Elementary Drop a Letter Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cesium

The alkali metals form group 1 of the periodic table. These include sodium and potassium, and all react violently with water. Cesium (or caesium) is element 55, a silvery-white metal, used in atomic clocks; one isotope (Cesium 137) is used in radiation for treating cancer.

Answer: Music

This is the opening line of Shakespeare's excellent comedy, "Twelfth Night", spoken by the lovesick and melancholy Duke Orsino.

Answer: Scum

The phrase "pond scum" is currently used in common parlance for anything worthless or disgusting.

Answer: Sum

The basic technical terms in arithmetic are addition (sum), subtraction (difference), multiplication (product), and division (quotient).

Answer: Sm

Samarium, element number 62, one of the lanthanide rare-earth series (elements 57-71), is a silvery-white metal, used with cobalt to make magnets. One isotope (samarium 153) is used in a medication to treat various cancers, another (samarium 149) is a component of absorption rods in a nuclear reactor.

Answer: SMU

SMU can be used as the abbreviation for St Mary's University in Halifax, one of the perennial sports powers among Canadian universities, or for Southern Methodist University in Dallas, founded by the United Methodist Church in 1911.

Answer: Emus

The emu, Dromaius novaehollendiae, is the largest native Australian bird and one of that country's national symbols, found with the kangaroo on the official coat of arms.

Answer: Muses

Zeus and Memory (Mnemosyne) produced the nine Muses, each the patron of a separate genre of literature: Calliope (epic), Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy), Clio (history), Urania (astronomical poetry), Euterpe (lyric poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Polyhymnia (hymns to the gods), and Erato (love poetry).

Answer: Amuses

By the early 20th century, the quotation 'We are not amused.' was attributed to Queen Victoria. But sources disagree when she may have said it or whether she actually ever said it all.

Answer: Seams

The word "seam" is most commonly used for a place where two pieces of cloth are stitched together, but can also denote a vein of mineral, especially coal, and also for a technique in cricket, where a "seam bowler" delivers the ball with the main seam upright. The adjective "seamy" means something that is sordid and disreputable.

Answer: Mass

The term "mass" is most commonly used in Roman Catholic and High Anglican churches to denote the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion or the Eucharist. The name comes from the dismissal at the end of the Latin rite, "Ite, missa est", which means "Go, this the dismissal", or more commonly, "Go, the mass is ended".

Answer: Ass

The story is told in the Old Testament, in the Book of "Numbers" chapter 22. Balaam has been beating his she-ass for not obeying his directions and for stomping on his foot. At this point the creature speaks to him and asks why he is beating her.

Answer: As

"As" is the chemical symbol for arsenic, element number 33. It occurs in nature with other elements such as sulphur, and is notoriously toxic to biological life. For that reason, it appears frequently in detective fiction, such as Dorothy L. Sayers' "Strong Poison", Agatha Christie's "4:50 from Paddington", and Frank Capra's 1944 film "Arsenic and Old Lace", where Cary Grant's character discovers that his aunts are systematically poisoning old and lonely men.

Answer: RAS

In 1820 the Royal Astronomical Society was founded in London to promote the study of astronomy, principally at that time by private individuals and amateur astronomers. It organises regular public meetings and publishes two formal journals a year, as well as a more popular magazine.

Answer: Soar

For some reason the phrase "soar like an eagle" has become the standard way to describe the flight of these majestic birds.

Answer: Roads

"Country Roads" was released in 1971 on John Denver's very successful album, "Poems, Prayers and Promises". As a single it reached number two on the US charts, and is now regarded as John Denver's signature song. It has become the unofficial anthem of the state of West Virginia.

Answer: Adorns

The verb comes from the Latin "ad" ("to") and "ornare" ("add lustre"). Synonyms include "decorate", "embellish", and "beauty".

Answer: Radon

Radon is element number 86 and belongs to the group of elements known as the "noble gases" -- these include helium, neon, and argon. It has no stable isotopes in nature, as all 36 known isotopes are radioactive to some degree. It was discovered in 1900.

Answer: Dora

"Dora the Explorer" is an animated series that made its début on Nickelodeon in 2000, and centers on the adventures of a girl named Dora and her travels all over the world.

Answer: Rod

The "rod" is a unit of measurement used principally in surveying. It corresponds to 5.5 yards, 16.5 feet, one-quarter of a surveyor's chain, and 5.0292 metres.