Quizology.Online

Tag: film

  • End of the Line — Answers

    Today’s answers are below.

    Words.
    Image

    These are not date-related but there is a theme at the End of the Line.

    One

    What word means “an explanation of the history of a particular word”?

    Answer: Etymology.

    Etymology is the study of word origins and evolution, tracing their sounds and meanings across time. Etymologists use historical texts and comparative linguistics to reconstruct word histories and trace their roots to shared parent languages.

    Two

    This Skoda compact SUV, named after a cryptozoological creature, was superseded by both the Karoq and the Kamiq?

    Answer: Yeti.

    The Škoda Yeti, a compact crossover SUV, debuted in 2009 and won Top Gear Magazine’s Family Car of the Year.

    Three

    The Kabul River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains and flows 700 kilometres to empty into the …
    What is the watery destination missing from the end of the above statement? 

    Answer: Indus.

    The Kabul River, originating in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains, flows 435 miles (700 km) to join the Indus in Pakistan. The Indus, a significant waterway in Asia, originates in Tibet and flows through disputed Kashmir, Pakistan, and empties into the Arabian Sea. Spanning 1,976 miles (3,180 km), it supports diverse ecosystems and has a rich historical significance, including the rise of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The river’s course is shaped by geological formations, including the Indus-Yarlung suture zone.

    Four

    This fictional Great Dane first graced our screens in 1969 and continues to be a beloved figure on television and in both live-action and animated films. Who is this remarkable dog?

    Answer: Scooby-Doo.

    Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise created in 1969, featuring four teenagers and their talking Great Dane solving mysteries. The franchise includes numerous shows, films, and specials, with the most recent series, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, premiering in 2019.

    Five

    Peter Cullen, Tesshō Genda and others have voiced which character from a media franchise that started with toys in the 1980s and has since spawned at least a dozen films?

    Answer: Optimus Prime.

    Transformers is a highly successful media franchise centred around the Autobots and Decepticons, two alien robot factions. The franchise, which began in 1984, includes toys, animation, comics, video games, and films, generating over ¥2 trillion in revenue. Ownership is split between Hasbro and Takara Tomy.

    End of Line

    The last letter at the ‘End of the Line’ of the first answer is the initial letter of the next answer and so on. This includes the final answer’s ‘E’ from Prime which starts the first answer, Etymology.

  • End of the Line

    Words.
    Image

    These are not date-related but there is a theme at the End of the Line.

    One

    What word means “an explanation of the history of a particular word”?

    Two

    This Skoda compact SUV, named after a cryptozoological creature, was superseded by both the Karoq and the Kamiq?

    Three

    The Kabul River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains and flows 700 kilometres to empty into the …
    What is the watery destination missing from the end of the above statement? 

    Four

    This fictional Great Dane first graced our screens in 1969 and continues to be a beloved figure on television and in both live-action and animated films. Who is this remarkable dog?

    Five

    Peter Cullen, Tesshō Genda and others have voiced which character from a media franchise that started with toys in the 1980s and has since spawned at least a dozen films?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Aargh — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Tomb of the unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, Paris.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are not date-related. Hopefully, you’ll be saying ‘aargh’ before it is finished.

    One

    An eternal flame burns in Paris to honour unidentified casualties from both world wars. Where is it located?

    Answer: Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (aka Arc de Triomphe).

    Beneath the Arc lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. Buried on Armistice Day 1920, an eternal flame honours the unidentified dead (now from both world wars). In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy honoured the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside President Charles de Gaulle. Following the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy recalled the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe and asked for a similar flame beside her husband’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

    Two

    Jesus and the Apostles are believed to have spoken …
    — Encyclopædia Britannica 

    What language completes the above sentence from Encyclopædia Britannica?

    Answer: Aramaic.

    Aramaic, a Semitic language linked to Hebrew, Syriac and Phoenician, spread from the Aramaeans via Assyrians and Babylonians, becoming the Achaemenian official language before Greek replaced it. It replaced Hebrew among Jews, appears in Daniel, Ezra and the Talmuds, was spoken by Jesus and the Apostles, and lasted until Arabic displaced it around 650 CE.

