Answers to the difficult quiz
Mar. 31st, 2012 01:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
philmophlegm1. Who played lead guitar on the Beatles song 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'?
Eric Clapton
2. In Traveller, the 'Rebellion' (aka the 'Second Civil War' and the 'Final War') started with whose murder at the hands of Archduke Dulinor of Ilelish? A clone double of the Emperor Strephon. Strephon was absent from Capital on a secret mission and everyone thought the clone was really him.
3. Incarnations of the Porsche 911 are generally denoted with three digit numbers of the form 9xx. What is the current model, released earlier this year? 991
4. In 2002, the television programme 'Top Gear' returned in a new one hour format featuring 'The Stig' and presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and which other presenter? Jason Dawe
5. What connects the following fictional characters? Kate Hughes, Reverend Stevens, Detective Constable Braithwaite, Mel Ryan, Eddy Fox, Barbara Gillet, Mr Wilson. They are all soap opera characters played by the actors who played the original Blake's 7 characters. The most notable was Kate Hughes, who was Sally Knyvette's character in Emmerdale. Reverend Stevens is the current vicar in Eastenders, played by Michael Keating.
6. Which Norwegian former ski racer has won more Olympic medals than any other skier, was the youngest skier ever to win Olympic Gold in 1992 and the oldest skier to ever win Olympic Gold in 2006? Kjetil-Andre Aamodt
7. Davidstow in north Cornwall has a parish church not a cathedral and is a village not a city. Why is this odd? Because it is where Cathedral City cheese comes from.
8. If you turn on a Sinclair Zx81 and type J, SHIFT-P, SHIFT-P, NEW LINE, what command have you entered? LOAD ""
9. What is the highest mountain in Tamriel? This was a Skyrim question. The answer is The Throat of the World.
10. Name this fantasy warrior: "Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in Starsza Mowa (Older Speech) as "Gwynbleidd", the "White Wolf". Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher
11. In Traveller, the only Imperial world with a tech level of 17 is Sabmiqys, which has a population of 0. Why? The inhabitants are super-intelligent robots, but the population code records organic life not inorganic life.
12. Five of the last six Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) have been won by Doctor Who. Of those episodes (or double episodes), all but one were written by Steven Moffat. Which other Doctor Who episode and writer won the award in that period? The Waters of Mars, by Russell T. Davis and Phil Ford
13. Who is the president of the Solar Spice and Liquors Company? Nicholas van Rijn (in the Polesotechnic League stories of Poul Anderson)
14. Axanar in Star Trek. Babylon 5 in Babylon 5. Altor in Space Precinct. Vespa Colony in Space: Above and Beyond. Viking Station in C.J. Cherryh's Alliance-Union setting. Shulimik in Traveller. Name the real star (as in astronomy, not celebrity) common to all these fictions. Epsilon Eridani
15. What is 'skyr'? A yoghurt-like food eaten in Iceland
16. What was Reginald Perrin's middle name? Iolanthe
17. What relation was Mick Fleetwood to Layla between 1970 and 1977? Brother-in-law. The song 'Layla' was written by Eric Clapton about Patti Boyd, the wife of George Harrison, with whom he was having an affair. Patti's little sister Jenny was married to Mick Fleetwood.
18. In Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, one of the types of tree mentioned is "the plucky little aspen". Explain why the aspen isn't really that little. Because aspen groves are actually single organisms with a common set of roots. They can be very massive and one grove in the US is suspected of being the most massive organism on Earth. The aspen 'tree' is really only a stem.
19. How many surviving species of elephant are there in the world, according to official classification? Three - Asian, African Bush and African Forest.
20. Who was the male lead of the 1945 film 'Strawberry Roan', based on the novel by A.G. Street? Billy Hartnell, later rather better known as William Hartnell.
21. And which 60s pop star appeared also appeared in the film? Petula Clarke
22. By population, what is the smallest country in Africa? The Seychelles
23. What nationality is Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini? Belgian
24. In the NBA, the 1987-88 Washington Bullets team featured Tyrone Bogues at point guard and Manute Bol at centre. What was particularly striking about this combination? Bogues is 5'3" tall, making him the shortest ever NBA player. Bol is 7'7" tall, making him the second tallest player ever.
25. Which former all-star baseball player holds the (unofficial) record for the fastest 40 yard dash time in the National Football League scouting combine? The incomparable Bo Jackson. The time was 4.12 seconds.
26. Which spell in first edition Dungeons & Dragons was named after the little girl who wrote to Gary Gygax (in crayon!) suggesting it? Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter
27. The name of which D&D arch-villain is an anagram of one of Gary Gygax's favourite authors? Vecna the Lich. Vecna is an anagram of (Jack) Vance.
