Stubborn Stumpers - the "S" Quiz

Answer: Sinya

According to www.ethnologue.com, "Most are trilingual in Sinyar, Fur, and Chadian Arabic. Many speak Daju or Masalit."

Selee is spoken in Africa also, by the Bale people of Ghana. About 11,000 people use this language.

Saliba is from the far east - Papua New Guinea, spoken by about 2,500 people.

Sanga is heard in Nigeria, spoken by over 20,000 people in the Bauchi state.

Answer: Battle of Savage's Station

The Battle of Savage's Station took place in Henrico County, Virginia, when the Rebel troops attacked the rearguard of two Pennsylvania regiments of the Army of the Potomac. The Union troops were retreating after the Battle of Oak Grove, attacks at Beaver Dam Creek and at Garnett's and Goldings farms. Most of the Union troops were concentrated near the Richmond and York River Railroad's station at Savage State, but they were lacking leadership (Maj Gen McClellan had moved on and didn't leave instructions); troops were being moved out by rail, but the wounded were not being taken and morale was very low. Several divisions of troops were to be moved into position to attack, but some orders were garbled, one commander was under the influence of morphine for medical purposes and couldn't think straight, and one decided it was better to rebuild bridges over the Chickahominy River. By the time battle commenced, what should have been an easy rout for the Confederacy turned into a melee which ended with no victor.

The Battle of Sappony Church was fought in Sussex County, Virginia on 28 June 1864. The objective was for Union troops to cut the rail lines serving the Confederate capital at Richmond, which was a major supply depot. Confederate Generals William Lee and Wade Hampton attacked Union troops led by Generals James Wilson and August Kautz, denying the Union troops the opportunity to cut the supply route.

The Battle of Spring Hill in Maury County, Tennessee, took place on 29 November 1864, part of the Franklin-Nashville campaign. Confederate General John Hood hoped to position his troops to keep three Union armies separated. The whole thing was a fiasco and the Union troops were not deterred in their objective of reaching Franklin. Possible reasons for the debacle included drunkenness amongst the commanders, failed communications, Hood being under the influence of laudanum, and even covert meddling by a civilian.

The Battle of St Charles in Arkansas County, Arkansas, was fought by both infantry and naval troops on 17 June 1862. The USS Mound City and several other ships was travelling up the White River, transporting supplies needed in Jacksonport. The infantry troops of the 46th Regiment Indiana Infantry disembarked from their transport ship, while gunboats sailed up to try to deal with the known Confederate gun batteries on the shore. Failing to remove them, shots from the batteries hit the Mound City, causing its boilers to explode. Most of the sailors were scalded to death. The infantry were then able to chase off the Confederate troops, leaving the river safe for Union shipping.

Answer: Salcombe Castle

Salcombe Castle is just off the North Sands in Devon. Originally constructed during the reign of Henry VIII to defend the harbour from pirates, it was rebuilt in 1643 at a cost of 135 pounds, 6 shillings 11 pence (then a goodly sum!) and renamed Fort Charles. In January 1646 it was besieged, and surrendered only when it became clear that everyone else on the Royalist side had surrendered to Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces. When the war ended, it was partially demolished to ensure it would not be used again, and has suffered further damage due to the effects of water erosion.

Someries Castle was a 15th century fortified manor house built near Luton, Bedfordshire, and is considered one of the first brick buildings built in England. It was built on the site of an earlier, Norman, castle, and today only parts remain intact.

Sizergh Castle in Cumbria is a 14th century tower with Tudor house and grounds containing two lakes and a rock garden, and overlooking Morecambe Bay. Now a property of the National Trust, it was owned by the Strickland family since 1239, and their descendants still live there.

Scotney Old Castle is a medieval moated manor house, probably built in the late 1300s but now in ruins. It is now in the possession of the National Trust.

Answer: Samarium

Samarium (Sm) is used in headphone magnets, optical glass, lasers, as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors, in lighting for the movie industry, as a catalyst in ethanol production, even in medical treatments to ease pain in cancer patients with metastases to the bones.

Seaborgium is atomic number 106 and has a half-life of 1.9 minutes. While it has been created, it hasn't been actually seen so its appearance is not determined but is probably silvery or grey. At present it has no practical use.

Scandium is atomic number 21, a silvery white transition metal. It is mainly used as an alloy with aluminium, and is found in applications from fighter aircraft to baseball bats.

Strontium is atomic number 38, and is highly reactive to air and water. Its main use is in cathode ray tubes for colour televisions, where it blocks X-ray emissions, and in treatments for certain cancers. One of its isotopes, 90 Strontium, is a known component of radioactive fallout.

Answer: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was born in 1562 in the city of Deventer (now part of The Netherlands). He was the son of a professional musician, Peter Swybbertszoon, the organist of Oude Kerk (Old Church), who died in 1573. Jan took up this position at the age of 15, where he taught and composed works for the organ, as well as becoming an expert on organ construction. In 1594 he appears to have changed his name to a variant of that of his mother, Elske Jansdochter Sweeling. He died in 1621.

Claudin de Sermisy was born around 1490 in France. In 1508 he became a singer and cleric in the Royal Chapel of Louis XII, then in 1515 he went to Italy with Francis I. He was later a canon at Rouen, then at Amiens, then (by 1532) Music Director of the Royal Chapel. While his early works include a large number of chansons, as he aged he wrote mostly sacred music.

Ludwig Senfl was born in 1486 in Switzerland, but appears to have worked mostly in the courts of what is now Germany. He died in 1543.

Tielman Susato, born c 1510, was a Flemish composer, music publisher, calligrapher and maker of musical instruments. He was particularly adept at recording folk and popular music of the time, much of which is available today only through his efforts. He died in or after 1570.

