“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy” .
Yes, apparently gray and white matters as you will find out in one of today’s selection of unusual facts.
Hope you enjoy the others as well. .
. During the production of the video game Deus Ex,
one of the artists forgot to add
the Twin Towers to New York City.
His mistake was explained by
way of a terrorist attack.
The year was 2000.
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Switzerland has
208 mountains over 3,000 meters high
and 24 over 4,000 meters.
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The male brain contains more gray matter
whereas the female brain contains more white matter.
White matter basically increases the speed
of transmission of all nerve signals,
which ultimately allows women to process thoughts
more rapidly than their male counterparts.
Don’t fret guys, you’ll get this
in another nano second or two.
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Genghis Kahn wanted the location
of his grave to be unknown
(somewhere in present day Mongolia)
so his funeral escort killed everyone they met
along the way and he even demanded that
a river be diverted to run across his grave
so it could never be disturbed.
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Although their civilization has declined and been conquered,
in many rural parts of Mexico and Guatemala
Mayan language and culture perseveres.
In fact, there are an estimated 7 million Maya
still living in and around the Yucatan Peninsula.
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The modern chainsaw was invented by Scottish
doctors to help with Symphysiotomy.
This is a surgical procedure that widens the
pelvis in order to assist in childbirth.
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China is among the countries with
the highest air pollution in the world.
Breathing air in Beijing, the country´s capital,
increases the risk of lung cancer in the same way
as smoking 21 cigarettes a day.
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In 1883 Sir Hiram Maxim created the Maxim gun.
The world’s first machine gun would go on to
revolutionize warfare and was used in both World Wars.
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Some rich people in Moscow buy
ambulances and use them to drive around
because the traffic is so bad.
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Operation Mockingbird was a secret campaign
begun in the 1950s by the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
to influence media.
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After being frustrated by the service
he was receiving at Bank of America,
Dalton Chiscolm sued them
for $1.7 billion trillion.
During the trial a professor of mathematics
was even called in to testify about
how big the number was.
To give you an idea,
Earth’s total combined GDP was $60 trillion that year.
Half the year almost gone, but not before you get the chance to try out these questions.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1. What was bought by the United States from France in 1803?
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Q. 2. ‘Black’, ‘Hooper’ and ‘Bewick’ are all types of what bird?
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Q. 3. What city in South America is known as ‘The City Of The Kings’ ?
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Q. 4. Very recently in the news for all the wrong reasons, what organization do the letters ‘FIFA’ represent?
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Q. 5. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953?
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Q. 6. What did Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discover by accident on November 8 1895?
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Q. 7. He was born in Illinois and died in Idaho and during his lifetime he published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. Who was he?
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Q. 8. What name is given to calfskin, dressed and prepared for writing on?
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Q. 9. Which sea is sometimes called the Euxine Sea?
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Q. 10. What is the name given to the person who is appointed the chief lawyer of the U.S. government?
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Q. 11. Name the famous Russian ballet dancer who changed the face of modern ballet?
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Q. 12. Who invented the rabies vaccination?
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Q. 13. Who is the current (2015) British Prime Minister?
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Q. 14. Big points opportunity. How many countries lie between Canada and Colombia? (A point for the correct number and a bonus point for each one you can name correctly.)
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Q. 15. What fruit is ‘Calvados’ distilled from?
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Q. 16. What is ‘Scooby’ short for in the name ‘Scooby Doo’ ?
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Q. 17. What does ‘RADAR’ stand for?
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Q. 18. In which French city was Joan of Arc put to death?
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Q. 19. What are the seven most popular sports in America? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you can name them in the correct order.)
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Q. 20. He was famous as ‘Dracula’, ‘Scaramanga’ and ‘Saruman’. Who was he?
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ANWERS
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Q. 1. What was bought by the United States from France in 1803?
A. 1. The Louisiana territory (828,000 square miles).
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Q. 2. ‘Black’, ‘Hooper’ and ‘Bewick’ are all types of what bird?
