Cool Zooms, Part XLI Trivia Quiz

Answer: Banner

Austrian-born, American actor John Banner played the somewhat bumbling, but lovable, "I know nothing... Nothing!" Sgt Schultz. He had dozens of movie and television roles throughout his career but none were more well known than his part in "Hogan's Heroes" (1965-1971). His commanding officer in the series was the incompetent commandant Colonel Wilhelm Klink, played by Werner Klemperer. The other incorrect answers are members of the prisoner population - Robert Clary played French Corporal Louis LeBeau, a gourmet chef and Larry Hovis played Sergeant Andrew Carter the explosives expert.

It was a "banner" moment when Phoenix Rising's own mike32768 stepped up to take this question and be the hero.

Answer: O. Henry

O. Henry was the nom de plume of American short story writer William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His stories are renowned for their surprise endings. Porter spent six months in 1896-7 hiding out in Honduras while wanted in the United States for bank embezzlement.

"Cabbages and Kings" was his first collection of short stories. It is set in a fictitious Central American country called the Republic of Anchuria and is based on the author's experiences in Honduras. He referred to Anchuria as a "small maritime banana republic" because the fruit was the sole basis of its economy. The term took on a wider meaning because foreign multinational companies exploited the country for its produce and exerted undue influence over local politics. Since then, the "banana republic" phrase has been applied to small unstable nations with narrowly focused economies.

Phoenix Rising's psnz exerted extraordinary influence over this question.

Answer: Bongo

The Gungans are an amphibious species who first appeared in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999). They are native to the planet Naboo. There are several different races of Gungan, all of which can live on land and underwater. They rely on submersible vehicles, such as the bongo submarine, to travel the depths of Naboo's waters, even though they are strong swimmers.

According to "Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded", the manta-shaped hull of the bongo was organically grown from coral using techniques kept secret by the Gungans, meaning that no two vehicles were exactly alike.

Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Gungan leader Boss Rugor Nass, in the underwater city of Otoh Gunga, who eventually agrees to assist them and says "Wesa give yousa una bongo".

The force was with Phoenix Rising member lg549 as she dove into researching this question.

Answer: Grey wine

The literal translation has nothing to do with its actual character. Vin gris is not a regulated term but the basics are usually followed. Red grapes are used but instead of leaving the juice in contact with the skin, as would happen in a red wine, the juice is drained off quickly so there is little to no contact with the skin. This is what gives it its very light pink to greyish colour. It is then usually fermented in stainless steel tanks as opposed to oak barrels. In this case the delicate nature of the juice would lead to the oak overpowering it.

One of the major benefits to this form of wine production is the red grapes can then be re-pressed to create a wine with more concentrated colours and flavours.

This information was provided by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 who knows absolutely nothing about wines but can research anything.

Answer: They have ecological importance

A keystone species is one that has a critical role in its particular ecosystem. Without the keystone species, the ecosystem would collapse or evolve into a different ecosystem. Elephants are considered keystone species because they shape their habitat in various ways. During the dry season, they provide a water source for other animals when they dig up dry riverbeds with their tusks. Their dung helps to disperse seeds across wide areas. In the forest, elephants feed on trees and shrubs, thereby helping to clear pathways for smaller animals to pass through. In the savannah, their feeding uproots trees and saplings, creating an open landscape that plains animals such as zebras can flourish in.

An animal that has no predators is considered an apex predator. They sit at the top of a food chain. Examples of apex predators are lions and orcas.

A species that affects conservation decisions is known as an umbrella species. Protection of the umbrella species offers indirect protection to other species within the same ecosystem.

A species that is used to raise support for biodiversity conservation is termed a flagship species. Flagship species capture the attention of the public, thereby helping to raise awareness about conservation. Perhaps the most recognisable flagship species is the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), used by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the face of their conservation efforts.

This question was shaped into the quiz by Phoenix Rising keystone member pollucci19, together with teammate purelyqing.

