Continuing the alphabet theme with all of today’s answers beginning with the letter ‘Y’.
This is known as a Sarlyk in Altai, see question one. Image Wikipedia
One
Remembering the theme, the animal pictured is a…
Two
Located on the island of Honshu, what is Japan’s second-largest city in terms of population?
Three
The lyrics of this 1972 song by Carly Simon describe a self-absorbed lover, whose identity has long been a matter of speculation. What is the song?
Four
Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins,
‘Some years ago there was in the city of … a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and read each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic.’
What city is missing from this quote?
Five
What colour links these? – The cross on the flag of Sweden – A ball with a value of two points snooker
In what television programme did the above characters first appear?
Answer: Wacky Races
Dick Dastardly is a fictional character and the main antagonist in various animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions Wacky Races and its spin-off Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. The first appearance was in 1969. He is known for his catchphrases ’Muttley, do something!‘; ‘Curses, foiled again!’; ‘Drat, and double drat!’; or even ‘Triple dat!’.
41°17′20″S is the latitude of the World’s windiest city. What is the city?
Answer: Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, the world’s windiest city, by average wind speed—it is also the world’s southernmost capital. It is a cultural hub with a diverse, youth-driven culture, known for its film industry, financial services and livability. The city’s economy is service-based, with a focus on finance, business, government and technology.
The quote above is a line in the chorus of what song?
Answer: Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is Kate Bush’s debut single, released in 1978. It spent four weeks at number one in the UK and was the first number-one single by a female artist to be entirely self-written. Kate Bush wrote in a few hours after seeing the 1967 BBC adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, which she had not read. Subsequently reading the novel she discovered she shared her birthday with Emily Brontë. Lyrics are shown at the end of the post.
The chemical element Tungsten has the symbol ‘W’. What word does this symbol represent?
Answer: Wolfram
Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. It is known for its high melting and boiling points, density, and hardness, making it useful in various applications such as light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes and tungsten carbide. Tungsten is also found in some biomolecules, though it can be toxic to most animal life.
Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Watercolour by Alfred Jacob Miller, c 1858-1860. Image Wikipedia
Five
This US State has a northern border with Montana and a southern border with Colorado. What state is it?
Answer: Wyoming
Wyoming is a landlocked state in the Mountain West, bordered by several states including Montana to the north and Colorado to the south. It is the least populous state despite being the 10th largest, with a semi-arid to continental climate and a significant portion of its land owned by the federal government.
Wuthering Heights
Kate Bush
Out on the wily, windy moors We’d roll and fall in green You had a temper like my jealousy Too hot, too greedy How could you leave me When I needed to possess you? I hated you. I loved you, too
Bad dreams in the night They told me I was going to lose the fight Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely On the other side from you I pine a lot. I find the lot Falls through without you I’m coming back, love Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream My only master
Too long I roam in the night I’m coming back to his side, to put it right I’m coming home to wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away You know, it’s me – Cathy
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it’s me, I’m Cathy I’ve come home. I’m so cold
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
The remains of Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 (s/n 56-6693, msn 360) are now on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia. Image Wikipedia
One
On 1 May 1960, an aircraft flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet territory. By what short name is the aircraft commonly known?
Answer: U-2
On 1 May 1960, a US Lockheed U-2 spy plane, flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers, was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance inside Soviet territory. The aircraft had taken off from Peshawar, Pakistan, and crashed near Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. Powers parachuted to the ground and was subsequently captured.
U Thant Island, in East River, New York City, in front of the UN Building. Image Wikipedia
Two
Belmont Island, located in front of the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City, was, in 1982, officially renamed in with a UN connection. What name was it given?
Answer: U Thant Island
U Thant Island, formerly Belmont Island, is a small artificial island in New York City’s East River. It’s the smallest island in Manhattan and is home to a colony of double-crested cormorants. Belmont Island was renamed U Thant Island on October 7, 1982, in honour of the late U Thant, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
An alias the main protagonist is told to use in The Fellowship of the Ring
The first human settlement on Mars in Kim Stanley Robinson‘s novel Red Mars
A fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s short story The Rule of Names
Answer: Underhill
Underhill answered all three points in the question.
In JRR Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring Frodo Baggins was told by Gandalf to use the alias Mr Underhill from when he left Hobbiton and until they met up at The Prancing Pony in Bree.
Red Mars follows the first hundred colonists on their journey to Mars, their first settlemet, Underhill; their efforts to terraform the planet, and their struggle for independence from Earth’s control. Led by differing ideologies, the colonists debate terraforming and Mars’ relationship with Earth, ultimately leading to a revolution against Earth’s influence.
