Country File Trivia Quiz

Answer: Japanning

This technique came became popular in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because of growing interest in, and admiration for, the lacquer work brought back by travellers. In Japan and other far eastern countries this technique was also often used to decorate pottery.

Answer: Don't Cry For Me, Argentina

Originally made as a concept album before transferring to the stage, the song comes from the musical "Evita" by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Although Julie Covington had the first chart success with the song, she did not appear in the musical. Elaine Page played Eva Peron in the London production.

When it was made into a film, Madonna played the role and took the song back into the top ten in the UK and, for the first time, in the USA.

Answer: I.T.A.L.Y.

I.T.A.L.Y., an acronym for "I trust and love you", was used by soldiers writing to wives and girlfriends. It implied that the soldier believed that the lady would remain true while they were away fighting. Several other acronyms were also popular, especially S.W.A.L.K. ("Sealed with a loving kiss").

A few of these were much more suggestive - including B.U.R.M.A. which meant "Be Undressed Ready My Angel".

Answer: The China Syndrome

The title of the film referred to a common way of describing the possible consequences of a nuclear meltdown. In this idea the core of the nuclear reactor would burn through the containment materials and then travel right through the earth till it emerged at the other side: in this phrase all the way to China. This is, of course, a completely unscientific notion, but it does provide a dramatic way of describing the outcome.

In an astonishing coincidence, the film was released twelve days before the nuclear accident at Twelve Mile Island. This may have contributed to the huge commercial success of the film.

Answer: Walk Like An Egyptian

Originally a track on the album "Different Light", which also included the huge hit "Manic Monday", "Walk Like An Egyptian" became a worldwide hit in 1986 and 1987. The video which accompanied the release as a single was very distinctive and was nominated for the title of Best Group Video at the MTV Awards in 1987.

Answer: A Passage To India

Published in 1924, this novel's centrepiece is the trial of Dr. Aziz who is falsely accused of assaulting Adela on a trip to the Marabar Caves. This allows Forster to explore the relationships between British and Indian people during the period when demands for Indian independence were growing. It also confronts issues of imperialism and racism.

The book has been adapted for the stage and was made into an award-winning film by David Lean in 1984.

Answer: The Gulf of Mexico

Some people refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Third Coast" of the USA alongside the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. The Gulf, which measures over 1.5 million square kilometres is one of the biggest offshore oil producing areas in the world. It was in part of the Gulf that the ecological catastrophe of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform took place in 2010.

Answer: The Rain in Spain

Based on George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion", "My Fair Lady" is about Henry Higgins' attempt to win a bet by "educating" the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (whose father is a dustman) so that she can convince London Society that she is a "proper" lady. Her success in pronouncing the "A" sound correctly in this song is a turning point in his quest.

The musical made its debut on Broadway in 1956 with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in the lead roles.

Answer: The Russia House

John Le Carre published several novels about espionage in the Cold War, including "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Man Who Came In From The Cold". This one appeared in the same year as the fall of the Berlin Wall, which foreshadowed the break up of the Soviet Union.

The film version of the novel starred Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, some scenes actually being filmed on location in Moscow and St. Petersburg (then still known as Leningrad).

Answer: Morocco leather

The name was the result of the material being imported through Morocco, although it originated further south in Africa. In later years the name was also applied to leather made from sheep or calfskin, although the finest quality was that from the Sokoto Red goat, which comes from north west Nigeria. From there the skins reached Morocco by a caravan route across the Sahara Desert.