Quizology.Online

Tag: nature

  • An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part IV | Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier post.

    Portrait of Samuel Pepys by John Hayls. Wikipedia
    See #3.

    1. Q) Question mark—The question mark, used to indicate questions in many languages, has a history dating back to the 5th century. Its modern form, a curved mark, emerged in the 13th century and was standardised in the 15th century. The term “question mark” was first used in the 1850s.
      Rebecca book cover. Wikipedia
    2. (R) Rebecca—Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier about a young woman who marries a wealthy widower haunted by his late first wife. The novel, a bestseller, has been adapted for stage, screen and as a musical.
    3. (S) Samuel Peyps—Eleanor Gwyn, also known as Nell Gwyn, was an English actress and mistress of King Charles II, celebrated for her comic performances and as a folk heroine of Restoration England. She had two sons with the King, Charles and James Beauclerk. Known for her frank recklessness, generosity and good temper, Nell rose from humble beginnings as an orange-girl to become a leading comedienne in the King’s Company, performing in plays by John Dryden and James Howard. After becoming Charles II’s mistress in 1669, she retired from the stage, lived extravagantly, entertained the king and his friends and secured titles for her sons.
      Inland Taipan aka Fierce snake. Wikipedia
    4. (T) Taipan—Taipans are large, fast-moving, highly venomous snakes endemic to Australia and New Guinea. There are three recognised species, with the coastal taipan having two subspecies. Taipan refers to foreign-born senior business executives or entrepreneurs operating in China or Hong Kong. The term also refers to influential business families in the Philippines. Tai-Pan, a 1966 novel by James Clavell, is the second book in his Asian Saga and introduces the Struan family.
    5. (U) Uranus—Gustav Holst’s The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suite depicting the planets as astrological symbols. The suite premiered in 1918 and quickly became popular.
    Uranus on 1986-01-23 formula NASA’s Voyager 2 probe. Wikipedia

  • An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part IV

    Nell Gwyn. Wikipedia

    Some trivia related to the letters Q to U

    1. (Q) An eroteme is a …
      • Quartz crystal
      • Question mark—
      • Quetiapine medication
    2. (R) “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”, is the opening line of what novel?
      • Rebecca
      • Rowena
      • Roxanne
    3. (S) Which contemporary of Charles II’s mistress, Nell Gwyn, described her as “pretty, witty Nell”?
      • Samuel Johnson
      • Samuel Pepys
      • Samuel Richardson
    4. (T) One word links snakes of the genus Oxyuranus; a foreign-born senior business executive in China or Hong Kong and a novel by James Clavell. What word?
      • Taipan
      • Titanoboa
      • Trinket
    5. (U) In Gustav Holst’s suite what is “the Magician”?
      • Uluru
      • United States
      • Uranus

    Good luck. I will post the answers later today.

  • An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part II | Answers

    Freesia. Wikipedia
    1. (F) Freesia—Freesia is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants native to eastern southern Africa. Cultivated hybrids of Freesia species are commonly known as “freesias” and grown as ornamental plants.
    2. (G) Golden Cap—Golden Cap, a hill and cliff in Dorset, England, is the highest point near the south coast of Great Britain. It is owned by the National Trust and part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site.
      H.G. Wells by George Charles Beresford, 1920. Wikipedia
    3. (H) H.G. Wells—Half a Sixpence is a 1963 musical comedy based on H.G. Wells’s novel Kipps. The show, tailored for Tommy Steele, follows Arthur Kipps, an orphan who inherits a fortune and learns that money can’t buy happiness.
    4. (I) Ireland—In May 1915, the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner, was sunk by the German submarine U-20, 11 miles (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. This tragic event resulted in the loss of 1,197 lives, including passengers, crew, and stowaways. The sinking significantly boosted American support for entering World War I.
    5. (J) J. Alfred Prufrock—The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is T. S. Eliot’s first published poem, reflecting the title character’s thoughts in stream-of-consciousness style. Initially considered outlandish, it is now seen as a landmark in the shift from Romanticism to Modernism in poetry.
      Regarding the wrong alternative answers: J. Bruce Ismay was the chairman of the White Star Line, the owners of the Titanic. He faced criticism and was branded a coward after surviving the sinking. J. Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the FBI. He served in that role in the predecessor organisation, the BOI, and the FBI for a total of 48 years.
    RMS Lusitania. See #4 above. Wikipedia

  • An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part II

    Some trivia related to the letters F to J.

