constellation.

  • A is for…

    Robert Louis Stevenson.
    Image Wikipedia

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘A’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

    1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
    2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
    3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
    4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
    5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Historical Highlights | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

    Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain, in coronation robes, 1808.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 15 June 1808 Joseph Bonaparte became King of…
      • Spain—Bonapartist Spain, established in 1808 by Napoleon, was a Napoleonic client state. Napoleon forced the ruling Spanish Bourbons to abdicate and installed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the Spanish throne.
        Magna Carta, 1215.
        Image British Library/Encyclopædia Britannica
    2. Today in 1215, King John of England placed his seal on a charter of liberty and political rights. What is this charter known as?
      • Magna Carta—a royal charter of rights, was agreed to by King John of England in 1215 to make peace with rebel barons. It promised protection of church rights, baronial rights and limitations on feudal payments.
        The Civil War Unknowns Monument, c. 1866.
        Designed by Montgomery Meigs. Arlington National Cemetery.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. On 15 June 1864, the creation of a national cemetery on the former Arlington Estate was authorised by the US Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs. This estate had previously belonged to whom?
      • Robert E. Lee, Confederate General-in-Chief—Arlington National Cemetery, the largest in the United States National Cemetery System, is one of two maintained by the United States Army. Spanning 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia, it holds the remains of over 400,000 people. Arlington National Cemetery was built on land confiscated from the private ownership of Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee’s family by the US federal government. This land was the Arlington Estate. The confiscation occurred due to a tax dispute over the property.
        Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519-36).
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Henry Fitzroy, born on this day in 1519, was the illegitimate son of which English king?
      • Henry VIII—the Fitzroy surname is Norman French for ‘son of the king’. He was the son of Henry VIII’s mistress Elizabeth Blount, younger half-brother to Mary I and elder half-brother to Elizabeth I and Edward VI.
    5. On 15 June 1888 a crown prince became emperor. Due to the death of his predecessors 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors. What empire had its Year of the Three emperors in 1888?
      • German Empire—The Year of the Three Emperors, 1888, saw the rapid succession of three German Emperors: Wilhelm I, Friedrich III, and Wilhelm II. The mnemonic drei Achten, drei Kaiser (three eights, three emperors) is still used to remember this year.
    Wilhelm I
    Friedrich III
    Wilhelm II

    The Year of the Three Emperors, 1888. Left to right
    Wilhelm I (reign 18 January 1871 – 9 March 1888) Image Wikipedia
    Friedrich III (reign 9 March – 15 June 1888) Image Wikipedia
    Wilhelm II (reign 15 June 1888 – 9 November 1918) Image Wikipedia

  • Historical Highlights

    Historical Highlights connected with today’s date, June 15th.

    1. On 15 June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte became King of…
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • The Two Sicilies
    2. Today in 1215, King John of England placed his seal on a charter of liberty and political rights. What is this charter known as?
      • Domesday Charter
      • Magna Carta
      • Reculver Charter
    3. On 15 June 1864, the creation of a national cemetery on the former Arlington Estate was authorised by the US Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs. Who previously owned this estate?
      • Jefferson Davies, President of the Confederate States
      • Robert E. Lee, Confederate General-in-Chief
      • Thomas Jonathan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, Confederate General
    4. Henry Fitzroy, born on this day in 1519, was the illegitimate son of which English king?
      • Edward V
      • Henry VII
      • Henry VIII
    5. On 15 June 1888, a crown prince became emperor, making 1888 the Year of the Three Emperors. Which empire had its Year of the Three Emperors in 1888?
      • Austro-Hungarian Empire
      • German Empire
      • Russian Empire

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.