If Life Gives You Lemons... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Trini Lopez

Based on a traditional tune from Brazil, words were added by folk singer Will Holt. It became a popular choice for many artistes, but has never been a huge hit. The version by Trini Lopez cracked the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number twenty in 1965.

Others to record the song include Peter, Paul and Mary and Herb Alpert. Trini, whose biggest hit was 'If I Had a Hammer' in 1963, died in August 2020 - his death was due, at least partly, to COVID-19.

Answer: Liz

The show '30 Rock' was created by Tina Fey who also played the character named Liz Lemon. Fey used her time as a writer for 'Saturday Night Live' as the basis for her fictional sketch show, which was named 'TGS with Tracy Jordan'. The title '30 Rock' refers to the address of the studios used by NBC - 30 Rockefeller Place. The series ran from 2006 to 2013. The wrong answer options are other characters from the show.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

Miss Lemon appears in four of the novels to feature Hercule Poirot and in several short stories. According to the words written by Agatha Christie, Poirot considers her to be efficient and knowledgeable, but also 'unbelievably ugly'. Unsurprisingly, screen portrayals of her focus on her secretarial skills rather than her appearance. Few actresses would jump at the chance of portraying someone so physically unappealing.

Answer: Basketball

Lemon was actually named just Meadow, but performed using the name Meadowlark. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters, a team dedicated to entertaining and amusing combined with skill and dexterity. Lemon was one of the team's best known players, remaining with them for over twenty years.

Although known for his clowning abilities, his basketball skills were admired by stars of the professional game including Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Apart from basketball, Lemon did some acting and was an ordained minister in the church.

Answer: Over the Rainbow

'Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me' are lines from 'Over the Rainbow', indelibly associated with Judy Garland and 'The Wizard of Oz'. The song was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg and won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1939.

It has been recorded by many other singers with Eva Cassidy's 1992 version being particularly memorable.

Answer: Video games development

Advertising jingles might have been stretching the definition of entertaining a bit, although cartoon strips and toys do fit better, but video games is the answer your should have chosen. The company was founded in 2005 and was involved in the development of games for other publishers. The company is no longer trading, according to my research, having been wound up in 2018.

Answer: Bob Hope

The plot is based on one of Damon Runyon's short stories and had previously been adapted for the big screen in 1934. The 1951 version starred Bob Hope as a con man who falls foul of a gangster, and has to use his wits to raise enough money to repay the villain. The film follows his various schemes, none of which should be taken too seriously since the film is classed as a comedy.

Answer: Through the Keyhole

The original series was screened between 1997 and 2008 although it changed channels a few times during these years. The game involves a panel of celebrities who are shown around the homes of other celebrities with the object being to guess whose house it is. David Frost compered the show in the studio while Loyd Grossman conducted the tours.

The show was revived in 2013 with the last show being aired in 2019 before being cancelled again. Keith Lemon is the stage name of Leigh Francis - he created the sketch show 'Bo' Selecta'.

Answer: The Simpsons

This episode was first shown in 1995 as part of season six of 'The Simpsons'. The plot was based on the theft of a lemon tree from Springfield, taken by inhabitants of the nearby town of Shelbyville. The title is a deliberate reference to the mythical Helen of Troy and the tactic adopted by the Springfield residents to retrieve their tree involved a plot identical to that of the Trojan horse.

Answer: Oranges

A very early version of the rhyme can be dated to around 1744, although the words are rather different - the link between the old and common modern versions is the naming of the bells from various churches. The first couplet is 'oranges and lemons, say the bells of St Clements'.

The churches themselves cannot be identified with any certainty but are all believed to be located in or close to the original City of London - an area of around a square mile in the middle of the modern English capital.