Pick n' Mix: Part FIVE Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nantes

Known for his 1864 novel, "Journey to the Centre of the Earth," and his later 1872 novel "Around the World in Eighty Days," Jules Verne was born on 8 February 1828, on a small island on the River Loire within the territory of Nantes when it was still a relatively small town.

Nantes is around 30 miles (50 km) from the coast of the Atlantic in the north-west of France. Both Duchess Anne of Brittany (1477-1514) and Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203), were both in Nantes.

Answer: Offaly

County Offaly is located within the Irish province of Leinster. It borders seven other Irish counties, including Meath, Westmeath, Kildare, Laois, Roscommon, Tipperary and Galway. Offaly's highest point is Arderin Mountain, which lies on the county's border with Laois, where it is also that county's highest peak.

Tullamore's most notable export is Tullamore Dew, Irish whiskey made by the Tullamore Brewery, owned by Scottish company, William Grant & Sons. In his earlier letters, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson frequently mentioned the drink. Tullamore Dew is also the favourite drink of Stieg Larsson's fictional character, Lisbeth Salander.

Answer: Bromine

Bromine is the third-lightest element in the halogen group (or group 17) of the periodic table. The word "bromos" means "stench" in Greek, and the element was first discovered and prepared by Carl Löwig, a German chemist, in 1825. However, French chemist Antoine-Jérôme Balard got the credit for the discovery of bromine, as he was the first to publicize these findings in 1826.

In its pure form, bromine is a reddish-brown colour, remains a liquid at room temperature and most people find its smell very unpleasant. It is the only non-metallic liquid element. The symbol for bromine is Br, and its atomic number is 35. Bromine is used to create brominated flame retardants, leading to the development of flame retardant fabrics.

Answer: Madagascar

Parson's chameleon is named after British physician and author, James Parsons (1705-1770) and is usually green, with bright and bulging orange eyes and a yellow lip. However, as with other chameleons, they can change colour in response to their surroundings. They are unusually long-lived as chameleons go, with 12 years being recorded in the wild and up to 14 in captivity.

Madagascar is the world's second-largest island country, with Indonesia being the largest. Physically, it is the fourth-largest island of the world by area. It is known for its wildlife, and rare and elusive species of land animals and birds.

One of the most recent countries in the world to do so, Madagascar abolished the death penalty in 2015.

Answer: Taiyaki

Taiyaki cakes are filled with azuki red beans, and are sometimes described as being something in between a waffle and a cake. It is a familiar sight across schools and street carnivals in across Japan. It originated from the other popular Japanese festival cake, imagawayaki, which holds sweet azuki bean paste, only in a circular shape.

The exact origin and meaning of the fish shape is lost to time, but it is known that the taiyaki trend began in the Edo period.

Answer: Hawksbill Mountain

Hawksbill Mountain is around 4,050 feet (1,235 m) high and forms the border between two counties in Virginia: Page County and Madison County.

Shenandoah National Park is around 311.210 square miles (806 square km) in total area, almost 40% of which has been classified as wilderness. The park includes a portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains (which run through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia). Shenandoah National Park is known for its long road, Skyline Drive, which is around 105 miles (170 km) long. It runs along the ridge of the mountains providing breathtaking views.

Answer: Gish

Lillian Gish was the silent film actress that this album is named for. One of the Smashing Pumpkins' most beloved hits, "Rhinoceros," features on this album. The album was recorded in Wisconsin.

The Smashing Pumpkins were established in 1988, by four musicians, with Billy Corgan as lead singer, James Iha on guitar, D'arcy Wretzky on bass and Jimmy Chamberlin on drums. There has been a great deal of instances where every member except Billy Corgan has left the band. Some return, leave again, and return, with new members of the band also making regular appearances.

Answer: Lomo saltado

Ceviche is the national dish of Peru; however, it is traditionally made with fish.

Lomo saltado consists of strips of sirloin steak marinated in soy sauce and vinegar, which are stir-fried with soy sauce, tomato and onions. Thousands of Cantonese immigrants moved to Peru around the middle of the 19th century. They introduced soy sauce and stir-frying ingredients in a wok, and their input has made a lasting impression of Peruvian cuisine, coined the "chifa" tradition, which originated in Peru. This chifa style of cooking has also subsequently emerged in Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile.

Answer: Mokorotlo

The national flag of Lesotho has been in official use since 2006, consisting of a horizontal tricolour, of blue, white and green, respectively. The black hat featuring in the center is a mokorotlo, a traditional straw hat from Sotho culture. The mokorotlo also features on vehicle license plates across Lesotho.

