After a great deal of time writing questions for a couple of other sources, I'm back. Here's today's offering:
1. What begins: "Monsieur le Président, Me permettez-vous, dans ma gratitude pour le bienveillant accueil que vous m'avez fait un jour, d'avoir le souci de votre juste gloire et de vous dire que votre étoile, si heureuse jusqu'ici, est menacée de la plus honteuse, de la plus ineffaçable des taches?"
2. Eglise St. Louis en L’Isle is a Parisian church situated on which island in the Seine?
3. The St Elizabeth's Flood of November 1421 killed between 2,000 and 10,000 villagers in which modern-day European country?
4. Who was the French economist, thought by many to have been the chief architect of European Unity, who created the majority of what became known as the Schuman Plan?
5. Located on the Norwegian-administered Jan Mayen island in the Arctic Ocean, what is the name of the world's northernmost active volcano?
6. The famous 15th Century explorer Prince Henry the Navigator was the son of which Portuguese King?
7. Considered the foremost Dutch lanscape painter, which 17th Century artist is remembered for 'Beintheim Castle' (1653) and 'Tower Mill at Wijk bij Duurstede'(1670) among other works?
8. Which German film director first came to worldwide attention with the release of his film 'Das Arche Noah Prinzip' that opened the Berlin Film Festival in 1984 and has since gained greater fame with the Hollywood blockbusters 'Independence Day', 'Godzilla' and 'The Day After Tomorrow'?
9. Named after the town in Denmark where they are located, what name is given to the two Tenth Century carved rune stones, the first erected by King Gorm the Old and the scond by his son Harald Bluetooth?
10. According to Norse mythology, which lake was created when Gefjun removed the land that used to lie there and transported it to Denmark, thus creating the island of Zealand?
11. Built in 1854, the Spanish Arch stands on the banks of which river that flows through Galway?
12. Which country became the first all-amateur team to qualify for a Rugby World Cup since the start of the professional era when it appeared at the 2007 World Cup?
13. What name is given to the series of wars and battles that took place in Holland between the bourgeoisie and the ruling nobility from 1350 to 1490?
14. Biskupin is an archaeological site (with a life-size model of an Iron Age fortified settlement) that was excavated in 1934 and located in which European country?
15. Often considered to be the Polish national dish, what name is given to the cabbage and meat stew that is traditionally said to have been introduced to Poland by the Lithuanian prince Władysław II in the 14th Century?
16. In which lake could you find the island and World Heritage site Kizhi (or Kizhi Pogost), home to a large number of wooden churches and houses?
17. Much publicised in the case of Madeleine McCann, what name is given to the status of 'named suspect' in the Portuguese legal system?
18. Which German city, home to a famous monument of Emperor William I on horseback, stands at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Moselle?
19. Built between 3300 and 2900 BC, which passage grave of the Brú na Bóinne complex of tombs in County Meath is known in Irish as Dún Fhearghusa and is said to be the oldest surviving building in the world?
20. The trophy awarded to the winners of the European Football Championship is named after which French football administrator who first proposed the idea for such a tournament in 1927?
21. Established in 1386, which is the oldest university in Germany?
22. The dormant volcanoes Nemrut and Süphan are to be found in which saline and soda lake, the largest in Turkey?
23. Which European republic was proclaimed on January 19th 1795 after William V fled to England?
24. Established in February 1991, the Visegrád Group is an alliance of which four European countries set up for the purpose of furthering their European integration?
25. Which of Krzysztof Kieślowski's 'Three Colours' trilogy was made primarily in Polish? The other two being made in French.
26. The Netherlands is divided into 12 administrative regions, each under the control of a Commissioner of the Queen with the exception of one region that is under the control of a Gouverneur, emphasising its perceived 'un-Dutch' character. Which region?
27. Who was the Portuguese nobleman and explorer who led the expeditions that conquered Goa, Ormuz and Malacca in the early 16th Century and was rewarded by his appointment as the first Duke of Goa by King Manuel I?
28. Also known as Thera, what is the name of the archipelago of volcanic islands in the Aegean Sea that contains the southernmost point in the Cyclades?
29. Fernando Ribeiro is the lead vocalist with which popular Portuguese goth metal band, popular throughout Europe, that released the 2006 album 'Memorial' which won them an MTV Europe Award in the 'Best Portuguese Act' category?
30. Typically containing fish (or sometimes chicken) and vegetables, what is the name of the traditional stew of northern Belgium, the name of which is derived from the Dutch for 'watery mess'?
And the answers:
1. J'ACCUSE
2. ÎLE SAINT-LOUIS
3. THE NETHERLANDS
4. JEAN MONNET
5. BEERENBERG
6. JOHN I (or JOÃO I)
7. JACOB ISAAKSZOON VAN RUYSDAEL
8. ROLAND EMMERICH
9. JELLING STONES
10. LAKE MÄLAREN
11. CORRIB
12. PORTUGAL
13. HOOK AND COD WARS
14. POLAND
15. BIGOS
16. LAKE ONEGA
17. ARGUIDO
18. KOBLENZ
19. NEWGRANGE
20. HENRI DELAUNAY
21. UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG
22. LAKE VAN
23. BATAVIAN REPUBLIC
24. CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY & POLAND
25. THREE COLOURS: WHITE
26. LIMBURG
27. AFONSO DE ALBUQUERQUE
28. SANTORINI
29. MOONSPELL
30. WATERZOOI
Tuesday 30 October 2007
Friday 19 October 2007
THE 47th QUIZ
Apologies for the lack of activity on this site recently. Have been busy with other things (usually including crashing computers) but will post more regularly from the middle of next week. Anyway, here's one to keep you going:
1. The 17th Century German-born scientist Franciscus Sylvius is usually credited with the invention of which spirit?
2. Which island and UNESCO World Heritage Site, lying off the coast of Queensland, is the world's largest sand island?
3. Three years before his assassination in 1923, the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa ended his revolutionary activity after negotiating a peace deal with which Mexican President?
4. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, by what name (meaning 'the quarry' in Catalan) is the Casa Milà in Barcelona otherwise known?
5. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built as a symbolic representation of which mythical mountain?
