It's All About "J" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jupiter Symphony

Completed some three years before Mozart's death in December 1788, The Jupiter Symphony was the last of three symphonies that he composed during that summer. It seems likely that the three pieces, completed in June, July and August, were intended as one very long combined piece, since only "Symphony 39" has an introduction and only "Symphony 41" has a grand finale.

Answer: Japan

With an area of 377,930 square miles, Japan is the world's 62nd largest country, slightly larger than Germany.

Ranked 112th, Jordan would fit slightly more than four times into Japan. With an area of 89,342 square miles, it is slightly larger than Portugal.

Ranked 166th, Jamaica would fit more than eight times into Jordan. With an area of 10,991 square miles, it is just smaller than the smallest country in mainland Africa, Gambia.

Jersey is tiny, even in comparison to Jamaica -- it would fit almost 100 times into the Caribbean island. With an area of just 116 square miles, the largest of the Channel Islands is slightly more than twice the size of Bermuda.

Answer: Jemini

The 48th Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Latvia in 2003, saw the annual event sink even lower in British public opinion as their representatives not only sang out of tune but finished dead last with zero points. This was not only the first time that the British entry had failed to garner a single vote, but it was also the first time this had happened to any English-language song.

The duo of Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey had begun performing around the Liverpool clubs as 13-year olds in 1995. In 1999, they adopted the Jemini ("Gem and I"). The single of "Cry Baby" reached number 15 in the UK chart but dropped out of sight immediately after the debacle in Riga. The record company who were producing the duo's album also dropped them and they split up shortly thereafter.

Answer: Michael Johnson

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1967, Michael Duane Johnson is widely acknowledged as the greatest 400m runner of all time. In addition to winning the 400m titles at the Olympics in both 1996 and 2000, he also won the 200m title in Atlanta. He had previously collected Olympic gold as a member of the USA's 4x400m team at the 1992 games in Barcelona. Not only was he the first athlete to win the 400m title twice, he was also the first to win both the 200m and the 400m titles. Two other athletes have come close to this feat, both Americans -- Steve Lewis won the 400m at the 1988 games and finished second in 1992, and Jeremy Wariner matched Lewis's record at the 2004 and 2008 games.

Between 1991 and 1999 Johnson also won eight World Championship gold medals (four at 400m, one at 200m and three in the relay). When he won in 1996, Johnson set a new Olympic record in the 400m and a new World and Olympic record in the 200m. Perhaps more remarkable is that 20 years later, with four further Olympic contests having been staged, his 400m record still remained an Olympic best.

Of the alternatives, Cuba's Alberto Juantorena won the Men's 400m and the 800m at the 1976 Olympics. Ben Johnson is a disgraced Canadian sprinter and Michael Jordan a legend on the basketball court, but not at 400m.

Answer: Mr. Jinks

You probably remember watching Pixie and Dixie, so perhaps you don't realize quite how old it is: it originated as a regular segment in the "The Huckleberry Hound Show", which first aired between 1958 and 1961.

Pixie is the one in the bowtie, and Dixie wears the vest. The mice are invariably chased by Mr. Jinks (aka Jinksy). The voice of Mr. Jinks is provided by Daws Butler, who also provided the voice of Dixie as well as Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw and Huckleberry Hound.

"I hate those meeces to pieces!" cue music...

Answer: Billy Joel

Ranked at number 447 in the 2004 "Rolling Stone" magazine poll of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", "Leader of the Pack" reached number one in the Billboard 100 chart in November 1964 (knocking "Baby Love" by The Supremes off the top). The single also reach number 11 in the UK chart in 1964, the Shangri-Las' highest place in the British chart, although it has twice made it into the Top 10 when reissued, in 1972 and 1976.

The Shangri-Las were one of the first all-girl groups to score a number one single in the US. They had also reached the Top 5 with "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" earlier that same year.

In an interview with Howard Stern in 2010, Billy Joel recalled playing on the demos for "Leader of the Pack" as a 15-year old session musician playing at the Ultrasonic Recording Studios in Hempstead, New York.

Answer: Jade

There are two types of jade, both metamorphic rocks but comprising different silicate minerals. Jadeite is a sodium and aluminum-rich pyroxene. Nephrite is a green variety of tremolite. Pure magnesium tremolite is white, but as the iron content increases so the color moves further towards dark green.

Both minerals were used in pre-historic times to make spear heads, knives and other weapons. It was not until the 19th century that it was discovered that there were two forms of 'jade'.

Of the alternatives, Jasper is an opaque, impure variety of silica; jacinth is a red transparent variety of zircon; and jet is a type of lignite.

Answer: Andrew Jackson

Elected in 1828, former Tennessee Senator Andrew Jackson became the seventh President in March 1829. The first Democrat elected to the White House, he served two full terms before being succeeded by his vice-president, Martin van Buren.
Born in 1767 somewhere in the border region between the Carolinas, the teenaged Jackson acted as a courier for the Americans during the War of Independence, when he was captured by the British. In 1796, he was one of the founders of the state of Tennessee and was one of its first representatives to Congress and, later, a state senator.

As a soldier, he gained national fame by his victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Jackson narrowly lost to John Quincy Adams in the 1824 presidential election.
In addition to having his portrait on the $20 bill, Jackson has been pictured on thirteen different U.S. postal stamps. Only Washington and Lincoln (and Franklin, who was not a President) have appeared on more. Jackson was also pictured on two stamps issued by the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
Of the alternatives, Thomas Jefferson's portrait is on the rarely-seen $2 bill.

Answer: Juba

Juba is the largest city and national capital of the Republic of South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011. Juba is located in the south of the country, near the border with Uganda, and it was announced prior to independence that the capital would eventually be relocated to the more centrally-situated but much smaller city of Ramciel.

A settlement (named Gondokoro) was first established here by English explorer Sir Samuel Baker in the 1960s. The city of Juba was founded as a small trading town in 1922 on the same site.

Of the alternatives, Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, Jerusalem (or part of it) is claimed as the capital of both Israel and Palestine, and Jamestown is the capital of Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Answer: The Joker

"The Joker" was the title track from the Steve Miller Band album released in 1973. The single made it to the top of the Billboard 100 chart for one week in January 1974, but had to wait another 16 years to top the UK chart, thus establishing a new record for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-toppers. Both k.d.lang (1997) and Fatboy Slim (2004) have subsequently made it into the UK singles chart with cover versions of the song.

Of the alternatives, Dolly Parton's "Jolene" topped the US country chart in 1973 but only made it into the UK chart when covered by The White Stripes in 2004. "Jet" was the first single released from the "Band on the Run" album by Paul McCartney and Wings, reaching number seven in both the US and UK singles chart in 1974. "Jealous Mind", released in 1974, was the only UK number one single by Alvin Stardust.