Quizology.Online

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”

— Bertrand Russell

Tag: literature

  • We’re Going To Let It All Hang Down — Answers

    Today’s answers

    The Midnight Star, Deadwood, South Dakota close in 2017.
    Image Trip Advisor

    Today’s questions follow a theme.

    One

    The narrator and protagonist of the Booker Prize-winning novel in 1981 is Saleem Sinai, who is born in 1947 at midnight as India becomes independent. Saleem and children born in India between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on that date are found to have special powers. What is the novel and who wrote it?

    Answer: Midnight’s Children; Salman Rushdie.

    Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie’s second novel, narrates India’s transition from British rule to independence and partition through Saleem Sinai’s magical realist tale. Blending history with fiction, it echoes The Tin Drum and preserves history via fictional accounts. The novel sold over one million copies in the UK, winning the Booker Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1981. It later received the Booker of Bookers (1993), Best of the Booker (2008), and ranked 100th in the BBC’s The Big Read (2003).

    Two

    The song Everybody’s Talkin’ won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Who was the singer awarded, and in what 1969 film did the song feature?

    Answer: Harry Nilsson: Midnight Cowboy.

    Fred Neil’s 1966 song Everybody’s Talkin’ was re-recorded by Harry Nilsson in 1969 for Midnight Cowboy, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning a Grammy. The original, recorded in 1967, was re-released by RCA, achieving similar Billboard success.

    Three

    It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.

    The above quote is from which of the Harry Potter novels?

    Answer: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

    It is the opening sentence of ‘The Other Minister’, the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which is the sixth book in the series. Harry Potter enters his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Voldemort’s dark forces gather and a mood of dread spreads across the country, Harry recognises that he must soon face his destiny. Can he prevail in the perilous trials ahead?

    Four

    Come On Eileen was a hit single for which English band?

    Answer: Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

    Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, released in June 1982, topped charts in the UK and the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, it won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. Ranked No. 18 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ‘80s, it was Britain’s best-selling single of 1982.

    Five

    The Midnight Star was a casino owned by Kevin Costner. It opened in the spring of 1991, after Costner had, the previous year, directed and starred in an Academy Award-winning film which was filmed nearby. In what city and state was the casino sited, and what was the 1990 Oscar-winning film?

    Answer: Deadwood, South Dakota; Dances With Wolves.

    The Midnight Star was a casino in Deadwood owned by American film actor Kevin Costner. After directing and starring in the Academy Award-winning film Dances With Wolves (1990), which was filmed largely in South Dakota, Costner opened the venue in spring 1991. The casino operated as a saloon that had appeared prominently in Silverado (1985), one of his early major roles. International posters from many of his films lined the walls. The casino closed in 2017.

    We’re Going To Shake Your Tambourine

    The post title is taken from Eric Clapton’s After Midnight, and midnight was the theme running through today’s quiz, with it being in either the question or the answer.

  • We’re Going To Let It All Hang Down

    The Midnight Star, Deadwood, South Dakota close in 2017.
    Image Trip Advisor

    Today’s questions follow a theme.

    One

    The narrator and protagonist of the Booker Prize-winning novel in 1981 is Saleem Sinai, who is born in 1947 at midnight as India becomes independent. Saleem and children born in India between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on that date are found to have special powers. What is the novel and who wrote it?

    Two

    The song Everybody’s Talkin’ won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Who was the singer awarded, and in what 1969 film did the song feature?

    Three

    It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.

    The above quote is from which of the Harry Potter novels?

    Four

    Come On Eileen was a hit single for which English band?

    Five

    The Midnight Star was a casino owned by Kevin Costner. It opened in the spring of 1991, after Costner had, the previous year, directed and starred in an Academy Award-winning film which was filmed nearby. In what city and state was the casino sited, and what was the 1990 Oscar-winning film?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • One Thing Leads to Another — Answer

    Today’s Answers

    Question One.
    Klondikers carrying supplies ascending the Chilkoot Pass, 1898.
    Source

    Today’s first question relates to 17 August and the subsequent ones follow on from the first.

