Naughty or Nice - it's the "N" Quiz

Answer: Newport Castle

Newport Castle, in Newport, Wales, has the dubious distinction of being largely covered by roadways. Only the east side of the castle remains. It was built starting in 1327 on the site of an earlier castle, and was in use for only about two centuries. One unusual feature is the central tower - at high tide the river would rise and enter the ground floor of the tower. Entrance to the tower from the river was through a river gate with portcullis. Today the site is closed to the general public due to safety issues.

Nogales Castle in Spain is a somewhat small square curtain wall with four round towers in the corners, and a very tall - quite disproportional - square central tower. Probably late 13th or early 14th century, it was owned by the Suarez family of Figueroa.

Nymphenburg Castle is a 17th century Palladian edifice built as the summer residence for the Bavarian Elector. Located near Munich, Germany, it was designed by the architect Agostino Barelli. The grounds include a garden which was originally designed in the style of Versailles, with five pavilions.

Norwich Castle in Norfolk, England, was built by William the Conqueror after his victory at Hastings in 1066. Only the keep survives, but it was originally a motte and bailey structure. From 1220 to 1887 it was used as a prison, complete with dungeons, gibbet iron, ducking stool and a scold's bridle. Since then it has been a museum.

Answer: Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit was born in 1858 in Surrey, England. She lived a somewhat less than conventional life. Married when seven months pregnant, she and her husband lived apart for a while and she raised the children of her husband and his mistress as well as their own three children. She wrote many children's books, including "The Story of the Treasure Seekers", "Five Children and It", "The Phoenix and the Carpet" and "The Enchanted Castle". Nesbit died in 1924.

Grace Nichols was born in Guyana in 1950. She is a poet and writer of short stories for both children and adults.

Emily Neville, born in 1919, won the 1964 Newberry Medal for her first book, "It's Like This, Cat".

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in 1933. She also won the Newberry Medal for her trilogy, "Shiloh", in 1922. She has written a number of other books including the "Alice" books, "Night Cry" and "The Grand Escape".

Answer: Niue

Niue is a small island in the South Pacific Ocean. It is one of the largest coral islands in existence, and consists of limestone cliffs and a central plateau, with a maximum elevation of 68 metres. The country is self-governing but 'contracts out' its defence and foreign affairs management to New Zealand, and its Chief of State is Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The Polynesian residents mostly live in 14 villages and on family plantations, where they survive on subsistence farming. Some income comes from sales of coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes and other agricultural products, and a large source of foreign income is from the sale of postage stamps to collectors worldwide. The country's economy was badly damaged by a 2004 typhoon, and it has had to rely on foreign aid.

New Caledonia is an island in the Coral Sea, east of Australia, and includes a number of smaller islands. In size it's a bit smaller than New Jersey, and has a population of about 222,000. It was a French possession, used as a penal colony, but in 1998 the citizens attained some degree of self-government and a promise to hold two referendums to determine whether to become independent. The island does not support its population through agriculture; food is a major import. Its economy is based largely on its deposits of the mineral nickel (it holds about a quarter of the Earth's supply) and tourism, plus substantial support from France.

Navassa Island is a territory of the United States, an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea, with a total area of 5.4 square kilometres. The US took possession of it in 1857 as a source of guano for fertilizer. There is a lighthouse, built in 1917 but no longer in use. In 1999 it was deemed a National Wildlife Refuge. Haiti disputes the US claim to the island, and its fishermen sometimes camp there.

Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic, about one tenth the size of Washington DC (at 21 square kilometres) and with a population of under 14,000. While independent, it obtains much support from Australia, including defence. Located south of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific, it is an important source of phosphates, although the mines are now largely depleted and the area of the mines is now a wasteland. Revenues from the mining operations had been placed in a trust fund to cushion the economy from the loss of mining income, however, politicians being what they are, the trust fund was raided and the country is now on the brink of bankruptcy. Its only other sources of income are from offshore banking and the growing of coconuts.

