FunTrivia Blockbusters: I'll Have a 'K' Quiz

Answer: Kangaroo

The Kangaroo is a mammal that is native to Australia, and is that country's national symbol.

A group of kangaroos is known as a "mob".

With their strong hind legs, kangaroos can reach speeds of up to 44mph (70 km/h)

When they are born, baby kangaroos are tiny - about the size of a bumble bee. They develop in a 'pouch' on the mother's chest.

After a gestation period of about 34 days, the joey will clamber from the birth canal to the pouch. At six months, the joey can leave the pouch for short periods.

Red kangaroos leave the pouch for good at around eight months and continue to suckle for another three or four months. Grey kangaroos leave at about 11 months, continuing to suckle until about 18 months.

Answer: Key

The first keys that open doors date to ancient Assyria in about 670BC.

The Romans used keys, but it was not until the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the 18th century that a degree of standardisation came about.

Answer: Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian was born on October 31, 1980 in Los Angeles.

She was a friend of the model and actor Paris Hilton, then in 2007 found a measure of fame when a certain video tape with her boyfriend of the time was released online.

Also that year, she appeared with other members of her family in the E! reality television series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." This turned out to be a ratings hit.

From that point, Kardashian gained her celebrity status - being famous for being famous. It also made her a multi-millionaire and a darling of newspapers and celebrity magazines.

Answer: Krypton Factor

"The Krypton Factor" was first broadcast in September 1977 and ran until November 1995. It was revived for a ten-week run in 2009.

Each show tested the mental and physical agility of contestants. They had to solve problems in competition with each other and each show included a military-style assault course. Male and female contestants competed on the course, with the women given a head start.

Each of the 12 weekly winners and the four best runners-up then competed in the grand final for the title.

Answer: Kristoff

Actor and singer Jonathan Groff was the voice of Kristoff, a Sami iceman helping Princess Anna find her sister Elsa in the North Mountain.

"Frozen" was released in 2013. It was based on the Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Snow Queen".

The film won a raft of awards, including two Oscars.

It became the highest-grossing animated film in Hollywood history, and was the subject of a huge line of merchandising.

Answer: Kite

Several sub-families of kites exist in warm regions worldwide. They are lightly built, with small heads, partially bare faces, short beaks, and long narrow wings and tail.

The new wave band Kite comprises Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg. Originating from Malmö but later based in Stockholm they released the first of six EPs in 2008.

In aviation, a kite is a heavier than air 'aircraft' that is connected to a controller on the ground by a string or cable. It gets its lift from air currents.

They have traditionally had military and scientific uses, but in more modern times have been adapted as a means of towing surfers through the sea, or even people on buggies on beaches.

Answer: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is 2.7m square kilometres and is the ninth largest country by area. Located in central Eurasia, it is also the largest landlocked country in the world.

Kenya in East Africa has an area of c580,000 square kilometres and is the 49th largest in the world.

Kyrgyzstan in central Asia is a former Soviet socialist republic and has an area of c199,000 square kilometres. It ranks 86th in the world.

Kuwait is an oil-rich country in the middle east. It is the 154th largest country, with an area of c18,000 square kilometres.

Answer: Kursk

Despite being technically more advanced, the German forces failed to break through deep Soviet defences and were caught off-guard when reserves of the Red Army were thrust into the fight.

The battle, during July and August 1943, handed the initiative on the Eastern front to the Soviets for the remainder of the war.

The website militaryducation.org lists Kursk as the eighth bloodiest battle in World War Two. It estimates the two sides suffered 257,125 to 388,000 casualties between them.

The three 'wrong' answers were German victories.

Answer: Knapsack

Now often known as a "backpack" or "rucksack", knapsacks come in a range of materials.

The pack is worn on the back and can be used to carry a range of weights of contents in (relative) comfort, while leaving the hands free.

The packs carried by US infantry soldiers in the war in Afghanistan weighed 125lbs. Twenty pounds less than their tougher British counterparts.

To put that in perspective, the average funtrivia.com editor weighs 137lbs (62 kg).

Answer: Kinky Boots

"Kinky Boots" opened the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in April 2013.

It won six Tony awards that year, and a Grammy in 2014.

It is based on a 2005 British movie of the same name written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Cindi Lauper wrote the words and music of the Broadway show.

It is the story of Charlie Price who inherits a shoe factory from his father. He meets drag queen, Lola, who inspires a new kind of footwear in an attempt to save the failing factory.

Answer: Karamazov

"The Brothers Karamazov" is set in 19th century Russia.

It contains ethical debates on God, free will, and morality. It was published in serial form in a magazine between January 1879 and November 1880.

The eponymous title characters are Dmitri, and his half brothers Ivan and Alyosha. Their father sends them away to live with friends and relatives after their mothers die.

Eventually, all return home to be with their father for the first time together. All does not work out and the protagonists embark on a tortuous trail of lust, betrayal and murder.

It was made into a movie that was released in 1958.

