World History
Operas
Languages
Music
Word Origin
100
What event is commonly believed to have sparked World War I?
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
100
All operas are written only in Italian.
True or False?
False
Yes, opera was born in Italy, but it does not mean that every opera is in Italian. In fact you can find and hear operas in English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, Russian, Greek, and Sanskrit, to name a few, as well as in Italian. Up until the 1940's, it was customary for operas to be translated into the language of wherever they were being performed (though the French are still notorious for this practice and the English National Opera's productions are all sung in English).
Some composers, such as Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-87), even composed some of their operas in two languages (French and Italian).
100
Formal: Bonjour
Informal: Salut
French
100
Name the two stars one male & one female who starred in the movie “Grease” singing and dancing?
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
100
Which of the following numbers is in the etymology of December?
A. 12
B. 1
C. 8
D. 10
D. 10
200
What year was the fall of Constantinople?
May 29, 1453
200
The 3 main types of singers in an opera, in ascending order, are: the chorus, comprimario, and ________________ singers or artists.
Principal
A principal singer/artist, aka prima donna (=first woman) or primo uomo (=first man), is generally the one male (and/)or female who sings more than any other character, is paid more than any other singer, and takes the last bow. With the exception of such operas as "Don Giovanni", "Die Fledermaus", or "Rigoletto" in which the title character is male, the prima donna always has the last bow!
Comprimario (literally with or alongside the first [main] singer) singers usually have shorter and comic roles that require lighter voices and good acting. In addition to the chorus, there are often supernumeraries (literally extra numbers/fillers), who are non-singing people - usually extras just to fill space or acrobats/jugglers/dancers, etc. - on the stage.
200
Formal: Konnichiwa
Informal: Yā, Yō
Japanese
200
What trio sang “Puff The Magic Dragon”?
Peter, Paul & Mary
200
What language does the word cafeteria derive from?
A. Greek
B. American Spanish
C. French
D. Italian
B. American Spanish
Cafeteria comes from "cafetería," which means "coffeehouse." Cafetería comes from "cafetera" (coffee maker), which in turn comes from the French "cafetière," a word based on "café."
300
How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she was crowned the Queen of England?
27
300
Opera was born in Italy in 1597. Do you know which composer is her father?
A. Claudio Monteverdi
B. Jacopo Peri
C. Christoph Willibald Gluck
D. Giulio Caccini
B. Jacopo Peri
300
Formal: Asalaam alaikum (Peace be upon you)
Informal: Ahlan
Arabic
300
Who Sang What’s New Pussycat, Green Green Grass of Home & Its Not Unusual?
Tom Jones
300
Which language gave the word robot to English?
A. German
B. Czech
C. Polish
D. Latin
B. Czech
Robot comes from "robota," which means "compulsory labor." It is also akin to Old High German and Latin words.
400
Who is commonly referred to as the person who created the first printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg
400
When opera first began, the orchestra was onstage with the singers.
True or False?
True
Up until about 1750, opera used to be a simpler art form that did not require as much stage action and scenery. Opera grew out of the Italian (Florentine) camerata (little chamber; hence the term chamber music), a gathering of intellectuals and musicians who would collaborate to produce a unified art form. Thus the singer(s) and the orchestra were together on the stage; the composer would sit at the harpsichord, directing the orchestra (usually strings with a few winds here and there) with head and/or hand gestures.
As the public demanded more spectacle and elaborate sets (le macchine, or machines, they called them), the orchestra grew bigger and had to be moved further down and away from the singers. The size of the orchestra also grew from the period between Mozart and Beethoven. Of course, Wagner revolutionized the opera orchestra entirely, by having it play under the singers under the stage in a partially covered pit in Bayreuth, to create his concept of "Gesamtkunstwerk": a unified artwork.
400
Formal: Merhaba
Informal: Selam
Turkish
400
Who sang with Elton John on Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me?
George Michael
400
Though the English word stomach derives from a Greek word stoma, that Greek word stoma itself does not mean stomach but:______________
A. Bile
B. Instestine
C. Belly
D. Mouth
D. Mouth
The stomach was seen as the mouth of the digestive system.
By the way stomatitis is not stomach infection, but mouth infection.
Words relating to the digestion of food are gastronomy; gastritis etc.
500
How many Celtic languages are still spoken today?
Six
Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Breton, Cornish and Welsh
500
The house (audience's) lights have always remained off during a performance since the beginning of opera.
True or False?
False.
The lights (chandeliers or wall sconces) had to remain on during the entirety of the performance so that the audience could read the libretto and follow along with the story of the opera. You would be shocked to know that you could also eat and drink, as concessions were actually sold, during the performance!
500
Formal: God dag
Informal: Hei
Norwegian
500
What was the last of John Denver's four No 1s?
I'm Sorry
500
A marinade was originally a very simple affair. It meant that you soaked food in ____________________.
A. salty seawater
B. coarse seasalt
C. olive oil and rosemary
D. seaweed
A. Salty Seawater
The etymology is very simple: marinade derives from "marine" which means "of the sea". The first marinades were little more than a 'bath of seawater'.