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So What's the Problem? Trivia Quiz

"Science... never solves a problem without creating ten more", or so said George Bernard Shaw. See if you can spot what the problems were in these 10 scenarios.

A multiple-choice quiz by darksplash. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
darksplash

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
326,313

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
766

Question 1 of 10

1. "The car in front is a Toyota" was one adverting slogan used by the Japanese firm. But many of their cars spent more time in garage workshops than on the roads in late 2009 and early 2010. So what was the problem? Hint

Tyres deflating at speed

Faulty fuel pumps

Faulty accelerator pedals

Dirty ashtrays

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "Houston, we have a problem" was one of the most famous space-age quotes. So what was the problem that nearly brought disaster to Apollo 13? Hint

A male rabbit and a female rabbit escaped their hutches and began to do what rabbits do best

On leaving earth's atmosphere, too many fuel pods were accidentally jettisoned

Engine coolant escaped into the crew's cabin

Ruptured oxygen tank

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. D'Oh! Homer Simpson was largely raised by his father, Abe. So what problem meant that his mother was not around for a large part of his childhood? Hint

She ran away with Ned Flanders' father and together they had Ned

She died in childbirth

She was on the run from the law

She ran away with Krusty's father and together they had Krusty

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In 2010, a British plan to build a car capable of reaching 1,000 mph nearly foundered because of a technical issue. So what was the problem? Hint

It was booked for speeding at 75mph on the M1 motorway

At speeds of over 720mph, bugs hitting the windshield shattered it

The car kept getting airborne

They couldn't find a surface route long enough

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. After months of rumours and hype, Apple launched its iPad tablet computer in April 2010. On the first day 300,000 were sold. So, which of these was a problem many users experienced? Hint

Users could not connect to funtrivia.com

Microsoft had hijacked the operating system

Poor wi-fi reception

A glitch meant it could only display Chinese characters

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. In 2009, Microsoft launched its new Windows 7 operating system. So what was the problem that left millions of users frustrated? Hint

A glitch meant the displays only showed in black and white

Users could not connect to funtrivia.com

The computers crashed on start-up

A glitch left many keyboard shortcuts unusable

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Hail to the chief: So, what problem did Barack Obama experience when he was sworn in as US President in January 2009? Hint

An electrical storm blacked out TV coverage

He used the wrong Bible

He got the words of the oath in the wrong order

A microphone malfunction meant no one could hear him

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In April 2010, all flights over British and Irish airspace were cancelled for six days and the travel plans of millions of people were thrown into disarray. So what was the problem? Hint

Ash from an Icelandic volcano

A huge hike in fuel prices

A strike by airline cabin crews

Uncertainty over the British General Election results

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. A new footbridge was built over the River Thames in London to mark the new millennium. It opened on June 10 2000 and closed two days later. So what was the problem? Hint

It spoilt the view from the Queen's living room

It was too low for ships to pass underneath

It wobbled

It was under water when the tide and river were at their highest

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The Balao class submarine USS Tang was the pride of the American navy when she was launched in 1943. So what was the problem that saw her sink little more than a year later? Hint

Holed on a reef after a sonar malfunction

Poor quality steel disintegrated when attacked by Pacific barnacles

Crashed into rocks after a lighthouse's lamp failed

Struck by one of her own torpedoes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Faulty accelerator pedals

The trouble began for Toyota when accelerator pedals began to stick on some models. The cars affected had been manufactured between March 2009 and January 2010. Millions of cars were involved, among them over 12 million in the USA and 75 million in China. A number of deaths were blamed on the fault.

2. "Houston, we have a problem" was one of the most famous space-age quotes. So what was the problem that nearly brought disaster to Apollo 13?

Answer: Ruptured oxygen tank

Launched on April 11th 1970, Apollo 13 was meant to land on the Moon. However, two days after launch, an explosion in the service module caused a loss of electrical power and damaged oxygen tanks. The crew reduced all consumption of oxygen to a bare minimum and, despite fears for their lives, managed to return to earth safely on April 17th.

3. D'Oh! Homer Simpson was largely raised by his father, Abe. So what problem meant that his mother was not around for a large part of his childhood?

