Tag: planets

  • 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.


  • Double Trouble — Answers

    Here are the answers for today’s questions.

    The first question today relates to the date, April 17th. The rest follows a theme but I’m not going to say what that theme is. 

    Martin Luther appearing before Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, at the Diet of Worms.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    One

    On 17 April 1521, Martin Luther made his initial appearance at the Diet of Worms which eventually found him to be a heretic and enemy of the state. In what modern country is Worms?

    Answer: Germany.

    Martin Luther, a German priest and theologian, was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. He challenged the Catholic Church’s teachings, particularly on indulgences and papal authority, and translated the Bible into German, making it more accessible to ordinary people. Luther’s beliefs, emphasising justification by faith alone and the authority of the Bible, laid the foundation for Lutheranism.


    Following on in the theme …

    Two

    Ben Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. In what two classes did he win his four gold and one silver medal?

    Answer: Laser and Finn.

    Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie is a British competitive sailor and the most successful Olympian in sailing history. He is CEO of Athena Sports Group and a Patron of the 1851 Trust which supports young people in sailing and STEM education. 


    Three

    List the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle?

    Answer: Eggs, caterpillar larva, pupa and adult (or butterfly).

    Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis through a four-stage life cycle like other holometabolous insects.  Winged adults lay eggs on plant leaves where their caterpillars, or larvae, will feed.  These caterpillars grow rapidly and eventually pupate in a chrysalis.  Once metamorphosis is complete the pupal skin splits revealing the adult butterfly which then climbs out, dries its wings and flies away.


    Four

    Name the planets in the solar system?

    Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

    The Solar System, formed 4.6 billion years ago, consists of the Sun and orbiting bodies, including eight planets. The Sun, comprising 99.86% of the system’s mass, fuses hydrogen into helium, creating the heliosphere. The system also includes dwarf planets, small bodies like asteroids and comets, and natural satellites, or moons.


    Five

    Can you name the states between Louisiana and Ohio in an alphabetical list of US states?

    Answer: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and North Dakota.

    Sixteen states, eight with names starting with M and, eight with N.


    Double Trouble

    Today’s title refers to each question doubling the number of answers. Question one has only one answer which was obvious in the question and then number two asks for two answers. You had to work out that the remaining double each time so four, eight and finally sixteen for question five.