    One

    Set during the Klondike Gold Rush, complete the title of British-Canadian poet Robert Service’s The Shooting of …?

    Answer: Dan McGrew.

    Gold found in 1896 launched the Klondike Gold Rush. Robert William Service, an English-born Canadian writer, became well known for his Klondike poems, including The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. Commercial success from collections such as Songs of a Sourdough allowed for travel and a leisurely life.

    Two

    Which nesosilicate mineral derives its name from the Persian word for ‘gold-hued’?

    Answer: Zircon.

    Zircon is a tetragonal nesosilicate (ZrSiO₄) yielding zirconium and containing hafnium at 1–4%. It precipitates from silicate melts and occurs in varied colours. The name comes from Persian zargun (“gold-hued”), becoming jargoon for light zircons; English zircon derives from German Zirkon.

    Three

    Which Persian king, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was assassinated in 465BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal guard?

    Answer: Xerxes I or Xerxes the Great.

    Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire became the largest of its time, spanning from the Balkans to the Indus Valley. Alexander the Great conquered it in 330 BC; later, the Parthian Empire emerged. Its bureaucracy, tolerance and infrastructure influenced later empires.

    Four

    Alexander the Great extended the Macedonian kingdom as far east as what modern country?

    Answer: India.

    The Beas River, in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northwestern India, marked Alexander the Great’s eastern limit in 326 BC after his troops mutinied at Mukerian. Alexander yielded after three days and raised twelve altars; their fate is unknown.

    Five

    What novel by Herman Wouk, which is about a mutiny, was turned into a 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart?

    Answer: The Caine Mutiny.

    Herman Wouk’s 1951 novel The Caine Mutiny draws on Pacific Theater service to explore officers’ moral choices. A legalistic mutiny during Typhoon Cobra leads to a court-martial climax.

    One Thing Leads to Another

    The post title points to a trail through the questions. One is set during the Klondike Gold Rush; Two derives from Persian for ‘gold-hued’; Three is about a Persian king of the Achaemenid Empire; Four is about the conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire facing a mutiny; and Five is about a fictional mutiny.

  • One Thing Leads to Another

    Question One.
    Klondikers carrying supplies ascending the Chilkoot Pass, 1898.
    Source

    Today’s first question relates to 17 August and the subsequent ones follow on from the first.

    One

    Set during the Klondike Gold Rush, complete the title of British-Canadian poet Robert Service’s The Shooting of …?

    Two

    Which nesosilicate mineral derives its name from the Persian word for ‘gold-hued’?

    Three

    Which Persian king, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was assassinated in 465BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal guard?

    Four

    Alexander the Great extended the Macedonian kingdom as far east as what modern country?

    Five

    What novel by Herman Wouk, which is about a mutiny, was turned into a 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Seconds Out — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    See question three.
    Brünnhilde pleads with her sisters to rescue Sieglinde: (Arthur Rackham, 1910).
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions are not date-related but do follow a theme mentioned in the title.

    One

    What is the title of the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel?

    Answer: The Two Towers.

    Published in 1954, The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Its title remains ambiguous, as five towers appear in the text. The narrative creates suspense through interwoven storylines. Critics have praised its epic and romantic qualities, and it became the basis for Peter Jackson’s 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

    Two

    When it is visible, it is the most brilliant planet in the sky.

    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    The above sentence is from an Encyclopædia Britannica article about a planet. What planet?

    Answer: Venus.

    Venus, second from the Sun and closest large body to Earth, appears near sunrise or sunset as the brightest planet. Although today named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, ancient records, which include Babylonian, Chinese, Central American, Egyptian, and Greek, show it was studied by multiple civilisations.

    Three

    The third drama conceived and written, yet the second opera in Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Which mythic creatures does this drama take its name from?

    Answer: Valkyries.

    Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), premiered in Munich in June 1870 and as part of the cycle in 1876. Based on Norse mythology, it follows Volsung twins Sieglinde and Siegmund, whose love angers the gods. Brünnhilde defies them, saving Sieglinde and her unborn child.

    Four

    The … Revolution created the second independent country in the Americas after the United States became independent in 1783.

