Test yourself! Take this A Panoply of Trivia 1 Quiz | Mixed 10 Questions

Answer: Beowulf

The story of Beowulf is an Old English poem whose origin has been long debated. The manuscript itself has been dated to somewhere between 975 and 1025 CE, however the story may have roots that are far older. It is set in the 6th century, and tells of a hero named Beowulf, a man of the Geats in southern Scandinavia. He journeys to the halls of King Hrothgar of the Danes and slays the vicious beast that has been terrorizing them, Grendel. After that battle, Grendel's mother comes to the hall and is also defeated, so Beowulf returns to his people where he becomes the king.

Years later, Beowulf fights a dragon; however, this time he is wounded. With the help of his loyal servant, Wiglaf, they defeat the dragon, but Beowulf succumbs to his wounds. Beowulf is sent off to the afterlife while the Geats lament that they are now defenceless without their king and hero.

JRR Tolkien took a special liking to this poem and wrote one of the more understandable translations of it into modern English. He also was one of the chief proponents that it was, in fact, written in the 8th century and the references to pagan culture are genuine.

Answer: Aging

Gerontology is a multidisciplinary study of aging and the effects of getting older. It involves the physical aspect of aging, like what happens to your body as the years go by, but also the cognitive aspect of how your mind changes, the psychology of aging, and, lately, the social and cultural aspects as well.

Throughout history, many physicians have studied the effect of age on our bodies. Such diseases and ailments like Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, heart attacks and strokes have always been associated with the elderly, but medicine sought to find out why. With the advancement of medicine as well as the increased longevity of the world's population, the field of gerontology has grown in the past few decades.

Answer: Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist whose work with hypnosis as a treatment and the causes and treatments for hysteria was, at the time, cutting edge and revolutionary. This earned him the moniker "the Napoleon of the neuroses", as well as "the founder of modern neurology".

Charcot was a leading researcher into diseases like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, and many others. His work with hysteria and hypnosis, and the relationship between them was forward-thinking, and he was the first to publicly state that hysteria was not only found in females. He also incorporated the arts in his treatments, opening the path for art therapy as a remedy.

Answer: Persephone

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. When Hades wanted to marry her, he asked Zeus who gave his approval to abduct her. Persephone's abduction and trip to the Underworld gave the explanations for seasons since she is also an agricultural deity like her mother. When portrayed, she is usually depicted wearing a robe and carrying a sheaf of wheat.

The story of Persephone's abduction is probably the best-known story about her. Hades carried her off to the Underworld and confined her, and gave her food and drink to satisfy her. However, she knew that if she ate the food of the Underworld, she would be confined there forever. As Demeter negotiated for Persephone's release, she was tempted by a pomegranate and ate six seeds. When Persephone was sent back up, she was told that she had to stay in the Underworld for six months a year, one for each seed that she ate. When Persephone goes to the Underworld, that's when the Earth becomes cold and harsh, and this is winter. When she is up top in the world, that is when summer happens.

Answer: Liver

The liver is the heaviest internal organ in your body and it is responsible for over 500 functions in the body. One of the most important functions of the liver is that it cleans the body of unwanted substances, and acts as a filter of sorts for the blood. It also creates bile, a substance that helps in the breakdown of fats in the body. Because of its complexity, it is currently impossible to create an 'artificial liver' that can do all the things a real liver can do, so, for someone with irreversible liver failure, the only option is a transplant.

Luckily, the liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself. Studies have shown that as little as one quarter of a working liver can regrow into a full liver. This is why living liver donors do not put themselves at any risk, since the portion of the liver that they donate will grow back, given proper diet, rest, and nutrition.

Answer: George Washington

The Battle of Yorktown occurred from the end of September to the middle of October 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia. The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, was supported by the French, commanded by the Marquis de Lafayette. They faced off against the British garrisoned at Yorktown, led by General Charles Lord Cornwallis. The end result was the capture of the British forces and their surrender. This prompted the British crown to negotiate the official end of the war and to recognize the legitimacy of the United States as an independent country.

The battle itself was essentially a siege. Outnumbered and unable to retreat due to poor weather conditions, the British found themselves overwhelmed and with poor morale. The British commander, Cornwallis, realized the futility of his situation. Cornwallis sent over negotiators under a white flag. He himself, however, was notoriously absent from the actual surrender ceremony on the field of battle.

Answer: Stonewall

Thomas Jackson was an American from Virginia who graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1846. He participated in the Mexican-American war where he first served with Robert E. Lee. After an uninspired teaching stint at West Point, Jackson was caught up in the events that led to the United States Civil War. As a Virginian, he joined the Confederate Army and distinguished himself greatly.

In the First Battle of Bull Run, Jackson commanded a brigade and, when faced with a large Union attack, refused to give an inch. He successfully defended his position and a fellow general, Barnard Elliott Bee Jr., likened him to a "stone wall". The name stuck and he began to be called "Stonewall" Jackson. He was a brilliant general known for his tactics. However, he was ironically shot by friendly fire after a day of battle at Chancellorsville. His arm had to be amputated and General Jackson died from infection and pneumonia eight days later.

Answer: Friendship 7

Alan Shepard, the first American in space, got the opportunity to name his spacecraft and chose the name 'Freedom 7', the number because it was Mercury capsule #7. However, since there were seven astronauts in the Mercury program, the '7' was included in all subsequent spacecraft names. The second American in space, Gus Grissom, chose 'Liberty Bell 7' as the name for his craft, and the third American in space, John Glenn, chose 'Friendship 7'.

John Glenn was the only member of the US Marine Corps to be chosen for the Mercury program. He was also the oldest of the seven astronauts, and, interestingly, he was the last to pass away, in 2016. He was a Korean War veteran and a test pilot before he was an astronaut, and a politician after his space career (he became a Senator for Ohio).

Answer: Icarus

Daedalus was an architect and craftsman who was commissioned by King Minos of Crete to build a labyrinth. His wife's son was the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull monster with a temper and an appetite for human flesh. The Minotaur was to be placed at the center of the labyrinth and Athenians were to send seven Athenian youths and seven maidens every few years as a sacrifice for the Minotaur. The Minotaur's tale is a story of another time.

Daedalus fell out of favour with King Minos because he provided Ariadne, Minos' daughter, with a ball of yarn that she gave to Theseus when he was placed in the labyrinth. He was imprisoned along with his son, Icarus, and longed for his freedom. Eventually, he managed to fashion two sets of wings for himself and his son to fly out of the prison window and all the way across the sea to their freedom.

Before escaping, he gave his son an explicit warning: "don't fly too close to the sun because your wings will melt!" Unfortunately, Icarus did not heed his father's warning and the heat from the sun began to melt the wax of his wings. He plummeted into the sea and drowned.

Answer: Fez

The fez is a short, felt-covered, cylindrical hat that is traditionally red in colour. It may also have a tassel on the top of the hat. The name of the hat likely comes from the Moroccan city of Fez, from where the red colouring comes; a crimson berry is used to generate the rich red dye that the fez is known for.

The fez gained popularity in Turkey in the 19th century. It was seen as an airy and lighter alternative to wearing a turban, important in the warm climate of Turkey. It quickly spread to the region and from there, became a piece of smoking attire in some American circles.