Find the (Pink) Lady Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cripps Pink

The apple variety Cripps Pink was developed by John Cripps in 1973 at the Stoneville Research Centre in Western Australia, and is a cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Cripps Pink apples that meet strict criteria for colour intensity and sugar/acid balance are sold under the branded name of Pink Lady; those that fall short of the set standards, while still great eating apples, are sold under the varietal name. Cripps Pink needs a hot climate and a long growing period, so is not a suitable variety for commercial growing in the UK.

The other three choices are all apple varieties.

Answer: Japan

In 1976, Mitsuyo Nemoto (Mie) and Keiko Masuda (Kei), two teenagers from provincial Japan, passed the audition for the Japanese TV talent show "Star Tanjo" ("Birth of a Star"). Their catchy tunes and energetic performances, coupled with a wholesome image, took the country by storm and Pink Lady were as big in Japan as The Beatles were in the UK, until about 1981 when they disbanded.

In the 1990s, the nostalgia boom for the '70s resulted in a career resurrection for the duo; Pink Lady reformed in 1996 and continues to the present.

Answer: Jeff

Following their phenomenal success in Japan, the pop duo Pink Lady (Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda) tried to break into the U.S. entertainment market with the show "Pink Lady and Jeff"; the show was a mixture of variety and sitcom, featuring showbiz guest appearances, songs from Pink Lady, and the comedian Jeff Altman "translating" the girls' Japanese and speaking gibberish back to them. It ran for six weeks only before being pulled.

Pink Lady still enjoy successful careers in Japan, and Jeff Altman has had countless minor roles, mainly in television (e.g. as Hughie Hogg in four episodes of "The Dukes of Hazzard") with a few films ("Highlander II", "American Hot Wax", "Soul Man" and "Easy Money").

Answer: Gin

There are many variations on the Pink Lady cocktail, but the classic 1930s-1940s recipe uses gin as the base. Most of the early recipes mix gin, grenadine, egg white and cream (the egg white is optional). Recipe variations may include applejack or ordinary brandy, Angostura bitters, lemon juice, sloe gin, or sugar syrup.

Some modern Pink Lady cocktails are based on white rum with creme de cassis, others are vodka-based.

Answer: Gastro-oesophageal reflux

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is the medical term for the condition in which the muscular ring (sphincter) at the lower end of the gullet (oesophagus) is over-relaxed, allowing stomach acid to flow back (reflux) up the oesophagus. It is very common and is the most frequent cause of indigestion in the UK, often resulting in the condition we know as "heartburn".

The Pink Lady gastro-intestinal cocktail, named because of its colour, is used to treat the symptoms and usually consists of a liquid antacid plus a local anaesthetic.

Answer: A rock painting in California

In October 1966, a 60-foot high image of a naked woman appeared on a rock face above a tunnel on the Malibu Canyon Road in California. It was the work of Lynne Seemayer Westmore, a secretary from Northridge: starting in January of 1966, she gradually removed the grafitti from the rock face above the tunnel entrance, sketching an outline of her drawing in August, then painting the figure on the night of Friday 28th October.

It was a short-lived phenomenon: on Thursday 3rd November 1966, council workers used 14 gallons of brown paint to obliterate the image.

Answer: As railroad track ballast

Quartzites are usually white to grey, but often occur in varying shades of pink and red owing to the presence of other minerals such as iron oxide. Because of its hardness, quartzite is used, particularly in the U.S., as ballast between railroad ties.

The Precambrian Baraboo quartzites of south central Wisconsin are tinted pink and are quarried and crushed for Pink Lady railroad ballast.

Answer: Ivan Caryll

Felix Tilkins (1861-1921) was born in Belgium and was better known by his pen-name of Ivan Caryll; he composed many operettas and musical comedies that were very popular in late Victorian and Edwardian London.

The musical "The Pink Lady" opened in New York at The New Amsterdam Theater on March 13, 1911. It was based on the farce "Le Satyr" by Georges Berr and Marcel Guillemaud, with scenes taking place in the Forest of Compiegne, France; an antique shop in the Rue St Honore, Paris; and at an al fresco ball of Nymphs and Satyrs at the Tabarin, Paris.

It is now chiefly remembered for "The Pink Lady Valse" which can be found on several compilation albums of Edwardian theatrical music.

Answer: A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was the first mass-produced four-engined heavy bomber and was used extensively by the US 8th Air Force for bombing raids in Europe during the Second World War.

The "Pink Lady" was the plane that starred in the 1990 movie "Memphis Belle". Until its retirement in 2010 it appeared regularly at air shows.

The film told the story of the first U.S. aircrew to complete 25 missions over Europe in WW2, beginning the night before the last mission and following the mission through to the end.

Answer: A fast Atlantic crossing

In the days when steamships were the main way of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, a prize called the Blue Riband was awarded for the fastest crossings; thus a fast Atlantic crossing is not a "Pink Lady".

Hospital "Pink Ladies" are volunteers, usually in the U.S. or Australia, who carry out many small but significant tasks, such as raising funds for projects like artworks and quiet rooms, visiting patients and suchlike.

The musical "Pink Ladies" were the girl gang from the musical "Grease".

The Pink Lady's Slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) is the official state wildflower of New Hampshire.