    — Office of Historian, U.S. Department of State

    An adjective has been omitted from the preceding quote; which nation does the term describe?

    Answer: Haiti.

    Haitian was removed from the quote. The Haitian Revolution established the second independent American nation after the U.S. in 1783. Haiti, formerly St. Domingue, was a profitable French colony reliant on slave labour. The French Revolution sparked a slave revolt in 1791, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture. U.S. leaders, many of whom were slaveowners, were ambivalent about the revolt. Initially, they aided its suppression but later supported L’Ouverture. Due to policy shifts and domestic issues, the U.S. didn’t recognise Haiti’s independence until 1862. Jefferson initially aided L’Ouverture but later isolated Haiti.

    Five

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s second Sherlock Holmes novel involves the theft of the Agra treasure. What is the title of the novel?

    Answer: The Sign of the Four (aka The Sign of Four).

    The Sign of the Four is Arthur Conan Doyle’s second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. In it, he investigates Mary Morstan’s case involving her missing father. Dr Watson, Holmes’ companion, marries Mary Morstan. Published in February 1890 it followed the first novel, A Study in Scarlet. 

  • Seconds Out

    See question three.
    Brünnhilde pleads with her sisters to rescue Sieglinde: (Arthur Rackham, 1910).
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions are not date-related but do follow a theme mentioned in the title.

    One

    What is the title of the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel?

    Two

    When it is visible, it is the most brilliant planet in the sky.

    The above sentence is from an Encyclopædia Britannica article about a planet. What planet?

    Three

    The third drama conceived and written, yet the second opera in Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Which mythic creatures does this drama take its name from?

    Four

    The … Revolution created the second independent country in the Americas after the United States became independent in 1783.

    An adjective has been omitted from the preceding quote; which nation does the term describe?

    Five

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s second Sherlock Holmes novel involves the theft of the Agra treasure. What is the title of the novel?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • The Italian Job — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    Pope Adrian VI.
    Image Wikimedia Commons/Image copyright Centraal Museum, Utrecht

    Five questions today which are not date-related and follow a religious theme.

    One

    Adrian VI was the last non-Italian to be elected pope until John Paul II in 1978. In what year had Adrian been elected? 

    Answer: 1522

    Adrian VI, born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens, served as pope from 1522 to 1523. The only Dutchman elected, he attempted reform and admitted Curia fault but faced resistance. He was succeeded by Clement VII.

    Two

    The word “antidisestablishmentarianism” refers to opposition to what?

    Answer: The disestablishment of the Church of England.

    antidisestablishmentarianism

    ▸  noun [mass noun] rare opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England: I never realized that you leaned towards antidisestablishmentarianism.

    Antidisestablishmentarianism is very occasionally found in genuine use, but it is most often cited as an example of a very long word. 

    – DERIVATIVES antidisestablishmentarian ▸  noun  & adjective

     — Oxford English Dictionary 

    There

    In the book title The Red and the Black what do the colours symbolise?

    Answer: The army (red) and the church (black).

    The title of Stendhal’s 1830 novel The Red and the Black is ambiguous, but the colours are widely seen as symbolising the two careers available to Julien Sorel in post-Napoleonic France. Red refers to the red uniform of the army, especially the glory and advancement associated with Napoleon’s military career. Black refers to the black cassock of the clergy, representing the Church as an alternative route to power, status, and influence after Napoleon’s fall.

    Four

    Which Unification Church leader founded The Washington Times in 1982?

    Answer: Sun Myung Moon.

    Sun Myung Moon founded the Unification Church, authored Divine Principle and promoted mass weddings. An anti-communist advocate for Korean reunification, he led News World Communications and Tongil Group. Imprisoned in Korea and convicted in United States v. Sun Myung Moon, he engaged with political figures.

    Five

    Since 9/11 a Manhattan church exhibits police and firefighter memorabilia, what church?

    Answer: St Paul’s.

    St Paul’s Chapel provided refuge for recovery workers after 11 September 2001, with volunteers working round the clock for nine months. A sycamore tree protected the building; its root is preserved in a bronze memorial. The organ was refurbished.

