GEOGRAPHY
Which American city is nicknamed "Motown" or "Motor City"?
a.) Philadelphia
b.) Chicago
c.) Seattle
d.) Detroit
e.) Houston
d.) Detroit
What is the only month of the year that cannot have a blue moon - a second full moon in the same month?
a.) January
b.) February
c.) April
d.) June
e.) December
b.) February
Poor February. Not only can it not have a blue moon, or two full moons in the same month, some years it doesn't even have a full moon. The time between full moons averages 29.5 days. For three out of four years February has 28 days. Every four years is a leap year and February has 29 days, still not enough days to have two full moons.
In what year was the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - commonly referred to as the "Famicom" (Family Computer) - released in the United States?
a.) 1980
b.) 1982
c.) 1985
d.) 1988
e.) 1991
c.) 1985
What color is Amethyst?
a.) Red
b.) Green
c.) Yellow
d.) Purple
e.) Blue
d.) Purple
Amethysts are a purple variety of quartz. According to ancient Greek lore, the stone could ward off the intoxicating powers of Dionysus, the god of wine and intoxication! The color purple was traditionally the color of royalty, and amethyst was used to adorn the richest and most powerful monarchs and rulers.
We've all heard of suicide and homicide, but a much rarer occurrence is pseudocide. What is pseudocide?
a.) Faking your own death
b.) Faking someone else's death
c.) Permanently changing your name
d.) Insurance fraud
e.) Assuming a dead person's identity
a.) Faking your own death
Pseudocide is relatively rare and usually involves going into hiding, collecting on life insurance or avoiding debt.
While New York City is known as the "Big Apple," New Orleans is known as the "Big Easy". What is the explanation for how New Orleans gained this nickname - first recorded in the New Orleans Times-Picayune?
a.) Lifestyle
b.) Geography
c.) Weather
d.) Cuisine
e.) Music
a.) Lifestyle
Betty Guillard, society and gossip columnist of the the New Orleans Times-Picayune, first used the "Big Easy" nickname in the 1970s. She came up with the "Big Easy" attribution based on the easy going lifestyle found in New Orleans. New Orleans is also known as the "Crescent City" due to its geography created by the bend in the Mississippi River.
Which disease, once dreaded by sailors, is caused by a lack of Vitamin C?
a.) Polio
b.) Malaria
c.) Tuberculosis
d.) Pneumonia
e.) Scurvy
e.) Scurvy
Scurvy was once a common ailment amongst seafarers, due to the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables on a long sea voyage.
Which handheld gaming console was released by SEGA in 1990 to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy?
a.) Lynx
b.) Nomad
c.) TurboExpress
d.) Game Gear
e.) N-Gage
d.) Game Gear
Diamond is the hardest gemstone found in nature. But which of the following is the softest and lightest gemstone on earth?
a.) Amber
b.) Sapphire
c.) Black Opal
d.) Emerald
e.) Jasper
a.) Amber
Amber is so light that it is able to float when in salt water. It is a stone that is a result of the sap and resin from prehistoric trees that have been fossilized. In order to be considered the gemstone that is amber, the fossilized sap needs to be at least 30 million years old.
The father of which of the following TV celebrities defended O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial?
a.) Kim Kardashian
b.) Paris Hilton
c.) Margot Robbie
d.) Jessica Alba
e.) Zendaya
a.) Kim Kardashian
Kardashian's father - Robert Kardashian (1944-2003) - served as O.J. Simpson's defence attorney at his murder trial.
Which British territory, located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, and home to hundreds of caves, was used as a Navy base during World War II?
a.) Montserrat
b.) Anguilla
c.) Gibraltar
d.) Malta
e.) Falkland Islands
c.) Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British territory, home to approximately 30,000 citizens, at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. During World War II, the Rock of Gibraltar, known for its concealed caves, was prepared as a Royal Navy station with a hospital, armament rooms, kitchen and officers sleeping quarters. Secret passage ways were also constructed as escape routes from enemy infiltration. From the Rock, the Navy conducted surveillance of the entrance and exit of vessels through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The caves also hold anthropological evidence of Neanderthal bones and artifacts. Hundreds of Barbary macaques live in the upper levels of the Rock and are protected from extinction.
What do newly born rattlesnakes NOT have?
a.) Tails
b.) Fangs
c.) Rattles
d.) Tongues
e.) Eyes
c.) Rattles
Baby rattle snakes do not have rattles, but they do have a 'prebutton' at the end of their tails. As they shed skins, this develops into a rattle. They can shed several times a year, during which time they add segments to their tails and develop rattles.
Which gaming console released by Nintendo in 1996 controversially stuck with game cartridges instead of embracing CD-roms, but featured an innovative analogue joystick to allow accurate 3D movement. Some of this console's most famous titles were GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the first 3D version of Super Mario.
a.) Game Cube
b.) Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES/Super Famicom)
c.) Nintendo DS
d.) Wii
e.) Nintendo 64
e.) Nintendo 64
In an emerald, it is acceptable for the gem to contain flaws because the flaws add character. It is also acceptable for an emerald to be treated before it is sold. What is used to treat the emerald?
a.) Oil
b.) Irradiation (exposure to radiation by gamma rays)
c.) Artificial Resin
d.) Heating
e.) Laser Drilling
a.) Oil
An emerald is treated to enhance the color. When you purchase a piece of emerald jewelry you should occasionally have it re-treated, as well as avoid putting it in water or a soapy water solution.
