O is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

The three fictional superstates of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four are Oceania (black), Eurasia (red) and Eastasia (yellow). Areas shown in grey are ‘disputed’.
Image Wikipedia

One

The map above depicts the three fictional superstates from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, along with disputed territories (in grey). The black-coloured state encompassing the Americas, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, is known by what name?

Answer: Oceania

In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the world is divided into three superstates—Oceania (black on map), Eurasia (red) and Eastasia (yellow)—engaged in a perpetual war. The origins of these states, which may not even exist, are unclear, emerging from nuclear warfare and civil unrest between 1945 and 1965. In this post-war world, totalitarian ideologies such as English Socialism, Neo-Bolshevism and Obliteration of the Self dominate.


Ogden Nash and Dagmar from the television game show Masquerade Party, 1955
Image Wikipedia

Two

Some tortures are physical and some are mental, but the one that is both is dental.

The above quote was originally made by which American humorist and poet?

Answer: Ogden Nash

Frederic Ogden Nash, an American humorist, wrote over 500 pieces of light verse, including 20 volumes of poetry and lyrics for musicals and children’s books.


Orienteering pictogram
Image Wikipedia

Three

A competitive sport in which runners have to find their way across rough country with the aid of a map and compass.
Oxford English Dictionary

What sport is being defined above?

Answer: Orienteering

Orienteering is a sport involving map and compass navigation through unfamiliar terrain. Participants use specially prepared maps to locate control points, with foot orienteering being the oldest and most popular variation. Orienteering features in the programs of global sporting events, such as the World Games and the World Police and Fire Games.


Oberammergau Passion Play 1860 Production.
Image Wikipedia

Four

A Passion Play, depicting the final phase of the life of Jesus Christ, has taken place in a Bavarian village once every ten years (barring a few exceptions) since the 17 century. What is the village name?

Answer: Oberammergau

The Oberammergauer Passionsspiele, a passion play performed by the inhabitants of Oberammergau, Germany, depicts Jesus’ final days from His visit to Jerusalem to His crucifixion. The play, composed by several individuals and the village inhabitants, is the earliest surviving continuous vernacular drama of the Christian era.


Librarian of the Unseen University, Ankh-Morpork.
Image Pinterest

Five

What one creature answers both the following
– In The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, the university librarian is accidentally turned into one of these
– One is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Answer: Orangutan (or orangutang)

In The Light Fantastic, the second instalment in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld fantasy novel series, the Librarian of the Unseen University undergoes an unexpected transformation into a sentient orangutan. This transformation persists throughout the series, and he actively resists any attempts to revert him to his original state.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue tell how a sailor’s orangutan, imitating him shaving, runs off with his straight razor and later kills a woman and her daughter. The sailor, attempting to catch it, was heard arguing with the animal. The orangutan fled, leaving the sailor to sell it and the police to release their suspect, Le Bon.

O is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions with answers beginning with ‘O’.


Image Wikipedia

One

The map above depicts the three fictional superstates from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, along with disputed territories (in grey). The black-coloured state encompassing the Americas, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, is known by what name?

Two

Some tortures are physical and some are mental, but the one that is both is dental.

The above quote was originally made by which American humorist and poet?

Three

A competitive sport in which runners have to find their way across rough country with the aid of a map and compass.
Oxford English Dictionary

What sport is being defined above?

Four

A Passion Play, depicting the final phase of the life of Jesus Christ, has taken place in a Bavarian village once every ten years (barring a few exceptions) since the 17 century. What is the village name?

