Assorted World Trivia Trivia Quiz

Answer: 22

The number is approximate. Most of the body (99%) consists of six elements - carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium and phosphorus. The body has a further five making up about 0.85% and a dozen or so trace elements. Any other elements present have no known biological purpose in the body and are likely to be contaminants or toxins.

Although some are essential for life, higher concentrations of the trace elements are mostly toxic for the body.

Answer: Newborn baby

It varies a little with age, body type, sex and hydration levels. According to one source, newborns can go as high as 85% but average around 74%, compared with older women who average 47% but can go as low at 39%. Fat tissue absorbs less water than muscle so athletes tend to have a higher percentage of water for their age group.

Answer: Burma (now Myanmar)

He first came to national attention when, as editor of a university student newspaper, he was expelled for refusing to reveal the author of an article critical of a senior university administrator. The resultant three-month student strike brought his reinstatement along with a reputation. Effectively Prime Minister in 1947, Aung San led the negotiations for Burma's independence. Agreement was reached, however he along with seven other politicians were assassinated a few months later.

It is not clear who was behind the killings.

Answer: Saudi Arabian desert

Meaning "Empty Quarter", it takes up most of the bottom third of the Arabian Peninsula and covers some 650,000 square kilometres. In the middle there is evidence of lakes during human times lasting for a thousand years at a time with animals such as hippopotamus and water-buffalo, judging by their fossils. Annual rainfall is less than 50 mm now. It also has the world's largest oilfields.

Answer: True

High-altitude, in this case, means over 7,000 feet. A supervolcano is one which deposits more than 1,000 cubic kilometres of material in an eruption. This area has had three caldera-forming eruptions in the last three million years, Yellowstone Caldera being formed from the last of them.

The lake sits on part of Yellowstone Caldera. It remains a geologically-active area with a resurgent dome tilting the lake, exposing more sandy beach to the north and flooding southern areas.

Answer: Giovanni Schiaparelli

By this time, it had been noticed that the surface of Mars showed seasonal changes. Italian astronomer Schiaparelli speculated about oceans, continents and channels. Mistranslated as 'canals' and therefore made by intelligent beings, this resulted in fervent speculation about life on Mars. Irish astronomer Burton was not convinced (although his sketches of them were published), however the other two astronomers (American and French respectively) caught the fever.

Answer: Fish scales

Of the six or so classes of scale found in fish, it is the reflective leptoid scales that have found cosmetic uses. Stacks of guanine crystals are spaced to reflect specific wavelengths of light, depending on the habitat of the fish. This provides a mirrored surface and camouflage for the fish. Guanine extracted from mashed up fish scales provides a pearly iridescent effect in cosmetics and personal care products.

Answer: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

All of these were written by Philip K Dick. The "Blade Runner" name came from the unrelated Alan E Nourse' 1974 sci-fi novel "Bladerunner". The original Philip K Dick novel was written in 1968.

The novelette 'Second Variety' (1953) resulted in "Screamers" (1995) and a sequel, the 1954 short story 'The Golden Man' lead to "Next" (2007) and 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale' (1966) produced two version of "Total Recall" (1990 and 2012).

Answer: Daniel Defoe

All were spies at one time or another, or at least suspected of being spies. In Defoe's case, it was probably a mixture of money and patriotism that saw him turn spy. He started spying for the government after being rescued from debtor's prison in 1703, where he had ended up after getting on the wrong side of someone's politics.

Answer: Polynesian

Hōkūleʻa is a modern replica of an ancient Hawaiian voyaging canoe. Built in 1975, it sails solely using traditional Polynesian navigation techniques. Since then it has carried out a number of voyages, including a three-year circumnavigation of the world along with its sister vessel Hikianalia.

It was originally built in part to test the anthropological theory of an Asian source for the native Oceanic peoples.