Is This Thing On? Trivia Game | Thematic Fun

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Inspector Zapp (so named because he solves his cases in a flash) is on his way to interview the four suspects at their laboratory. The laboratory is named after which famous scientist who studied quantum mechanics and worked on the Manhattan Project?

Answer: Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman is a scientist best known for his work in quantum mechanics, specifically quantum electrodynamics and for his work in studying fluid motion. He won the Noble Prize for his research into quantum electrodynamics in 1965. Prior to that, he was one of the many scientists who helped develop the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. He was also a member of the Rogers Commission which looked into the Challenger explosion.

Feynman died in 1988 at the age of 69 from a rare form of kidney cancer.

2. The first scientist Inspector Zapp visits is Professor Hyperspace, a college physics instructor. "I just adore Salvador Dali, Inspector," she tells him. "That is why my first stop back in time was to the 1940s to meet Dali and his wife Gala." Which of the following of Dali's works could Professor Hyperspace NOT have seen because he did not create it?

Answer: Guernica

"Guernica" is a painting by Pablo Picasso that depicts the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

Salvador Dali is a Surrealist painter known for his creative and sometimes bizarre paintings. "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening" depicts a naked woman sleeping on a rock that is floating in the water. Two tigers are approaching her from the sky.

The "Lobster Telephone" is a sculpture by Dali. It is essentially an old rotary telephone but the receiver is replaced by a grilled lobster. It is also called the "Aphrodisiac Telephone".

"Soft Construction with Boiled Beans" depicts the Spanish Civil War as seen through Dali's eyes. The painting shows two large creatures fighting each other while destroying the landscape.

3. Inspector Zapp's next visit is to General Relativity, who met his idol: Napoleon Bonaparte. "Napoleon was most gracious and kind to me," the general says. "He even let me ride his horse, Marengo. I even watched him defeat the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of the Three Emperors." Which battle did General Relativity view?

Answer: Battle of Austerlitz

The Battle of Austerlitz is one of Napoleon's most famous and important victories. His victory over Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and led to a weakened Austria. The Battle of Austerlitz is sometimes called the Battle of the Three Emperors because of the three emperors who led their troops in battle: Napoleon against Francis II and Alexander I of Russia.

4. Inspector Zapp interviews Doctor Wormhole third. "As soon as I knew that my time machine was up and running," she says "I set it for September 10, 1752 so I could meet Ben Franklin. He even lent me a copy of his yearly book of witty sayings." What book did Benjamin Franklin lend to Doctor Wormhole?

Answer: Poor Richard's Almanack

"Poor Richard's Almanack" is one of the many things that made Benjamin Franklin famous. It was published yearly for over two decades and was a prime source of Franklin's wealth. The almanac was well-known for its witty sayings that are still popular today, such as "three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead".

It also contained material typical of an almanac such as calendars and astrological items.

5. The final scientist interviewed by Inspector Zapp is Sir Gravity. "The first thing I did with my time machine is bring some roses to my movie star crush, Marilyn Monroe," Sir Gravity tells the inspector. "I got to visit her on the set of the film in which she played a character named Cherie." Which film's set did Sir Gravity visit?

Answer: Bus Stop

Marilyn Monroe plays Cherie in the 1956 film "Bus Stop". Cherie is a singer in a cafe when she meets Beau (Don Murray). Beau is a young man who is nervous around women but hopes to meet the perfect angel. Beau falls smitten with Cherie, who likes him, but rejects his marriage proposals. However, Beau does not understand her rejection and thinks they are engaged.

6. "Would you like to see the gift Dali gave me?" Professor Hyperspace asks Inspector Zapp. "It's his most famous painting, 'The Persistence of Memory'. Why yes, this is the real painting. If you go to the Museum of Modern Art in the present day, you will notice the painting is not there. But did you know Dali also made sculptures of melting clocks. One of them is called 'Nobility of Time' and is located in the same Chinese city as the Yuyuan Gardens." Where is the 'Nobility of Time' sculpture located?

Answer: Shanghai

Shanghai is the most populous city in China, which makes it the most populous city in the most populous country. Shanghai is home to many unique sites. One of the most famous is the Yuyuan or Yu Gardens, which literally translates to Gardens of Happiness. The Gardens were built in the 16th century by Pan Yunduan but have been renovated many times over the centuries because of damage sustained during various wars.

The 'Nobility of Time' is a sculpture that consists of one large melting pocket watch resting on a tree branch. It is located on Shanghai's famous Bund. To expert artists, the melting clocks or watches are typically called soft watches.

7. "I nabbed myself one of Napoleon's bicorne hats he was so famous for," smiles General Relativity. "Say did you know, the bicorn, that is without an e at the end, is a mythological creature from the Middle Ages?" Inspector Zapp, being well versed in mythology, knows all about the bicorn and its main diet of what?

Answer: Devoted husbands

The bicorn has a body of a panther and a cow with a human face. It ate mostly loyal husbands. The bicorn's counterpart is the chichevache which ate loyal wives. The bicorn and chichevache were often depicted in art as being fat and emaciated, respectively, implying there were few loyal wives in the Middle Ages.

8. "I am in possession of the very kite that Benjamin Franklin used to attract lighting," squeals Doctor Wormhole. "I couldn't believe it but he handed it right to me and you can see it has clearly been struck by lighting. But did you know the kite was invented long ago in China?" "Actually, I did," answers Inspector Zapp. "And I also know what the earliest known use of the kite was." But do you? What is the earliest known use of the kite as recorded in China in the sixth century?

Answer: An early S.O.S. signal

The earliest known use of the kite comes from 549 A.D. when a writer mentioned how a person stranded on an island was rescued when sailors saw his kite flying. Other early uses for the kite were communication (with different colors and symbols representing different messages), measuring distances and for use in religious ceremonies.

