Quizology Online

Are We There Yet?—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

The Great Globe in Guyot Hall, home to the Geosciences Department of Princeton University.
Image Wikipedia

Today you need to solve geographic anagrams. These ANAGRAMS are all written in capitals. For example

Example

WATCHING DONS at Georgetown University
One answer: a capital city

Solution

You would be looking for a capital city and your answer would be an anagram of WATCHING DONS: Washington DC

One

Don’t be in DENIAL about the change to old NICKEL ON TUMMY — a lofty environment in the new world.
Two answers: both the same place with a changed name

Answer: Denali / Mount McKinley

The Koyukon people have long called the mountain ‘Denali’. In 1896, a gold prospector named it ‘Mount McKinley’ in honour of presidential candidate William McKinley, who later became the 25th president. This name was officially recognised by the U.S. federal government from 1917 until 2015. In August 2015, the Obama administration restored the name Denali, aligning with Alaska’s official naming from 1975. However, in January 2025, the Trump administration reverted the official federal name back to Mount McKinley.

Two

JAVA ROSE is the capital of HONING BAZAAR NOSEDIVE
Two answers: the city and the European country it is capital of.

Answer: Sarajevo; Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo, the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a prominent cultural centre in the Balkans. With a rich history dating back to the 15th century, it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics and is recognised for its religious and cultural diversity. Despite enduring the longest siege of a capital city during the Bosnian War, Sarajevo is now the fastest-growing city in the country.

Three

BET NUMEROUS eruptions have been seen from this southernmost volcano
One answer: a volcano.

Answer: Mount Erebus

Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth, is located on Ross Island in Antarctica. Named by Captain James Clark Ross in 1841, it has a long-lived lava lake and was the site of the 1979 Air New Zealand Flight 901 crash.

Four

BEACHFRONT BLUNDERING DAFFODILS are the capitals of the four nations that make up this one constitutional monarchy: NOT MINK GUIDED
Five answers: the first anagram hides the four capital cities, while the second reveals a constitutional monarchy.

Answer: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast; United Kingdom

London—capital of England and UK. While Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff—capital of Wales and Belfast—capital of Northern Ireland.

Five

ADIOS KARATE NINJA, according to the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects 2025 this city is the world’s most populous.
Two answers: one anagram hides the name of the city and the country it is in.

Answer: Jakarta, Indonesia

Population 41,913,860. Jakarta, the capital and largest city of Indonesia, is a major economic, cultural, and political centre. Despite its small area, its metropolitan area is the largest in the world, attracting migrants from across Indonesia. However, Jakarta faces challenges like rapid urban growth, ecological breakdown, and flooding, prompting plans to move the capital to Nusantara.

Are We There Yet?

Today you need to solve geographic anagrams. These ANAGRAMS are all written in capitals. For example

Example

WATCHING DONS at Georgetown University
One answer: a capital city

Solution

You would be looking for a capital city and your answer would be an anagram of WATCHING DONS: Washington DC

One

Don’t be in DENIAL about the change to old NICKEL ON TUMMY — a lofty environment in the new world.
Two answers: both the same place with a changed name

Two

JAVA ROSE is the capital of HONING BAZAAR NOSEDIVE
Two answers: the city and the European country it is capital of.

Three

BET NUMEROUS eruptions have been seen from this southernmost volcano
One answer: a volcano.

Four

Five

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

100 Not Out—Answers

Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) *Chitty Chitty Bang Bang* (1968).

One

Born on this day in 1925, an actor portrayed Caractacus Potts in a 1968 film adaptation of an Ian Fleming story. Who is he and what was the film?

Answer: Dick Van Dyke; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Happy Birthday! The post title refers to Dick Van Dyke being 100 today.

Dick Van Dyke, born in 1925, is an American actor and comedian renowned for his charm and physical comedy. He began his show business career after a failed advertising venture, performing in nightclubs and on television before making his Broadway debut in 1959. Van Dyke starred in the hit musical Bye Bye Birdie, winning a Tony Award, which led to his iconic role in The Dick Van Dyke Show, earning him three Emmys. He also starred in films like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and returned to television with various shows and TV movies. His career highlights include roles in Dick Tracy, Diagnosis Murder, and Night at the Museum. Van Dyke received a Television Academy Hall of Fame induction in 1995 and a Kennedy Centre Honour in 2021.

Two

The first European to sight the South Island of New Zealand did so on this day. Who was he, and in what century did this sighting occur?

Answer: Abel Tasman; 17th century (1642)

Abel Janszoon Tasman, a Dutch explorer, was the first European to reach New Zealand and Tasmania. His 1642 expedition, commissioned by the Dutch East India Company, aimed to discover new trade routes and establish trade relations with native inhabitants. Despite a violent encounter with the Māori people, Tasman’s voyage paved the way for future colonisation.

Three

In 1956, the film Anastasia was released in America. This drama marked the Hollywood comeback of an actress following a scandal involving an extramarital affair. Her performance earned her the Best Actress Oscar. Who was she?

