Never Take Rocks for Granite Trivia Quiz

Answer: Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers

"Rock Around The Clock" became a number one hit around the world after appearing in the opening credits of the movie "Blackboard Jungle" in 1955. Other songs with "rock" in the title are too numerous to list here - "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley, "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John and "We Will Rock You" by Queen being just a few examples - but "granite" songs are much less common.

However, in November 2007 the Australian band Pendulum released a single called simply "Granite" which peaked at number 29 in the UK singles chart.

Answer: The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht granted control of Gibraltar to Britain.

The Rock of Gibraltar is 426 metres or 1,396 feet high and is located to the south of Spain, at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is famous for its Barbary Macaques (often referred to as apes).
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married there in 1969, as was Sean Connery (twice) to Diane Cilento in 1962 and Micheline Boglio Roquebrune in 1975.
The Rock of Gibraltar, by the way, is a limestone formation - not granite.

Answer: Massachusetts

Although there are no historical sources that confirm the Pilgrims actually landed at Plymouth Rock, it is widely believed that this was the landing site and the Rock is therefore seen as an important symbol of American history. The Rock itself is an example of granodiorite - an igneous rock very similar to granite.
The name Plymouth Rock was also given to a breed of chicken originating from New England.

Answer: A breed of chicken

In 1947 Graham Greene's thriller "Brighton Rock" was made into a movie starring Richard Attenborough. Both the book and the film were set in Brighton, England in the 1930s.
Brighton Rock Chickens don't exist - however, there is an island called Chicken Rock, located just off the Isle of Man. The island is home to Chicken Rock Lighthouse which, incidentally, is made of granite.

Answer: Giant

"Giant" tells the story of a Texan rancher, Bick Benedict (played by Rock Hudson), and his rivalry with Jett Rink (James Dean), a ranch hand who later becomes an oil millionaire.
Rock Hudson's real name was Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. His stage name was thought to have been inspired by the Rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River. Both Hudson and James Dean received Best Actor nominations for their roles in "Giant".
Other celebrities with a rock-related name include the wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson who was known as "The Rock". There was also a British wrestler, Jimmy Niblett, who used the ring name "Bob Sherry - the Man of Granite".

Answer: It is a highly venomous snake.

The African Rock Python or "Python sebae" is not a venomous snake - it is a constrictor and kills its prey (which may include monkeys, deer and pigs) by squeezing them to death.
Animals with the word 'Granite' as part of their name are less common - however, the Granite Spiny Lizard and the Granite Night Lizard are two examples from the reptile world.

Answer: George Formby

George Formby Jr was born in Lancashire in 1904 and died in 1961. His best-known songs include "Leaning on a Lamppost" and "When I'm Cleaning Windows". He is also famous for his catch-phrases such as "It's turned out nice again" and "Ooh, mother!" A "stick of rock" in this context has absolutely nothing to do with granite - it refers to the sticks of sugary boiled candy traditionally sold at British seaside resorts such as Blackpool and Brighton.

The name of the resort is printed through the middle of the stick in coloured letters.

Another song dealing with this theme is "She Sold Blackpool Rock" by the '60s pop group Honeybus.

Answer: Jesus Christ

Jesus was speaking to his Apostle Simon Peter when he said, "And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" [Matthew 16:18].
Bible scholars have been unable to agree on the exact meaning of this quote. Some think that Jesus was referring to Peter as "the rock"; others believe that Christ himself was the rock.
St Peter's Dome, near Ashland, Wisconsin, is a large formation of red granite standing 1,565 feet high.

Answer: School of Rock

Jack Black plays Dewey Finn, a rock star posing as a teacher who forms a band with his 5th grade class to enter a Battle of the Bands competition. The "School of Rock" soundtrack includes music by The Doors, Cream, Led Zeppelin and The Who.
Other 'rock' movies include "Jailhouse Rock", "Rock the Boat" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School". There's even a made-for-TV movie called "Legend in Granite: The Vince Lombardi Story".

Answer: Aberdeen

Many of Aberdeen's buildings were made from granite, which was quarried from the city's Rubislaw Quarry until 1971. Aberdeen granite was also used in the construction of London's Waterloo Bridge and the Forth Bridge in Scotland.
Granite takes its name from the Latin word 'granum', which means grain.