A. 2. Swans.
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Q. 3. What city in South America is known as ‘The City Of The Kings’ ?
A. 3. Lima, Peru. (Ciudad de los Reyes)
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Q. 4. Very recently in the news for all the wrong reasons, what organization do the letters ‘FIFA’ represent?
A. 4. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.
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Q. 5. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953?
A. 5. Joseph Stalin.
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Q. 6. What did Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discover by accident on November 8 1895?
A. 6. X-rays.
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Q. 7. He was born in Illinois and died in Idaho and during his lifetime he published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. Who was he?
A. 7. Ernest Hemmingway.
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Q. 8. What name is given to calfskin, dressed and prepared for writing on?
A. 8. It is known as ‘Vellum’.
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Q. 9. Which sea is sometimes called the Euxine Sea?
A. 9. The Black Sea.
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Q. 10. What is the name given to the person who is appointed the chief lawyer of the U.S. government?
A. 10. He/she is known as the ‘Attorney General’.
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Q. 11. Name the famous Russian ballet dancer who changed the face of modern ballet?
A. 11. Rudolf Nureyev.
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Q. 12. Who invented the rabies vaccination?
A. 12. Louis Pasteur.
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Q. 13. Who is the current (2015) British Prime Minister?
A. 13. David Cameron.
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Q. 14. Big points opportunity. How many countries lie between Canada and Colombia? (A point for the correct number and a bonus point for each one you can name correctly.)
A. 14. There are 9 countries that lie between Canada and Colombia – they are The United States, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
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Q. 15. What fruit is ‘Calvados’ distilled from?
A. 15. Apples.
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Q. 16. What is ‘Scooby’ short for in the name ‘Scooby Doo’ ?
A. 16. Scoobert.
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Q. 17. What does ‘RADAR’ stand for?
A. 17. ‘RADAR’ stand for ‘Radio Detection and Ranging’.
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Q. 18. In which French city was Joan of Arc put to death?
A. 18. Rouen.
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Q. 19. What are the seven most popular sports in America? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you can name them in the correct order.)
A. 19. 1. American Football 2. Baseball 3. Basketball 4. Ice Hockey 5. Soccer 6. Tennis and 7. Golf
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Q. 20. He was famous as ‘Dracula’, ‘Scaramanga’ and ‘Saruman’. Who was he?
A. 20. He was the wonderful actor Sir Christopher Lee.
I’m back on one of my pet hates today. Yes, it’s Facebook as you might have gathered from the title. The most successful useless piece of crap ever invented. Wish I’d thought of it.
They make it very easy to sign up to Facebook. In fact they make it compulsory even if all you want to do is be polite and look at a photo one of your friends has sent you a link to.
But it’s not so easy to get back off it again. They say it is, but it’s not.
It’s bad enough that companies like Facebook think they have the right to track your internet movements when you are a signed up member. But Facebook has recently admitted that it tracks non-users as well.
Facebook has apparently been secretly installing tracking cookies on users’ computers, even when they had deleted their account and asked not to be followed. I think this is a breach of privacy rights and plain bad manners too.
Facebook admitted that such cookies may have been placed in what they called ‘a few instances’. It didn’t quantify how many ‘a few instances’ is, but considering the number of people who have used Facebook we could be looking at a big number.
They have tried “Setting the record straight”, and are blaming a ‘bug’ the way you do when you are caught out. But their track record is not good!
By the way, hope you ‘like’ this post on Facebook or we’ll track you down and find out why 🙂
Yes, there is the opportunity to land yourself with a lot of points in today’s quiz, but some of the questions are quite difficult too so don’t be over confidant.
However, don’t worry, if you get stuck you can always find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: How many legs has a tarantula?
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Q. 2: ‘Zn’ is the symbol of which chemical element?
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Q. 3: What name is given to a baby elephant?
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Q. 4: What is the smallest bone in the body and where is it located? (A point for each correct answer.)
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Q. 5: What is the fahrenheit equivalent of 20 degrees centigrade?
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Q. 6: What city is known as ‘The City of Lilies’ ?
