Quizzes "R" Us

Answer: Red panda

The red panda is a medium sized mammal native to Nepal, Myanmar and China. They are the size of a large domestic cat, but appear much bigger because of their dense tail which they use to wrap around their bodies to keep warm in colder climes. They have distinctive red/brown fur with white and black facial markings similar to a raccoon. They also have ring markings around their tail which is similar to a ring-tailed lemur. Their diet consists of berries, eggs, flowers and small mammals but their favourite food is bamboo.

The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is native to Madagascar, raccoon (Procyon lotor) to North America and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) to all over the northern hemisphere.

Answer: Ransom Riggs

Ransom Riggs (b.1979) is an American writer, traveller and filmmaker. He wrote stories from a young age but his main love was taking photographs and making video films with his friends. His collection of old vintage photographs led him to write "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", a picture book containing a collection of vernacular photographs alongside a narrative story. The story told of a young boy called Jacob Portman who stumbled across an abandoned Home for Peculiar Children, an enchanting place which housed a group of children with special powers along with a group of other-worldly beings called Miss Peregrine, Miss Wren, Miss Avocet, Miss Owl and Miss Finch. The book became Number One on the New York Times best-seller list in 2012, and then became a blockbuster film in 2016 starring Eva Green, Judi Dench and Asa Butterfield as Jacob.

The image is that of a group of oil rigs off the coast of Scotland. "Rigs" is a play on words for the name of the author, Ransom Riggs.

Answer: Russophobia

Russophobia is the fear of anything related to Russia including their people and culture. The majority of fear stemmed from the Cold War era when propaganda against the Russians became widespread in Western news. This extended into the 21st century, especially with the Russian military intervention into Ukraine territory. Russians were perceived by Russophobes to be barbarians, thugs, and loose cannons when it came to world peace, with their military full of aggression and a leader who would be happy to bring the rest of the world to its feet.

Russophile on the other hand is the complete opposite. It refers to anyone who loves Russia, its people, politics, language and culture.

Answer: REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon was an American rock group, first formed in 1967 by musician Neal Doughty. The name was taken from an old style truck manufactured by Ransom E. Olds (As shown in the image). "Keep On Loving You" was a hit song which reached number one in the US Singles Chart, and number seven in the UK Singles Chart. It featured the lyrics:

"You should've seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was somethin' missin'
You should've known by the tone of my voice, maybe
But you didn't listen
You played dead
But you never bled
Instead you lay still in the grass
All coiled up and hissin'
And though I know all about those men
Still I don't remember
Cause it was us baby, way before then
And we're still together
And I meant, every word I said
When I said that I love you I meant
That I love you forever".

Answer: Raspberry

The well known dessert Peach Melba consists of lightly poached peaches on a bed of ice cream and smothered with raspberry melba sauce. The dish was created by French chef, Auguste Escoffier, while he was working at the Savoy Hotel in London. He created it after seeing a performance of Dame Nellie Melba, an Australian operatic singer.

The original dish was called "Peche au Cygne" as it was served in a silver dish sat atop an ice swan sculpture.

Answer: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh is the largest city in Saudi Arabia and home to just over seven million people. It is situated in the heart of the Arabian Peninsular. The image shown is that of the flag of Saudi Arabia, with green background, white sword and white inscription. The inscription reads "There is no god but God: Muhammad is the Messenger of God".

Riga, Latvia is on the coast of the Gulf of Riga. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Rabat, Morocco, both border the Atlantic Ocean.

Answer: Rowing

An ergometer is an exercise rowing machine, used to strengthen a rower's leg and arm muscles. Pogies are the name of specially designed gloves which attach to the oars. They keep the hands insulated against the cold and frostbite when rowers race during the winter months.

A cox box is an electrical monitoring device which is used by the coxwain to monitor the stroke rate and has an audio amplification system.

Answer: Return from the dead

Revenant is a word used to describe a malevolent spirit which has returned from the dead. In modern culture, this includes a zombie, bogeyman or phantom. In the film, "The Revenant", Leonardo DiCaprio played Hugh Glass, an animal trapper left for dead by his fellow trappers after he was attacked by a grizzly bear. He survived against the odds and went to seek his revenge.

Answer: Rhea

As well as rhea being the name of an ostrich type bird (as shown in the image), it is also the name given to one of the Greek Titans. Rhea was the goddess of female fertility and menstruation. Her name translated from Greek is "flow" or "discharge". She was daughter of Uranus and Gaea, wife and sister to Cronus, and mother to Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus.

Answer: Rickets

Rickets, or osteomalacia, can be genetic, but is usually caused by the lack of vitamin D or calcium in a child's diet. Both of these are needed to maintain strong and healthy bones. It is a painful condition when bones become soft and weak, with visible signs including deformity of the legs and joint bones including knee, ankle, wrist and elbow.

It can also cause dental problems, skull damage and poor growth. Treatment includes an increase in calcium rich diets and vitamin D through natural sunlight.