Quizology.Online

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”

— Bertrand Russell

Tag: religion

  • Oddities II — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Michael’s Gate and tower, Bratislava, Slovakia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Continuing from yesterday with some more ‘Oddities’ which are described as such as they are only connected by being ‘Odds and Ends’. Similar to yesterday, these are all true or false questions.

    One

    Is it true or false that although an estimated 90% of bird species partner up for life, only 20 to 25% of all mammal species do?

    Answer: False.

    Only a small percentage of mammals, approximately 3% to 5%, form lifelong monogamous relationships, often driven by practical needs rather than romantic notions. Notable examples of mammals that mate for life include those with various relationship types. Monogamous: Wolves —Alpha pairs mate for life, leading the pack and raising pups together. Socially monogamous: Beavers — Pairs collaborate to build and maintain their lodges, sharing parenting duties. Long-term monogamous: Gibbons — Known for their duet singing, which strengthens their bond and territory claims.

    Two

    Is it true or false that Gregory Peck portrayed infamous Nazi and Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele in the 1978 film The Boys from Brazil?

    Answer: True.

    Josef Mengele, known as the ‘Angel of Death’, was a German physician and Nazi officer at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. He conducted inhumane experiments on prisoners. After the war, he fled to South America, evading capture until his death in 1979. His remains were identified in 1985 and 1992.

    Three

    Is it true or false that a bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ritual in Judaism?

    Answer: True

    In Judaism Bat Mitzvah is the feminine equivalent of Bar mitzvah. These occur at 13 for boys and bat mitzvah at 12 for girls in Orthodox communities, or 13 for both in most others, it marks Jewish coming of age and accountability. The ceremony usually occurs on the first Shabbat after the birthday.

    Four

    Is it true or false that Michael’s Gate, pictured above, is in Bratislava, Slovakia?

    Answer: True.

    Michael’s Gate in Bratislava, Slovakia, is the only preserved medieval city gate, dating back to around 1300. Baroque reconstructions in 1758 added the statue of St. Michael and the Dragon. It houses the Exhibition of Weapons of Bratislava City Museum. The town once had four fortified gates.

    Five

    Is it true or false that the largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae) is an apex predator?

    Answer: True.

    The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is the largest oceanic dolphin, known for its black and white pigmentation. Apex predators with diverse diets, they form matrilineal pods and exhibit unique cultures. Conservation status is data deficient; some populations are endangered. Revered by indigenous peoples in Australia, Peru and the Pacific Northwest of North America.

  • Oddities II

    Michael’s Gate and tower.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Continuing from yesterday with some more ‘Oddities’ which are described as such as they are only ‘Odds and Ends’. Similar to yesterday, these are all true or false questions.

    One

    Is it true or false that although an estimated 90% of bird species partner up for life, only 20 to 25% of all mammal species do?

    Two

    Is it true or false that Gregory Peck portrayed infamous Nazi and Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele in the 1978 film The Boys from Brazil?

    Three

    Is it true or false that a bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ritual in Judaism?

    Four

    Is it true or false that Michael’s Gate, pictured above, is in Bratislava, Slovakia?

    Five

    Is it true or false that the largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae) is an apex predator?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • The Italian Job — Answers

    Here are today’s answers.

    Pope Adrian VI.
    Image Wikimedia Commons/Image copyright Centraal Museum, Utrecht

    Five questions today which are not date-related and follow a religious theme.

    One

    Adrian VI was the last non-Italian to be elected pope until John Paul II in 1978. In what year had Adrian been elected? 

    Answer: 1522

    Adrian VI, born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens, served as pope from 1522 to 1523. The only Dutchman elected, he attempted reform and admitted Curia fault but faced resistance. He was succeeded by Clement VII.

    Two

    The word “antidisestablishmentarianism” refers to opposition to what?

    Answer: The disestablishment of the Church of England.

    antidisestablishmentarianism

    ▸  noun [mass noun] rare opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England: I never realized that you leaned towards antidisestablishmentarianism.

    Antidisestablishmentarianism is very occasionally found in genuine use, but it is most often cited as an example of a very long word. 

    – DERIVATIVES antidisestablishmentarian ▸  noun  & adjective

     — Oxford English Dictionary 

    There

    In the book title The Red and the Black what do the colours symbolise?

    Answer: The army (red) and the church (black).

    The title of Stendhal’s 1830 novel The Red and the Black is ambiguous, but the colours are widely seen as symbolising the two careers available to Julien Sorel in post-Napoleonic France. Red refers to the red uniform of the army, especially the glory and advancement associated with Napoleon’s military career. Black refers to the black cassock of the clergy, representing the Church as an alternative route to power, status, and influence after Napoleon’s fall.

    Four

    Which Unification Church leader founded The Washington Times in 1982?

    Answer: Sun Myung Moon.