Answer: Second Battle of Newtonia

The Second Battle of Newtonia was fought on 28 October 1864 in Newton County, Missouri. Confederate General Sterling Price was leading his forces, including a supply train, back from the Missouri Campaign. Union General James Blunt spotted the supply train and decided to attack. His troops were fairly fresh, while the Confederate troops were worn out from previous battles. Confederate General Shelby personally led the defence, forcing the Union troops back to the Richey estate. Union General John Sanborn brought his troops to the aid of General Blunt's and the Confederates were forced to retreat. The Union side lost 400 men, while the Confederates lost only 250.

The Battle of New Hope Church took place on 25-26 May 1864 near Dallas, Georgia, as part of the Atlanta Campaign. Union General William Sherman was trying to get around the Rebel forces on his way to Atlanta, and mistakenly thought Confederate General Joseph Johnston had only a small force. He ordered General Joseph Hooker to attack Johnston's troops and ended up being badly defeated.

The Battle of North Anna was a series of skirmishes in Caroline and Hanover Counties, Virginia. Essentially Union General U.S. Grant sent General Winfield Hancock and his troops on an errand to draw out Confederate forces so they could be attacked and neutralised, allowing Grant a free run to Richmond. Confederate General Robert E. Lee saw through the ruse. After a virtual chess game of moving troops, the Rebels entrenched themselves in a huge "V" formation stretching miles and lured the Union troops into their trap. It didn't quite work, though, as virtually all of the Rebel leaders were ill - General A.P. Hill was sick, General James Longstreet had been wounded earlier, General Richard Ewell was suffering from exhaustion - and Lee had, well, the trots. Eventually everyone moved off elsewhere; the result of the skirmish was inconclusive, but cost over 3000 casualties (dead and wounded).

The Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, was fought on 15-16 December, 1864. Confederate General John Hood, with the Army of Tennessee, put siege to the fortifications of Union General George Thomas. He thought he would draw Thomas' troops out and defeat them, allowing him to take the city. Thomas sat back and spent his time readying his troops, especially the cavalry, for action. Two weeks later, Hood had sent some of his troops to help at the Battle of Murfreesboro, and Thomas grabbed his chance; he attacked at dawn on the 15th. Two days later, the Army of Tennessee was in shambles and would no longer be a threat to the Union forces. It also ended the career of General Hood.

Answer: N is for Noose

It's "N is for Noose". Detective Newquest has died of an apparent heart attack, not surprising as he's overweight and under-exercised, a workaholic with a love of junk food. Mrs. Newquest just wanted to know what was bothering him in the weeks before his death - and Kinsey has to find the answer. Simple? Not a chance. But you know by now I'm not telling what happens!

Answer: Nagyagite

Nagyagite is one of very few minerals that includes gold. It is soft, dark grey and sometimes known as "black tellurium". It is named for the area where it was originally found, Nagyag (now known as Sacaramb) in Romania.

Nahcolite is sodium bicarbonate, and it absorbs water. It is clear, grey, white or brown, with a white streak, and is fairly soft.

Neptunite is potassium sodium lithium iron manganese titanium silicate. Despite its fancy name, its only use is as a mineral specimen. It is black, with occasional reddish tinges, medium hard and ranges from translucent to opaque.

Norbergite is magnesium silicate fluoride hydroxide, first discovered in Norberg, Sweden, but also found in Franklin, New Jersey. It is a fluorescing mineral, reasonably hard (6-6.5 on Moh's scale) and ranges in colour from white to red.

Answer: Notsi

Nubri is spoken by nearly 4000 people in the Gandaki Zone, North Gorkha District of Nepal. Tibetan is used for religious purposes, and Nepali is the language used with outsiders, so one travelling there would probably not hear Nubri spoken.

Nsari is heard in the Cameroons, spoken by about 7000 people. It is largely used in the agricultural areas; English is the language taught in schools.

Nama is the national language of Namibia, and is used by nearly 175,000 people there.