28. The 2004 album 'Has Been' was a collaboration between singer-songwriter-pianist Ben Folds and which 60s superstar? William Shatner
29. 'Soap' McTavish is a star of which series of computer games? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
30. What is the connection between Mythago Wood and Elite? Mythago Wood author Robert Holdstock also wrote the Elite novella The Dark Wheel, which came free with copies of Elite.
31. I'm an FCA. What is a CA? A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland. This is the oldest of the UK's accountancy institutes, so they got there first with the 'CA' abbreviation. Those of us in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales use ACA when Associates and FCA upon reaching the rank of Fellow.
32. One minute silences are now common before football matches. In 1993, non-league Congleton planned to hold one to commemorate the passing of their oldest fan. Why were they forced to call it off? He turned up. He had to explain that he's just been running a bit late.
33. In 2004, James Hayter came on as a substitute in the 84th minute in a match against Wrexham. 140 seconds later what had he achieved? A hat-trick.
34. In terms of height above sea level, what is the highest league ground in English football? The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion.
35. If he hadn't chosen to play for Wales, Ryan Giggs would have been eligible to play for which other international team? Sierra Leone (his grandfather is from Sierra Leone). Most people say 'England', knowing that he played for England schoolboys, but eligibility at schoolboy level is based purely on where you go to school.
36. Which character has been played at different times by the following actors? Paul Darrow, Peter Cushing, Wayne Pygram, Keene Curtis, Stephen Stanton. Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars.Obviously Peter Cushing played him in Episode IV. The other actors you haven't heard of played him in Episode III (you see him right at the end with Vader and the Emperor), the animated series The Clone Wars and computer games. Paul Darrow played him in a computer game.
37. Who is the Argentinean manager of Athletic Bilbao? Marcelo Bielsa
38. Suldrun's Garden is the first book in which fantasy trilogy? Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy
39. Mark Seven and Reb Shavron were agents working for which military and scientific organisation under the command of Space Major Joel Shaw (who in turn reported to President Cal Tarrant)? The Anti-Dalek Force in the 'Terry Nation's Dalek Annuals' of the 1970s.
40. 'Andrew North' was a nom-de-plume of which SF author? Andre Norton (itself a nom-de-plume)
41. "The coin of the kingdom of the mad dangles on my chest to remind me of the eternal oscillation of human fortunes" is a line from the prologue of the marxist novel 'Q', which was _not_ written by which former Watford FC striker, but which seems at first that it might have been? The book is credited to 'Luther Blissett'. This isn't the footballer, but a collective identity for a bunch of Italian left-wing intellectuals. Blissett the footballer played for A.C. Milan for a time, which might explain this. Actually, no it doesn't.
42. 'The Hammer and the Cross' is a collaboration between Stainless Steel Rat author Harry Harrison and which English professor? Professor Tom Shippey
43. What is the current flagship of the Royal Navy? HMS Bulwark, an amphibious assault vessel
44. What was the name of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes's (not really canonical, but appearing in a number of connected works) older brother? Sherringford / Sherrinford. Conan Doyle doesn't mention him, but does say that Holmes is from a country landholding family. The argument put forward by other writers since (including Holmes's 'biographer') is that in such a family, the eldest son would have taken over the running of the estate, not gone swanning off to a government job like Mycroft. So, there has to be an older brother.
45. Athletics. Discus throwers get dizzy but hammer throwers do not. The scientific paper examining this won which academic prize last year? The igNobel Prize for Physics.
46. Nicholas Briggs provides the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who. What part did he play in Steven Moffat's sitcom 'Coupling'? Voice of a Dalek. Good audition...
47. The physical form of the daleks was designed by BBC designer Raymond Cusick who stood in at the last minute for the designer originally assigned (who became unavailable because of a scheduling conflict). Who was that original designer? Sir Ridley Scott, of Alien and Blade Runner fame.
48. The South Park episode 'ManBearPig' is a spoof of which Oscar-winning film? An Inconvenient Truth
49. Which solar system object, first discovered in 1801, was originally thought of as a planet, but is now considered by the International Astronomical Union to be a 'dwarf planet'? Ceres
50. Friederike Thyra Marion Wilhelmine Dorothea von der Osten is a 52-year-old German homeopathic doctor. What is her significance as far as the UK is concerned? If the change to the law of succession currently being discussed (i.e. the crown passes to the monarch's oldest child regardless of gender) had been passed when Queen Victoria was Queen, Friederike would be Queen now. She is descended from Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was the eldest child of Victoria's eldest child, Victoria, Princess Royal. Wilhelm himself would have been Emperor of Germany and King of the United Kingdom in 1914, so history might have turned out a little differently.