    Sun Myung Moon founded the Unification Church, authored Divine Principle and promoted mass weddings. An anti-communist advocate for Korean reunification, he led News World Communications and Tongil Group. Imprisoned in Korea and convicted in United States v. Sun Myung Moon, he engaged with political figures.

    Five

    Since 9/11 a Manhattan church exhibits police and firefighter memorabilia, what church?

    Answer: St Paul’s.

    St Paul’s Chapel provided refuge for recovery workers after 11 September 2001, with volunteers working round the clock for nine months. A sycamore tree protected the building; its root is preserved in a bronze memorial. The organ was refurbished.

  • The Italian Job

    Pope Adrian VI.
    Image Wikimedia Commons/Image copyright Centraal Museum, Utrecht

    Five questions today which are not date-related and follow a religious theme.

    One

    Adrian VI was the last non-Italian to be elected pope until John Paul II in 1978. In what year had Adrian been elected? 

    Two

    The word “antidisestablishmentarianism” refers to opposition to what?

    There

    In the book title The Red and the Black what do the colours symbolise?

    Four

    Which Unification Church leader founded The Washington Times in 1982?

    Five

    Since 9/11 a Manhattan church exhibits police and firefighter memorabilia, what church?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Leading Lady — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Vigdís Finnbogadóttir President of Iceland.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions are related to the date, 1 August.

    One

    In 1980, for the first time anywhere in the world, a woman was elected head of state in a national election. This election was the first of four terms in this role. Who is she, and of what country was she president?

    Answer: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir; Iceland.

    Vigdís Finnbogadóttir served as Iceland’s president from 1980 to 1996 and was the first woman globally elected head of state. After retiring from office Finnbogadóttir chaired the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology from 1997 to 2001 and became UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for languages in 1998.

    Two

    In 1996, George R.R. Martin published the first volume of a book series. What is the book series called?

    Answer: A Song of Ice and Fire.

    George R.R. Martin, born in 1948, is an American fantasy writer known for his A Song of Ice and Fire series, adapted into Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. He began his career with short fiction and television writing before returning to novels.

    Three

    What Formula 1 driver, who suffered extensive burns in a severe accident in the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, returned to racing still heavily bandaged, having only missed two races?

    Answer: Niki Lauda

    Niki Lauda, after a near-fatal crash in 1976, won his second championship with Ferrari in 1977. He took a two-year hiatus before returning with McLaren, winning his third championship in 1984, and retiring in 1985.

    Four

    On this date, the Guam Organic Act was signed, officially establishing Guam as an organised unincorporated territory of the United States. Who was the U.S. president at the time? 

    Answer: Harry S. Truman.

    Guam, a territory since 1899, was acquired at the end of the Spanish-American War. It’s home to Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base. Organised under the Guam Organic Act of 1950, it granted U.S. citizenship to Guamanians and established a local government. The act was amended in 1968 to allow for the election of a governor.

    Five

    In 1620, Myles Standish, his wife Rose and others sailed from Delfshaven, Netherlands to England where they would join with the Mayflower to sail to America. What is the name of the ship on which Standish and his wife sailed from Delfshaven, and in what modern country is Delfshaven?

    Answer: Speedwell; Netherlands.

    On 1 August 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers left Delfshaven on the Speedwell. After delays due to leaks, they departed Southampton on 5 August with the Mayflower. The Speedwell was abandoned, and its passengers, including the Standishes, joined the Mayflower for the voyage to the New World.

  • Leading Lady

    See question one.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions are related to the date, 1 August.

    One

    In 1980, for the first time anywhere in the world, a woman was elected head of state in a national election. This election was the first of four terms in this role. Who is she, and of what country was she president?

    Two

    In 1996, George R.R. Martin published the first volume of a book series. What is the book series called?

    Three

    What Formula 1 driver, who suffered extensive burns in a severe accident in the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, returned to racing still heavily bandaged, having only missed two races?

    Four

    On this date, the Guam Organic Act was signed, officially establishing Guam as an organised unincorporated territory of the United States. Who was the U.S. president at the time? 

    Five

    In 1620, Myles Standish, his wife Rose and others sailed from Delfshaven, Netherlands to England where they would join with the Mayflower to sail to America. What is the name of the ship on which Standish and his wife sailed from Delfshaven, and in what modern country is Delfshaven?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Stand Trial — Answers

    Fossil of a coelacanth.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?

    Answer: The theory of evolution by natural selection.

    The Scopes Trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee, after teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. Although Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a conviction later overturned on ##a technicality), the trial became an international symbol of the clash between modern science and religious fundamentalism. It also featured a celebrated courtroom confrontation between prosecutor William Jennings Bryan and defence attorney Clarence Darrow.

    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?

    Answer: Luna 2; 1959.

