Cool Zooms, Part LII Trivia Quiz

Answer: 'The Gift'/'The Vegetarians of Love'

When Ultravox took a break in 1985, Midge Ure took the opportunity to craft a solo album. 'The Gift', his debut album, peaked at number two on the UK album charts and featured Ure's only number one single in the United Kingdom, 'If I Was'. Five of the tracks were written in partnership with Daniel Mitchell, with whom Ure had previously worked, writing the track 'Wastelands' for the band Modern Man in 1980. 'The Vegetarians of Love' was Geldof's second solo album and it was released in 1990. It featured the notable singles 'The Great Song of Indifference' and 'Love or Something'. The latter featured David Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) as a co-writer. Interestingly, Daniel (Danny) Mitchell, who'd worked with Midge Ure on 'The Gift', also features as a co-writer on two tracks here.

'I Got a Name' is a 1973 album by Jim Croce, 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns' is by Joni Mitchell (1975), 'Full Moon Fever' is Tom Petty's 1989 solo album and 'Planet Waves' was a 1974 album from Bob Dylan. The remaining pair of albums were from bands that Geldof and Ure were lead singers for; 'The Fine Art of Surfacing' (1979) was from the Boomtown Rats and 'Quartet' (1982) was by Ultravox.

This question was gifted by Phoenix Rising's non-vegetarian pollucci19, and inspired by Cool Zooms XLI.

Answer: The Birds

Daphne du Maurier penned both the short story 'The Birds' and the novel 'Jamaica Inn' which was the last movie Hitchcock made before he moved to the United States. Her original short story took place in Cornwall, where she was from, while the movie was set in Bodega Bay, California. 'Rope' was based on a play of the same name by Patrick Hamilton and 'Frenzy' was based on the 1966 novel 'Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square' by Arthur La Bern.

The inspiration for this question was Zoom XXII with Hitchcock movies the theme.

This question was pecked at by Phoenix Rising team member TAKROM until all the ducks lined up in a row.

Answer: Alabama 52 Ohio State 24

The two sides had met on four occasions previously, all playoffs but never the championship. Alabama won on three occasions and Ohio State once. When they met for the 2020 Championship in Miami on January 11, 2021, Alabama achieved a record championship score of 52-24. Ohio State won the inaugural Championship final (in this format) in 2014 when they were the number 4 seed, defeating second seeded Oregon 42-20. Alabama won in 2015 when they defeated Clemson 45-40 and again in 2017 when they beat Georgia 26-23. They were also runners-up in 2016 and 2018.

This question references Zoom XXIII which had Ohio as a theme.

This question was snapped into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member JAM6430 who isn't the only Alabama fan on the team. Roll Tide!

Answer: British comedic actor

Charles Hawtrey, born George Frederick Joffre Hartree, (1914-1988) was a British singer and radio actor who found fame with the 'Carry On' franchise of comedy films headed by Sid James.

'Two of Us' is a pretty, acoustic guitar driven song written and sung by Mr. McCartney in the main with harmonies and background vocals by Mr. Lennon (singing together at this stage of their career was not common). The 'two of us' in the song were not the John and Paul you might expect but Paul and his partner Linda who would drive off together into nowhere and get lost. There is a reference to 'chasing paper' which has been speculated that it's a nod to the contractual problems that Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney were going through at the time. The spoken part at the beginning of the song has been over-analysed but that bit of improvisation was 'just' typical John Lennon banter. More of this sort of commentary should have been included into the final versions of their recorded songs. Pity.

This question was inspired by the theme of Zoom XXVII - Beatles songs.

Question submitted by Phoenix Rising team member and Beatles' songs over-analyser 1nn1.

Answer: King Charles I's death warrant

Fifty-nine signatures and the accompanying seals adorn the death warrant of Charles I, handwritten in iron gall ink on parchment. He was tried and eventually executed by beheading on 30th January 1649, leading to the rule of Oliver Cromwell. Following the Restoration in 1660, this document was used to identify 'the regicides' and the ones who were still alive were tried for treason. Those who were deceased, including Cromwell, were disinterred and their bodies hanged. The death warrant is in the custody of Parliament and a copy hangs in the Monarch's robing room which is used for the State Opening of Parliament.