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

After years working exclusively in Europe following her highly publicised affair with Roberto Rossellini, this film marked a Hollywood comeback for Ingrid Bergman. Her performance earned her, among others, the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.

Four

The final moonwalk or EVA of the Apollo programme occurred on this day in 1972. Which Apollo mission was this and who were the two astronauts on the Moon?

Answer: Apollo 17; Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt

Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission, launched on 7 December 1972 and concluded on 19 December 1972. Commander Eugene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt were the last humans to walk on the Moon, landing in the Taurus-Littrow Valley. They conducted experiments, collected samples, and travelled 19 miles in their lunar rover before returning to Earth. Cernan, the last person to date to stand on the Moon, said before returning to the lunar module, ‘We shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17’.

Taylor Swift at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.
Image iHeartRadioCA via Wikipedia

Five

What singer-songwriter was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania on this day in 1989?

Answer: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift, a renowned American singer-songwriter known for her autobiographical songwriting and artistic reinventions, made history in 2024 by becoming the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year four times and breaking the record for the highest-grossing concert tour. She is the highest-grossing live music artist and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having won numerous awards, including 14 Grammys, and is the first individual from the arts to be named Time Person of the Year.

100 Not Out

One

Born on this day in 1925, an actor portrayed Caractacus Potts in a 1968 film adaptation of an Ian Fleming story. Who is he and what was the film?

Two

The first European to sight the South Island of New Zealand did so on this day. Who was he, and in what century did this sighting occur?

Three

Four

The final moonwalk or EVA of the Apollo programme occurred on this day in 1972. Which Apollo mission was this and who were the two astronauts on the Moon?

Five

What singer-songwriter was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania on this day in 1989?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Words II—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

The theme for today’s questions repeats yesterday’s: five words, each beginning with a different letter — W, O, R, D, and S. Each word appears in the Oxford English Dictionary and is presented below with three possible meanings. Simply choose the correct one for each.

Widdershins

A. Small shears; secateurs  
B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise 
C. Woollen leggings; gaiters

Answer: B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise

adverb mainly Scottish English in a direction contrary to the sun’s course, considered as unlucky; anticlockwise: she danced widdershins around him. 

– ORIGIN early 16th century: from Middle Low German weddersins, from Middle High German widersinnes, from wider ‘against’ + sin ‘direction’; the second element was associated with Scots sin ‘sun’.  

— Oxford English Dictionary

Omasum

A. An estate held in absolute ownership, without acknowledgement to a superior.
B. A hard, dark, glasslike volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization.
C. The muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal

Answer: C. The muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal

noun (plural omasa /əʊˈmeɪsə/) Zoology the muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal, between the reticulum and the abomasum. Also called psalterium 

– ORIGIN mid 16th century: from Latin, literally ‘tripe’, probably from Gaulish. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Rhinal

A. In Palaeontology relating to unicorns
B. The scientific study of water loss from riverine systems
C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

Answer: C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

adjective Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain. 

– ORIGIN mid 19th century: from Greek rhis, rhin- ‘nose’ + -al. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Dubbo

A. One who is an identical twin
B. An adolescent male kangaroo or wallaby
C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

Answer: C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

noun (plural dubbos) Australian English informal, derogatory an unsophisticated or unintelligent person, especially someone from the countryside; a bumpkin: why was she working with such a bunch of dubbos? 

– ORIGIN 1980s: from the name of a famous farming town in New South Wales. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Shadoof

A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water
B. A shadow-like spectre 
C. A Jewish professional matchmaker or marriage broker

Answer: A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water

noun a pole with a bucket and counterpoise used especially in Egypt for raising water. 

– ORIGIN mid 19th century: from Egyptian Arabic šādūf.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Words II

Widdershins

A. Small shears; secateurs  
B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise 
C. Woollen leggings; gaiters

Omasum

Rhinal

A. In Palaeontology relating to unicorns
B. The scientific study of water loss from riverine systems
C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

Dubbo

A. One who is an identical twin
B. An adolescent male kangaroo or wallaby
C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

Shadoof

A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water
B. A shadow-like spectre 
C. A Jewish professional matchmaker or marriage broker

Good luck! The answers will be posted later.

Words—Answers

Today’s questions focus on five words, each starting with a different letter: W, O, R, D, S. These words are all found in the Oxford English Dictionary. Each word is listed below with three definitions, so simply select the correct one for each.

One

Welkin

A. A barrel with a capacity of 12 pecks (24 gallons)
B. A grandchild
C. The sky or heavens

Answer: The sky or heavens

noun literary the sky or heaven.

– ORIGIN Old English wolcen ‘cloud, sky’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolk and German Wolke.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Two

Ouabain

A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside
B. A two-wheeled cart
C. A witches potion

Answer: A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside

noun [mass noun] Chemistry a toxic compound obtained from certain trees, used as a very rapid cardiac stimulant. It is a polycyclic glycoside.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: via French from Somali wabayo, denoting a tree that yields poison (used on arrow points) containing ouabain.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Three

Regolith

A. Unified register of official documents.
B. An order of reptiles characterised by a bony plate shell covered in horny scales.
C. The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering a planet’s bedrock.

