A Quiz Called Alice

Answer: Dogbert

Alice has a bit of a short fuse and is liable to explode in some very violent ways should you brush her up the wrong way. Other characters include Wally, who is an expert at doing nothing, and Asok, who does things so well that he gets inundated with loads of extra work.

Answer: Charles Darwin

Ayers Rock seems to have become a haven for disrespectful behaviour towards native tribes. As if people crawling all over it wasn't enough, one individual decided that it was a good place to get naked! Cue threats of legal action, and some very unhappy aborigines.

Answer: 1547-1553

Edward VI didn't last very long because he was quite a sickly creature. His early death meant that "Bloody" Mary got to sit on the throne for five years.

Edward VII only had a short reign because Queen Victoria's lasted for 64 years prior to him. He was succeeded by George V.

Answer: Beer

"The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" became Gertrude Stein's best-selling book. Toklas herself authored a cookbook containing a recipe that included cannabis as a potential ingredient--not that I suggest anybody try concocting this!

Answer: New Moon

I was watching the "New Moon" film and became enthralled at the scene in the Italian hill town. The setting is supposed to be Volterra, but they actually filmed the scenes in the lesser-known Montepulciano. My only experience of these Siennese hill towns was seeing Siena, which is a beautiful place known for hosting the Palio, a bare-backed horse race around the Piazza del Campo.

Answer: Heliotrope

With Helios being the God of the Sun in Greek mythology, I always imagined that heliotrope would be yellow. Helios had a habit of causing trouble, as he was also the God depicted in the Colossus of Rhodes, rather than the more obvious Apollo.

Answer: Stanley Tucci

I was expecting good things from the director of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but I loathe this film with a passion. Personal grievances aside, Stanley Tucci also popped up in "Julie and Julia" as Julia Child's husband.

Answer: Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Terrorvision is my all time favourite band. The band's tour de force is probably the album "How to Make Friends and Influence People". "Alice, What's the Matter?" was the opening track, and was supported by classics such as "Oblivion", "Discotheque Wreck" and "Pretend Best Friend".

Their highest chart position in the UK was number two with "Tequila", although the real credit for that success has to go to whoever created the re-mix. The version on "Shaving Peaches" is noticeably different.

Answer: Milwaukee

In the movie, Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar have VIP passes at the gig, and go backstage to meet Alice once he has finished performing. Instead of the expected trashed dressing room, Alice demonstrates his high intellect by providing a few interesting tidbits about Milwaukee. As Wayne and Garth are clearly out of their depth, they fall to the floor and shout "We're not worthy!"

Answer: Mauritius

Everybody has heard of the Dodo, but how many have heard of the Rodrigues Solitaire? The Solitaire was a bird from the island of Rodrigues in Mauritius that is thought to have become extinct in the first half of the 18th century. Equally deserving of the spotlight as the Dodo, it gets a pittance of the coverage. I guess, "As dead as a Rodrigues Solitaire", doesn't quite roll off the tongue!