My Trivia Scrapbook Trivia Quiz

Answer: rabbit

The dog was the first to be domesticated, perhaps as early as 33,000 BCE! Sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs were probably domesticated some time between 9000 and 7000 BCE. Horses came much later, perhaps around 3000 BCE. Rabbits have only been domesticated no earlier than the 1st century BCE, but more likely between 600 and 1400 CE. (Some may argue that a species of golden hamster was domesticated in 1930, or that the Russians bred a domesticated silver fox from a colony collected in 1959, but these assertions have not been entirely accepted.) The term for the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits for their meat, fur, or wool is "cuniculture".

Answer: No meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, or honey

"Vegetarian" is an umbrella term that enfolds varying levels of restriction in the diet. A "vegan" diet eschews all animal products on land, sea, or air -- and that includes honey for strict vegans because bees manufacture it. Only fruits, vegetables, and grains are eaten.

On the 1st of November, 1944, a man named Donald Watson and five others held a meeting that sparked the vegan movement (and coined the very word "vegan") and the establishment of the Vegan Society. The chairman of the Society in 1944, Louise Walls, invented World Vegan Day to commemorate the anniversary of that seminal meeting. The Vegan Society is now a registered charity based in Birmingham, UK, that promotes vegan living, advocates vegan options in public-sector menus, and provides education on nutrition and economics. As many farms produce grain and soybeans for animal consumption rather than human, the Vegan Society is also active in changing that ratio to combat world hunger and global climate change.

Answer: Gray

The surface of the moon consists primarily of light gray rock, with volcanic craters that appear as dark gray areas. On Earth, the Moon will look white from the Earth as there is less reflection from the Sun during daytime. At night, the moon typically has a faint yellow tint to it. Depending on the time of year and the different cycles of the Earth, the moon can take on a darker yellow tint that can cause it to appear orange or even red.

Answer: Scotland

Scotland, as part of the UK, sits on the northern part of the island of Great Britain, but it also contains over 700 islands including the Orkney islands, the Shetland islands, and the Hebrides. Many of these islands are pristine and untouched. A variety of wildlife can be found in Scotland, including seals, mountain hare, ptarmigan, stoats and the golden eagle. The Encyclopedia Britannica originated in Scotland. The two great bards of Scotland are Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

(I found this proverb on a box of Celestial Seasonings "Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland" tea. This is a curious choice for that particular proverb, since as far as I know cranberry plants do not have spines, prickles, or thorns.)

Answer: red tea

In the UK, you might see it called redbush tea, or in South Africa just bush tea. Rooibos is a flowering plant in the pea family primarily grown in the Cederberg, a small mountainous area in the region of the Western Cape province of South Africa. An herbal tea made from fermented rooibos leaves has been popular in sub-Saharan Africa for generations, and by the early 21st century it had grown in popularity worldwide. Rooibos tea contains quercetin and other antioxidants, and it has anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic properties, with a hibiscus-like taste.

Answer: Norway

The Kingdom of Norway is one of the safest, most peaceful, and richest countries in the world. The 2017 World Happiness Report published by the UN ranked Norway as number one! (It dropped to second place in 2018, after Finland.) Norway's rugged coastline is comprised of fjords, long and narrow inlets lined with steep cliffs.

In gratitude to Britain's efforts on Norway's behalf during World War II, Oslo has provided the great Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square in London since 1947. The Freia confectionery company, whose slogan is 'Et lite stykke av Norge' ("A small piece of Norway") inspired Roald Dahl to write his novel 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (1964).

Answer: drone

In nature, drones (male honeybees) have no sting and gather no nectar; their only function is to mate with the queen. Because they do no work, a human loafer or lagger may be called a drone. Paradoxically, menial workers or drudges are called drones, too, because the monotony of their work calls to mind a low, dull, humming sound -- a drone. Bagpipes use a fingerless pipe that emits a constant drone. Finally, because small, pilotless aircraft typically use propellers, they are called drones (think of the sound of a fan).

The New York Police Department planned to use drones to monitor people during the 2018 New Years Eve gala at Times Square, but inclement weather prevented deployment.

Answer: Boston Red Sox

Between 1918 and 2004, the Boston Red Sox did not win any World Series. The Red Sox sold player Babe Ruth (a/k/a the Bambino) to the New York Yankees just before the 1920 season began, after having been one of the top professional baseball teams in the USA.

In contrast, the New York Yankees during that period transformed from a rather lackluster team to one of the most successful sports franchises in North America. The curse ended, it would seem, when the Red Sox defeated the Yankees for the 2004 American League championship, and subsequently routed the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.

Answer: Sterling

The pound sterling (GBP) is the official currency of the UK, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, and other parts of the British Isles. At the beginning of the 14th century, a "sterling" was a silver penny. Then the word was broadened in the 16th century to mean coinage the quality of the sterling (92.5% pure silver, the rest being copper). Eventually it meant English (and then British) currency in general.

A "pound sterling" was literally a pound of sterlings, about 240 of them, which is why a British penny was worth 1/240th of a pound before the UK decimalized its system. (There are now 100 pence to the GBP).

Answer: It has all the letters of the alphabet

In an article "Current Notes" in the 'Boston Journal' (10 February 1885, morning edition) this item appeared: "A favorite copy set by writing teachers for their pupils is the following, because it contains every letter of the alphabet: 'A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.'" Many other newspapers in the USA were quick to publish this and it spread rapidly nationwide.

The first word became "The" after Linda Bronson published it thus in 'Illustrative Shorthand' (1888). When the Moscow-Washington hotline went live on 30 August 1963, the Americans sent the test phrase "THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG'S BACK 1234567890". Russian translators replied, inquiring "What does it mean when your people say 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'?"