XLIX was based on Royalty.

Phoenix Rising's smpdit reflects that the people who govern us can be fairly passive aggressive in their choice of décor.

Answer: Bent

Molecular geometry is the term used to describe the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a molecule. In water, the oxygen atom is central, with two hydrogen atoms bonded to it. It is often described as having a 'bent' shape, although terms also used are 'angular' or 'V-shaped'. The H-O-H angle formed by the three atoms is 104.45°.

Of the other answers, there are linear molecules such as carbon dioxide (CO2) where all the atoms are arranged in a straight line. Carbon dioxide is often depicted as O=C=O because each oxygen atom is joined to the central carbon atom by a double bond. Planar and trigonal tend to be used together, rather than separately, with boron trifluoride (BF3) being an exemplar of a trigonal planar molecule. In BF3, all four atoms lie in the same plane, with boron being central and the three fluorine atoms bonded to it forming a triangular shape. The bond angle in BF3 is 120°.

To explain the shapes of molecules, VSEPR ('Vesper') theory is used. Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory looks at the pairs of outer (valence) electrons around the molecule's central atom which repel one another. In water, the oxygen atom has four pairs of electrons surrounding it: if they repelled each other equally, they would form a tetrahedral shape with bond angles of 109.5°. But in water, two pairs are used for bonding the hydrogen atoms, while the other two unshared "lone" pairs are not. The bond pair and lone pair interactions cause the bond angle to be lower than expected.

Hydrogen bonding is the attraction of a hydrogen atom in one water molecule for the oxygen atom of another. Water's bent shape makes it polar and along with hydrogen bonding, causes its melting and boiling points to be higher than might otherwise be expected. Shapes of molecules are important because of their effect on a substance's physical and chemical properties.

Zoom XLIX provided the impetus for this one.

Phoenix Rising team member psnz pounded this question into shape before pouring it into the quiz with assistance from teammate MikeMaster99.

Answer: Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe started as a regional newspaper reporter in the 1950s before becoming one of the founders of New Journalism, a movement that incorporated literary techniques of storytelling into hard journalism. 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' chronicled the exploits of Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters as they traveled the US. It was a firsthand account of the group's adventures into a world where LSD is used to alter reality in an attempt to move beyond the confines of everyday life.

'The Right Stuff' portrays the historic events surrounding the early test pilots and astronauts of the American space program. Wolfe set out to understand what drove these men to take such chances and to risk their lives in the pursuit of space exploration. The book was made into a movie and a television series.

'Bonfire of the Vanities' is Wolfe's first true novel that seeks to depict the world of New York City in the 1980s as Wall Street prospers under the Reagan economic policies. It was originally written as a serial in the style of Charles Dickens and published in 27 installments in 'Rolling Stone' magazine starting in 1984. He rewrote it extensively before publishing it as a book in 1987. The book was also made into a movie.

We used a 'wolfie' theme in Zoom XLV.

This question was howled into existence by Phoenix Rising's own Wolfman, tazman6619.

Answer: Canned fish

Abba Seafood AB (previously Abba Ab) is a Swedish fish products company that was founded in Bergen in 1838. They registered the trademark name ABBA (AB Bröderna Ameln) in 1906. In 1974, before the group ABBA appeared on the Eurovision Song Contest, their manager Stig Anderson contacted Abba AB who granted the group the right to use the name. Swedish company Assa Abloy produces security locks, Essity makes baby products, and Electrolux manufactures household appliances.

Question was influenced by Zoom Quiz XXXVII, which has an ABBA theme.

This question was caught and packaged for the quiz by Phoenix Rising's leith90 who cannot sing, even while in the shower.

