Cool Zooms, Part LXIV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Circumference

The radius is the distance from the centre of a circle to the outer edge of the circle. The diameter is twice as long as the radius and must pass through the centre. If you multiply the diameter by pi (3.14 or 22/7), you get the circumference of the circle. A chord is a line segment joining two points on any curve. The longest this line segment can be is a diameter. Circumference wins!

This question submitted by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who is startled to find he could remember any high school maths at all.

Answer: 8

A tick is an arachnid, therefore it cannot be an insect that has has six legs by definition. Nearly all arachnids have eight legs though the front pair in some species are used for sensory purposes not locomotion. Arachnids are joint legged arthropods and include spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites.
Ticks and mites are differentiated from other arachnids by the absence of segmentation of abdomen with the cephalothorax.
Ticks are parasitic blood feeders of birds and mammals. They have have four stages to their lifecycle, namely egg, larva, nymph, and adult, each of which requires blood for sustenance.

Question submitted by Phoenix Rising member 1nn1 who is descended from a bacteriologist who name was used to classify a genus of soft ticks.

Answer: Woman

With its theme of female empowerment and its hybrid mix of hip-hop and pop, this song was released as the second single on Grande's fourth studio album "Sweetener". It would prove success for Grande, earning platinum level sales in six countries and peaking at number eight on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. It would also see the singer nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising's ungodly pollucci19.

Answer: The front

Often referred to as "prow" (which denotes the part above the waterline), the bow is the fore (forward) part of a ship or boat. In this particular context, the word "bow" has the same origin (and pronunciation) as "bough"; both of them come from the Middle Dutch "boech", meaning "shoulder", though the nautical term entered the English language much later, in the early 17th century.

The aft (back) end of a ship is called "stern", while the right side (looking forward) is called "starboard", and the left side "port".

This question was written by LadyNym, who is not exactly an expert in nautical matters, but always finds the opportunity to sneak some etymology into her questions.

Answer: Kevin Rudd

The Labor Party, led by Kevin Rudd, managed to wrest power from John Howard's Liberals in 2007 after spending eleven years in Opposition. Three years later, Rudd would lose the support of his party and a leadership spill would see his deputy, Julia Gillard, assume the role of Prime Minister of Australia. Weeks later Gillard's government survived the 2010 elections by the skin of their teeth. Whilst the result was a hung-parliament, the first in the country since 1940, Gillard was able to form a coalition with the Greens party and maintain a semblance of control. The subsequent years would prove to be a tumultuous period in power for the Labor party and, fearing a massive loss in the next election, Kevin Rudd was successful in leading a leadership spill against the Prime Minister and assumed the reins. Weeks later Labor lost the 2013 election and the Liberal Party, led by Tony Abbott, would come into power.

Ironically this period is, in hindsight, viewed as a progressive period in Australian politics, with the Labor party introducing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), adopting Gonski funding reforms for Australian education, implemented carbon pricing and the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

This question was produced by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who doesn't like making political jokes, but does tend to vote for them.

Answer: Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle was a member of the all-girl group the Go-Go's until they broke up in 1985. Her first solo single, 'Mad About You', was moderately successful, but 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' hit the top of the charts in many countries.

Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas provided some of the backup vocals, and the music video was directed by actress Diane Keaton.

This one was written by Phoenix Rising member, ozzz2002, who was bopping along to the song as he wrote the question.

Answer: Star

Stardust, a magical quality, probably why David Bowie chose it for his alter ego surname.
Starfish, an echinoderm with five arms, the most famous of which is Patrick Star from 'Spongebob Squarepants'.
Starfruit, a yellow fruit also known as carambola which is star shaped when cut on the transverse.
Starlight, exactly what it says- light emitted from a star,

Phoenix Risings smpdit has a star related moniker, so this question definitely had her name written on it.

Answer: Levi's

Adding rivets to jeans was the idea of Nevada tailor Jacob Davis in 1871. The rivets helped to reinforce stress points in jeans such as pocket corners and seams that were worn out by heavy work. He partnered with fabric supplier Levi Strauss of San Francisco to patent the invention in 1872. They held exclusive rights to producing jeans with rivets for seventeen years. Even though the average jeans today do not require that extra durability rivets provide, rivets are still included because they are such a defining component of the garment.

This question was riveted to the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing in partnership with teammate ozzz2002.

