Tens Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venice

In response to a recent rebellion that had shaken the very foundation of the Venetian republic, the Doge assembled ten powerful individuals within his 'Council of Ten', in order to promote public order. Working in secret, often wearing masks to protect their identities, the Council initiated what might be called a reign of terror, though perhaps not quite on the scale of the French Directory. Victims of the Council's verdicts often crossed what we now call the Bridge of Sighs, on their way to execution.

The Council was in power in Venice until 1797, when the republic fell. I wonder what the Doge called his version of the Patriot Act?

Answer: Exodus

The Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:3-17. They can also be found in the video store, accompanied by a typically ham-fisted performance by Charlton Heston. According to the Mel Brooks' film 'History of the World, Part One' there were originally 15 commandments, but a small accident occurred reducing the commandments by one-third. I hope one of the missing five wasn't 'Thou shalt not overindulge in trivia quizzes'...

Answer: Jainism

Jainism, an ancient offshoot of Hinduism, is practiced by several million people, mostly in India. The ultimate ideal for a Jainist monk is to follow the 'Ten Virtues' that follow: Forgiveness, Modesty, Sincerity, Purity, Truthfulness, Self-restraint, Asceticism, Renunciation, Detachment and Celibacy. As you can see...it takes a lot to be a Jainist monk!

Answer: Bees

The plagues are, in order: Water turned to blood, frogs, lice, pestilence (among Egypt's animals), flies, boils, fiery hail, locusts, darkness and the slaying of the firstborn son of every household. One must admit that the Pharaoh was quite headstrong, the blood part would have been enough for me...

Answer: The Sikhs

Sikhism is an offshoot of Hinduism in combination with Islam, and was founded by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the 16th century. Nanak was the first of ten gurus, culminating in Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who announced that his successor would not be a man, but rather the holy book of Sikhism, the Adi Granth. There are about 10 million Sikhs in the world, many of whom can be found in the Punjab region of the Indian sub-continent.

Answer: Integumentary

The word integument refers to the outermost layer of the body of an animal. In the case of human beings, this would be our skin! The ten systems of the human body are: circulatory, digestive, endocrine, excretory, integumentary, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory and skeletal. For insects (and other arthropods), their integumentary system is comprised of a 'cuticle', a hard outer layer that acts as a sort of exoskeleton. Humans may also develop a hard outer covering...by spending too much time in the sun over several decades.

Answer: Orthoclase and Apatite

Mohs' scale, from hardest (10) to softest (1) includes: diamond, corundum, topaz, quartz, orthoclase, apatite, fluorite, calcite, gypsum and talc. A noticeable trend in the consecutive value of the rocks, from most expensive to least, also seems to appear along the scale.

Answer: Hollywood Ten

During the 'Red Scare' of the late 40s-early 50s in the United States investigations occurred that involved individuals of all walks of life. Members of Hollywood were no exception, as the House Committee on Un-American Activities delved into the lives of Hollywood writers, directors, producers and film stars.

This list of ten individuals all refused to testify before the committee and were subsequently forced to serve jail terms for contempt. After emerging from jail they found themselves blacklisted from the Hollywood community, and some never worked again. Two of them, Lardner, Jr. and Trumbo, went on to win academy awards for their work on the films 'M*A*S*H' and 'Papillon', respectively.

Answer: Hammer throw

The decathlon includes three regular running events: 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 1,500 meter run, one hurdle event (110-meter), three 'throwing' events: javelin, discus and shot put, two jumping events (both high and long) and one event that is pure madness...the pole vault! Most human beings would be unable to finish the 10 events, let alone perform well!

Answer: Nero

The first of the ten persecutions began in 64 AD and saw the deaths of both St. Peter and St. Paul, making Nero perhaps one of the most infamous Roman emperors in the eyes of Christians. The emperor Vespasian brought an end to the first persecution when he came to power in the year 69. Perhaps the worst persecution in terms of death and destruction was the last one, initiated by Diocletian in 303.

This persecution, lasting about 10 years, led to the deaths of thousands of Christians, the burning of literature, the demolition of churches and other violent acts.

It was put to an end by the emperor Constantine, who looked favorably upon the Christian church. And with that, I thank you for having tried the quiz...please try my other 'numeric' quizzes if this one appealed to you.