The Rule of Names is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, introducing the Earthsea realm and its magic system. It features the dragon Yevaud and explains the significance of true names in Earthsea. A resident wizard is nicknamed Underhill because he lives in a cave below a hill.
Gandantegchinlen Monastery, Bayangol, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Image Wikipedia
Four
With an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C (32.4 °F), and coldest January temperatures dropping to between −36 and −40 °C (−32.8 and −40.0 °F), which capital city holds the distinction of being the coldest in the world?
Answer: Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the coldest capital city in the world with an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C or 32.4 °F. It was founded in 1639 as a Buddhist monastic centre and became the country’s capital in 1924, now serving as its cultural, industrial and financial hub.
The Vasari Corridor’s bridge from the Palazzo Vecchio to Uffizi. Image Wikipedia
Five
Florence’s Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Pitti. What gallery is found along its route?
Answer: Uffizi
The Vasari Corridor in Florence connects the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, passing through the Uffizi Gallery. Stretching approximately one kilometre, it crosses the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio and winds through the Oltrarno district.
On 1 May 1960, an aircraft flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet territory. By what short name is the aircraft commonly known?
Two
Belmont Island, located in front of the United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City, was, in 1982, officially renamed in with a UN connection. What name was it given?
Three
What one word answers all of these?
An alias the main protagonist is told to use in The Fellowship of the Ring
The first human settlement on Mars in Kim Stanley Robinson‘s novel Red Mars
A fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin‘s short story The Rule of Names
Four
With an average annual temperature of 0.2 °C (32.4 °F), and coldest January temperatures dropping to between −36 and −40 °C (−32.8 and −40.0 °F), which capital city holds the distinction of being the coldest in the world?
Five
Florence’s Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Pitti. What gallery is found along its route?
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
The Tagus River and the Roman bridge at Alcántara, in Extremadura, Spain, built between 104 and 106 CE by an order of the Roman emperor Trajan. Image Wikipedia
One
The 1,900-year-old Alcantara Bridge spans a river that rises in Spain’s Albarracín Mountains before travelling 626 miles (1,007 km) to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Can you name the river?
Answer: Tagus
The Tagus, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, flows from its source in Spain to the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon in Portugal. The Alcántara Bridge, built between 104 and 106 CE, is a Roman stone arch bridge. It was commissioned by Emperor Trajan.
Fred Perry, on the right, with Pat Hughes in 1934. Image Wikipedia
Two
In what sport did Fred Perry become the 1929 World Champion?
Answer: Table tennis
Frederick John Perry was a British tennis and table tennis player. His first love was table tennis, and he was World Champion in 1929. In tennis, he won ten Majors, including eight Grand Slam singles titles. He was the first player to win a ‘Career Grand Slam’ and the last British player to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title until Andy Murray in 2012.
Cover of the score for The Mikado, 1895. Image Wikipedia
Three
Pitti-Sing, Peep-Bo and Yum-Yum are characters in which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta?
Answer: The Mikado
The Mikado is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, satirising late 19th-century British institutions and politics through a fantasy Japanese setting. It premiered in London in 1885 and quickly became a global hit, with over 150 productions by the end of the year.
Porto Bello Gold (1924) by Arthur D. Howden Smith is a prequel to which 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson novel?
Answer: Treasure Island
Arthur D. Howden Smith was a great admirer of Robert Louis Stevenson. In Porto Bello Gold (1924), a prequel to Treasure Island – written with the permission of Robert Louis Stevenson’s executor, Lloyd Osbourne – Harry Ormerod’s son Robert goes to sea in the company of such famous pirates as Captain Flint, Long John Silver and Billy Bones and takes part in capturing the treasure which would be recovered in Stevenson’s book. – Wikipedia, Arthur D. Howden Smith
Jordan assumed its present name in 1949, what was it called immediately prior to that?
Answer: Transjordan
Transjordan, also known as the East Bank or the Transjordanian Highlands, is the region east of the Jordan River in the Southern Levant. Primarily located in present-day Jordan, it is a semi-arid region. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a population of 11.5 million, mostly Sunni Muslim. Since 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from neighbouring countries, including 2.1 million Palestinians and 1.4 million Syrians as of 2015. Despite a skilled workforce and tourism industry, economic growth is hindered by a lack of natural resources, refugee influx, and regional instability.
Continuing the alphabet theme and all today’s answers begin with the letter… ‘T’.
The Roman bridge at Alcántara, in Extremadura, Spain built between 104 and 106 CE by order of the Roman emperor Trajan. Image Wikipedia
One
The 1,900-year-old Alcantara Bridge spans a river that rises in Spain’s Albarracín Mountains before travelling 626 miles (1,007 km) to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Can you name the river?