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Q. 7: Who was famous for his theory of gravity and 3 laws of motion?
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Q. 8: What is the most common transplant operation?
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Q. 9: What is the major element of the diet of the Koala bear?
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Q. 10: And in a related question, what is the major element of the diet of the wild giant panda?
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Q. 11: Which gas is responsible for global warming?
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Q. 12: The Ross and Weddell Seas are to be found off the shore of which continent?
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Q. 13: Now for a mega-point question. Listed below (in alphabetical order) are ten countries ending in the word ‘land’. A point for each one you can name correctly.
_ _ _ L A N D
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D _
_ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ L A N D
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Q. 14: Who led the Seventh Cavalry to its doom at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
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Q. 15: John Flamsteed was the first holder of which far-sighted post, created in 1675?
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Q. 16: What term is given to the technique where paint is mixed and bound with egg yolk?
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Q. 17: What was launched by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095?
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Q. 18: Who went on a circumnavigation of the world from the Reform Club as the result of a bet?
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Q. 19: Which New Zealand-born physicist is credited with splitting the atom?
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Q. 20: Which motoring aid was invented by Percy Shaw?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: How many legs has a tarantula?
A. 1: Eight.
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Q. 2: ‘Zn’ is the symbol of which chemical element?
A. 2: Zinc.
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Q. 3: What name is given to a baby elephant?
A. 3: A baby elephant is called a ‘Calf’.
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Q. 4: What is the smallest bone in the body and where is it located? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 4: It is called the ‘Stirrup’ and it is located in the ear.
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Q. 5: What is the fahrenheit equivalent of 20 degrees centigrade?
A. 5: 20 degrees centigrade is 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Q. 6: What city is known as ‘The City of Lilies’ ?
A. 6: Florence.
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Q. 7: Who was famous for his theory of gravity and 3 laws of motion?
A. 7: Sir Isaac Newton.
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Q. 8: What is the most common transplant operation?
A. 8: The Bone graft.
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Q. 9: What is the major element of the diet of the Koala bear?
A. 9: Eucalyptus leaves.
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Q. 10: And in a related question, what is the major element of the diet of the wild giant panda?
A. 10: A wild giant panda’s diet is almost exclusively (99 percent) bamboo.
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Q. 11: Which gas is responsible for global warming?
A. 11: Carbon dioxide.
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Q. 12: The Ross and Weddell Seas are to be found off the shore of which continent?
A. 12: Antarctica.
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Q. 13: Now for a mega-point question. Listed below (in alphabetical order) are ten countries ending in the word ‘land’. A point for each one you can name correctly.
_ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ L A N D
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D _
_ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ L A N D
_ _ _ _ L A N D
A. 13: The correct answers are:
FINLAND
ICELAND
IRELAND
NORTHERN IRELAND
NEW ZEALAND
THE NETHERLANDS
POLAND
SWAZILAND
SWITZERLAND
THAILAND.
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Q. 14: Who led the Seventh Cavalry to its doom at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
A. 14: Lt-Col George Armstrong Custer.
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Q. 15: John Flamsteed was the first holder of which far-sighted post, created in 1675?
A. 15: He was the first Astronomer Royal.
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Q. 16: What term is given to the technique where paint is mixed and bound with egg yolk?
A. 16: It is known as ‘Tempera’.
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Q. 17: What was launched by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095?
A. 17: The First Crusade.
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Q. 18: Who went on a circumnavigation of the world from the Reform Club as the result of a bet?
A. 18: Phileas Fogg and his servant Passepartout (you get the point for naming Phileas Fogg correctly AND two posssible bonus points if you also knew the name of his servant. (From Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days).
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Q. 19: Which New Zealand-born physicist is credited with splitting the atom?
A. 19: Sir Ernest Rutherford.
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Q. 20: Which motoring aid was invented by Percy Shaw?
A. 20: He invented the reflectors known as ‘Cats eyes’, getting his inspiration when he saw a light reflecting off a cat’s eyes as it walked towards him. (British comedian Ken Dodd said that if the cat had been walking away from him he would probably have invented the pencil sharpener!)