6. What first name did the medical student Jean Marc Gaspard Itard give to the 'The Wild Boy of Aveyron' who was found in the woods near Saint Sernin sur Rance in France in 1797 and who, it would seem, spent almost his whole childhood alone in the woods?
7. Which author coined the word 'factoid', that appears in the 'Oxford English Dictionary' as "something which becomes accepted as fact, although it may not be true", in his 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe?
8. Which is the southernmost city (population 216,473) of Canada and the only Canadian city to lie due south of the 48 contiguous United States?
9. Which scientist, born in 1776, held the title Count of Quaregna and Cerreto?
10. Which historic European city was formerly known in English as Ragusa, and is still known by that name in Italian?
11. At 4,700 years old, what name has been given to the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that has held the record of the world's oldest tree since another Bristlecone, called Prometheus, was cut down by an over-eager graduate student in 1964?
12. Which arcade game, released by Nintendo in 1981, is notable for providing the first appearance of Super Mario (then known as Jumpman)?
13. The British Captain Arthur Roston was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and invited to dine with President Taft as a result of his ship saving 705 people from the Titanic after responding to a distress signal. What was the name of his ship?
14. Released in June and October 2007 respectively, which Anglo-Swedish rock group's first two singles, 'Worried About Ray' and 'Goodbye Mr A', both peaked at number 5 in the UK charts?
15. Born in 1980, 1983 and 1985 respectively, how are Isaac, Taylor and Zac collectively known?
16. Which Slovakian tennis player, thought by many as the greatest player never to have won a Grand Slam, was Ivan Lendl's opponent in the 1986 US Open final, the last Grand Slam final to see a player still using a wooden racket?
17. Luis Buñuel's 1965 film 'Simón del desierto' is loosely based on the life of which Christian ascetic?
18. Which Danish linguist, who was also involved in the creation of Ido and Interlingua, introduced the constructed international auxiliary language Novial in his 1928 book 'An International Language'?
19. A silhouette of an American bison (or buffalo) appears on the flag of which of the United States?
20. (I can't resist this one) There are two subspecies of American bison - the Plains bison and the Wood bison. What is the wonderful zoological name for the Plains bison?
21. Which South African became only the third cricketer ever to hit six sixes from one over in first-class cricket at the 2007 World Cup against the Netherlands?
22. And which Indian became only the fourth cricketer ever to hit six sixes from one over in first-class cricket at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 against England?
23. What was the stage-name of the Canadian-born American actress Ellen Evangeline Hovick, the younger sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, whose last film role was as Aunt Clara in the 1987 movie 'A Return to Salem's Lot'?
24. A compound of the Greek word for 'solid' and the Latin word for 'ray' or 'beam', what name is given to the SI unit of solid angle?
25. Published in 'Comics Review' in 1965, the short story 'In a Half-World of Terror', later renamed as 'I Was a Teenage Grave Robber', was the first published work by which novelist?
26. Which Russian male high jumper set a new championship record and personal best at the 2006 European Championships with a jump of 2.36 metres and jumped a new personal best of 2.37 metres a week later in Monaco?
27. Which American city, which according to a 2001 study is the most commonly misspelled city in the USA, stands on the Allegheny Plateau where the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River?
28. In 1913, which Bengali novelist and playwright became the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?
29. Founded in 1960 by Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais, what was the name of the group of writers and mathematicians who sought to create works using constraining writing techniques such as lipograms and palindromes?
30. The annual World Series of Roshambo is the premier event for 'professional' players of roshambo. By what name is this game commonly known?
The answers:
1. GIN
2. FRASER ISLAND
3. ADOLFO DE LA HUERTA
4. LA PEDRERA
5. MOUNT MERU
6. VICTOR
7. NORMAN MAILER
8. MADISON
9. AMEDEO AVOGADRO
10. DUBROVNIK
11. METHUSELAH
12. DONKEY KONG
13. RMS CARPATHIA
14. THE HOOSIERS
15. HANSON
16. MILOSLAV MEČÍŘ
17. SIMEON STYLITES
18. OTTO JESPERSEN
19. WYOMING
20. BISON BISON BISON
21. HERSCHELLE GIBBS
22. YUVRAJ SINGH
23. JUNE HAVOC
24. STERADIAN
25. STEPHEN KING
26. ANDREY SILNOV
27. PITTSBURGH
28. RABINDRANATH TAGORE
29. OULIPO
30. ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS (or PAPER, SCISSORS, STONE etc.)
1. The 17th Century German-born scientist Franciscus Sylvius is usually credited with the invention of which spirit?
2. Which island and UNESCO World Heritage Site, lying off the coast of Queensland, is the world's largest sand island?
3. Three years before his assassination in 1923, the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa ended his revolutionary activity after negotiating a peace deal with which Mexican President?
4. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, by what name (meaning 'the quarry' in Catalan) is the Casa Milà in Barcelona otherwise known?
5. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia was built as a symbolic representation of which mythical mountain?
6. What first name did the medical student Jean Marc Gaspard Itard give to the 'The Wild Boy of Aveyron' who was found in the woods near Saint Sernin sur Rance in France in 1797 and who, it would seem, spent almost his whole childhood alone in the woods?
7. Which author coined the word 'factoid', that appears in the 'Oxford English Dictionary' as "something which becomes accepted as fact, although it may not be true", in his 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe?
8. Which is the southernmost city (population 216,473) of Canada and the only Canadian city to lie due south of the 48 contiguous United States?
9. Which scientist, born in 1776, held the title Count of Quaregna and Cerreto?
10. Which historic European city was formerly known in English as Ragusa, and is still known by that name in Italian?
11. At 4,700 years old, what name has been given to the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that has held the record of the world's oldest tree since another Bristlecone, called Prometheus, was cut down by an over-eager graduate student in 1964?
12. Which arcade game, released by Nintendo in 1981, is notable for providing the first appearance of Super Mario (then known as Jumpman)?
13. The British Captain Arthur Roston was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and invited to dine with President Taft as a result of his ship saving 705 people from the Titanic after responding to a distress signal. What was the name of his ship?
14. Released in June and October 2007 respectively, which Anglo-Swedish rock group's first two singles, 'Worried About Ray' and 'Goodbye Mr A', both peaked at number 5 in the UK charts?
