Quizology.Online

Tag: geography

  • Remote Sensing — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
    Image Marine Oceans

    Today’s questions follow a theme, but I don’t have the remotest intention of mentioning it.

    One

    The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station sits on the Antarctic ice at the South Pole. At approximately what elevation above sea level is this base? (The answer can be either feet or metres.)

    Answer: 9,301 feet or 2,835 metres.

    The station, which supports scientific exploration, is isolated in a polar desert with extreme cold with the annual average temperature is −49°C (−56°F), though winter conditions can push readings below −80°C (−112°F). Opened in 1956, named after explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott, it was rebuilt in 1975 and expanded in the 1990s. Completed in 2008, it includes 47 buildings, housing offices, laboratories, observatories, accommodation, dining, recreation and medical facilities. The station accommodates up to 150 people a week in the summer but this drops to 42 in the winter.

    Two

    An Antarctic Mystery was a two-volume novel written in 1897 which is a continuation of a novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, written in 1838 by another author. Who were the authors of these novels? 

    Answers: Jules Verne (wrote the 1897 work); Edgar Allan Poe (wrote the 1838 novel).

    Jules Verne’s 1897 two-volume novel An Antarctic Mystery continues Edgar Allan Poe’s 1838 work, following the narrator’s voyage from the Kerguelen Islands aboard Halbrane. 

    Three

    The Kerguelen Islands, which are a World Heritage Site, part of the French Southern and Austral Lands and Seas, lie in what ocean?

    Answer: Indian Ocean.

    The Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a remote sub-Antarctic archipelago administered by France. The islands, part of the Kerguelen Plateau, have a harsh climate and are home to a permanent French presence of 45 to 100 people.

    Four

    A part of a U.K. overseas territory holds the title of the world’s most remote human settlement. What is this settlement and where it’s located?

    Answers: Tristan da Cunha; South Atlantic Ocean.

    The remotest inhabited island in the world is Tristan da Cunha, discovered in the South Atlantic by Tristao da Cunha, a Portuguese admiral, in March 1506. It has an area of 98km² (38 miles²). After evacuation in 1961 (due to volcanic activity), 198 islanders returned in November 1963. The nearest inhabited land to the group is the island of St Helena, 2,435 km (1,315 nautical miles) to the north-east.

    In The Guardian, 8 August 2005: “Tristan Da Cunha, an overseas territory of the UK which takes six days to reach by boat from Cape Town, was assigned the postcode TDCU 1ZZ when the 276 inhabitants asked the UK’s Royal Mail for help after being unable to shop online without a postcode.”

    — Guinness World Records

    Five

    In 1726, an Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer wrote a satirical novel which contains the word ‘remote’ in its original title. By what title is the novel commonly known today?

    Answer: Gulliver’s Travels.

    The original title of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is:
    Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.

    Remote Sensing

    The theme was simply remoteness.

  • Remote Sensing

    Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
    Image Marine Oceans

    Today’s questions follow a theme, but I don’t have the remotest intention of mentioning it.

    One

    The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station sits on the Antarctic ice at the South Pole. At approximately what elevation above sea level is this base? (The answer can be either feet or metres.)

    Two

    An Antarctic Mystery was a two-volume novel written in 1897 which is a continuation of a novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, written in 1838 by another author. Who were the authors of these novels? 

    Three

    The Kerguelen Islands, which are a World Heritage Site, part of the French Southern and Austral Lands and Seas, lie in what ocean?

    Four

    A part of a U.K. overseas territory holds the title of the world’s most remote human settlement. What is this settlement and where it’s located?

    Five

    In 1726, an Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer wrote a satirical novel which contains the word ‘remote’ in its original title. By what title is the novel commonly known today?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • 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.

  • The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    Fresh brown loaf sliced to uniform thickness by a bread slicing machine.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions relate to the date, 7 July.

