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Burning the Stone Trivia Quiz

"Burning the Stone" was the quiz title handed to me for the Author's Lounge Commission 46 - Sports! I decided to research this and other seemingly "impossible acts" and this is what I came up with. I hope that you have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by lonely-lady. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
lonely-lady

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
386,767

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
660

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Burning the stone, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it? Hint

in a parliamentary debate

on the moon

in the sport of curling

in the Bible

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Set fire to the rain, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it? Hint

a quote by Mark Twain

in the Pacific Ocean

a song title by Adele

a quote by William Shakespeare

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. When pigs fly, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it? Hint

the Roslin Institute (where Dolly the sheep was cloned)

on a Pink Floyd album cover

Madagascar

Disneyland

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Many things once considered impossible have happened eventually. Which impossible thing happened on 6th May, 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford? Hint

first time the mile was run in under four minutes

first time a long jumper went over twenty seven feet

first time a high jumper went over seven feet

first time a marathon was run under two hours and fifteen minutes

5. Many things once considered impossible have happened eventually. What did British mathematician and physicist Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) say was impossible, only to be proved wrong before he died? Hint

a man walking on the moon

heavier than air flying machines

cooking by microwaves

splitting an atom

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Question 6 of 10

6. Back in the nineteenth century, what form of transport was supposedly considered to be impossible because it was stated that passengers would die of suffocation?

Hint

high speed trains

space ships

submarines

underground trains

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. My friend John told me that he has to "Pay through the nose" for his heating repairs, but that is impossible I thought. What did he really mean? Hint

pay a huge deposit up front and a retainer fee afterwards

the service man had an offensive body odour

pay a higher than usual price for the work

he had to promise to have an annual service

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. When hell freezes over, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it? Hint

California, USA

Norway, Europe

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

on the moon

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. This one is personal. When I was a little girl in England back in the 1960s, I wanted to be a train driver when I grew up, but I was told that it was impossible. Why was that? Hint

it was a closed shop IE you had to be related to a train driver

trains were being fully automated

it was a male only profession

I was not tall enough

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. For my final question I am going to give you a quote by an author. Can you tell me which one, please? "If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?" Hint

Mark Twain

F. Scott Fitzgerald

William Shakespeare

Douglas Adams

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Burning the stone, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it?

Answer: in the sport of curling

The sport of curling involves sending heavy stones down a length of ice. Team members armed with brooms go ahead of the stone and try to make as smooth a passage as possible. "Burning the stone" is when a broom touches the stone, which is against the rules.

2. Set fire to the rain, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it?

Answer: a song title by Adele

Adele (born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in 1988) and her producer, Fraser T Smith, wrote this song and it was the first single released from "21", Adele's third album. It is about the differing and often opposite components that make up a relationship.

3. When pigs fly, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it?

Answer: on a Pink Floyd album cover

Released in 1977, "Animals" was the tenth studio album by the British rock band, Pink Floyd. The album cover picture showed a pig flying between two of the towers of Battersea power station in London.

4. Many things once considered impossible have happened eventually. Which impossible thing happened on 6th May, 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford?

Answer: first time the mile was run in under four minutes

Roger Bannister (born 1929) took up running aged 17 as a medical student at Oxford. He was inspired by Sydney Wooderson who set the World record for the mile in 1937. After the war, Wooderson continued running and kept lowering his time, but never managed to regain the record. Bannister's record only lasted a short time, but he was the first ever to do so.

Charles Dumas (1937 - 2004) was the first high jumper to hold the World Record at over seven feet on 29th June, 1956 in Los Angeles.

Ralph Boston (born 1939) was an outstanding long jumper, but he did not manage to break the twenty seven feet barrier until May 27th, 1961 at the Modesto Relays.

Buddy Edelen (1937 - 1997) was an American based in UK. He did not break the two hours fifteen minutes barrier until June 15th, 1963 running from Windsor to Chiswick.

Answer: heavier than air flying machines

Lord Kelvin's temperature scale was based on the activity of atoms. Rutherford did not conduct his experiments that led to the splitting of the atom until 1917. Microwave ovens were not invented and man did not walk on the moon until the 20th century.

6. Back in the nineteenth century, what form of transport was supposedly considered to be impossible because it was stated that passengers would die of suffocation?

Answer: high speed trains

A thorough search of the internet will find this supposition attributed to Dionysius Lardner (1793 - 1859) an Irish born writer and lecturer on science and mathematics. He was considered to be an authority on his subjects and this lead him to several disputes with the famous engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Whether he did or did not make the statement is impossible to prove over a century and a half after his death, but boy was it wrong!

7. My friend John told me that he has to "Pay through the nose" for his heating repairs, but that is impossible I thought. What did he really mean?

Answer: pay a higher than usual price for the work

There are many explanations about the origin of this phrase. According to Neatorama.com, the expression originated in Ireland when the Danes invaded. A count of noses was done and a tax imposed per nose. The fine for non-payment being the slitting of said nose.

8. When hell freezes over, that is impossible I thought. There is one exception though, where would you find it?

Answer: Norway, Europe

Although there are places named Hell in all four of the answers, the village in Norway is the only one where the temperature plummets sufficiently for the place to completely freeze over. The winter temperature can drop to to −25 �C (−13 �F).

9. This one is personal. When I was a little girl in England back in the 1960s, I wanted to be a train driver when I grew up, but I was told that it was impossible. Why was that?

Answer: it was a male only profession

Until the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975, many jobs were denied to one of the sexes. This mainly affected females. Change did not happen overnight, but if either of my daughters decides to become a train driver, the way is now open for them.

It has been pointed out to me that there are height restrictions for train drivers. As a child though, my eventual height was not known, but I did eventually reach the average for females.

Answer: Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001) obviously believed in doing the impossible! He wrote the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, a trilogy in Five parts. "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" was the second book of the series.

Source: Author lonely-lady

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Related Quizzes

This quiz is part of series LL's Commission Quizzes:

These are quizzes written for Author's Lounge Commissions where I was handed a title.

  1. Getting Lazy With "Z" Easier
  2. What's Next? Average
  3. Meat Pie and Tomato Sauce Very Easy
  4. Burning the Stone Average
  5. Safe and Sound Very Easy

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