    See question 2. Image Wikipedia
    1. (F) Named after a German botanist, what is a flowering plant of the iris family?
      • Foxglove
      • Freesia
      • Fuchsia
    2. (G) Which hill, on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, is the highest point on England’s south coast?
      • Golden Cap
      • Golden Law
      • Golden Tor
    3. (H) Half a Sixpence, the musical, was adapted from the 1905 novel Kipps. Who wrote this novel?(I)
      • H.E. Bates
      • H. Rider Haggard
      • H.G. Wells
    4. (I) In 1915, the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed 11 miles (18 km) off the coast of which country?
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Ivory Coast
    5. (J) What T.S. Eliot character says, “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;”?
      • J. Alfred Prufrock
      • J. Bruce Ismay
      • J. Edgar Hoover
    T.S. Eliot. Wikipedia

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Spaghetti Tree | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below..

    Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), Scottsdale, TAS, Australia. Wikipedia
    1. True—Male platypuses have spurs on their hind feet that deliver painful venom making them one of only a few species of venomous mammals.
      Harriet Beecher Stowe by Alanson Fisher (1807 – 1884).
      Google Art Project/Wikipedia
    2. False—Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. Stowe, an American writer and philanthropist, is best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which significantly impacted public opinion against slavery and is considered a contributing factor to the American Civil War. Growing up in a family of intellectuals and abolitionists, Stowe’s experiences in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her interactions with fugitive slaves deeply influenced her writing.
      Yogi Bear. Hanna-Barbera Productions/Wikipedia
    3. False—Yogi first appeared on Hanna-Barbera’s The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958.
      Jewish girls during Bat Mitzva in Alexandria, Egypt (before 1967).
      Nebi Daniel Association/Wikipedia
    4. True—a bat mitzvah is a solemn ceremony held in some synagogues where a girl of 12 to 13 years of age is formally accepted as an adult member of the Jewish community. It is equivalent to a boy’s bar mitzvah.
      Roadrunner. Wikipedia
    5. True—Roadrunners, or chaparral birds, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos found in deserts across the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America. The roadrunner, popularised by Warner Bros. cartoons, is depicted as faster than coyotes, but in reality, coyotes are twice as fast. The cartoons also perpetuate the misconception that roadrunners say “meep, meep”.

      The Simpson-Reed Grove of coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on US Route 199, California, USA. Wikipedia
    6. False—Sequoia is a genus of redwood coniferous trees. Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is a large, hairy mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America. It holds significant cultural importance in American and Canadian folklore.

    Spaghetti tree

    Why Spaghetti Tree? The BBC’s 1957 April Fools’ Day hoax, broadcast on the current-affairs programme Panorama, featured a convincing three-minute segment showcasing a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from “spaghetti trees”. The report, which claimed the eradication of the dreaded spaghetti weevil had resulted in a bumper crop, was given credibility by being voiced by respected journalist Richard Dimbleby. At the time, spaghetti was relatively unfamiliar to the British public, prompting many viewers to contact the BBC for tips on cultivating their own spaghetti trees. This cleverly executed prank has since been hailed by CNN as

    “undoubtedly the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled.”

    —CNN.

    The Spaghetti tree hoax on BBC’s Panorama current-affairs programme was voiced by respected journalist Richard Dimbleby. Wikipedia

  • Spaghetti Tree

    Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner in Zoom and Bored, 1957. Wikipedia

    April 1. Some of these may be true, indeed they may all be, but on the other hand they may, some or all, be false. Don’t be fooled!

    1. True or false: a platypus, aka a duck-billed platypus, is a venomous mammal.
    2. True or false: novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
    3. True or false: Yogi Bear made his television debut in The Bugs Bunny Show.
    4. True or False: A bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ritual in Judaism.
    5. True or false: The roadrunner is one of two species of fast-running ground cuckoos.
    6. True or false: Sequoia is another name for Bigfoot, the legendary creature from the forests of North America’s Pacific Northwest.

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Golf-Lima | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

    Cairn marking the first Open Championship, Prestwick Golf Club.
    1. Prestwick—The first Open Championship, held in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, marked the beginning of modern golfing history. Willie Park won the inaugural event, beating Old Tom Morris by two strokes. Prestwick hosted the first 12 Open Championships and a total of 24, second only to St Andrews.
    2. Lily and James—James and Lily Potter, parents of Harry, were members of the Order of the Phoenix. James was an Animagus and co-author of the Marauder’s Map, while Lily was a Muggle-born witch. Both were killed by Voldemort.
      The station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon. Wikipedia
    3. 23 countries—Astronauts/cosmonauts from the following countries have visited the ISS; the number of visits by each nation is also shown. (Information obtained from NASA at 15:15GMT 30 March 2025). United States (168 visitors), Russia (62), Japan (11), Canada (9), Italy (6), France (4,), Germany (4), Saudi Arabia (2), Sweden (2), United Arab Emirates (2), Belarus (1), Belgium (1), Brazil (1), Denmark (1), Great Britain (1), Israel (1), Kazakhstan (1), Malaysia (1), Netherlands (1), South Africa (1), South Korea (1), Spain (1), Turkey (1).
      Jabberwocky. Wikipedia
    4. Animal—the jabberwock is depicted as a dragon-like monster with various features, including a serpentine neck, rabbit-like teeth, spidery talons and bat-like wings.
      Koala distribution in Australia. Wikipedia
    5. South Australia—The koala’s range spans 1,000,000 km2 across eastern and southeastern Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
    6. City of Kings—Named Ciudad de los Reyes by the Spanish under Francisco Pizarro, the name was chosen of the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the Magi—the three
    In 1540, five years after the city of Lima was founded, the first church built by Francisco Pizarro was inaugurated. Wikipedia

  • Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Golf–Lima

    Willie Park Sr., the first “Champion Golfer of the Year”, wearing the Challenge Belt, the winner’s prize at The Open until 1870. Wikipedia
    1. G is for golf. The first Open Championship played at St Andrews in 1873, was actually the 13th championship in the competition’s history. Where had the first twelve Open Championships taken place?
      • Carnoustie, Angus
      • Musselburgh, East Lothian
      • Prestwick, Ayrshire
    2. H is for Harry. In the books by J.K. Rowling, who were Harry Potter’s parents?
      • Molly and Arthur
      • Lily and James
      • Rose and Hugo
    3. I is for International Space Station (ISS). By March 2025, individuals from how many countries had visited the ISS?
      • 9 countries
      • 16 countries
      • 23 countries
    4. J is for Jabberwocky. Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem included in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, the follow-up to Alice in Wonderland. What word best describes a jabberwock?
    5. K is for koala. In what parts of Australia are koalas native in the 21st century?
      • Northern Territory
      • South Australia
      • Western Australia
    6. L is for Lima. The Spanish founded the city now known as Lima, the capital city of Peru, in 1535 but their chosen name quickly fell into disuse. What, in English, was this chosen name?
      • City of Emeralds
      • City of Kings
      • Çity of the Sun

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Confused to Start With | Answers

    J. M. Flagg’s recruiting poster, 1917
    Wikipedia
    1. Luc means—is an anagram of Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam, a national personification of the United States, represents the federal government and is a symbol of patriotic emotion. The character, popularised by a 1917 recruiting poster, originated during the War of 1812 and is distinct from Columbia, representing the nation, and Brother Jonathan, representing the populace.
      Lonesome George.
      Wikipedia
    2. Pinta—Pinta Island tortoise, a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, was hunted to near extinction by the end of the 19th century. A single male, Lonesome George, was discovered in 1971 but died in 2012, leading to the subspecies’ presumed extinction.
    3. Yesterday—Yesterday was the only “solo” Beatles Track.

      “He [McCartney] played it to John, George and Ringo, who approved but didn’t think it required them to play on it. Yesterday would be a Beatles song with only one Beatle on it.”

      – The Sunday Times, 23 March 2025 © Ian Leslie 2025. Extracted from John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs.

    4. AA Milne—Heffalumps and Woozles appear in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories
    5. Galahad—Sir Galahad, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Lady Elaine. He is renowned for his gallantry and purity, replacing Percival as the hero in the quest for the Holy Grail.
    6. Arachnophobia—fear of spiders. Shelob is a spider featured in The Lord of the Rings. Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting and pogonophobia is having an extreme dislike of beards.
    Piglet dreams of the Heffalump. E. H. Shepard’s original illustration, from Winnie-the-Pooh.
    Wikipedia

  • Confused to Start With


    Nothing to do with today’s date just a selection of questions.

    Flag of the US
    Wikipedia
    1. Which one of the following can become a personification of the US government?
      • Clean Sue
      • Muscleman
      • Luc means
    2. Lonesome George, the last of his subspecies, died in 2012. His subspecies, now extinct, was named…
      • Niña Island tortoise
      • Pinta Island tortoise
      • Santa Maria Island tortoise
    3. The only Beatles song featuring just one Beatle was…
      • If I Fell
      • This Boy
      • Yesterday
    4. Heffalumps and Woozles appear in books by…
      • AA Milne
      • CS Lewis
      • JRR Tolkien
    5. One of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table; the son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Lady Elaine of Corbenic; renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights, is…
      • Bedivere
      • Galahad
      • Percival
    6. An irrational fear of the fictional Shelob is…
      • Arachnophobia
      • Emetophobia
      • Pogonophobia
    The Arming and Departure of the Knights,
    one of the Holy Grail tapestries, 1890s, figures by Edward Burne-Jones
    Wikipedia

    Good luck! The answers will be posted later.