Well maybe not just so easy a quiz as all that. You’ll find out below, and why I called it that too.
All the usual mixture of questions are here.
And as usual if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What city is known as ‘The Big Easy’ ?
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Q. 2: What color are the flowers of the ‘harebell’ ?
a) red b) green c) blue d) yellow
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Q. 3: What is the name of the process in which a solid turns directly into a gas, without passing through the liquid phase?
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Q. 4: What is the largest wild member of the dog family?
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Q. 5: Which element has the symbol ‘Au’ ?
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Q. 6: What is the electrical unit of resistance?
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Q. 7: Who invented the jet engine in 1930?
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Q. 8: How many sheets of paper are there in a ‘ream’ ?
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Q. 9: It is called the ‘Hunter’ and consists of 3 stars, what is the proper name of this constellation?
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Q. 10: What did the British government do on the roads in order to reduce accidents in 1925?
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Q. 11: What is a ‘Flemish giant’ ?
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Q. 12: The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. You get a point if you can name any of the four largest islands that make up this group. (If you can correctly name more than one, give yourself a bonus point for each.)
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Q. 13: If you were ‘purling’, what activity would you be doing?
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Q. 14: Which famous battle was fought on June 18 1815?
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Q. 15: In which country was the world’s first female Prime Minister elected in 1960?
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Q. 16: What is the name of Long John Silver’s parrot?
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Q. 17: This is the name of a famous bicycle manufacturing company, the capital city of a state in the US, and of a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer in Elizabethan England, what is it?
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Q. 18: Who created the famous sculptures ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Kiss’ ?
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Q. 19: A lot of us now use it, but what does the acronym ‘VOIP’ stand for?
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Q. 20: Which group’s best-known recording is the 1967 single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ ?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What city is known as ‘The Big Easy’ ?
A. 1: New Orleans is known as ‘The Big Easy’.
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Q. 2: What color are the flowers of the harebell?
a) red b) green c) blue d) yellow
A. 2: The correct answer is c) blue.
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Q. 3: What is the name of the process in which a solid turns directly into a gas, without passing through the liquid phase?
A. 3: The process is called ‘sublimation’.
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Q. 4: What is the largest wild member of the dog family?
A. 4: The wolf.
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Q. 5: Which element has the symbol ‘Au’ ?
A. 5: Gold.
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Q. 6: What is the electrical unit of resistance?
A. 6: The ‘ohm’.
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Q. 7: Who invented the jet engine in 1930?
A. 7: Frank Whittle.
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Q. 8: How many sheets of paper are there in a ‘ream’ ?
A. 8: 500.
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Q. 9: It is called the ‘Hunter’ and consists of 3 stars, what is the proper name of this constellation?
A. 9: It is ‘Orion’s belt’.
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Q. 10: What did the British government do on the roads in order to reduce accidents in 1925?
A. 10: They painted white lines.
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Q. 11: What is a ‘Flemish giant’ ?
A. 11: I’m tempted to give you a point if you said “A big Belgian’ but I won’t. You get the point if you said a Flemish giant was a Rabbit.
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Q. 12: The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. You get a point if you can name any of the four largest islands that make up this group. (If you can correctly name more than one, give yourself a bonus point for each.)
A. 12: The four largest Balearic islands are Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
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Q. 13: If you were ‘purling’, what activity would you be doing?
A. 13: You’d be knitting.
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Q. 14: Which famous battle was fought on June 18 1815?
A. 14: The Battle of Waterloo.
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Q. 15: In which country was the world’s first female Prime Minister elected in 1960?
A. 15: Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was then – the woman in question being Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike)
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Q. 16: What is the name of Long John Silver’s parrot?
A. 16: Captain Flint.
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Q. 17: This is the name of a famous bicycle manufacturing company, the capital city of a state in the US, and of a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer in Elizabethan England, what is it?
A. 17: It is ‘Raleigh’. Raleigh is a famous bicycle manufacturing company, Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina, and the famous Elizabethan was Sir Walter Raleigh.