Answer: Virginia

What led to the Chesapeake-Leopard affair was when several British shipmates had deserted their ships to join the USS Chesapeake in 1807. This ship was just off the coast of Virginia, and under the command of Commodore James Barron, a prominent veteran sailor who took part in the American Revolution, the First Barbary War and also the Qasi War with France.

Sir George Cranfield Berkeley, a British Royal Navy officer and vice admiral, ordered the crew of his ship, the HMS Leopard, to find the deserters. Commodore James Barron refused any attempt at handing them over, insisting that the deserters had been forced onto the British ships, and would rather not return. Furthermore, not all of the deserters were actually British, a good deal were Americans who had been pressed into serving the British Navy. This exchange escalated into Berkeley ordering cannon-fire onto the USS Chesapeake, which killed 3 and injured 17, including Barron. Barron returned fire, but knew the damage to his ship was too great, and called for surrender. Berkeley opted to ignore this surrender.

Jenkin Ratford, the lone British citizen who was tried for this deserting, was executed by hanging. The remaining American deserters were sentenced to 500 lashes each, however their sentences were later commuted after a public outcry. Facing a furious U.S government, the British agreed to return the American deserters unharmed, and pay reparations for the damages to the USS Chesapeake. The damage to relations, however, was not as easily fixable. The Chesapeake-Leopard affair is considered an important catalyst for the War of 1812.

Answer: Telangana

One of the tallest sitting statues in the world, the Statue of Equality began construction in 2014, being completed and inaugurated by 2022. The statue is combined of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and zinc, known together as "panchaloha."

Ramanuja is hailed as a respected Vedic philosopher who put great effort into social reforms during his lifetime, traveling across India to promote justice and equality. He was born in 1017, and ancient texts assert that he lived to be 120 years old. He taught the importance of taking care of the environment and rallied for the educational rights of those who were disadvantaged in India.

The state of Telangana is situated in south-central India. Its capital city is Hyderabad, and it is known for its agriculture. The Godavari and the Krishna, two of India's most vital rivers, cross through Telangana, providing ample opportunity for irrigation.

Answer: Wedge-tailed eagle

The wedge-tailed eagle gets its name from its long, wedge-like tail, and it has a dark brown to black plume, with a reddish brown head and wings. The only difference between the sexes in regards to plumage is that females are generally paler in shade than their male counterparts. The females are usually larger than the males. They have sharp vision and may be able to spot prey from over a kilometre away. Rabbits and hares make up the majority of their diet, making up between 30-70% of it, and even up to 90% in some cases. Although wedge-tailed eagles are capable of, and have been known to kill lambs, this is a very rare instance. They also feed on roadkill.

Wedge-tailed eagles are monogamous and are said to mate for life. However, if the mate of one of them is killed, the wedge-tailed eagle has no problem finding another mate.

Answer: Opal

Opal is a mineraloid most commonly found within the crevices of rocks such as limestone, sandstone and basalt. It is traditionally held as the birth stone for people born in October. They are usually colourless or a creamy shade of white, containing within it a spectrum of colours, which change depending on the lighting.

Once considered protective and a bringer of good luck, with the Romans believing that the opal's multi-coloured properties meant that other gemstones were growing inside them, Sir Walter Scott would bring about a bad reputation for the gem through one of his novels. In "Anne of Geierstein," a character who wears a cursed opal hair clip ends up spontaneously combusting once holy water has touched the opal. The stone turns black upon touching the holy water, and the character turns to ashes overnight. This was a popular novel, and opal sales dropped in Europe by a staggering 50%.

Years later, diamond sellers would again spread rumours of opals being bad luck for financial gain. Around 1900, opal imports rose in the U.S.A and those in the diamond business were concerned. From bad luck, to asserting that opals crack easily (which in turn causes bad luck) the reputation of this gemstone was again slandered. However, it was not hated by all. Queen Victoria was very fond of opals, and often wore them or gave them as gifts.

Answer: Faustina the Elder

Antoninus Pius is hailed as one of the "Five Good Emperors" known for both his peaceful and diplomatic approach, and his piety. His 23-year reign is among the most peaceful in the history of Imperial Rome. He inherited the Roman throne when Emperor Hadrian died in 138 AD, with Hadrian's first choice of an heir, Lucius Ceionius Commodus, dying of tuberculosis the same year. Hadrian's second choice for the throne was Marcus Aurelius, but as he was only 16, he chose the more mature Antoninus Pius as his successor, originally intended to only stay in power until Marcus Aurelius matured. However, not only did Antoninus live longer than everyone expected, but he proved himself as a very capable and engaged Emperor of Rome.

