All White Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wilkie Collins

First published in serial form in November 1858 - August 1860, "The Woman in White" was the fifth novel written by Wilkie Collins, a popular Victorian writer who was a close friend and frequent collaborator of Charles Dickens. The story, which combines elements of Gothic fiction, mystery, and romance, is narrated by various members of its large cast of characters. These multiple points of view are mostly presented as letters, legal statements, or excerpts from diaries.

The titular "woman in white" - so named because of her insistence on wearing white clothes - is a mentally disabled young woman, Anne Catherick, who is also a dead ringer for the novel's main female character, Laura Fairlie. Beneath its sensationalist elements, the story deals with some major societal issues, such as the unfair treatment of married women by British law, which left them financially dependent on the their husbands' goodwill.

Though generally panned by critics at the time of publishing, "The Woman in White" was a commercial success, and was adapted twice for the stage during its author's life. The poster depicted in the photo was designed by artist and illustrator Frederick Walker (who was friends with Collins) for the adaptation staged at London's Olympic Theatre in 1871-72. The work was also adapted as a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (2004).

Wilkie Collins is mostly known today for "The Woman in White" and another white-related novel, "The Moonstone" (1968), one of the earliest modern detective stories. The three writers listed as wrong answers were also active during the Victorian era.

Answer: Belgrade

The capital of Serbia, as well as the former capital of Yugoslavia, Belgrade is a city of very ancient origin, having been founded in the 3rd century BC by a Celtic tribe in an area already inhabited for centuries. Its Slavic name of "Beograd" means "white city" or "white castle", and the image of a white castle appears on its coat of arms (shown in the photo), adopted in 1931.

The castle in question was the Roman "castrum" (fort), built in the 2nd century AD of white limestone quarried in the area. Rebuilt numerous times throughout the centuries, the massive Belgrade Fortress (also known as Kalemegdan), built on a ridge that overlooks the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, lies at the heart of the city. Present-day Belgrade is home to over 1.5 million people: one of the largest cities in the Balkan Peninsula, it is also a vibrant hub for arts and culture.

Another European capital named "white city" is Nicosia, whose Greek name is "Lefkosia" (literally "white estate"). Of the three cities listed as wrong answers, Budapest (capital of Hungary) and Bratislava (capital of Slovakia) also lie on the Danube, while Bucharest (capital of Romania) lies on the River Dambovita.

Answer: panna cotta

Sometimes referred to as "white dish" by historians, blancmange (from the Old French "blanc mangier", meaning "white eating" or "white food") was probably introduced in Europe by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. It was, however, rather different from the dish enjoyed today. Prepared and served mostly in upper-class households, it was made by stewing shredded chicken (replaced by fish during Lent and fast days) in milk and sugar, with the addition of rose water or spices, and often thickened with rice flour.

In spite of its name, it was not always white, as various colourings (such as saffron) were used on festive occasions. In the 17th century, blancmange became a meatless pudding, thickened with gelatin or some kind of starch. The Turkish dessert "tavuk gögsü", however, is still made with shredded chicken breast meat, as well as milk, sugar, and flavourings.

Various versions of blancmange are found around the world - especially in Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines, where it is called "manjar blanco" (Spanish) or "manjar branco" (Portuguese). In Italy, "biancomangiare" made either with milk or almond milk exists in various parts of the country: however, in recent times the traditional recipe has been largely replaced by panna cotta, a 20th-century creation of Piedmontese origin. Now a globally fashionable dessert, panna cotta, as its name ("cooked cream") implies, is made with sweetened cream thickened with gelatin, and often served with berries, fruit coulis, caramel, or chocolate sauce. As the photo shows, the contrast between the white pudding and the fruits or sauces is very pleasing to the eye (as well as the palate).

All the wrong answers are real Italian desserts. Zuppa inglese is a layered dessert similar to trifle (hence its name of "English soup"); semifreddo is a frozen dessert, and panettone a sweet yeast bread traditionally eaten for Christmas.

Answer: jade

The name "jade" is used in reference to two different silicate minerals: jadeite (a silicate of sodium and aluminium) and nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium). Widely used for jewelry and other ornaments, jade is generally associated with green, but it can be found in a wide range of colours, including white. Jadeite, particularly prized in China and other parts of Asia, is the more valuable of the two, being harder and rarer.

Mutton-fat jade is a form of nephrite, usually translucent white to very pale yellow. The 18th-century cup from India depicted in the photo is made of mutton-fat jade. This gemstone often occurs in the form of river pebbles (or even boulders) in Western China. A river near the oasis city of Hotan, in the autonomous province of Xinjiang, is known by the name of White Jade River because of the white jade pebbles that can still be found in its alluvial deposits - though not as abundantly as in the past.

The name "nephrite" comes from the Greek for "kidney", as it was considered to be a cure for kidney stones. Nephrite is the official mineral of the US state of Wyoming.

Answer: James McNeill Whistler

Part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) James McNeill Whistler's "Symphony in White, No.1" (originally titled "The White Girl") portrays a young Irish woman, Joanna Hiffernan, who was the artist's lover at the time. The two had met in London, where Whistler had been living since 1859. The painting, created in the winter of 1861-1862, depicts the red-haired model wearing a simple white dress and holding a white lily in her left hand, on the background of a transparent white curtain that filters the light coming through the window.

Though Whistler intended the painting to be nothing more than a study in white, some critics interpreted it as an allegory of a bride's lost innocence - the wolf skin rug on the floor representing masculine lust. However, as a dedicated follower of the "art for art's sake" tenet, Whistler was not interested in conveying hidden messages, and resented any attempts to analyze the meaning of his works.