Eric Clapton
2. In Traveller, the 'Rebellion' (aka the 'Second Civil War' and the 'Final War') started with whose murder at the hands of Archduke Dulinor of Ilelish? A clone double of the Emperor Strephon. Strephon was absent from Capital on a secret mission and everyone thought the clone was really him.
3. Incarnations of the Porsche 911 are generally denoted with three digit numbers of the form 9xx. What is the current model, released earlier this year? 991
4. In 2002, the television programme 'Top Gear' returned in a new one hour format featuring 'The Stig' and presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and which other presenter? Jason Dawe
5. What connects the following fictional characters? Kate Hughes, Reverend Stevens, Detective Constable Braithwaite, Mel Ryan, Eddy Fox, Barbara Gillet, Mr Wilson. They are all soap opera characters played by the actors who played the original Blake's 7 characters. The most notable was Kate Hughes, who was Sally Knyvette's character in Emmerdale. Reverend Stevens is the current vicar in Eastenders, played by Michael Keating.
6. Which Norwegian former ski racer has won more Olympic medals than any other skier, was the youngest skier ever to win Olympic Gold in 1992 and the oldest skier to ever win Olympic Gold in 2006? Kjetil-Andre Aamodt
7. Davidstow in north Cornwall has a parish church not a cathedral and is a village not a city. Why is this odd? Because it is where Cathedral City cheese comes from.
8. If you turn on a Sinclair Zx81 and type J, SHIFT-P, SHIFT-P, NEW LINE, what command have you entered? LOAD ""
9. What is the highest mountain in Tamriel? This was a Skyrim question. The answer is The Throat of the World.
10. Name this fantasy warrior: "Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in Starsza Mowa (Older Speech) as "Gwynbleidd", the "White Wolf". Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher
11. In Traveller, the only Imperial world with a tech level of 17 is Sabmiqys, which has a population of 0. Why? The inhabitants are super-intelligent robots, but the population code records organic life not inorganic life.
12. Five of the last six Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) have been won by Doctor Who. Of those episodes (or double episodes), all but one were written by Steven Moffat. Which other Doctor Who episode and writer won the award in that period? The Waters of Mars, by Russell T. Davis and Phil Ford
13. Who is the president of the Solar Spice and Liquors Company? Nicholas van Rijn (in the Polesotechnic League stories of Poul Anderson)
14. Axanar in Star Trek. Babylon 5 in Babylon 5. Altor in Space Precinct. Vespa Colony in Space: Above and Beyond. Viking Station in C.J. Cherryh's Alliance-Union setting. Shulimik in Traveller. Name the real star (as in astronomy, not celebrity) common to all these fictions. Epsilon Eridani
15. What is 'skyr'? A yoghurt-like food eaten in Iceland
16. What was Reginald Perrin's middle name? Iolanthe
17. What relation was Mick Fleetwood to Layla between 1970 and 1977? Brother-in-law. The song 'Layla' was written by Eric Clapton about Patti Boyd, the wife of George Harrison, with whom he was having an affair. Patti's little sister Jenny was married to Mick Fleetwood.
18. In Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, one of the types of tree mentioned is "the plucky little aspen". Explain why the aspen isn't really that little. Because aspen groves are actually single organisms with a common set of roots. They can be very massive and one grove in the US is suspected of being the most massive organism on Earth. The aspen 'tree' is really only a stem.
19. How many surviving species of elephant are there in the world, according to official classification? Three - Asian, African Bush and African Forest.
20. Who was the male lead of the 1945 film 'Strawberry Roan', based on the novel by A.G. Street? Billy Hartnell, later rather better known as William Hartnell.
21. And which 60s pop star appeared also appeared in the film? Petula Clarke
22. By population, what is the smallest country in Africa? The Seychelles
23. What nationality is Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini? Belgian
24. In the NBA, the 1987-88 Washington Bullets team featured Tyrone Bogues at point guard and Manute Bol at centre. What was particularly striking about this combination? Bogues is 5'3" tall, making him the shortest ever NBA player. Bol is 7'7" tall, making him the second tallest player ever.
25. Which former all-star baseball player holds the (unofficial) record for the fastest 40 yard dash time in the National Football League scouting combine? The incomparable Bo Jackson. The time was 4.12 seconds.
26. Which spell in first edition Dungeons & Dragons was named after the little girl who wrote to Gary Gygax (in crayon!) suggesting it? Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter
27. The name of which D&D arch-villain is an anagram of one of Gary Gygax's favourite authors? Vecna the Lich. Vecna is an anagram of (Jack) Vance.
