U is for… | Answers

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.


Frodo Baggins.
Image Pinterest

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

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.

Vasari Corridor
Image

U is for…

Continuing the alphabet theme, today all answers begin with the letter ‘U’.

Image

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?

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?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

T is for… | Answers

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
by Arthur D. Howden Smith.
Image Project Gutenberg

Four

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


Transjordan, c1946.
Image Wikipedia

Five

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.

T is for…

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?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

S is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Dark Shadows (2012)

One

In 2012, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the American Gothic fantasy film, Dark

Answer: (Dark) Shadows

Tim Burton’s 2012 film Dark Shadows is a Gothic dark fantasy based on the earlier television soap opera. The film stars Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, with a cameo from Jonathan Frid, the original television series star. Christopher Lee also has a small role, marking his 200th film appearance.


Gandalf and Shadowfax.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Image Pinterest

Two

In The Lord of the Rings, when King Théoden instructed Gandalf to take any horse and depart, which one did he choose?

Answer: Shadowfax

Shadowfax, a Meara horse, was Gandalf’s steed from his escape from Orthanc. He was instrumental in battles, transporting Gandalf and others, and was present at the final battle before the Black Gate. Shadowfax accompanied Gandalf on his return journey to the North.


k.d. lang, 2006. Image Wikipedia

Three

What is the title of k.d. lang’s debut solo album, released in 1988?

Answer: Shadowland

k.d. lang’s debut solo album, Shadowland, was released in 1988 and featured a collaboration with Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee.


Shiloh, film poser 1996. The Movie Database

Four

Released in 1997, this film follows Marty, a young boy, and an abused Beagle pup. Veteran actor Rod Steiger plays Doc Wallace. What is the name of the eponymous dog?

Answer: Shiloh

Shiloh is a 1996 American film based on the book of the same name by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The film’s general release was in 1997; it has two sequels. Marty rescues an abused Beagle puppy named Shiloh from his cruel owner after witnessing its mistreatment. Marty hides Shiloh but is forced to return him. When the owner refuses to sell Shiloh, Marty and his father fight to keep him, ultimately leading to the release of Shiloh back to Marty.


Shadowcat aka Kitty Pryde.
Image Pinterest

Five

Katherine ‘Kitty’ Pryde from the X-Men universe chose what name when she matured from a girl into a young woman?

Answer: Shadowcat

Kitty Pryde, a Jewish mutant from Illinois, joined the X-Men as Sprite and later became Shadowcat. After Krakoa’s fall, she returned to Illinois, where she met Trista Marshall and embraced her original name, Kitty.

S is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘S’.

Dark…
See question one.

One

In 2012, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the American Gothic fantasy film, Dark

Two

In The Lord of the Rings, when King Théoden instructed Gandalf to take any horse and depart, which one did he choose?

Three

What is the title of k.d. lang’s debut solo album, released in 1988?

Four

Released in 1997, this film follows Marty, a young boy, and an abused Beagle pup. Veteran actor Rod Steiger plays Doc Wallace. What is the name of the eponymous dog?

Five

Katherine ‘Kitty’ Pryde from the X-Men universe chose what name when she matured from a girl into a young woman?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

R is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

One

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’a grace
As lang’s my arm.

– the opening stanza of Address to a Haggis
Reproduced from Burns Country.

Identify the poet who wrote the above, and who, or what is the ‘Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!’ that is referred to?

Answer: Robert Burns and Haggis

Address to a Haggis is a Scots language poem by Scottish poet, Robert Burns. One of the more well known Scottish poems, the title refers to the national dish of Scotland, haggis, which is a savoury pudding. The poem is most often recited at Burns suppers, a Scottish cultural event celebrating the life of Robert Burns where everybody stands as the haggis is brought in on a silver salver whilst a bagpiper will lead the way towards the host’s table. The host or a guest will then recite the poem while slicing open the haggis at the right moment with a ceremonial knife. The full poem is available, with translations to English and other languages, on Burns Country.

Robert Burns, Scottish poet and lyricist.
Portrait by Alexander Nasmyth.
Image Wikipedia

Two

In what urban location do the games in the Resident Evil series take place?

Answer: Raccoon City

Raccoon City, the setting of the Resident Evil series, was chosen to evoke a sense of American horror. Inspired by George A. Romero’s zombie films, the name was intended to connect with the Western audience.


Three

Hydrophobia is defined as 

extreme or irrational fear of water, especially as a symptom of _ in humans.

What word is missing from the above definition?

Answer: Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease causing encephalitis in humans and mammals, characterised by fever, abnormal sensations, and later, fear of water, confusion and loss of consciousness. The incubation period is usually one to three months but can vary.


Statue of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.
Image Wikipedia

Four

Sir Guy of Gisbourne is featured in the legends of which English folk hero?

Answer: Robin Hood

Originally, Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a hired assassin, attempted to kill Robin Hood but was defeated in a fight. Later depictions portray him as a romantic rival for Maid Marian’s love.


Five

Max Cady, a character in the 1991 film Cape Fear, was played by…

Answer: Robert De Niro

Max Cady, the antagonist in John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners, is a criminal with a grudge against attorney Sam Bowden, who sent him to prison for rape. After his release, Cady terrorises Bowden and his family, seeking revenge for his imprisonment and the loss of his wife and child. The character was played by Robert Mitchum in the 1962 film of the same name.

R is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘R’.

One

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!
Aboon them a’ yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’a grace
As lang’s my arm.

Identify the poet who wrote the above, and who, or what is the ‘Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!’ that is referred to?

Two

In what urban location do the games in the Resident Evil series take place?

Three

Hydrophobia is defined as 

extreme or irrational fear of water, especially as a symptom of _ in humans.

What word is missing from the above definition?

Four

Sir Guy of Gisbourne is featured in the legends of which English folk hero?

Five

Max Cady, a character in the 1991 film Cape Fear, was played by…

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Q is for… | Answers

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.

Q is for …

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘Q’.

Image Wikipedia

One

The equipment pictured above is for use in…

Two

The James Bond novels and films feature a recurring character named ‘Q’. However, what word does the ‘Q’ stand for?

Three

The name of a character in the novel Moby-Dick links it to Special Agent Dana Scully. What is that name?

Four

In the film Chicago (2002) who portrayed Matron ‘Mama’ Morton?

Five

What is the largest by area of the five boroughs of New York City?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.