Quizology.Online

Tag: religion

  • Now I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    Trinity Test, Jack W. Aeby, July 16, 1945.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 16 July. The subsequent questions follow a theme established by the first.

    One

    The world’s first atomic bomb exploded in a test on 16 July. 

    • What code name was given to the test?
    • In what year was the test?, and
    • In what U.S. state was the test site located?

    Answers

    • Trinity
    • 1945
    • New Mexico

    The Trinity test, the first nuclear detonation, occurred on July 16, 1945, in New Mexico as part of the Manhattan Project. Directed by Kenneth Bainbridge, it tested an implosion-design plutonium bomb, releasing 25 kilotons of energy and creating trinitite. Observed by 425 people, the site became a National Historic Landmark in 1965. The Manhattan Project established Los Alamos for nuclear weapon development, leading to the first atomic bomb, Gadget, tested at the Trinity Site. The Trinity Site is now a national historic landmark with limited public access.

    Two

    When asked why he chose the nuclear test code name referred to in question one above, Robert Oppenheimer alluded to the work of which English poet?

    Answer: John Donne.

    In 1962 Oppenheimer said:

    Why I chose the name is not clear, but I know what thoughts were in my mind. There is a poem of John Donne, written just before his death, which I know and love.” Oppenheimer then quoted the sonnet “Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness” about a man unafraid to die because he believed in resurrection.

    Oppenheimer continued: 

    That still does not make a Trinity, but in another, better-known devotional poem Donne opens, ‘Batter my heart, three person’d God.’ Beyond this, I have no clues whatever.
    — Los Alamos National Laboratory

    Three

    Who is traditionally said to have used a clover-like plant, which is now a national symbol, as a metaphor for a Christian doctrine, and what was the plant?

    Answer: St. Patrick; shamrock.

    In 5th-century Ireland, Saint Patrick reportedly used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to pagans. Today, the shamrock is Ireland’s national symbol and a key emblem of Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrated worldwide with parades and festivities.

    Four

    Which charity is the official authority for lighthouses in England and Wales?

    Answer: Trinity House.

    Trinity House, established in 1514, is the UK’s largest maritime charity and General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar. It ensures maritime safety through navigation aids, pilot licensing, and audits. Annually, it donates £4m to support cadet training, retired mariners’ welfare, and sea safety education.

    Five

    Of the seven surviving British and Irish medieval and early modern universities founded before 1600 AD, one with a name appropriate for this theme was founded in 1592. Under what name was this 1592 establishment founded?

    Answer: Trinity College Dublin (Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath).

    (or in full The Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin (Coláiste Thríonóid Naofa Neamhroinnte na Banríona Eilís gar do Bhaile Átha Cliath)).

    Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is Ireland’s oldest university and a member of LERU and the Coimbra Group. It houses the Book of Kells and has notable alumni like Oscar Wilde and Jonathan Swift. The college, a major tourist destination, has an academic partnership with Oxford and Cambridge.

    Now I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

    Robert Oppenheimer later recalled a moment, after the Trinity Test, when the line ‘Now I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds’ from the Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita came to mind.

  • Now I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

    Trinity Test, Jack W. Aeby, July 16, ?
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 16 July. The subsequent questions follow a theme established by the first.

    One

    The world’s first atomic bomb exploded in a test on 16 July. 

    • What code name was given to the test?
    • In what year was the test?, and
    • In what U.S. state was the test site located?

    Two

    When asked why he chose the nuclear test code name referred to in question one above, Robert Oppenheimer alluded to the work of which English poet?

    Three

    Who is traditionally said to have used a clover-like plant, which is now a national symbol, as a metaphor for a Christian doctrine, and what was the plant?

    Four

    Which charity is the official authority for lighthouses in England and Wales?

    Five

    Of the seven surviving British and Irish medieval and early modern universities founded before 1600 AD, one with a name appropriate for this theme was founded in 1592. Under what name was this 1592 establishment founded?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Animal Crackers — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Coat of Arms of Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of todays questions are about animals.

    One

    What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?

    Answer: Emu, (Australian piping) shrike and black swan.

    The shield’s centre features symbols representing Australia’s six states and its border symbolises federation. Holding the shield are the native Australian animals, the kangaroo and the emu. These were chosen to represent a nation moving forward as neither animal easily moves backwards. Above the shield sits a seven-point gold Commonwealth Star. Six of the star’s points represent the Australian states while the seventh point represents the territories. South Australia is represented by an Australian piping shrike and Western Australia, a black swan.

    Two

    A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?

    Answer: Wood.

    Xylophagy refers to herbivorous animals primarily consuming wood. Most are arthropods, especially insects, which may specialise in certain plant groups or wood characteristics. Many have symbiotic organisms aiding cellulose breakdown. Examples include Cossidae moths, termites, shipworms, and wood-boring beetles, among others.