    One

    On this day, bread loaves that had been pre-sliced by a machine designed by jeweller Otto Rohwedder were sold for the first time. In what decade and on what continent did this occur?

    Answer: 1920s; North America.

    Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first bread-slicing machine, with a working model in 1928. The Chillicothe Baking Company, Chillicothe, Missouri, U.S., sold the first sliced bread on 7 July 1928. Gustav Papendick improved slicing by using cardboard trays, and W.E. Long promoted packaging. Wonder Bread marketed sliced bread nationwide in 1930. The first slicing and wrapping machine in the UK was installed at Wonderloaf Bakery, Tottenham, London, in 1937. By the 1950s, approximately 80% of bread sold in Britain was pre-sliced, reflecting a significant shift in bread consumption habits and bakery practices during that era.

    Two

    The archipelago in which the six-month-long World War II Battle of Guadalcanal took place gained independence in 1978. By what name is this island country known today, and what country did it gain independence from?

    Answer: Solomon Islands; Great Britain.

    The Solomon Islands, an archipelagic country in Melanesia, consists of six major islands and over 1,000 smaller islands. Settled since at least 30,000 BC, it became a British protectorate in 1893 and gained independence in 1978, becoming a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II as queen, succeeded by King Charles III in 2022.

    Three

    Also in 1978, Martina Navratilova won the first of her Wimbledon singles titles. Who was the defeated semi-finalist in that match, and how many singles titles did Navratilova win at Wimbledon in total?

    Answer: Chris Evert; nine.

    Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former tennis player, dominated women’s tennis in the 1980s. She holds numerous records, including 18 singles majors, 31 women’s doubles majors, and 10 mixed doubles majors. Navratilova, who became a US citizen in 1981 and later reacquired Czech citizenship, is also known for her activism on gay rights.

    Four

    The final film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series premiered in London. What was the film’s title, and in what year was this?

    Answer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2; 2011.

    The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, follows the life of a young wizard and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series explores themes of prejudice, corruption, love, and death, and has sold over 600 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling book series in history. The franchise has expanded to include films, a play, a television series, and various other derivative works.

    Five

    On this day in 1937, an incident occurred at the Marco Polo Bridge between troops of two armies. This became the first incident in a war that lasted eight years. In what country is the Marco Polo Bridge? The belligerents in this war were a republic and an empire. Who were they?

    Answer: China; Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.

    The Marco Polo Bridge, officially the Lugou Bridge, located southwest of Beijing, is famous for its praise by Marco Polo and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which sparked the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war, referred to in China as the War of Resistance Against Japan, was a conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, along with its puppet states, from 1937 to 1945. This war followed a localised conflict in Manchuria that began in 1931. It is frequently considered the start of World War II in Asia, as the two wars became closely linked after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. It stands as the largest Asian war of the 20th century.

    The best thing since sliced bread

    the best thing since sliced bread (also the greatest thing since sliced bread) informal used to emphasize one’s enthusiasm about a new idea, person, or thing: they think that she is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
    — Oxford English Dictionary 

  • The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

    Fresh brown loaf sliced to uniform thickness by a bread slicing machine.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions relate to the date, 7 July.

    One

    On this day, bread loaves that had been pre-sliced by a machine designed by jeweller Otto Rohwedder were sold for the first time. In what decade and on what continent did this occur?

    Two

    The archipelago in which the six-month-long World War II Battle of Guadalcanal took place gained independence in 1978. By what name is this island country known today, and what country did it gain independence from?

    Three

    Also in 1978, Martina Navratilova won the first of her Wimbledon singles titles. Who was the defeated semi-finalist in that match, and how many singles titles did Navratilova win at Wimbledon in total?

    Four

    The final film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series premiered in London. What was the film’s title, and in what year was this?

    Five

    On this day in 1937, an incident occurred at the Marco Polo Bridge between troops of two armies. This became the first incident in a war that lasted eight years. In what country is the Marco Polo Bridge? The belligerents in this war were a republic and an empire. Who were they?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.