Cool Zooms, Part XLIV Trivia Quiz

Answer: How they feed

Diving ducks feed by submerging completely in the water. Their tails and wings are smaller than those of dabbling ducks. Their wing feathers are less brightly coloured compared to the dabbling ducks and their smaller wings mean that they have more difficulty taking flight and they have faster wing-beats. In addition, their feet are also bigger and set further back on their bodies, helping them to dive and swim but making it more difficult to walk on land. As such, their feeding is mostly done on the water.

Dabbling ducks rarely dive but feed mainly on the surface of the water. When feeding, the head is beneath the water surface while the rear end sticks straight up in the air, giving rise to the term "duck butt". They are equally comfortable on water and on land and can be observed feeding at both sites.

Phoenix Rising team members Triviaballer and purelyqing dabbled and dived with delightfully diverting ducks to bring you this question.

Answer: Mariner

In case you missed it: When students learn gram[MAR IN ER]ror filled textbooks, they may not be able to discern the subject from the predicate. 'Mariner' is another word for sailor or seafarer.

Ken Griffey, Jr. was an American baseball outfielder who started his professional career playing 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners beginning in 1989. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and briefly the Chicago White Sox before returning to the Mariners for the last two of his 22 season career. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2016.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge published "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", arguably his most well-known literary contribution, in 1798.

This question sailed into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member, JCSon.

Answer: Awkwafina

The extremely talented Nora Lum changed her name, when she was fifteen years old, to reflect her own sense of awkwardness and, no, it had nothing to do with "Aquafina", the bottled water arm of Pepsico. She became a YouTube sensation in 2012 when her outrageous (and bawdy) single "My Vag" was launched. This led to an album, "Yellow Ranger" in 2014 and, eventually, to a support role in 2018's "Ocean's Eight" and a lead in "Crazy Rich Asians".

For her performance in the 2019 movie "The Farewell", Awkwafina became the first woman of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe award in any lead actress category. She is also the co-creator, writer and executive producer of "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens" which first appeared on Comedy Central in 2020.

The question was introduced by Phoenix Rising's watered down version of a celebrity, pollucci19.

Answer: Typhoon Lagoon

The Typhoon Lagoon theme park is designed to appear as a tropical paradise that has been hit by a powerful typhoon that has displaced items like surfboards and ships. One of the park's iconic sites is the ship 'Miss Tilly' that is impaled on Mount Mayday and shoots a 50 foot spout of water every half hour. In 2018 Typhoon Lagoon was the second most visited water park in the world with more than two million visitors.

This question was spouted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who lives within a half hour of Typhoon Lagoon and the other Walt Disney World theme parks.

Answer: Vinegar and brown paper

"Jack and Jill" is a traditional English nursery rhyme dating back to the 18th century. In the earliest printed version of the rhyme, Jill was spelt Gill and the accompanying illustration showed two boys at the bottom of a hill.
Most people are familiar with the first verse:
"Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down
And broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after."

More verses were added later, the best known of which is:
"Up Jack got
And home did trot,
As fast as he could caper;
Went to bed
To mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper."

Apparently, a compress of vinegar and brown paper was a common home cure used to heal bruises, however, if his head were actually broken, I don't think it would have done any good.

Phoenix Rising member lg549 tried sticking this question into the quiz with vinegar and brown paper, but only ended up with soggy paper.

Answer: Ripple

The description of a capillary wave can be a bit of a mouthful, this is how Wikipedia describes it; "A capillary wave is a wave traveling along the phase boundary of a fluid, whose dynamics and phase velocity are dominated by the effects of surface tension". My first reaction was "What?" until my mate said "It's a ripple Poll, a ripple"... and that made a lot more sense. To throw a spanner into the works (or a pebble into a pond), the nautical term for a ripple on water caused by a light breeze is called a cat's paw.

