It Wasn't Me! Quiz | Thematic Fun

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1. You arrive at your office at 7am and brew a large pot of coffee for the long day ahead. You review the facts and ask your partner to bring in the first suspect for interrogation. "Well, well, well!" you say to Andrea Arson as she nervously takes the seat opposite. "Tell me, Andrea, have you been doing anything lately that's put you on the lam?" "It wasn't me!" claims Andrea Arson. "I was in a city on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It was named for a Roman Catholic saint who was known to have a way with animals. There were a couple of small earthquakes while I was there, but nothing as great as the one that devastated the city in 1906. If you don't believe me, lots of people saw me visiting an island that was a federal prison from 1933 until 1968. Ask anybody!" As you are a particularly knowledgeable detective, from these clues you determine that Andrea Arson has been in which of the following cities?

Answer: San Francisco, USA

San Francisco, California is a coastal city north of Los Angeles on the Pacific Ocean. The city takes its name from the first mission that was founded there by the Spanish in 1776: La Misi�n de Nuestro Padre San Francisco de As�s (The Mission of Our Father Saint Francis of Assisi). Saint Francis is, among other things, the patron saint of animals. On April 18, 1906 the city was devastated by a massive earthquake (Mw 7.8, although estimates vary) which took the lives of more than 3,000 citizens.

One of the major attractions of modern-day San Francisco is a visit to the former prison on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. Originally constructed to be a lighthouse, the site was fortified in 1853 where it served as a garrison and then a military prison until it was turned over to the federal government in 1933. Some of the more infamous inmates at Alcatraz have included Al Capone, Robert Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz") and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Two of the incorrect answers also have island prisons: St. Helena Island Prison (now St. Helena Island National Park) is located 21km east of Brisbane, Australia and operated as a prison from 1867 until 1933. Robben Island (declared a World Heritage Site in 1999) can be found about 7km from Cape Town, South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the political prisoner who was later elected President of South Africa, was imprisoned at Robben Island for 18 years.

2. "Bertram Burglar!" you say to your second suspect. "Why am I not surprised to see you again? Surely you've been up to some mischief; you always were the black sheep in your family!" "It wasn't me!" says Bertram Burglar, fidgeting with his tie. "I've been away on, er, business for over a week. Sacre bleu! I can't even begin to describe the rough time I've had! I got off at the wrong stop on the RER, and when I went topside it started raining and I got an 'eye full'! If that wasn't bad enough, another wrong turn left me face to face, literally, with a wall of skulls!" Hmmm ... it sounds to you like Bertram Burglar has been in which of these cities?

Answer: Paris, France

RER stands for R�seau Express R�gional (Regional Express Network), a rapid transit system linking Paris and some of the surrounding suburbs and connecting in the city to the Paris M�tro ... in other words, it's a subway or underground system. The "eye full", er, Eiffel Tower is probably the most well-known Paris landmark.

The Tower, which was completed in 1889, marked the entrance to the Exposition Universelle commemorating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. As for the wall of skulls ... what trip to Gaye Paree could be complete without venturing through the Catacombs? Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Paris officials decided to close down the existing cemeteries because the overcrowding and hasty burials were causing disease.

The bones were moved instead to some disused quarries (which were consecrated for this purpose in 1786) and arranged in what the Catacombs home page calls "romantico-macabre decoration".

3. The next suspect sashays gracefully into the room and fixes you with a haughty look as you turn through your notes. "Lady Catherine Constantly-Conniving!" you address her. "I knew it wouldn't be long before I saw you again! You may have slipped through our fingers last time, but if you get away from us again it will be through 'shear' luck!" "It wasn't me!" Lady Catherine says venomously. "If you must know, I took a stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens before attending a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's 'Aida' at a famous opera house. I also visited the Taronga Zoo where I viewed a Macropus rufus, which as you know is indigenous to the area. There were some beautiful sights, to be sure; but if you ask me, the place has gone downhill since it hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2000." No doubt about it! Lady Catherine Constantly-Conniving was in this city:

Answer: Sydney, Australia

Er, not that Sydney has gone downhill! Lady Catherine just isn't a very agreeable person, I'm sorry to say!

