Tag: literature

F is for… | Answers

Forth Bridge.
Image Wikipedia
  1. The bridge pictured is the…
    • Forth Bridge—The Forth Bridge, a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth (estuary of the River Forth) in Scotland, was completed in 1890 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the world’s longest single cantilever bridge span until 1919 and remains the second longest.
      Frida Kahlo, by Guillermo Kahlo.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Which Mexican painter’s final work, Viva La Vida (1954), depicts a still-life of watermelons?
    • Frida Kahlo—was a Mexican painter known for her self-portraits and works inspired by Mexican culture. Her paintings, often autobiographical and mixing realism with fantasy gained international recognition in the late 1970s and early 1990s, becoming an icon for Chicanos, feminists and the LGBTQ+ community.
      Felix in Oceantics (1930).
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Which feline has been described as the world’s most popular cartoon star before Mickey Mouse?
    • Felix the cat—created in 1919, is a cartoon character known for his black body, white eyes, and grin. He starred in animated shorts, a comic strip and merchandise, but his popularity declined with the advent of sound cartoons. Despite a brief revival in the 1930s and television appearances in the 1950s, Felix’s success waned.
      Enrico Fermi, 1943.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Which synthetic element, atomic No 100, is named after an Italian-born physicist?
    • Fermium—a synthetic actinide with the symbol Fm and atomic number 100, is the heaviest element produced by neutron bombardment. Discovered in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952 it is named after Enrico Fermi.
      Ray Bradbury.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Author Ray Bradbury is best known for what 1953 novel?
    • Fahrenheit 451—Ray Bradbury was an American author and screenwriter known for his works in fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery and realistic fiction. His other well-known works include The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man.

F is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘F’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

Image Wikipedia
  1. The bridge pictured is the…
  2. Which Mexican painter’s final work, Viva La Vida (1954), depicts a still-life of watermelons?
  3. Which feline has been described as the world’s most popular cartoon star before Mickey Mouse?
  4. Which synthetic element, atomic No 100, is named after an Italian-born physicist?
  5. Author Ray Bradbury is best known for what 1953 novel?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

E is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

Europa, as imaged by the Juno spacecraft, September 2022.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Which moon of Jupiter is pictured?
    • Europa—Europa, one of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, is an icy moon with a smooth surface, possibly due to a subsurface ocean. It is believed to have an iron-nickel core and a water-ice shell, with a thin atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Europa was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 and named after Europa, a lover of Zeus in Greek mythology.
      Discworld supported by four giant elephants on the back of Great A’Tuin, the Giant Star Turtle.
      Image Pinterest
  2. In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld what are Berilia, Tubul, Great T’Phon and Jerakeen?
    • Elephants—Great A’Tuin is the Giant Star Turtle (of the fictional species Chelys galactica) who travels through the Discworld universe’s space, carrying four giant elephants, named Berilia, Tubul, Great T’Phon and Jerakeen, who in turn carry the Discworld.
      Alligator in a cypress dome, Everglades National Park.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. The largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the continental USA is which National Park?
    • Everglades National Park—Established in 1947, Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of wetland, forest, and marine habitats, providing drinking water and recreational opportunities.
      Jane Austen.
      Portrait by Cassandra Austen, c. 1810.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Name a Jane Austen novel, published in 1816, which is set in the village of Highbury?
    • Emma—a novel by Jane Austen, is set in the fictional village of Highbury and explores the relationships of its inhabitants. The story follows Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and intelligent young woman who meddles in the love lives of others, leading to humorous misadventures.
  5. Which part of a newt is mentioned as a potion ingredient by the second witch in Shakespeare’s Macbeth?
    • Eye—see quote below from Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1 (line 10)

In the poisones entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweated venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first in the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing.
For charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and couldron bubble.

Scale of dragon,tooth of wolf,
Witch’s mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg’d in the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat; and slips of yew
silver’d in the moon’s eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by the drab,-
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
For ingredients of our cauldron.
Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

E is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘E’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

Image Wikipedia
  1. Which moon of Jupiter is pictured?
  2. In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld what are Berilia, Tubul, Great T’Phon and Jerakeen?
  3. The largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the continental USA is which national park?
  4. Name a Jane Austen novel, published in 1816, which is set in the village of Highbury?
  5. Which part of a newt is mentioned as a potion ingredient by the second witch in Shakespeare’s Macbeth?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

