Who Parked Their Van Here? Quiz / Test | Thematic Names

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A fictional character who famously battled Dracula had a van parked in the middle of his name. What was this vampire hunter's name?

Answer: Abraham Van Helsing

Abraham Van Helsing is a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula". The Van Helsing character has been portrayed in film many times. Actors such as Laurence Oliver and Anthony Hopkins have played the role. Hugh Jackman played a character named Gabriel Van Helsing in the 2004 movie "Van Helsing".

Question by: davegrilla

Information from: Wikipedia

2. Largely unappreciated for his works during his lifetime while suffering from mental illness and ultimately killing himself, works by this "van" are now very much sought after. Which artist was this?

Answer: Vincent van Gogh

Dying at the age of 37 in 1890, van Gogh only started painting in his late twenties. His first major work, 'The Potato Eaters', was painted in 1885 and his most famous works were done in his final two years. In all, he produced some 2,000 artworks. Jan van Eyck was a well-known 15th century Flemish painter, Van Renselar is a contemporary abstract artist and Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen specialises in wildlife art.

Question by: suomy

Information from: Wikipedia

3. Denise van Outen is an English TV presenter, actress and singer. She played Roxie Hart in the musical "Chicago", both in the West End and on Broadway. She married Lee Mead in 2009, but on which talent show did they first meet?

Answer: Any Dream Will Do

She was born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon Essex on May 27, 1974. Denise met Lee when she was a judge on the show. Needless to say, he won and went on to play Joseph in the West End production of the musical. They married in the Seychelles and have a daughter named Betsy.

Question by: Nannygoose

Information from: Wikipedia

4. This musician was born Steven Lento in 1950 in Massachusetts. In the seventies he was a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Which of the following "vans" was credited by Springsteen himself as the guitar player with the greatest contribution to his "Born to Run" album?

Answer: Steven Van Zandt

While a member of the E Street Band, Steven Van Zandt was worried that rock and roll was becoming an endangered species and was getting harder and harder to find. He wanted to make sure future generations had access to what he considered "the greatest music ever made". Hence, he founded The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, which takes students through history with a rock and roll point of view. Van Zandt also had a part in the television series "The Sopranos", playing the role of Silvio Dante.

Question by: Candyapple2737

Information from: Renegade Nation, Wikipedia, and The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.

5. Another fictional character had a van parked in the middle of his name. He was a lazy man who fell asleep for decades and woke up to find everything he knew had changed. Who was the "van" that Washington Irving created?

Answer: Rip Van Winkle

"Rip Van Winkle" was published in 1819. The story is set in the Catskill Mountains region of New York, during the years surrounding the American Revolution. Rip encounters a strange-looking crew while wandering the mountains. He drinks their liquor and then falls asleep for 22 years. He wakes up to find that many things have changed, since he didn't know the American Revolution had taken place. Luckily, his now grown daughter takes him before he can get into too much trouble.

Question by: davegrilla

Information from: Wikipedia

6. Known as 'Van the Man' to his fans, this Northern Irish singer-songwriter famous for his 'Brown Eyed Girl' has a van parked right at the beginning of his name. Who am I talking about?

Answer: Van Morrison

Van Morrison, OBE, was born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast in 1945. He first rose to prominence with the R&B band 'Them' in 1964 - he was lead singer and also played harmonica.

Morrison has won six Grammy Awards. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Question by: gillimalta

Information from: Wikipedia

7. This "van" was a 15th century Flemish painter who was born in a part of the Holy Roman Empire of what is now Belgium. He was very active in Bruges, where he was part of the Renaissance movement. He was considered to be the leading painter of his day and died when only 45 years old. Which artist was this?

Answer: Jan van Eyck

Many of Jan van Eyck's paintings reside in museums around the world. The most famous paintings are "Madonna with the Chancellor Rolin" and "Portrait of a Man", which is believed to be a self-portrait. The medium of painting with oils was, at one time, attributed to him.

Question by Candyapple2737

Information from: Wikipedia, the Artchive, and Web Museum, Paris.

8. In 1972, Barry Foster parked his van in this police detective's name when he played Van Der Valk in the long running TV series of the same name. Can you remember his first name?

Answer: Piet

The series was based mostly around Amsterdam. Van der Valk was the detective who solved cases involving sex, drugs and murder.

The theme tune to the series, "Eye Level by the Simon Park Orchestra", reached number one in the British charts in 1973.

Question by: Nannygoose

Information from: TV TIME WARP and Wikipedia

9. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman parked his van on an island. He was the first European to land here and he named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt in honour of the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony van Diemen, who had sent him on his voyage. The island lost its van when the name was changed to what in 1856?

Answer: Tasmania

In 1803, the island was colonised by the British as a penal colony and was known as Van Diemen's Land. Approximately 40% of all convicts sent to Australia were transported to Van Diemen's Land.

Question by: Nannygoose

Information from: Wikipedia

10. Which of the following vans was a Dutch tradesman and scientist, often called the "Father of Microbiology"?

Answer: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Van Leeuwenhoek made his own microscopes, having discovered a simple technique for making high magnification lenses. He is widely regarded as the first microbiologist. Pieter van Musschenbroeka, Dutch 18th century scientist, is credited with the invention of the first capacitor (the Leyden jar), although German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist independently invented it around the same time. Leigh van Valen is an American evolutionary scientist perhaps best known for his 1973 Red Queen's Hypothesis, taken from Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking-Glass'. The Van Allen radiation belts were named after the American scientist James Van Allen.

Question by: suomy

Information from: Wikipedia

Source: Author davegrilla

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Who Parked Their Van Here? Trivia Quiz

Somebody has been parking vans in people's names for quite some time. Let's see if you recognize any of these "vans".

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