Mixed Humanities Trivia

1. According to an analysis of the "Oxford English Corpus" undertaken by Oxford Online, in conjunction with the "Oxford English Dictionary", what is the most commonly appearing word in the English language?

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 17

Answer: the

"The" comes in first ahead of "be", which includes any of its other forms ("is", "am", "are" etc). "To" is in third place. The "Oxford English Corpus" is a compendium of 2.5 billion words. The writings used for the database are English language texts, taken mostly from web pages of different English speaking countries.

Question by player Nealzineatser

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 16

Answer: Poseidon

Poseidon was the son of Cronus and Rhea. His brothers were Zeus (god of the sky) and Hades (god of the underworld). Poseidon was the god of the sea.

Question by player PrincessS13

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 14

Answer: The Mona Lisa

Alfredo Geri met Peruggia in person, and then met with Giovanni Poggi, director of Florence's Uffizi Gallery. Geri and Poggi agreed to accept the painting, and went to meet Peruggia at his hotel room in Florence. Peruggia revealed the painting in a false bottom in a trunk and handed it over to Geri and Poggi whereupon Italian law enforcement authorities quickly arrested Peruggia. The Mona Lisa was then briefly displayed at the Uffizi and went on a brief tour of Italian museums. It was then returned to the Louvre on December 31, 1913.

Question by player Billkozy

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 13

Answer: Africa

Tongue clicks, or simply clicks, are found exclusively in two language families of sub-Saharan Africa: the Khosian languages, and a few Bantu languages that seem to have borrowed them. For a great example of clicks in action, listen to Miriam Makeba performing the "Click Song"!

Question by player pu2-ke-qi-ri

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 10

Answer: Zomotherapy

Zomotherapy is a system of medical treatment that involves using raw meat and/or raw meat juices in order to stop a disease or infection. I think about the use of a raw steak being put over the human eye to stop swelling.

Question by player james1947

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 9

Answer: William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time.

Question by player Spontini

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 6

Answer: ancestors

Any person from whom one descended is that person's forebear. The etymology of this word is a little complex and very interesting. In Middle English, "fore-" meant previous, antecedent, coming before. The "-bear" part has nothing to do with large hairy hungry ursine creatures but is rather a compound of two parts: "be" in the sense of the verb to be, and "-ar" in the sense of one who does or is something. Thus, a forebear is a person who existed previous to the person in question. It is sometimes spelt "forbear." The term can be important in law touching upon matters of succession and inheritance.

Question by player FatherSteve

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 5

Answer: Comedy club: it is a loud, boisterous laugh

The word guffaw traces its origins to 18th-century Scotland. It is thought to have originated as a word to emulate the sound made by a sudden, brief burst of laughter. In current usage it has come to mean an enthusiastic explosion of laughing, usually brought on by good feelings, to distinguish it from derisive, mean-spirited laughs.

Question by player shorthumbz

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 4

Answer: curriculum

The word comes from Latin meaning "race course" and refers to everything a child must do to become a mature adult.

Question by player Trufflesss

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 3

Answer: Minos

He is a somewhat a heartless king, for he is the one that made King Aegeus pick Athenian youths to be sent to the labyrinth and be fed to the Minotaur.

Question by player rohnald

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 2

Answer: Sheriff

The shire reeve was the chief executive officer of local government working under the control of the king. Groups of 10 families or "tithings" were grouped into "hundreds". These "hundreds" were supervised by a constable, and groups of "hundreds" would combine to make a shire. The reeve would also visit each community once a year to receive an oath of loyalty to the king from all males aged 12 years and over.

Question by player jondalah

From Quiz FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 1

Answer: native

Something is said to be indigenous if it is native to or occurring naturally in a particular environment.

Question by player Grad56

From Quiz Gravestone Symbolism

Answer: Taphophile

A "taphophile" is one who has an interest in gravestones or graveyards. Often called a "tombstone tourist", a taphophile will examine gravestones for unique names and symbols. They may also be interested in epitaphs, rubbings, art, and photography in graveyards.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 16

Answer: L.S. Lowry

Laurence Stephen Lowry was born in 1887 in the Manchester suburb of Stretford. Many of his paintings depict life in the industrial northwest of England in the mid-20th century and, particularly, in the Salford borough of Pendlebury, where he lived for much of his life. Many of L.S. Lowry's best-known works are displayed at "The Lowry", an art gallery named for him and located near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal on Salford Quays. There have been two notable musical tributes to the inimitable style of L.S. Lowry's work: Status Quo with their 1968 single "Pictures of Matchstick Men" and Brian and Michael, who reached number one in the UK singles chart in 1978 with "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs".

From Quiz Style In My Life

Answer: Prose

Prose uses full sentence structure and no system of rhythm or rhyme, as does poetry. Author Samuel Taylor Coleridge cautioned authors to know the "definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose - words in their best order; poetry - the best words in their best order."

From Quiz Sampling the Humanities

Answer: French

Born in 1875 in France near the Spanish border, Ravel is associated with Impressionist music, a form of classical music. He is perhaps best known for his orchestral piece "Boléro", which was commissioned as a ballet. The Torvill and Dean use of the piece therefore seems apt.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 14

Answer: Geppetto

Written by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, the story tells the tale of Pinocchio, who was crafted by a woodcarver named Geppetto. Although made of wood, with flowered paper clothes and a hat made of bread, he dreams of becoming a real boy. The alternatives are all characters in the Pinocchio story: Mangiafuoco is the director of the Great Marionette Theatre; Candlewick (real name Romeo) is Pinocchio's best friend; and Jiminy is the talking cricket who is appointed by the Blue Fairy as Pinocchio's conscience.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 13

Answer: Janitor

An anthropomorphic dog in a world of normal humans, Hong Kong Phooey/Penry Pooch was the star of an American animated TV series of the 1970s. Penny, a 'mild-mannered janitor' at the local police station was the alter ego of Phooey, a superhero who used martial arts in his fight against crime.