15. Born in 1980, 1983 and 1985 respectively, how are Isaac, Taylor and Zac collectively known?
16. Which Slovakian tennis player, thought by many as the greatest player never to have won a Grand Slam, was Ivan Lendl's opponent in the 1986 US Open final, the last Grand Slam final to see a player still using a wooden racket?
17. Luis Buñuel's 1965 film 'Simón del desierto' is loosely based on the life of which Christian ascetic?
18. Which Danish linguist, who was also involved in the creation of Ido and Interlingua, introduced the constructed international auxiliary language Novial in his 1928 book 'An International Language'?
19. A silhouette of an American bison (or buffalo) appears on the flag of which of the United States?
20. (I can't resist this one) There are two subspecies of American bison - the Plains bison and the Wood bison. What is the wonderful zoological name for the Plains bison?
21. Which South African became only the third cricketer ever to hit six sixes from one over in first-class cricket at the 2007 World Cup against the Netherlands?
22. And which Indian became only the fourth cricketer ever to hit six sixes from one over in first-class cricket at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 against England?
23. What was the stage-name of the Canadian-born American actress Ellen Evangeline Hovick, the younger sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, whose last film role was as Aunt Clara in the 1987 movie 'A Return to Salem's Lot'?
24. A compound of the Greek word for 'solid' and the Latin word for 'ray' or 'beam', what name is given to the SI unit of solid angle?
25. Published in 'Comics Review' in 1965, the short story 'In a Half-World of Terror', later renamed as 'I Was a Teenage Grave Robber', was the first published work by which novelist?
26. Which Russian male high jumper set a new championship record and personal best at the 2006 European Championships with a jump of 2.36 metres and jumped a new personal best of 2.37 metres a week later in Monaco?
27. Which American city, which according to a 2001 study is the most commonly misspelled city in the USA, stands on the Allegheny Plateau where the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River?
28. In 1913, which Bengali novelist and playwright became the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?
29. Founded in 1960 by Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais, what was the name of the group of writers and mathematicians who sought to create works using constraining writing techniques such as lipograms and palindromes?
30. The annual World Series of Roshambo is the premier event for 'professional' players of roshambo. By what name is this game commonly known?
The answers:
1. GIN
2. FRASER ISLAND
3. ADOLFO DE LA HUERTA
4. LA PEDRERA
5. MOUNT MERU
6. VICTOR
7. NORMAN MAILER
8. MADISON
9. AMEDEO AVOGADRO
10. DUBROVNIK
11. METHUSELAH
12. DONKEY KONG
13. RMS CARPATHIA
14. THE HOOSIERS
15. HANSON
16. MILOSLAV MEČÍŘ
17. SIMEON STYLITES
18. OTTO JESPERSEN
19. WYOMING
20. BISON BISON BISON
21. HERSCHELLE GIBBS
22. YUVRAJ SINGH
23. JUNE HAVOC
24. STERADIAN
25. STEPHEN KING
26. ANDREY SILNOV
27. PITTSBURGH
28. RABINDRANATH TAGORE
29. OULIPO
30. ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS (or PAPER, SCISSORS, STONE etc.)
Tuesday 9 October 2007
THE 46th QUIZ
Another:
1. With approximately 400,000 casulaties, the War of the Triple Alliance was the bloodiest war in the history of the Americas. It was fought between an alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against which country?
2. With names deriving from the Old Norse for 'island in the stream' and 'swine island' respectively, which two Scottish islands are situated in the Pentland Firth between Caithness and the Orkneys?
3. Also known as St John's Bread, Ceratonia siliqua is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean. Its edible fruit was traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat but is most commonly used in the West as a healthy alternative to chocolate. What is its common name?
4. Found in Wiltshire and composed principally of chalk and standing 130ft high, what is the name of the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe?
5. A former 'University Challenge' contestant, by what name is the soap-box orator and eccentric Ian Brackenbury Channell now better known?
6. In June 2006, what names were given to Pluto's two newly discovered moons?
7. Which moon in our solar system, the only large moon known to have a retrograde orbit, is now thought to be a captured object from the Kuiper Belt?
8. Which 14th Century painter and architect, a pupil of Giotto, is credited with the design of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence?
9. What was the name of the Danish newspaper that caused controversy in 2005 after it published a series of editorial cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, causing protests across the Muslim world?
10. Voted the Best French Film of the Century in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in 1995, which film by French director Marcel Carné, described upon its release as the French answer to 'Gone With the Wind', tells the story of the beautiful Garance and the four men who fall in love with her?
11. One of the four 'imperial cities' of Morocco, which city, named after a Berber tribe, was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries before its relocation to Rabat?
12. 'La vida es sueño' (Life is a Dream) is a comedic drama and, perhaps, the best known work of which Spanish playwright of the Golden Age?
13. The ancient Assyrian capital Nineveh stood in which modern-day city on the east bank of the Tigris?
14. Who are traditionally (but often controversially) credited with the invention of the following machines of the Industrial Revolution: a) spinny jenny b) power loom c) spinning mule d) spinning frame e) flying shuttle
15. Launched in 1798, what was the name of the Royal Navy ship that transported Napoleon Bonaparte to St Helena in 1815?
16. Issued by Tsar Alexander II in 1876, the Ems Ukaz banned the use of which language in print, save those wishing to reprint existing documents?
17. The Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda has its headquarters in which city on the Jizera river?
18. The Deutsches Museum is the world's largest museum of technology and science and attracts well over 1 million visitors per year. In which city could you visit it?
19. This Bulgarian revolutionary and ideologist led the Bulgarian struggle for independence from Ottoman rule during the 19th Century before being hanged by the Ottoman authorities in Sofia on 19 February 1873. A top soccer team in Sofia are named after him and in February 2007 he was the named the 'Greatest Ever Bulgarian' in a national television poll. What was his name?
20. And which Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504), remembered as an ardent defender of Christianity and sanctified by the Romanian Orthodox Church, was voted the 'Greatest Ever Romanian' in a similar poll?