The Cambridge English Dictionary also defines a ripple as a slight movement (slight noticeable effect). But the definitions don't stop there; it can be a style of ice-cream (hmm strawberry ripple), to be become slightly ruffled or to fall gently in soft (undulating) folds.

Ripple is also the brand name of a fortified wine that was popular in the United States during the 1970s. It had a low ABV and a low price which made it an attraction to the lower end of the market. It became the drink of choice for Fred Sanford in the NBC comedy "Sanford and Son", a series that ran for six seasons from 1972. As the show was well rated, it sort of made Fred an unofficial spokesperson for the brew.

This question was pooled by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who wishes his stomach was more of a ripple than a bubble.

Answer: Gold Coast

Gold Coast is a city with a 2018 population of 670 000 making it the sixth largest city in Australia behind the five mainland state capitals. Known for its 40km strip of golden beaches, less than an hour's drive south of Brisbane, it was originally known as the South Coast. In 1949, the two towns of Southport and Coolangatta united to form the Town of South Coast. The moniker "Gold Coast" was a derogatory term indicating inflated real estate prices but the name stuck and in 1959 the city of Gold Coast was proclaimed with 33,000 people.

Florida's Gold Coast is not a local government entity per se but represents the Atlantic coastal strip, including the cities of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The name is a nod to the wealthy and tropical lifestyle of the area.

The African Gold Coast was the name for a region on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa with high levels of natural resources such as gold, petroleum, oil and natural gas. The region was divided among the British, Dutch and Portuguese. In 1957 this region and other adjacent regions became an independent sovereign nation within the British Commonwealth of Nations with the name of Ghana.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who both works and has his holidays on the sandy beaches of the Gold Coast but lives in Brisbane.

Answer: Battle of Leyte Gulf

With over 200,000 naval personnel involved, The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought off the islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon between American and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy. The battle took place over four days and consisted of four separate main engagements as well as numerous smaller engagements. The main battles were the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle off Cape Engano, and the Battle off Samar. Although the Japanese actions surprised the Allies initially, the battle turned into a lopsided victory for the Allies and saw the first use of kamikazes by the Japanese.

The USS Princeton was a light carrier in Task Group 38.3 and was lost on October 24 when a lone Japanese diver bomber scored a hit that caused a massive fire. Although casualties were relatively light on the Princeton considering the fire, the USS Birmingham suffered heavy casualties by secondary explosions as it attempted to fight the fire aboard the Princeton. The Princeton could not be saved and it sank.

This report was filed from the somewhere in the Pacific with the US Third Fleet by combat reporter and Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Stratego

Stratego was initially known as 'L'Attaque', and was developed in France in 1910. It was renamed as 'Stratego' in 1942, in the Netherlands.
It is a two-person strategy game, with the object being to capture the opponent's flag. It has 12 different playing pieces, ranging from the lowly Scout, up to the top-ranked Marshal. There are also six bombs, which will eliminate any pieces that try to capture them- the only exception is the Miner, who can defuse a bomb.

This question written by ozzz2002, who actually prefers Stratego to chess.

Answer: The Baptism of Christ

There are many paintings of the baptism of Jesus Christ by his cousin John the Baptist in existence, but the one in question is generally credited as having been the work of the Italian artists Andrea del Verrocchio and his most famous pupil, Leonardo da Vinci (potentially with contributions from some of Verrocchio's other students as well). In addition to Jesus and John, the scene includes two kneeling angels, the left-hand one of which is the portion of the work attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Analysis of the painting has indicated that some of the background may also be the work of the great artist, as he used oil paints whereas Verrocchio painted in tempera.

The work is believed to have originally been produced for the Church of San Salvi in Florence but it joined the collection of Florence's Uffizi Gallery in 1959.

Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 splashed some words about this painting onto the blank canvas of the quiz template.

