Catering for the lowest common denominator in intelligence can be very frustrating for the rest of us.
But apparently stupidity has reached levels today where stupid people will hurt themselves with things that shouldn’t hurt them, if they had the wit to understand what they were and how use them properly.
Personally I think there is some merit in letting them get on with it and perhaps thereby gradually eliminating chronic stupidity from the gene pool.
In the meantime all we can do is cringe and laugh.
Another month has appeared on the calendar. Unbelievably we’re almost half way through 2014 already!
But what better way to start the first week of another month than with another twenty brain-buster questions.
Business, politics, geography, history, nature, movies and music are all in here this week.
Let’s see how you do.
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What do octopus’ and goat’s eyes have in common?
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Q. 2: What common English word comes from the French expression meaning “death pledge”?
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Q. 3: Adjusting for inflation, which of these two men is the richest man in history, John D Rockerfeller or Bill Gates?
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Q. 4: What is the term for yawning and stretching at the same time?
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Q. 5: What US President is famous for having filed a report for a UFO sighting in 1973, calling it “the darndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
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Q. 6: In the last 4000 years, how many new animals have been domesticated?
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Q. 7: What is the Greek version of the Old Testament called?
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Q. 8: Soweto is a very famous location on the outskirts of Johannesburg in South Africa, but how did it get its name?
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Q. 9: Between 1926 and 1976, John Wayne appeared in over 170 motion pictures, and became one of America’s biggest box office stars, but what was the title of his last movie?
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Q. 10: What is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon? (Two bonus points if you can name the year too.)
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Q. 11: what was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during WWII?
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Q. 12: Why do spiral staircases in medieval castles run clockwise?
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Q. 13: What are the only birds able to fly backwards.
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Q. 14: If you were standing in the northernmost point in the contiguous (48) US states, what state would you be standing in?
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Q. 15: Name the six main characters in the long running TV comedy series ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’? (A point for each and bonus points if you can name the actors who played them.)
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Q. 16: What is the only Canadian Province that borders the Great Lakes?
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Q. 17: Only four letters in the latin alphabet look the same if you turn them upside down or see them from behind, a point for each one you can name correctly?
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Q. 18: Previously set in Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York, what City is the location for the latest series of the hit TV show ‘24’?
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Q. 19: What is the only US State that begins with an “A” but does not end with an “A”?
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Q. 20: Who shared ‘Endless Love’ with Luther Van-Dross in 1994?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What do octopus’ and goat’s eyes have in common?
A. 1: Both have rectangular pupils.
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Q. 2: What common English word comes from the French expression meaning “death pledge”?
A. 2: The common English word ‘mortgage’ comes from the French expression meaning “death pledge”.
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Q. 3: Adjusting for inflation, which of these two men is the richest man in history, John D Rockerfeller or Bill Gates?
A. 3: When adjusted for inflation, John D Rockerfeller is the richest man in the history of the world, with a net worth 10 times more than Bill Gates.
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Q. 4: What is the term for yawning and stretching at the same time?
A. 4: When you yawn and stretch at the time, you are “pandiculating.”
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Q. 5: What US President is famous for having filed a report for a UFO sighting in 1973, calling it “the darndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
A. 5: Jimmy Carter filed a report for a UFO sighting in 1973.
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Q. 6: In the last 4000 years, how many new animals have been domesticated?
A. 6: Bit of a trick question, in the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. Take a point if you answered ‘none’ or ‘zero’.
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Q. 7: What is the Greek version of the Old Testament called?
A. 7: The Greek version of the Old Testament is called the ‘Septuagint’.
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Q. 8: Soweto is a very famous location on the outskirts of Johannesburg in South Africa, but how did it get its name?
A. 8: Soweto in South Africa was derived from SOuth WEst TOwnship.
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Q. 9: Between 1926 and 1976, John Wayne appeared in over 170 motion pictures, and became one of America’s biggest box office stars, but what was the title of his last movie?
A. 9: John Wayne’s final movie was ‘The Shootist’, made in 1976 and in which he played the part of aging former gunslinger John Bernard Books.
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Q. 10: What is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon? (Two bonus points if you can name the year too.)
A. 10: February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
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Q. 11: what was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during WWII?
A. 11: Alaska was the only part of the United States that was invaded by the Japanese during WWII. The territory was the island of Adak in the Aleutian Chain. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked, but not invaded.
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Q. 12: Why do spiral staircases in medieval castles run clockwise?
A. 12: Spiral staircases in medieval castles run clockwise because all knights used to be right-handed and would therefore carry their swords in their right hand.
