The politician pictured above was born in what city?
Two
The poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey and William Wordsworth were collectivelyknown as the _ poets. What word is missing?
Three
Homer Simpson, portrayed by Donald Sutherland, was a character in a 1975 American satirical film based on a 1939 Nathanael West novel of the same name. The title was The Day of the _
Four
T.E. Lawrence is commonly known by what other name?
Five
The hybrid cross of a male lion and a tigress is known as a…
The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.
Tourists at London King’s Cross Platform 9¾ in July 2016. Image Wikipedia
One
Which London railway station has a marker indicating the location of Platform 9¾?
King’s Cross
King’s Cross is the starting point of the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter books. The film crew used the brick roof-support arches between platforms 4 and 5 to represent the fictional Platform 9¾.
In April 2024, Forbes named which country’s dinar as the highest valued currency in the world?
Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)
The Kuwaiti dinar, the strongest currency globally, is pegged to an undisclosed basket of currencies. Kuwait, a leading oil exporter, introduced the dinar in the 1960s.
What bird has the biggest egg of any bird species relative to its size?
Kiwi
The brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) of New Zealand lays the largest eggs relative to its body size. One female kiwi weighing 1.7 kg (3 lb 12 oz) laid an egg weighing 406 g (14 oz), which is almost one quarter of her total body mass, and weights of up to 510 g (1 lb) have been reliably reported for other kiwi eggs. — Guinness World Records https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/83111-largest-bird-egg-relative-to-body-size
Who is the oldest male tennis player to win a major singles title in the Open Era?
Ken Rosewall
The oldest tennis Grand Slam singles winner (male, open era) is Ken Rosewall (Australia, b. 2 November 1934), who was aged 37 years 62 days when he won the 1972 Australian Open at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on 3 January 1972. Rosewall defeated Malcolm Anderson 7–6, 6–3, 7–5 in the final match of the tournament.
In the opening verse of Queen’s Killer Queen, both a United States President and a Soviet Premier are named. Please provide the surnames of these individuals?
Khrushchev and Kennedy
The lyrics are written below. Killer Queen is a song by Queen about a high-class call girl. It was written by Freddie Mercury and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.
Killer Queen
She keeps Moët et Chandon In her pretty cabinet “Let them eat cake,” she says Just like Marie Antoinette A built-in remedy For Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh) At anytime an invitation You can’t decline (Ooh, ooh)
Caviar and cigarettes Well versed in etiquette Extraordinarily nice
She’s a killer queen Gunpowder, gelatin Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind (Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime Ooh Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try?
To avoid complications She never kept the same address In conversation She spoke just like a baroness Met a man from China Went down to Geisha Minah (Ooh, ooh) (Killer, killer, she’s a killer queen) Then again incidentally If you’re that way inclined
Perfume came naturally from Paris (Naturally) For cars, she couldn’t care less Fastidious and precise
She’s a killer queen Gunpowder, gelatin Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind (Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime
Drop of a hat she’s as willing as Playful as a pussycat (Ooh) Then momentarily out of action (Ooh) Temporarily out of gas (Ta-taaa) To absolutely drive you wild, wild She’s out to get you
She’s a killer queen Gunpowder, gelatin Dynamite with a laser beam (Pa-pa-pa-ra) Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime Ooh Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try? You wanna try
Which London railway station has a marker indicating the location of Platform 9¾?
Two
In April 2024, Forbes named which country’s dinar as the highest valued currency in the world?
Three
What bird has the biggest egg of any bird species relative to its size?
Four
Who is the oldest male tennis player to win a major singles title in the Open Era?
Five
In the opening verse of Queen’s Killer Queen, both a United States President and a Soviet Premier are named. Please provide the surnames of these individuals?
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
Detail of Zephyrus with Aura from Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. Image Wikipedia
The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.
In which of these national parks are zebra a native breed?
Kruger National Park—in South Africa spans 19,623 km2 across Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Established in 1926, it is South Africa’s first national park and part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. It is home to 25,000 to 35,000 plains zebra (Equus quagga). Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK was established in 2003. It is the largest national park in the UK and covers the Cairngorms mountain range and surrounding hills. Goonengerry NP, New South Wales, Australia is within the Nightcap Range Important Bird Area, home to the largest population of Albert’s lyrebirds.
A light or westerly wind which was also a large car (Ford of Britain) replaced by the Granada in 1972 is a…
Zephyr—In ancient Greek mythology and religion, the god Zephyrus was the personification of the west wind and the bringer of light spring and early summer breezes.
