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Quiz about Apocalypse Now Or Never
Quiz about Apocalypse Now Or Never

Apocalypse Now... Or Never? Trivia Quiz


If you're reading this, it means you've survived all the various end-of-the-world predictions. Congratulations to you. How well do you know these prophecies of impending doom?

A multiple-choice quiz by thegogga. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
thegogga
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
355,780
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
325
Last 3 plays: Guest 175 (6/10), Guest 92 (8/10), Linda_Arizona (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. First thing's first: what part of theology is specifically concerned with the study of the end of the world? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse" was a genuine blog post written by a real American health organization. Which of the following organisations wrote this popular blog post, which included useful tips on how to survive the rising of the living dead? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Writers John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann published a "scientific" book in 1974, predicting that the alignment of the planets would bring about several catastrophic events which would lead to the the earth's destruction, including an earthquake on the San Andreas fault. What was the name of this book? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. A certain Colorado-born Christian radio broadcaster was renowned for making multiple (but failed) predictions of dates for the End Times. His most famous predictions were 21 May 2011, and (when realising that the earth was, in fact, still spinning) 21 October 2011. What was this man's name? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Many of us playing on this site should be able to remember the Year 2000 problem - more commonly known as Y2K, or the Millennium bug. But what was the reason for this Y2K scare? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The appearance of Halley's Comet in 1910 caused quite a stir, particularly when French astronomer Camille Flammarion sparked mass hysteria by announcing that it could bring about the end of the human race. How, according to Flammarion, would this have happened? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Leeds, 1806, saw the discovery of a seemingly prophetic bird, which laid eggs with the words "Christ is coming" appearing on the shell. What kind of bird laid these soothsaying eggs? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. 30 October 1938 saw the adaptation of a popular sci-fi novel into a radio drama, which was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins. This, coupled with the fact that there were no commercial breaks during the show, led some listeners to believe that an *actual* alien invasion was occurring, and mass panic ensued. Which book, brought to life in a radio drama, caused so much consternation? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. It's not only the mystical (read: crackpots) who've given thought to how the world might end. Which of the following is NOT one of the current scientific hypotheses for the ultimate fate of the universe? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Great song and dance was made of the supposed end of the world on 21 December 2012. While there is some debate as to whether or not evidence of these "predictions" even exist, the "beliefs" of which ancient race led to the mad flurry surrounding one of the biggest predicted "apocalyptic" dates yet? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Dec 11 2024 : Guest 175: 6/10
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 92: 8/10
Nov 26 2024 : Linda_Arizona: 4/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. First thing's first: what part of theology is specifically concerned with the study of the end of the world?

Answer: Eschatology

"Eschatology" is derived from the Greek word meaning "last", and was first used in the English language around 1550. The Oxford English Dictionary describes eschatology as dealing with four main elements - death, judgement, heaven, and hell. It encompasses the end-of-the-world beliefs of many religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism.
2. "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse" was a genuine blog post written by a real American health organization. Which of the following organisations wrote this popular blog post, which included useful tips on how to survive the rising of the living dead?

Answer: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

BRAAAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNS.... But seriously, I suppose we'd all rather be safe than sorry. On 16 May 2011, the CDC launched a blog post entitled "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse". Their aim was to increase public awareness regarding emergency preparedness, listing useful several tips on how one might survive the zombie apocalypse, including what to pack (food, water, medication, tools, clothing, etc.); how to plan an escape route; and the identification of emergency contacts.
3. Writers John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann published a "scientific" book in 1974, predicting that the alignment of the planets would bring about several catastrophic events which would lead to the the earth's destruction, including an earthquake on the San Andreas fault. What was the name of this book?

Answer: The Jupiter Effect

Gribbin and Plagemann published "The Jupiter Effect" in 1974, in which they claimed that the gravitational effects of all the planets aligning would result in several natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis, all across the globe. However, as other (slightly more rational) scientists pointed out, even though an alignment of sorts DID occur, the gravitational effects of other planets on earth would be negligible.

In 1982, the two ridiculed scientists published another book - "The Jupiter Effect Reconsidered", which claimed that the events had actually happened in 1980, and which included the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. Not surprisingly, the book didn't make it to the bestseller list...
4. A certain Colorado-born Christian radio broadcaster was renowned for making multiple (but failed) predictions of dates for the End Times. His most famous predictions were 21 May 2011, and (when realising that the earth was, in fact, still spinning) 21 October 2011. What was this man's name?

Answer: Harold Camping

Harold Camping, born 19 July 1921, was the president of Family Radio from 1958 until 2011, a Christian radio network based in Oakland, California. Camping used numerology to (incorrectly) predict several dates on which the Rapture would occur, namely:
1) 6 September 1994
2) 29 September 1994
3) 2 October 1994
4) 31 March 1995
5) 21 May 2011
6) 21 October 2011

Camping was also known for coming up with some very colourful excuses as to why his predictions did not come true. He passed away from a stroke 15 December 2013.
5. Many of us playing on this site should be able to remember the Year 2000 problem - more commonly known as Y2K, or the Millennium bug. But what was the reason for this Y2K scare?

Answer: Computer systems were predicted to crash due to the date changeover

A wee nipper of 8, I can still remember the great panic in the last few months of 1999: people getting tetchy, super-sales of all technical equipment, stocking up on tinned goods and candles... Good times (although I may have been exaggerating that last bit).

