From 'C' to Shining 'C' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cambridgeshire

At 1,300 sq miles, Cambridgeshire is about one third of the size of Lebanon and ranks as the 15th largest of England's 48 Ceremonial Counties. With a population of around 750,000, though, it is 29th on that same list.
Syd Barrett and David Gilmour met when they were both at school in Cambridge. Gilmour's father was a lecturer at the University.
Other famous people born in Cambridgeshire include Oliver Cromwell, Rolls Royce co-founder Sir Henry Royce, economist John Maynard Keynes, Keith Palmer ('Marvin' the vocalist of The Prodigy) and cricketer Sir Jack Hobbs.

Answer: Clive Cussler

Clive Eric Cussler, born in Aurora IL in 1931, is perhaps best known as the creator of marine engineer and government agent Dirk Pitt. It was the 1976 Pitt novel 'Raise the Titanic!' that established Cussler as a bestseller. This was the first of Cussler's novels adapted for film.

Answer: Carrie Fisher

Carrie Francis Fisher was born in Beverley Hills CA in 1956, Her parents were screen stars Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She made her screen debut in the cult 1975 film 'Shampoo' opposite Warren Beatty before landing the role of Princess Leia which brought instant stardom.

She was once married to rock icon Paul Simon and later engaged to Dan Aykroyd. The alternatives are all American actresses best known for their TV work. Kelly Carlson plays Kimber Henry on the hit TV series 'Nip/Tuck', Rosalind Chao appeared in the most watched TV episode of all time, the final episode of 'M*A*S*H, as the Korean refugee who married Klinger, before landing the role of Keiko O'Brien in 'Star Trek: SNG' and 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', and Sarah Clarke starred as the evil Nina Myers in the first two series of '24'.

Answer: 1981

The award-winning musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on T.S. Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' opened in the West End on May 11, 1981 and on Broadway in New York City the following year, October 7, 1982.
'Cats' stayed in the West End for a then-record 8,949 performances before finally closing on the 21st anniversary of its opening night, May 11, 2002. It was surpassed as the West End's longest-running musical show of all time in October 2006, when Victor Hugo's 'Les Miserables' played its 8,950th show. It also became Broadway's longest running show, smashing the previous record of 6,131 performances before it finally closed in 2000 having played 7,485 times. 'Cats' also lost this record in 2006, this time to another Lloyd Webber composition, 'Phantom of the Opera'.
Of course, the longest ever run in the West End was Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap', which began its run of more than 23,000 performances in 1952.

Answer: Group Captain

The rank of Group Captain is a senior commissioned officer in the RAF and the Air Forces of numerous other former British Commonwealth countries. In the female branches of the Air Force Group Captain is equivalent to a Group Officer.
The rank of Group Captain is never shortened to Captain, which is its equivalent rank in the British Royal Navy.
The other alternatives are also ranks in the RAF. Wing Commander ranks below a Group Captain, which equates to a Commander in the Royal Navy and a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army. Air Commodore ranks immediately above Group Captain and is the equivalent of a Commodore in the Navy and a Brigadier in the British Army and Marines. The equivalent women's rank is an Air Commandant.

Answer: The Clash

Of course, it would have been far too easy if I'd told you that the fourth member of that line-up was lead vocalist, the late Joe Strummer. Formed in 1976, The Clash were one of the first English punk rock groups. They enjoyed immediate success in the UK with the release of their self-titled debut album, but it was not until 1980, when their third album, 'London Calling', reached the US, that they achieved worldwide acclaim.

In 1990, Rolling Stone magazine named 'London Calling' as the best album of the 1980s. The alternatives are three more bands from the same era. Culture Club, founded in 1981, were fronted by Boy George; Clannad were a Grammy-winning Irish band founded in 1970, and Cheap Trick were an Illinois based rock band that began life in 1972.

Answer: El Salvador

Originally named Cuzcatlan, meaning 'land of precious things' in the local Nahuati dialect of Aztec, it was renamed by the Spanish as Provincia de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo El Salvador del Mundo (Province of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the World).
At just over 8,100 sq miles, El Salvador is the smallest country in continental America. It is similar in size to Israel and is marginally smaller than the US state of New Jersey. It would fit almost 100 times into Greenland or Saudi Arabia. Its population is about the same as Hong Kong - slightly more than Massachusetts.

Answer: Cher

The song, of course, was 'Believe', which is one of Cher's biggest hit singles in a musical career than began in 1962. Trivia buffs should also note that this song established numerous other records... Cher became the artist with the longest span between first and last US number one hit singles (33 years), and the largest gap between US number one hit singles - her previous number one hit had been almost 25 years earlier.

She is also the only female solo artist to have scored Top 10 singles in the US in the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s. 'Believe' also became the biggest-selling single ever by a female solo artist in the UK. With more than 10 million copies sold, it is the third most successful single worldwide by a solo female artist and the best-selling dance song in the 20th century.

Answer: The Channel Islands

The BBC TV series starring John Nettles in the title role of Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac was set primarily on Jersey in the Channel Islands. The series first aired in 1981 and lasted for 87 episodes spread over a decade. The final episode was a 1991 Christmas special.

Answer: Plane crash

Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester VA in 1932, Patsy Cline became one of the most important vocalists of the century despite her relatively short life.
In 1961, Cline was hospitalized for a month after being involved in a head-on collision in which the driver of the other vehicle died. It was her second serious car crash. On March 3, 1963, Cline performed in a charity concert in Kansas City. The plane taking her back to Nashville ran into bad weather and crashed just outside Camden, Tennessee, less than 100 miles from Nashville. Cline was 30 years old.

