Cool Zooms, Part LX Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nine-banded armadillo

The nine-banded armadillo can be found in South, Central and North America. Although the animal typically has nine bands on its carapace, this number can vary by geographic region. Its diet consists mainly of insects supplemented with the occasional amphibian or reptile. When alarmed, the armadillo is able to move with surprising speed and leap up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in the air. The nine-banded armadillo migrated from Mexico to the United States in the 1800s and has been expanding its range northwards and eastwards ever since. This expansion is, in part, due to a lack of natural predators in the United States and a high reproduction rate. During mating season, a single egg is fertilised but the resulting zygote divides into four identical embryos, giving rise to quadruplets. The nine-banded armadillo is sometimes hunted for its meat, which is said to taste like pork. During the Great Depression it was dubbed the poor man's pork or Hoover Hog.

Phoenix Rising team members Triviaballer and purelyqing banded together to hunt down this question for your consumption.

Answer: Breakdancing

Breakdancing is a style of dance that originated in the United States in the early 1970s. It incorporates athletic elements from martial arts, acrobatics and gymnastics. While variations exist, the core movements in breakdancing are termed toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. Breakdancing was originally called "breaking" or "b-boying" (break-boying) before the "breakdancing" appellation was popularised by the mass media. Enthusiasts still prefer to use "breaking" or "b-boying" to refer to this form of dance.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing froze this question while teammate Triviaballer power moved it into the quiz.

Answer: Chaz Bono

Chaz Bono, born Chastity Bono, is the child of Cher and Sonny Bono. As stated above, he came to attention through his numerous appearances on his parents' television programme. Whilst he was identified as a woman he received a lot of attention from the tabloid press who'd labelled him/her a lesbian. This would lead to him/her confirming the fact and the story became the headline article for The Advocate, a US gay magazine. This then led to his publication of the 1998 book "Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families'. He took the plunge and underwent a gender transition between 2008 and 2010. The process was captured as part of a television feature in 2009 and, eventually, a documentary that would be screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

This question was kept gender neutral by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Drawing dead

This situation, when no matter what the fifth (and final) card happens to be, you cannot win is called 'drawing dead'. One example would be if your hand was a pair of aces and a pair of kings, but your opponent had four queens. No matter the 'river' card, you cannot beat their hand. However, this does not mean you can't win by bluffing! You could act like you have the best hand possible and bet accordingly. Your opponent may then throw in their hand - but with four queens, that is unlikely! 'The nuts' is the exact opposite of drawing dead; it is the best hand possible with the cards on display.

This question was shuffled straight into the quiz by PR poker 'fish', MikeMaster99, who continues to donate money to his flush mates in the full house during our bi-monthly poker game.

Answer: Eyes, ears, mouth and nose

"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is useful as an exercise song, with children encouraged to touch the named body parts. For very young children, it can also help with language development and memory. The lyrics traditionally read as follows: "Head, shoulders, knees and toes / knees and toes / Head, shoulders, knees and toes / knees and toes / And eyes and ears and mouth and nose / Head, shoulders, knees and toes / knees and toes". The song is usually set to the tune of either "There is a Tavern in Town" or "London Bridge is Falling Down".

This question, contributed by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, who occasionally sings the adult version, "wallet, glasses, keys and phone".

Answer: Figaro

"The Barber of Seville" is a comic opera (opera buffa) by Gioachino Rossini. It is based on the first of a trilogy of plays by Pierre Beaumarchais and shares the character of Figaro with Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" based on the third part of the trilogy. The 1940 Disney version of "Pinocchio" included a black and white kitten named Figaro, the pet of Pinocchio's father Geppetto. A Figaro necklace chain which originated in Italy in the 18th century consists of a repeating pattern of three smaller links rather than a larger link.

Phoenix Rising's smpdit couldn't hold a tune in bucket, loves a nice feline and has more than a passing interest in jewellery.

Answer: Gisborne, New Zealand

Gisborne is the most easterly city in New Zealand sitting on the the north-eastern corner of the North Island. As such it makes a claim to be the first city in New Zealand to see the sun each day. It would also be one of the first cities in the world to see the sun given its proximity to the International Date Line. As well as sitting on the confluence of three rivers, it is also located on Poverty Bay which was named by Captain Cook when he first set foot on what would be New Zealand in 1769.

This question was submitted by 1nn1 who can verify Gisborne is a very pretty place.

