10 Shades of Gray Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gray is more common in the U.S./grey is more common in the U.K.

They are essentially different spellings of the same word and can be used interchangeably; however, in British English the ratio of grey to gray is about 24:1, while in American usage, that same ratio is reversed, i.e., gray is used much more commonly than grey.

The difference began to show itself around 1825 when American authors started using 'gray' as the preferred spelling. While both spellings can be used for all grammatical functions, basic exceptions are: greyhound for the dog breed and grayling for a species of fish in the salmon family.

Answer: Jonas Gray

Jonas Gray is a running back in the National Football League who signed with the New England Patriots active roster on October 16, 2014 and, in November, led them to a victory against the Indianapolis Colts by scoring 4 touchdowns on 38 carries. Unfortunately, he was on the inactive list for Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015 (which was won by the Patriots).

The incorrect choices have all played in the NFL: Cyrus as a running back, Marqueis as a tight end, and Quinn as a quarterback.

Answer: E.L. James

While all the above 'E's are writers, the romance novel in question was written in 2011 by E.L. James, the pen name of British author Erika Mitchell. That same year she penned "Fifty Shades Darker", and the following year she wrote "Fifty Shades Freed" (hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!). "Fifty Shades of Grey" set the record in England for becoming the fastest selling paperback of all time, and has since been made into a movie which is breaking box office records, despite its critics. E.B. White is known for "The Elements of Style" also called "Strunk and White"; E.L. Doctorow writes historical fiction, and e.e. cummings is a poet.

Answer: Maggie Kuhn

Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995) was an American activist who founded the Gray Panthers in response to the fact that she was being forced into retirement at age 65 by her employer, the Presbyterian Church. She fought for social and economic justice and against discrimination and ageism.

In 1991 Kuhn wrote her autobiography called "No Stone Unturned"; she died 4 years later at the age of 89. The incorrect choices are also female activists. Delores Huerta was an early member of the National Farmworkers Association which became United Farm Workers; Mary Dann was a spiritual leader of the Shoshone, and Ethel Percy Andrus founded AARP in 1958.

Answer: 1885

The greyhound has been around for quite some time but it wasn't until 1885 that the old European breed was officially recognized by the AKC. At the Kennel Club's latest ranking, the greyhound was the 147th most popular dog breed (don't worry, I have no intention of mentioning those ranked higher).

The greyhound is tall and slender, with a gentle and independent temperament; they are intelligent and calm indoors but they are also the fastest of all the dog breeds. Currently, there are only 7 states where dog racing is legal and still active: Arizona, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia and Florida.

Answer: Book is gray/TV show is grey

Did you get this one right?...I wouldn't have. Since the TV show is a medical drama set in Seattle, Washington, and the author of the book is English, I would not have picked the correct answer. However, since the author of "one of the greatest texts of our time" was written by the Englishman Dr.

Henry Gray, it is quite properly called "Gray's Anatomy", while the ABC drama is based upon a protagonist called Dr. Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and, therefore, titled "Grey's Anatomy". In case this ever comes up, now you'll know!

Answer: Advertising and Marketing

Grey Group is a global ad agency with offices in 96 countries. Among its business units are direct marketing, public relations, sales promotion, interactive marketing, etc. Founded as a direct marketing company in 1917, it was called Grey Studios for the color of the walls of the original quarters and, in 1925, its name was changed to Grey Advertising.

Their first major client was Proctor and Gamble; among others, they also represent GlaxoSmithKline, Nokia, Volkswagen, Canon and 3M. Among the prestigious awards the firm has won are Cannes Lions, an Addy, a Clio, an Emmy and a bunch of Effies for 'effectiveness' in the market communications industry.

Answer: Greyfriars Bobby

As the story goes, Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who grieved at his master's graveside for 14 years until his own death on January 14, 1872. For more than a century Bobby epitomized the dog as 'man's best friend' and came to represent the very meaning of the word 'loyalty'.

It has also been said that this story was a Victorian hoax created by money-hungry businessmen, and that there were, in fact, two Bobbies but neither one belonged to the man buried in Greyfriars cemetery...and there is no Santa Claus?

Answer: Gregory Peck

Originally a best-selling novel by Sloan Wilson, "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" is a story very much about the time in which it was set, i.e., after World War 2, with the rise of affluence and burgeoning businesses. It was "Mad Men" before the fictional 'Mad Men' were even born, that is, the Madison Avenue hypocrites. Who better to play the lead in a story about ethics than Gregory Peck? This was filmed after his role in "Gentlemen's Agreement" (1947), and prior to his role as Atticus Finch in 1960. Peck plays an ex-army officer with a past, who becomes a TV writer and then is hired by a major network. Peck, it seems, had become Hollywood's "moral conscience".

Answer: Oscar Wilde

All of the above choices wrote at the turn-of-the-century, the 19th century becoming the 20th century, that is! Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish poet who went on to became one of London's most popular playwrights of the time.

He wrote comedic plays like "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895) and "An Ideal Husband" (1894), but did you know that "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was his only novel? It is a terrifying story of a man who commits all manner of sins but does not age, while the portrait of him in his house becomes unrecognizably gruesome. Wilde was also an astute observer known for his witticisms like "I can resist anything but temptation."