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Q. 18: Who created the famous sculptures ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Kiss’ ?
A. 18: Auguste Rodin.
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Q. 19: A lot of us now use it, but what does the acronym ‘VOIP’ stand for?
A. 19: Voice Over Internet Protocol.
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Q. 20: Which group’s best-known recording is the 1967 single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ ?
Christmas week again folks and another year almost gone.
Time of course for the BIG Christmas quiz.
Some of the questions are fairly easy, but one or two will keep you thinking for a while.
So grab a cup of coffee, or something stronger if you like, and test your knowledge of Christmas and things Christmasy.
And, as always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy, good luck, and a very Merry Christmas.
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Q. 1: In which country does Santa have his own personal postcode ‘HOH OHO’?
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Q. 2: Which Christmas plant takes its name from the first US Minister to Mexico?
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Q. 3: What date is St Stephen’s Day?
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Q. 4: The song ‘White Christmas’ was first performed in which 1942 movie?
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Q. 5: Who is officially credited as the author of ‘Auld Lang Syne’?
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Q. 6: ‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents’ is the opening line from which classic novel?
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Q. 7: Which Christmas carol includes the lyrics ‘…To save us all from Satan’s power, when we were gone astray..’?
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Q. 8: In ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’, what were there eight of?
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Q. 9: If you’ve watched a TV show like ‘The Sopranos’ you’ve probably heard the term ‘Bada Bing’, but in what country is Christmas known as ‘Bada Din’ (the big day)?
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Q. 10: Which of Santa’s reindeer shares its name with a mythical god of love?
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Q. 11: What color are the berries of the mistletoe plant?
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Q. 12: The character ‘Jack Skellington’ appears in which 1993 Tim Burton movie?
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Q. 13: What’s the second line of “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas“?
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Q. 14: Marzipan is made (conventionally in the western world) mainly from sugar and the flour or meal of which nut?
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Q. 15: In the inspirational 1946 movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, what’s the name of George Bailey’s guardian angel?
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Q. 16: What Christmas item was invented by London baker and wedding-cake specialist Tom Smith in 1847?
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Q. 17: We all know that “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan” and that he liked his pizzas deep pan crisp and even, but in which country was Wenceslas king?
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Q. 18: Who wrote ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’?
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Q. 19: Who were first people to visit the baby Jesus?
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Q. 20: A Christmas present for country western fans. Who sang “It was Christmas in prison the food was real good, we had turkey and pistols carved out of wood” ?
a) Willy Nelson b) Johnny Cash c) John Prine d) Garth Brooks
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Q. 21: What do George C. Scott, Alastair Sim, Daffy Duck, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Fred Flintstone and Jim Carrey all have in common?
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Q. 22: Which Christmas condiment is made from fruit sometimes referred to as ‘marshworts’?
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Q. 23: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
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Q. 24: ‘Three Kings Day’ is known by what numerical name in Britain?
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Q. 25: What Angel visited Mary?
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Q. 26: Which Christmas slogan was introduced by Clarissa Baldwin of Dogs Trust in 1978?
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Q. 27: Peter Auty sang ‘Walking In The Air’ in what Christmas time movie?
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Q. 28: What do American singer and actor Dean Martin, actress and singer Eartha Kitt, and Charlie Chaplin all have in common?
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Q. 29: In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, ‘…my true love brought to me nine…’ what?
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Q. 30: Which American-born English poet, having first names Thomas Stearns, wrote the poem ‘The Cultivation Of Christmas Trees’?
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Q. 31: Who composed the music known as ‘The Nutcracker Suite’, for the Christmas themed ballet The Nutcracker, premiered in St Petersburg, 1892?
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Q. 32: What is the surname of the family in the 1989 movie ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’?
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Q. 33: Patra, the birthplace of the original Santa Claus, St Nicholas, is in which modern country?
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Q. 34: How many of Rudolph’s eight companions names start with ‘D’? (A point for the correct number and bonus points for each one you can name correctly.)
