Quizology.Online

Tag: chemistry

  • One Thing Leads to Another — Answer

    Today’s Answers

    Question One.
    Klondikers carrying supplies ascending the Chilkoot Pass, 1898.
    Source

    Today’s first question relates to 17 August and the subsequent ones follow on from the first.

    One

    Set during the Klondike Gold Rush, complete the title of British-Canadian poet Robert Service’s The Shooting of …?

    Answer: Dan McGrew.

    Gold found in 1896 launched the Klondike Gold Rush. Robert William Service, an English-born Canadian writer, became well known for his Klondike poems, including The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. Commercial success from collections such as Songs of a Sourdough allowed for travel and a leisurely life.

    Two

    Which nesosilicate mineral derives its name from the Persian word for ‘gold-hued’?

    Answer: Zircon.

    Zircon is a tetragonal nesosilicate (ZrSiO₄) yielding zirconium and containing hafnium at 1–4%. It precipitates from silicate melts and occurs in varied colours. The name comes from Persian zargun (“gold-hued”), becoming jargoon for light zircons; English zircon derives from German Zirkon.

    Three

    Which Persian king, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was assassinated in 465BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal guard?

    Answer: Xerxes I or Xerxes the Great.

    Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire became the largest of its time, spanning from the Balkans to the Indus Valley. Alexander the Great conquered it in 330 BC; later, the Parthian Empire emerged. Its bureaucracy, tolerance and infrastructure influenced later empires.

    Four

    Alexander the Great extended the Macedonian kingdom as far east as what modern country?

    Answer: India.

    The Beas River, in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northwestern India, marked Alexander the Great’s eastern limit in 326 BC after his troops mutinied at Mukerian. Alexander yielded after three days and raised twelve altars; their fate is unknown.

    Five

    What novel by Herman Wouk, which is about a mutiny, was turned into a 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart?

    Answer: The Caine Mutiny.

    Herman Wouk’s 1951 novel The Caine Mutiny draws on Pacific Theater service to explore officers’ moral choices. A legalistic mutiny during Typhoon Cobra leads to a court-martial climax.

    One Thing Leads to Another

    The post title points to a trail through the questions. One is set during the Klondike Gold Rush; Two derives from Persian for ‘gold-hued’; Three is about a Persian king of the Achaemenid Empire; Four is about the conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire facing a mutiny; and Five is about a fictional mutiny.

  • One Thing Leads to Another

    Question One.
    Klondikers carrying supplies ascending the Chilkoot Pass, 1898.
    Source

    Today’s first question relates to 17 August and the subsequent ones follow on from the first.

    One

    Set during the Klondike Gold Rush, complete the title of British-Canadian poet Robert Service’s The Shooting of …?

    Two

    Which nesosilicate mineral derives its name from the Persian word for ‘gold-hued’?

    Three

    Which Persian king, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was assassinated in 465BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal guard?

    Four

    Alexander the Great extended the Macedonian kingdom as far east as what modern country?

    Five

    What novel by Herman Wouk, which is about a mutiny, was turned into a 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • ROYGBIV — ANSWERS

    Here’s today’s answers.

    Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.

    One

    On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security.  Four questions:

    • What was the name of the ship? 
    • For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
    • At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
    • What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?

    Answers

    • Rainbow Warrior
    • Greenpeace
    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • French

    The sinking of Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985, codenamed Opération Satanique, was a French state-terrorism act. The Rainbow Warrior was docked in Auckland prior to sailing to lead planned protests against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia in the South Pacific. Two French operatives sank the Greenpeace ship in Auckland, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. France initially denied involvement but later apologised, paid reparations, and the agents served two years in French Polynesia.

    Two

    This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?

    Answer: Finian’s Rainbow.

    Finian’s Rainbow follows Irishman Finian and daughter Sharon in Missitucky (a concoction of Missi-ssippi and Ken-tucky), where he buries a stolen leprechaun’s gold, believing wealth will follow. Leprechaun Og pursues the gold, turning increasingly human. A wish leads to chaos: transforming a bigoted senator, while love blossoms, and moral lessons unfold about dreams, humanity, prejudice, and the folly of greed.

    Three

    Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?