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Q. 13: What are the only birds able to fly backwards.
A. 13: Hummingbirds are the only birds able to fly backwards.
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Q. 14: If you were standing in the northernmost point in the contiguous (48) US states, what state would you be standing in?
A. 14: If you were standing in the northernmost point in the contiguous (48) US states, you’d be standing in Minnesota.
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Q. 15: Name the six main characters in the long running TV comedy series ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’? (A point for each and bonus points if you can name the actors who played them.)
A. 15: The characters in the Beverly Hillbillies were Jed Clampett, Granny, Ellie May, Jethro, unscrupulous banker Mr Drysdale and his long-suffering assistant Miss Hathaway, played respectively by Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, Max Baer, Jr., Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp.
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Q. 16: What is the only Canadian Province that borders the Great Lakes?
A. 16: Ontario is the only Canadian Province that borders the Great Lakes.
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Q. 17: Only four letters in the latin alphabet look the same if you turn them upside down or see them from behind, a point for each one you can name correctly?
A. 17: The only letters in the latin alphabet that look the same if you turn them upside down or see them from behind are ‘H’ ‘I’ ‘O’ and ‘X’.
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Q. 18: Previously set in Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York, what City is the location for the latest series of the hit TV show ‘24’?
A. 18: The latest series of ‘24’ is set in London, England.
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Q. 19: What is the only US State that begins with an “A” but does not end with an “A”?
A. 19: Arkansas is the only US State that begins with “A” but does not end with “A”, all the other States that begin with “A”, Arizona, Alabama and Alaska, also end with “A”.
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Q. 20: Who shared ‘Endless Love’ with Luther Van-Dross in 1994?
Yes, those of a nervous disposition should indeed look away now, because today we have the penultimate list of irrational fears and phobias that seem to afflict certain members of the population. How and why they develop such curious mental afflictions I don’t. They are real to them, but foolish and amusing to the rest of us.
Today is ‘Q’, ‘R’ and ‘S’.
Enjoy.
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Quadraphobia ……….fear of the number four.
Quadriplegiphobia ……….fear of quadriplegics or fear of becoming a quadriplegic.
Quintaphobia ……….fear of the number five.
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Radiophobia ……….fear of radiation, x-rays.
Ranidaphobia ……….fear of frogs.
Rectophobia ……….fear of rectum or rectal diseases.
Rhabdophobia ……….fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, or of being severely criticized. Also fear of magic.(wand)
Rhypophobia ……….fear of defecation.
Rhytiphobia ……….fear of getting wrinkles.
Rupophobia ……….fear of dirt.
Russophobia ……….fear of Russians.
Samhainophobia ……….fear of Halloween.
Sarmassophobia ……….fear of love play. (Malaxophobia)
Satanophobia ……….fear of Satan.
Scabiophobia ……….fear of scabies.
Scatophobia ……….fear of fecal matter.
Scelerophibia ……….fear of bad men, burglars.
Sciaphobia or Sciophobia or Sciaphobia ……….fear of shadows.
Scoleciphobia ……….fear of worms.
Scolionophobia ……….fear of school.
Scopophobia or Scoptophobia ……….fear of being seen or stared at.
Scotomaphobia ……….fear of blindness in visual field.
Scotophobia ……….fear of darkness. (Achluophobia)
Scriptophobia ……….fear of writing in public.
Selachophobia ……….fear of sharks.
Selaphobia ……….fear of light flashes.
Selenophobia ……….fear of the moon.
Seplophobia ……….fear of decaying matter.
Sesquipedalophobia ……….fear of long words.
Sexophobia ……….fear of the opposite sex. (Heterophobia)
Siderodromophobia ……….fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
Siderophobia ……….fear of stars.
Sinistrophobia ……….fear of things to the left or left-handed.
Sinophobia ……….fear of Chinese, Chinese culture.
Sitophobia or Sitiophobia ……….fear of food or eating. (Cibophobia)
Snakephobia ……….fear of snakes. (Ophidiophobia)
Soceraphobia ……….fear of parents-in-law.
Social Phobia ……….fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations.
Sociophobia ……….fear of society or people in general.
Somniphobia ……….fear of sleep.
Sophophobia ……….fear of learning.
Soteriophobia ……….fear of dependence on others.
Spacephobia ……….fear of outer space.
Spectrophobia ……….fear of specters or ghosts.
Spermatophobia or Spermophobia ……….fear of germs.
Spheksophobia ……….fear of wasps.
Stasibasiphobia or Stasiphobia ……….fear of standing or walking. (Ambulophobia)
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