Sunshine Trivia Quiz

Answer: horse racing

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a steeplechase comprising 22 fences, and one of the most famous horse racing events in England. It is run, as its name suggests, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Inaugurated in 1819, the race, which takes place each March, has such notable winners in its history as Arkle, who won three times during the 1960s and, to expand the 'gold' theme of this quiz, Golden Miller, who won five races consecutively in the 1930s.

Answer: Tina Turner

'GoldenEye', released in 1995, featured Tina Turner singing the theme song of the same title. It was the seventeenth 'Bond' film, and marked Pierce Brosnan's debut as Bond, the first of four films in which he starred as 007.

Dame Shirley Bassey has performed three 'Bond' theme songs. As well as 'Goldfinger' (1964), she also repeated her success with 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971) and again in 1979 for 'Moonraker'. All the singers above have sung a 'Bond' theme song; Sheena Easton for 'For Your Eyes Only', Gladys Knight for 'Licence to Kill' and Rita Coolidge for 'All Time High', which was the theme song for 'Octopussy'.

Answer: Norwich City

Surprisingly, Norwich City originally played in a blue strip! Since 1907, however, their home colours have been yellow and green, comprising bright yellow shirts with green cuffs and collars, teamed with green shorts. The 'Canaries' nickname is believed to have come about because canary breeding was popular in Norfolk and was a hobby of the team's chairman of the time. In 1996, TV cook and Norwich City fan Delia Smith and her husband became the majority shareholders of the club.

Chelsea play in royal blue with white socks. Arsenal's home colours are red and white, as are the colours of Bristol City's strip.

Answer: Miss Marple

'Ingots of Gold' is the second story in the collection 'The Thirteen Problems' which was Dame Agatha Christie's first book to feature Miss Jane Marple. The theme of the collection is that Miss Marple meets with a group of friends who visit her each week and take it in turns to recount a puzzling tale to which they do not know the answer in the hope that someone else can help. 'Ingots of Gold' is the contribution from Miss Marple's nephew, Raymond West, and is about the mysterious theft of bullion from the wreck of a sunken ship. Miss Marple, as can be expected, solves the mystery!

Answer: Bryan Hyland

'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini', released in 1960, was Brian Hyland's first hit single and did wonders for sales of the bikini, in those days a somewhat frowned-upon fashion item. The song has been covered many times since, in several different languages, and has also featured in films over the years. It was written by songwriters Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, who had had another major hit in 1957 with 'Catch a Falling Star', sung by Perry Como.

Answer: silence

'Silence is Golden' was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in 1964. It was the B side to their hit single 'Rag Doll', which made No 1 in the USA and No 2 in the UK. English band The Tremeloes later took 'Silence is Golden' to No 1 in the UK with their 1967 version, which also peaked at No 11 in the USA.

The origin of the proverb 'silence is golden' is obscure; although it is believed to have first been recorded in the mid-19th century, its origins could go back much further. The full quotation is 'speech is silver, silence is golden'. It describes the type of situation where using discretion and saying nothing can sometimes be the wisest course of action.

Answer: Pina Colada

Refreshing, sweet and yellow, pineapple juice is used to make a Pina Colada, along with cream of coconut and a generous helping of rum.

Kir Royal is red in colour. It is made by mixing champagne with the French blackcurrant liqueur crème de cassis. Also red is the Americano, a Campari-based cocktail whose ingredients also include red vermouth and soda water. A grasshopper is a very sweet, mint-flavoured cocktail which has green crème de menthe as a principal ingredient along with white crème de cacao and cream, and is consequently a bright shade of green.

Answer: Chris Hoy

Track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy won gold in the Team Sprint and Keirin events in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. In doing so, he added to his already impressive medal tally to set a new British record, his new total of six gold and one silver beating the previous record held by rower Sir Steve Redgrave.

2012 was an excellent Olympics for Team GB, who finished the Games in third place overall, after the USA and China. Mo Farah won double gold in the 10,000 and 5,000 metres, amateur boxer Luke Campbell won gold in his division, and sailor Sir Ben Ainslie also won gold in the Finn class, bringing his Olympic medal total to four gold and one silver.

Answer: laburnum

Although it is a beautiful and prolific-flowering tree, the flowers, leaves, seeds and even the bark of the laburnum are highly toxic and can cause such varied symptoms as vomiting/diarrhoea, convulsions, coma, and can even prove fatal. The toxicity is caused by an alkaloid called cytisine. They are poisonous to animals as well as humans, and, although highly decorative, should never be planted near a fishpond, as the water can become contaminated, with disastrous results for fish and other pond life.

Dandelion leaves and flowers are perfectly edible; the leaves in particular are vitamin-rich. Dandelion wine is also popular among home brewers. Marigold flowers have a lemony taste. The petals are an attractive addition to sprinkle on top of a salad, but according to some sources should only be eaten sparingly. The leaves are not toxic, but are not normally eaten. Nasturtiums? Now you're talking! The seeds, flowers and leaves have a slightly peppery taste and are delicious (and decorative) in salads.

Answer: Rolls-Royce

The screenplay of 'The Yellow Rolls-Royce' was written by Terence Rattigan, and followed the adventures of the car through the eyes of three owners from an English nobleman, played by Rex Harrison, an American gangster (George C Scott) and lastly Ingrid Bergman as an American tourist in Italy.

All the choices are cars which have had prominent roles in films. 'Christine' was a 1958 Plymouth Fury that seemingly came 'alive' and went on a murderous rampage. The 1983 film was based on Stephen King's horror book of the same name and starred Keith Gordon and John Stockwell. The famous Volkswagen Beetle is 'Herbie', star of a series of Disney films that started with 'The Love Bug' in 1968 and was followed up with 'Herbie Rides Again' (1974) and further adventures. The 'magically enhanced' flying Ford Anglia appeared in the second 'Harry Potter' film, 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'.