A RAsh of RAndom Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer: U2

Produced by Jimmy Iovine, "Rattle and Hum" was U2's sixth studio album, released in October 1988 - one and a half years after their breakthrough album, "The Joshua Tree". Phil Joanou directed the companion rockumentary film, released a few weeks after the album. Originally a double LP, "Rattle and Hum" includes live performances recorded during U2's hugely successful "The Joshua Tree Tour" (1987), and a number of new studio tracks, some of which feature prestigious guests, such as B.B. King (on the single "When Love Come to Town"), Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, and the gospel choir The New Voices of Freedom. The music on "Rattle and Hum" is influenced by traditional American music genres such as folk, blues, and gospel. As the album was also meant to be a tribute to rock legends, the track list includes cover versions of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower".

Critical reception of both album and film was somewhat mixed: in spite of that, the album was a commercial success, reaching number one on the charts in the US, UK, and Australia.

Answer: penguin

Ratites belong to the clade Palaeognathae, a natural group that includes living and extinct species of flightless birds, as well as the flighted but mainly ground-dwelling tinamous. These birds are characterized by the lack of a keel, or carina - the extension of the sternum to which the wing muscles of flighted birds are anchored. In fact, the name "ratite" comes from the Latin "ratis", meaning "raft" - because, like a raft, they have no keel. Most ratites are large and long-legged, the sole exception being the kiwi, which is small, shorter-legged, and nocturnal. The world's largest extant bird species - the ostrich, the emu, and the cassowary - are all ratites. Two extinct ratite species, the moa of New Zealand, and the elephant bird of Madagascar, were among the largest birds ever known.

Though flightless, the various species of penguin belong to the clade Neognathae, which includes the vast majority of living birds. The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is also one of the largest living birds: though shorter than the larger ratites, it is often heavier than a rhea (a ratite that lives in South America). Penguins do have wings: however, they have evolved into flippers, very effective for swimming, but useless for flying.

Answer: rattan

Rattan is the name given to about 600 species of climbing palms of the subfamily Calamoideae, native to the tropical forests of the Old World (particularly Southeast Asia). These plants, economically important for their use in the making of various wickerwork products, are for the most part harvested in the wild - which helps to protect the increasingly threatened environment of these forests by providing a profitable, easy to harvest alternative to timber logging. Known in the past as Manila or Malacca cane, cleaned rattan stems resemble bamboo, though they are not hollow. Flexible and lightweight, rattan is popular for both indoor and outdoor furniture; one of its most distinctive uses is the pattern known as "Wiener Geflecht" (Viennese Braiding), found in chairs produced in the 19th and early 20th century in the Austrian capital. Rattan is also employed for many other purposes, such as the making of polo mallets, staves for martial arts, mallets for percussion instruments, and also the canes used for corporal punishment in some parts of Asia.

A ramekin is a small baking dish, while a ravine is a deep, narrow gorge with steep sides, and radicchio is a variety of chicory with red and white leaves.

Answer: Pakistan

Located in the densely populated province of Punjab, in eastern Pakistan, Rawalpindi is very close to Islamabad, the planned city that has been the country's capital since 14 August 1967. In fact, the two cities have such strong social and economic connections that they are known as the "twin cities", and their joint metropolitan area is one of the largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4 million. Founded in the Middle Ages, Rawalpindi lies on the Pothwar Plateau in north-eastern Pakistan, a region inhabited for thousands of years, known for its many historical sites such as the ancient town of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first capital of Pakistan after independence was Karachi, a major seaport that is also the country's largest city and chief business and financial centre. The shift from Karachi to Islamabad was decided when Pakistan was under military rule, because of the new capital's central location; Rawalpindi was chosen as interim capital because it the Pakistan Army was (and still is) headquartered there. Present-day Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation hub, connected to Islamabad by a rapid transit bus service employed every day by government workers.

Answer: The Three Musketeers

The word "rapier" probably comes from the Spanish "espada ropera" (meaning "dress sword"); the weapon itself is believed to be of Spanish origin. In spite of its somewhat frivolous name, the rapier was not just a fashion accessory. With its thin, double-edged, sharply pointed blade and elaborate protective hilt, it was a single-handed, thrusting weapon primarily used for duelling. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the rapier became fashionable with the noble and wealthy classes; though used mostly by civilians, it was also carried as side arm by military officers - such as the Kings' Musketeers in Alexandre Dumas' famous 1844 novel, "The Three Musketeers", set in 17th-century France. A faithful reproduction of a 17th-century rapier is wielded by fencing master Inigo Montoya (played by Mandy Patinkin) in Rob Reiner's cult 1987 film, "The Princess Bride".

