Oh No! The Window's Smashed! Trivia Quiz

Answer: A driving range

The modern golf ball is a lightweight orb consisting of a synthetic rubber on the inside and a hard, plastic shell on the outside. These two factors are calibrated differently for different types of balls and brands. Nonetheless, the golf ball is traditionally white and some can be quite expensive. These small balls are designed with accuracy and aerodynamics in mind; the dimples found on these orbs are purposely there to enhance the speed, distance, and flight of a ball.

Of course, that's when I remembered that there were no driving ranges in this part of the city. Where the heck did that ball come from? And who shot it at my window?!

Answer: Blue Jay

The Blue Jay is, indeed, a bird with blue feathers. Found in North America, it appears in many of the eastern provinces and States all year long. Toronto's major league baseball team happens to be known as the Blue Jays as well; they won the world series in 1992 and 1993. Surprisingly, the birds don't actually have blue feathers; the blue is seen only because light passes through the feather and creates that colour.

Using the dustpan, I moved the bird out the front door and into a proper bird-flying environment. This window needed to get fixed ASAP.

Answer: Cumulonimbus

Nimbus clouds or any variation containing the prefix or suffix would indicate that rain is on the way. The nimbus cloud could potentially be in the form of a stratus cloud or a cumulus cloud, but they would be regarded as nimbostratus and cumulonimbus in these instances. Cumulonimbus clouds are high-reaching storm clouds often associated with large stormfronts. Cirrus clouds are the highest in altitude and often look wispy.

The rain in Spain falls mainly through my shattered pane; turns out the clouds were passing through without a drop. Good.

Answer: Contrabass saxophone

The contrabass saxophone is one of the largest instruments in this woodwind family. It, in turn, is smaller than the subcontrabass saxophone, which, hypothetically, would be huge. The contrabass is usually played standing up from the floor; it reaches a height of almost two meters tall! Heading from largest to smallest, you'd also have the bass sax, the tenor sax, alto, mezzo-soprano, soprano, and the sopranino.

Who practices their contrabass sax outside right after what could have been a rainstorm? Why did I not know my neighbours played instruments before this? Ah well, at least they're not bagpipes.

Answer: The nearby river

Blackfly eggs are laid upon rocks in running water and fly away from their spawning ground as full adults. If you happen to get bit by a blackfly, it'll cause the same reaction as you'd get if you were bitten by a mosquito, likely an itchy, raised welt. Female blackflies tend to feed on blood. Blackflies are quite common along the Canada/U.S. border, especially in forested areas but several hundred different breeds can be found worldwide. They are particularly proficient at carrying diseases that affect both humans and livestock.

Looks like I need DEET. Taking out a trusty flyswatter, I started the conquest to reclaim my house from these horrible bugs.

Answer: Ming

Of the dynasties listed, only one was ever in China; the Ming Dynasty occurred between the mid-fourteenth and the mid-seventeenth centuries and involved a great deal of building onto the Great Wall. It was followed by the Qing Dynasty and what would become the Republic of China. The Saadi Dynasty occurred in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Morocco, the Nair Dynasty was in India, and the Yamato Dynasty started in 660 BCE in Japan. The Yamato Dynasty is ongoing- it's a term used to refer to Japan and its people as a whole.

Yeah...that vase was kind of priceless. Now I can't appraise it on "Antique Roadshow", like all other priceless heirlooms.

Answer: Raccoon

Raccoons are excellent scavengers and tend to eat almost anything they can get their little paws on. Found in almost all of North America and Japan (and parts of Europe), raccoons are one of only a few types of creatures in the Procyonid family along with the Kinkajou, the Coati, and the Olingo. Raccoons are nocturnal creatures for the most part. As many know, raccoon tails have rings while their faces have dark markings resembling masks.

That was it- I needed to stay up. Nothing would come in my window anymore. I shooed the raccoon back out the window with a broom, brought a chair in, and decided to sit through the night.

Answer: Ninety-six

"99 Luftballons" was recorded back in 1982 and became a one-hit wonder for Nena. Often regarded as an exemplar of eighties Europop, the song has been remade a number of times since by punk bands, pop singers, and others. The song itself is about two kids who buy a bag of red balloons, let them fly, and accidentally trigger a nuclear war. It hit number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in 1984.

It was amazing the balloons didn't pop on the way in through the broken window. I popped them myself, threw them out, and put on a pot of coffee. No more sleeping. Couldn't afford to sleep.

Answer: Melissa Etheridge's

"Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
of the moon
Come to my window
I'll be home soon"

Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window" was a hit for the singer back in 1994 reaching number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100, but also charting on five other Billboard charts. Etheridge won a Grammy for her song (her second). In later years she'd win an Academy Award for Best Original Song (for "I Need to Wake Up" in "An Inconvenient Truth"). "Yes I Am", Etheridge's fourth album, contained both "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One", both of which are some of her most famous songs and her highest-charting.

The only reason I could tell that this girl wasn't going to McCartney's place was because she didn't attempt to go in through the bathroom window. It would only be a few more hours before sunrise.

Answer: Circle

A rose window is circular and, like a wheel window, consists of radiating spokes. Unfortunately, my house never has been a Gothic cathedral and this repairman's only window is stained glass. Rose windows of elaborate detail are commonly seen around the world, especially in some of the most famous churches and cathedrals of Europe. That doesn't mean the circular window is exclusive to this period though; rose windows and wheel windows are common in Baroque architecture as well as in modern construction. They just don't happen to fit my front room frame.

I thanked the repairman and sent him on his way. I called another and hoped for the best. He's on his way now, but until he arrives I have no choice but to stand here, armed and ready, to protect my front room.