And the answers:
1. PARAGUAY
2. STROMA & SWONA
3. CAROB
4. SILBURY HILL
5. THE WIZARD (OF NEW ZEALAND)
6. NIX & HYDRA
7. TRITON
8. TADDEO GADDI
9. JYLLANDS-POSTEN
10. LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS (or CHILDREN OF PARADISE)
11. MEKNES
12. PEDRO CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA
13. MOSUL
14. a) JAMES HARGREAVES b) EDMUND CARTWRIGHT c) SAMUEL CROMPTON d) RICHARD ARKWRIGHT e) JOHN KAY
15. HMS NORTHUMBERLAND
16. UKRAINIAN (or LITTLE RUSSIAN)
17. MLADÁ BOLESLAV
18. MUNICH
19. VASIL LEVSKI
20. ŞTEFAN CEL MARE (STEPHEN III)
1. With approximately 400,000 casulaties, the War of the Triple Alliance was the bloodiest war in the history of the Americas. It was fought between an alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against which country?
2. With names deriving from the Old Norse for 'island in the stream' and 'swine island' respectively, which two Scottish islands are situated in the Pentland Firth between Caithness and the Orkneys?
3. Also known as St John's Bread, Ceratonia siliqua is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean. Its edible fruit was traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat but is most commonly used in the West as a healthy alternative to chocolate. What is its common name?
4. Found in Wiltshire and composed principally of chalk and standing 130ft high, what is the name of the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe?
5. A former 'University Challenge' contestant, by what name is the soap-box orator and eccentric Ian Brackenbury Channell now better known?
6. In June 2006, what names were given to Pluto's two newly discovered moons?
7. Which moon in our solar system, the only large moon known to have a retrograde orbit, is now thought to be a captured object from the Kuiper Belt?
8. Which 14th Century painter and architect, a pupil of Giotto, is credited with the design of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence?
9. What was the name of the Danish newspaper that caused controversy in 2005 after it published a series of editorial cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, causing protests across the Muslim world?
10. Voted the Best French Film of the Century in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in 1995, which film by French director Marcel Carné, described upon its release as the French answer to 'Gone With the Wind', tells the story of the beautiful Garance and the four men who fall in love with her?
11. One of the four 'imperial cities' of Morocco, which city, named after a Berber tribe, was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries before its relocation to Rabat?
12. 'La vida es sueño' (Life is a Dream) is a comedic drama and, perhaps, the best known work of which Spanish playwright of the Golden Age?
13. The ancient Assyrian capital Nineveh stood in which modern-day city on the east bank of the Tigris?
14. Who are traditionally (but often controversially) credited with the invention of the following machines of the Industrial Revolution: a) spinny jenny b) power loom c) spinning mule d) spinning frame e) flying shuttle
15. Launched in 1798, what was the name of the Royal Navy ship that transported Napoleon Bonaparte to St Helena in 1815?
16. Issued by Tsar Alexander II in 1876, the Ems Ukaz banned the use of which language in print, save those wishing to reprint existing documents?
17. The Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda has its headquarters in which city on the Jizera river?
18. The Deutsches Museum is the world's largest museum of technology and science and attracts well over 1 million visitors per year. In which city could you visit it?
19. This Bulgarian revolutionary and ideologist led the Bulgarian struggle for independence from Ottoman rule during the 19th Century before being hanged by the Ottoman authorities in Sofia on 19 February 1873. A top soccer team in Sofia are named after him and in February 2007 he was the named the 'Greatest Ever Bulgarian' in a national television poll. What was his name?
20. And which Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504), remembered as an ardent defender of Christianity and sanctified by the Romanian Orthodox Church, was voted the 'Greatest Ever Romanian' in a similar poll?
And the answers:
1. PARAGUAY
2. STROMA & SWONA
3. CAROB
4. SILBURY HILL
5. THE WIZARD (OF NEW ZEALAND)
6. NIX & HYDRA
7. TRITON
8. TADDEO GADDI
9. JYLLANDS-POSTEN
10. LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS (or CHILDREN OF PARADISE)
11. MEKNES
12. PEDRO CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA
13. MOSUL
14. a) JAMES HARGREAVES b) EDMUND CARTWRIGHT c) SAMUEL CROMPTON d) RICHARD ARKWRIGHT e) JOHN KAY
15. HMS NORTHUMBERLAND
16. UKRAINIAN (or LITTLE RUSSIAN)
17. MLADÁ BOLESLAV
18. MUNICH
19. VASIL LEVSKI
20. ŞTEFAN CEL MARE (STEPHEN III)
Monday 8 October 2007
THE 45th QUIZ
Hello again. Let's get to it:
1. Which passerine bird is the official state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia?
2. With a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8, the Oruanui eruption is the name given to an eruption of which New Zealand volcano in approximately 24,500BC, the world's largest known eruption in the last 70,000 years?
3. Born in Bristol, England in 1821, which women's rights activist, who opened the Women's Medical College with Florence Nightingale, became the United States' first qualified female doctor?
4. What name is given to the two supercontinents, corresponding roughly to the present-day northern and southern hemispheres, that formed upon the breaking-up of Pangaea?
5. Which 19th Century English anatomist and biologist, a critic of Darwin's theory of evolution, is best remembered today for coining the word 'dinosauria'?
6. Louis Brabant, a 16th Century valet to Francis I of France, is thought to have been the first person to become proficient in which stagecraft?
7. Which Scottish-born Australian swimmer won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and became the first man to swim the 1,500 metres freestyle in under 18 minutes?
8. Which Micronesian atoll in the Pacific Ocean is of special interest to geneticists because of the prevalence of the rare disease complete achromatopsia, sufferers of which are completely unable to distinguish colours? This prevalence was caused when a typhoon of 1775 reduced the population of the atoll to only 20, one of whom had the disease, and due to the small gene pool approximately 10% of the population are now sufferers.
9. Which city served as the Imperial capital of Japan between 794AD and 1868 when it was transferred to Edo (now Tokyo)?
10. Tommaso da Modena's 1352 portrait of Hugh of Provence is the earliest painting to show its subject wearing what?
11. Growing to little over three feet at the shoulder, which Asiatic buffalo, Bubalus depressicornis, is the smallest of all wild cattle?
12. What was the name of the cook who became the first ever Olympic champion when he won the sprint race in 776BC?
13. In which city were the first cases of AIDS identified in 1981?
14. Created in the monastery of Clonmacnoise by three scribes, the best known of whom was Máel Muire mac Célechair, what is the common name given to Lebor na hUidre, the oldest Irish manuscript to contain primarily native narrative materials?