The Sydney Opera House is another imminently recognizable feature, erected in the Sydney Harbour with numerous white "wings" or "sails" featuring prominently in its architecture. Despite its name, the Sydney Opera House is also a venue for ballet, theatre, symphonies, and a variety of other shows ("Aida" happens to be playing during this quiz's construction). To the east of the Opera House are the largest of Sydney's public gardens; they were founded in 1816 by the Governor of New South Wales, Major-General Lachlan Macquarie. 100 years later, in 1916, the Taronga Zoo was opened for the public. Among the Australian fauna there on display, you might see a Macropus rufus, or red kangaroo. The 2000 Summer Olympic Games were almost not held in Australia at all. In the first three rounds of voting, Beijing, China was the leading choice. In the last round, Sydney edged out Beijing as the host city by only two votes. Australia finished fourth overall with 58 medals, after USA (91), Russia (88) and China (59).

4. The day's fourth suspect is a diminutive fellow by the name of Dennis Dishonest. "Now then, Dennis," you say to the man, "let's have it out; the whole truth, if you please! You'll not be able to pull the wool over my eyes!" "It wasn't me!" Dennis retorts. "I was touring a city that was once a major centre in the Alpine salt trade. I got to see the birthplace of one of the greatest classical composers of all time. Music runs deep here; the city was practically alive with the sound of it. And the hills, too! But since you're so interested in crimes, detective, why not visit the grave of a man who allegedly tickled six people to death?" It's quite obvious Dennis Dishonest has been where?

Answer: Salzburg, Austria

The name Salzburg is German for "salt castle". The composer, Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote more than six hundred works in his lifetime, and his music is still an enduring favourite today. Salzburg is also the setting for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" which is based on the Second World War memoirs of Maria Von Trapp.

The opening song is sung by Maria (Julie Andrews in the 1965 film production) and begins, "the hills are alive with the sound of music". Among the historic sites in Salzburg you can visit St. Peter Cemetery. One of the graves therein is marked with seven crosses, and legend has it that this is the tomb of Sebastian Stumpfegger and his six murdered wives. Nobody suspected foul play at first, because none of the victims had any marks on them.

Then finally his seventh wife escaped and was able to tell the authorities that Stumpfegger would tape up his victims, leaving their feet exposed, and then tickled them until they asphyxiated.

5. You are astonished when your partner brings in the fifth suspect: "Edward Embezzle!" you cry. "I can't believe my eyes! Of all the people to commit this terrible crime, it had to be one I graduated with! We got our sheepskins together!" "It wasn't me!" Edward tells you. "The city where I've been is on a chain of islands in the Pacific. I tried visiting the Imperial Palace, but only the outer grounds were open to the public. I wanted to travel just west of the city and climb the country's highest mountain, but I thought the effort might kill me! Do I look like I've gained weight to you? Maybe I could try out for the Sumo Association; the headquarters are in this city." Hai! You know where Edward Embezzle has been!

Answer: Tokyo, Japan

Japan, in eastern Asia, consists of four main islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu) and over 3,000 smaller ones. Tokyo has been the capital city of Japan since 1869 when Emperor Meiji moved there from Kyoto thus establishing it as the new Imperial City. Mt. Fuji is located picturesquely just outside the city and it is available to hikers and sight-seers; at 3,776m it is Japan's highest mountain.

Sumo is a popular sport in Japan, and it is the only country where the sport is played professionally. A wrestler wins his match either by forcing his opponent from the ring, or if anything other than his opponent's feet touch the ground.

