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The Science of Discworld Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
The Science of Discworld Quizzes, Trivia

The Science of Discworld Trivia

The Science of Discworld Trivia Quizzes

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These books, written by Terry Pratchett in conjunction with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, combine typical Discworld stories with serious scientific information, alternating between the entertaining and educational sections.
3 quizzes and 35 trivia questions.
1.
  The Science of Discworld II: The Globe   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This is a quiz on Terry Pratchett's book "The Science of Discworld II". It is 2/3 story and 1/3 science/other even-chaptered stuff. I hope you like it!
Tough, 15 Qns, discworldfan, Sep 24 16
Tough
discworldfan
306 plays
2.
  The Science of Discworld Quiz Challenge   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on Terry Pratchett's wonderful book "The Science of Discworld", which is written about the Roundworld and the wizards, with science lessons in between chapters. This quiz is only on the story, not the lessons. I hope you like it!
Tough, 10 Qns, discworldfan, Sep 24 16
Tough
discworldfan
273 plays
3.
  Questions on The Science of Discworld    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How much do you know about the Science of Discworld?
Tough, 10 Qns, SkateS, Sep 24 16
Tough
SkateS
1117 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Who (successfully) teaches the apes?

From Quiz "The Science of Discworld"





The Science of Discworld Trivia Questions
1. What were the wizards doing when blasted into the Roundworld?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: Playing paintball

Yes, the wizards were indeed playing paintball. If Ridcully hadn't locked their staves onto paint spells only, they would have destroyed the forest. Ridcully believes that getting out into the fresh air and doing things as a team will make them better at their jobs.

2. What causes the Roundworld universe to begin to grow?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Dean wiggling his fingers in it

The Roundworld Project indeed began when the Dean wiggled his fingers in the orb. He believed that because of this, he was a god. But, as Ponder Stibbons pointed out, wiggling your fingers and saying "Ooo, it tingles" is not particularly god-like.

3. Where was the Thaum machine built?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Squash Court

Wizards don't play squash very often so it seemed like the ideal place...of course as soon as it was built they all wanted to play squash!

4. What does Ridcully's message arrive in?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: A beer bottle

It arrived in an empty bottle of Winkle's Old Peculiar, down to the May Contain Nuts message. The note mentioned that the beer was awful on Roundworld and to bring Ponder and the Librarian to help him.

5. What do the wizards use as a collector of specimens?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Luggage & Luggage

The Luggage is capable of bringing back many specimens, and will do it if none of them threaten its owner, Rincewind, in any way.

6. Who started the Project running?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: HEX

It was supposed to take months to set up but HEX did it in seconds.

7. Who receives Ridcully's message in a bottle?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: Rincewind

When the bottle appears, Rincewind is nervous (of course) and studies it before removing the message. HEX (reluctantly) tells them that he may not be able to get the wizards back alive and normal, so Rincewind and Ponder force the Librarian to take them through L-Space.

8. What do the crabs build statues out of?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Sand and Spit

The crabs are the most advanced Roundworld civilization, having invented rafts, cities, war, statues, and religion. That is, they are until a meteor plummets out of the sky and squashes and boils them.

9. Who waggles his fingers and starts the whole thing off?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Dean

Trust the Dean....

10. What does a fishmonger kill Shakespeare with in one reality?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: A pike

The fishmonger hits him with a pike (the fish), which kills him in a riot. The wizards ask if HEX means halberd, and they are shocked when he says no, he means a fish. They solve this problem by having the Librarian knock out the fishmonger.

11. Where is Ponder Stibbons's machine for splitting the Thaum located?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Squash Court

The machine is located in the Squash Court, although it does have cables linking it to the HEM building and Hex. In Wizard's Squash, the wall that you try to bounce the ball off of is not always going to be the one it bounces back from. This makes it totally different from real Squash.

12. Which science-fiction writer thought of the space elevator?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke

13. How did the wizards make the Bursar sane?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: They didn't, they just made him think he was

The wizards tampered with the Bursar's dried frog pills so that he would permanently hallucinate that he was sane.

