Cool Zooms, Part XLVIII Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hilary

"Wolf Hall", published in 2009 is a historical novel that was written by Hilary (one 'L') Mantel. It is a fictionalised account of Thomas Cromwell's rise to favour in the court of King Henry VIII. The book was the first in the series for Mantel and it earned her the Man Booker Prize.

Hillary (two 'L's) Clinton won the US Democratic Party's nomination for President in 2016. In doing so she became the first woman to be nominated by a major party to be the President of the United States. She would win the popular vote but fail to win the Electoral College.

Hilary (one 'L') Swank is an American actress who won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1999 film "Boys Don't Cry". Her continued star performances saw her land the prize role of female boxer "Maggie" Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood's 2005 film "Million Dollar Baby", a role in which she earned her second acting Oscar.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 (two 'L's).

Answer: Hereford

Jerseys, Holsteins and Brown Swiss are known dairy cattle breeds. The Jersey is a British breed from Jersey in the Channel Islands, producing milk high in butterfat. Holstein Friesians originate from the Netherlands' provinces of North Holland and Friesland plus the North German province of Schleswig-Holstein and are known for their high rate of dairy production. The Brown Swiss (also American Brown Swiss) is an American dairy breed.

Herefords are British beef cattle from Herefordshire in England's West Midlands. In countries with significant beef production, Herefords make up the highest proportion of registered cattle. These animals are hardy and thrive in harsh conditions. There is also a hornless variant, known as a Polled Hereford.

Phoenix Rising's psnz milked this question before slicing it into the quiz.

Answer: Lithuania

All of these small European countries have capitals built around rivers, with Riga, Latvia being on the Baltic Sea coast as well with the main city centre being divided by the majestic Daugava River. Its neighbour, Lithuania, has its capital, Vilnius, much further inland where the Neris River curls through the city, requiring many bridges. Some of the more famous ones are the Zirmnai, King Mindaugas and Green Bridges. Vaduz is Liechtenstein's capital and this tiny capital in a tiny country is jammed into a narrow valley with the Danube River at its western boundary and the Alps rising sharply to the east. Two bridges that cross the Danube into Switzerland are covered bridges. Luxembourg, the capital rather than the country, is built around deep but narrow gorges made by the narrow Alzette and Pétrusse rivers.

This question submitted by Phoenix Rising's amateur bridge-spotter 1nn1.

Answer: Beer Making

Chill haze is an undesirable (but non-harmful) visual effect that occurs when components of beer clump together and create a cloudy appearance. This can occur when beer is chilled to near freezing.

At low levels, dimethyl sulfide can create a somewhat favorable sweet aroma in beer. At higher levels, the aroma and taste is that of cooked vegetables. It is highly flammable, and a skin and eye irritant.

The IBU (International Bittering Unit) scale is a measurement of the bitterness in beer. Bitterness in beer is attributed to its hops content. At the low end of the scale (under 30 IBUs) are wheat beers and American lagers while stouts and pale ales occupy the high end (30+ IBUs).

Mash is the mixture of crushed grains and water that is eventually fermented to produce alcohol.

Phoenix Rising's mike32768 is generally known for NOT turning down a beer - he's just that kind of guy.

Answer: Borborygmus

A stomach rumble, or borborygmus (plural borborygmi), is typically the result of fluid, gas, or air passing through the gastrointestinal system via peristalsis (muscular contractions) or of air moving around the cavernous space of an empty stomach. Various digestive diseases may result in increased intestinal gas and excessive abdominal noise. The word derives from the Greek 'borborygmos', which was likely onomatopoeic in origin.

'Ozostomia' is another technical term for bad breath or halitosis. 'Eructation' is the medical term for belching.

While writing this questions, Phoenix Rising's JCSon paused to answer the mad ravings of his unsatisfied stomach.

Answer: Cycling

The cycle race known as the Paris - Roubaix is one of the oldest of its type, first held in 1896. Roubaix is a village in northern France, not far from the Belgian border. The name has become a bit of a misnomer, as it usually does not start in Paris any more. The highlight of each race is the cobblestones, which are very hard on both bike and rider, and riders use specially modified cycles. The distance of each race varies, but is about 250km, with roughly (pun intended) 60km of bone-jarring cobbles.

The winner's prize includes a mounted paving stone, probably the only piece of rock that the exhausted cyclist would be happy to see!

This re-cycled question was written by Phoenix Rising team member, ozzz2002.

Answer: Nichelle Nichols ("Star Trek")

After the first season of "Star Trek" (1966-67) Nichols, who'd played the linguistics and cryptography expert Nyota Uhura on the USS Enterprise, was looking to move on. Despite the fact that she held a prominent role on a major television series, she was tempted by the brighter lights and opportunities of Broadway. She recalled in an interview with Alex Strachan in 2010 that, soon after the first season, she was at a fundraiser at the NAACP where she met Dr. Martin Luther King, who'd professed to her his love of the television show and declared that it was the only programme that he allowed his three children to watch. When she mentioned that she was thinking of leaving the show he simply said "You can't. You're a part of history". His implication was that she was a presence for her race and a role model for them to aspire to.