6. Your next suspect stumbles into the room, dropping his car keys in the process. You pick them up and hand them back to him, wondering if you ought to dust them for prints. "Francis Firearm, you ought to be more careful!" you admonish the clumsy man. "One of these days you'll drop something important, and won't you feel sheepish then!" "It wasn't me!" claims Francis. "I was on holiday in the Mediterranean. There is so much history here, you couldn't see the whole city in one day, nor build it, either! A funny thing happened, though, on the way to the Forum: I passed a music store that had caught fire, and the proprietor was outside playing the fiddle! Can you just imagine?" Aha! Francis Firearm must have been where?

Answer: Rome, Italy

The city of Rome is ancient, indeed! According to legend it was founded in 753 BC by twin brothers Romulus and Remus. A lot of the ancient architecture is still standing (or half-standing) including the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Aqueducts and the Roman Forum.

Two clues in the question concern sayings about Rome: First, that "Rome was not built in one day" and second that "Nero fiddled while Rome burned". The former is a proverb written by English playwright John Heywood while the latter refers to a legend that Emperor Nero allegedly played the fiddle (or lyre) during the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. The fire (Magnum Incendium Romae), which destroyed 14 districts of the city, was said to have burned for six days and seven nights. That's a lot of fiddling! I wonder if he was playing "As Slow As Possible" by John Cage? Not likely, since the song wasn't written until 1987.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is a 1966 comedy starring Zero Mostel as Pseudolus, a slave who is promised his freedom if he can secure the love of Philia for his master's son, Hero.

7. The seventh suspect is of the little old grandmotherly type, but don't let that fool you! She's pretty mean with that cane. "Please sit down, Granny Gunrunner," you say politely, "but don't make yourself too comfortable. I'm sure we'll have you off to prison in two shakes of a lamb's tail!" "It wasn't me!" Granny sternly corrects you. "How could it have been? I've been someplace sunny, working on my tan. The city where I stayed is the largest in the Caribbean (city alone, not metropolitan area), founded by the Spanish in 1519. My date and I spent the day walking along the Malec�n, which runs almost the entire length of the city along the seafront. I had not planned to go on a trip at all, except that the young man promised me that if I accompanied him, he would provide my mission with a dozen sinners whose souls required saving." Well, this is a tough one, but you're pretty sure that Granny Gunrunner's date took her to which city?

Answer: Havana, Cuba

The original city of Havana was founded in 1514 along the southern shore of the island. However, the city moved locations several times until 1519 when the city was permanently established at its current location on the Puerto de Carenas. The city now covers 721 square kilometers and in 2006 had a population of just over 2.4 million people (by comparison, Toronto is 630 square kilometers and 2.5 million people). The Malec�n promenade runs 8km from La Habana Vieja to Vedado. Construction began in 1901 and continued in three stages to 1952.

The final clue in the question alludes to the plot of the musical "Guys and Dolls". Nathan Detroit needs some cash, so he bets Sky Masterson that he can't take Sarah Brown out on a date. Miss Brown, who is not amenable to the idea at first, agrees to accompany Sky if he can provide her failing Christian mission with sinners so they are not shut down. Sky wins the bet, takes Sarah to Havana, and later wins her sinners in a game of craps.

8. Your next suspect needs no introduction, as you arrested him just this morning for impersonating a mail carrier. "You should confess to this crime, Harold Holdup," you urge. "You're going to jail anyway, and you might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb!" "It wasn't me!" says Harold. "I was visiting a city on the banks of the longest river in the world. While there are a great many sights to see, a tour of this area would be incomplete without a trip to Saqqara, just 30km away, the site of many ancient tombs. I was able to visit most parts of the city, but at one time I found my path blocked by a ludicrous character who kept asking me 'Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?' Who really wants to riddle that out to get somewhere?" It's no riddle where Harold Holdup has been!

