Gifts of the Earth: Trees Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alfred Joyce Kilmer

Joyce Kilmer, known by his middle name, was an American writer and poet, born in 1886. As a member of the New York National Guard, he was deployed to France as part of the 69th Infantry Regiment (the "Fighting 69th"). He was killed by a sniper's bullet during the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918. He was 31 years old. "Trees" was his most popular poem, beloved and parodied over the years, although critics at the time of its publication in 1914 considered it too simplistic and sentimental to garner much favor.

Val Kilmer is an American actor, best known as one of many actors to play Batman.

Derek Kilmer is a Member of the House of Representatives, (D-WA).

Joyce Carol Oates is a multiple award winner for her writings, including "A Garden of Earthly Delights". (babsr)

Answer: Bonsai

Belding is caring for a Bonsai tree while overseeing the school's detention for the day.

Zack Morris is trying to escape detention and get down to the Max, a local restaurant, to win a pair of tickets to Hawaii.

Zack convinces Screech to give Belding advice on how to trim the tree while he dresses up a skeleton to take his place in detention.

Bonsai trees are a Japanese art form with several species of miniature tree used. The term comes from the Japanese "bon" which means tray and "sai" which means planting.

The trees are cultivated to remain small through strict branch and root trimming. (Shadowmyst2004)

Answer: False

Walt Disney World is located in Florida, Disneyland is in California.

The tree is a 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide living mural to animals of the world.

The term living only describes that the mural is ever changing, the tree is completely man-made.

Artists and sculptors carved more than 130 animal pictures into the tree. Other attractions, such as a 3D movie display, are housed within the tree's root system.

The attraction opened in 1998. (Shadowmyst2004)

Answer: The Leaf carried to Noah after the Flood.

Called 'The Sisters Olive Trees of Noah' they are amongst the world's oldest trees at over 6000 years old. They still thrive and produce olives in the village of Bechealeh in Lebanon.

Growing at an altitude of 1300 metres makes them the highest ever recorded olive trees in the world. They are owned by the local community and their top grade oil is sold to raise revenue to protect the trees and associated projects such as an open air museum. (avriljean)

Answer: The Moon Trees, germinated from seeds taken aboard Apollo 14 in 1971.

Astronaut Stuart Roosa, a former US Forest Service smoke jumper, carried 500 seeds of 5 different tree varieties in his personal kit when he orbited the moon in control of the command module. During decontamination procedures back on Earth, the canisters exploded, and it was assumed that the seeds were no longer viable. Nevertheless, the mixed seeds were sent to Placerville, and also to the USFS southern station in Gulfport, Mississippi, and remarkably almost all germinated.

During the nation's Bicentennial in 1976, many of the seedlings were gifted to several significant sites, such as government buildings, universities, NASA facilities, and to foreign entities including Brazil and Switzerland, and presented to the Emperor of Japan.

Of the other possible answers, as far as I know seeds of the Japanese Maple were not part of the surrender agreement between the US and Japan, nor have scientists been genetically engineering trees for birds.

Believe it or not, there ARE albino redwoods. However, to survive and grow, the tree needs to graft its roots to a normal redwood's roots, which makes it a parasite. A non-parasitic albino redwood cannot survive. (babsr)

Answer: Don Estelle and Windsor Davies

This unlikely No. 1 hit featured the characters Gunner Lofty (Don Estelle) and Sergeant Major Williams (Windsor Davies) from the television show "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" (1974-1981). The show featured the adventures of The Royal Artillery Concert Party in India at the end of World War II. It would probably be considered very Un-P.C. today.

Don Estelle sang whilst Windsor Davies added a basso monologue to match the original recording, which is perhaps better known as a 1940 hit for The Ink Spots, amongst others. (chears58)

Answer: Fig

In 2006, archaeologists from Israel and the US, working at the Gilgal 1 site in the Jordan Valley, discovered a small cache of figs which they believe demonstrate that the fig was the oldest cultivated tree.

The fruits were found to be over eleven thousand years old and means that they were planted in the Stone Age even before the first cereal crops.

These figs were not from wild trees because they contain no seeds. This suggests they could only have been propagated through human intervention. It is thought that live stems were planted into the ground to grow new trees. Apparently fig trees can readily be grown in this way. (avriljean)

Answer: A natural compass

The tree is known to be a natural compass, growing in a unique shape. The trees always point in a southwesterly direction, due to the trade winds which blow across the island shaping the trees as well as any groomer could.

Outside of the Caribbean the trees do not grow in the wild.

The trees are also known as Watapana in the island's native language.

Tourists are advised to follow the direction of the trees if they get lost. It will lead them directly back to the hotels! (Shadowmyst2004)

Answer: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

The book follows Francie Nolan from age eleven, living with her family in an apartment in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. In the courtyard of the tenement is a Tree of Heaven, which survives even without being watered, can grow up even through concrete, in the poorest neighborhoods.

The tree becomes a metaphor for Francie, through family experiences including the death of her beloved father, until as a young adult, she leaves to attend college, leaving the tenement behind. (babsr)

Answer: oak and hazelnut

Most black truffles come from Europe and Australia and cost $800 to $1200, and as much as $2500 per pound. Several winemakers in California are planting oak and hazelnut orchards under supervision of the American Truffle Company with expectations of harvesting their first truffles in about five years, and being able to supply chefs with some locally grown earthy delicacies at more affordable prices.

In anticipation of future harvests there is also a growing demand for dogs trained to sniff out the pungent fungus instead of pigs, since a pig's natural tendency is to eat the truffle before the handler can get it out of her mouth. (lacybear)