15. Built by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I, which is the world's oldest remaining stone mosque and, in 2001, became the first mosque to visited by a Pope when John-Paul II came to see the relics of John the Baptist that are said to be held there?
16. Although Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite, which African country is home to the greatest bauxite reserves, believed to be in the region of one-third of all the world's supply?
17. Named after a 19th Century Russian general, which is the closest living wild relative of the domestic horse?
18. Which subtropical fruit of Andean origin is the most popular flavouring for ice-cream in Peru, far exceeding the demand for more globally popular flavours such as vanilla and chocolate?
19. Which singer starred as Kotzebue, a young woman of androgynous appearance who works as a male miner in Alaska, in the 1991 film 'Salmonberries', written and directed by Percy Adlon?
20. Possibly the most famous lost film of all time, which 1927 silent mystery/horror film, starring Lon Chaney as Inspector Burke who is called to investigate a suspicious murder, was destroyed in a fire in an MGM film vault in 1965?
The answers:
1. CARDINAL
2. TAUPO
3. ELIZABETH BLACKWELL
4. LAURASIA & GONDWANA
5. RICHARD OWEN
6. VENTRILOQUISM
7. MURRAY ROSE
8. PINGELAP
9. KYOTO
10. GLASSES
11. LOWLAND ANOA
12. COROEBUS OF ELIS
13. LOS ANGELES
14. BOOK OF THE DUN COW
15. GRAND MOSQUE OF DAMASCUS
16. GUINEA
17. PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE
18. LÚCUMA
19. K.D. LANG
20. LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT
1. Which passerine bird is the official state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia?
2. With a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8, the Oruanui eruption is the name given to an eruption of which New Zealand volcano in approximately 24,500BC, the world's largest known eruption in the last 70,000 years?
3. Born in Bristol, England in 1821, which women's rights activist, who opened the Women's Medical College with Florence Nightingale, became the United States' first qualified female doctor?
4. What name is given to the two supercontinents, corresponding roughly to the present-day northern and southern hemispheres, that formed upon the breaking-up of Pangaea?
5. Which 19th Century English anatomist and biologist, a critic of Darwin's theory of evolution, is best remembered today for coining the word 'dinosauria'?
6. Louis Brabant, a 16th Century valet to Francis I of France, is thought to have been the first person to become proficient in which stagecraft?
7. Which Scottish-born Australian swimmer won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and became the first man to swim the 1,500 metres freestyle in under 18 minutes?
8. Which Micronesian atoll in the Pacific Ocean is of special interest to geneticists because of the prevalence of the rare disease complete achromatopsia, sufferers of which are completely unable to distinguish colours? This prevalence was caused when a typhoon of 1775 reduced the population of the atoll to only 20, one of whom had the disease, and due to the small gene pool approximately 10% of the population are now sufferers.
9. Which city served as the Imperial capital of Japan between 794AD and 1868 when it was transferred to Edo (now Tokyo)?
10. Tommaso da Modena's 1352 portrait of Hugh of Provence is the earliest painting to show its subject wearing what?
11. Growing to little over three feet at the shoulder, which Asiatic buffalo, Bubalus depressicornis, is the smallest of all wild cattle?
12. What was the name of the cook who became the first ever Olympic champion when he won the sprint race in 776BC?
13. In which city were the first cases of AIDS identified in 1981?
14. Created in the monastery of Clonmacnoise by three scribes, the best known of whom was Máel Muire mac Célechair, what is the common name given to Lebor na hUidre, the oldest Irish manuscript to contain primarily native narrative materials?
15. Built by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I, which is the world's oldest remaining stone mosque and, in 2001, became the first mosque to visited by a Pope when John-Paul II came to see the relics of John the Baptist that are said to be held there?
16. Although Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite, which African country is home to the greatest bauxite reserves, believed to be in the region of one-third of all the world's supply?
17. Named after a 19th Century Russian general, which is the closest living wild relative of the domestic horse?
18. Which subtropical fruit of Andean origin is the most popular flavouring for ice-cream in Peru, far exceeding the demand for more globally popular flavours such as vanilla and chocolate?
19. Which singer starred as Kotzebue, a young woman of androgynous appearance who works as a male miner in Alaska, in the 1991 film 'Salmonberries', written and directed by Percy Adlon?
20. Possibly the most famous lost film of all time, which 1927 silent mystery/horror film, starring Lon Chaney as Inspector Burke who is called to investigate a suspicious murder, was destroyed in a fire in an MGM film vault in 1965?
The answers:
1. CARDINAL
2. TAUPO
3. ELIZABETH BLACKWELL
4. LAURASIA & GONDWANA
5. RICHARD OWEN
6. VENTRILOQUISM
7. MURRAY ROSE
8. PINGELAP
9. KYOTO
10. GLASSES
11. LOWLAND ANOA
12. COROEBUS OF ELIS
13. LOS ANGELES
14. BOOK OF THE DUN COW
15. GRAND MOSQUE OF DAMASCUS
16. GUINEA
17. PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE
18. LÚCUMA
19. K.D. LANG
20. LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT
THE 44th QUIZ
Hi there. As you can probably tell (given my inactivity here) that I'm temporarily very busy with the mundane stuff of life and probably will be for the next week or so. However, I shall endeavour to put up quizzes where I can.
1. According to the Acts of Pilate from the New Testament Pseudepigraphia, what name is given to the Roman soldier who used the Spear of Destiny to pierce Christ's side while he was on the cross?
2. In July 1976, who became the first democratically elected Spanish Prime Minister after the death of Franco?
3. Released in 1983, 'Murmur' was the title of the first full-length album from which American rock group from Athens, Georgia?
4. Which small market town on the outskirts of Milton Keynes is best known for its annual Pancake Race that has taken place each Shrove Tuesday since 1445?
5. Which are the only two recognised nations not to be members of the UN?
6. In 1842, the British general and Commander-in-Chief in India, Sir Charles Napier, sent which famous one-word Latin message (meaning 'I have sinned') back to Headquarters after his victories at Meanee and Hyderabad?
7. In 1777, Marie Grosholtz (later Madame Tussaud) created her first sculpture. Who was the subject?
8. Found in the shallow tropical marine waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, what is the common name of Synanceia verrucosa, the world's most venomous fish?
9. Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write the words to the song 'America the Beautiful' in 1893 after taking a carriage ride to the top of which mountain in the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado?
10. Published in 1911, what was the title of Max Beerbohm's only novel, a satire on life at Oxford University?
11. The final plate of William Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress' series depicts a scene inside which institution, founded in London in 1247?
12. A similar size to the sparrow, Micrathene whitneyi is the world's smalleset species of owl; what is its common name?
13. Born in 1867, who was the American sculptor best known for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore?
14. What is the name of the radio tower in Moscow, designed by Nikolai Nikitin, that, at 540 metres (1772 feet), is the tallest free-standing structure in Europe and was until the construction of the CN Tower also the tallest structure in the world?
15. Nikolai Nikitin was also involved in the construction of which statue on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd which, at 84 metres (270 feet) tall, is the tallest sculpture in the world?
16. Named after the English naturalist who first described it in his 'Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley', what is the name of the phenomenon in which harmless, edible species develop resemblences to other distasteful or poisonous species in order to gain protection from predators?
17. In 1850, while playing for the South against the North at Lord's, which cricketer took all 10 wickets in an innings, all clean bowled, which was the first and, to date, only instance of this in first class cricket?
18. According to tradition, San Marino was founded in 301AD by the stonemason Saint Marinus of Rab after fleeing his homeland in fear of the persecution of which Roman Emperor?
19. And if people from England are known collectively as the English, then which Italian word is used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of San Marino?
20. Which sea takes its name from the Kyrgyz word for 'sea of islands'?
Some good ones there I thought. The answers:
1. LONGINUS
2. ADOLFO SUÁREZ
3. REM
4. OLNEY
5. VATICAN CITY & TAIWAN
6. PECCAVI
7. VOLTAIRE
8. STONEFISH
9. PIKES PEAK
10. ZULEIKA DOBSON
11. BETHLEM HOSPITAL
12. ELF OWL
13. GUTZON BORGLUM
14. OSTANKINO TOWER
15. MOTHER MOTHERLAND IS CALLING (or MOTHER MOTHERLAND or Родина-мать зовёт!)
16. BATESIAN MIMICRY
17. JOHN WISDEN
18. DIOCLETIAN
19. SAMMARINESI
20. ARAL SEA
1. According to the Acts of Pilate from the New Testament Pseudepigraphia, what name is given to the Roman soldier who used the Spear of Destiny to pierce Christ's side while he was on the cross?
2. In July 1976, who became the first democratically elected Spanish Prime Minister after the death of Franco?
3. Released in 1983, 'Murmur' was the title of the first full-length album from which American rock group from Athens, Georgia?
4. Which small market town on the outskirts of Milton Keynes is best known for its annual Pancake Race that has taken place each Shrove Tuesday since 1445?
5. Which are the only two recognised nations not to be members of the UN?
6. In 1842, the British general and Commander-in-Chief in India, Sir Charles Napier, sent which famous one-word Latin message (meaning 'I have sinned') back to Headquarters after his victories at Meanee and Hyderabad?
7. In 1777, Marie Grosholtz (later Madame Tussaud) created her first sculpture. Who was the subject?
8. Found in the shallow tropical marine waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, what is the common name of Synanceia verrucosa, the world's most venomous fish?
9. Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write the words to the song 'America the Beautiful' in 1893 after taking a carriage ride to the top of which mountain in the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado?
10. Published in 1911, what was the title of Max Beerbohm's only novel, a satire on life at Oxford University?
11. The final plate of William Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress' series depicts a scene inside which institution, founded in London in 1247?
12. A similar size to the sparrow, Micrathene whitneyi is the world's smalleset species of owl; what is its common name?
13. Born in 1867, who was the American sculptor best known for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore?
14. What is the name of the radio tower in Moscow, designed by Nikolai Nikitin, that, at 540 metres (1772 feet), is the tallest free-standing structure in Europe and was until the construction of the CN Tower also the tallest structure in the world?
15. Nikolai Nikitin was also involved in the construction of which statue on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd which, at 84 metres (270 feet) tall, is the tallest sculpture in the world?
16. Named after the English naturalist who first described it in his 'Contributions to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley', what is the name of the phenomenon in which harmless, edible species develop resemblences to other distasteful or poisonous species in order to gain protection from predators?
17. In 1850, while playing for the South against the North at Lord's, which cricketer took all 10 wickets in an innings, all clean bowled, which was the first and, to date, only instance of this in first class cricket?
18. According to tradition, San Marino was founded in 301AD by the stonemason Saint Marinus of Rab after fleeing his homeland in fear of the persecution of which Roman Emperor?
19. And if people from England are known collectively as the English, then which Italian word is used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of San Marino?
20. Which sea takes its name from the Kyrgyz word for 'sea of islands'?
Some good ones there I thought. The answers:
1. LONGINUS
2. ADOLFO SUÁREZ
3. REM
4. OLNEY
5. VATICAN CITY & TAIWAN
6. PECCAVI
7. VOLTAIRE
8. STONEFISH
9. PIKES PEAK
10. ZULEIKA DOBSON
11. BETHLEM HOSPITAL
12. ELF OWL
13. GUTZON BORGLUM
14. OSTANKINO TOWER
15. MOTHER MOTHERLAND IS CALLING (or MOTHER MOTHERLAND or Родина-мать зовёт!)
16. BATESIAN MIMICRY
17. JOHN WISDEN
18. DIOCLETIAN
19. SAMMARINESI
20. ARAL SEA
Tuesday 2 October 2007
THE 43rd QUIZ
1. Which are the only four American artists to have had paintings sold at auction for more than $50 million?
2. What was the name of the murdered Great Dane who was central to the trial of Jeremy Thorpe on charges of conspiracy to murder in 1979?
3. According to Hollywood legend, the German shepherd Rin Tin Tin died in arms of which actress in 1932?
4. What was the name of the 8-year old girl who appeared, with her clown doll Bubbles, on the BBC Test Card F from 1967 until 1998?
5. Originally known as 'The Blue Cloak' or 'The Topsy Turvy World', what is the common modern name for Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1559 painting in which he depicts over 100 recognisable idioms including "to bang one's head against a brick wall", "swimming against the tide" and "armed to the teeth"?
