Quizology.Online

Tag: medicine

  • If a face could launch a thousand ships — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
    Image liveabout.com

    Today’s questions are neither date related nor themed.

    One

    By what two initials is chronic fatigue syndrome commonly known?

    Answer: ME.

    Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic illness causing severe fatigue, sleep, and memory issues, worsened by activity (PEM). Its cause is unknown, often following infections, with genetic factors. Diagnosis relies on symptoms, as no tests exist. Treatment focuses on symptom relief, with pacing and counselling beneficial.
    ME/CFS significantly impacts society and the economy, with symptoms causing social isolation. A quarter of sufferers are bedridden or housebound. Stigma in healthcare and controversies over its cause and treatments complicate care. Doctors often lack familiarity due to limited medical school coverage, and research funding is historically inadequate.

    Two

    What American actor, a television detective and a Bond villain, had a U.K. number one with If in 1975?

    Answer: Telly Savalas.

    Aristotelis ‘Telly’ Savalas (1922–1994) was an American actor and singer, active from 1950 to 1994, renowned for his bald head and deep voice. He gained fame as Lt. Theo Kojak in Kojak (1973–1978) and as James Bond’s nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). Savalas starred in films like Birdman of Alcatraz, earning an Academy Award nomination. He was married three times, had six children, and served in the U.S. Army. He released a cover of Bread’s If in 1975, which topped the UK charts.

    Three

    What is the birth name of author Lee Child, and who is the main fictional character he is known for?

    Answers: James ‘Jim’ Grant; Jack Reacher.

    The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child (Jim Grant) includes 30 books and a short story collection as of November 2025. It follows Jack Reacher, a former major in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps turned drifter, solving dangerous situations across the U.S. and internationally. The series has been adapted into films and a TV series.

    Four

    …▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. …s swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Which word, appearing twice in the definition above, has been removed?

    Answer: Scallop.

    scallop ▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. Scallops swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves. Family Pectinidae: Chlamys, Pecten, and other genera.

    ▪ short for scallop shell ▪ a small pan or dish shaped like a scallop shell and used for baking or serving food.

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Five

    The lightest halogen, which is a pale yellow gas with the atomic number 9, is a highly reactive chemical element?

    Answer: Fluorine.

    Fluorine, atomic number 9, is a reactive, pale yellow gas, first isolated in 1886. It’s used in uranium enrichment, steelmaking, pharmaceuticals, with global sales over $15 billion annually. Fluorocarbon gases, with global-warming potentials 100 to 23,500 times that of CO2, persist environmentally due to strong bonds. Organofluorine compounds are toxic, produced by some plants and marine sponges.

    If a face could launch a thousand ships

    The post title is a line from If the song referred to in question two. If is a 1971 song written by David Gates and popularised by his band Bread.

  • If a face could launch a thousand ships

    Image liveabout.com

    Today’s questions are neither date related nor themed.

    One

    By what two initials is chronic fatigue syndrome commonly known?

    Two

    What American actor, a television detective and a Bond villain, had a U.K. number one with If in 1975?

    Three

    What is the birth name of author Lee Child, and who is the main fictional character he is known for?

    Four

    …▸ noun an edible bivalve mollusc with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. …s swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves

    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Which word, appearing twice in the definition above, has been removed?

    Five

    The lightest halogen, which is a pale yellow gas with the atomic number 9, is a highly reactive chemical element?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Number Games — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Maria Sharapova completed the Career Grand Slam after winning the 2012 French Open.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s answers are all single numbers — even the one that is a large number can be written as a single digit if you read the question carefully — and form part of a sequence.

    One

    How many of the eight planets in the solar system have one, and only one, natural satellite, and what are the names of this/these planet(s)?

    Answer: 1. Earth.

    Listing the eight planets in order from the nearest to the Sun: Mercury and Venus have no known moons. Earth has one known moon and is the only such planet. Mars has two; Jupiter, 115; Saturn, 292; Uranus, 29; and Neptune has 16. 

    Two

    Maria Sharapova retired from tennis in 2020. Of the five Grand Slam Singles Championships she won, how many were at the French Open, and who, if any, was/were her defeated finalist(s)?

    Answer: 2. Sara Errani; Simona Halep.

    Maria Sharapova won the French Open in 2012, beating Sara Errani in the final, 6–3, 6–2; and in 2014, she defeated Simona Halep in the final, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–4. Sharapova, a former Russian professional tennis player, achieved the career Grand Slam in singles and was ranked world No. 1 for 21 weeks. She won 36 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including five major titles, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025. Sharapova retired from tennis in 2020.