Answer: Long Island

Coney Island used to be the westernmost of the Outer Barrier islands protecting the southern Long Island shoreline, but in the early 20th century it became a peninsula, as between 1924-35 Coney Island Creek was filled in to connect it to the larger Long Island. There is no consensus on how the island was named: Named after the indigenous population - The Konoi; a distortion of Henry Hudson's first mate Colman; named after an Irish island of the same name; from the name of Dutch settlers, Conyn, and finally after the Dutch word for rabbit, "Konijn" as supposedly there was a large wild rabbit population before settlement. With over 32,000 people, in a part of Brooklyn, the area is known for its long beaches and amusement parks. The ancient wooden roller coaster, the "Cyclone" is an "irreplaceable" structure, as timber coasters can no longer be built under NYC (New York City) building codes. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1991.

This question was submitted by Phoenix Rising Team member 1nn1 who did not get scared riding roller coasters until he rode the "Cyclone". The word rickety describes the creaking wooden structure well.

Answer: Diamonds

The Australian Netball Team first formed in 1938 and was simply called the Australian National Netball Team. In 2008, they formerly adopted the nickname of the Diamonds. Australia and New Zealand first played against each other in 1938 and the rivalry between the two countries has remained fierce ever since. There is little to separate the two in terms of games won and lost, and between them they have dominated the sport. A new rivalry between the Diamonds and the England Roses began in 2018, when the Roses scored an upset win over Australia to take the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 cut and polished this question before shooting it into the quiz.

Answer: Oyelowo

Directed by Ava DuVernay, "Selma" is a historical drama based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches organized by nonviolent activists against segregationist voter repression and African American disenfranchisement. This was the highest-profile role to date for British actor David Oyelowo. He had previously worked with DuVernay on her second feature film "Middle of Nowhere" (2012).

All the other men listed have also portrayed Dr. King on film: Robert Guillame in "Prince Jack" (1984), Clifton Powell in the made-for-TV drama "Selma, Lord, Selma" (1999), and Anthony Mackie in another TV drama, "All the Way" (2016).

This question was contributed by Phoenix Rising's JCSon who recognizes that there is still so much work to do if we ever hope to realize the Dream.

Answer: Freak Me

The band, Silk, formed in 1989 and gained momentum when they were discovered by singer songwriter Keith Sweat. It didn't take them long to find their feet with "Freak Me" rocketing up the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993 to reach the coveted number one spot. This was the second single to be released from their debut album "Lose Control", which had been released the prior year. The song would help propel the album toward double platinum sales. The following year (1994) that album would win "Album of the Year" at the Soul Train Music Awards.

"Super Freak" was a 1981 hit for Rick James, Missy Elliott scored with "Get UR Freak On" in 2001 and the disco song "Le Freak" was a hit for Chic in 1978.

The question was recorded by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 and, please, don't get freaky with him.

Answer: Air

Surface mail means that it is transported along the surface of the Earth. Hence, land, road and sea fit this bill. You may also know it by the term "sea-mail". As a form of delivering mail, surface mail may be slower than air-mail but it is significantly cheaper.

This question was delivered by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who recently visited a post office to mail twenty letters. He purchased twenty stamps, looked at them and then asked the assistant "Am I supposed to stick these on myself", to which he received the reply "No, stick them on the envelopes".

Answer: 19

Since we know 5 of the 8 children wearing blue were girls, we can deduce that the other 3 were boys. We also know that the 2 children who were neither girls nor wearing blue shirts were boys. Therefore, we have 14 girls (given) and 5 boys for a total of 19 children.

Sometimes it can be helpful to visualize the problem using a diagram (like a Venn diagram or square diagram). Let's use a square diagram. Create a 3x3 grid labeling the rows boy, girl, total and the columns blue, other, total. From the givens, complete the grid as follows: enter 5 blue and 14 total in the girl row, 2 other in the boy row, and 8 total in the blue column. Solve for the one empty space in the blue column and the one empty space in the girl row, and all you have left to do is calculate the totals.

