Celebrated Rats Quiz | Thematic Animals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The animated film "Ratatouille" (Disney/Pixar, 2007) featured a young country rat who dreams of becoming a famous chef in Paris. What was his name?

Answer: Remy

As Linguini says, "Ratatouille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie." Rat-patootie, which does not sound delicious."

2. Perhaps at the risk of becoming typecast, which of these versatile performers is both Roddy St James, the upper crust animated rat of "Flushed Away," and an Xceptional member of the weasel family in several action films?

Answer: Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)

Ok, so the rat connection might be a little strained, but work with me for the sake of the quiz. :)

Roger is a rabbit and Timon a meerkat, so they're out. Pepe is a skunk, and Wolverine is, well, a wolverine - both of which are members of the weasel family. The added clue is in the deliberately misspelled adjective "Xceptional"- relative to the X-Men characters - which rules out Pepe.

Wolverine's catchphrase: "I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do isn't very nice." Charming!

3. Which legendary screen tough-guy is forever associated with this famous "rat" line that he never actually uttered: "You dirty rat. You're the dirty rat that killed my brother!"

Answer: James Cagney

The movie was "Taxi" (1932), and the actual line was, "Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!"

Warren, Doug; Cagney, James (1986). Cagney: The Authorized Biography, p.209

The phrase is most often cited as "MMMmmm, you dirty rat... (etc)" which became a trademark Cagneyism despite never being used in the film.

4. Despite his name and a common misconception about his "family," here's a celebrated 'rat' who is not what you might think. 'Ratty' from Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows" is which of the following creatures?

Answer: Water Vole

Badger and Mole are "Wind in the Willows" characters in their own right. The ferret clue is just a ring-in.

Water Voles are often mistaken for large rats. Personally, I think they're way too cute for that! In reality, Voles are semi-aquatic mammals and one of Britain's most threatened native animals.

5. Among the major characters in "Charlotte's Web" (E.B. White, 1952) is a self-serving rat with a voracious appetite. Despite these rather unappealing qualities, his name has more altruistic associations. Who is this particular rodent?

Answer: Templeton

Templeton was beautifully voiced in the 1973 Hanna-Barbera animated film of the same name by comedian Paul Lynde, who also played the role of Uncle Arthur on "Bewitched."

"Charlotte's Web" is a wonderful story which focuses on an unlikely relationship between a spider, a pig, and a collection of other farmyard animals - including our rat, Templeton. Amazingly, it works! Some might even say it's "terrific!"

6. The famous Hollywood Rat Pack of the mid-60s was well known for including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Peter Lawford. Who was the fifth male member of the group?

Answer: Joey Bishop

The group originally centred on Humphrey Bogart in the 50s, and for a time included Norman Fell and 'visiting' members Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney and Cesar Romero.

There was also a contingent of high profile actresses, somewhat condescendingly referred to as the "Rat Pack Mascots."

7. You may know the names of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but what's the name of their mutant rat instructor?

Answer: Master Splinter

Living in the sewers of New York, Splinter and the four turtles were mutated by a canister of radioactive slime. And, in case you've forgotten, the TMNTs were Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo.

8. Perhaps not surprisingly, not all celebrated rats are cute and loveable. The horror movie "Willard" (1971), starring Ernest Borgnine and Bruce Davison, featured an eccentric young man with a strange obsession with rats. What was the classical name of his favourite white rat?

Answer: Socrates

Unfortunately, Socrates meets a rather grisly finish, which leads Willard to train his other rats towards murderous revenge.

The original movie led to a 1972 sequel in "Ben." Not generally regarded as a masterpiece of cinematography, its main claim to fame lies in the Golden Globe award winning title song by Michael Jackson.

9. As reported in Variety magazine in August 1994, which of the following television series has had an episode entitled "Basil the Rat" adapted for the stage?

Answer: Fawlty Towers

For the uninitiated, Fawlty Towers was a classic British TV sitcom starring John Cleese as hotel owner Basil Fawlty. When the Health Inspector pays a visit, and a pet rat finds its way into the hotel kitchen, the result is comic chaos and pure Cleese genius.

10. Of an incredibly vast array of celebrated, super, giant or mutant rats, which of the following is the odd man out?

Answer: Megawatt

There is a Megavolt (from the series "Darkwing Duck"), but no Megawatt as far as I can determine.

Nicodemus features in Robert C O'Brien's book "Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" [NIMH being an abbreviation for the National Institute of Mental Health].

Prof Ratigan is the chief villain in "The Great Mouse Detective," and Raticus is a rat-monkey character created by Peter Jackson for his 1992 horror/comedy "Braindead."

Source: Author Dreamcoat

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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