D is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

Devils Tower, Wyoming.
Image US National Parks Service
  1. What is the pictured US National Monument and in what US state is it located?
    • Devils Tower, Wyoming—Devils Tower, a 1,267-foot igneous rock butte in Wyoming, was established as the first US national monument in 1906. Originally named ‘Bear’s House’ by indigenous peoples, it was renamed “Devils Tower” in 1875 and remains unchanged despite proposals to recognise indigenous ties.
      Tenzin Gyatso – 14th Dalai Lama
      Image Wikipedia
  2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
    • Dalai Lama—The Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, with the title bestowed upon Sonam Gyatso in 1578. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has symbolised Tibetan unity, serving as both a religious and secular leader. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, lives in exile in India and has advocated for Tibetan autonomy while rejecting calls for independence.
      Dacha in Yekaterinburg, Russia
      Image Wikipedia
  3. What is defined as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
    • Dacha—A dacha is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the outskirts of post-Soviet countries. Originating as small country estates gifted by the tsar, dachas have been popular among the Russian upper and middle classes. During the Soviet era, many dachas were state-owned and given to the people, and today, about 62% of Russians visit dachas in the summer.
      Marvin the Paranoid Android.
      Costume used in the TV series, on display at Gunnersbury Park Museum.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was created by which science fiction writer?
    • Douglas Adams—writer of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy created Marvin as the ship’s robot aboard the Heart of Gold. Marvin is a failed prototype of Sirius Cybernetics Corporation’s GPP technology who, despite his vast intellect, is underutilised, leading to severe depression and boredom.
      David Coulthard.
      Champions for Charity 2022.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?
    • David Coulthard—nicknamed ‘DC’, is a former British Formula One driver who competed from 1994 to 2008. He won 13 Grands Prix, finished second in the Drivers’ Championship in 2001, and retired from Formula One in 2008. After retirement, he became a broadcaster and commentator for Formula One.

D is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘D’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

Devils Tower, Wyoming.
Image US National Parks Service
  1. What is the pictured US National Monument, and in which US state is it located?
  2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
  3. What is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
  4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was originally created for a radio series by which science fiction writer?
  5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

B is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Image Wikipedia
  1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
    • Baby Jane—Davis was nomininated for an Academy Award for her performance as the title character in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Baby Jane, by Dr Feelgood first appeared on Be Seeing You, a Dr. Feelgood album released in 1977 and was later a single. A track with the same name was the lead single from Rod Stewart’s twelfth studio album Body Wishes (1983).
      A bearded Jeremy Paxman.
      Image BBC
  2.  Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
    • Beards—Pogonophobia, derived from Greek words for “beard” and “fear”, is a fear of beards. The term is often used jokingly, but it has been studied in psychological experiments and has been associated with cultural norms, religious beliefs and societal perceptions. Jeremy Paxman accused the BBC of pogonophobia after facing criticism for presenting Newsnight with a beard.
      Charles Dickens.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was it?
    • Bleak House—Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, published serially from 1852 to 1853, satirises a long-running legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, inspired by real-life precedents. The novel, set in London, is credited with introducing urban fog to Gothic fiction and helped support judicial reform.
      City of Puno, Peru the largest urban area on Lake Titicaca.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
    • Bolivia—Lake Titicaca, located in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is the largest lake in South America. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres. The lake consists of two sub-basins, Lago Grande and Wiñaymarka, connected by the Strait of Tiquina.
      European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
      Image Wikipedia
  5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?
    • Beech—Beech trees, native to Eurasia and North America, are deciduous trees with 14 accepted species. The European beech, Fagus sylvatica, is commonly cultivated for its timber, used in furniture, flooring, engineering, and brewing.

– ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘beech’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

– Oxford English Dictionary

B is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘B’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

Amantaní viewed from Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
Image Wikipedia
  1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
  2. Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
  3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was the title?
  4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
  5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?

– ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘…’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

– Oxford English Dictionary

Good luck! As usual, I will post the answers later today.

A is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

The Admiral Benbow in Penzance, reportedly an inspiration for Stevenson’s Inn.
Image Wikipedia
  1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
    • Admiral Benbow—The narrator recounts the arrival of a mysterious seaman, the Captain, at the Admiral Benbow inn. The Captain, a silent and brooding figure, pays for a long stay and requests the narrator to keep watch for a one-legged seafarer. The narrator, haunted by dreams of this ominous figure, becomes entangled in the Captain’s web of secrecy and fear.
      The view of destroyed interior of briefing room in Hitler’s headquatter Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg (Ketrzyn) in East Prussia.
      (from left to right Heinz Linge, Martin Bormann, Julius Schaub, Hermann Göring, Bruno Loerzer, unknown.)
      Image Wikipedia
  2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
    • Adolf Hitler—During World War II, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), disillusioned with Nazi Germany, joins the German Resistance. He proposes using Operation Valkyrie to seize power after assassinating Hitler, but the plan fails when Hitler survives the bomb attack. The plotters are arrested, and Stauffenberg, along with other leaders, is executed.
      Alain Prost, 1990, US Grand Prix, Phoenix.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
    • Alain Prost—nicknamed “the Professor”, is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1993. He won four Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles and held records for most wins, fastest laps and podium finishes at the time of his retirement. After retiring from Formula One, Prost competed in various racing series, including the FFSA GT Championship and the Andros Trophy, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
      Uluru/Ayers Rock.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
    • Ayers Rock—Uluru, a landmark in the Northern Territory, is known as Uluṟu by the local Aṉangu people. It was named Ayers Rock in 1873 after Sir Henry Ayers, but officially became Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993 and Uluru/Ayers Rock in 2002.
      Theseus slaying the Minotaur by Bayre.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?
    • Ariadne—Ariadne, a Cretan princess, helped Theseus escape the Minotaur but was abandoned on Naxos. There, Dionysus fell in love with her, married her, and created the Corona Borealis constellation.

A is for…

Robert Louis Stevenson.
Image Wikipedia

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘A’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

  1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
  2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
  3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
  4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
  5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.