From Quiz C is for "Carousel", and Canaletto and more

Answer: A life sized doll

The ballet centres around Doctor Coppelius who makes a life sized dancing doll. A local man becomes infatuated with her, but eventually his true love shows him that it is only a doll. The story probably came about because of the popularity of automatons in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The ballet premiered in 1870 and has remained part of the classical repertoire ever since.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 12

Answer: Danielle Steel

Born Danielle Fernande Dominique Schuelein-Steel in New York NY in 1947, Danielle Steel's debut novel, 'Going Home', was published in 1973. As of 2010, she had written more than 70 novels and numerous books for children, and more than 20 of her books have been adapted for film. With more than 600 million books sold, she is in the top 10 of all time highest sellers and is the best-selling female American writer.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 11

Answer: The Wombles

'The Wombles' were created by Elisabeth Beresford, first appearing in 1968. Although the pointy-nosed, furry creatures that collect and recycle rubbish can apparently be found throughout the world, Beresford's stories concentrate on the family living on Wimbledon Common in London.

From Quiz Diagnosis: Death!

Answer: Cannibalism

The Fore tribe practiced a type of ritualistic endocannibalism. When someone died, they would eat pieces of the deceased in an attempt to gain the life force of the person who had died. It was done as a sign of respect. The men would eat muscle and the women and children would eat organ meat including the brain. Eating of the brain caused a fatal prion disease called Kuru. It is related to mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The disease caused uncontrollable shaking and hysterical laughter. It had an incubation period of as long as 20 years and was uniformly fatal.

From Quiz Ancient Religion from Greece and Rome

Answer: Io

The myth is that Zeus fell in love with a pretty girl named Io, who was actually a priestess of Hera. After she caught Io and Zeus together in bed, Hera was outraged, for her priestesses were to be virginal, and also because the father was Zeus (her husband). So, she turned Io into a cow. But, Zeus, who was intelligent and cunning, came to Io in the form of a bull. But, Hera, out of pity to the unborn child, turned Io back.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 10

Answer: Eugene O'Neill

Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was born in New York City in 1888 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936. He also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama four times, in 1920, 1922, 1928, and the final one four years after his death, in 1957. He wrote 'The Iceman Cometh' in 1939 although it was not performed until 1946. 'Long Day's Journey into Night' was one of his last full-length plays, written in 1941. It was first performed in 1956, and it was for this that he earned his posthumous Pulitzer. Of the alternatives, Edward Albee is best remembered for 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'. Neil Simon was responsible for such hits as 'The Sunshine Boys' and 'The Goodbye Girl'. Arthur Miller's most memorable works are 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible'.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 8

Answer: Peter Benchley

I could have asked "Who wrote 'Jaws'?", but I'm sure you've all seen that question a hundred times before. The answer is the same, though, Peter Benchley. 'The Deep' also starred Robert Shaw, who played Quint in 'Jaws'. Jacquelline Bisset, Lou Gossett jr, Eli Wallach and Nick Nolte round out an all-star cast. 'The Island' did not find favor with the critics or at the box office. Indeed, it earned Golden Raspberry nominations for Michael Caine (Worst Actor) and Michael Richie (Worst Director)? Benchley was born in New York City in 1940 and died in 2006 aged 65.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 7

Answer: Alistair MacLean

Alistair Stuart MacLean's first novel, 'H.M.S. Ulysses', was published in 1955. Two years later, he followed with 'The Guns of Navarone', which was subsequently adapted for the 1961 film starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven. MacLean wrote the novel and the screenplay for 'Where Eagles Dare' almost simultaneously, and the 1968 film starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton firmly established him as one of Scotland's most successful writers. MacLean also wrote under the pseudonym Ian Stuart. The alternatives are three more Scottish novelists. Science-fiction writer Iain Banks was born in Dunfermline in 1954. Ian Rankin, creator of Inspector Rebus, was born in Cardenden, Fife in 1960. A.J. Cronin, creator of TV's Dr Finlay and writer of numerous best-selling novels, was born in Cardross in 1896.

From Quiz Arts and Books Mixed Bag 6

Answer: 'The Tempest'

Written only a few years before his death in 1616, 'The Tempest' is acknowledged as the last play written solely by Shakespeare. In addition to Prospero, other major characters include Miranda (Prospero's daughter), the spirit Ariel, Alonso (the King of Naples) and Caliban (Prospero's deformed slave).

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 5

Answer: Tom Clancy

President John Patrick Ryan, born in 1950, first appeared in Tom Clancy's 1984 novel 'The Hunt for Red October'. In all, he has appeared in around a dozen Clancy novels, sometimes as the main character (eg. 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger') and sometimes in a cameo role (eg. 'Without Remorse'). Clancy's 2003 novel, 'Teeth of the Tiger', starred Ryan's son, Jack jr.

From Quiz Arts & Books Mixed Bag 4

Answer: Franz Kafka

Frank Kafka was born in 1883 into a middle-class Jewish family in Prague, in what was then Austria-Hungary. 'The Metamorphosis' is one of his best-known works, along with his three full-length novels published in the 1920s, 'The Trial', 'The Castle' and 'Amerika'. Of the alternatives, Haptmann was a German-Polish diarist and playwright who won the 1912 Nobel Prize for Literature. Schiller was German poet and dramatist whose most famous work is the 1804 play 'Wilhelm Tell'. Goethe is perhaps Germany's most famous writer, best remembered for the epic drama 'Faust' which was not published in full until after his death in 1832.

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Last Updated Dec 14 2024 5:44 AM

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