Cool Zooms, Part XIX Trivia Quiz

Answer: The seven dwarfs in "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012)

"Snow White and the Huntsman" stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White, Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman, and Charlize Theron as the powerful sorceress and usurper Queen Ravenna in a retelling of the classic Grimm's fairy tale.

While fleeing Queen Ravenna, the fugitive Snow and Eric encounter a band of eight dwarfs. The blind elder dwarf Muir, aided by his powers of premonition, perceives that Snow White is the only person who can defeat Ravenna and restore the kingdom. The dwarfs pledge to follow and protect her. Gus, the youngest of the dwarfs, and embodiment of the kingdom's love for Snow White, sacrifices his life for her in battle shortly thereafter. Before the film's release, an outcome like this was predicted by Snow White fans who anticipated a need to somehow reconcile the number of dwarfs with the original tale.

Interestingly, the name of each of the remaining seven dwarfs echoes the name of a letter from Ogham, an Early Medieval alphabet.

Much to his surprise, Phoenix Rising's JCSon *bites juicy red apple* di...

Answer: Batman

This line is spoken by The Joker, played by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman" where the "Caped Crusader" is played by Michael Keaton.
The Joker asks Bruce Wayne this question shortly before trying to kill him; this causes him (Batman) to flashback to the death of his parents where he heard the saying for the first time, and he realises who was responsible for their murder. Later, the Joker kidnaps Vicki Vale and is dancing with her in a belfry when Batman arrives. Batman then repeats the line to the Joker before punching him.

The line itself is thought to be a question The Joker asks, in order to find someone as broken as he is, asking if they have looked evil full in the face, so much that it has sent them over the edge into madness like he has.

This question was soft shoe shuffled into placed by smpdit who does like a boogie, doesn't need a partner, and is partial to moonlight.

Answer: Josephine Baker

Born Freda Josephine McDonald in 1906 in Missouri as a descendant of slaves, Josephine Baker had an impoverished childhood but showed aptitude as a dancer. She soon became well-known as a chorus line star on Broadway. At 19, she moved to Paris and achieved fame as the "Creole Goddess of France". At the beginning of World War II she was recruited by French Military Intelligence to pick up information at parties and other gatherings regarding German military operations, while she worked for the Red Cross. She travelled with notes written in invisible ink on her sheet music.

Baker received both the Croix de Guerre (a first for an American woman) and the Medal of the Resistance in 1946, for her espionage work. After the war and while still performing, Baker used her fame to help gain recognition for the civil rights movement. She had an interesting personal life as well, being married four times and having several other relationships, she adopted 12 children to her "rainbow tribe" and for a period she attended fashion shows accompanied by her pet cheetah, Chiquita. Baker died in 1975, shortly after performing in a review marking 50 years in show business.

Question surreptitiously inserted into the quiz, by PR member MikeMaster99, who was embarrassed not to know more about this remarkable woman.

Answer: Argentina

The world's largest countries are, in decreasing order, Russia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil, Australia, India and Argentina.
Canada's capital is Ottawa but Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are demonstrably larger in population. Beijing had a 2020 population of 20 million but Shanghai's population at the same time exceeded 24 million. The USA, Brazil and Australia all have planned cities (Washington DC, Brasilia and Canberra, respectively) which are considerably smaller than other cities in their respective countries. New Delhi is an enclave within Delhi but the combined 2019 population is still far less than the most populous city Mumbai which exceeds 28 million. Of Argentina's 44 million people in 2019, nearly 16 million lived in its capital Buenos Aires, its largest city by far.

This question was populated by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who has not been to Russia nor Argentina but has managed to reach the six countries in between.

Answer: Gloria Estefan

When Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba, Gloria Fajardo García, still a toddler, fled to the United States with her family. She grew up in Miami and earned degrees in psychology and French in 1979 from the University of Miami. She has been performing since the mid-1970s. She met her husband, Emilio Estefan, while he was with the Miami Latin Boys. When Gloria joined his band, they changed the name to the Miami Sound Machine. They were married in 1978 and have continued to call Miami home.

Jaknginger was singing "Get on Your Feet" while writing this question for team Phoenix Rising. The "rhythm is gonna get you" too!

Answer: Robert F. Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) was assassinated in early June 1968 in Los Angeles, California during his campaign for the Democratic nomination to be President of the United States. RFK was shot multiple times at close range by Sirhan Sirhan who years later would claim that his actions were to stop RFK from sending dozens of fighter jets to Israel to inflict damage on Palestinians.

Several witnesses including RFK campaign worker Sandra Serrano stated that they observed a woman in a polka-dot dress shouting "We shot him" shortly after Sirhan Sirhan pulled the trigger. In addition to the possible involvement of the polka-dot woman, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also investigated whether the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or a second gunman was involved but they did not find conclusive evidence to support any of these theories.

