Quizology Online

Bits and Pieces —Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

One

Thomas Hart Benton’s 1948 painting Poker Night depicts a scene from which Tennessee Williams play?

Answer: A Streetcar Named Desire

Two

What skill can be called funambulism?

Answer: Tightrope walking

Three

A ribauldequin was a type of musical instrument. Is this true or false?

Answer: False

It was a type of multiple barrelled gun

Four

The Taj Mahal is located on the south bank of what river?

Answer: Yamuna

The Taj Mahal, an ivory-white marble mausoleum in Agra, India, was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to house the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Five

Who is the world’s best-selling fiction writer?

Answer: Agatha Christie

The world’s best-selling fiction writer is the late Dame Agatha Christie (née Miller, later Lady Mallowan, 1890–1976), whose 78 crime novels have sold an estimated 2 billion copies in 44 languages. Agatha Christie (UK) also wrote 19 plays and, under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, six romantic novels. Royalty earnings are estimated to be worth millions per year.

— Guinness World Records 05/10/2025.

One

Thomas Hart Benton’s 1948 painting Poker Night depicts a scene from which Tennessee Williams play?

Two

What skill can be called funambulism?

Three

A ribauldequin was a type of musical instrument. Is this true or false?

Four

The Taj Mahal is located on the south bank of what river?

Five

Who is the world’s best-selling fiction writer?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

One

An alphabetical list begins with the numbers 2, 6 and 21. The surname “2” starts with “A” and includes “John” somewhere in the name. What is the subject of this list and which names (their full names as commonly known) are associated with these three numbers in this context?

Answer: Presidents of the US. John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Chester A. Arthur

The second, sixth and twenty-first presidents of the US listed alphabetically by their surnames, ie, Adams, Adams and Arthur.

Two

Tanner, Bob, Florin and … were names for various coins used in pre-decimal currency in the UK. The fourth coin in this ascending list is missing but it’s the sum of two already listed. Can you name it and give the face value in old pence (d) for each of the four coins?

Answer: Half-crown. 6d, 12d, 24d and 30d

Tanner (aka sixpence) 6d (2.5p)
Bob (shilling) 12d (5p)
Florin (two bob or two shillings) 24d (10p)
Half-crown (two shillings and sixpence or 2/6 (pronounced ’2 and 6’)) 30d (12.5p)
Old British currency was known as pounds, shillings and pence or ’l.s.d.’ from Latin librae ( ‘pounds’), solidi, denarii (both denoting Roman coins).

Three

Arrange these capital cities by latitude from north to south: Baku, Azerbaijan; Beijing, China; London, UK; Ottawa, Canada; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Answer: London, UK; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Ottawa, Canada; Baku, Azerbaijan and Beijing, China

London Coordinates: 51°30′26″N
Ulaanbaatar Coordinates: 47°55′19″N
Ottawa Coordinates: 45°25′29″N
Baku Coordinates: 40°23′43″N
Beijing Coordinates 39°54′24″N

Four

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Gosford Park; and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
These films were all nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award but none of them won it. Put them in chronological order of the year of their release?

Answer: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gosford Park, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released 2000; Gosford Park, 2001 and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002.

Lists too…

Four more questions about lists.

One

Two

Three

Arrange these capital cities by latitude from north to south: Baku, Azerbaijan; Beijing, China; London, UK; Ottawa, Canada; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Four

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Gosford Park; and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
These films were all nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award but none of them won it. Put them in chronological order of the year of their release?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Lists—Answers

Today there are five questions relating to various lists.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour – Arlington Texas, US.
Image Wikipedia

One

Here’s a chronological list of studio albums released since 2017: Reputation, Lover, … Evermore. Who released these and which album is missing?

Answer: Taylor Swift and Folklore

Swift released the studio album Folklore in 2020.

Two

…, Aconcagua, Denali. This is the second and third items in a list of seven. What’s the first?

Answer: Everest

It is a list of the highest peaks the on seven continents: Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Vinson, Elbrus, Mount Wilhelm. There are variations to this list depending on definition used but the first five peaks remain the same regardless of definition.

Three

Which film follows in this list from an ‘official’ film series: Thunderball, You Only Live Twice? Secondly, who played the main protagonist in this film?

Answer: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and George Lazenby

This was Lazenby’s only outing as Bond.

Four

Out of the 193 member states of the United Nations, nine follow Oman and precede Qatar in alphabetical order. Can you name as many of these nine as you can?

Answer: Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland and Portugal

— Wikipedia

Five

The Encyclopædia Britannica and Wikipedia agree on the first stable lineup of this group. Listed alphabetically by surname, they are Mick Jagger, …, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman. Who is missing from second place in this list?

Answer: Brian Jones

Formed in London as an alliance between Jagger, Richards, and multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones along with Watts and bassist Bill Wyman, the Stones began as a grubby conclave of students and bohemians playing a then-esoteric music based on Chicago blues in pubs and clubs in and around West London. Their potential for mass-market success seemed negligible at first, but by 1965 they were second to the Beatles in the collective affection of teenage Britain. — Encyclopædia Britannica

Lists

Today we have five questions about different lists.