Answer: Charles Darwin

Darwin travelled to Tasmania on the HMS Beagle and celebrated his 27th birthday in Hobart. He spent 12 days in the area, gathering plant, geological and animal specimens, to study on his return to England. Today, a 12km walk, called the Clarence Foreshore Trail, follows the route he took when exploring the environs around Hobart. Sketches of the area by Darwin's servant, Syms Covington, survive and give an impression of the majestic landscape around Hobart; Darwin's diary entries also provide insights into the region's floral landscape. In a moment of reflection in 1839, he noted in his diary "It is impossible for an Englishman to behold these distant colonies, without a high pride and satisfaction."

This question was 'written with a thumbnail dipped in tar' by Phoenix Rising member and colonist VegemiteKid, who also feels high pride and satisfaction in the Australian landscape.

Answer: Stacking

In the games mentioned in the question, the goal is to create the highest tower possible before the stacks collapse. In Jenga, 54 rectangular blocks are arranged in 18 layers, each layer containing three blocks in the same orientation but perpendicular to the level below it. To play, blocks are removed one at a time from any layer except the topmost layer and placed at the top of the tower in the same crisscross pattern.

The principle of rock balancing is largely similar, in that rocks are stacked on top of one another without any exogenous support to help stabilise the structure. There is some controversy when rock balancing is done in natural areas such as national parks because it disturbs the natural features and may adversely affect the local wildlife.

This question was stacked by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer with word blocks provided by teammate purelyqing.

Answer: Kiss Me, Kate

"Kiss Me, Kate" was written by Bella and Samuel Spewack and it is a musical about a production of William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew". The original Broadway production of "Kiss Me, Kate" featured the talents of Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang. The musical was Cole Porter's biggest Broadway hit as it ran for more than 1,000 performances.

This question was smooched into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who has never kissed anyone named Kate.

Answer: Lady Chatterley

Lady Constance Chatterley is the protagonist of D. H. Lawrence's novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover", which in 1960 became the subject of a famous obscenity trial against its publishers, Penguin Books. In the novel, Constance's husband is a baronet who is paralyzed from the waist down because of a war injury. Neglected emotionally as well as physically, Constance begins a passionate affair (described in terms that would be quite tame now, but were scandalous at the time) with Oliver Mellors, the gamekeeper of Sir Clifford's estate, who is also married. The novel - whose main focus is the connection between mind and body - is believed to have been inspired by Lawrence's own relationship with his wife, Frieda von Richthofen. In 1925 Frieda started an affair with a much younger Italian officer, Angelo Ravagli, and eventually married him after Lawrence's death in 1930.

This question was written by LadyNym, who also happens to be a literary character (as fans of "Game of Thrones" will probably know).

Answer: Focker

The film is worth seeing just to see Robert De Niro in a funny film. That aside, this hilarious comedy follows the trials of Ben Stiller's Gaylord Focker, a male nurse, who endeavours to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo) while trying to get into the good books of Pam's father, a Vietnam veteran and retired CIA operative, played by De Niro. The film was an instant hit and inspired the sequel "Meet the Fockers", which was released in 2004.

This question was foisted upon you by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from recording some dreadful one liners here.

Answer: Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad O'Connor's 1990 cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U" was the biggest hit from her album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got". It didn't just achieve success on the US Billboard Hot 100, but also spent time at the top of the charts in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and numerous European countries, as well as reaching platinum certification in both the US and UK.

Prince originally wrote and recorded the song in 1984, but it was initially released as an album track by The Family, a short-lived band signed to Prince's Paisley Park record label who principally recorded songs written by Prince. After O'Connor's runaway success with the song, Prince later recorded a live duet version with Rosie Gaines that featured on his compilation box set "The Hits/The B-Sides". His original 1984 recording was posthumously released as a single in 2018.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 (but it took more than 7 hours and 15 days to get around to doing it).

Answer: Bhagavad Gita

The above quote is probably the most famous line from the Bhagavad Gita ("Song of the Lord"), a 700-verse sacred scripture that is part of the "Mahabharata", the sprawling Sanskrit epic probably written between the 3rd century BC and the 4th century AD. The Bhagavad Gita appears in the sixth book of the poem, the Bhisma Parva, in the framework of a dialogue between the warrior prince Arjuna, one of the poem's main characters, and his charioteer, who is none other than Krishna, the eighth avatar of the god Vishnu. The dialogue covers a wide range of spiritual topics central to Hinduism - in particular the concept of "dharma", or holy duty.