Answer: Czech Republic

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, after the capital, Prague. First settled in the 5th century and founded as a city in 1243, Brno's population exceeded 400,000 by the end of the 20th century.
Ostrava, located on the country's eastern border with Poland, is the Czech Republic's third largest city with a metropolitan area smaller only than Prague. Sited at the crossroads of ancient trade routes, there is archaeological evidence that the area has been the site of a permanent settlement for more than 25,000 years.
The city of Zlin dates back to the 14th century. It is the largest city in Moravia, on the country's southeastern border with Slovakia.
Plzeò is in western Bohemia, about three quarters of the way from Prague the German border. Pardubice is 70 miles east of Prague on the River Elbe.

Answer: Henry Cooper (boxing)

Sir Henry Cooper OBE was born in East London in 1934. European and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, "Our 'Enry" is probably best remembered for his knock-down of the young Cassius Clay in their first fight, at Wembley Stadium in 1963. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1967 and again in 1970. Of the alternatives, Robin Cousins won in 1980 in recognition of his European and Olympic gold medals during that year. Sebastian Coe won in 1979 and twice finished second in the balloting, behind Cousins in 1980 and behind more skaters, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, in 1984.

He was also third in 1981. Remarkably, Bobby Charlton, one of England's most popular footballers, only the second player ever to reach the 100-cap mark for England and a major contributor to both the national success in 1966 and Manchester United's historic European Cup triumph in 1968, never won the award. Ironically, he had twice finished second, to swimmer Ian Black in 1958 and to auto-racer John Surtees in 1959, long before any of his most significant achievements.

Answer: Cheshire

Cheshire is Britain's oldest recorded cheese and was mentioned in King William I's great 1086 survey of England, the Domesday Book or the 'Book of Winchester' to give it the correct title.
Cheshire cheese is produced in the English county of the same name and in four neighboring counties in England and Wales - Shropshire, Staffordshire, Flint and Denbighshire. Although sales peaked in the 1960s, Cheshire is still Britain's best-selling crumbly cheese.

Answer: Crying

'Crying' is a standard that has been covered numerous times since Roy Orbison's original release. The Letterman released a version in 1964, Jay & the Americans had a Top 25 single with their version in 1966, and Don McLean scored a UK number one hit with it in 1980. Orbison re-recorded a version with k.d. lang for the soundtrack of the 1987 film 'Hiding Out'. The alternatives were also 1961 hit singles: 'Can't Help Falling in Love' was an Elvis track from the film 'Blue Hawaii', 'Crying in the Rain' was an Everly Brothers hit in 1961 and was covered by Tammy Wynette in 1981, while 'Come On' was a Chuck Berry hit that was re-released two years later as the Rolling Stones debut single.

Answer: Atlantic

The former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde is an island group in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa. The capital and largest city is Praia. With a surface area of just over 1,550 sq miles, Cape Verde would fit ten times into Switzerland. It has a population of around 500,000, which is a little more than Luxembourg.

Answer: Cadenza

The cadenza is usually the most elaborate piece performed by the soloist during a concerto. It most often occurs toward the end of the first movement, although not always. Cadenzas are also frequently found in jazz performances.
Of the alternatives, a cantabile is a style of playing where an instrument is used to imitate a singer's voice. Cassation is generally a short piece of music that begins with a march. Counterpoint is the relationship between two separate voices singing independently.

Answer: Chesterfield

The historic market town of Chesterfield lies north of Derby in the East Midlands. With a population of around 100,000, it is the largest town in the county of Derbyshire (Derby being a city rather than a town). Its status as a market town dates back to the reign of King John in the early 13th century.
The crooked spire of St Mary's is Chesterfield's most famous landmark and the town's football league team are nicknamed 'The Spireites'. The spire itself is both twisted and leaning - it twists through 45 degrees and leans 9'6" from the perpendicular.

Answer: March

This annual festival which takes place every March, is the most prestigious event on the National Hunt racing calendar. The festival itself dates back to 1902, with the first steeplechase introduced two years later. This race was named the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1924 and the Champion Hurdle was added to the schedule three years after that.

The other two major races during the festival, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Stayer's Hurdle were added in 1959 and 1972 respectively. The Festival has traditionally lasted for three days, but this was extended to four in 2005. Of the 25 races held during the festival, almost half are Grade 1 races.

Answer: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, born in Ottery St. Mary in Devon in 1772, was one of the founders of the English 'Romantic Movement'. He was also a member of the Lake Poets who lived and worked in the Lake District region in the early 19th century.
The quote in the question comes from Coleridge's most famous work, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. A statue of 'The Ancient Mariner' was unveiled in 2003 at Watchet Harbour in Somerset as a tribute to Coleridge.

Answer: 1994

Also known as 'The Chunnel', this undersea rail link connects Folkestone on the Kent coast in southeast England with Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France.
At its lowest point, the Channel Tunnel is 250' deep. It is 31.4 miles from entrance to exit and when it was built, had the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world. Japan's Seikan Tunnel is two miles longer, but the undersea portion is shorter. The tunnel is shared by high-speed 'Eurostar' passenger trains, drive-on-drive-off 'Eurotunnel Shuttle' vehicle transports, and freight trains.
Although the idea of a fixed Cross-Channel link were first mooted in 1802, work finally began in 1988 and the Channel Tunnel formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II and President Mitterrand of France in May 1994.