    Three

    How many siblings does King Charles III of Great Britain have, and what are they known as?

    Answer: 3. Anne, Princess Royal; Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.

    King Charles III has three siblings: Anne, Princess Royal, who was born in 1950; Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, born in 1960; and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, born in 1964. Mountbatten-Windsor was previously known as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, but was stripped of his titles, royal styles and honours as a result of his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

    Four

    The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately how many million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year?

    Answer: 5. (i.e. 5 million).

    World Health Organisation estimates that annually, 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes, with 1.8 to 2.7 million envenomings. Snake bites result in 81,410 to 137,880 deaths and three times more amputations. Venomous bites cause paralysis, bleeding disorders, kidney failure, and tissue damage. Agricultural workers and children, especially, are severely affected.

    Five

    How many countries share a land border with Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), and list them in alphabetical order?

    Answer: 8. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

    If we make a start at the Black Sea to the north and go in a clockwise direction, they are Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria (Mediterranean Sea and then Aegean Sea), Greece, and Bulgaria.

    Numbers Game

    Today’s title referred to the answers all being a number, but these are five numbers from near the start of the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21.

  • Number Games

    Maria Sharapova.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s answers are all single numbers — even the one that is a large number can be written as a single digit if you read the question carefully — and form part of a sequence.

    One

    How many of the eight planets in the solar system have one, and only one, natural satellite, and what are the names of this/these planet(s)?

    Two

    Maria Sharapova retired from tennis in 2020. Of the five Grand Slam Singles Championships she won, how many were at the French Open, and who, if any, was/were her defeated finalist(s)?

    Three

    How many siblings does King Charles III of Great Britain have, and what are they known as?

    Four

    The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately how many millions of people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year?

    Five

    How many countries share a land border with Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), and list them in alphabetical order?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Today’s the Day — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Robert F. Kennedy, 1968.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of these questions relate to today, 5 June.

    One

    On 5 June 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot? Who shot him, and in what building and in what city was he shot?

    Answer: Sirhan Sirhan; Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.

    In March 1968, Robert F Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy. By June 4th he had secured five out of six primaries including a victory in California that day. Shortly after midnight on June 5th he addressed his supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As he exited through a kitchen corridor he was fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. Kennedy was interred near his brother John at Arlington National Cemetery.

    Two

    AIDS was reported for the first time after a rare form of pneumonia was found in five homosexual men. In what year was this, and in what city was the pneumonia detected?

    Answer: 1981; Los Angeles, U.S.A.

    HIV is a retrovirus attacking the immune system, potentially leading to AIDS without treatment. It is preventable and manageable with antiretroviral therapy, extending life expectancy to nearly normal levels. Early testing and treatment prevent progression and transmission. HIV spreads through unprotected sex, contaminated needles, and mother-to-child transmission. Recognised in the 1980s, HIV/AIDS has significant societal, economic, and political impacts. Originating from primates in west-central Africa, AIDS was first identified in 1981. By 2024, AIDS caused at least 42.3 million deaths globally, with 630,000 deaths in 2023 and 39.9 million living with HIV, 65% in the WHO African Region. 

    Three

    Born this day in 1939, this man would become Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister 40 years later. Who is he?

    Answer: Joe Clark.

    Joe Clark, Canada’s youngest Prime Minister, led the Progressive Conservative Party from 1976 to 1983 and again from 1998 to 2003. His brief tenure as Prime Minister saw the introduction of freedom of information legislation and the ‘Canadian Caper’ rescue. After losing the 1980 election, he served in Brian Mulroney’s cabinet and later as a UN Special Representative for Cyprus.

    Four

    This author was born in Wales in 1949, and had a breakthrough with his 1978 novel Eye of the Needle. His successful Kingsbridge series began with The Pillars of the Earth (1989). Who is this author?

    Answer: Ken Follett.

    Welsh author Ken Follett, born in 1949, is known for his thrillers and historical novels, selling nearly 200 million copies. His breakthrough came with Eye of the Needle (1978), and he later achieved success with The Pillars of the Earth (1989).

    Five

    This actor turned politician had his first screen credit in a starring role in 1937 as Andy McCaine in Love Is on the Air and 20 years later he was Cdr. Casey Abbott in Hellcats of the Navy. Who is he?

    Answer: Ronald Reagan.

    Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was a former movie actor known for his conservative Republicanism and anticommunism. He served as president from 1981 to 1989 and was nicknamed ‘the Great Communicator’ for his oratory skills. Reagan’s policies are credited with contributing to the downfall of Soviet communism. Ronald Reagan died on 5 June 2004.

  • Today’s the Day

    Robert F. Kennedy, 1968.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of these questions relate to today, 5 June.

    One

    On 5 June 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot? Who shot him, and in what building and in what city was he shot?

    Two

    AIDS was reported for the first time after a rare form of pneumonia was found in five homosexual men. In what year was this, and in what city was the pneumonia detected?

    Three

    Born this day in 1939, this man would become Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister 40 years later. Who is he?

    Four

    This author was born in Wales in 1949, and had a breakthrough with his 1978 novel Eye of the Needle. His successful Kingsbridge series began with The Pillars of the Earth (1989). Who is this author?

    Five

    This actor turned politician had his first screen credit in a starring role in 1937 as Andy McCaine in Love Is on the Air and 20 years later he was Cdr. Casey Abbott in Hellcats of the Navy. Who is he?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • A Word to the Wise — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    See question four. Water crowfoot.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are all about words and their meanings.

    One

    What is the meaning of the adjective glabrescent?

    • Hairless
    • Raucous
    • Shrinking

    Answer: Hairless.

    glabrescent in British English

    (ɡleɪˈbrɛsənt)
    adjective botany
    1. becoming hairless at maturity
    > glabrescent stems
    2. nearly hairless 
    Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers 
    Word origin
    C19: from Latin glabrescere to become smooth
    — Collins Dictionary

    Two

    What does the name of the dinosaur Falcarius mean?

    • Ground scraper
    • Sickle cutter
    • Wood driller

    Answer: Sickle cutter.

    Falcarius, meaning ‘sickle cutter’, is a primitive therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous in North America. Discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation, it was a 4 m long bipedal herbivore with a small head, elongated neck, and tail. It is considered a transitional form between theropods and Therizinosauridae.

    Three

    Spectrophobia, catoptrophobia and eisoptrophobia can all relate to what household item?

    • Kettle
    • Linoleum
    • Mirror

    Answer: Mirror.

    Catoptrophobia, eisoptrophobia and spectrophobia are terms related to fear of mirrors, but they have distinct meanings. Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors themselves, eisoptrophobia is the fear of seeing one’s reflection, and spectrophobia can mean fear of mirrors or ghosts. Etymologically, catoptro– and eisoptron– mean ‘mirror’, whereas spectrum means ‘apparition’, explaining spectrophobia’s dual association.

    Four

    What word can be added to crow to complete this plants name: crow …?

    • Foot
    • Quill
    • Steps

    Answer:

    Crowfoot is a herbaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus, related to the buttercups, typically having lobed or divided leaves and white or yellow flowers.

    Many kinds are aquatic with flowers held above the water.
    Crow quill is a quill pen made from a large feather of a crow’s wing and used in fine writing.
    Crow steps are projections resembling steps on the sloping part of a gable, common in Flemish architecture and in 16th- and 17th-century Scottish buildings. Also called corbie steps.
    — all three definitions from Oxford English Dictionary. 

    Five

    Which of these words means the 1938 annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Nazi Germany?

    • Anschluss
    • Rindereintopf
    • Schlafwandeln

    Answer: Anschluss.

    Anschluss /ˈanʃlʊs /
    ▸ the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. Hitler had forced the resignation of the Austrian Chancellor by demanding that he admit Nazis into his cabinet. The new Chancellor, a pro-Nazi, invited German troops to enter the country on the pretext of restoring law and order.
    – ORIGIN German, from anschliessen ‘to join’.
    — Oxford English Dictionary 

    Rindereintopf is a beef stew, and Schlafwandeln is sleepwalking.

  • A Word to the Wise

    See question four. Water crow …
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are all about words and their meanings.

    One

    What is the meaning of the adjective glabrescent?

    • Hairless
    • Raucous
    • Shrinking

    Two

    What does the name of the dinosaur Falcarius mean?

    • Ground scraper
    • Sickle cutter
    • Wood driller

    Three

    Spectrophobia, catoptrophobia and eisoptrophobia can all relate to what household item?

    • Kettle
    • Linoleum
    • Mirror

    Four

    What word can be added to crow to complete this plants name: crow …?

    • Foot
    • Quill
    • Steps

    Five

    Which of these words means the 1938 annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Nazi Germany?

    • Anschluss
    • Rindereintopf
    • Schlafwandeln

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Dancing a Foxtrot with Juliett — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier posted questions.