    Answer: Iridium

    iridium /ɪˈrɪdiəm, ʌɪˈrɪdiəm/ ♫
    ▶ noun [mass noun] (Symbol: Ir) the chemical element of atomic number 77, a hard, dense silvery-white metal.
    Iridium is a member of the transition series and is one of the densest metals. Iridium–platinum alloys are hard and corrosion-resistant and are used in jewellery and for electrical contacts
    – ORIGIN early 19th century: modern Latin, from Latin iris, irid– ‘rainbow’ (so named because it forms compounds of various colours).
    — Oxford English Dictionary 

    Four

    What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?

    Answer: Rainbow lorikeet.

    Rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), a parrot species native to Australia, inhabit rainforests, coastal bush, and woodlands along the eastern seaboard. Rainbow lorikeets are medium-sized parrots with bright, colourful plumage. Males and females are visually indistinguishable, requiring surgical sexing or DNA analysis to determine sex.

    Five

    A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds. 

    • What is the song?
    • What is the full name of ‘Gale’?
    • What is the film?

    Answers

    • Over the Rainbow
    • Dorothy Gale
    • The Wizard of Oz

    Over the Rainbow, a ballad by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, was sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939). It won an Academy Award, became Garland’s signature song, and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2017 for its cultural significance.

    Over the Rainbow

    Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
    There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
    Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
    And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true 

    Someday I’ll wish upon a star
    And wake up where the clouds are far
    Behind me
    Where troubles melt like lemon drops
    Away above the chimney tops
    That’s where you’ll find me 

    Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
    Birds fly over the rainbow
    Why then, oh, why can’t I? 

    If happy little bluebirds fly
    Beyond the rainbow
    Why, oh, why can’t I?
    — AZ Lyrics

    ROYGBIV

    The mnemonic ROYGBIV helps remember the colours of the rainbow: Richard of York gave battle in vain.

    (mnemonic) A mnemonic phrase to help remember the order of the seven colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
    Wiktionary

  • ROYGBIV

    See question four. …? (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.

    One

    On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security.  Four questions:

    • What was the name of the ship? 
    • For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
    • At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
    • What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?

    Two

    This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?

    Three

    Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?

    Four

    What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?

    Five

    A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds. 

    • What is the song?
    • What is the full name of ‘Gale’?
    • What is the film?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • If a face could launch a thousand ships — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
    Image liveabout.com

    Today’s questions are neither date related nor themed.

    One

    By what two initials is chronic fatigue syndrome commonly known?

    Answer: ME.

    Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic illness causing severe fatigue, sleep, and memory issues, worsened by activity (PEM). Its cause is unknown, often following infections, with genetic factors. Diagnosis relies on symptoms, as no tests exist. Treatment focuses on symptom relief, with pacing and counselling beneficial.
    ME/CFS significantly impacts society and the economy, with symptoms causing social isolation. A quarter of sufferers are bedridden or housebound. Stigma in healthcare and controversies over its cause and treatments complicate care. Doctors often lack familiarity due to limited medical school coverage, and research funding is historically inadequate.

    Two

    What American actor, a television detective and a Bond villain, had a U.K. number one with If in 1975?

    Answer: Telly Savalas.

    Aristotelis ‘Telly’ Savalas (1922–1994) was an American actor and singer, active from 1950 to 1994, renowned for his bald head and deep voice. He gained fame as Lt. Theo Kojak in Kojak (1973–1978) and as James Bond’s nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). Savalas starred in films like Birdman of Alcatraz, earning an Academy Award nomination. He was married three times, had six children, and served in the U.S. Army. He released a cover of Bread’s If in 1975, which topped the UK charts.

    Three

    What is the birth name of author Lee Child, and who is the main fictional character he is known for?

    Answers: James ‘Jim’ Grant; Jack Reacher.

    The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child (Jim Grant) includes 30 books and a short story collection as of November 2025. It follows Jack Reacher, a former major in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps turned drifter, solving dangerous situations across the U.S. and internationally. The series has been adapted into films and a TV series.

    Four

    …▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. …s swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Which word, appearing twice in the definition above, has been removed?

    Answer: Scallop.

    scallop ▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. Scallops swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves. Family Pectinidae: Chlamys, Pecten, and other genera.

    ▪ short for scallop shell ▪ a small pan or dish shaped like a scallop shell and used for baking or serving food.