  • The Italian Job

    Pope Adrian VI.
    Image Wikimedia Commons/Image copyright Centraal Museum, Utrecht

    Five questions today which are not date-related and follow a religious theme.

    One

    Adrian VI was the last non-Italian to be elected pope until John Paul II in 1978. In what year had Adrian been elected? 

    Two

    The word “antidisestablishmentarianism” refers to opposition to what?

    There

    In the book title The Red and the Black what do the colours symbolise?

    Four

    Which Unification Church leader founded The Washington Times in 1982?

    Five

    Since 9/11 a Manhattan church exhibits police and firefighter memorabilia, what church?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • The Great Vowel Shift — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    See question two. Robinson Crusoe.
    Image Goodreads

    Five questions which follow are not date related but do follow a theme.

    One

    The 2010 autobiography of whom is titled 9.58?

    Answer: Usain Bolt.

    Usain Bolt, born 21 August 1986, is a retired Jamaican sprinter, considered the greatest ever. An eight-time Olympic gold medallist, he holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. Known as ‘Lightning Bolt’, he won multiple World Championships and numerous prestigious awards, retiring in 2017.

    Two

    The location of the uninhabited island where Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked is described as being ‘near the mouth of the great river …’— what river mouth?

    Answer: Oroonoque or Orinoco.

    Either Oroonoque or Orinoco as the spelling varies between editions. Robinson Crusoe, published on 25 April 1719 by Daniel Defoe, is an English adventure novel often credited as the start of realistic fiction. It follows Robinson Kreutznaer’s 28-year survival on a desert island, inspired by real-life castaways. Initially believed non-fiction, it was well-received for its narrative style. By the end of 1719, the book had four editions and became one of history’s most published works. It inspired numerous imitations across literature, film, television, and radio, defining the Robinsonade genre

    Three

    Historically known as Alexandretta, this city featured in a 1984 film starring Sean Connery. What was the film, and by what name is the city now known?

    Answer: İskenderun; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    İskenderun, historically known as Alexandretta, is a district in Hatay Province, Turkey, with a population of 251,682 as of 2022. Situated on the Mediterranean coast, it experienced significant damage from the earthquakes in February 2023. The city was likely founded during the Hellenistic period by a successor of Alexander the Great and has since been under the control of the Seleucid, Roman, Abbasid, and Mamluk empires. It became part of the Ottoman Empire until World War I, after which it was a French mandate sanjak until gaining independence in 1938 and officially joining Turkey in 1939. İskenderun appears in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    Four

    Which song begins:

    Risin’ up, back on the street
    Did my time, took my chances

    Answer: Eye of the Tiger

    “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, written for Rocky III, topped charts worldwide and won a Grammy. It was also nominated for an Academy Award.

    Five

    Who played the title role in the 1973 film Serpico?

    Answer: Al Pacino.

    Serpico is a 1973 biographical crime drama film about Frank Serpico, a whistleblower who exposed corruption in the NYPD. The film, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino, was a critical and commercial success, earning several award nominations.

    The Great Vowel Shift

    Today’s title really in this instance only refers to the answers starting with one of the five vowels which have been ‘shifted’ into reverse order, U – O – I – E – A.
    The Great Vowel Shift, occurring between 1400 and 1700, altered the pronunciation of all Middle English long vowels and some consonant sounds. This shift, beginning in southern England, significantly influenced English dialects and contributed to the divergence between English spelling and pronunciation.

  • The Great Vowel Shift

    See question two. Robinson Crusoe.
    Image Goodreads

    Five questions which follow are not date related but do follow a theme.

    One

    The 2010 autobiography of whom is titled 9.58?

    Two

    The location of the uninhabited island where Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked is described as being ‘near the mouth of the great river …’— what river mouth?

    Three

    Historically known as Alexandretta, this city featured in a 1984 film starring Sean Connery. What was the film, and by what name is the city now known?

    Four

    Which song begins:

    Risin’ up, back on the street
    Did my time, took my chances

    Five

    Who played the title role in the 1973 film Serpico?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.