Answer: She was on the run from the law

As a child, Homer was told that his mother, Mona, had died. In fact she was a 1960s radical who had gone on the run after she was implicated in a raid on the biological weapons laboratory run by Montgomery Burns. It was not until he was a father three times over that Homer met his mother and they had a joyful reunion. Montgomery Burns was not one to give up a grudge easily, though, and Mona had to go on the run again.

4. In 2010, a British plan to build a car capable of reaching 1,000 mph nearly foundered because of a technical issue. So what was the problem?

Answer: The car kept getting airborne

The Bloodhound SSC aimed at beating the world landspeed record, however its streamlined shape generated huge amounts of lift to the rear. "...we've had some big issues. We've had lift as high as 12 tonnes, and when you consider the car is six-and-a-half tonnes at its heaviest - that amount of lift is enough to make the car fly," John Piper, Bloodhound's technical director, told BBC News.

At the time Bloodhound's tests started, it needed to beat 763mph (1,228km/h) set by the Thrust SuperSonic Car in 1997.

5. After months of rumours and hype, Apple launched its iPad tablet computer in April 2010. On the first day 300,000 were sold. So, which of these was a problem many users experienced?

Answer: Poor wi-fi reception

The first iPads could only connect to the Internet by wi-fi. Like many notebooks, the iPads had very small aerials to pick up wi-fi signals. Other (larger) computers managed fine on the same networks.

6. In 2009, Microsoft launched its new Windows 7 operating system. So what was the problem that left millions of users frustrated?

Answer: The computers crashed on start-up

Since we already have an Apple question in this quiz, it seemed only fair to include a Microsoft one. Millions of users found that when they logged on to their new Windows 7 computers, they saw only the "black screen of death" and the machine crashed.

Some experts believed that changes in the operating system's lockdown of registry keys was to blame. (Don't ask me what that means - I use an Apple, and, no, I was not one of those early iPad buyers.)

7. Hail to the chief: So, what problem did Barack Obama experience when he was sworn in as US President in January 2009?

Answer: He got the words of the oath in the wrong order

What Obama should have said was: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
What he actually said was "...I will execute the office of President of the United States faithfully...."
To be fair, he was repeating a mistake made by Chief Justice John Roberts. In order to head-off any legal challenge, Obama later retook the oath in private - and got it word perfect that time.

8. In April 2010, all flights over British and Irish airspace were cancelled for six days and the travel plans of millions of people were thrown into disarray. So what was the problem?

Answer: Ash from an Icelandic volcano

On March 21st 2010, a volcano that had been dormant for 200 years erupted in Iceland sending plumes of ash thousands of feet into the air. The prevailing winds carried the ash towards the British Isles and Europe. Since volcanic ash can cause jet engines to malfunction, no-fly zones were imposed. Millions of passengers had their holidays ruined. Either they could not get out of the UK or Ireland, or they could not get back.

The flight ban cost airlines and holiday companies millions of �s. In May 2010, more ash plumes caused further delays, with warnings that the situation could occur on and off for 15 months.

9. A new footbridge was built over the River Thames in London to mark the new millennium. It opened on June 10 2000 and closed two days later. So what was the problem?

Answer: It wobbled

The Millennium Bridge was 325 metres (1,081) feet long and cost �18.2 million to build. When it opened, what the experts called "lateral vibration" caused it to sway when in use. In the parlance of ordinary people "it wobbled". Dampeners were hurriedly fitted to cure the problem.

10. The Balao class submarine USS Tang was the pride of the American navy when she was launched in 1943. So what was the problem that saw her sink little more than a year later?

Answer: Struck by one of her own torpedoes

The USS Tang was launched on 17th August 1943 and was sunk by one of her own torpedoes off Taiwan on 25th October 1944. On that fateful day, Tang surfaced to attack a Japanese convoy. A number of torpedoes were launched and several targets were hit.

However, the final torpedo broached on the surface and began to turn in a circle, Tang tried to escape, but 20 seconds after the torpedo was launched, it struck the sub and she sank. Seventy-four crew members died. Some who escaped the sinking were picked up by a Japanese ship and were tortured before spending the rest of the war in a POW camp.

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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