Two seasons later, in the episode "Plato's Children", Uhura would kiss Captain Kirk (William Shatner), which has been cited as the first inter-racial kiss on scripted US television.

This question was beamed in from the future by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Octopus

This is a move that has been around since the 1970s where it was used extensively by WWE Hall of Fame inductee Antonio Inoki. It also goes by the names of the "Octopus Stretch", "Manji-gatame" and the "Japanese Twist". Canadian wrestler Gail Kim uses the move but has christened it "The Christo" and Divas Champion A.J. Lee calls her version of the move the "Black Widow". Katsuyori Shibata and Zack Sabre Jr., both use the move as their finisher.

Phoenix Rising's polluci19 grappled with this question before submitting.

Answer: Fargo

Frances McDormand snagged her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Marge Gunderson in "Fargo", which was directed by McDormand's husband, Joel Coen (along with Joel's brother Ethan). Marge Gunderson is the Chief of Police of Brainerd, Minnesota, and was the main protagonist in the film. Marge approached her police work politely, without any hostility, investigating a triple homicide in her snowy environs while she was six months pregnant. Frances McDormand wore a "pregnancy pillow" stuffed with birdseed to simulate the pregnancy.

Phoenix Rising member Rizeeve channeled his inner-Marge Gunderson to compose this question, you betcha!

Answer: New Granada

The Viceroyalty of New Granada encompassed much of modern day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. It was established two centuries after the founding of the New Kingdom of Granada which was administered out of Lima. The Viceroyalty of New Granada consolidated territories in northern South America and established what is now modern day Bogota as its administrative center. The move was mainly an attempt to better govern the area as Lima proved to be too distant for effective administration.

Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Paula Santander led the independence movement in Venezuela that then spread throughout the region. The Battle of Boyaca on 7 August 1819 ushered in the independence of the region with Bolivar's victory but it would be another three years before full independence was achieved.

This report has been submitted by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 who spent a year and a half of his childhood living in Puerto Ordaz Venezuela in the 1970s.

Answer: Nabokov

If asked to name something written by Vladimir Nabokov, the majority of people would probably suggest his controversial 1955 novel 'Lolita' about a paedophile who abuses his young stepdaughter. However, Nabokov's literary output was much wider and extensive than just that single novel. His other better-known works (such as his memoir 'Speak, Memory' and 1962's 'Pale Fire') are those that he wrote in English following his emigration to the United States during the Second World War, but in the earlier part of his career he also wrote extensively in Russian, often under the pseudonym Vladimir Sirin.

The sirin is a Russian mythological creature that is usually depicted as having the head of woman and the body of an owl. It is associated with poetry in Russian literature and from around the 17th century was seen as a symbol of peace and happiness. Before then sirins had a similar reputation to the sirens of Greek myth, in the sense that following their calls were believed to lure mortal people to their deaths.

This question was surreptitiously snuck into the quiz by Fi Phoenix.

Answer: MG (Morris Garages)

Morris Garages, later MG, started life in the 1920s when Cecil Kimber modified standard Morris Oxfords to a higher performance specification manufactured nearby in a plant in the same city. In 1930, the small operation was given its own name plate and it became known for producing small two seater sports cars like the MGA, MGB and the Midget. It was sold off by the owner in 1935 and has had a myriad of owners; perhaps the most stable time was when it was incorporated into the British Motor Corporation in 1957. The brand was sold to the state-owned Chinese automotive SAIC Motor Corporation Limited in 2016.

This question driven into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member and motoring enthusiast 1nn1 who believes it sad to see the MG logo on generic SUVs rather than distinctive small sports cars.

Answer: Al-Fatiha(h) - "The Opening", 1st surah

The first surah of the Quran contains seven ayah (verses) which pray for the guidance, lordship and mercy of God.

"The Noble Qur'an" (2020) is a translation of the Quran by Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali. In this interpretation, the first surah reads:
1 In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
2 All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).
3 The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
4 The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)
5 You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
6 Guide us to the Straight Way
7 The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

Phoenix Rising's psnz was honoured to research this question for the quiz.

Answer: Simon as a given name

Simon Le Bon is best known as the lead singer of the pop band Duran Duran. He is also an avid yachtsman and once had to be rescued off the Southwest coast of England after spending 40 minutes under his capsized boat during a race.

Simon Cowell made his name as the plain-spoken and often controversial judge on talent competition shows like the "Idol", "X Factor", and "Got Talent" franchises. He's not just hot air though. Cowell's position as judge is backed up by a solid resume in the music industry as a talent scout, record producer, and recording executive.