January 1, 2000 was to be the day that all technology upon which we relied, and made us the advanced civilisation that we are, would fail. The reason for this was simple: most (if not all) digital data storage solutions abbreviated years from four digits to two (e.g. 1992 became 92). The fear was that computer systems would not be able to comprehend the changeover from 1999 to 2000 (or, in computer speak, 99 to 00), and that all systems would crash - including airports, electricity, water, and many others besides.

However, computer system application companies came out with operating systems and software that would be compliant with the year 2000, spending lots of money going through all the systems code to weed out any Y2K problems. As a result, 1 January 2000 came and went without too much of a hiccup, and not too much to show for it... bar an excess of tinned food and candles in several households.
6. The appearance of Halley's Comet in 1910 caused quite a stir, particularly when French astronomer Camille Flammarion sparked mass hysteria by announcing that it could bring about the end of the human race. How, according to Flammarion, would this have happened?

Answer: A toxic gas found in the tail of the comet would "snuff out all life on the planet"

Halley's Comet is a short-period comet, which is visble from earth every 75-76 years. 1910 was a particularly special year for Halley's Comet, as it was the first time photographs could be taken, as well as the first occasion on which data regarding the comet's chemical make-up could be collected. Cyanogen, a toxic gas, was discovered to be a component of the tail of Halley's Comet.

This led our good friend, Camille Flammarion to pronounce that, when earth came into contact with this gas, it "would impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet." This led to a panicked (and let's face it, gullible) public buying nonsense "anti-comet pills", "anti-comet umbrellas", and gas masks.

However, many other astronomers pointed out that the gas was so diffuse, that the world, and all those in it, would probably be fairly safe. And so the world was saved, once again.
7. Leeds, 1806, saw the discovery of a seemingly prophetic bird, which laid eggs with the words "Christ is coming" appearing on the shell. What kind of bird laid these soothsaying eggs?

Answer: A hen

A hen in Leeds, England in 1806, seemingly began to lay eggs with words predicting the second coming of Christ. People came from far and wide to pay homage to the hen and her marvellous eggs. However, it was soon discovered to be a hoax, in which the trickster had used corrosive ink to etch the words on to eggs that had already been laid, and then insert them back into the unfortnate hen, and people quickly lost interest. Guess the yolk's on him...
8. 30 October 1938 saw the adaptation of a popular sci-fi novel into a radio drama, which was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins. This, coupled with the fact that there were no commercial breaks during the show, led some listeners to believe that an *actual* alien invasion was occurring, and mass panic ensued. Which book, brought to life in a radio drama, caused so much consternation?

Answer: "The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells

Actor and filmmaker Orson Welles created a series of live radio dramas known as 'The Mercury Theatre on Air', and presented classic literary works performed by the Mercury Theatre repertory company to the listeners.

"The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells was adapted for radio, and aired on 30 October 1938 as a Halloween special. It was an hour-long broadcast, much of which was aired as a series of simulated news bulletins. 'The Mercury Theatre on Air' was a sustaining show, meaning that they didn't have any breaks, and thus, many listeners believed that they were listening to actual news bulletins about an actual invasion. The days following proved to be very interesting, as outraged listeners related their sob stories about the "cruel broadcasters" to the press. However, the debacle certainly secured Orson Welles his place in the spotlight.
9. It's not only the mystical (read: crackpots) who've given thought to how the world might end. Which of the following is NOT one of the current scientific hypotheses for the ultimate fate of the universe?

Answer: The Big Bang theory

Unlike all the other physical cosmology theories listed, which described various scientific ways in which the universe (and thus, world) might end, the Big Bang theory is a model describing how the universe first BEGAN. It is widely accepted by the scientific community, and the ideas of scientists such as Georges Lemaître, Albert Einstein, Alexander Friedmann, and Edwin Hubble, have contributed to the modern interpretation of this theory.

The Big Rip and Big Crunch hypotheses are effectively based on the idea of the universe constantly expanding. The former suggests that eventually the universe will expand so much that it will ultimately be torn apart, whereas the latter suggests that, at some point, universe expansion will stop, reverse, collapse, and ultimately create one giant black hole. The theory of heat death of the universe suggests that, eventually, there will be no free energy left to sustain life, thus bringing about the end of the world.
10. Great song and dance was made of the supposed end of the world on 21 December 2012. While there is some debate as to whether or not evidence of these "predictions" even exist, the "beliefs" of which ancient race led to the mad flurry surrounding one of the biggest predicted "apocalyptic" dates yet?

Answer: The Mayans

Mayan literature talks of a "b'ak'tun" - i.e. a time period, or world age, lasting approximately 5125 years, the latest of which (i.e. the 13 b'ak'tun) would come to an end in December 2012.

However, despite the popular belief that it was the Mayans who predicted the end of the world on 21 December 2012, there is actually little (or no) evidence that they ever suggested the ending of the 13th b'ak'tun equated to the end of the world. Renowned Mayan and Meso-American scholar, David Stuart of the University of Texas, stated: "no Maya text - ancient, colonial or modern - ever predicted the end of time or the end of the world." In fact, only a single Mayan text, known as Tortuguero Monument 6, refers specifically to 21 December 2012 as the end of the 13th b'ak'tun; and even then, no mentioned of the "end of the world" is made.

It would thus seem that the 2012 hysteria was nothing more than a modern "scare tactic", which spawned mass panic, pilgrimages to places such Bugarach on the French side of the Pyrenees (where some believe that spaceships will arrive to carry them off to safer places), end-of-the-world parties, and much other craziness besides.
Source: Author thegogga

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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