In the 11th chapter of the scripture, Krishna manifests himself as a resplendent yet terrifying creature with many arms and faces, the image of world-destroying time. As Krishna tells Arjuna that he must perform his duty as a warrior, regardless of who lives and who dies, so Oppenheimer (who was strongly attracted to Hinduism) believed that the atomic bomb was the path to fighting the forces of evil represented by Fascism and Nazism. The comparison of the bomb's detonation to the "radiance of a thousand suns" is also taken from the same chapter, where it describes the splendour of Krishna's true form.

This question was detonated by LadyNym, destroyer of trivia.

Answer: Judaism

The Festival of Lots is more commonly known as Purim and celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people as recorded in the book of Esther. As the story goes, Haman plotted to kill all of the Jewish people in retaliation for the perceived slight he received from Mordecai, a known Jew, who would not bow down to him. Haman drew lots to determine on which day to kill all of the Jews after receiving permission from the Persian King Ahasuerus to do so. The lot fell on the 14th day of the month of Adar. Mordecai learns of the plot and asks his cousin Queen Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. Although Ahasuerus cannot stop his original decree allowing Haman to kill the Jews, he gives Mordecai and Esther permission to write another decree. They write a decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves the day before on the 13th which the Jews do and save themselves while wiping out their enemies.

This question was decreed accurate by Phoenix Rising member and reincarnated Persian scribe tazman6619.

Answer: Quark

Quarks are sub-atomic particles that combine to form hadrons. Examples of hadrons include protons and neutrons, which make up the nucleus of an atom. The colour charge of a quark refers to its interaction with another particle. A particle with red, green or blue charge interacts with a particle of the opposite colour, termed antired, antigreen or antiblue, to become "colourless" or "white" with a net colour charge of zero. This interaction is mediated by another kind of elementary particle called the gluon. A gluon helps to bind quarks together.

"Spin" is the angular momentum that an elementary particle has. Simply, although not quite accurately, put, it is a measure of how much an object rotates around its own axis.

This question was colour balanced by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer with charges from teammate purelyqing.

Answer: Rugby league

Rugby League broke away from the Rugby Union, because many players felt that they should be paid to play, as soccer players and cricketers were. The first clubs appeared in Yorkshire, in the north of England, shortly after. There were quite a few changes made to the 'new' game, to reinforce the split. Team size was reduced from 15 to 13 players, scrums and rucks were partially replaced by play-the-balls, scoring values were changed, etc. The new sport quickly caught on with the public, leaving the amateur code, rugby union, foundering for many years. Rugby Union ostensibly remained an amateur sport until as late as 1995, and there have been many occasions in which teams have switched codes, with a handful of players representing their countries in both versions.
Papua New Guinea was introduced to the sport in WWII by Australian soldiers, but did not compete on the world stage until 1975. The team is known as The Kumuls, after the spectacular Bird of Paradise, which is endemic to PNG, and is even depicted on the national flag.

This question was dropkicked into the game by ozzz2002, an enthusiastic sportsman, who can watch it all day!

Answer: Westworld

"Westworld" is a Wild-West themed amusement park that caters to high paying patrons, and it allows them to live out their fantasies without the fear of retaliation. This is because the park is populated by highly advanced androids who are programmed in such a way that they cannot harm humans. Eventually, in season three, the action moves into the real world.

The series is produced by J.J. Abrams and stars Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright and James Marsden. It has been based on a 1973 film of the same name, which was written by Michael Crichton.

This question was shot up by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who lives in his own dream-world.

Answer: Yooka-Laylee

The developer of "Yooka-Laylee", Playtonic Games, was founded in 2014 and its six founding members previously worked at the British video game company Rare. Rare was an elite video game developer of the 1990s working on games such as "Donkey Kong Country", "GoldenEye 007" and "Banjo-Kazooie". The gameplay of "Yooka-Laylee" was very similar to that of "Banjo-Kazooie" with two animal characters solving environmental puzzles, collecting items and battling a humorous main villain. In 2019 a spin-off title, "Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair", was released that shared many gameplay elements with "Donkey Kong Country".

This question was tongue whipped (one of the chameleon Yooka's skills) into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who prefers playing video games to playing a ukulele.

Answer: Botswana

Having achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1966, Botswana (formerly Bechuanaland) replaced the Union Jack with a flag featuring a horizontal black stripe framed by thin white stripes bisecting a light blue field. The black and white stripes represent the country's national animal (also known as the common zebra), but more importantly the harmony between its diverse people groups - at the time a stark contrast to its neighbor South Africa where racialized groups suffered under the abominable system of Apartheid.

This dazzling question was hoisted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member JCSon.