Patchwork Quilt 5 Trivia Quiz

Answer: To prevent them from being caught in machinery

Docking is the removal of part of an animal's tail for either cleanliness, appearance or protective purposes. Docking the tails of sheep, for example, prevents the build up of faeces in that area, otherwise maggots can breed there. Another example sees pigs' tails being docked to prevent them being bitten or chewed off by other pigs. Appearance wise, you'll often see show horses in equestrian events with docked tails. Horses, particularly in older times, often had their tails docked as well to prevent them being caught up in farm machinery ("Whinnnny!") in the days when these noble beasts were used to pull various ploughing and harvesting machines.

Roosters have a form of docking carried out on their other end. To prevent injury and frostbite, their combs and wattles are often cut off. This is known as dubbing, and, if not exactly cruel (anaesthetic is apparently applied first), it makes a normally handsome rooster, strutting around waggling his wattles at the ladies, and giving them the come on with his comb, a sight for derision instead.

Answer: Black-eyed peas

Hoppin' John is a traditional soul food that is eaten on New Year's Day in many parts of the southern United States in order to ensure prosperity for the unfolding year ahead. One legend behind this is that General Sherman, when he directed the march of the Union army to the sea during the American Civil War (1861-1865), pillaged the food supplies of the Confederate army along the way. However he is said to have left their black-eyed peas and pork untouched because he thought those foods were only fit for animal consumption (animals ate pork??), and so the people in the south had enough food left to survive the winter.

Another fairly typical meal in the south on New Year's Day includes the black-eyed peas, mustard greens, ham and cornbread. The peas, because they swell up when cooked, represent prosperity (and probably gas); because pigs push their snouts forward when foraging, the ham represents forward motion in life; the greens stand for money; and because corn is golden in colour, the cornbread represents gold.

Answer: All of these

How amazing is this much maligned plant? After being soaked well to remove any stinging chemicals, it can be used to cook a type of spinach (contains 25% protein), a pesto, polenta, puree, and a tea (to help ease kidney and urinary tract infections, gout, influenza and rheumatism), a cordial, a type of beer, and even to make a form of cheese.

Its fibre can be used to make a type of linen, clothing (German army uniforms were once made from it), and a yellow-green dye. This is one astonishing little plant, I'm sure you'll agree.

Answer: The warders got lost

On paper the design of the old Millbank prison was very innovative. It comprised a central circular site, surrounded by a hexagon shaped series of buildings (each three storey high), which were in turn surrounded by a series of six cell blocks which were built to a pentagon design. Each of these featured a small courtyard at the centre, with a guard's watchtower placed in the middle of that for supervision purposes. The pentagons were broken down further into assorted shaped staircases and more watchtowers. In the long run though, this architectural marvel was just too complicated in its design. For one thing, the resulting acoustics allowed prisoners to easily converse with one another when they were not supposed to do anything of the kind. Another slightly amusing fact was that the warders frequently became lost in its maze of staircases and unexpected corners and circles.

For the latter part of its existence, Millbank was used to house prisoners awaiting transportation to Australia. More than 4,000 of these per year were trundled off to those nether regions of the world, with their last glimpses of their homeland being the grim dank walls of a prison cell. The site of Millbank proved to be very unhealthy for its inmates however. Built on a marshy site not far from the Houses of Parliament, an alarming number of prisoners regularly succumbed to resulting diseases such as dysentery and scurvy. This became so bad in one year that the prisoners were transported to the rotting hulks on the river Thames instead. Those old hulks were riddled with disease as well, but during their time spent there, the health of the Millbank prisoners actually improved.

Answer: Head

The Sichuan province of China is located in the south western part of that nation. Of all the meats consumed in Sichuan, pork is the most popular, but rabbit comes a close second. The cuisine of this area comprises seven basic flavours (sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic and salty) and these can roughly be broken down into four main categories, including Buddhist vegetarian dishes.

These all sound extremely tasty, including their various ways of preparing rabbit, which is eaten more in this province than anywhere else in China. Spicy rabbit head has a taste that has been likened to duck neck. I think perhaps though that I'd draw the line at a cooked rabbit's head glaring at me from a plate. Whatever would Bugs think?