6. In Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick', what is the name of the first mate of the Pequod, an intellectual Quaker from Nantucket?
7. The equivalent of the modern year, which ancient civilisation used a calendar consisting of twenty trecenas of thirteen days, each named after a common creature, object or event such as the crocodile, rain, house, death and flint?
8. Meaning 'castle of Heaven', what was the name of the observatory built by Tycho Brahe on the island of Hven in the Öresund in the late 1570s?
9. What is the name of the fictional Mancunian estate in which the Channel 4 comedy-drama 'Shameless' is set?
10. In May 1975, which Japanese mountain climber became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest?
11. Said to have been 9'3" tall, by what name is the English 16th/17th Century giant John Middleton better known?
12. In September 1978, Janet Parker of the Birmingham Medical School was the last person in the world to die from which disease?
13. The soapstone bird appears on the flag of which country?
14. Elicio and Erastro are the central characters in which book by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1585?
15. The Masajid of Djinguereber, the Masajid of Sidi Yahya, and the Masajid of Sankore were the three schools that comprised which mediaeval African university?
16. 'A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling', often more simply referred to as 'The Rihla', is a transcript of the account of which 14th Century Berber Sunni Muslim scholar and explorer who travelled 73,000 over a period of almost thirty years, covering almost the entirety of the known world?
17. Although the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew is the world' smallest mammal in terms of mass, which bat, also known as Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat, is the world's smallest mammal in terms of size?
18. In 1977, Phi-X174 phage became the first organism to have what done to it?
19. Who is currently listed by Forbes as the world's richest fictional character, just ahead of Montgomery Burns from 'The Simpsons'?
20. Which city in the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany, that was merged with the adjoining cities of Buer and Horst in 1928, was the most important coal mining town in Europe in the early 20th Century and was known as the "city of a thousand fires", because of its many smoking stacks?
And the answers:
1. ANDY WARHOL, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS & MARK ROTHKO
2. RINKA
3. JEAN HARLOW
4. CAROLE HERSEE
5. NETHERLANDISH PROVERBS
6. FRANK STARBUCK
7. AZTECS
8. URANIBORG
9. CHATSWORTH ESTATE
10. JUNKO TABEI
11. CHILDE OF HALE
12. SMALLPOX
13. ZIMBABWE
14. LA GALATEA
15. UNIVERSITY OF TIMBUKTU
16. IBN BATTUTA
17. BUMBLEBEE BAT
18. ITS DNA-BASED GENOME SEQUENCED
19. OLIVER 'DADDY' WARBUCKS (from 'LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE')
20. GELSENKIRCHEN
2. What was the name of the murdered Great Dane who was central to the trial of Jeremy Thorpe on charges of conspiracy to murder in 1979?
3. According to Hollywood legend, the German shepherd Rin Tin Tin died in arms of which actress in 1932?
4. What was the name of the 8-year old girl who appeared, with her clown doll Bubbles, on the BBC Test Card F from 1967 until 1998?
5. Originally known as 'The Blue Cloak' or 'The Topsy Turvy World', what is the common modern name for Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1559 painting in which he depicts over 100 recognisable idioms including "to bang one's head against a brick wall", "swimming against the tide" and "armed to the teeth"?
6. In Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick', what is the name of the first mate of the Pequod, an intellectual Quaker from Nantucket?
7. The equivalent of the modern year, which ancient civilisation used a calendar consisting of twenty trecenas of thirteen days, each named after a common creature, object or event such as the crocodile, rain, house, death and flint?
8. Meaning 'castle of Heaven', what was the name of the observatory built by Tycho Brahe on the island of Hven in the Öresund in the late 1570s?
9. What is the name of the fictional Mancunian estate in which the Channel 4 comedy-drama 'Shameless' is set?
10. In May 1975, which Japanese mountain climber became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest?
11. Said to have been 9'3" tall, by what name is the English 16th/17th Century giant John Middleton better known?
12. In September 1978, Janet Parker of the Birmingham Medical School was the last person in the world to die from which disease?
13. The soapstone bird appears on the flag of which country?
14. Elicio and Erastro are the central characters in which book by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1585?
15. The Masajid of Djinguereber, the Masajid of Sidi Yahya, and the Masajid of Sankore were the three schools that comprised which mediaeval African university?
16. 'A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling', often more simply referred to as 'The Rihla', is a transcript of the account of which 14th Century Berber Sunni Muslim scholar and explorer who travelled 73,000 over a period of almost thirty years, covering almost the entirety of the known world?
17. Although the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew is the world' smallest mammal in terms of mass, which bat, also known as Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat, is the world's smallest mammal in terms of size?
18. In 1977, Phi-X174 phage became the first organism to have what done to it?
19. Who is currently listed by Forbes as the world's richest fictional character, just ahead of Montgomery Burns from 'The Simpsons'?
20. Which city in the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany, that was merged with the adjoining cities of Buer and Horst in 1928, was the most important coal mining town in Europe in the early 20th Century and was known as the "city of a thousand fires", because of its many smoking stacks?
And the answers:
1. ANDY WARHOL, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS & MARK ROTHKO
2. RINKA
3. JEAN HARLOW
4. CAROLE HERSEE
5. NETHERLANDISH PROVERBS
6. FRANK STARBUCK
7. AZTECS
8. URANIBORG
9. CHATSWORTH ESTATE
10. JUNKO TABEI
11. CHILDE OF HALE
12. SMALLPOX
13. ZIMBABWE
14. LA GALATEA
15. UNIVERSITY OF TIMBUKTU
16. IBN BATTUTA
17. BUMBLEBEE BAT
18. ITS DNA-BASED GENOME SEQUENCED
19. OLIVER 'DADDY' WARBUCKS (from 'LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE')
20. GELSENKIRCHEN
Monday 1 October 2007
THE 42nd QUIZ
1. Sharing its name with a city in New England, which French city on the River Lez is home to the Musée Fabre and the 14th Century cathedral of Saint-Pierre?
2. Stendahl's novel 'Le Rouge et le Noir', a Bildungsroman telling the story of the ambitious Julien Sorel, is set during the reign of which French king?
