Pick n' Mix Trivia Quiz

Answer: 3

An octopus has two main hearts that pump through its gills. This is where the octopus acquires oxygen. The third heart (in the centre) then circulates blood which has been oxygenated to the remainder of the octopus' body. They have blue blood as a result of the abundance of copper in the proteins used to move the oxygen.

Answer: Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse was born in the French city of Marseille, created by fishermen in France. They could not sell certain fish to restaurants (such as rock fish, which were bony), so they boiled them into a soup. Usually three kinds of different fish are present in a bowl of bouillabaisse. The vegetables usually used in this soup are leeks, tomatoes, onions and celery.

Answer: Lausanne, Switzerland

Overseeing the regulations and sanctions of archery worldwide, the World Archery Federation was founded in 1931 and is acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee.

Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lausanne is the capital city of the Swiss canton, Vaud.

Answer: India

Although India creates the majority of mangoes out of the world's countries, it composes just 1% of international mango trade. This is because India instead consumes the mangoes it makes rather than sells them.

The mango is the national fruit of India, and the national tree of Bangladesh. Ambika, a Jain goddess, is traditionally depicted under a mango tree.

Answer: Silver

Argyria is a condition where silver builds up in a person's body over time. The colour change in the skin in permanent, and there is no known cure for this affliction.

Paul Karason, nicknamed "Papa Smurf" in the media had this condition. This was caused by him over-ingesting in treatments of colloidal silver for his medical problems. He died in 2013 of a heart attack. Some have speculated that his condition could have have played a part in this, as argyria also gets into one's organs, and turns them blue.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln preferred the turkey to the bald eagle

It was Benjamin Franklin who preferred the turkey to the eagle, calling turkeys a "much more respectable bird", "a bird of courage" and "a true original native of America."

A male turkey's excrement is in the shape of a J, whereas a female turkey's excrement is in the shape of a spiral.

Turkeys cannot see well at night, therefore they sleep in trees to avoid predators. They can, however, see very well in the day, with an eyesight that covers 270 degrees.

Answer: Arequipa

Arequipa is the capital city of the department of Peru of the same name.

Ampato is approximately 20,630 feet (6,300 m) high. It is where Momia (Mummy) Juanita was found in 1995. It is the remains of an Inca human sacrifice. She was around 15 years old when she was sacrificed, dying in the 1400s.

Answer: New York

The Tribeca Film Festival was established by a collective of people: philanthropist and real estate investor Craig Hatkoff, film producer Jane Rosenthal and actor Robert De Niro. This was in response to the economic slump of Downtown Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks. Over 600 films are shown at the festival every year.

Answer: Prato

Biscotti was first made in 14th-century Tuscany, in what in now the city of Prato. Almonds were in the abundance in the area. It was discovered that baking the biscuits twice made them last longer without spoiling and more durable too. This understandably made them popular as a convenience food for travelers and Roman armies needing food supplies to stay edible for long periods of time.

Prato is located directly west of the city of Florence, and is the capital of Prato Province, Tuscany, Italy.

Answer: Jack Hawkins

Jack Hawkins (1910-1973) was an English actor who typically played army men. He was also in the army for real, serving as a second lieutenant in the 1940s. He got his first Hollywood break once World War II had passed, in "Land of the Pharaohs". Although the film did not do well at the box office (likely due to the lack of established, well-known actors included in the cast) it has since achieved cult classic status.

"Land of the Pharaohs" was made illegal to own or show in Egypt due the country's concerns of "distortion of historical facts."

Answer: San Diego

Jessop's Clock has been an icon of San Diego for over 100 years. It is a pendulum clock, and was established in 1905 by a renowned jeweller of the area, for who it is named, Joseph Jessop. The clock has been moved several times over the decades, including in 2019 when it was moved from the Horton Plaza (demolished in 2020) after vandals had broken into the clock's mechanism and damaged it. Luckily the face of the clock was too high for them to reach.

It is now in storage, awaiting a decision for its new home.

Answer: St. Patrick's Cathedral

Gaetano Bresci was an Italian-American criminal and anarchist who was responsible for the murder of Umberto I of Italy in 1900. He had been in New York during the months leading up to the assassination, accusing his co-anarchists of being cowardly and unwilling to act for their cause. They, in turn, accused him of being a spy for the authorities. Bresci left for Italy to prove them wrong, intending martyrdom for himself.

After he had killed the King of Italy and became imprisoned, his fellow anarchists in New York formed the Bresci Circle in dedication to him. Although nobody claimed responsibility for the bombings, repeat attacks happened across the city. The police infiltrated the Bresci Circle undercover and found out their plans to bomb St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1915.

Answer: Maryland

The Patuxent River stone is actually an agate - that is, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. It has been the state gem of Maryland since 2004, and its red and yellow colouring is reflected on the state flag of Maryland.

Answer: Humphry Davy

Calcium has been recognised by humanity since around 1 AD, when the Ancient Romans used it to make lime from calcium oxide.

Humphry Davy (1812-1829) was an English scientist from Cornwall, who invented an early version of the arc lamp, coined "the Davey lamp."

Answer: 95 miles (155 km)

It is a common myth that Hadrian's Wall defines the English-Scottish border. It is wholly within the territory of England, and while it is true that it is situated approximately half a mile (1 km) away from the Scottish border around Bowness-on-Solway in the west, in the east, the border is around 70 miles (110 km) away from Scotland.

Answer: Lindsay Lohan

Linsday Lohan has been attempting to sue Rockstar for apparently stealing her likeness in their game. She argues that her "signature peace sign," bikini and blonde hair have been appropriated by the game developers, which she asserts that she did not give them permission to do. The lawsuit has been dismissed every time.

Answer: Strait of Belle Isle

The Strait of Belle Isle 80 miles (125 km) long and has a maximum width at around 40 miles (60 km) with a minimum at around 10 miles (15 km). This river often has an abundance of ice, causing problems for boats and ships to pass through, limiting the time that ships can sail here to between June and November. Several species of seals (grey seals, ringed seals, harbour seals, etc) reside in this strait.

Answer: Camille Doncieux

Camille Doncieux (1847-1879) modelled for many of Claude Monet's paintings. They married in 1870. Monet painted her on her deathbed in 1879.

Answer: Henry II

Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, at the perceived orders of Henry II, who ranted in the heat of the moment that he wished somebody would rid him of the "troublesome priest." Some of Henry's soldiers took this to heart and murdered Becket. This caused uproar in the church and amongst citizens, with Becket being canonized in 1173. Henry took part in a public penance in 1174 in Canterbury.

The Compromise of Avranches was the political compromise that saw Henry II forgiven for his part in Becket's murder, in return for overturning the Constitutions of Clarendon and taking part in a religious crusade.

Answer: Magellan

NASA launched Magellan (the first planetary explorer of Venus) into space in 1989. It spent four years on the orbit of Venus, documenting its terrain. There was evidence of volcanism and mountains on the planet's surface in many of the photos.