Two
In what sport did Fred Perry become the 1929 World Champion?
Three
Pitti-Sing, Peep-Bo and Yum-Yum are characters in which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta?
Four
Porto Bello Gold (1924) by Arthur D. Howden Smith is a prequel to which 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson novel?
Five
Jordan assumed its present name in 1949, what was it called immediately prior to that?
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
Quidditch accessories. Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Image Wikipedia
One
The equipment pictured above is for use in…
Answer: Quidditch
Quidditch, a fictional sport from the Harry Potter series, is played on flying broomsticks with the objective of scoring points by throwing a ball through hoops and catching a golden ball. A real-life version of the game exists, where players run with brooms.
Desmond Llewelyn was ‘Q’ in 17 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1999. Image Wikipedia
Two
The James Bond novels and films feature a recurring character named ‘Q’. However, what word does the ‘Q’ stand for?
Answer: Quartermaster
Q, head of Q Branch in the James Bond series, oversees top-secret field technologies. The character, originally named Major Boothroyd, has been portrayed by Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese and Ben Whishaw. Q, inspired by Charles Fraser-Smith, has appeared, or been referred to, in most Bond films and novels, with variations in the character’s role and name.
Illustration of Queequeg and his harpoon. (Moby Dick – 1902 edition: Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York.) Image Wikipedia
Three
The name of a character in the novel Moby-Dick links it to Special Agent Dana Scully. What is that name?
Answer:Queequeg
Queequeg, a Polynesian harpooner with facial tattoos, befriends Ishmael in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. He serves as Starbuck’s harpooner aboard the Pequod. Dana Scully named her dog Queequeg after the Moby-Dick character. She also used the name as an email handle and password.
Queen Latifah as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in Chicago (2002). Image Pinterest
Four
In the film Chicago (2002) who portrayed Matron ‘Mama’ Morton?
Answer: Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe. Latifah is known for her music, acting and television work, including her role in the sitcom Living Single and her portrayal of Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie. In the film Chicago the corrupt Matron ‘Mama’ Morton supervises Murderess’ Row in Cook County jail.
1. Manhattan (New York County) 2. Brooklyn (Kings County) 3. Queens (Queens County) 4. The Bronx (Bronx County) 5. Staten Island (Richmond County). Note: JFK and LGA airports are both located in Queens (marked by brown). Image Wikipedia
Five
What is the largest by area of the five boroughs of New York City?
Answer: Queens
The five boroughs are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. At 108.7 square miles Queens is the largest borough in New York City by area, with Brooklyn being the second largest (69.4) and Manhattan the smallest (22.7). Queens is highly diverse with a population of 2.4 million. It is home to both of New York City’s airports and several notable landmarks, including Flushing Meadows–Corona Park and Citi Field.
The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.
Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. Image Madly Odd
One
The writer of You Don’t Brine Me Flowers had a hit duet with it alongside Barbra Streisand. Who is the songwriter?
Answer: Neil Diamond
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers was originally written for a TV sitcom but later expanded into a duet by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.
Fully defined compass rose displaying 32 points. Image Wikipedia
Two
The compass point found at 22.5° from North is what?
Answer: NNE or north-northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal directions used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose typically consists of four cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and four ordinal directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest). A fully defined compass has 32 points.
In The Lord of the Rings how many Nazgûl were there?
Answer: Nine
The Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, are nine men corrupted by Sauron’s Rings of Power, becoming immortal wraiths bound to his will. Led by the Witch-king of Angmar, they serve as Sauron’s most terrifying servants, using terror and weapons like Morgul-knives to pursue the One Ring. They are also known as The Nine, Úlairi (in Quenya), Black Riders, Fell Riders, and Ringwraiths.
Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory in relation to New South Wales Image Wikipedia
Four
Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are enclaves within which Australian state?
Answer: New South Wales
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is an internal territory of Australia, home to the capital city of Canberra. It was established in 1911 as the seat of the Australian government, hosting Parliament House, the High Court, and numerous government agencies. The ACT is governed by a locally elected legislative assembly, though the Commonwealth retains authority over certain areas, including the Parliamentary Triangle. The Jervis Bay Territory is an internal territory of Australia, established in 1915 to provide the federal government with a port near the ACT.
The SI unit of force. It is equal to the force that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second per second, and is equivalent to 100,000 dynes. – Oxford English Dictionary
What word is being defined above?
Answer: Newton
The newton (symbol: N) is the unit of force in the International System of Units. It is defined as the force that accelerates a mass of one kilogram at one metre per second squared, expressed in terms of SI base units. The unit is named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his groundbreaking work in classical mechanics, particularly his second law of motion.
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