14. What type of animal does the Librarian kill before teaching the ape-creatures about fire?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: A Cat

It is a giant wildcat. The Librarian grabs it by the tail, pulls it around, and hits it with a rock. Then he teaches the ape-creatures about fire.

15. What is the mathematical system that uses an ant called?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Langton's Ant

Sounds really cute!

16. After the Librarian taught the ape-creatures about fire, what are most of the firey glows on the Roundworld?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Forests

Most of the fires are indeed forests, as the apes haven't gotten very good at controlling fire. This species is wiped out by a natural disaster, just like almost all of the others.

17. Who gets sent into the project?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Rincewind

The other three go in of their own accord.

18. What do Rincewind and Ponder call the Librarian, on HEX's advice?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: A Spanish lady

HEX tells them that if they call him a Spanish lady after giving him a shave, hardly anyone will notice. This is so true that even the wizards are fooled until they are told that it's the Librarian standing on the Luggage.

19. Who is supposed to cut the rope that will shut down the machine if it gets out of control?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Bursar

The Bursar is trusted with the task of cutting the rope. However, they have a safety officer, Adrian Turnipseed, who, when told to by Ponder, will yell at the Bursar until he cuts the rope. The wizards believe this to be safe.

20. What does HEX say when he gets confused?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: ++++Out Of Cheese Error++++

Poor old HEX. If you had to deal with those wizards all the time I'm sure you'd be just as confused!

21. Who made the orb for the Roundworld Project?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Hex

It would have taken the wizards themselves several months to create the orb. Hex, however, had the orb ready rather quickly. It knew how to make the orb because Ponder and the students had programmed all of the basic spell structures into Hex so that it could help them more than it could already.

22. Who does the Librarian accidentally meet in L-Space?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Charles Darwin

He was looking for a good book on evolution... he just arrived while it was still being written.

23. Which wizard actually enjoyed his own company?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: Mustrum Ridcully & Ridcully

The other wizards (excepting Rincewind) try not to look at themselves. Ridcully, however, seems to enjoy being and talking with himself.

24. Who do the wizards send to the Roundworld?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Rincewind

Rincewind is appointed Egregarious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography in exchange for visiting the Roundworld. He can't actually teach, but he gets free coal and is allowed to show up at mealtimes, if he is quiet.

25. Which civilization is Rincewind investigating when a comet lands on him?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: Crab

There was a whimper from behind them. 'What's up with him?' said Ridcully. 'Er ... I asked him to investigate the crab civilisation, sir.' 'The one the comet just landed on?' 'Yes, sir. A billion tons of rock have just evaporated around him, sir.' 'It couldn't have hurt him, though, could it?' 'Probably made him jump, sir.'

26. What does the Dean say is the error in "The Comedy of Errors"?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: There wasn't any comedy

The wizards were studying their Shakespeare to get ready for their visit to the theater to watch "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which they hoped would make people quit believing in elves. The Dean, as you can tell, didn't think much of "The Comedy of Errors".

27. Which Roundworld species looks the most like Mustrum Ridcully?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Bears

Ridcully believes that the bears were the best Roundworld species, as he tended to side with whatever resembled him the most. Koalas are not mentioned in the story and the crabs and fish don't particularly resemble anyone.

28. Who (successfully) teaches the apes?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld

Answer: The Librarian

The Dean tries to teach them about rocks. The Librarian uses rocks and fire to teach them.

29. What does Terry Pratchett say is another name for Lies-to-Adults?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: Politics & Politic

Terry Pratchett calls politics Lies-to-Adults. He also says that many things we tell children are lies, but we are ready to defend our decisions, and we say "Oh, they couldn't take the truth." Politics is very much like that.

30. What does a bee see in?

From Quiz The Science of Discworld II: The Globe

Answer: Ultraviolet & ultra

Bees see in ultraviolet, which is outside the human visible spectrum. To a bee, a flower is brighter in some places and darker in others, but for reasons other than how we see it.

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