Answer: Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson

Benny is responsible for his little sister, Joon (short for Juniper), who has schizophrenia. Enter the mysterious and whimsical Sam, played by Johnny Depp, and the fireworks begin. When Sam and Joon fall in love, Benny objects and tries to protect her. A major rift develops between the three of them, but that is eventually mended and there is a happy ending.

This question written by Phoenix Rising member, ozzz2002.

Answer: Duplo

The interlocking bricks called Lego first hit the market in 1932, and prior to 1960 were made of wood. The Lego company had been looking for a version of Lego for toddlers, that was easier to handle, couldn't be swallowed and yet still interlock with standard Lego bricks. They hit on a scale 2:1 larger than standard, and Duplo (from Duplex, meaning two) was rolled out in 1969. In 1977 the name was changed to Lego Preschool, but was changed back to Duplo in 1979.
Toolo is Duplo with screwdrivers and tools for young children, but was only manufactured for a few years (1992-93 and 1995-2000). Lego Scala was marketed in 1979, aimed at young girls and featured jewellery. Now it has been overtaken by Lego Friends.

This question was pieced together by Leith90 who is proud to say she has some original Duplo that was played with by her children and is now being enjoyed by her grandchildren.

Answer: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun

Future German Führer Adolf Hitler and photographer Eva Braun first met in 1929, when she was 17 years old; Hitler was 23 years her senior. Their relationship started a few years later, after the suicide of Hitler's half-niece Geli Raubal in 1931; it was, however, kept secret from the public, mostly for political reasons. Braun remained at Hitler's side, refusing to leave, as the Red Army was approaching Berlin in April 1945. In the early hours of April 29, the pair were married in a small civil ceremony in the bunker where they had been residing since the beginning of the year. In the afternoon of April 30, they committed suicide - Hitler by shooting himself in the head, and Braun by taking poison. Their remains were burned, and the bunker was destroyed.

The three pairs listed as wrong answers were all killed, two of them (Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his wifeAlexandra, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie) before or during WWI. Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, were shot by Italian partisans two days before Hitler and Eva Braun's suicide.

LadyNym, who prefers weddings to be followed by many years of reasonable happiness together, is responsible for compiling this rather grim question.

Answer: Basketball

The Perth Lynx are the only female basketball team that is representative of the State of Western Australia in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Originally known as the Perth Breakers when formed in 1987, they re-branded to the Lynx name when their licence was taken over by Basketball Western Australia in 2001. Over the next ten years the team performed poorly and (sarcasm follows), when the team is not going so hot, you change the name. Under the new name of West Coast Waves, the team did not do much better. In 2015 their licence was purchased by Jack Bendat, the owner of the Perth Wildcats. He reverted back to the Lynx name and steered them to the finals for the first time in fourteen years. In their first 30 years of operation they would claim two minor premierships, and reach three Grand Finals, claiming their first pennant in 1992.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 was responsible for this question... he can't shoot hoops but he sure can dribble.

Answer: True

Mr Lotito definitely had an appetite. He was a French entertainer also known as Monsieur Mangetout (Mr. Eat All), whose specialty was eating inedible items, like airplanes! He suffered from an eating disorder known as 'pica' where the compulsion to eat non-food items is present. He decided to make a career of it. Bizarrely, even though he chomped through bicycles, tyres, televisions and the aforementioned Cessna airplane, it didn't seem to cause him any physical problems. The airplane took him two years, from 1978 to 1980 and it possibly wasn't the strangest item he ate, as he also consumed a coffin! So he 'contained a coffin, before a coffin contained him'.

smpdit prefers to eat real food and would struggle to find joy in lumps of metal.

Answer: You don't

The Roman numeral system was not originally used for arithmetic, so there was no need to introduce the concept of zero. It is an additive system as opposed to a positional one like the Arabic number system most of the world uses today. In the Arabic number system, position changes the value of the digit (the 3 in 30 is smaller than the 3 in 300).

Modern Roman Numerals use seven letters corresponding to Arabic numbers as follows: I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, and M = 1000. Here are some basic rules for using the system:
1) I, X, and C may be used up to three times in succession (e.g., XXX = 30)
2) I, X, and C are subtractive when written to the left of a higher value numeral (e.g., XC = 90)
3) D, L, and V may not be repeated in succession (e.g., LL is not a valid number), nor are they used as subtractive numerals (e.g., DM is not a valid number)
4) Any lower value numerals written to the right of a higher value numeral are additive (e.g., MMXXII = 2022)

The word 'nulla' was sometimes used in practice to represent zero in certain situations.