Answer: The Odyssey

One of the oldest extant works of literature, the "Odyssey" is a Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. It follows the journey home to Ithaca of the eponymous hero Odysseus after the decade-long Trojan War. Along the way, Odysseus and his men suffer a series of misfortunes. One of these is an encounter with Polyphemus, the giant, one-eyed, man-eating son of Poseidon. At great peril, Odysseus manages to outwit the giant and blind him, but he reveals his identity when he taunts the cyclops. This mistake results in Polyphemus praying to Poseidon to curse Odysseus to wandering another ten years. So is his homecoming delayed by many misadventures, including seven years of captivity by the nymph Calypso and another year ensnared by the witch-goddess Circe.

At home in Ithaca, Penelope remains steadfastly devoted to her husband, despite her many suitors (numbered at no less than 108).

This question submitted by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, who counts the "Iliad", the "Odyssey", "Beowulf", and the "Epic of Gilgamesh" in his top 10 works of literature, and once had the distinct pleasure of reading the works of Homer on a trip through Greece, Turkey, and the Greek islands.

Answer: Mutiny on the Bounty

"Mutiny on the Bounty" which starred Clark Gable and Charles Laughton was based on the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, which in turn was based on the historical events of 1789. During a voyage in the South Pacific, the crew, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied against Bligh's harsh treatment of them and set the Captain adrift with his band of followers.

Gable, who played Fletcher Christian and Laughton as Captain Bligh were both nominated for the "Best Actor" Oscars, as was Franchot Tone for his role of Midshipman Roger Byam. Unfortunately none of them took home the gong. The Academy Awards had no category for "Best Supporting Actor" until the following year. In 1936 "Judgement at Nuremburg" had two "Best Actor" and one "Best Supporting Actor" nominations, but went one better when Maximilian Schell won the gong.

This question was written by leith90 who cruised around the site of the infamous mutiny, decided there was nothing to see, so went back to the bar for another cocktail.

Answer: Slippery When Wet

"Slippery When Wet" was the third album released by the glam metal band Bon Jovi. Prior to its release the group had had limited success. The album catapulted them to superstardom. It has been certified diamond in the US, selling over ten million units since it was released in 1986. It spent eight weeks at number one on the US Billboard Top 200 chart and spent a total of 38 weeks in the top five of that chart.

"Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" both reached number one on the US Hot 100 chart and "Wanted Dead or Alive" made it into the top ten on the same chart. Bon Jovi became the first hair metal band to have consecutive number ones on that chart and the first to have three top ten hits from the same album.

The information for this question was mopped up by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) was the First Lady of the United States during husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four presidential terms. Subsequently she served as the US Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and it was President Harry S. Truman who dubbed her "First Lady of the World" for her human rights achievements.

The key word in the question is "attributed" because it is unlikely that Eleanor Roosevelt was responsible for the quote. It has not been found in any of her writings. Earlier versions relating to eggs, potatoes, men and people are known to exist, as far back as 1860. Mis-attributing quotations to famous persons is relatively common and doing so lends more weight to the quote. Once prominent people become known for pithy quotations, attributing more to them becomes far easier.

Dr. Garson O'Toole's "Quote Investigator" website found this quotation in 1960s political speeches and newspaper items. Only in the 1990s did it begin to be attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, something reinforced by Hilary Rodham Clinton (another First Lady) who called it "one of her favorite adages".

In debunking Eleanor Roosevelt as the source of this quote, Phoenix Rising's psnz hopes he does not end up in hot water.

Answer: Shinto

A torii is a Japanese gate that marks the entrance to a Shinto shrine and provides a marker between the earthly world and the spiritual. They are traditionally constructed from wood or stone but other materials such as concrete, steel or copper are becoming common. They are often left unpainted, but if they are decorated they generally appear coloured in vermillion and black. Sacred sites can have many toriis, as wealthy patrons donate them to show gratitude.

smpdit threw up a fence around this question and stepped away from the sacred to the mundane.