    Three

    In the terminology used to describe swans:
    What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?

    Answers: Cygnet; Cob and pen.

    Young swans are known as cygnets, from Old French cigne or cisne (diminutive suffix et ‘little’), from the Latin word cygnus, a variant form of cycnus ‘swan’, itself from the Greek κύκνος kýknos, a word of the same meaning. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen.
    — Wikipedia

    Four

    What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?

    Answer: Sperm whale.

    Moby Dick is a fictional white sperm whale and the main antagonist in Herman Melville’s novel. Based on the real-life Mocha Dick, Moby Dick is described as having distinctive white markings and a history of attacking and destroying whaling ships. The novel ends with Moby Dick destroying the Pequod, leaving Ishmael as the sole survivor.

    Five

    According to the narrative of the Bible’s  Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?

    Answer: Abel.

    Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.
    — Book of Genesis, The Bible

    The Nabi Habeel Mosque, Bilad Ash-Sham, Syria, is believed by Muslims to be the grave of Abel. Abel, murdered by his brother Cain, is the world’s first homicide victim?

  • Animal Crackers

    Sheep.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of todays questions are about animals.

    One

    What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?

    Two

    A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?

    Three

    In the terminology used to describe swans:
    What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?

    Four

    What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?

    Five

    According to the narrative of the Bible’s  Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Gallimaufry X — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Quokkas—two adults and a juvenile at Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    No theme, just a mixed bag of questions today.

    One

    A family of what cat-sized macropod with the Latin name Setonix brachyurus is pictured?

    Answer: Quokka.

    The quokka, a small herbivorous marsupial, is found in southwestern Australia, including Rottnest Island and Bald Island.

    Two

    What colour and make of car features in the title of a 1964 film starring Rex Harrison and Jeanne Moreau?

    Answer: The Yellow Rolls-Royce.

    The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) is a British film about three owners of a yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom II, set before and during WWII. The film features an all-star cast and won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

    Three

    What was the first single released from 50 Cent’s album Get Rich or Die Tryin’?

    Answer: In Da Club.

    In da Club by 50 Cent, from his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, was released in 2003 and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song, which was 50 Cent’s first number one, received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards.

    Four

    Cambria is the Latinised form of what country’s name?

    Answer: Wales.

    Cambria is the Latinised form of Cymru — the Welsh name for Wales. It was not used during the period when the Romans were in Britain but emerged in the 12th century as an alternative to Britannia and Wallia, gaining popularity in the late Middle Ages.

    Five

    Janmashtami, a Hindu festival, celebrates the birth of which avatar of Vishnu?

    Answer: Krishna.

    Krishna Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. An important festival in Vaishnavism, it is observed with recitations, devotional singing, dance, dramatic reenactments, fasting, and midnight celebrations, ending with a feast. Celebrated worldwide, it usually falls in August or September.

  • Gallimaufry X

    See question one.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    No theme, just a mixed bag of questions today.

    One

    A family of what cat-sized macropod with the Latin name Setonix brachyurus is pictured?

    Two

    What colour and make of car features in the title of a 1964 film starring Rex Harrison and Jeanne Moreau?

    Three

    What was the first single released from 50 Cent’s album Get Rich or Die Tryin’?

    Four

    Cambria is the Latinised form of what country’s name?

    Five

    Janmashtami, a Hindu festival, celebrates the birth of which avatar of Vishnu?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Initial Answers — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions   Initial Answers.

    Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here. 

    Theme

    • The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
    • One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions. 
    • Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order. 
    • Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
    Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    One

    The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?

    Answers: Lhasa; Tibet and China.

    The Potala Palace, pictured, in Lhasa, Tibet, served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. Built in the dzong style, it’s named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical dwelling of Avalokiteśvara.  Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, stands at 11,995 feet (3,656 m), making it one of the world’s highest cities. The incorporation of Tibet into China in 1950 remains a contentious issue. While China considers it a rightful part of its territory, many Tibetans and the international community view it as an occupation.

    Two

    In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?

    Independence Day.

    Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film, which focuses on a worldwide attack by extraterrestrials, was a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster and grossed over $817.4 million worldwide.

    Three

    What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?

    Answer: Erik the Red.

    While exiled, Erik the Red explored a land later known as Greenland, which he named to attract settlers. He returned to Iceland, successfully recruiting colonists, and in c.986 CE, established two settlements on Greenland’s southwest coast, the Eastern and Western Settlements.

    Four

    Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?

    Answer: Treebeard.

    Treebeard, an Ent, recounts to Merry and Pippin how the Ents were created to protect trees and how he remembers the vast forests of Middle-earth. He learns of Saruman’s treachery and, realising the danger he poses, rallies the Ents to attack Isengard, destroying it and trapping Saruman in his tower. After the war, Treebeard remains at Isengard, now called the Treegarth of Orthanc, and is entrusted with its care by the king, Elessar (Aragorn).

