Ditloid Delight Number Two Trivia Quiz

Answer: 10 Downing Street

Number 10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This building is over three hundred years old, and far from the unassuming front doorway it presents to the passing trade, it actually contains over one hundred rooms.

Originally comprising three houses, the building was given to Sir Robert Walpole (regarded as the United Kingdom's first Prime Minister) by the then ruling monarch, King George II.

Answer: 3 wise men

The Three Wise Men were a group of gentlemen, said to be kings, who visited Jesus shortly after his birth in Bethlehem. They carried with them the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to give to the small child as he lay in the manger. Frankincense is obtained from trees of a specific kind that are slashed.

The resin that oozes out of those wounds was used for healing, perfume, religious purposes and if charred, to manufacture kohl for eyeliner. Myrrh is also collected from wounds made on trees - very appropriate symbolism - and was considered to be incredibly valuable in ancient times.

Answer: 4 legs on a horse

The technical description of a horse, according to the encyclopaedia, is "an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxomic family Equidae". Most people, however, would never use such a wordy description for the noble gee-gee. These beautiful creatures are commonly referred to as horses. Speaking of gee-gees, did you know the term apparently originated from the first horse out of the starting gates at races? Horses are worth far more than a means of helping foolish punters lose their money, however.

They have been used for thousands of years to help mankind in a large array of daily tasks, in racing, in war sadly, in dressage and show-jumping, and as a means of transport. To watch these beautiful, graceful creatures running is like watching poetry in motion.

Answer: Around the world in 80 days

Based on the 1873 novel by Jules Verne, the 1956 film "Around the World in Eighty Days" starred a host of actors. These included the ever charming David Niven, with Shirley MacLaine thrown in for good measure. The plot is based on a wager made between a group of men regarding whether or not it is possible to go around the world in eighty days.

It is set in 1872, an era without planes, superfast planes and liners, so the wager is a serious one. The amount of money being gambled is some twenty thousand pounds. That is the equivalent of approximately one and a half million pounds today. Scandalous!

Answer: 30 pieces of silver

Thirty pieces of silver was the sum paid to Judas Iscariot, one of the Apostles, to betray Jesus Christ. He indicated the presence of Jesus to his captors by kissing him. Said to have hanged himself out of remorse following that betrayal, this entire issue raises the intriguing question that, if Jesus was pre-destined to die for the sins of the world in this manner, then was Judas pre-destined to betray him? If so, could he said to be guilty of this treachery at all? Or does that betrayal revolve round the question of free will and the choice made by Judas?

Answer: 8 tentacles on an octopus

An octopus is so named because of those eight tentacles. "Octo" is a word meaning eight. These creatures belong to the animal order cephalopod molluscs. They're quite creepy looking when one looks at them objectively. However, in spite of this insult, an octopus is said to be quite intelligent, smarter than your average ocean dweller, with evidence of both short and long term memory, the ability to observe, and with the skills necessary to use tools. Wow!

Answer: 206 bones in the human body

Human beings have 206 bones in their bodies when adult. Interestingly though, they're born with a total of 270 bones. As they mature and develop, these additional bones fuse with other nearby bones. By the time most humans have reached the age of thirty, their bones have culminated in their maximum density. Females skeletons are distinguished from the male by being smaller, daintier and frailer on average (we're so gorgeous even as bones, ladies) than their sturdier male counterparts.

The female also has a different shaped pelvis to that area of Pa's body.

This is designed for the purpose of giving birth. There is one theory that the male of our species sub-consciously chooses his female mate based on the size of her hips and pelvic area for that purpose. Brains and beauty are a given of course.

Answer: 4 faces on a pyramid

Pyramids are structures, most, but not all of which, have four sides. Some have three or more, but then it could be debated whether those are pyramids at all as the majority of people understand the word if you're in an argumentative frame of mind. Speaking of frames, each one of these sides is triangular shaped, broad at the base and narrowing to a point at the top. Because this shape when combined into a pyramid is so very strong, it's rather surprising modern architecture hasn't made more use of it in the mighty building designs of today.

Answer: 1812 Overture

"The Year 1812", more popularly known as "The 1812 Overture" is a mighty work composed by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky (try spelling that when you've had a few) in 1880. It was written to mark the Russian defence from Napoleon's invading armies of their country in 1812. One segment of this work includes, if performed as the composer intended, cannons being fired. That is guaranteed to keep an audience awake, or, if never having heard the work before, to hastily dive for cover under their seats.

Answer: 3 coins in the fountain

"Three Coins in the Fountain" is a song from the 1954 romantic comedy movie of the same name, starring, among others, Dorothy McGuire and Rossano Brazzi. Set in Rome, the movie centres round three American girls who hope to find love in the Eternal City.

The song itself has to be one of the dreariest numbers I've ever heard, even when performed by an experienced singer, but when presented by someone with no musical training at all, it's absolutely excruciating.