Simon Amstell is a comedian, writer, and movie director. His 2017 film "Carnage" is a mockumentary about the meat-eating lifestyle. His 2018 film "Benjamin" is a British comedy-drama not to be confused with the American dark comedy directed by Bob Saget released the same year.

Phoenix Rising's JCSon wrote this question because Simon said.

Answer: Power supplies

This problem is so bad that the American Public Power Association has even developed a tool called 'The Squirrel Index' to collect and analyse data around the patterns and timing of squirrels' impact on electrical power systems.

Exceeded only by the effects of weather, squirrels cause problems both by chewing through electrical insulation on overhead wires, and tunnelling. They scurry across the power lines then put their prominent front teeth into action, stripping the wires of their protective covering. When their tails, or some other body part, touches the wire at the same time as the teeth, the circuit is completed. The squirrel is electrocuted and the power to all the houses in the area goes off.

Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid may have bitten off more than she could chew with this question.

Answer: Spider

Anansi has roots in folklore from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, but has spread throughout Africa, America and the Caribbean. A cunning, witty creature, he is known for outwitting stronger opponents in creative ways. His tales have been carried around the world due to the transatlantic slave trade and because of this the stories themselves are full of symbols of slave resistance, with Anansi the Trickster able to gain the upper hand against his oppressors using his cunning.

Phoenix Rising's smpdit wonders why she chose to write a question about an intelligent spider god, as she is traumatised enough by the regular kind.

Answer: Clarity

Clarity is the final of the four "C's" used to describe a diamond. The better the transparency, the more diamond reflects the light, which means it sparkles more. Most gem stones have some degree of cloudiness or blemish in each stone, even if it can't be seen by the naked eye. Very few diamonds have no inclusions or defects and these rare, flawless gems are called paragons.

The remaining "C's" are cut, colour and carat. The cut of the diamond is not just the overall shape, but the number of facets or surfaces, their symmetry and also the depth of the diamond. They are all crucial to getting the most sparkle. Most diamonds are clear or white and the colour refers to how colourless they are. Diamonds can be found in other colours like blue, yellow and pink. The carat weight is the size of the diamond or how big it is.

This question was cut, shaped and polished by Phoenix Rising's leith90 who then set it into the quiz.

Answer: Arcane

Something arcane is known or understood by very few people. The word derives from the Latin 'arcanus' ("secret, closed"), cognate with 'arca' ("a chest"). The word 'arcana' is the plural form of the noun referring to the pieces of knowledge (often mystical or religious) concealed from the majority.

This question made available to the masses by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: K/D ratio - Kills to Deaths

The kill/death (K/D) ratio is commonly used in multiplayer games like the "Halo", "Call of Duty" and "Super Smash Bros." series. The K/D is essentially the number of times you kill your opponent divided by the number of times you die. A K/D of 1.5 is considered good whereas a K/D of 2.0 or greater is considered elite. In most multiplayer games after players die they respawn onto a different location on the map. Of course over time as players refine their skills their K/D ratios should improve.

This question was placed into the quiz via a proximity mine by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who barely eked out a 1.0 K/D in "Halo: Reach" before retiring from the game.

Answer: Can the Can

Suzi Quatro's first single 'Rolling Stone' released in 1972 only had moderate success. Her second single, 'Can the Can', from her eponymous album fared spectacularly better, reaching number one in the UK in June 1973; it also reached number one in Australia, Germany and Switzerland but only number 56 (Billboard) in the USA. The song was written by the prolific hit-making partnership of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman who also wrote chart toppers for The Sweet, Racey, Smokie and many others during this period. The song title's meaning is obscure, although Chinn once noted that it is about the impossibility of forcing one can into another can or forcing a man to commit to a relationship when he doesn't want to.

This question was 48-crashed into this quiz by PR member, MikeMaster99, whose first album purchase was 'Quatro', much to his parents' dismay!

So... did anyone find the hidden theme? It was elementary - literally! The answers to questions 1-20 all started with the chemical symbol of the corresponding question as shown below:

Hilary - H for Hydrogen
Hereford - He for Helium
Lithuania - Li for Lithium
Beer Making - Be for Beryllium
Borborygmus - B for Boron
Cycling - C for Carbon
Nichelle Nichols - N for Nitrogen
Octopus - O for Oxygen
Fargo - F for Fluorine
New Granada - Ne for Neon
Nabakov - Na for Sodium
MG - OK, not perfect but Mg is Magnesium
Al-Fatiha - Al for Aluminium
Simon - Si for Silicon
Power System - P for Phosphorus
Spider - S for Sulfur
Clarity - Cl for Chlorine
Arcane - Ar for Argon
K/D ratio - K for Potassium
Can the Can - Ca for Calcium