None of the novels listed as wrong answers are set in the historical period in which rapiers were commonly used.

Answer: banana

The main source of radioactivity in bananas is K-40, an unstable isotope of potassium. However, K-40 has a half-life of 1.3 billion years, which is nothing compared to highly unstable isotopes of elements such as radium, polonium, or uranium. The informal measurement of the dose of radiation one is exposed to when eating a banana is called Banana Equivalent Dose (BED). Eating an average-sized banana corresponds to 100 BED, or 1% of the average daily exposure to radiation: in order to receive a lethal dose of radiation (about 35,000,000 BED), one would have to consume one billion bananas in one sitting. There is also no risk involved in eating bananas regularly, because any excess of potassium is excreted from the body to maintain homeostasis, thus avoiding any possible radiation buildup. However, a cargo of bananas passing through a Radiation Portal Monitor (a device installed at US ports following the 9/11 attacks to detect smuggling of nuclear material) can trigger a false alarm.

Potassium-rich foods such as potatoes, kidney beans, and Brazil nuts also contain K-40; Brazil nuts also contain small amounts of radium.

Answer: squirrel

The squirrel Ratatoskr (probably meaning "drill-tooth" in Old Norse) is mentioned in both the "Poetic Edda" (compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources) and the "Prose Edda" (written by Snorri Sturluson, also in the 13th century). Its role in Norse mythology is to carry messages between the unnamed eagle perched on top of the gigantic ash tree Yggdrasil, the centre of the cosmos, and the dragon Niðhöggr, who lives beneath one of the tree's three roots. In the "Prose Edda", Ratatoskr is depicted as somewhat of a troublemaker, stirring the animosity between the eagle and the dragon by carrying "slanderous gossip". According to some scholars, Ratatoskr's actions add to the damage inflicted to the tree by the dragon gnawing at its roots and four stags that consume the tree's highest boughs. The character of Ratatoskr was probably inspired by the habits of European red squirrels, which abound in Scandinavia.

Ratatoskr is featured in the 2018 video game "God of War", based on Greek and Norse mythology. In the game, Ratatoskr is a foul-mouthed, ghostly squirrel that can be summoned to bring healing items.

Answer: drink it

Ratafia is a kind of sweet, fruit-based liqueur produced primarily in Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Poland. Its name is believed to come from the Latin phrase "(pacta) rata fiat", meaning "let the deal be sealed", as the liqueur was drunk after the successful conclusion of a business transaction. In Italy, various kinds of ratafia are produced, often also at home: in the Italian regions of Abruzzo and Molise, ratafia is made with sour cherries macerated in sugar and red wine, while in Piedmont an infusion of alcohol and cherry stones is added to the macerated fruit. In France, on the other hand, Ratafia de Champagne is fortified grape must, while other kinds of ratafia are more similar to the Italian ones.

The popular Italian liqueur Amaretto, made with sweet and bitter almonds, is also a kind of ratafia. In the UK, almond macaroons similar to the Italian "amaretti" are called ratafias, while ratafia essence is a flavouring made from bitter almond extract.

Answer: Shine

Directed by Scott Hicks, "Shine" (1996) is based on the life of Australian concert pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a major mental breakdown after his winning performance of Rachmaninov's extremely demanding 3rd Piano Concerto (also known as "Rach 3") at a competition in London. After his breakdown, Helfgott spent many years in various institutions, but then was able to return to playing music professionally. At the 69th Academy Awards in March 1977, Australian actor Geoffrey Rush won the Best Actor Award for his performance in the lead role. The film also stars German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl as Helfgott's father, Lynn Redgrave as his future wife, Gillian, and John Gielgud as his teacher, Dr Cecil Parkes.

Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto was composed in the summer of 1909, and premiered later in the same year in New York, with the composer as a soloist accompanied by the New York Symphony Society.

Answer: buttercup

The name "ranunculus" means "little frog" in Latin - a likely reference to the fact that these plants often grow near water. Native to the Northern Hemisphere, these herbaceous plants are found in both wild and cultivated form. The most common species of buttercup, Ranunculus repens (the creeping buttercup), often grows as a weed in ornamental gardens, and is very difficult to eradicate. Buttercups are characterized by petals with a shiny, reflective surface, which attracts pollinating insects.

In the past, it was believed that butter got its yellow colour from cows that ate buttercups when grazing. This was, however, a false belief, as buttercups are poisonous to livestock if eaten fresh: animals will only eat them if there is nothing else available because these plants have an unpleasantly acrid taste, and also cause blistering of the mouth.