Answer: Saint Barthelemy

Saint Barthelemy was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus and named for his brother. It is one of the Leeward Islands, the northern group of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It was first settled in 1648 by the French, who sold it to Sweden in 1784. Four years later it returned to French control although it retained a great deal of its Swedish culture. Today it is a high-end resort, with its economy based on tourism.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is considerably, if only in comparison, larger - 242 square km in area, but with an even smaller population of 7000. Located in the North Atlantic, this island is generally cold and damp, with frequent fog, and its economy is based on fish, largely cod.

The Spratly Islands are a group of around 100 small islands and reefs in the South China Sea. They are unoccupied, apart from some military forces, and their ownership is disputed - China, Vietnam and Thailand claim them, while the Philippines and Malaysia claim some of the islands, and Brunei is claiming fishing rights in a zone which includes one reef. Potentially a source of rich oil and gas deposits, this multinational squabble could develop into a full-fledged fight.

Svalbard is a Norwegian territory, a group of islands nudging the Arctic Ocean, Berents Sea, Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea. It's sparsely populated - a little over 2000 people on 61020 square km of land. Once a major whaling centre, its economy now is largely based on coal mining.

Answer: Egon Schiele

Schiele was born in June 1890 in Austria. Initially influenced by Klimt, his works were mostly nudes with erotic overtones. In 1912 he was arrested for what we would now call statutory rape. The police confiscated his drawings which were considered pornographic, and while the charges of seducing an underage girl were dropped, the judge burned one of the drawings over a candle while still in the courtroom. Today his works would still be considered a bit risque, and they seem to indicate some definite psychological problems in the artist. In 1918 he died from Spanish 'flu, three days after the death from the same cause of his pregnant wife, Edith.

Signac was born in 1863 in Paris, France. Initially studying architecture, he turned to painting at the age of 18 and later with Georges Seurat developed the style known as pointillism. He travelled extensively within France and Europe, and specialised in painting landscapes. He died in 1935.

Serusier (also known as Louis Paul Henri Serusier) was born in 1864 in France. He is known for his Post-Impressionist works and being a pioneer of the Nabi (Hebrew for 'prophet") movement of art, which included Paul Gaughin. He died in 1927.

Seymour was born in 1702 in London, England. He is best known for his equestrian paintings and was entirely self-taught. He also had a love for gambling on the horses, with less success than his efforts at painting them. He died in 1752.

Answer: S is for Silence

It's "S is for Silence". Violet Sullivan is missing - for 34 years. Her daughter Daisy, now 41, has hired Kinsey to find out what happened to her. Violet apparently was not a model of proper behaviour, leaving Kinsey with a lot of potential suspects - if indeed, it was foul play. Was it? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Answer: South Russian Ovcharka

The South Russian Ovcharka looks very like a large English Sheepdog, but without the friendly demeanour. This dog was bred to guard large flocks of sheep on the Russian steppes, covering vast areas at a time. It is very dominant, and requires a strong owner to keep it from being overly aggressive. It will fiercely guard both its human family and its flocks.

The Silken Windhound is a rare American sighthound, looking like a small Borzoi or Saluki. The breed was developed in the 1980s, and has Borzoi and whippet in its heritage. Standing just under 24" high, and weighting from 22-55 pounds, this beautiful dog is streamlined for running. The coat is long and silky, and comes in a variety of colours and markings. A friendly dog, it's useless for guarding the house, and lacks road sense so must be kept on a lead when not in a fenced yard. It is not yet accepted by the AKC, but is listed by the Slovenian Kennel Club.

The Stabyhoun is a rare breed originating in the Netherlands. Medium in size with a silky coat (in black, white, brown or copper, or any two of the above) this pointer/retriever is a smart, friendly dog who loves to play, and will carefully fetch any game home to its family.

The Spinone Italiano is a big, happy gun dog with a history going back 2500 years. This fellow will gladly retrieve anything, and isn't too concerned about minor inconveniences like cold water or the odd alp. He comes in white, orange and brown, with or without roaning. Other than scaring someone with his size, this dog isn't a guard dog, but will gladly greet anyone. Like many large breeds, he is known to slobber rather a lot.

Answer: Tobias George Smollett

Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771) was born in Scotland but moved to London at the age of 18 in hopes of having his play, "The Regicide", performed there. It wasn't, so he took off on the Carthagena expedition. When he returned he tried to start a medical practice (in those days, schooling wasn't necessary, he'd apprenticed on the expedition) but that went nowhere. Finally he realised he should stick to writing, and at this he found success. His works include "Roderick Random", "The History of an Atom", "Peregrine Pickle" and "Humphrey Clinker".

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) was an indifferent English vicar who wrote "Tristram Shandy" (in eight volumes), "Sermons of Mr. Yorick" and "The Sentimental Journey".

Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) is famous for four words: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" He was a journalist and adventurer, and something of a scoundrel. He was illegitimate, brought up mostly in a workhouse. When he was 18 he emigrated to the US, where he found himself as a Confederate soldier, was taken prisoner, changed sides and then deserted altogether. Later, working as a journalist, he was 'recruited' to find the Scottish missionary, Dr Livingstone. Whether he ever did utter those immortal words cannot be determined, for he (or someone else) tore out the relevant pages in his journal. After years of travelling the world he settled back in England where he became a Member of Parliament and was later knighted. Incidentally, his name wasn't really Stanley; he was born to Elizabeth Perry, spinster, and the putative father was John Rowlands, an alcoholic. The name Stanley came from a mentor he found in the US.

John McDouall Stuart (1815-1866) was born in Scotland and died in England, but his claim to fame was that he was the first man to lead an expedition which successfully crossed Australia from south to north (the leaders of the previous attempt died in the effort). His link to the world of literature was the publishing of his journal.