In 1863, the painting was shown in Paris at the famous Salon des Refusés - an exhibition of works that had been rejected by the official Paris Salon - where it drew a lot of favourable attention, even more so than Edouard Manet's groundbreaking "Luncheon on the Grass". Between 1864 and 1867, Whistler created two more paintings of Joanna Hiffernan dressed in white, titled "Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl" and "Symphony in White, No. 3".

Whistler's best-known work is "Arrangement in Black No. 1", commonly known as "Whistler's Mother" (1871). The three American artists listed as wrong answers were also active in the late 19th century.

Answer: ptarmigan

Ptarmigan is the common name of three species of birds (genus Lagopus) of the grouse subfamily of the order Galliformes (the game birds), to which turkeys also belong. The generic name Lagopus, meaning "hare-footed", refers to these birds' distinctive feathered feet and toes, while "ptarmigan" comes from the Scottish Gaelic "tarmachan", meaning "croaker" - a reference to their frog-like call. Ptarmigans live in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere; they are ground-dwellers and mostly vegetarian, though their young will also eat insects.

The largest and most numerous member of the genus, the willow ptarmigan or willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) is found in forest, tundra, and moorland habitats, though generally below the tree line; it is the state bird of Alaska (adopted in 1955). The rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), the state bird of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is found further north, and at higher elevations. The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) is the smallest of the three, and also the one with the smallest range, as it is found only in Alaska and the mountainous regions of Canada and the western US. As these birds dwell in areas with plentiful snowfall, the plumage of all three species (with the exception of the red grouse, a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan) turns white in winter, allowing them to blend into their surroundings. While the willow and rock ptarmigan keep their black outer tail feathers, the white-tailed ptarmigan turns completely white.

None of the birds listed as incorrect answers are game birds: the gannet is a seabird related to the booby, while the eider is a species of duck, and the goshawk a bird of prey.

Answer: travertine

Formed by the rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, travertine is a sedimentary rock found deposited in layers around mineral springs - most frequently around hot springs. Famous travertine deposits are found in places such as Yellowstone National Park in the US and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pamukkale in Turkey. The stone's name comes from the Latin "lapis tiburtinus", meaning "Tibur stone": Tibur was the Latin name of Tivoli, a town about 25 km (16 mi) east of Rome, where there still are extensive travertine quarries.

Like marble (which is a metamorphic rock), travertine comes in many different colours, but the white variety is the one that has been most often employed as a construction material. Sturdy yet lightweight, travertine is easy to work, and looks great when polished: because of these properties and its ready availability, it was the Romans' favourite building material. Many iconic buildings in Rome - such as the Colosseum, the colonnade of St Peter's Square, and the Trevi Fountain - are made for the most part of travertine.

A more recent example of a large travertine building is the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) in Paris, which overlooks the city from the top of the hill of Montmartre. Completed in 1914, this massive church - one of the French capital's most prominent landmarks, inspired by Romano-Byzantine architecture - was built of a local variety of travertine, highly prized for its bright whiteness.

Dolomite is a sedimentary carbonate rock that gave its name to a magnificent mountain range in northeastern Italy. It is not, however, used as a construction material.

Answer: candle

The Latin noun "candela", denoting a cylindrical stick of tallow or wax with an embedded wick, comes from the verb "candere", meaning "to gleam white". The English "candle" and its counterparts in a number of languages (such as the French "chandelle" and the Russian "kandilo") are all derived from the Latin word.

"Candere" is also the root of other white-related words: a "candidate" was originally someone who wore a toga brightened with chalk ("toga candida") when running for public office. In "candour" and "candid", the physical colour has become a metaphor for honesty and openness. "Incandescent", used mainly in reference to light bulbs, means "glowing white-hot".

Though it does not contain real candles, the beautiful chandelier in the photo does indeed shine with white light.

Answer: Philippines

Jasminum sambac is a species of jasmine native to the tropical regions of Asia; it is also naturalized in other parts of the world that have similar climates, such as the Caribbean and the Pacific islands. Like other jasmine species, it is an evergreen shrub or vine that produces flowers all year round. These flowers are always white, prized in perfumery for their strong, heady fragrance; they are also used to make jasmine tea, very popular in China.

Though not native of the Arabian peninsula, Jasminum sambac is called Arabian jasmine because it was brought to Europe from Arabia and Persia, where it has been widely cultivated as a garden plant for centuries. The name "sambac", however, comes from the Sanskrit "champaka", which is the name of a species of magnolia tree. In the Indian subcontinent, Arabian jasmine is called "mogra", while in Indonesia - where it is one of three national flowers - it is given the name of "melati putih".

In Philippine Spanish, this flower is known as "sampaguita", as well as by a number of regional names; it was adopted as the national flower of the Philippines in 1934. In the large Asian island country, garlands of sampaguita are sold by street vendors, often outside churches. Long strings of sampaguita are used as decorations for weddings, religious ceremonies, and other formal occasions, or made into flower wreaths to place around the neck of religious images or living people.

Answer: White Room

Composed by bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, with lyrics by poet Pete Brown, "White Room" initially appeared on the studio half of Cream's double album "Wheels of Fire", released in August 1968. A shorter version was later released as a single. One of the song's distinctive features is the "talking effect" produced by the wah-wah pedal applied to Eric Clapton's guitar.

"White Room" is one of Cream's best-known songs, a heady blend of psychedelia and hard rock with lyrics that deal with the topic of depression in visionary terms. It was also the band's last major hit before they disbanded at the end of 1968, exhausted by touring and torn apart by the antagonism between Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. The song has been covered various times by very diverse artists; a recent version appeared on Deep Purple's covers album "Turning to Crime" (2021).

The three well-known "white" songs listed as wrong answer were all released in 1967: "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues, "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.