One

Here’s a chronological list of studio albums released since 2017: Reputation, Lover, … Evermore. Who released these and which album is missing?

Two

…, Aconcagua, Denali. This is the second and third items in a list of seven. What’s the first?

Three

Which film follows in this list from an ‘official’ film series: Thunderball, You Only Live Twice? Secondly, who played the main protagonist in this film?

Four

Out of the 193 member states of the United Nations, nine follow Oman and precede Qatar in alphabetical order. Can you name as many of these nine as you can?

Five

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.

Two Capitals (at least)—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

One

If Sucre is described as the constitutional and judicial capital, where is the seat of government?

Answer: La Paz

Bolivia has two official capitals: Sucre, the constitutional capital and seat of the judiciary, and La Paz, the seat of government, executive and legislature.

Two

name: Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative and economic capital); note – the US Embassy is in Abidjan — CIA’s The World Factbook

This quote is from the CIA’s The World Factbook. Which nation does it refer to?

Answer: Côte d’Ivoire

Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d’Ivoire and officially the Republic of the Ivory Coast, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. — Wikipedia

Three

Mbabane and Lobamba are the two capitals of which nation?

Answer: Eswatini

Eswatini has two capitals: Mbabane, the administrative capital and seat of government, and Lobamba, the royal and legislative capital.

Four

South Africa is unique in having three separate capital cities: one for the executive and administrative branch, one for the legislative branch, and one for the judicial branch. Can you name these three capitals?

Answer: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein

Pretoria is the executive and administrative capital while Cape Town serves as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

Five

If Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte serves as the legislative capital of a nation, which city functions as the economic, executive and judicial capital? Secondly, what is the name of the country?

Answer: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka’s de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, Colombo. — Wikipedia

Two Capitals (at least)

Today’s questions are about capital cities.

One

If Sucre is described as the constitutional and judicial capital, where is the seat of government?

Two

name: Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative and economic capital); note – the US Embassy is in Abidjan — CIA’s The World Factbook

This quote is from the CIA’s The World Factbook. Which nation does it refer to?

Three

Mbabane and Lobamba are the two capitals of which nation?

Four

Five

If Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte serves as the legislative capital of a nation, which city functions as the economic, executive and judicial capital? Secondly, what is the name of the country?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.

Space Oddity—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post

One

Who was the first astronaut to drive a Lunar Rover on the Moon’s surface?

Answer: David Scott

Between July 30 and August 2, 1971, David Scott, commander of Apollo 15, drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV-1) for 3 hours and 2 minutes. These journeys covered A total of 17.25 miles (27.76 km) across the lunar surface. Apollo 15(LRV-1) 17.25 miles (27.76 km) 3 h 02 min 7.75 miles (12.47 km) 3.1 miles (5.0 km)

Two

What, in Roman numerals, is the sum of LXXXIV and DCCLIX?

Answer: DCCCXLIII

LXXXIV =

L = 50
XXX = 30
IV = 4
→ 50 + 30 + 4 = 84

DCCLIX =

D = 500
CC = 200
L = 50
IX = 9
→ 500 + 200 + 50 + 9 = 759

84 + 759 = 843

Convert 843 to Roman numerals:

800 = DCCC
40 = XL
3 = III

→ 843 = DCCCXLIII

Three

John F. Kennedy had a dog called Dunker. What breed was it?

Answer: Dachshund

The Dachshund is a small, long-bodied dog breed originally developed in Germany to hunt badgers. The name literally means ‘badger dog’—Dachs = badger, Hund = dog. They’re often called ‘sausage dogs’ because of their shape.

Four

Which character in a work by Alexandre Dumas was possibly inspired by the vengeful shoemaker Pierre Picaud of Nîmes?

Answer: Edmond Dantes, The Count of Monte Cristo

Pierre Picaud, a shoemaker from Nîmes, is believed to have inspired Edmond Dantès, the protagonist of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
Picaud’s story is strikingly similar to that of Dantès. In the early 19th century, Picaud was wrongfully imprisoned due to the betrayal of his friends and his fiancée. During his imprisonment in the Château d’If, he met an old man who shared with him knowledge of treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Upon his release, Picaud used this treasure to exact revenge on those who had wronged him, much like Edmond Dantès does in Dumas’ novel.
This story of Picaud’s life—his unjust imprisonment, subsequent escape, and thirst for vengeance—closely mirrors the narrative of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Five

Please list the US states whose names start with the letter ‘M’?

Answer: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Montana

Space Oddity

Today’s questions are random and unrelated.

One

Who was the first astronaut to drive a Lunar Rover on the Moon’s surface?

Two

What, in Roman numerals, is the sum of LXXXIV and DCCLIX?

Three

John F. Kennedy had a dog called Dunker. What breed was it?

Four

Which character in a work by Alexandre Dumas was possibly inspired by the vengeful shoemaker Pierre Picaud of Nîmes?

Five

Please list the US states whose names start with the letter ‘M’?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.