Quizology.Online

Tag: entertainment

  • Poetic Licence — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, theatrical poster.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of these questions are related to today’s date, May 25th.

    One

    What was the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture?

    Midnight Cowboy.

    Released on this day in 1969, Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger, stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight as New York hustlers. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is the only X-rated film to do so. Ranked 36th and 43rd on AFI’s lists, it was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1994.
    X-certification has been renamed in some domains; for example, in the U.K., it is now an 18 certificate, which is suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over, and in the U.S., NC-17, No one 17 and under admitted.

    Two

    He did not wear his scarlet coat,
    For blood and wine are red,
    And blood and wine were on his hands
    When they found him with the dead,
    The poor dead woman whom he loved,
    And murdered in her bed.

    The above lines are the opening verse of an 1897 poem which was published under the pseudonym C.3.3. What is the poem, and who wrote it?

    Answer: The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.

    On 25 May 1895, Wilde had been convicted of ‘committing acts of gross indecency with certain male persons’, sentenced to two years’ hard labour; he served the majority of his sentence in Reading Gaol. His poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which was written after his release from prison, narrates the execution of Charles Thomas Wooldridge. It highlights the brutalisation of punishment and Wilde’s identification with prisoners. Published in 1898, under the pseudonym C.3.3. — his prison identification by which he was addressed — it remained anonymous until Wilde’s identity as author was revealed in 1899. The poem, which sold well, provided Wilde with an income for life.

    Three

    The author who created the character Jason Bourne in a 1980 novel was born in 1927. Who was this author?

    Answer: Robert Ludlum.

    Robert Ludlum, an American author known for his spy thrillers, wrote best-sellers like The Bourne Identity and The Scarlatti Inheritance. Despite criticism of his plots and prose, his fast-paced espionage novels were immensely popular. He authored 27 thriller novels, including the Jason Bourne series, which have been published in 33 languages and sold an estimated 300-500 million copies.

    Four

    An actor, born in 1939, links the roles of John Profumo in 1989, Mithrandir (2001), and Leigh Teabing (2006). What actor?

    Answer: Ian McKellen.

    Ian McKellen, who was born in England on this day in 1939, played John Profumo in Scandal (1989). In 2001, he took on the role of Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — Mithrandir is how Gandalf is known by the Elves in their Sindarin language. He portrayed Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code (2006).

    Five

    …; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera, debuted in London in 1878. What has been omitted from the beginning of the opera’s title?

    Answer: H.M.S. Pinafore.

    H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered in 1878, running for 571 performances. Set on a Royal Navy ship, it humorously critiques the British class system and authority. Its success led to other popular works, influencing modern musical theatre.

  • Poetic Licence

    …; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, theatrical poster (cropped). See question five.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of these questions are related to today’s date, May 25th.

    One

    What was the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture?

    Two

    He did not wear his scarlet coat,
    For blood and wine are red,
    And blood and wine were on his hands
    When they found him with the dead,
    The poor dead woman whom he loved,
    And murdered in her bed.

    The above lines are the opening verse of an 1897 poem which was published under the pseudonym C.3.3. What is the poem, and who wrote it?

    Three

    The author who created the character Jason Bourne in a 1980 novel was born in 1927. Who was this author?

    Four

    An actor, born in 1939, links the roles of John Profumo in 1989, Mithrandir (2001), and Leigh Teabing (2006). What actor?

    Five

    …; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera, debuted in London in 1878. What has been omitted from the beginning of the opera’s title?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Initial Answers II — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Nurse shark and Remora.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    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?

    Answers: Myers; Shrek and Fiona.

    Shrek (2001), an animated fantasy comedy film, follows an ogre’s quest to reclaim his swamp from banished fairy tale creatures. Mike Myers voices Shrek and Cameron Diaz is Princess Fiona. Eddie Murphy was the voice of Donkey. 

    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?

    Answer: Remora.

    Remoras, or suckerfish, are eight species of marine fish known for attaching to larger marine animals and ships using a specialised sucking disk. They typically range from 30 to 90 cm in length and feed on leftovers or parasites.

    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?

    Answer: Easter Island.

    Easter Island, a special territory of Chile in the eastern Pacific Ocean, is renowned for its nearly 1,000 moai statues created by the early Rapa Nui people. Originally called Rapa Nui, the island has a mixed population predominantly of Polynesian descent. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.

    Four

    What is the most abundant element in the known universe?

    Answer: Hydrogen.

    Hydrogen is the simplest chemical element, a colourless, odourless, flammable gas. It is the most abundant element in the universe and is used industrially to make ammonia and hydrogenate compounds.

    Five

    The name of which unicameral national legislature means ‘gathering’ or ‘assembly’ in Hebrew?

    Answer: Knesset.

    The Knesset, Israel’s unicarmel parliament, is responsible for passing laws, electing the president and prime minister, approving the cabinet, supervising the government, and electing the state comptroller. It has the authority to waive member immunity, remove officials, dissolve the government or itself, and call elections. Members are elected through proportional representation in Jerusalem. The term Knesset originates from the ancient Knesset HaGdola, or Great Assembly, a group of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets from the end of Biblical prophets to Rabbinic Judaism’s development, around 200 BCE. Despite the name, there is no organisational continuity; the ancient Knesset was unelected and religious.

    Explanation

    Answers

    In full, the first part of question one read ‘Mike Myers was Shrek; while Cameron was Fiona; and Eddie was a bit of an ass.’

    1. Myers; Shrek and Fiona = S
    2. Remora = R
    3. Easter Island = E
    4. Hydrogen = H
    5. Knesset = K
      S R E H K 🔄 SHREK

  • Initial Answers II

    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    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?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Initial Answers — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions   Initial Answers.

    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.
    Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet.
    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?

    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

    Explanation

    Answers

    1. Lhasa; Tibet and China = T
    2. Independence Day = I
    3. Erik the Red = E
    4. Treebeard = T
    5. Beagle Channel = B
      T I E T B 🔄 TIBET

  • Initial Answers

    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 

    What body of water is missing from this quote?

  • The Game is Afoot — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Arthur Conan Doyle.
    Image Wikimedia Commons


    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 Game is Afoot

    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    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?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • It Puzzles the Will, part 2

    William Shakespeare.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    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?

    Two

    Which final novel by John Steinbeck derives its title from a quote in Shakespeare’s Richard III?

    Three

    The Tragedy of … is a Shakespeare play which is set during the Trojan War. Complete the title?

    Four

    Which 1948 Shakespeare adaptation became the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?

    Five

    An album by Mumford and Sons is named after a song in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. Which album?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • It Puzzles the Will — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    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.