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Q. 35: Which southern central US state, whose capital city has the same name, was the last to recognize Christmas as an official holiday?
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Q. 36: Under which Puritan leader did the English parliament pass a law banning Christmas in 1647?
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Q. 37: In the song ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas‘, how many swans were a-swimming?
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Q. 38: Why were Joseph and the expectant Mary on the road to Bethlehem in the first place?
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Q. 39: In which country was Boxing Day renamed ‘Day of Goodwill’ in 1994?
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Q. 40: How many Lords-a-leaping are there in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’?
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Q. 41: In which American state would you find the city of Bethlehem?
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Q. 42: Which Hasbro children’s robot action figures were the most popular Christmas presents in 1984?
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Q. 43: What Christmas item takes its name from the old French word ‘estincelle’, meaning spark?
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Q. 44: In the movie ‘Jingle All The Way’ name the toy Arnold Schwarzenegger was hunting?
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Q. 45: Which famous mathematician was born on Boxing Day in 1791?
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Q. 46: What does the word ‘Christ’ mean?
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Q. 47: Which 1987 action/comedy movie opens to the music of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’?
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Q. 48: What Apple product was reportedly the most popular Christmas gift in 2007?
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Q. 49: A lot of them have already been mentioned in this quiz, so how many presents were given in total in the 12 Days of Christmas?
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Q. 50: In the Christmas carol, which town is known as ‘Royal David’s City’?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: In which country does Santa have his own personal postcode ‘HOH OHO’?
A. 1: Canada.
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Q. 2: Which Christmas plant takes its name from the first US Minister to Mexico?
A. 2: Poinsettia.
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Q. 3: What date is St Stephen’s Day?
A. 3: 26th December.
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Q. 4: The song ‘White Christmas’ was first performed in which 1942 movie?
A. 4: Holiday Inn.
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Q. 5: Who is officially credited as the author of ‘Auld Lang Syne’?
A. 5: Robert Burns.
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Q. 6: ‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents’ is the opening line from which classic novel?
A. 6: Little Women.
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Q. 7: Which Christmas carol includes the lyrics ‘…To save us all from Satan’s power, when we were gone astray..’?
A. 7: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
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Q. 8: In ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’, what were there eight of?
A. 8: Maids-a-milking.
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Q. 9: If you’ve watched a TV show like ‘The Sopranos’ you’ve probably heard the term ‘Bada Bing’, but in what country is Christmas known as ‘Bada Din’ (the big day)?
A. 9: India.
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Q. 10: Which of Santa’s reindeer shares its name with a mythical god of love?
A. 10: Cupid.
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Q. 11: What color are the berries of the mistletoe plant?
A. 11: White.
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Q. 12: The character ‘Jack Skellington’ appears in which 1993 Tim Burton movie?
A. 12: The Nightmare before Christmas.
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Q. 13: What’s the second line of “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
A. 13: “Just like the ones I used to know”.
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Q. 14: Marzipan is made (conventionally in the western world) mainly from sugar and the flour or meal of which nut?
A. 14: Almond.
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Q. 15: In the inspirational 1946 movie, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, what is the name of George Bailey’s guardian angel?
A. 15: Clarence (Oddbody).
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Q. 16: What Christmas item was invented by London baker and wedding-cake specialist Tom Smith in 1847?
A. 16: Christmas cracker.
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Q. 17: We all know that “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan” and that he liked his pizzas deep pan crisp and even, but in which country was Wenceslas king?
A. 17: Bohemia (Czech Republic)
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Q. 18: Who wrote ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’?
A. 18: Dr Seuss.
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Q. 19: Who were first people to visit the baby Jesus?
A. 19: Shepherds.
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Q. 20: A Christmas present for country western fans. Who sang “It was Christmas in prison the food was real good, we had turkey and pistols carved out of wood” ?
a. Willy Nelson b. Johnny Cash c. John Prine d. Garth Brooks
A. 20: Answer c. John Prine (‘Christmas in prison’ from the album Sweet Revenge)
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Q. 21: What do George C. Scott, Alastair Sim, Daffy Duck, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Fred Flintstone and Jim Carrey all have in common?