Which giant breed of dog - nicknamed the "Apollo of dogs" and bred to hunt wild boar - can measure up to 32 inches at the shoulders and stands taller than most people when on its hind legs? Known for its steadfast loyalty and black-and-white patchwork coat, it can be a fierce guardian despite its sweet nature.
a.) Great Saint Bernard
b.) Irish Wolfhound
c.) Mastiff
d.) Anatolian Shepherd
e.) Great Dane
e.) Great Dane
From the 16th through 19th centuries, the North African countries of Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia made up what well-known geographical area known for its slave traders and pirates?
a.) Turquoise Coast
b.) Horn of Africa
c.) Barbary Coast
d.) Tropics of Tripoli
e.) Berber Triangle
c.) Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast was named after the Berber people of North Africa. We know it mainly because of the slave traders and pirates who attacked coastal areas and ships in both the Mediterranean and the north Atlantic. The Barbary Coast was also the name of the red light district in San Francisco, known for gambling, prostitution and crime during the decade 1848 to 1858.
Which of the following families of animals were NOT dinosaurs?
a.) Stegosaurs
b.) Raptors
c.) Megalodons
d.) Brachiosaurs
e.) Ceratopsians
c.) Megalodons
The largest predator of the prehistoric world wasn’t a dinosaur or even a marine reptile. Carcharodon megalodon is a possible ancestor of modern great white sharks, and for 20 million years they sat atop the ocean’s food chain. Based on their 7-inch teeth, paleontologists imagine the leviathans growing from 43 to 82 feet long. Like today’s sharks, they had cartilaginous bodies, so all that remains of the extinct creatures are teeth and some vertebrae. We may never know exactly how massive they were.
Which gaming machine - released in 1999 - was SEGA's final console before the company ended its involvement in the console market in 2001? It featured a built-in modem and hugely innovative controllers complete with removable memory cards doubling as handheld games machines. Some of the titles developed for this console included Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Seaman, Rez, and Phantasy Star Online.
a.) Dreamcast
b.) Saturn
c.) Genesis/Mega Drive
d.) Master System
e.) Jaguar
a.) Dreamcast
What is the only difference between a ruby and a sapphire?
a.) Refraction Index (the way light passes through the stone)
b.) Weight
c.) Color
d.) Hardness
e.) Age
c.) Color
Both are corundum minerals. Those that are light pink are called pink sapphires, while only the deeply rich red gemstones are qualified to be rubies. Sapphires come in all colors except for red, because that’s a ruby!
An orbuculum is another name for what object?
a.) Shooting star
b.) Meteorite
c.) Crystal ball
d.) UFO
e.) Mirrored disco ball
c.) Crystal ball
An orbuculum is the original name for a crystal ball. It is derived from the Latin "crystallum orbis." The first crystal balls are believed to have been used by Celtic Druids in the first and second centuries AD. Crystal balls were a prominent sight in the Roman Empire and was used by soothsayers.
If the long arm of the law caught you stealing leeks and daffodils from a greengrocer's shop and took you to the cop shop in a van marked "Heddlu", which European country would you most likely be in?
a.) Wales
b.) Latvia
c.) Finland
d.) Bulgaria
e.) Hungary
a.) Wales
Which empirical scale is used to measure the hardness and scratch resistance of minerals?
a.) Beaufort Scale
b.) Pauling Scale
c.) Fujita-Pearson Scale
d.) Mohs Scale
e.) Richter Scale
d.) Mohs Scale
Invented by Friedrich Mohs in 1812, the Mohs scale is based on the abilities of minerals to scratch one another.
Beaufort Scale - measures wind force and speed.
Pauling Scale - measures electronegativity, the extent to which atoms attract electrons in chemical bonds.
Fujita-Pearson Scale - measures the strength of hurricanes.
Richter Scale - measures the strength of earthquakes.
Which 16-bit gaming console released by SNK enterprises in 1990 developed a cult following with games like Magician Lord, Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug, and King of Fighters?
a.) 3D0
b.) FM Towns Marty
c.) Neo Geo
d.) TurboGrafx-16
e.) Jaguar
c.) Neo Geo
What did ancient Greeks believe opals actually were?
a.) Stones that could cure infertility
b.) Tears from the gods
c.) Pieces from the sun god Helios's armor
d.) Sacred fire from the forge of Hades, god of the underworld
e.) Residue from the thunderbolts of Zeus's trident
b.) Tears from the gods
The ancient Greeks believed that opals were formed from the tears of joy wept by Zeus when he defeated the titans, and that opals bestowed prophetic powers!
In which famous battle of the Hundred Years War did an English army of 8000 men led by King Henry V annihilate a French army over twice its size by forcing the French knights and men-at-arms to attack through thick dense mud where they became bogged down and easy targets for the English longbow archers?
a.) Battle of Bouvines (1214)
b.) Battle of Lepanto (1571)
c.) Battle of Bannockburn (1314)
d.) Battle of Hastings (1066)
e.) Battle of Agincourt (1415)
e.) Battle of Agincourt (1415)
Agincourt was a catastrophic defeat for the French. In all, around 6,000 of their fighting men lay dead. The list of casualties, one historian noted, "read like a roll call of the military and political leaders of the past generation." Among them were 90–120 great lords and over 3,000 knights and squires. Entire French noble families were wiped out in the male line, and in some regions an entire generation of landed nobility was annihilated.