Five

What one creature answers both the following
– In The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, the university librarian is accidentally turned into one of these
– One is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

An assassin, an invader, mutineers, mountaineers and religious revolutionaries walk into a bar | Answer

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

London Heathrow.
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 8 June 1968, James Earl Ray, who was later convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, was arrested at…
    • London Heathrow Airport, UK—James Earl Ray, convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., fled to London after the murder and was captured there. In 1999, after a civil trial in Memphis, a jury found Loyd Jowers liable for the assassination, concluding it was a conspiracy involving US government agencies.
  2. Today in 452, an invasion heading towards Rome, devastated the northern provinces of Italy. The invasion was lead by…
    • Attila the Hun—ruler of the Huns from 434 to 453, led an empire in Central and Eastern Europe. He invaded the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, attempting to conquer Constantinople and Gaul, but died before conquering Rome. Ivan the Terrible and Vlad the Impaler lived a millennium after Attila.
      Maximilien Robespierre.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. On 8 June 1794, during the French Revolution, a new religion was inaugurated, which was celebrated with festivals across France. It was called the Cult of the…
    • Supreme Being—a deistic religion established by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution, was intended to replace Catholicism and the Cult of Reason. It was banned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
      Mount Everest.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. On this date in 1924, British mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory went missing. Which expedition were they on?
    • British Mount Everest Expedition—The 1924 expedition, the second attempt to reach the summit, saw two summit attempts by Edward Norton and the disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on the third attempt. Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but Irvine’s remains were only discovered in 2024.
      Descendants of Matthew Quintal and John Adams, the mutineers on Bounty, 1862.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. On 8 June 1856, a group of people arrived on Norfolk Island to be resettled from Pitcairn Island. These were descendants of the mutineers from the…
    • Bounty—In 1856, 193 Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian partners, resettled on Norfolk Island due to Pitcairn’s overpopulation. They established farming and whaling industries, and the island’s population continued to grow despite some families returning to Pitcairn.

An assassin, an invader, mutineers, mountaineers and religious revolutionaries walk into a bar

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 8th.

  1. On 8 June 1968, James Earl Ray, who was later convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, was arrested at…
    • London Heathrow Airport, UK
    • Mexico City International Airport
    • Salisbury Airport, Rhodesia (now Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Zimbabwe)
  2. Today in 452, an invasion heading towards Rome, devastated the northern provinces of Italy. The invasion was lead by…
    • Attila the Hun
    • Ivan the Terrible
    • Vlad the Impaler
  3. On 8 June 1794, during the French Revolution, a new religion was inaugurated which was celebrated with festivals across France. It was called the Cult of the…
    • Cathars
    • Huguenots
    • Supreme Being
  4. On this date in 1924, British mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory went missing. Which expedition were they on?
    • British Mount Everest Expedition
    • International Expedition to Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica
    • Lost World Expedition to Mount Roraima, Guyana
  5. On 8 June 1856, a group of people arrived on Norfolk Island to be resettled from Pitcairn Island. These were descendants of the mutineers from the…
    • Amistad
    • Bounty—
    • Caine

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Odd one out II | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Image Pinterest
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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.

Odd one out II

Moon.
Image Wikipedia

A few questions where you have to identify the odd one out.

  1. Two of these were written by the same author and one was not. Which is the odd one out?
    • Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car
    • George’s Marvellous Medicine
    • From Russia with Love
  2. 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
    • Nile
    • Saltwater
  3. The three men listed comprised the crew of Apollo 12. With regard to the Moon which of them was the odd one out?
    • Alan Bean
    • Pete Conrad
    • Richard Gordon
  4. Two of these are the mottos of military organisations while one is not. Which one is the odd one out?
    • Blood and Fire
    • Semper fidelis (“Always faithful”)
    • Who Dares Wins
  5. In sporting terms, which of these women is the odd one out?
    • Aryna Sabalenka
    • Catriona Matthew
    • Stacy Lewis

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

ABC | Answers

Chinchilla (See question 5).
Image Wikipedia

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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?
    • ConnecticutA 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

ABC

Image Wikipedia

Today’s questions have answers which begin with A, B or C.