A. 21: They have all played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in movies or television.
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Q. 22: Which Christmas condiment is made from fruit sometimes referred to as ‘marshworts’?
A. 22: Cranberry sauce.
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Q. 23: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
A. 23: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
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Q. 24: ‘Three Kings Day’ is known by what numerical name in Britain?
A. 24: Twelfth Night.
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Q. 25: What Angel visited Mary?
A. 25: Gabriel.
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Q. 26: Which Christmas slogan was introduced by Clarissa Baldwin of Dogs Trust in 1978?
A. 26: A Dog Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas.
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Q. 27: Peter Auty sang ‘Walking In The Air’ in what Christmas time movie?
A. 27: The Snowman.
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Q. 28: What do American singer and actor Dean Martin, actress and singer Eartha Kitt, and Charlie Chaplin all have in common?
A. 28: All died on Christmas day.
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Q. 29: In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, ‘…my true love brought to me nine…’ what?
A. 29: Ladies dancing.
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Q. 30: Which American-born English poet, having first names Thomas Stearns, wrote the poem ‘The Cultivation Of Christmas Trees’?
A. 30: T S Eliot.
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Q. 31: Who composed the music known as ‘The Nutcracker Suite’, for the Christmas themed ballet The Nutcracker, premiered in St Petersburg, 1892?
A. 31: Tchaikovsky.
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Q. 32: What is the surname of the family in the 1989 movie ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’?
A. 32: Griswold.
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Q. 33: Patra, the birthplace of the original Santa Claus, St Nicholas, is in which modern country?
A. 33: Turkey.
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Q. 34: How many of Rudolph’s eight companions names start with ‘D’? (A point for the correct number and bonus points for each one you can name correctly.)
A. 34: Three – Dasher, Dancer and Donner
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Q. 35: Which southern central US state, whose capital city has the same name, was the last to recognize Christmas as an official holiday?
A. 35: Oklahoma.
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Q. 36: Under which Puritan leader did the English parliament pass a law banning Christmas in 1647?
A. 36: Oliver Cromwell.
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Q. 37: In the song ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’, how many swans were a-swimming?
A. 37: Seven.
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Q. 38: Why were Joseph and the expectant Mary on the road to Bethlehem in the first place?
A. 38: To pay tax (and take part in a census).
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Q. 39: In which country was Boxing Day renamed ‘Day of Goodwill’ in 1994?
A. 39: South Africa
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Q. 40: How many Lords-a-leaping are there in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’?
A. 40: 10.
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Q. 41: In which American state would you find the city of Bethlehem?
A. 41: Pennsylvania
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Q. 42: Which Hasbro children’s robot action figures were the most popular Christmas presents in 1984?
A. 42: The Transformers
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Q. 43: What Christmas item takes its name from the old French word ‘estincelle’, meaning spark?
A. 43: Tinsel.
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Q. 44: In the movie ‘Jingle All The Way’ name the toy Arnold Schwarzenegger was hunting?
A. 44: Turbo Man.
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Q. 45: Which famous mathematician was born on Boxing Day in 1791?
A. 45: Charles Babbage.
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Q. 46: What does the word ‘Christ’ mean?
A. 46: ‘Annointed’ (from the Greek ‘Xristo’).
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Q. 47: Which 1987 action/comedy movie opens to the music of ‘Jingle Bell Rock;?
A. 47: Lethal Weapon
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Q. 48: What Apple product was reportedly the most popular Christmas gift in 2007?
A. 48: The iPod Touch.
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Q. 49: How many presents were given in total in the 12 Days of Christmas?
A. 49: 364.
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Q. 50: In the Christmas carol, which town is known as ‘Royal David’s City’?
We are into the last month of the year – where did the other eleven go? should be one of today’s questions perhaps.
But of course it isn’t. Instead you have the usual random selection, a few easy ones and a few quite difficult, with some more that lie between the two extremes.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: How many quarts are there in a gallon?