    Three

    A US group released Blitzkrieg Bop as their first single in 1976, while Baby, I Love You became their most successful UK track. What is the band’s name?

    Answer: Ramones.

    Released in February 1976, Blitzkrieg Bop is the Ramones’ debut single and opening track on their first album. Written by Tommy and Dee Dee Ramone, its chant became a global rallying cry. Baby, I Love You was first recorded by the Ronettes in 1963. Phil Spector produced the Ramones cover version of the song which appeared on their album, End of the Century (1980). The single reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart in 1980, their biggest UK top-ten hit.

    Four

    What 1992 film starring Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon depicts two days in the lives of four real-estate salesmen?

    Answer: Glengarry Glen Ross.

    Directed by James Foley and written by David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross follows four salesmen facing dismissal threats from Blake. Critically acclaimed, Jack Lemmon won the Volpi Cup and Al Pacino received award nominations, but the film grossed $10.7 million against a $12.5 million budget.

    Five

    Before the 1947 partition created India and Pakistan, what historic Persian-derived name was commonly used for the Indian subcontinent—especially its northern regions—and is still sometimes used as a poetic or cultural name for India today?

    Answer: Hindustan.

    The name Hindustan comes from the Persian word Hind (India) combined with the suffix -stan, meaning “land.” Although it once referred broadly to much of northern India or the Indian subcontinent, today it is mainly used in historical, literary, and cultural contexts rather than as India’s official name.

    Aargh

    The post title is an exclamation ‘used as an expression of anguish, horror, rage, or other strong emotion, often with humorous intent’. It is used here to provide the initial letters of the answers

  • Aargh

    Eternal Flame, Paris.
    Image Flickr

    Today’s questions are not date-related. Hopefully, you’ll be saying ‘aargh’ before it is finished.

    One

    An eternal flame burns in Paris to honour unidentified casualties from both world wars. Where is it located?

    Two

    Jesus and the Apostles are believed to have spoken …
    — Encyclopædia Britannica 

    What language completes the above sentence from Encyclopædia Britannica?

    Three

    A US group released Blitzkrieg Bop as their first single in 1976, while Baby, I Love You became their most successful UK track. What is the band’s name?

    Four

    What 1992 film starring Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon depicts two days in the lives of four real-estate salesmen?

    Five

    Before the 1947 partition created India and Pakistan, what historic Persian-derived name was commonly used for the Indian subcontinent—especially its northern regions—and is still sometimes used as a poetic or cultural name for India today?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Stand Trial — Answers

    Fossil of a coelacanth.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?

    Answer: The theory of evolution by natural selection.

    The Scopes Trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee, after teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. Although Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a conviction later overturned on ##a technicality), the trial became an international symbol of the clash between modern science and religious fundamentalism. It also featured a celebrated courtroom confrontation between prosecutor William Jennings Bryan and defence attorney Clarence Darrow.

    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?

    Answer: Luna 2; 1959.

    The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 launched on 12 September 1959 became the following day the first spacecraft to impact the Moon, depositing Soviet emblems and detecting no magnetic field or radiation belts. Nikita S. Khrushchev gave a replica pennant to Dwight D. Eisenhower; it is held in his Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.

    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?

    Answer: Coelacanth.

    Coelacanths are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii) in the class Actinistia. As sarcopterygians, they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods (the terrestrial vertebrates including living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) than to ray-finned fish. There is only a single living genus, Latimeria, with two described species. The name coelacanth originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus. Thought extinct 66 million years ago, Latimeria chalumnae was found in 1938, and Latimeria menadoensis in the late 1990s. Despite being called ‘living fossils’, fossil studies show diverse ancient forms, challenging this status.

    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?

    Answer: Mad Max.

    In a near-future Australia, oil shortages and ecocide undermine order. Nightrider kills a Main Force Patrol officer and escapes in a Pursuit Special until Max Rockatansky forces a fatal crash, killing Nightrider and his girlfriend.