28. The 2004 album 'Has Been' was a collaboration between singer-songwriter-pianist Ben Folds and which 60s superstar? William Shatner
29. 'Soap' McTavish is a star of which series of computer games? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
30. What is the connection between Mythago Wood and Elite? Mythago Wood author Robert Holdstock also wrote the Elite novella The Dark Wheel, which came free with copies of Elite.
31. I'm an FCA. What is a CA? A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland. This is the oldest of the UK's accountancy institutes, so they got there first with the 'CA' abbreviation. Those of us in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales use ACA when Associates and FCA upon reaching the rank of Fellow.
32. One minute silences are now common before football matches. In 1993, non-league Congleton planned to hold one to commemorate the passing of their oldest fan. Why were they forced to call it off? He turned up. He had to explain that he's just been running a bit late.
33. In 2004, James Hayter came on as a substitute in the 84th minute in a match against Wrexham. 140 seconds later what had he achieved? A hat-trick.
34. In terms of height above sea level, what is the highest league ground in English football? The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion.
35. If he hadn't chosen to play for Wales, Ryan Giggs would have been eligible to play for which other international team? Sierra Leone (his grandfather is from Sierra Leone). Most people say 'England', knowing that he played for England schoolboys, but eligibility at schoolboy level is based purely on where you go to school.
36. Which character has been played at different times by the following actors? Paul Darrow, Peter Cushing, Wayne Pygram, Keene Curtis, Stephen Stanton. Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars.Obviously Peter Cushing played him in Episode IV. The other actors you haven't heard of played him in Episode III (you see him right at the end with Vader and the Emperor), the animated series The Clone Wars and computer games. Paul Darrow played him in a computer game.
37. Who is the Argentinean manager of Athletic Bilbao? Marcelo Bielsa
38. Suldrun's Garden is the first book in which fantasy trilogy? Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy
39. Mark Seven and Reb Shavron were agents working for which military and scientific organisation under the command of Space Major Joel Shaw (who in turn reported to President Cal Tarrant)? The Anti-Dalek Force in the 'Terry Nation's Dalek Annuals' of the 1970s.
40. 'Andrew North' was a nom-de-plume of which SF author? Andre Norton (itself a nom-de-plume)
41. "The coin of the kingdom of the mad dangles on my chest to remind me of the eternal oscillation of human fortunes" is a line from the prologue of the marxist novel 'Q', which was _not_ written by which former Watford FC striker, but which seems at first that it might have been? The book is credited to 'Luther Blissett'. This isn't the footballer, but a collective identity for a bunch of Italian left-wing intellectuals. Blissett the footballer played for A.C. Milan for a time, which might explain this. Actually, no it doesn't.
42. 'The Hammer and the Cross' is a collaboration between Stainless Steel Rat author Harry Harrison and which English professor? Professor Tom Shippey
43. What is the current flagship of the Royal Navy? HMS Bulwark, an amphibious assault vessel
44. What was the name of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes's (not really canonical, but appearing in a number of connected works) older brother? Sherringford / Sherrinford. Conan Doyle doesn't mention him, but does say that Holmes is from a country landholding family. The argument put forward by other writers since (including Holmes's 'biographer') is that in such a family, the eldest son would have taken over the running of the estate, not gone swanning off to a government job like Mycroft. So, there has to be an older brother.
45. Athletics. Discus throwers get dizzy but hammer throwers do not. The scientific paper examining this won which academic prize last year? The igNobel Prize for Physics.
46. Nicholas Briggs provides the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who. What part did he play in Steven Moffat's sitcom 'Coupling'? Voice of a Dalek. Good audition...
47. The physical form of the daleks was designed by BBC designer Raymond Cusick who stood in at the last minute for the designer originally assigned (who became unavailable because of a scheduling conflict). Who was that original designer? Sir Ridley Scott, of Alien and Blade Runner fame.
48. The South Park episode 'ManBearPig' is a spoof of which Oscar-winning film? An Inconvenient Truth
49. Which solar system object, first discovered in 1801, was originally thought of as a planet, but is now considered by the International Astronomical Union to be a 'dwarf planet'? Ceres
50. Friederike Thyra Marion Wilhelmine Dorothea von der Osten is a 52-year-old German homeopathic doctor. What is her significance as far as the UK is concerned? If the change to the law of succession currently being discussed (i.e. the crown passes to the monarch's oldest child regardless of gender) had been passed when Queen Victoria was Queen, Friederike would be Queen now. She is descended from Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was the eldest child of Victoria's eldest child, Victoria, Princess Royal. Wilhelm himself would have been Emperor of Germany and King of the United Kingdom in 1914, so history might have turned out a little differently.