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Q. 2: Which element is used to treat indigestion and stomach acidity?
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Q. 3: We all know that diamonds and precious gems are measured in carats, but one carat is the equivalent of how many milligrams?
a) 100 b) 200 c) 300 d) 400 e) 500
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Q. 4: What is the unit used to measure the thickness of silk or nylon?
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Q. 5: In Physics, mass divided by volume is the formula for what?
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Q. 6: If you subtracted the number of square yards in an acre from the number of square meters in a hectare, what number would you be left with?
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Q. 7: You’ve seen them on TV and in the movies, what is the more common name for a ‘Polygraph’?
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Q. 8: Which is the world’s largest lizard?
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Q. 9: What does the abbreviation ‘PVC’ stand for?
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Q. 10: What is the name of the medical oath taken by doctors?
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Q. 11: From which trees do conkers come?
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Q. 12: What is a Barracuda?
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Q. 13: In human Biology what is a unit of inherited material that contains a particular characteristic?
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Q. 14: A ‘Piebald’ horse consists of which two colors?
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Q. 15: What is 70% of 70?
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Q. 16: What is the first month of the year to have 31 days that follows another month of 31 days?
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Q. 17: In 1884, what was invented by Lewis Waterman?
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Q. 18: If I was your age ten years before you were born and I’m 50, how old are you?
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Q. 19: What sits on a ‘dolly’ in a television studio?
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Q. 20: Stewart Copeland was the drummer with which band?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: How many quarts are there in a gallon?
A. 1: 4.
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Q. 2: Which element is used to treat indigestion and stomach acidity?
A. 2: Magnesium.
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Q. 3: We all know that diamonds and precious gems are measured in carats, but one carat is the equivalent of how many milligrams?
a) 100 b) 200 c) 300 d) 400 e) 500
A. 3: The correct answer is b) 200.
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Q. 4: What is the unit used to measure the thickness of silk or nylon?
A. 4: Denier.
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Q. 5: In Physics, mass divided by volume is the formula for what?
A. 5: Density.
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Q. 6: If you subtracted the number of square yards in an acre from the number of square meters in a hectare, what number would you be left with?
A. 6: 5,160 (there are 10,000 square meters in a hectare and 4,840 square yards in an acre, so your calculation should be 10,000 – 4840 = 5,160 )
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Q. 7: You’ve seen them on TV and in the movies, what is the more common name for a ‘Polygraph’?
A. 7: A lie detector.
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Q. 8: Which is the world’s largest lizard?
A. 8: The Komodo Dragon, found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar.
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Q. 9: What does the abbreviation ‘PVC’ stand for?
A. 9: Polyvinylchloride.
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Q. 10: What is the name of the medical oath taken by doctors?
A. 10: Hippocratic oath.
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Q. 11: From which trees do conkers come?
A. 11: Horse Chestnut.
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Q. 12: What is a Barracuda?
A. 12: It is the name of the ferocious fish, shaped like a torpedo which is found in warm seas and is closely related to the sea-perch, although you get the point if you just said ‘fish’.
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Q. 13: In human Biology what is a unit of inherited material that contains a particular characteristic?
A. 13: A ‘Gene’.
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Q. 14: A ‘Piebald’ horse consists of which two colors?
A. 14: Black and White.
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Q. 15: What is 70% of 70?
A. 15: 49.
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Q. 16: What is the first month of the year to have 31 days that follows another month of 31 days?
A. 16: August.
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Q. 17: In 1884, what was invented by Lewis Waterman?
A. 17: The Fountain Pen. Established in 1884 in New York City by Lewis Edson Waterman, the Waterman pen company is still a major manufacturer of luxury fountain pens, in fact it is one of the few remaining first-generation fountain pen companies.
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Q. 18: If I was your age ten years before you were born and I’m 50, how old are you?
A. 18: You would be 20.
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Q. 19: What sits on a ‘dolly’ in a television studio?
A. 19: A camera.
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Q. 20: Stewart Copeland was the drummer with which band?
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