Answer: Kung Fu Panda

No extra points, I'm afraid, for knowing that Ailuropoda melanoleuca is the scientific name for the Giant Panda (aka Panda).

Made in 2008, "Kung Fu Panda" was the first in a franchise of animated adventures.

It features the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, and Jackie Chan, among others.

It is set in Ancient China and tells the story of a panda who works in a noodle restaurant but wants to become a Kung Fu master.

Answer: Khachaturian

Aram Khachaturian was born in Tiblisi, capital of the eastern European country of Georgia in 1903.

He was influenced by Armenian folk music, and this is reflected in his best-known ballet score, "Sabre Dance".

"Sabre Dance" was first performed in 1942 and initially its political themes won Khachaturian a Stalin Prize. The ballet was later reworked to concentrate on the love interest in the story.

The dancers perform with sabres in one passage.

The pace and energy of the music made it popular among classical pianists, while the Welsh rock singer Dave Edmunds produced an electric guitar version that was a UK number five hit in 1968.

Answer: Helen Keller

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27th, 1880 and died on June 1st 1967 in Easton, Connecticut.

Keller was a healthy baby, but became blind and deaf at the age of two as a result of a severe illness.

A visionary teacher taught her sign language and in 1890, Keller started at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston, Massachusetts, where she took speech classes.

Her education developed when she attended Radcliffe College, assisted financially by a friend of Mark Twain. There, she became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

After college, she turned to lecturing and sharing the story of her life with others.

Keller founded, or helped to found, a number of organisations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and several foundations for the blind.
She was a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. Keller championed women's suffrage, workers' rights, and antimilitarism.

She was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1965.

Answer: Krishna

Krishna is seen by most Hindus to be the eighth incarnation of of the god Vishnu.

Krishna is hailed as a warrior, hero, teacher, and philosopher.

His name means "the all-attractive one". He lived between 3227BC and 3102BC. A religious temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh is built around the prison cell where he is said to have been born.

Note: Several versions of Krishna's life story exist and there are inconsistencies between them.

Answer: Kelvin

The Kelvin Scale is named after William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, an engineer and physicist who was born in Belfast, but did much of his work at Glasgow University.

Unlike two other well known temperature scales, Kelvin has no negative values, which makes it popular in scientific applications. It runs from absolute zero (-274 Celsius, -459 Fahrenheit).

In Kelvin, water boils at 373,15K (100C or 212F).

It is also used for measuring colour temperature in lighting and photography.

Answer: Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan was born in Doncaster, England in February 1951.

He was a talented youth player who made his debut for Scunthorpe United in 1971. He went on to play for Liverpool, Southampton and Newcastle United in England; S. V. Hamburg in Germany; and Blacktown City in Australia. He made 592 senior appearances and scored 204 goals.

Keegan made his England debut in 1972 and went on to make 63 appearances, scoring 21 goals.

After his playing career, he managed Newcastle United twice, Fulham, Manchester City, and England.

Answer: Keeping Up Appearances

"Keeping Up Appearances" was the story of Hyacinth Bucket and her husband Richard.

Hyacinth was sensitive about her married name, and insisted it was pronounced "Bouquet".

The show ran for five seasons from 1990. Patricia Routldge played Hyacinth Bucket and Clive Swift starred as Richard Bucket.

The show was created and written by Roy Clarke, who was behind some of the most popular situation comedies on British TV. Others included "Last of the Summer Wine" and "Open All Hours".

Hyacinth had pretensions of grandeur. Even though she lived in a perfectly pleasant middle-class street, she wanted more. The presence of some crude workless class relatives in own family only added to her angst - and to the humour.

Answer: King Hippo

King Hippo was initially a character from Nintendo's "Punch-Out!!" series in 1987.

He has been listed as the 10th best Nintendo character ever. [Source: GameDaily.]

In the game, players get to box King Hippo. He is a strong player, but can be beaten by dodging his normal punches. Then he will start jumping up and down, so hit him in the face once, then start punching his belly.

(This has been a public service announcement. You can thank me later.)

King Hippo featured prominently on the NBC Saturday morning cartoon, "Captain N: The Game Master."

Answer: Klynveld

KPMG is one of the world's largest financial services companies.

It works with companies and government organisations of various sizes in areas such as auditing, taxation, mergers, and assessing and planning business efficiency

The company name references four individuals whose work led to the creation of the company in its current form:
K is for Piet Klynveld, who founded the accounting firm Klynveld Kraayenhof & Co. in Amsterdam in 1917.
P is for William Barclay Peat, founder of the accounting firm William Barclay Peat & Co. in London in 1870.
M is for James Marwick, who co-founded the accounting firm Marwick, Mitchell & Co. in New York in 1897.
G is for Dr. Reinhard Goerdeler, formerly chairman of Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft and later chairman of KPMG. He was heavily involved in the mergers that brought the current company into being in 1987.
[Source: Official website.]