Antoninus Pius' wife, Faustina, was Hadrian's niece. Marcus Aurelius was her nephew, and he later became her adopted son, taking over as Roman emperor with Lucius Verus, who ruled as co-emperor alongside him when Antoninus Pius died. Her daughter, Faustina the Younger, would become Roman empress herself, once she had married Marcus Aurelius.

Answer: Burnley F.C.

Burnley is a town located in the English county of Lancashire, around 20 miles (35 km) north of the city of Manchester. Turf Moor is situated just east of Burnley town centre. Turf Moor is the second-longest English football ground that has been in use uninterruptedly, being Burnley's home ground since 1883.

In 1886, Prince Albert Victor attended a football match between Burnley and Bolton wanderers at Turf Moor, making it the first football ground to host a member of the British royal family.

Answer: Georgiana Cavendish

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), has often been compared to her great-great-great-great niece, in terms of the tragic elements of their lives. She was born Georgiana Spencer, part of the aristocratic Spencer family, which Winston Churchill also had familial relations to.

Like Diana centuries later, Georgiana Spencer was revered for her involvement in politics and her striking sense of fashion style. In 1774, she was 17 years old and married William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, therefore becoming the Duchess of Devonshire by marriage. Like Diana, she found herself in an unhappy marriage. However, with her new found resources she could indulge in her passion for fashion, sporting and experimenting with elaborate, tall hairstyles, which endeared her to the public. She also indulged in her passion for gambling, running up large debts throughout her life. Highly involved in politics, she become a strong advocate for the Whig Party, even though women were prohibited from voting at the time.

Answer: Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem (1959-) is a Spanish actor, and for his part as Anton Chigurh, he became the first Spanish person to receive an Oscar. He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2012, star 2,484, which is situated just outside the El Capitan Theatre.

"No Country for Old Men" was very well-received, loved by critics and fans alike. The film also stars Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones. A role later filled in by Josh Brolin as the character of Llewelyn Moss was originally offered to Heath Ledger, but he declined the role as he had only recently become a father. Revered composer, Carter Burwell, used Buddhist bells and singing bowls at a variety of frequencies, for the film's music score.

Answer: Alexander Godefroy

Alexander Godefroy was a French stylist who ran a hair salon in St. Louis, Missouri. He invented the hair dryer in 1890, which was a large, seated contraption with a bonnet attached to the chimney, via the pipe of the gas stove. This was solely for the use of his hair salon, and was neither hand-held nor portable, like subsequent inventions based on his design.

His invention however took off, sparking a new interest in hair hygiene at the time, leading to a boom in the production of hair shampoo and other products.

His invention was also praised as good for killing headlice the more people used it.

Answer: Hungary

Batu Khan, grandson of Ghenghis Khan, defeated Hungary's forces fighting for King Béla IV, despite the fact that the Hungarians were revered as possessing the most fearsome and well-organised cavalry Europe had to offer. Once the battle was won, Batu Khan had the city of Pest torched to the ground. Hungarian soldiers fleeing to the city for shelter, not knowing it was under attack itself, were shot down one after the other by Mongol archers. 60,000 out of 100,000 of Hungary's forces at this battle were killed. The death toll of the Mongol forces is unknown.

The Battle of Mohi took place just southwest of the Sajó River. Hungary was devastated. Nearly half of the settlements were destroyed by the Mongols, and the country is reported to have lost around a quarter of its population.

However, the Mongol's celebrations were short-lived, as soon after this battle Ögedei Khan, the third son of Gheghis Khan, was pronounced dead. The Mongols had to leave Hungary to return to Mongolia, where they would take part in establishing and electing a new Great Khan.

Answer: Torres Islands

The island nation of Vanuatu is situated around 1,090 miles (1,750 km) from the northern coast of Australia. Its capital city is Port Vila, which is located on the island of Efate.

The Torres Islands are around 60 miles (100 km) north of Espiritu Santo, which is the largest and the westernmost group of Vanuatu's islands. Aneityum is the southernmost of Vanuatu's islands. Futuna is the easternmost.

The Torres Islands stretch for about 35 miles (56 km). To the north lies the easternmost province of the Solomon Islands, Temotu Province. To the south-east lies Vanuatu's small group of islands, Banks Islands. To the west and deep under the ocean, lies the Torres Trench. That is, the subduction zone between the Australian and Pacific plates.