    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?

    Answer: Point Barrow.

    Point Barrow, or Nuvuk, is Alaska and the U.S.’S northernmost point. It is at 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W and is 9 miles northeast of Utqiagvik and 1,122 nautical miles south of the North Pole. It separates the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

  • Stand Trial

    Fossil of a ?
    See question three.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?

    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?

    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?

    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?

    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • That Sinking Feeling — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    The Mary Rose as depicted in the Anthony Roll of the 1540s.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date. The others aren’t date-related but build on the theme established in the first.

    One

    This English carrack-type warship, built for the king’s navy and involved in a battle with the French that resulted in its sinking in the Solent on 19 July 1545, had its wreck rediscovered by salvagers in 1971, ultimately leading to the opening of a museum dedicated to its history at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2013. What is the warship’s name and for what king’s navy was it built?

    Answers: Mary Rose; Henry VIII.

    On this day in 1545, Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, sank during the Battle of the Solent. A sudden gust of wind flooded seawater through its open gunports, tragically resulting in the loss of over 400 crew members. Centuries later, the remarkably preserved wreck was rediscovered in the English Channel.  It has since become one of the world’s most significant underwater archaeological finds.

    Two

    Although not the first such instance the action of soldiers and sailors during the 1852 sinking of HMS Birkenhead made which maritime protocol more prominent?

    Answer: Women and children first.

    ‘Women and children first’ is an unofficial code prioritising their safety in life-threatening situations, like shipwrecks, due to limited resources. Celebrated as a chivalric ideal in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was notably invoked during the HMS Birkenhead evacuation, SS Central America sinking, and Titanic disaster, though unevenly applied. The protocol is sometimes described as ‘Birkenhead Drill’.

    Three

    What 1960 musical and 1964 musical film told the story of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic?

    Answer: The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

    The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a fictionalized account of the life of Margaret Brown, who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It originated as a 1960 musical with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson and a book by Richard Morris. In 1964, it was adapted into an American Western musical comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Debbie Reynolds, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Helen Deutsch is based on the musical’s book, and the song score was composed by Meredith Willson. Reynolds received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Brown.

    Four

    What ship did Ernest Shackleton and his Trans-Antarctic Expedition lose in 1915 when it was crushed by ice and sank?

    Answer: Endurance.

    Endurance, originally Polaris, was a three-masted barquentine used by Ernest Shackleton for the 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Built in 1912, it sank in 1915 after being trapped in ice. All crew survived. The wreck was found in 2022 at a depth of 3,008 metres and is a protected historic site.

    Five

    Which US state’s name completes this: the 1864 Battle of Cherbourg is also known as the Sinking of CSS…?

    Answer: Alabama.

    The CSS Alabama, a Confederate sloop-of-war built in 1862, was a successful commerce raider under Captain Raphael Semmes. It captured or sank 68 Union ships in just 22 months across the Atlantic, West Indies, and East Indies. On June 19, 1864, the USS Kearsarge sank the Alabama during the Battle of Cherbourg, France.

    That Sinking Feeling.

    The post title is an idiom meaning a feeling that something bad is going to happen. In today’s post, it is simply a play on words regarding the ‘sinking’ theme of the questions.

  • That Sinking Feeling

    The ? as depicted in the Anthony Roll of the 1540s.
    See question one.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date. The others aren’t date-related but build on the theme established in the first.

    One

    This English carrack-type warship, built for the king’s navy and involved in a battle with the French that resulted in its sinking in the Solent on 19 July 1545, had its wreck rediscovered by salvagers in 1971, ultimately leading to the opening of a museum dedicated to its history at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2013. What is the warship’s name and for what king’s navy was it built?

    Two

    Although not the first such instance the action of soldiers and sailors during the 1852 sinking of HMS Birkenhead made which maritime protocol more prominent?

    Three

    What 1960 musical and 1964 musical film told the story of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic?

    Four

    What ship did Ernest Shackleton and his Trans-Antarctic Expedition lose in 1915 when it was crushed by ice and sank?

