Crooked! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Shambles

The Shambles are a collection of narrow streets and old buildings dating back to the 13th and 14th century. Once upon a time the area was named "The Great Flesh Shambles" due to the number of butcher stores and meat vendors that would frequent the streets.

In 1872, records show that 25 butcher shops called The Shambles home. Today the meat stores have been replaced with cute tourist boutiques. However, the odd meat hook is still seen hanging from external walls in many places. Interestingly, there are "Shambles" in other British towns such as Manchester, Worcester, Whitby, Chippenham and Chesterfield.

Answer: Torre pendente di Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an iconic structure located in the beautiful Tuscan city of Pisa. The tower itself is a free-standing campanile or bell tower. Groundbreaking for the tower was in 1173 but it was not completed until 200 years later in 1372.

The tower is 55.86m tall and is made out of marble and stone. A total of 296 steps make up the internal staircase. Prior to renovations in 1990 and 2001 the tower leaned almost 5.5 degrees. Post restoration the lean remains a remarkable 3.99 degrees.

Answer: Banana

Bananas are one of the world's most popular fruits. The fruit grows hanging from the top of the plant and usually the outer skin is green before it turns bright yellow. Bananas grow in over 100 countries worldwide and are actually partially radioactive due to the high potassium content.

Answer: The Crooked Road

The Crooked Road is Virginia's Music Heritage Trail and a must see for folk music aficionados. Three hundred miles of roadway and ten counties throughout southwestern Virginia comprise the Crooked Road. Nearby the Blue Ridge Parkway is another scenic and quite curvy road that summer visitors enjoy traveling.

The Blue Ridge Parkway occasionally becomes a part of the Crooked Road. The Blue Ridge Parkway has the distinction of being America's Longest linear National Park encompassing 469 total miles.

Answer: Cube Houses

Piet Blom, a Dutch architect had the idea of constructing the cube houses in the early 1970s. He began with a test design in Helmond and then expanded the project in 1977 to Rotterdam. The plan was to build 55 houses but only 39 were actually completed.

The houses are all interconnected with the cube residence tilted 45 degrees and the upper cube resting upon a hexagonal pylon. The design is meant to represent the individuality of a tree amongst the community of a forest. The cube houses are located on Overblaak Street above the Blaak Subway Station.

Answer: Yoga

Yoga has recently been adopted as a meaningful form of physical exercise in Western culture. Historically, yoga has been an important part of spiritual practice in Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Today it has become a more accepted means of managing stress emotions and increasing strength and flexibility.

Answer: Church of St. Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield

The Church of St. Mary and All Saints is a 14th century Parish Church located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The characteristic spire was added to the existing church building back in 1362. The spire twists 45 degrees and leans almost 10 feet from its true center.

Many people believe that the crooked spire was caused by poor craftsmanship during construction and the use of untreated timber for the supports. Later arguments suggest that the lead covering the spire caused the twisting on account of its weight and heat conduction properties. Chesterfield's professional football team honors the crooked spire in their nickname -- the "spireites."

Answer: Aspen

Locals living near the "Crooked Trees" also called the "Crooked Bush," or "Twisted Trees," are very protective of their arboreal abnormality. The grove is located some 20km morthwest of the town of Hafford in Sakatchewan. Across the road are untwisted and normal looking aspen trees. The crooked trees however, have convoluted branches and twisted trunks. Local legend talks to a paranormal reason for the crookedness but botanists point to a genetic mutation.

Answer: Boomerang

The boomerang is an Australian icon and has been frequently seen as a sporting implement, hunting tool, and children's toy. Boomerangs are generally categorized as "returning" or "non-returning." Proficient throwers are able to throw with great accuracy over large distances.

The etymology of the word is debated but some suggest it is a derivative of the Turuwal word "bou-mar-rang" meaning returning throw stick. On March 15th, David Schummy set a new World Record for a thrown boomerang with a remarkable throw of 1,401.5 feet (427.2m). Fittingly, the throw was recorded at Murrarie Recreation Ground in Australia.

Answer: Chiropractor

Chiropractors have been a much maligned member of the medical profession up until recent times. Chiropractics is by far the largest alternative medical discipline. Professional chiropractors work to help clients improve upon a variety of musculoskeletal problems. Daniel David Palmer is credited with being the founder of chiropractics in Davenport, Iowa in 1895. Spinal manipulations, adjustments, massage therapy, and cryotherapy are just some of the techniques a chiropractor might use in working with patients.