Answer: 3.98 °C (39.16 °F)

Water is a very unusual substance (molecule) in that the liquid phase is more dense than the solid phase (ice). This is due to the strong attractive forces between water molecules in the liquid phase - these forces are between the partial positive charge on each hydrogen atom and the lone electron pairs on an oxygen atom on an adjacent molecule. These electron pairs convey a partial negative charge on the oxygen, resulting in water being a "polar" molecule. These strong intermolecular forces - known here as 'hydrogen bonding' - draw the water molecules closer together than is found in the solid state. As temperature increases, these hydrogen bonds become stretched a little due to the increased thermal motion of the molecules (more heat = more thermal motion), hence water density decreases. As water reaches its boiling point, these hydrogen bonds become extremely weak. Water is at its densest close to, but just above, freezing point, and occurs fractionally below 4°C.

So what does this mean in 'real life'? It explains why ice floats on the top of your cold drinks and why icebergs float!

This question felt a little like work for PR member MikeMaster99, who uses the temperature dependence of water density to explain to students why they can dip a toe into what appears to be a warm pool or lake, yet jumping in they find it is much colder below the surface! Warmer (less dense) water floats on colder water.

Answer: Old Course at St Andrews

The Old Course at St Andrews contains some 112 individually named bunkers, but the meandering Swilcan Burn is arguably its most famous hazard. The Old Course is one of seven that make up St Andrews on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. It is referred to as "The Home of Golf" and is considered the world's oldest golf course, dating to the early 15th century.

The 700-year-old Swilcan Bridge (or Swilken Bridge) spanning the Swilcan Burn between the first (Burn) and 18th (Tom Morris) holes is a well-known icon of golf. Many famous golfers have made their farewells to the professional game from here, including Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Phoenix Rising team member psnz could not avoid the water hazard when hooking this question into the quiz.

Answer: Deep Water

"Deep Water" was released on the SBS network as four episodes. At first the deaths were thought to be suicides or unexplained but similarities between the deaths lead the detectives to determine that they are murders. The lead detective, Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone), has further motivation to solve the mystery of the murders as her brother had disappeared mysteriously.

This question was reeled in from the Sydney Harbour by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who desires to only see crime scenes on tv.

Answer: Wave Race

The "Wave Race" video game series are racing games from Nintendo. "Wave Race" (1992) was the first release for the Nintendo Game Boy. It was followed by "Wave Race 64" (1996) for the Nintendo 64, re-released in 2007 for the Wii and again in 2016 for the Wii U. The third in the series was "Wave Race: Blue Storm" (2001) for Nintendo's GameCube.

Collectively, the series allows players to race Jet Skis in several different modes. "Wave Race" offered Slalom and Race modes on a variety of tracks. "Wave Race 64" contained Championship, Time Trials and Stunt modes for single players, plus a multiplayer mode. "Wave Race: Blue Storm" has a Championship mode, together with Time Attack, Stunt, Multiplayer and Free Roam modes.

Generally, these games have been well-received, with praise for their game physics and the way they emulated Jet Ski racing. Later releases also featured water and weather effects. The games have also been a commercial success, being among the top-selling titles for their respective consoles. In 2016 Nintendo renewed the game's copyright, suggesting that future versions were a possibility.

With a great splash, Phoenix Rising's psnz hurried to drop this question into the quiz.

Answer: Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard aqueduct is a spectacular example of ancient Roman engineering, constructed around 19 BC. Its purpose, along with several hundred meters of tunnels, three basins and some nineteen other bridges that comprise the aqueduct complex, is to carry water over the Gardon River to the city of Nîmes. Constructed without mortar, the structure is almost 270 metres (900 feet) long, and has three tiers of semicircular arches. The top tier rises to some 47-48 metres (150 feet) above the river.

Thought to have been conceived by the son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, the uppermost of the three tiers is where the actual water conduit is located. It uses gravity to move the water. It was used as an aqueduct until the 6th century when becoming a tollgate during the Middle Ages, and finally a road bridge from the 18th - 20th century. Since 2000, the area has been refurbished and there is no longer any traffic or local construction nearby.

This question was carefully cemented into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.