Phoenix Rising team member JCSon formulated this puzzling question.

Answer: Dead

"Left 4 Dead" is a shooter game that was released in a multi-player format in 2008.

The quartet known as the "Survivors" are Frances, an outlaw biker, Bill, a Vietnam veteran and a former Green Beret, college student, Zoey, and Louis, a district accounts manager. They find themselves needing to get out of Pennsylvania after a highly contagious pathogen, which has been christened the "Green Flu", has either killed or "zombiefied" the majority of the population. As a player, you take control of one of these survivors.

"Left 4 Dead" was well received, garnering positive reviews, record sales for the company and it won IGN's Best Multiplayer Award for 2008.

This question was raised from the dead by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who's grateful that he's a bit of a comedian... he reckons zombies would not eat him be because he'd taste funny.

Answer: Maple syrup

Vegans avoid eating or wearing animal products. Maple syrup is produced by using the sap of the Maple tree. Honey, as a product of bees is deemed to be non vegan along side butter and cream.

The pancakes themselves would need to be produced using vegan friendly products, as the usual recipe includes eggs and milk. Nut or soy milks are a good replacement, silken tofu can also be used. Whipped coconut cream can be a useful alternative topping

Phoenix Rising's smpdit battered this question into the quiz. (She also avoided using a pun that was a load of crepe ).

Answer: Irwin

Bindi Irwin hosted the nature documentary series "Bindi the Jungle Girl" that first aired in 2007 when she was nine years old. The show also featured Bindi's mother, Terri, and her younger brother Robert. Although her famous father, Steve Irwin, died in September 2006, he did appear in some episodes as they were filmed prior to his death.

Shortly after hosting "Bindi the Jungle Girl" Bindi Irwin released several music albums aimed at children's fitness and dancing. She also continued her parents' work in wildlife conservation efforts through the family's charity Wildlife Warriors. In the 2010s, Bindi appeared in films including "Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove" and "Return to Nim's Island" and she also won season twenty-one of the popular competition show "Dancing with the Stars".

This question was conserved into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who admires the work of the Irwin family. RIP Crocodile Hunter.

Answer: Dusty Springfield

British born Dusty Springfield (1939-99) with her peroxide blonde and bouffant hairstyle was an entertainment icon of the Swinging Sixties. She created her name by taking Dusty from her childhood practice of playing soccer with the boys in the street and Springfield, which was the name of a trio she was in with her brother Tom in the 1950s. As a solo artist, she became known as a blue-eyed soul singer with her first hit, "I Only Want to Be with You", charting in 1963. Other major hits that followed were "Wishin' and Hopin'" (1964), "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (1964), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966), and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968). She had sixteen hits on the UK Singles Chart and six top 40 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 from 1963 to 1989.

This question was submitted by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who grew up in a house filled with Dusty Springfield music.

Answer: Garfield

Garfield is the eponymous cat in Jim Davis' popular comic strip. Among other things, Garfield is well known for his laziness, love of food (particularly lasagna) and a dislike of Mondays. In 2013, Garfield was recognised as the Guinness World Record holder for the most widely syndicated comic strip.

Why does he hate Mondays? We are never fully informed though one of the most popular theories is that Garfield was born in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant (Mama Leoni's), where he immediately developed his love for pasta, especially fresh lasagna. Being a mum-and-dad-type establishment, the restaurant would close on a Monday, which meant no fresh lasagna, only leftovers... and Garfield hates leftovers. Acknowledge that Jon (Arbuckle - his owner) doesn't feed him leftovers but, those scars from his early days have never left.

In 1919 during the silent film era, Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer created the anthropomorphic "Felix the Cat". His name comes from the Latin words "felis" meaning "cat" and "felix" meaning "happy". Felix has appeared in comic strips and animated shorts, movies and television series.