Answer: The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet

noun [mass noun] Geology the layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: from Greek rhēgos ‘rug, blanket’ + -lith.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Four

Deemster

A. An apprentice printer
B. A judge
C. A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge

Answer: A Judge

noun a judge (of whom there are two) in the Isle of Man judiciary.

– ORIGIN Middle English (originally a general word for a judge): from deem + -ster. The current sense dates from the early 17th century.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Five

Starets

A. A magnesium flare

B. A spiritual leader

C. A Vietnamese roasted snake dish

Answer: A spiritual leader

noun A spiritual adviser, often a monk or religious hermit, in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

A religious adviser (not necessarily a priest) in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

— American Heritage Dictionary

Words

One

Welkin

A. A barrel with a capacity of 12 pecks (24 gallons)

B. A grandchild

C. The sky or heavens

Two

Ouabain

A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside

B. A two-wheeled cart

C. A witches potion

Three

Regolith

A. Unified register of official documents

B. An order of reptiles characterised by a bony plate shell covered in horny scales

C. The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering a planet’s bedrock.

Four

Deemster

A. A printer’s apprentice

B. A judge

C. A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge

Five

Starets

A. A magnesium flare

B. A spiritual leader

C. A Vietnamese roasted snake dish

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Utility ought to be the principal intention of every publication—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

All of these questions are related to today’s date, December 10th.

*Lawrence of Arabia* (1962).
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

One

In 1962, David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, which went on to became one of the most celebrated epics in the history of cinema, had its world premiere. Who starred as _ _ Lawrence, and what two initials are missing before his surname?

Answer: Peter O’Toole (as) T.E. (Lawrence)

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British historical epic biographical adventure drama film directed by David Lean. It portrays Thomas Edward Lawrence’s experiences in the Ottoman provinces during World War I and his involvement in the Arab National Council. The film, which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. It follows Lawrence’s journey from a military cartographer to a leader of the Arab Revolt against the Turks, and is renowned for its stunning desert landscapes, shot on location in Jordan, Spain and Morocco.

Two

Which government officially surrendered on this day in 1932 after a month-long battle against thousands of large flightless birds, and what were the birds?

Answer: Australian; Emus

The Emu War was a brief and unsuccessful 1932 military operation in Australia aimed at controlling the emu population, which was damaging crops in Western Australia. Three members of the Royal Australian Artillery were tasked with culling approximately 20,000 emus using machine guns, but the weapons and tactics were ineffective. Despite petitions from local farmers, the campaign, which lasted from November to December, resulted in fewer than 1,000 emus being killed and became a subject of national and international ridicule.

Portrait of Ada, Countess of Lovelace (Ada Lovelace), c1840.
Image Wikipedia

Three

Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the first computer programmer, was born in Marylebone, London. In which decade was she born, and who was her famous father?

Answer: 1810s; Lord Byron

Born in 1815, Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the poet Lord Byron, was an English mathematician and writer renowned for her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. She recognised its potential beyond mere calculation and developed a vision of computers’ capabilities, leading to her being considered the first computer programmer. Her contributions are celebrated on Ada Lovelace Day.

Four

In 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Which former First Lady of the United States chaired the United Nations Commission on Human Rights that was responsible for the drafting of the document?

Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, is a foundational document of international human rights law. Drafted by a team including John Humphrey, Eleanor Roosevelt and René Cassin, it comprises 30 articles outlining civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Although not legally binding, the UDHR has achieved significant moral authority and has influenced numerous international treaties and national constitutions.

Five

The first part of the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, the English-language general encyclopaedia, was published and advertised for sale on this day. In what century and in what city did this occur?

Answer: 18th century; Edinburgh,Scotland, United Kingdom

The Encyclopædia Britannica, a general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia, was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768 by a group of Scottish gentlemen. Initially released in three volumes, it introduced a “new plan” by combining treatises on arts and sciences with short articles on technical terms, catering to both serious students and those seeking quick reference material. William Smellie, an Edinburgh printer, is credited with devising this plan and writing or compiling many of the articles. The encyclopaedia transitioned from print to digital in 2012 due to strong competition from digital encyclopaedias like Microsoft Encarta and Wikipedia, yet it maintained its reputation for authoritative and scholarly content and is now available exclusively online.

Utility ought to be the principal intention of every publication.

The title of today’s post is the first sentence of the preface to the first edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

Utility ought to be the principal intention of every publication

All of these questions are related to today’s date, December 10th.

One

Two

Which government officially surrendered on this day in 1932 after a month-long battle against thousands of large flightless birds, and what were the birds?

Three

Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the first computer programmer, was born in Marylebone, London. In which decade was she born, and who was her famous father?

Four

Five

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.