    The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 launched on 12 September 1959 became the following day the first spacecraft to impact the Moon, depositing Soviet emblems and detecting no magnetic field or radiation belts. Nikita S. Khrushchev gave a replica pennant to Dwight D. Eisenhower; it is held in his Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.

    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?

    Answer: Coelacanth.

    Coelacanths are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii) in the class Actinistia. As sarcopterygians, they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods (the terrestrial vertebrates including living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) than to ray-finned fish. There is only a single living genus, Latimeria, with two described species. The name coelacanth originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus. Thought extinct 66 million years ago, Latimeria chalumnae was found in 1938, and Latimeria menadoensis in the late 1990s. Despite being called ‘living fossils’, fossil studies show diverse ancient forms, challenging this status.

    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?

    Answer: Mad Max.

    In a near-future Australia, oil shortages and ecocide undermine order. Nightrider kills a Main Force Patrol officer and escapes in a Pursuit Special until Max Rockatansky forces a fatal crash, killing Nightrider and his girlfriend.

    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?

    Answer: Point Barrow.

    Point Barrow, or Nuvuk, is Alaska and the U.S.’S northernmost point. It is at 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W and is 9 miles northeast of Utqiagvik and 1,122 nautical miles south of the North Pole. It separates the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

  • Stand Trial

    Fossil of a ?
    See question three.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.

    One

    The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?

    Two

    What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?

    Three

    A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?

    Four

    Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?

    Five

    What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Pause for a Moment — Answers

    Today’s answers are shown below.

    Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, 20 July 1969.
    Image ABC News

    The first question relates to today’s date, 20 July. The remainder, which are not date-related, follow on a theme from the first.

    One

    I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.
    — Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 on the Lunar surface, 20 July 1969

    Why did Buzz Aldrin choose not to mention over the radio that he was taking Holy Communion on the Moon before the first moonwalk?

    Answer: NASA was avoiding public religious broadcasts

    After controversy surrounding the Apollo 8 crew’s reading from the Book of Genesis, NASA was avoiding public religious broadcasts. Aldrin Consequently observed Communion privately without mentioning it on air; instead, prior to taking Communion, Aldrin invited everyone listening to ‘pause for a moment’ and ‘give thanks in his or her own way’. His Communion kit was prepared by his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church in Texas, which still commemorates the event using the chalice which was used on the Moon each year on the Sunday closest to 20 July.

    Two

    The god Khnum was once regarded as the guardian of the source of which river?

    Answer: River Nile.

    Khnum, an early Egyptian deity from Upper Egypt, was linked to the Nile cataract and responsible for its annual inundation. Known as the creator of human bodies and the life force ka, he used a potter’s wheel. Worshipped from the First Dynasty, his main cult centre was Herwer, later Elephantine. Khnum, depicted with ram horns symbolising fertility and rebirth, evolved from horizontally spiralled to down-turned horns in the New Kingdom. His imagery includes a crocodile head, representing Nile dominion, and he wears the atef crown or the white crown of Upper Egypt.

    Three

    The Rehat Maryada is a code of conduct in which religion, founded in the late 15th century?

    Answer: Sikhism.

    Originating in the 15th century within the Punjab region, Sikhism is a monotheistic faith shaped by Guru Nanak and nine subsequent leaders. The tradition highlights belief in one creator, equality, selfless service, and honest behaviour. Since 1699, Sikhs have regarded the Guru Granth Sahib as their eternal guide.

    Four

    In ancient myth, what God was the father of Heracles?

    Answer: Zeus.

    Heracles, a divine Greek hero and son of Zeus, was the greatest of Greek heroes and ancestor of the Heracleidae. Known as Hercules in Rome, he championed the Olympian order against monsters. Roman emperors like Commodus and Maximian identified with him, and his cult was adapted to Rome.

    Five

    William and Catherine Booth established an organisation in 1865 that functions as both a Methodist Christian church and an international charity. What is this organisation, and what is its motto?

    Answer: Salvation Army; Blood and Fire.

    The Salvation Army, founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth, is a Methodist Christian church and international charity with over 1.7 million members in 133 countries. It provides physical and spiritual aid, operates charity shops, shelters, and disaster relief. General Lyndon Buckingham leads as of 2023.

  • Pause for a Moment

    Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, 20 July 1969.
    Image ABC News

    The first question relates to today’s date, 20 July. The remainder, which are not date-related, follow on a theme from the first.

    One

    I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.
    — Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 on the Lunar surface, 20 July 1969

    Why did Buzz Aldrin choose not to mention over the radio that he was taking Holy Communion on the Moon before the first moonwalk?

    Two

    The god Khnum was once regarded as the guardian of the source of which river?

    Three

    The Rehat Maryada is a code of conduct in which religion, founded in the late 15th century?

    Four

    In ancient myth, what God was the father of Heracles?

    Five

    William and Catherine Booth established an organisation in 1865 that functions as both a Methodist Christian church and an international charity. What is this organisation, and what is its motto?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.