Answer: No decision

A no decision can also occur in the reverse direction if a starting pitcher is losing when he leaves but then his team later ends up winning as in this case a relief pitcher will be credited with the win. In Major League Baseball, if a starting pitcher does not complete at least five innings he is not eligible to get a win and thus can only receive a no decision or a loss. The first pitcher to record 20 no decisions in a season was Bert Blyleven who did so in 1979.

The sport of boxing had historically used the term 'no decision' in situations where a knockout had not been reached by a certain number of rounds and no winner was declared. This was done in an attempt to discourage gambling or injuries. After the 1950s though boxing matches that did not end in a knockout were decided by judges that awarded points throughout the match.

Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer made the decision to pitch this question into the quiz. Previously, Cool Zooms, Part XXXIV utilized boxing terms as a theme.

Answer: California spangled

The California spangled is a rare breed developed in the 1970s by a cat enthusiast named Paul Arnold Casey. Its creation is said to have been inspired by a trip Casey made to Africa with the famous anthropologist Louis Leakey and it was intentionally bred to look like a small leopard to raise awareness of the threat to wild cats from hunting and poaching. Apparently, California spangled cats make good family pets (unlike leopards) and are not renowned for their hunting ability. However, they probably would be tempted to try and catch any maranon pigeons, spectacled imperial pigeons, or southern crowned pigeons if they were set loose among a flock of them. The phrase 'cat among the pigeons' was also the title of an Agatha Christie novel featuring her famous detective Hercule Poirot.

Zoom XXXVI used the theme of 'Agatha Christie'.

This question was thrown into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81, who is fond of ducks and puffins but has a definite dislike of pigeons.

Answer: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

All four options are Canadian UNESCO sites but Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is included due to its important cultural heritage related to communal hunting. Located south of Calgary in southern Alberta, where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains, this site was used by the aboriginal peoples of the region for hunting of bison (buffalo). Bison were funneled down a 10 km 'chute' created by rock cairns erected on the prime grazing land and then they plunged over a 10-18 metre escarpment to die on the ground below. The practice has been dated back to around 5700 BCE and continued well into the 19th century CE. Large mounds of bones, up to 11m deep are at the base of the 'jump' and butchering camps are near by. The dramatic name of the location indicates how the hunting was successfully achieved with much lower risk to the hunters. Such hunting techniques were common across the northern Great Plains, but this site represents one of the best preserved examples.

Zoom XIV was all about Canada.

This question was herded into the quiz by MikeMaster99 who visited this site and its excellent interpretive center while living in Calgary for three years as a postdoctoral fellow.

Answer: A warship

In the movie, a US destroyer, nicknamed 'Greyhound', was lead ship in the HX-25 merchant ship convoy during the Battle of the Atlantic. Hanks played the ship's first-time wartime captain, Commander Krause. The screenplay was written by Hanks and based on the 1955 C. S. Forester novel, 'The Good Shepherd'.

Living in 'The 'Burbs' much of his life, Phoenix Rising's mike32768 knows when he 'Volunteers' to write a 'Big' question, he has to make a 'Splash'. Play Cool Zoom L to learn more about Tom Hanks.

Answer: Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn

'The Christmas Chronicles 2' was a 2020 movie which premiered via streaming on Netflix. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn played Mr and Mrs Claus. Kurt and Goldie have been a couple since the early 1980s. They have starred in several movies together over the years, such as 'Overboard' and 'Swing Shift'.

Merry Christmas, from Zoom XXXIII, and Phoenix Rising member jaknginger, who authored this question!

Answer: Alba

There is now a BBC Alba station that broadcasts in Scottish Gaelic. The moniker of Alba led to the duchy of Albany, which later lent its name to other places, including the capital of the US state of New York. The other choices are place names - Cymru is Wales (in Welsh), Lothian is a Scottish Gaelic name referring to a region in the Scottish Lowlands, and Breizh is the Breton term for Brittany.

This question was Pict by Phoenix Rising team member pusdoc, who has never tried haggis. Cool Zoom XXI had a Scottish theme.