Answer: Western Union

When Western Union was founded in 1851 with a merger between New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company and New York and Western Union Telegraph Company, it became a huge dominating monopoly of the telegraph industry in the late 19th century. It seemed though that the bigger this company became, the more myopic became its vision. When, in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell his recent patent of the telephone to them for one hundred thousand dollars, they accordingly scoffed at the offer with the words "...why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States?" Two years later, it was estimated that this patent could not have been purchased for twenty-five million dollars.

Please sent the following telegram, Miss Brown: "To Western Union. Stop. Nyah, nyah. Stop. Alexander Graham Bell".

Answer: True

The Aztecs and Nahuatl people named this fruit after its resemblance to a male reproductive body part. Oh eewww, I had an avocado for breakfast - they're now off the menu. Also known as the alligator pear, avocados have been around for thousands of years in Mexico and South American countries, where evidence from early remains indicate that they were eaten, along coastal areas at least, with chilies, birds, shark, and sea lions of all things. Avocados had been introduced into the United States by the early 1800s and cost quite a lot to purchase.

They still do in many countries.

Answer: Copper

Copper is a malleable metal known for its very high thermal and electrical conductivity according to Wikipedia. When first removed from the ground, this metal is a really pretty auburn colour, but, if corroded, will turn green. It is used in a wide range of products from heating, electricity, wires and cables, and in the manufacture of jewellery and coinage, musical instruments, etching, printing, stained glass and ceramics just to name a few. Fortunately, copper can be recycled without any loss of its special qualities. Archaeological remains indicate this intriguing metal was being used by man as far back as 9,000 BC in the Middle East.

Interestingly, copper is found in striking quantities in the leaves of tobacco plants and in the smoke it produces.

This plant very readily absorbs this and other metals in the soil in which it is planted, with copper accumulated in particular. Unfortunately this is then absorbed into the smoker's body from the cigarettes he or she consumes. The long term health implications of this are not yet clear.

Answer: He said it violated the Prime Directive

The ever entertaining William Shatner (born 22 March, 1931) is an actor, author, producer and director. Although he has many other shows and appearances to his credit, he is probably best known to all of us for his role in the television show and series of films based on the "Star Trek" saga, as the devastatingly handsome Captain James T. Kirk. I think he's one of the funniest actors I've ever seen on screen, and that humour was shown to its best in his hilarious portrayal of Denny Crane in the legal comedy "Boston Legal" (2004-2008) in which he constantly sends himself up. He had me in stitches I promise you. Except of course for its sorrowful ending - which had me in tears.

In one of his many public appearances, William Shatner again donned the persona of Captain Kirk during a sea cruise which featured a "Star Trek" theme to celebrate fifty years of that famous show. However, he made one condition to his acceptance of the role. That was that the liner not feature any swimming with dolphins events. Shatner informed them very gravely - and one suspects with his tongue firmly in cheek - that "The exploitation of any species for profit and entertainment would have violated the Prime Directive". Ah, you simply have to love this very entertaining man.

Answer: Yes

Born in 1923, Charles "Chuck" Yeager was a US Air Force ace and test pilot who, in 1947, became the first man to break the sound barrier in a Bell XS-1 aircraft. Chuck had a love of the forces all his life, even as a young teenage son to farming parents. He spent his summers at the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis during this period. During World War II, he initially enlisted as a mechanic, but because of his exceptional vision, was soon accepted to be trained as a pilot. Shot down over France in 1944, he was rescued by the Maquis whom he taught to make bombs (a skill he learned from his father of all people - they breed tough farmers in the USA it seems) before he made his way to Spain. Along the way he had to amputate the remains of a leg of a wounded fellow pilot before tying it off with parachute silk! Promoted to Captain by the end of the war, Chuck then began working as a test pilot with the Aeronautical Systems Flight Test Division.

So why then did this exceptional man have to close the door of his state of the art aircraft with a broom handle in that famous day in 1947 when he broke the sound barrier? Because two days prior to the flight he had fallen off a horse and broken two ribs. Heavily taped, and not reporting his injury for fear of being removed from the project, Chuck was in such pain that he could not shut the aircraft hatch noramlly. He had to pull it closed using a handle attached to the end of a brook handle instead. Howzat for good old US engine-uity?