Let's Get Creative (Commons)! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black

Pinot noir is so named because its grapes are black (though in many cases they look blue); California is the largest producer of this particular wine in the United States. The pinot noir from France, however, is likely the most popular. You can find some great pinot noir in the Burgundy region. Although its name contains the French word 'noir', meaning 'black', it's considered a red wine (as opposed to white).

Mendocino is in the northern half of California, north of San Francisco, situated on the Pacific Coast. Every episode of "Murder, She Wrote" was filmed there. The James Bond film "Goldeneye" was not.

Answer: Japan

Yokokawa Station is found in Annaka, a city in Gunma Prefecture as well, and it's smack-dab in the middle of Honshu in the Kanto region of Japan. This particular train is the only one heading through Annaka, so it must return to the other end of the line, Takasaki, which connects to the bullet train. Takasaki is an interesting city, particularly due to its proximity to the tranquil Mount Haruna. Gunma is east of Nagano, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics; it's also home to the headquarters for Subaru.

Answer: Sled dog racing

In order to protect the dogs' feet from the impact of paws on snow (or ice) many sled dog racing officials require all participating canines to wear regulation boots. This protects the dogs from any possible injuries while out on a sled race. Dog boots are made for more domestic dogs as well and can be bought at most pet stores. During the winter, these are particularly smart to use, especially if you use salts to melt ice on your paths, driveway, or front porch; these salts can hurt a dog's feet if they walk around in it too much. These shoes, as would be expected, can be easily lost or chewed off.

Oddly, this photo was taken in Montevideo, Uruguay. Why? Who knows.

Answer: Beetle

Weevils are relatively small bugs in the same grouping as beetles (so you can still swat 'em!). The different types of weevil are characterized by different colours and the lengths of different body types. Different weevils appear in different types of the world and most feed on dry foods (i.e. crops and grains).

A notable weevil is the Boll Weevil, known to have infested a great amount of the Southwestern United States, destroying cotton by laying eggs inside. In the twentieth century, this infestation moved southward to South America.

Much of the boll weevil population was quelled by DDT, but we soon came to realize how harmful THAT could be too...

Answer: World of Warcraft

"World of Warcraft" introduced pets into the game quite early, allowing players to collect cute creatures for the sake of having them in an inventory. Likewise, players can ride mounts of all sorts as long as they can purchase, convince others to let them purchase, or if they can find the mounts they want. Mechanical chickens are just one in a series of different creatures obtainable in the game. You can have a mechanical chicken pet if you complete a series of quests in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom. Gnomes use the Mechanostrider, a mechanical bird mount (resembling a cross between the smaller chicken and an ostrich) to travel around at faster speeds than normal.

Answer: Canada

The first multiplex was created in Ottawa in the 1950s by the man who would later create Cineplex Odeon, a corporation known for its large-scale movie theaters. Around the same time, larger theaters began cropping up in the United States due to the increased interest in films and a turning towards a younger demographic. Most movie theaters built in later decades at the turn of the century contained over a dozen different screens each playing different movies.

Cineplex Odeon would continue to be known as Cineplex in Canada but it would be paired with AMC in the U.S. AMC's first multi-screen theater was built in the early 1960s.

Answer: Anaheim

Anaheim is located just south of Los Angeles (on the way to San Diego) and it's found along the Pacific Coast. The sunshine and surf right next to Disney's California Adventure make it the perfect place for a theme park and, like Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and others under the Disney name, it's of a certain caliber.

The Ferris wheel at the front of the park is Mickey's Fun Wheel, and while the park opened in 2001, the wheel was launched in the same year as 'The Sun Wheel'. It didn't become a 'Mickey' ride until eight years later. Anaheim's other claim to fame is the Mighty Ducks, an NHL team which was originally owned by (you guessed it) Walt Disney Co.

Answer: Stone

Petrified wood isn't frightened into that state-- it's an internal process called permineralization that results in wood's transformation from living to stone. The inner molecules of wood are replaced with the molecules found in the surrounding dirt to create interesting colour schemes, almost like paint or oil dispersing in water. An entire forest of petrified trees is not uncommon; this sample is from Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona though other such parks can be found in Canada, Egypt, India, and the UK (to name a few).

Answer: No

Hong Kong translates into 'Fragrant Harbour' while the nearby city is Macau would be the 'Inlet Gates'. Both cities are situated on islands (though Macau became a peninsula) and both are paradoxically separate, but tied to China. Hong Kong, a densely-populated commercial jungle, is one of Asia's major financial hubs and is home to many major Chinese industries. Macau, on the other hand, is more in line with tourism. Home to many casinos and resorts, Macau is a getaway for the upscale traveller. Both Macau and Hong Kong are in Southeastern China and both are connected to one another by a ferry service; they're only about sixty kilometers apart.

Answer: You'd have run more than the distance in a marathon

Running 77km is possible for fit athletes with great endurance, but it's not a typical feat. It's 23km less than an Ultra Marathon-- 100km. But that's a different story.

A typical marathon is 42.2km (or 26 miles) in length. You'd be running nearly double that at 77km! Although the marathon's history dates back to Ancient Greece (and is known for being an Olympic feat), thousands upon thousands of athletes partake in marathons around the world daily and it's often used as a benchmark/bucket list goal for people aspiring to be fit.