"Sylvester the Cat" (Sylvester James Pussycat, Sr.) is an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat, appearing in the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoon series. Frequently voiced by Mel Blanc, his catchphrase is "Sufferin' succotash!" Sylvester is frequently seen chasing other characters, including Tweety Bird and Speedy Gonzales.

"Snagglepuss" is an animated pink anthropomorphic mountain lion created by Hanna-Barbera. He is known to break the so called "fourth wall" between actors and audience by directly addressing viewers during his adventures, with his oft-used expression "Heavens to Murgatroyd!" Snagglepuss first appeared in "The Quick Draw McGraw Show" (1959) before becoming a regular on "The Yogi Bear Show".

Confirmed ailurophile, Rising Phoenix's psnz has his own version of Garfield, a ginger domestic short hair called "Mr Blue". If he's fed, Mr Blue doesn't care which day it is.

Answer: El Greco

Doménikos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614) was a Greek painter and sculptor, nicknamed El Greco ("The Greek"). He painted "The Disrobing of Christ" (Spanish: "El Expolio") for the Cathedral of Toledo and it is one of his best-known works. The painting depicts Jesus Christ serenely looking towards Heaven, just before his crucifixion.

None of the other artists could have painted the work. Edouard Manet (1832-1883), Edgar Degas (1834-1917) and Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) were all French artists active mainly in the 19th century.

Phoenix Rising's psnz sketchily outlined this question for the quiz.

Answer: Universal solvent

A universal solvent is a hypothetical liquid that can dissolve any other material. The "problem" with this in reality is that there would be no container which could hold it! There are solvents that can dissolve many different materials but not all. Examples of good solvents include aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids), methanol and benzene (for many non polar substances). Water is sometimes considered a "universal solvent" but this is a misnomer as there are many materials it will not dissolve e.g. oil. Hence like perpetual motion, a universal solvent can be conceptualized but does not exist in the real world. A universal indicator provides a measure of pH where different colours represent different pH values. An ultrasonic bath can be used for cleaning and also breaking down cells, particle aggregates and other uses. A UV-visible spectrophotometer is a common laboratory instrument that records the absorbance of electromagnetic radiation in the UV (approx 100-400 nm) and visible (400-700 nm) ranges.

This question was distilled then precipitated by PR member and scientist, MikeMaster99.

Answer: James Ross

The North Magnetic Pole is the single point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's magnetic field dips and points vertically downwards. As it is generated by the Earth's fluctuating molten iron core, its geographic position is not fixed and has in fact moved a considerable distance since it was first identified by James Ross on June 1, 1831. At that time it was at Cape Adelaide on the Boothia Peninsula in what is now Nunavut, Canada, but by the early 21st century it had moved over 2,000 kilometres into much less accessible positions in the Arctic Ocean. As a result, computer models and satellite information are now the key to tracking its location and rate of movement.

James Ross, a Royal Navy officer, began his career in polar exploration on expeditions led by Sir William Parry and his uncle Sir John Ross. It was during the latter's Arctic expedition of 1829-33 that his discovery of the North Magnetic Pole was made. He later went on to lead his own expedition to the Antarctic from 1839-43, was knighted himself in 1844 and eventually reached the rank of Rear-Admiral.

Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 was inexplicably attracted to the prospect of safely locating this question into the quiz.

Answer: Ezekiel

Ezekiel 28:13 and 36:35 both mention the Garden of Eden. In both cases it is seen as the pinnacle of perfection. The Valley of Dry Bones is a very famous prophecy of Ezekiel found in chapter 37. The chapter speaks of the restoration of the people of Israel to the Promised Land.

Isaiah 51:3 also uses the Garden of Eden to illustrate the restoration of Israel to the state God had originally intended.

Joel 2:3 uses the Garden of Eden to characterize the current state of affairs in Israel as contrasted to the destruction that is coming because of their sinfulness.

Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 47 both use imagery that is reminiscent of Eden without actually naming the Garden.

Throughout the Bible the Garden of Eden is seen as the perfection of God's creation either historically or as a future promise.

The son of man and Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 has faithfully put forth this message from above.