    Five

    Which US state’s name completes this: the 1864 Battle of Cherbourg is also known as the Sinking of CSS…?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Everywhere to Anywhere — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
    See question three.
    Image Lucasfilm

    Today’s answers are all fictional places

    One

    In the 2000 film, in what fictional town did Billy Elliot live?

    Answer: Everington.

    In 1984, 11-year-old Billy Elliot from the fictional town of Everington in County Durham secretly pursues ballet despite his father’s disapproval. With support from his dance teacher and community, Billy auditions for the Royal Ballet School. Accepted in 1985, he later performs Swan Lake, watched proudly by his family.

    Two

    Where is home to all of these fictional characters Magrat Garlick, Corporal Buggy Swires and Professor A.A. Dinwiddie?

    Answer: Discworld.

    The witch Magrat Garlick was the original Maiden in the Lancre coven with Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. She is a gentle parody of New Age pagans, believing in crystals and folk wisdom. Corporal Buggy Swires, a gnome with a tough personality, leads the Ankh-Morpork City Watch’s Airborne Section. He uses birds for reconnaissance and messaging. Professor Dinwiddie, a quiet and reserved individual, became the Unseen University’s Bursar due to his affinity for numbers and less competition for the role. 

    Three

    At the start of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana meets singer Willie Scott in a nightclub which is named after a character from another Harrison Ford franchise, although not his character. What is its name?

    Answer: Club Obi Wan.

    Club Obi Wan, a Shanghai hideaway for the wealthy, was a nightclub, brothel, and gaming establishment. It featured fine furnishings, decorations, and entertainment and was the headquarters of Lao Che’s criminal enterprises. It was named after Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    Four

    In Tolkien’s Middle-Earth Ered Luin, also known as Ered Lindon or Mountains of Lune, became the new home for Durin’s Folk who were exiled by Smaug the Dragon. What two-word term, which includes a primary colour, is Ered Luin known as in English?

    Answer: Blue Mountains.

    After the Two Lamps fell, the Blue Mountains formed Arda’s western wall. Dwarven Fathers founded Nogrod and Belegost under Mount Dolmed. In the First Age, they separated Eriador from Beleriand. Ruined in the War of Wrath, the mountains split, forming the Gulf of Lune. Dwarves later settled in the east. Exiled from Erebor by Smaug, Durin’s Folk found refuge under the Blue Mountains. King Thráin II established a throne there, succeeded by his son Thorin. Prosperous during Thorin’s reign, many Longbeards joined. Erebor was retaken in T.A. 2941, likely prompting most of Durin’s Folk to return.

    Five

    What is the fictional prison in the Harry Potter films and where is it located?

    Answer: Azkeban; (somewhere in the) North Sea.

    In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Azkaban is located ‘somewhere in the North Sea’. It serves as a prison for British and Irish wizarding criminals, guarded by Dementors who cause inmates to lose happiness and often starve. Sirius Black was the first person to escape. After Voldemort, Kingsley Shacklebolt abolishes the Dementors at Azkaban. 

    Everywhere to Anywhere

    The post title was a bit of a hint to the answers going from Everywhere (E) to Anywhere (A) — the first five letters of the alphabet in reverse: E, D, C, B and A.

  • Everywhere to Anywhere

    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
    See question three.
    Image Lucasfilm

    Today’s answers are all fictional places

    One

    In the 2000 film, in what fictional town did Billy Elliot live?

    Two

    Where is home to all of these fictional characters Magrat Garlick, Corporal Buggy Swires and Professor A.A. Dinwiddie?

    Three

    At the start of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana meets singer Willie Scott in a nightclub which is named after a character from another Harrison Ford franchise, although not his character. What is its name?

    Four

    In Tolkien’s Middle-Earth Ered Luin, also known as Ered Lindon or Mountains of Lune, became the new home for Durin’s Folk who were exiled by Smaug the Dragon. What two-word term, which includes a primary colour, is Ered Luin known as in English?

    Five

    What is the fictional prison in the Harry Potter films and where is it located?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.