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A Whiff of Scandal Trivia Quiz

Welcome to the world of 'digging the dirt', a wry look at some of the scandals which have been in the public eye in the last 100 years. Enjoy my humble offering.

A multiple-choice quiz by fiachra. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
fiachra

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
275,292

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
541

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The world of sports is no stranger to scandal. With which sport do you associate Robert Hoyzer? Hint

Swimming

Dog Racing

Horse Racing

Football

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Question 2 of 10

2. Liberace sued which British newspaper for describing him as; 'a chromium-plated, scent impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice covered heap of mother love'. Hint

Daily Mail

Daily Mirror

Star

Observer

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Question 3 of 10

3. What action was taken by the Japanese government in 1914 when it was discovered that Siemens were giving kickbacks to the Japanese Navy? Hint

All of these

They stopped the payments

Government officials resigned

The Prime Minister resigned

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which two countries were involved in the Osirak scandal in 1975? Hint

Japan and Korea

France and Iraq

Germany and Iran

India and USA

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Question 5 of 10

5. What sport was involved in the Festina scandal of 1998? Hint

Boxing

Cycling

Swimming

Skiing

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Question 6 of 10

6. In what country did the Munsinger Affair take place in 1963? Hint

Canada

Netherlands

Poland

USA

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which British Prime Minister, made a small fortune selling titles to enable entry into the House of Lords? Hint

Lloyd George

Winston Churchill

Harold MacMillan

Stanley Baldwin

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Question 8 of 10

8. Can you name the drama which caused such a scandalous furore in Dublin in 1929 resulting in Sean O'Casey leaving both the Abbey Theatre and Ireland? Hint

The Silver Tassie

Juno and the Paycock

The Plough and the Stars

The Drums of Father Ned

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. 'If I do not go into the pulpit this weekend millions of people will go to hell'. Which televangelist spoke these words? Hint

Marvin Gorman

Jim Swaggart

Peter Popoff

Jim Bakker

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which German sports icon was fined for tax evasion in 2002? Hint

Steffi Graf

Boris Becker

Oliver Kahn

Jan Ulrich

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The world of sports is no stranger to scandal. With which sport do you associate Robert Hoyzer?

Answer: Football

He was a referee who was found guilty of fixing matches by sending off players and giving dodgy penalties. He was sentenced to two years in prison for this. The ensuing investigation showed that he was not alone in match fixing.

2. Liberace sued which British newspaper for describing him as; 'a chromium-plated, scent impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice covered heap of mother love'.

Answer: Daily Mirror

This happened back in 1959. Liberace won �8,000 in damages, a lot at that time. His reply was 'I cried all the way to the bank'.

3. What action was taken by the Japanese government in 1914 when it was discovered that Siemens were giving kickbacks to the Japanese Navy?

Answer: All of these

The Japanese Navy was expanding rapidly and Siemens had a virtual monopoly supplying war ships etc. They paid a 15% kickback to the procurement personnel. A British business rival, Vickers, made this known to the public. The scandal snowballed from there.

4. Which two countries were involved in the Osirak scandal in 1975?

Answer: France and Iraq

The sale of a nuclear reactor, called Osirak, was part of an oil deal brokered between French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac and Saddam Hussein. It was widely believed that this reactor had the potential to develop nuclear weapons. It was bombed by Israel in 1981 before it could become operational.

5. What sport was involved in the Festina scandal of 1998?

Answer: Cycling

The Festina team were excluded from the Tour de France because one of the team cars was found to contain performance enhancing drugs. Later when interviewed, the director admitted that cyclists were routinely given such drugs. Six teams withdrew from the event in protest. Ironically one of these, the Dutch team TVM, were being questioned by the police at the time for drug infringement.

6. In what country did the Munsinger Affair take place in 1963?

Answer: Canada

This is regarded as Canada's first national political scandal. It involved the revelation that Gerda Munsinger, a Soviet spy living in Ottawa, had slept with a number of government ministers in John Diefenbaker's government.

7. Which British Prime Minister, made a small fortune selling titles to enable entry into the House of Lords?

Answer: Lloyd George

Lloyd George had no love for the House of Lords and once described that institution as '500 men chosen at random from the ranks of the unemployed'. Between 1917 and 1922 he amassed �1.5m. (Observer Scandal) selling honours/titles to enable entry.

8. Can you name the drama which caused such a scandalous furore in Dublin in 1929 resulting in Sean O'Casey leaving both the Abbey Theatre and Ireland?

Answer: The Silver Tassie

O'Casy was already being criticised by Irish audiences for questioning the 1916 Rising and its benefits to the ordinary citizen. 'The Silver Tassie' dealt with Irishmen who had fought in WW1. Ireland was not ready to accept that any citizen who had fought in WW1 was an Irishman. So in a mood of creative self destruction and, helped by no less a figure than W.B.Yeats, a great playwright was lost.

9. 'If I do not go into the pulpit this weekend millions of people will go to hell'. Which televangelist spoke these words?

Answer: Jim Swaggart

In 1988, Gorman and Bakker's sexual indiscretions were exposed by Swaggart. In a move worthy of Hollywood, a private detective was hired to follow Swaggart and photos were taken of his encounter. Swaggart appeared on TV tearfully, 'I have sinned.' In 1991, he was 'caught' a second time, but this time there was no public breast beating.

10. Which German sports icon was fined for tax evasion in 2002?

Answer: Boris Becker

Scandal has dogged Becker's private life. He had claimed to be living in Monte Carlo during the '90s, but had really been living in Germany. He was fined $500,000, had to pay court expenses and was put on probation for two years.

Sources: The Book of Scandal, freebie from 'The Observer' newspaper.
A very extensive Internet trawl.

Source: Author fiachra

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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