Answer: Cairo, Egypt

The Nile River flows for about 6,650km from "source" to mouth. The true source of the Nile has long been in dispute, as the Nile itself is formed from the confluence of two different rivers, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. There have been various claims over the years from explorers claiming to have found the source of the Nile. In 1858 John Hanning Speke named a great lake after his sovereign, Queen Victoria, believing it to be the Nile's source. In 2006, another group of explorers claimed to have travelled from the Nile's mouth (indisputably located on the Mediterranean) to its true source, which they believe to be in the Nyungwe rainforest in Rwanda.

Saqqara is a burial ground that serves as the final resting place for the more prominent citizens of the ancient city of Memphis. Like Giza, it is home to many temples, pyramids and mastabas.

The riddle in the question is the infamous Riddle of the Sphinx. In Greek mythology, Oedipus solves the riddle, rids the land of the Sphinx and is awarded the kingship of Thebes by its grateful citizens. Of course, if Oedipus hadn't just murdered the King of Thebes on his way into town the crown would never have been up for grabs in the first place. You have to admit, that would make a pretty catchy campaign platform: "New King, No Sphinx". The Sphinx (the noseless landmark, not the monster) is one of the attractions that draws so many tourists to Cairo.

9. Finally, the last suspect is being brought in for questioning! The woman sitting across from you may appear meek, but you're not fooled. "You can cut the act, Isabella Innocent," you admonish, "you might fool the others, but I know that you are a wolf in sheep's clothing!" "It wasn't me!" remarks Isabella. "I visited a city near the Rocky Mountains. It originally started as a fort, back in 1875, but things really started to boom when oil was discovered in the area in 1902. It was the first city in the country to host the Winter Olympic Games, and people were practically stampeding to see, of all things, a Jamaican bobsled team!" If you're not mistaken (and you rarely are), Isabella Innocent was where?

Answer: Calgary, Canada

The Rockies are a chain of mountains in western Canada and the USA (La Paz, Bolivia and Santiago, Chile, are in the Andes Mountains in South America). The first establishment in Calgary was a fort for the North-West Mounted Police, an organization which later merged with the Dominion Police in 1920 to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or "Mounties" which are today iconic of Canada. Calgary was indeed the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympics, in 1988, and one of the highlights was the bobsled team from Jamaica. You may remember the 1993 movie, "Cool Runnings", that was based on this unexpected endeavour.

The Calgary Stampede is probably the most well-known of Calgary's many festivals. It bills itself as "the greatest outdoor show on earth" and according to Wikipedia it is the largest outdoor rodeo in the world.

10. Finally you've finished interviewing suspects, and it's time for a little footwork. You return to the scene of the crime and notice the thief left behind a replica of a sword engraved with a coat of arms depicting a wreath of laurel and the initials S.P.Q.R. None of your suspects have these initials in their name, but you now know exactly whom should be arrested. Who gets locked up in the pen? Pick one of: Andrea Arson, Bertram Burglar, Lady Catherine, Dennis Dishonest, Edward Embezzle, Francis Firearm, Granny Gunrunner, Harold Holdup or Isabella Innocent. Two words only from above list; do not add any punctuation.

Answer: Francis Firearm

S.P.Q.R. stands for "Senatus Populusque Romanus", the senate and the Roman people. A wreath of laurel is often identified with Rome, commonly appearing as the headdress in pictures and busts of Roman emperors. If you correctly answered that Francis Firearm had been in Rome, congratulations! And if you remember, you did warn him that one of these days he would drop something important. It just turned out to be sooner than either of you suspected!

As a reward for recovering their precious Ram, the people of Rama Lama Ding Dong have rewarded you with...

...the Bop from the Bop Shoo Bop Shoo Bop. Thanks for playing!

Source: Author LadyCaitriona

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

It Wasn't Me! Trivia Quiz

Interpol is trying to track down an international criminal. Your suspects all have alibis placing them in different cities just before the crime. Can you figure out who stole the Ram from the Rama Lama Ding Dong, or will you get fleeced?

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