Zippy Zooms II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tails

Miles "Tails" Prower first surfaced in Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992). One of Sonic's allies, Miles is a fox with two tails that he can spin like a helicopter, giving him the power of flight. In a 2009 poll he was voted the third most popular character in the series, behind Sonic and Shadow, and his popularity has led to starring roles in his own series of games, such as "Tails Adventure" (1995) and "Tails & the Music Maker" (1994).

Dogmeat can be found in the "Fallout" series of games, Bowser is the arch-nemesis of Mario in that franchise and Gray Fox is the codename for Frank Jaeger in the "Metal Gear" series.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who used to be scared of speed bumps but he's slowly getting over them.

Answer: Barbarians

Created by Klaus Teuber, the originally German "Die Siedler von Catan" won the 'Spiel des Jahres' (Game of the Year) in its release year (1995), and has won multiple awards since then. It has also spawned many expansions and variants, using the same basic building blocks of the base game.

"Catan" is a game of settlement, building and trading. A randomized board of hexagonal tiles features five different resources, plus a desert tile to keep things interesting. Players have pieces consisting of road segments, settlements, and cities that they use to build and expand their settlement. Along the way, players can trade the resources they earn, or can have them stolen by the robber token, or even lost by the random rolling of a '7' (if holding more than seven resource cards). Ten points are needed to win, and can be earned by building settlements (1 pt each), cities (2 pts each), constructing the longest road (2 pts), building the largest army from the development cards (2 pts), or earning random victory point cards in the development card deck.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising's reedy, who settled, built, and traded his way to 2nd place in the Eastern Canada Catan Championship way back in 2004.

Answer: Esti

John Legend, or his birth name, John Roger Stephens, is a successful R&B singer. His hit song, "All of Me" (2013), is written for his wife, American model Chrissy Teigen. The couple married in 2013 and their first daughter, Luna Simone Stephens, was born in 2016. Their second child, a boy named Miles Theodore Stephens, was born in 2018.

In 2020, Teigen had an abortion, which she described as necessary "to save [her] life for a baby that had absolutely no chance." The couple's second daughter, Esti Maxine Stephens, was born in 2023. Legend's great-grandmother's name was Esther, and his grandmother's middle name was Maxine.

Esti is a short form of the name Esther, which is also the title of a book in the Old Testament of the Bible.

This question is written by Phoenix Rising team member Matthew_07, who admires Legend's musicality and vocal techniques.

Answer: Malachite

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral. Its name comes from the Greek "molochites", meaning "mallow-green", a reference to the stone's vivid green colour. Darker-coloured bands ripple all over the stone's opaque surface, which are enhanced to great effect by polishing. Found worldwide, malachite has been used as a gemstone and decorative stone for thousands of years. In the past, it was also believed to protect its wearer against evil influences; in Ancient Egypt, it was associated with fertility and resurrection.

Malachite is especially abundant in Russia, where some striking artifacts can be admired - such as the Malachite Room in St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum, an elegant mid-19th century salon with a fireplace and columns carved of malachite. Another famous malachite piece is the monumental Demidoff Vase (now at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art), carved of Russian malachite in the early 19th century, which is almost 3 m (9.9 ft) tall. Malachite is also extensively used in jewellery; glossy malachite beads are a popular choice for necklaces and bracelets.

Moonstone comes in different colours, as does tourmaline. Turquoise, though also containing copper, has a different chemical composition from malachite, and is also much rarer and more valuable.

This question was patiently carved by Phoenix rising's LadyNym.

Answer: George

All four share the name Armstrong but for George it is a middle name whereas for the other three it is a surname: George Armstrong Custer vs. Lance Armstrong, Neil Armstrong, and Louis Armstrong. Custer was also a 19th century personality while the other three are 20th.

George Armstrong Custer was a famous Civil War general who died infamously at the Battle of Little Big Horn, the worst defeat suffered by the US military during the Indian Wars.

Lance Armstrong was a celebrated athlete until it was proven he used performance enhancing drugs. Louis Armstrong was a famous jazz trumpeter. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

This question was thought-provokingly placed into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: The Three Sisters

Katoomba is only 100 kms from the heart of Sydney, and is a popular day trip destination. It is located in the Blue Mountains (so named because of the eucalyptus droplets in the air) and easily accessible by car or train. The Three Sisters is a group of three sandstone columns, rising over 900 metres from the floor of the Jamison Valley. A bush trail, known as the Giant Stairway, has been hacked into the side of the mountain, allowing visitors to walk around the base of the Sisters. There is an Aboriginal legend, naming the sisters as Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo, three women caught up in an inter-tribal dispute.

The Twelve Apostles is another well-known rock formation, just off the southern coast of Victoria, and easily viewable from the iconic Great Ocean Road. Wave Rock is in southern Western Australia. It is a huge landform, that looks amazingly like a breaking ocean wave. Balls Pyramid is part of Lord Howe Island, situated about 800 kms east of Sydney, in the Tasman Sea. It is a volcanic rock stack, jutting out of the sea, and reaching over 500 metres.

This question was rocked into the quiz by ozzz2002, who has seen the Three Sisters many times, and is still impressed by them.

Answer: Edward VIII

King Edward VIII abdicated as king as this was the only way he was permitted to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcee. His younger brother Albert became King George VI and he ruled until he died in 1952. King Edward became the Duke of Windsor after his abdication and lived in virtual exile with his wife until he died in 1972. He was buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in England. His wife died in 1986 and was buried alongside him.

Question written by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: 3

In Greek myth, the Fates (or Moirai) were personifications of destiny. While originally conceived as a single entity and later a duality governing birth and death, they generally took the form of three sisters named Clotho (who spun the thread of life), Lachesis (who measured it), and Atropos (who cut it short). They were often depicted as ugly old women. In Disney's "Hercules" (1997), the Fates share a single eye, which in myth was actually a feature of the Graeae (the three sisters from whom Perseus extracted the information necessary to slay Medusa).

This question was spun, measured, and trimmed by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Tin

Tin is the fourth most precious metal in the world and the 49th most abundant element in earth's crust. It has a long history of use, from as early as the Bronze Age, when it was mixed with copper. It rarely occurs alone and must be extracted from minerals such as granite, or various ores, of which cassiterite is the only commercially-important source of tin.

The amount of tin in pewter is a hefty 85-99%, the rest of the metal alloy being made up of antimony, copper and bismuth. Its composition means that it will not rust or tarnish. It has traditionally been used to make tankards and household utensils, and in modern usage, for belt buckles, figurines and plaques.

This question was beaten into shape by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

Answer: Dominoes

Pai gow is a gambling game originating in China, possibly during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), using a set of 32 Chinese dominoes. The name pai gow translates to "make nine" denoting the maximum number of points that can be scored in a normal hand. The game represents a story of creation with each pair acting as a step in the story. It can be played in many major casinos in China, The United States, Canada, and Australia.
Pai gow poker is a card game that has its roots in the domino game, it is also known as 'double-hand poker'. It was created by Sam Torosian in 1985. Due to bad advice he failed to patent the game.
Phoenix Rising's smpdit gambled on placing this question onto the quiz.