Googol. Image
How many zeroes follow the digit ‘1’ (one) when writing the number known as a googol?
100—10100 or ten to the power of one hundred or ten duotrigintillion. The largest ‘named’ number, the term ‘Googol’ was coined in 1920 by 9-year-old Milton Sirotta, the nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. It’s possible that Sirotta was inspired by the contemporary comic strip character Barney Google.
Romeo and Juliet. Image Wikipedia
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet how old is Juliet?
Thirteren—her mother indicates that she is not fourteen until Lammastide, which is two weeks away.
1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Barker Sedanca de Ville Image Wikipedia
A 1964 film staring Rex Harrison and Jeanne Moreau was…
The Yellow Rolls-Royce—the film follows the story of three very different owners of a yellow 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. The owners include an English aristocrat, a Miami gangster and a wealthy American widow. The film is set in the years leading up to and including the start of World War II.
Two of these were written by the same author and one was not. Which is the odd one out?
George’s Marvellous Medicine—was written by Ronald Dahl. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car and the James Bond novel From Russia with Love were both written by Ian Fleming
Harpy eagle. Image Wikipedia
Two of these creatures are semi-aquatic reptiles, while the third is a completely different kind of animal. Which one is the odd one out?
Harpy—is one of two species of eagle: the American harpy and the Papuan harpy. Nile and saltwater are both species of crocodile.
Crew of Apollo 12. Left to right they are: Commander, Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr.; Command Module pilot, Richard F. Gordon Jr.; and Lunar Module pilot, Alan L. Bean. Image Wikipedia
The three men listed comprised the crew of Apollo 12. With regard to the Moon which of them was the odd one out?
Richard Gordon—was the command pilot who stayed in Lunar orbit while Conrad and Bean landed on the Moon and carried out surface activity for about 31 hours.
The Salvation Army crest. Image The Salvation Army.
Two of these are mottos of military organisations. Which one is the odd one out?
Blood and Fire—is the ‘War Cry’ of the Salvation Army; it refers to the blood of Christ and fire of the Holy Spirit. Semper fidelis (“Always faithful”) is the motto of the US Marine Corps while Who Dares Wins is the motto of the UK’s SAS (Special Air Service)
Aryna Sabalenka, 2024. Image Wikipedia
In sporting terms, which of these women is the odd one out?
Aryna Sabalenka—currently ranked world No. 1 in women’s tennis, has won three major championships: the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open. Additionally, she has won doubles titles at two majors, partnering with Elise Mertens, at the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. Catriona Matthew (Europe) and Stacy Lewis (USA) are both golfers who captained their respective teams to victory in the Solheim Cup.
The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.
Founded in the 1990s, WestJet is the second-largest airline in which Commonwealth country?
Canada—WestJet, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, is Canada’s second-largest airline. It operates scheduled, charter and cargo air service to over 100 destinations across North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Central America. WestJet is not a member of any major airline alliances but utilises codeshare and interline agreements.
The first geological period of the Paleozoic Era has a Latin name connected to Wales. What is it?
Cambrian—The term Cambrian is derived from the Latin version of Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, where rocks of this age were first studied. Adam Sedgwick named it in 1835. The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting 51.95 million years. It witnessed the Cambrian explosion, producing the first representatives of most modern animal phyla. The Cambrian is characterised by the assembly of Gondwana and the development of new plate boundaries.
Frontispiece, 1889 edition A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Image Wikipedia
In Mark Twain’s novel, Hank Morgan is the titular Yankee. What word is missing from the title: A … Yankee in King Arthur’s Court?
Connecticut—A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is a satirical novel by Mark Twain. The story follows Hank Morgan, a Yankee engineer transported back in time to King Arthur’s court, where he uses his knowledge to modernise the past and challenge feudalism and monarchy.
Achilles. Image Wikipedia
Which of these was a mythical hero whom Thetis dressed as a girl and hid with King Lycomedes of Skyros?
Achilles—To protect Achilles from the war, Thetis hid him disguised as a princess at the court of Lycomedes. Odysseus, disguised as a pedlar, discovered Achilles’ true identity and convinced him to join the Greek campaign against Troy.
What animal is pictured at the top of this post?
Chinchilla—native to the Andes mountains in South America, are known for their dense fur and are related to viscachas and chinchilla rats. Historically hunted for their fur, most chinchillas today are farm-raised for the fur industry, while domestic chinchillas are sometimes kept as pets.