This question was dotted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who will likely never wear polka dots.

Answer: Crying after sex

Alternatively, postcoital dysphoria can also be described as post-sex blues. It is used to describe a state of sadness or even angst after sex. Surprisingly, these feelings can arise even if the act is consensual, enjoyable or loving. The responses to these blues may differ; whilst some will burst into tears, some may become argumentative. At this point not a lot is known about the symptom but some psychologists do believe the response should be seen as a normal one. With this in mind, the problem for partners though, is that they may see the situation as being a deeper issue than it really is.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 did not shed a tear after completing this question.

Answer: One centimetre

A "jiffy" is an informal word that indicates an unspecified amount of time, and Gilbert Newton Lewis' call was one of the earliest attempts to define it or give it a true value. His calculation placed a jiffy at approximately 33.3564 picoseconds. Over the years, however, it has been used in various applications and, remarkably, it has provided us with varying values. For example, in electronics, it is 1/50th or 1/60th of a second, being the time period of an AC (alternating current) power cycle in many mains power systems. Whereas, in the early days of computing, the time between two ticks of a system timer interrupt was denoted as a jiffy. This made it a variable measurement as the clock interrupt frequencies differed on various hardware platforms. In quantum physics, Edward R. Harrison described it as the time it takes for light to travel one fermi. This makes a jiffy about 3 × 10 (to the power of -24) seconds.

This question was brought to light by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who claimed that he only blinked and missed the whole show.

Answer: Fur

John Jacob Astor was born Johann Jakob Astor in Germany in 1763. He immigrated to England in his teenage years and eventually moved to the United States in the early 1780s. He entered the fur trade after a chance meeting with a fur trader and soon became one of the most prominent leaders in the business. In later years, he also traded in opium and began investing in real estate in New York. He is the great-grandfather of John Jacob Astor IV, who perished in the sinking of RMS Titanic.

This question was richly coated by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Jasmine

Badr al-Badur (also spelt Badroulbadour or Badr ul-Badour), is the name of the princess whom Aladdin married in "The Story of Aladdin". The story is a Middle Eastern folk tale but was not part of the original "One Thousand and One Nights" with which it is usually associated. It was incorporated into the book "Les mille et une nuits" by its French translator, Antoine Galland. The collection is often known in English as the "Arabian Nights". The princess' name means "full moon of full moons". The full moon is a common metaphor in Arabic literature for female beauty and is used throughout the "Arabian Nights".

In Disney's animated movie "Aladdin" (1992), her name was changed to Jasmine and she was made an Arabian, although the original story of Aladdin was set in China not Saudi Arabia.

This question was inserted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member lg549 who is not a princess nor does she have a magic lamp.

Answer: Twilight

Crepuscular animals are those that are active during the twilight or dawn periods of the day, as opposed to nocturnal (night), diurnal (day) or cathemeral (sporadic during day and night). It has been found that some crepuscular creatures are also active during a full moon or very overcast day, where the amount of light available is comparable. It is thought that the adaptation evolved to avoid detection by predators. Some animals that live in a hot environment, such as a desert, are crepuscular to avoid the extreme heat of the day and cold at night. Animals like deer, rabbits, wombats, possums, bobcats and skunks are crepuscular.

Phoenix Rising's leith90, who admits to being crepuscular herself, caught this question at nightfall.

Answer: Antarctica

These valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land 300 km inland from the Ross Sea. The area has extremely low humidity and a lack of snow or ice cover, the latter condition being a very rare one in Antarctica. The precipitation here is roughly seven centimetres per year, all as snow, but the winds that sweep the valley with speeds up to 300km/hr evaporate the snow before it reaches the ground. No living organisms have been found in this environment, though photosynthetic bacteria have been found to live in the relatively moist interior of gravel and rocks.

Question carved out by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who has many locations to visit on his bucket list, but this is not one of them.

Answer: King of Hearts

The king of hearts is also known as the 'suicide king', because of the position of the sword he is holding- it appears to go straight through his head! The card supposedly portrays Frankish king, Charles the Great (Charlemagne), who is usually depicted with a full set of facial whiskers. The reason that he now has a clean upper lip is lost in the mists of time, but probably a result of printing changes. All the other kings have a nice curly 'tash, and all are holding their weapons in a much safer place, with the business ends of the swords and axes well clear of their head.

Interestingly, all four jacks (and queens) are beardless, although the jacks of spades and diamonds also have an upper lip adornment.

This question was dealt with by Phoenix Rising member, ozzz2002, who hopes it comes up trumps.

Answer: Sperm whale

If you have always known the blue whale to be the loudest animal on Earth, you are not alone. As it turns out, though, loudness is complicated. It depends, for example, on who the listener is, proximity to the source, intensity and duration of the sound, medium through which the sound is traveling, and method of measurement used.