3. Which French Jesuit scholar and philosopher wrote 'The Practice of Everyday Life' in which he drew a distinction between "strategies", which he saw as linked to institutions of power, and "tactics", which he held to be utilised by individuals to create space for themselves in environments defined by strategies?
4. Discovered by the Dutch botanist Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, which disease of plants was the first virus ever to be discovered?
5. For what did the letters USM stand in the name of the British indie band Carter USM, formed in 1987 by Jim Bob Morrison and Fruitbat Carter?
6. Later used as a chemical weapon during World War I, which poisonous gas was first developed by the American chemist Julius Nieuwland in 1904?
7. Dedicated to arts and culture, the Festuge is the largest carnival in Scandinavia and takes place annually in which Danish city?
8. Which Nigerian-born Portuguese sprinter won the men's gold medal in both the 100m and 200m at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg?
9. Known as the 'Mad King', and the subject of a 1972 film by the Italian Director Luchino Visconti, who was the King of Bavaria during the second half of the 19th Century best remembered as the patron of Richard Wagner and for ordering the construction of several fantasy castles such as the Neuschwanstein?
10. The Russian city Arkhangelsk lies on the banks of the Northern Dvina river near its exit into which sea, an inlet of the Barents Sea?
11. Which ex-Soviet state is often referred to as 'the cradle of wine-making' as it is believed to contain the world's first cultivated grapevines and was home to neolithic wine production approximately 7000 years ago?
12. named after a 19th Century Austro-Hungarian dermatologist, what name is given to the tumour caused by Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) that became more widely known during the 1980s as one of the defining illnesses of AIDS?
13. Which town in the Girona province of Catalonia was the birthplace of Salvador Dalí and is home to the unusual Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, designed by Dalí himself?
14. The 1953 musical 'Kismet' was adapted from the music of which Russian composer?
15. Also known as the seladang, which southern Asian ox is the largest of all wild cattle?
16. 'The Blood of a Poet', 'Orpheus' and 'Testament of Orpheus' comprised the Orphic trilogy of which 20th Century film director?
17. What was the Latin pseudonym of the 15th Century German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Müller von Königsberg who is credited with establishing the study of algebra and trigonometry in Germany?
18. Which football team, who play their home games at Stadion GOS, won the Polish league championship for only the second time in their history in 2007?
19. Released in September 2007, 'Open Warfare 2' is the latest installment in which hugely successful video game series, first released on the Amiga in 1994?
20. The 1997 comic-horror 'Office Killer', was the first film directed by which American photographer and conceptual artist?
The answers:
1. MONTPELIER
2. CHARLES X
3. MICHEL DE CERTEAU
4. TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS
5. UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE
6. LEWISITE
7. AARHUS
8. FRANCIS OBIKWELU
9. LUDWIG II
10. WHITE SEA
11. GEORGIA
12. KAPOSI'S SARCOMA
13. FIGUERES (or FIGUERAS)
14. ALEXANDER BORODIN
15. GAUR
16. JEAN COCTEAU
17. REGIOMONTANUS
18. ZAGŁĘBIE LUBIN
19. WORMS
20. CINDY SHERMAN
2. Stendahl's novel 'Le Rouge et le Noir', a Bildungsroman telling the story of the ambitious Julien Sorel, is set during the reign of which French king?
3. Which French Jesuit scholar and philosopher wrote 'The Practice of Everyday Life' in which he drew a distinction between "strategies", which he saw as linked to institutions of power, and "tactics", which he held to be utilised by individuals to create space for themselves in environments defined by strategies?
4. Discovered by the Dutch botanist Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, which disease of plants was the first virus ever to be discovered?
5. For what did the letters USM stand in the name of the British indie band Carter USM, formed in 1987 by Jim Bob Morrison and Fruitbat Carter?
6. Later used as a chemical weapon during World War I, which poisonous gas was first developed by the American chemist Julius Nieuwland in 1904?
7. Dedicated to arts and culture, the Festuge is the largest carnival in Scandinavia and takes place annually in which Danish city?
8. Which Nigerian-born Portuguese sprinter won the men's gold medal in both the 100m and 200m at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg?
9. Known as the 'Mad King', and the subject of a 1972 film by the Italian Director Luchino Visconti, who was the King of Bavaria during the second half of the 19th Century best remembered as the patron of Richard Wagner and for ordering the construction of several fantasy castles such as the Neuschwanstein?
10. The Russian city Arkhangelsk lies on the banks of the Northern Dvina river near its exit into which sea, an inlet of the Barents Sea?
11. Which ex-Soviet state is often referred to as 'the cradle of wine-making' as it is believed to contain the world's first cultivated grapevines and was home to neolithic wine production approximately 7000 years ago?
12. named after a 19th Century Austro-Hungarian dermatologist, what name is given to the tumour caused by Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) that became more widely known during the 1980s as one of the defining illnesses of AIDS?
13. Which town in the Girona province of Catalonia was the birthplace of Salvador Dalí and is home to the unusual Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, designed by Dalí himself?
14. The 1953 musical 'Kismet' was adapted from the music of which Russian composer?
15. Also known as the seladang, which southern Asian ox is the largest of all wild cattle?
16. 'The Blood of a Poet', 'Orpheus' and 'Testament of Orpheus' comprised the Orphic trilogy of which 20th Century film director?
17. What was the Latin pseudonym of the 15th Century German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Müller von Königsberg who is credited with establishing the study of algebra and trigonometry in Germany?
18. Which football team, who play their home games at Stadion GOS, won the Polish league championship for only the second time in their history in 2007?
19. Released in September 2007, 'Open Warfare 2' is the latest installment in which hugely successful video game series, first released on the Amiga in 1994?
20. The 1997 comic-horror 'Office Killer', was the first film directed by which American photographer and conceptual artist?
The answers:
1. MONTPELIER
2. CHARLES X
3. MICHEL DE CERTEAU
4. TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS
5. UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE
6. LEWISITE
7. AARHUS
8. FRANCIS OBIKWELU
9. LUDWIG II
10. WHITE SEA
11. GEORGIA
12. KAPOSI'S SARCOMA
13. FIGUERES (or FIGUERAS)
14. ALEXANDER BORODIN
15. GAUR
16. JEAN COCTEAU
17. REGIOMONTANUS
18. ZAGŁĘBIE LUBIN
19. WORMS
20. CINDY SHERMAN
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