This question recounted by Phoenix Rising member JCSon, who hopes it wasn't all for naught.

Answer: Ballarat, Victoria

It was only months after Victoria became a colony (separate from New South Wales) in 1851 that gold was found near Ballarat, sparking a major gold rush in central Victoria. Miners were drawn in from many parts of the world and were seen as a source of revenue by the fledgling colonial government. Miners required licenses and when unpaid, police were sent in to collect these fees. The miners believed the license fees were too high and dissatisfaction peaked on December 3rd 1854 when they staged a rebellion at the stockade at the Eureka lead just to the east of Ballarat. In the short-lived fighting, 22 miners and 6 police were killed. Surviving miners were charged but due to overwhelming public support for their cause and outrage at their treatment, the electoral act was changed granting male suffrage. Despite losing his left arm in the battle, the leader of the rebel miners, Irish Australian Peter Lalor then served in the Victorian Government with a few short breaks from 1855 until his death in 1889. The Eureka Stockade is regarded by many, but not all, as the birthplace of Australian democracy. The memorial gardens in Ballarat are named in honour of this major event in Australian history.

This question was sieved, separated and put forward for inspection by Victorian MikeMaster99, who has enjoyed taking international visitors to the re-creation of the Ballarat goldfields at Sovereign Hill and reenactments of the Eureka Stockade on many occasions.

Answer: Burning Man

Burning Man actually began in San Francisco in 1986 on Baker Beach at an event organized by Larry Harvey and Jerry James. The first burning man was an 8-foot-tall wooden statue that was set on fire. In 1987 it grew to 15 feet and by 1988 it was 30 feet tall. In 1990, park police shut down the event because they had no permit, and the man was not burned.

Meanwhile in Nevada, another event began in 1990 conceived of by Kevin Evans and John Law as a dadaist temporary autonomous zone in the Black Rock Desert, a dry lake bed 110 miles north of Reno. The man from Baker Beach was moved to this area and the event has grown ever since. By 2019 over 78,000 people were attending the event.

This question was lit on fire by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Green

The one-hundred dollar note was originally issued in 1984 as a paper note. That combination was done on a light turquoise/blue coloured paper and bore the images of Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson on the front and astronomer John Tebbutt on the reverse. With the advent of polymer notes the $100 note was replaced with the green polymer edition bearing soprano Dame Nellie Melba's image on the face and First World War general Sir John Monash's image on the reverse.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 cashed in his chips to deliver this question.

Answer: Mexico

Tabasco is the 24th largest state in Mexico covering approximately 9,500 miles (24,700 km). It has four principal ecosystems: tropical rainforest, tropical savannah, beaches, and wetlands with the rainforest covering the majority of the state. It borders the Gulf of Mexico which lies to the north of the state.

The area that is now the state of Tabasco was dominated by the Olmec civilization some 3000 years ago. La Venta is the main Pre-Columbian archeological site of Olmec origin in the state. The Parque - Museo de La Venta Museum in the state capital of Villahermosa is home of many artifacts from this site.

This question was dug up and studied by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Yes

Born John Malcom Fraser in 1930, he became Australia's twenty second Prime Minister. His ascension to that position, at the time, was unique in Australian politics. As the Leader of the Opposition Fraser was instrumental in blocking supply to the Whitlam government, which triggered the Constitutional Crisis of 1975. This soon led to the dismissal of the Whitlam government by the then Governor General, Sir John Kerr, making Fraser the first Australian PM to take power after the ejection of the sitting government.

Installed, initially, as a caretaker leader, Fraser would lead his party to a landslide victory that same year and would retain power with victories in the 1977 and 1980 elections. Whilst he took a strong interest in foreign affairs and was a great campaigner for multiculturalism, the same cannot be said for his economic management and his period in power is often seen as a lost opportunity for growth.

This Bill was introduced by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Width of Australia

From Cape Byron, in New South Wales, to Shark Bay in Western Australia is about 4030 kms, but it would be a very rough ride if you travelled in a straight line. You would be going through the heart of several deserts, and very inhospitable areas. Traversing the diameter of the moon would be rather challenging, too, but at least it is a shorter trip, at 'only' 3470 kms.

This question was mapped by Phoenix Rising member, ozzz2002, who would prefer to make the Australian journey in an aeroplane.