However, purely in terms of decibels, which measure sound pressure, the sperm whale reigns supreme. Its clicks have been recorded at 230 decibels, compared to the 188 decibels of blue whale calls. Snapping shrimp actually come in ahead of the blue whale as well, popping air bubbles between their claws to hit 200 decibels.

The aptly named howler monkey is the loudest primate clocking in at 140 decibels. The world's loudest bird is the kakapo, emitting 132 decibel booms in mating season. And a rare spider-like bush cricket can produce a 110 decibel racket to attract females.

DOES TYPING THIS ATTRIBUTION IN ALL CAPS MAKE JCSON THE LOUDEST PHOENIX RISING TEAM MEMBER?

Answer: Drew Barrymore

Like with Janet Leigh in Hitchcock's 1960 "Psycho", not only was Drew Barrymore's acting career in full bloom at the time of the making of "Scream", but her character was killed off early - stabbed to death and hung from a tree by a mask-wearing stranger.

Since playing little Gertie in 1978's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" Drew has had a highly successful career starring in dozens of films.

Not a fan of cheap horror, but a proponent of the good stuff, Phoenix Rising's team member mike32768 has thoroughly enjoyed many of Drew's flicks including "Scream" if not its successors so much.

Answer: Deluminator

Resembling a long cigarette lighter, the Deluminator was first seen in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" when Dumbledore removes and later returns the street light illumination from Privet Drive. When Ron is bequeathed the Deluminator in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" it is unclear why Dumbledore chose to give it to Ron. After Ron abandoned Harry and Hermione during the search for horcruxes, he immediately regretted the decision but was unable to find them. The Deluminator then revealed its hidden ability- guiding Ron, in effect illuminating the path, back to his friends.

This question was thrust into the spotlight by Phoenix Rising's leith90.

Answer: Spice

After their initial success with the single "Wannabe", which remained at the top of the charts for seven weeks in 1996, the British band Spice Girls signed with Virgin Records and produced their debut album, named "Spice" in the same year. This was followed by "Spiceworld" in 1997 and "Forever" in 2000. Topping the charts around the world, they set out to break into the US market in 1997, which they achieved in short order.

Despite personnel changes, they continued to enjoy success, with their videos being popular. They disbanded in 2001, but reunited in 2007 for a short concert tour, and reformed again for the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

This question was cut by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid, who can carry a tune in a bucket - just!

Answer: Euclid

Euclid of Alexandria, as he is sometimes known, is regarded by many as the "father of geometry". He lived between the fourth and third centuries (BCE) and published "Elements" about 300 BCE. The 13 parts of his book are one of the most significant publications in the history of mathematics and have been used for teaching and study up to the 20th century. While many of the ideas in the "Elements" had already been developed by others, Euclid was able to present them in a single, coherent framework.

Mathematics was just one of Archimedes' (c. 287 BCE - c. 212 BCE) areas of accomplishment, which included science, engineering, and astronomy. This ancient-Greek is seen as one of the greatest-ever mathematicians, with his achievements including elements of calculus, approximating pi, and applying mathematical concepts to the physical world.

Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) was a Swiss polymath. Over his lifetime, he produced some 92 volumes of work and he is recognised as one of the 18th century's leading mathematicians. His contributions are so extensive that Wikipedia has a lengthy page entitled "List of things named after Leonhard Euler". It seems strange, but many of his discoveries are not named after him, but the next person to prove the idea, apparently to minimise the number of things bearing his name.

Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665) was a French lawyer and mathematician. While this mixture seems incongruous, he was able to develop many ideas in calculus. He is possibly best known for "Fermat's Last Theorem", a conjecture that was not proven until the late 20th century and which was included in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the most difficult mathematical problem.

Phoenix Rising's psnz took a calculated approach to this question which fortunately proved to be not all Greek.

Answer: Peanuts

Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, an explosive which contains nitroglycerin as the active ingredient.

Nitroglycerin is manufactured by reacting glycerol (also known as glycerine or glycerin) with a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. Glycerol was widely used as an automotive antifreeze until superseded by ethylene glycol.

Glycerol can be produced from peanuts. The oil extracted from the nuts can be processed to make glycerol. In practice though, the glycerol used to make dynamite normally comes from other sources, rather than peanuts.

Phoenix Rising's psnz had a blast with this question.

Answer: Backrub

Started as a research project in 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted to create a search engine that was more intelligent than existing ones - an engine that ranked a given page based on the number and quality of pages that linked back to it. These "back links" inspired the name BackRub.

A year later they upgraded the name to one that indicated just how much data they were indexing. They came up with Google, a play on the word "googol," a mathematical term for the number represented by the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.

For better or worse, the term "Google" has become synonymous with searching and is listed as a verb in several dictionaries. "Let's google that!"

PR's mike32768 tries to use alternatives to Google from time to time, but it's just so darned hard!