    Mario Andretti in the lead with Ronnie Petterson behind, 1978 Dutch GP.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Five questions with the answers beginning with the letters from F to J —Foxtrot to Juliett — with each letter being used only once, but they are not in alphabetical order.

    One

    What one word can be all of these: a mythical creature which pulled Poseidon’s sea-chariot; an area of the human brain; and a genus of small marine bony fish? 

    Answer: Hippocampus.

    The hippocampus, located in the temporal lobe and part of the limbic system, is essential for memory and spatial navigation and is one of the first areas affected in Alzheimer’s disease, causing memory loss and disorientation. In mythology, the hippocampus is a creature with a horse’s upper body and a fish’s lower body, often depicted with Poseidon, the god of the sea, driving a chariot drawn by hippocampi and accompanied by dolphins. The Romans associated it with Neptune, the sea god. Additionally, Hippocampus refers to a genus of 46 species of small marine bony fish, known as seahorses, which have a horse-like head, segmented bony armour, and a curled prehensile tail. Found in shallow coastal waters worldwide, seahorses belong to the family Syngnathidae, along with pipefishes and seadragons, and vary in size from 2 to 35 cm.

    Two

    Who was the next North American to win Formula 1’s World Championship, and be crowned World Drivers’ Champion, after Mario Andretti?

    Answer: Jacques Villeneuve.

    Mario Andretti, an American racing driver, competed in Formula One and IndyCar, winning numerous races and championships, including the 1978 F1 championship. Jacques Villeneuve, a Canadian racing driver, competed in IndyCar and Formula One. He won the 1997 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship and the 1995 IndyCar World Series and Indianapolis 500.

    Three

    In what television sitcom did characters have surnames beginning with the these letters: 3 x G plus 2 x B and 1 x T?

    Answer: Friends

    G: Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Ross Geller (David Schwimmer); B: Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan (Lisa Kudrow), Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry); T: Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc). 

    Four

    ‘When I saw Finn waiting for me at the corner of the street, I knew at once that something had gone wrong.’ This is the opening line of a work by what author, and what was the work?

    Answers: Iris Murdoch; Under the Net.

    Irish-British novelist and philosopher Dame Jean Iris Murdoch, known for her works exploring good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the unconscious, won the Booker Prize for The Sea, The Sea and was made a Dame in 1987. Her first published novel, Under the Net, is a philosophical story about a struggling writer in London. The novel, dedicated to Raymond Queneau, was named one of the best English-language novels since 1923 by Time magazine.

    Five

    Which double-Oscar-winning actress became a UK Member of Parliament in 1992, and for what two films did she win Best Actress Oscars? 

    Answer: Glenda Jackson; Women in Love and A Touch of Class

    Glenda Jackson (1936–2023) was a British actress and Labour Party politician. She was a member of the House of Commons from 1992 to 2015. Jackson won two Academy Awards for best actress, the first in 1970 for Women in Love and the second in 1973 for A Touch of Class. Other notable roles include her portrayals of Queen Elizabeth I in both the BBC television miniseries Elizabeth R (1971) and the film Mary, Queen of Scots (1971). After retiring from politics, Jackson returned to acting, earning a Tony Award in 2018 for her performance in Three Tall Women.

    Post Title

    Dancing a Foxtrot with Juliett

    Juliett is spelled as it is in radio communications, as Wikipedia explains…

    The spelling Juliett is used rather than Juliet for the benefit of French speakers, because they may otherwise treat a single final t as silent.

  • Dancing a Foxtrot with Juliett

    Mario Andretti in the lead with Ronnie Petterson behind, 1978 Dutch GP.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Five questions with the answers beginning with the letters from F to J —Foxtrot to Juliett — with each letter being used only once, but they are not in alphabetical order.

    One

    What one word can be all of these: a mythical creature which pulled Poseidon’s sea-chariot; an area of the human brain; and a genus of small marine bony fish? 

    Two

    Who was the next North American to win Formula 1’s World Championship, and be crowned World Drivers’ Champion, after Mario Andretti?

    Three

    In what television sitcom did characters have surnames beginning with the these letters: 3 x G plus 2 x B and 1 x T?

    Four

    ‘When I saw Finn waiting for me at the corner of the street, I knew at once that something had gone wrong.’ This is the opening line of a work by what author, and what was the work?

    Five

    Which double-Oscar-winning actress became a UK Member of Parliament in 1992, and for what two films did she win Best Actress Oscars? 

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.