  1. Established in the 1990s, WestJet is the second-largest airline in which Commonwealth country?
    • Australia
    • Barbados
    • Canada
  2. The first geological period of the Paleozoic Era has a Latin name connected to Wales. What is it?
    • Aquitanian
    • Burdigalian
    • Cambrian
  3. 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?
    • Appalachian
    • Baltimore
    • Connecticut
  4. Which of these was a mythical hero whom Thetis dressed as a girl and hid with King Lycomedes of Skyros?
    • Achilles
    • Basilisk
    • Chiron
  5. What animal is pictured at the top of this post?
    • Agouti
    • Bushbaby
    • Chinchilla

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Today’s miscellany | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Tom Thumb.
Image B&O Railroad Museum
  1. 24 May 1840, saw the maiden journey of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb locomotive. On which of these did this take place?
    • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad—Tom Thumb, the first American-built steam locomotive, was designed by Peter Cooper in 1829 to demonstrate steam power to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Though it lost a race to a horse-drawn carriage, the demonstration convinced the railroad to adopt steam locomotives.
      Lys Assia.
      Winner of the Inaugural Eurovision Song Contest, 1956. (Photo 1957)
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Today in 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest took place. Which of these cities hosted it?
    • Lugano, Switzerland—The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union. Participating countries submit original songs to be performed live and voted on by other countries, with the song receiving the most points declared the winner. The contest, inspired by the Sanremo Music Festival, has been held annually since 1956, making it the longest-running international music competition on television.
      Queen Victoria.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819, when did she become Queen?
    • 20 June 1837—Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, oversaw significant industrial, political, and scientific changes in the United Kingdom and the expansion of the British Empire. After the death of her husband, Prince Albert, she withdrew from public life but later regained popularity, before dying at the age of 81.
      Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.
      Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C., 28 August 1963.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Born this day in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, which singer-songwriter penned the lines “You don’t need a weatherman / To know which way the wind blows”?
    • Bob Dylan—These lines are found at the end of the second verse of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues (see lyrics quoted below), released in 1965 as a single and later on the album Bringing It All Back Home. It was Dylan’s first Top 40 hit in the US and is ranked 187th on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
      John Wesley.
      Portrait by George Romney.
      Image National Portrait Gallery, London/Wikipedia
  5. Aldersgate Day, 24 May, is observed by which of these faith groups?
    • Methodists—Methodism, founded by John Wesley and his brother Charles, originated as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century, emphasising sanctification and the transformative power of faith. Known for its focus on evangelism, charity, social justice, and a rich musical tradition, Methodism has spread globally through missionary work, with about 80 million adherents. The Wesley brothers began the “Holy Club” at the University of Oxford, where they lived a disciplined religious life, earning the nickname “Methodist” for their systematic approach. In 1735, they traveled to America as ministers but returned to England feeling spiritually unfulfilled. Seeking guidance, John Wesley experienced a pivotal evangelical conversion at a Moravian service in Aldersgate on 24 May 1738, feeling his “heart strangely warmed” and gaining assurance of salvation through Christ. This experience, along with Charles’s similar conversion, marked a monumental moment in the history of Methodism, ensuring its lasting impact on church history.

Subterranean Homesick Blues

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN 

Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doin’ it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin’ for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
By the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin’ that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone’s tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A.
Look out kid
Don’t matter what you did
Walk on your tiptoes
Don’t try “No-Doz”
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows

Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin’ to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You’re gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin’ for a new fool
Don’t follow leaders
Watch the parkin’ meters

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don’t steal, don’t lift
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don’t wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don’t wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don’t work
’Cause the vandals took the handles

Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

bobdylan.com

Today’s miscellany

Queen Victoria.
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, May 24th.

  1. 24 May 1840, saw the maiden journey of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb locomotive. On which of these did this take place?
    • Albany and Pennsylvania Railroad
    • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
    • Cambridge and Connecticut Railroad
  2. Today in 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest took place. Which of these cities hosted it?
    • London, UK
    • Lugano, Switzerland
    • Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
  3. Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819, when did she become Queen?
    • 20 June 1837
    • 21 May 1838
    • 22 July 1839
  4. Born this day in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, which singer-songwriter penned the lines “You don’t need a weatherman / To know which way the wind blows”?
    • Bob Dylan
    • James Taylor
    • Neil Young
  5. Aldersgate Day, May 24th, is observed by which of these faith groups?
    • Baptists
    • Methodists
    • Quakers

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.