Answer: Philipp Nicolai

Phillip Nicolai was born in 1556 near Hessen in Germany, the son of a Lutheran minister. He followed suit, becoming a minister, at a time when the Lutherans and the Calvanists were basically at each other's philosophical throats, and the Catholic church was battling to regain its ground. He apparently took up writing music after some 170 of his parishioners died of plague in one week alone. He wrote a series of meditations which included two hymns which are still in use. (JS Bach later arranged the tunes for these hymns.) Nicolai died in 1608 from a virulent fever.

Luys de Narvaez was born around 1500 in Spain. He is best known today for music he wrote for a contemporary stringed instrument, the vihuela, but he also wrote for voice, including motets, and fantasias for instruments. He died between 1555 and 1560.

Hans Neusidler was born in Bratislava, now in Slovakia, around 1508, and later moved to Nuremburg in Germany, where he became a maker of lutes. He wrote for the lute, including a tutorial, and eight books of music either written by him or transcriptions made by him of the music of other composers. He had 17 children, some of whom became musicians themselves. He died in 1563.

Johann Nauwach was born around 1595, probably in Dresden where he later became a chorister. He spent some time studying music in Italy, and brought some of the Italian styles back to Germany, where he died around 1630.

Answer: Norwegian Buhund

The descendant of the dogs of Vikings, the Norwegian Buhund is a Spitz breed, intelligent and medium in size (about 18 inches in height and 40 pounds in weight) with a tail curled tightly over the back. Its coat is pale beige to reddish with white, although it can come in dark grey or black. Its webbed feet help it travel in snow, and its double coat keeps it warm in very cold temperatures. It's an excellent farm dog, well able to contain and protect sheep and cattle.

The Norwegian Elkhound is also a very old breed, but is a hunter rather than a herder. Originally used to hunt moose, it is now used for sledding and hunting badgers, as well as other prey. It can reach 21 inches in height and 60 pounds in weight. A friendly, intelligent dog, as with all 'sled' dogs, it can be somewhat independent.

The New Zealand Huntaway is a modern breed. It is distinctive in that it herds sheep with its voice, barking to get them to move. It comes in a range of sizes and colours, with a general top range of 24 inches in height and 65 pounds in weight. A very friendly dog, it is not a guard dog.

The Northern Inuit Dog is a rare breed, not yet generally accepted as a specific breed. It descends from a mix of huskies and Alsatians. Easily confused with a Siberian Husky, it is alike in that it is very friendly, highly intelligent, and able to dig up a garden in the blink of an eye. Unlike Siberians, the Northern Inuit can be trained to behave off the lead.

Answer: Neodymium

Neodymium: Symbol Nd, atomic number 60, atomic weight 144.242. Silvery in colour, metallic in nature, it doesn't handle air well, it tarnishes rapidly. Nevertheless, it is commercially used in magnets (making the strongest ones known), colouring glass and enamel and also filtering some of the yellow band of light in sodium lamps, to provide a whiter light. Neodymium dust can explode and burn, and it is not determined if the metal is compatible for medical uses such as magnetic bone repair.

Neptunium: Symbol Np, atomic number 93, atomic weight 237. Silvery in colour, metallic in nature. It is radioactive, having been produced in nuclear reactors and plutonium processing. It's named for the planet Neptune, the next one from the planet Uranus, for which uranium was named. Np237, the most common isotope, has a half-life of 2.14 million years, and eventually decays and becomes bismuth. It is theoretically possible that Np could be used in a nuclear weapon, so the entire US supply is under control of the US Government.

Niobium: Symbol Nb, atomic number 41, atomic weight 92.90638. Grey in colour, metallic in nature. It is occasionally still called columbium. It is used in a number of areas, from jewelry to optical lenses to welding to jet engine parts.

Nickel: Symbol Ni, atomic number 28, atomic weight 58.6934. Silvery white in colour, metallic in nature. Its best known use is in the US 5-cent coin, known as a nickel as it contains 25% nickel, the rest being copper. It is also used in stainless steel and other alloys, it gives glass a greenish tint, and is even found in bullets.