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Five

    The lightest halogen, which is a pale yellow gas with the atomic number 9, is a highly reactive chemical element?

    Answer: Fluorine.

    Fluorine, atomic number 9, is a reactive, pale yellow gas, first isolated in 1886. It’s used in uranium enrichment, steelmaking, pharmaceuticals, with global sales over $15 billion annually. Fluorocarbon gases, with global-warming potentials 100 to 23,500 times that of CO2, persist environmentally due to strong bonds. Organofluorine compounds are toxic, produced by some plants and marine sponges.

    If a face could launch a thousand ships

    The post title is a line from If the song referred to in question two. If is a 1971 song written by David Gates and popularised by his band Bread.

  • If a face could launch a thousand ships

    Image liveabout.com

    Today’s questions are neither date related nor themed.

    One

    By what two initials is chronic fatigue syndrome commonly known?

    Two

    What American actor, a television detective and a Bond villain, had a U.K. number one with If in 1975?

    Three

    What is the birth name of author Lee Child, and who is the main fictional character he is known for?

    Four

    …▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. …s swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Which word, appearing twice in the definition above, has been removed?

    Five

    The lightest halogen, which is a pale yellow gas with the atomic number 9, is a highly reactive chemical element?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • From Alfa to Echo — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    Five questions with the answers beginning with the letters from A to E, with each letter being used only once, but they are not in alphabetical order.

    See question two. Death in the Afternoon.
    Image A Couple Cooks

    One

    Who wrote, produced, and directed Moulin Rouge (2001) and Australia (2008)? 

    Answers: Baz Luhrman.

    Baz Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor known for his Red Curtain Trilogy and other films like Australia, The Great Gatsby, and Elvis. He is also involved in opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries, with Grammy-nominated soundtracks and his own record label.

    Two

    An absinthe-Champagne cocktail was invented by an author and shares its name with his 1932 non-fiction book about a sport in a southern European nation. Who is the author, and what is the book and cocktail’s shared name? 

    Answers: Ernest Hemingway; Death in the Afternoon.

    Death in the Afternoon, a 1932 non-fiction book by Ernest Hemingway, explores Spanish bullfighting, fear, and courage. Its namesake, a cocktail invented by Hemingway, is made with absinthe and Champagne. The drink, known for its decadence and high strength, can be made with absinthe alternatives like Absente or Pernod.

    Three

    Which chemical element derives its name from the Latin for ‘coal’?

    Answer: Carbon.

    Carbon, symbol C and atomic number 6, a non-metal which has two main forms, diamond and graphite, and which also occurs in impure form in charcoal, soot and coal. It is the 15th most abundant element in Earth’s crust and the fourth most abundant in the universe.

    Four

    Which small dog breed, which is not a terrier, is sometimes known as the monkey terrier?

    Answer: Affenpinscher.

    The Affenpinscher, a German toy dog breed, originated as a ratter and is now a popular companion worldwide. The breed, whose name is sometimes translated from German as ‘Monkey Terrier’, is believed to be ancestral to the Griffon Bruxellois and Miniature Schnauzer.

    Five

    The Malawian city of Blantyre was named after the Scottish birthplace of which missionary and explorer (1813-73)?

    Answer: David Livingstone

    Blantyre, Malawi’s second-largest city and commercial centre, was founded in 1876 by the Church of Scotland. It grew rapidly due to its role in colonial trade and became a major manufacturing centre. The city’s development was influenced by various factors, including commerce, industry, and administration, and it was merged with Limbe in 1956.

  • From Alfa to Echo

    Five questions with the answers beginning with the letters from A to E, with each letter being used only once, but they are not in alphabetical order.

    See question two.
    Image A Couple Cooks

    One

    Who wrote, produced, and directed Moulin Rouge (2001) and Australia (2008)? 

    Two

    An absinthe-Champagne cocktail was invented by an author and shares its name with his 1932 non-fiction book about a sport in a southern European nation. Who is the author, and what is the book and cocktail’s shared name? 

    Three

    Which chemical element derives its name from the Latin for ‘coal’?

    Four

    Which small dog breed, which is not a terrier, is sometimes known as the monkey terrier?

    Five

    The Malawian city of Blantyre was named after the Scottish birthplace of which missionary and explorer (1813-73)?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.