Answer: George III of Great Britain

Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte was named in honor of the queen consort of British King George III in 1755 when the township was first founded by Scots-Irish Presbyterians. The seat of Mecklenburg County, Charlotte is the second-largest banking center in the United States, as the headquarters city of Bank of America, Truist Financial, and the seat of East Coast operations for Wells Fargo. It is also the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on NASCAR's schedule, is traditionally run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the suburb of Concord on Memorial Day weekend.

The inspiration for this question came from Zoom XLIX, and it was driven into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member cag1970.

Answer: Sulphur

While pusdoc is NOT on the nose, sulphur sure is! The whole formula for pusdoc's name is:Pu (plutonium) + S (sulphur) + D (deuterium) + O (oxygen) + C (carbon). Adding Si for silicon would spell PuSiDOC; Sb for antimony would be PuSbDOC, while Sn for tin would be PuSnDOC.

Sulphur is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It's a non-metallic element belonging to the oxygen group that occurs in nature either as the pure element, or as sulphide and sulphate minerals. Oh, and it's infamous for its smell often compared to rotten eggs.

This fragrant question was formulated by Phoenix Rising's member VegemiteKid.

XLVIII was a very 'element'ary quiz!

Answer: Karl Benz

These four fellows all played important roles in the early days of the automobile industry around the turn of the 20th century, but it was Karl Benz alone who sold his first car before 1900. Karl Benz received a patent for his three-wheeled motorcar in 1886, and he was able to begin selling cars in 1888, remaining the leading automobile producer in Europe for decades.

Ransom Olds' Oldsmobiles were first marketed in 1901. The first car sold by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company was the Ford Model A in 1903. Walter Chrysler's automotive career did not begin until 1911, and the Chrysler Corporation bearing his name was founded in 1925.

This question references Zoom Quiz XXV with the theme 'Cars', and was driven into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member Rizeeve.

Answer: Working out how to make Arthur Dent a cup of tea

At the conclusion of the first book of the five-part trilogy, the Earth has been destroyed by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur Dent and Tricia McMillan (also known as Trillian) are the last surviving inhabitants of Earth and are now on board the spaceship Heart of Gold with Zaphod Beeblebrox and Ford Prefect. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer to make him a cup of tea, Arthur gives up. However, the Nurti-Matic has communicated the problem of making tea to the ship's computer. At this point in time the Vogons decide to attack the ship, but the computer will not respond, saying all its circuits are occupied. Arthur feels a tingling sensation at the back of his neck as he realises what may be occupying the computer's circuits.

'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' was created by Douglas Adams and began as a radio broadcast in 1978. The first book was published in 1979. 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' followed in 1980.

Appropriately, Zoom XLII was all about 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', where mice, dolphins, pan-Galactic gargle blasters, and the number 42 were discussed.

This question hitchhiked its way into the quiz with help from Phoenix Rising member lg549, who also likes a good cup of tea, but thinks defending against a Vogon attack should take priority.

Answer: Lamentations

The major prophets are centered around and traditionally considered to be authored by a prophet. The five books included in this classification are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations (also attributed to Jeremiah), Ezekiel, and Daniel. These books are distinguished from the twelve minor prophets by length. In fact, the minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) are considered one book in the Hebrew Scriptures.

In the Christian Bible, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs are books of poetry and Deuteronomy is one of the five books of law known as the 'Pentateuch'.

All the questions in XXVI had a Biblical connection.

This question penned by Phoenix Rising team member JCSon, who prays you do not lament its inclusion.

Answer: Moody Blue

'Moody Blue', the album, was released just four weeks before the world lost Elvis. The title track had hit the Number One spot on the charts in 1976. The other single from the album, 'Way Down', was a posthumous hit, reaching the top a month after his death. 'Elvis Presley' (1956) was his second studio album, and 'Loving You' was the soundtrack album for his first movie, released in 1957.

'Graceland' was not an Elvis album - it belongs to Paul Simon.

This question recorded by ozzz2002, and uses the theme 'The Last', as this is the last question in this series. But fear not, dear reader: there WILL be more Zoom quizzes!