    Five

    The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
    — Wikipedia 

    What body of water is missing from this quote?

    Answer: Beagle Channel.

    The channel was named after HMS Beagle, which surveyed South America’s coasts from 1826 to 1830. During a second voyage, captain FitzRoy took Charles Darwin, who saw glaciers for the first time in the channel, and noted

    It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of these glaciers, and especially as contrasted with the dead white of the upper expanse of snow.
    — Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

    Explanation

    Answers

    1. Lhasa; Tibet and China = T
    2. Independence Day = I
    3. Erik the Red = E
    4. Treebeard = T
    5. Beagle Channel = B
      T I E T B 🔄 TIBET

  • Initial Answers

    Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here. 

    Theme

    • The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
    • One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions. 
    • Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order. 
    • Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    One

    The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?

    Two

    In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?

    Three

    What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?

    Four

    Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?

    Five

    The … …, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
    — Wikipedia 

    What body of water is missing from this quote?

  • Gallimaufry IX — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    No theme today, just five general knowledge questions.

    Statue of Helvetia on the Federal Palace of Switzerland, Bern.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The image shown is that of ‘Statue of Helvetia on the Federal Palace of …’. What country finishes the previous statement, and in what city is the Federal Palace located?

    Answers: Switzerland; Bern.

    Helvetia, the national personification of Switzerland, is depicted with flowing clothing, with the Swiss flag, braided hair, and often with shield and a wreath. The name derives from the Helvetii, a Gaulish tribe.

    Two

    The …, or boreal forest, is the world’s largest land biome. In North America, it covers most of inland Canada, Alaska, and parts of the northern contiguous United States. In Eurasia, it covers most of Sweden, Finland, much of Russia from Karelia in the west to the Pacific Ocean (including much of Siberia), much of Norway and, some of the Scottish Highlands, some lowland/coastal areas of Iceland, and areas of northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, and northern Japan (on the island of Hokkaido).

    The above quote from Wikipedia describes a biome whose name has been omitted. What is that missing name?

    Answer: Taiga.

    taiga /ˈtʌɪɡə /
    ▸ (the taiga) noun [mass noun] the swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia: the coniferous forest of the taiga.

    – ORIGIN late 19th century: from Russian taĭga, from Mongolian.
    — Oxford English Dictionary

    Three

    What word completes the title of this 1957 sci-fi novel: The Midwich …; and who wrote it?

    Answers: Cuckoos; John Wyndham.

    The Midwich Cuckoos, a 1957 sci-fi novel by John Wyndham, explores moral ambiguities in an English village where women become pregnant by aliens.

    Four

    What calendar was replaced in England by the Gregorian in 1752?

    Answer: Julian.

    The Julian calendar, proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, is a solar calendar with a leap year every four years. It gained one day every 128 years compared to the solar year, leading to a drift against the solar year. The Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582, corrected this by eliminating occasional leap days, reducing the average year length to 365.2425 days. Although introduced in 1582 it took a lot longer to be adopted by individual nations. As stated in the question England adopted it in 1752 but Greece and turkey did not adopt until the 1920s and Saudi Arabia’s adoption of it was not until 2016.

    Five

    Who played the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk television series which originally aired between 1978 and 1982?

    Answer: Lou Ferrigno.

    The Incredible Hulk is a CBS series starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. Banner, a scientist transformed by gamma radiation, travels the U.S. helping others while pursued by reporter Jack McGee. The series aired 80 episodes from 1978 to 1982, starting with a pilot on November 4, 1977. In 1988, New World Television acquired filming rights from MCA/Universal for TV movies to conclude The Incredible Hulk series, with NBC broadcasting. They produced three films: The Incredible Hulk Returns, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk, directed by Nicholas J. Corea and Bill Bixby.

  • Gallimaufry IX

    No theme today, just five general knowledge questions.

    Statue of Helvetia on the Federal Palace of ….
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The image shown is that of ‘Statue of Helvetia on the Federal Palace of …’. What country finishes the previous statement, and in what city is the Federal Palace located?

    Two

    The …, or boreal forest, is the world’s largest land biome. In North America, it covers most of inland Canada, Alaska, and parts of the northern contiguous United States. In Eurasia, it covers most of Sweden, Finland, much of Russia from Karelia in the west to the Pacific Ocean (including much of Siberia), much of Norway and, some of the Scottish Highlands, some lowland/coastal areas of Iceland, and areas of northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, and northern Japan (on the island of Hokkaido).

    The above quote from Wikipedia describes a biome whose name has been omitted. What is that missing name?

    Three

    What word completes the title of this 1957 sci-fi novel: The Midwich …; and who wrote it?

    Four

    What calendar was replaced in England by the Gregorian in 1752?

    Five

    Who played the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk television series which originally aired between 1978 and 1982?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.