Ps in Our Time Trivia Quiz

Answer: Percheron

The Percheron is named for the region of France from which it originates, in Normandy. It measures between 15 and 17 hands and is believe to have been used as a war horse in the time of Charles Martel, in the eighth century. Although primarily used for agricultural work and pulling coaches, the Percheron is also used for riding. It is described as being graceful in its movements, despite being a huge horse.

The Poznan is a riding horse from Poland, Palomino refers to a colour and the Przewalski's horse is a wild horse from Asia.

Answer: Candide

'Candide, ou L'Optimisme' was written by Voltaire and originally published in 1759. It tells the story of the life of Candide, who is taught by Pangloss, an incurable optimist. The various characters in the book suffer many misfortunes, including slavery, conscription, chain gangs and apparent death. Pangloss is the character who believes, and teaches Candide to believe, that the life they lead is 'the best of all possible worlds'.

Answer: Pallas

The first asteroid to be discovered, by Giuseppe Piazzi, was Ceres, in 1801, with Pallas being identified around fifteen months later. It takes its name from the Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athena. Wilhelm Olbers, who found Pallas, also discovered Vesta in 1807.

He believed that the asteroids were the remnants of a planet which had orbited between Jupiter and Mars, although this theory was soon discredited.

Answer: Peter Cetera

Peter Cetera was one of the original members of the band Chicago, and sang on their hits '25 or 6 to 4' (1970) and 'If You Leave Me Now' in 1976. He left the band for a solo career in 1985, having failed to negotiate an agreement with the other band members which would have enabled him to remain part of the band and record solo albums. Cetera had continued success as a solo artist, and was still recording into the twenty-first century.

Answer: Pansy

The name is used for the Viola tricolor which has several other names including tickle-my-fancy and love-in-idleness. The flower is also called the wild pansy, and is the plant from which the garden variety was developed. It has been used in herbalism for many ailments, including bronchitis, asthma, eczema and other skin diseases.

The juice of the plant was used in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to cause Titania to fall in love with Bottom.

Answer: South China Sea

The islands were claimed by France in 1932 as part of their possessions in French Indochina, with 'ownership' passing to Vietnam when the French left. In 1974 China claimed them and established a military presence which remains in place in the early twenty-first century. Vietnam still claims the islands as theirs, with Taiwan also staking a claim.

There are no indigenous inhabitants, but the islands are of strategic importance, lying between Vietnam and the Philippines.

Answer: Peseta

The peseta was used in both Spain and Andorra, which borders it to the north. The name derives from the peso, which was the former currency of Spain until the peseta replaced it in 1868. The peso's official name was the peso de ocho, giving us the English translation of 'pieces of eight' so beloved by pirates.

The peso is used in the twenty-first century by several Spanish speaking countries, including Argentina and Uruguay. The piastre is an historic currency used in several areas such as French Indochina, and the pfennig was a coin from the pre-Euro era in Germany.

Answer: Cycling

The events in the modern pentathlon consist of fencing, using an épée, swimming, show jumping, running and shooting. In 2000, the swimming distance was changed to 200m, with freestyle being the stroke used. The running and shooting are combined, with the athlete taking shots at a target before running cross country. The show jumping is challenging, since the participant does not ride his or her own horse but is allocated one by means of a draw adding to the difficulty.

Cycling is not part of the modern pentathlon - this is one of the disciplines in the triathlon, which consists of swimming, cycling and running.

Answer: Psychology

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who was particularly interested in child development and the thinking processes in childhood. His research showed that the thought processes of children were markedly different from those of adults. Piaget described the processes as 'schemata' which the child has to adapt and add to as he or she meets new situations which cannot be explained by those already known.

His views have been influential in education, as he argued that the child's understanding undergoes specific transitions at the ages of seven and eleven or twelve meaning that even the most intelligent child is incapable of certain types of thought prior to these stages.

In the twenty-first century this theory is considered to be too rigid, but Piaget is still recognised for his influence on child psychology.

Answer: Penny Dreadful

The series began airing on Showtime in the USA and Sky Atlantic in the UK in May 2014 with the second series beginning a year later. Reeve Carney played Dorian Gray, with Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm Murray, father of Mina Harker portrayed by Olivia Llewellyn. The series is a mixture of horror and supernatural events, with many of the characters based on Victorian literature.

The title refers to the overblown and lurid stories published cheaply in the nineteenth century and aimed at the lower classes. As far as I know, no television series have used the other titles.