9. "I have the very dress Ms. Monroe wore in 'The Seven Year Itch'," explains Sir Gravity. "My wife adores the dress but she knows better than to touch it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on the pink dress she wore in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. Anyway, they were both designed by the same designer." Who was the famous designer that made both of these dresses and many more for Marilyn in her films?

Answer: William Travilla

William Travilla was best known for his work on Marilyn's costumes in several of her films, including some of the most iconic movie dresses of all time. The infamous white dress Monroe wore in "The Seven Year Itch" (the one where she stands on the subway grate and the wind blows up her dress) was designed by Travilla and is his most famous design.

He also designed the costumes for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "The Adventures of Don Juan", for which he won an Academy Award.

10. "I know a surefire way to determine which of these scientists are real time travelers and which one is the fake," Inspector Zapp announces. "It is impossible for the thief to have built an actual time machine. So, I will try out all four time machines and the machine that does not work must belong to the thief." "Is this thing on?" Zapp asks Professor Hyperspace as he sits in her time machine. "No, Inspector Zapp," she replies. "I only traveled back in time yesterday. The machine takes two weeks to recharge before it can be used again. And anyway, I need to pick up some more fuel. My time machine runs on fish eggs, so I buy my fuel at the pet store." Since Professor Hyperspace's time machine runs on fish eggs, which of the following species of fish can provide fuel for her time machine because they are the only fish listed that do not give birth to live fish?

Answer: Puffer fish

Puffer fish are oviparous, which means the mother lays eggs that hatch outside of the body. A female puffer fish will lay eggs on the ocean floor and the male puffer fish will guard them until they hatch.

Coelacanths and whale sharks are ovoviviparous which means the babies are born from eggs that are hatched inside the mother who then gives live birth to her children. Guppies are viviparous which means the baby develops inside the mother but not in an egg.

11. "Is this thing on?" Inspector Zapp asks as he pounds on General Relativity's time machine. "It is on, Inspector," the general replies. "Unfortunately, Napoleon was a little frightened by it and accidentally broke it. It shouldn't take long to fix. I just need some of this element, with atomic number 45, commonly used in sterling silver and white gold." What element does General Relativity need to repair his time machine?

Answer: Rhodium

Rhodium, symbol Rh, is a transition metal commonly used in jewelry making to give sterling silver and white gold a shinier finish. It is also used in nuclear reactors. One advantage of using rhodium over other metals is that rhodium is impervious to most acids, even the most corrosive ones. It also does not rust.

12. "Is this thing on?" asks Inspector Zapp as he presses every button on Doctor Wormhole's time machine. "Like Professor Hyperspace's time machine, mine needs time to charge," explains Doctor Wormhole. "But once it's up and running, all you have to do is yell 'Hagyjon engem beken' to turn it on. Then you enter the date and place you wish to go." "Hagyjon engem beken" means "go away" in which language?

Answer: Hungarian

"Hagyjon engem beken" means "go away" or "leave me alone". It is generally used rudely when someone is bothering you but could also be an appropriate passcode for a time machine. Hungarian is in the Uralic language family along with Finnish.

13. "Is this thing on?" Inspector Zapp asks once again, this time to Sir Gravity. "No, don't even tell me. I already know the answer." "Sorry, Inspector," Sir Gravity apologizes. "But you just cannot use a time machines willy-nilly. They are complex pieces of machinery that need their down time. Perhaps you should pray to the patron saint of travelers for some assistance, since there is no patron of time travel. Not yet, anyway." Which saint is Sir Gravity suggesting Inspector Zapp pray to?

Answer: Saint Christopher

Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers because, as the story goes, he once helped a child Jesus across a rapidly flowing river by carrying him. St. Christopher is regarded in some circles as the unofficial patron saint of time travelers as well. In addition, St. Christopher is also the patron of bachelors, toothaches and various modes of transportation.

14. "I've had enough of all this scientific mumbo jumbo," declares Inspector Zapp. "I'm just gonna sit back and read 'The Time Machine' by H.G. Wells." In Wells' classic novel, Inspector Zapp will read about which two post-human races whom the Time Traveler meets?

Answer: Eloi and Morlock

In H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" a character simply named the Time Traveler travels to the future and meets two races of people who have replaced humans, the Eloi and Morlock. The Eloi are small human-like creatures but are less intelligent than humans were.

The Morlocks are also smaller than humans but more vicious and dangerous when in a pack. The Morlocks live underground because they are sensitive to light. They hunt the Eloi during the night and as a result, the Eloi are afraid of the dark.

15. "I've got it!" Inspector Zapp yells. "One of you made a huge slip up and I only just realized it. One of you said something that cannot possibly be true which only means one thing: that person is not a time traveler at all. You know who you are and I know you never traveled back in time because you got a key piece of information incorrect." Who is the thief and what is the incorrect statement he or she made that alerted Inspector Zapp?

Answer: Doctor Wormhole: "I set it for September 10, 1752 so I could meet Ben Franklin."

Inspector Zapp knows Doctor Wormhole could not have traveled back in time to meet Ben Franklin on September 10, 1752 because such a date did not exist. In 1752, Britain and its colonies switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. As a result, September 2, 1752 was followed by September 14, 1752 with the dates in between never occurring. So it is not possible for Doctor Wormhole to travel to that date.

She was promptly arrested and sent to prison.

Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Is This Thing On? Trivia Quiz

Four scientists have invented their own individual time machines and retrieved four items from the past. However, one of them is actually a thief and never traveled back in time at all. Can you help Inspector Zapp find the culprit?

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