Tearing Down the Walls Trivia Quiz

Answer: Berlin Wall

After World War II, Germany was divided into four sections. The USSR was in charge of the east half of the country. The western half was divided between the United States, France and Great Britain. The two sections became known as East Germany and West Germany. In the middle of East Germany was the city of Berlin. Berlin itself was divided among the Allies and became known as East Berlin and West Berlin.

The Cold War at its worst is mirrored in the conflicts that occurred in Germany between the two super powers, the USSR and the US. In 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all railroad and road traffic to Berlin in hopes that by supplying the city itself, they could gain more control. The Allies answered this threat by organizing the Berlin Airlift in which planes carrying 4,000 tons of supplies (food, coal and other essentials) landed on a daily basis in West Berlin. By 1949, the Soviet Union allowed access to West Berlin.

But the problems were just beginning. Free access from East Berlin to West Berlin created problems for the Soviet Union. They were losing most of their work force. People seeking freedom fled in great numbers from East Berlin to West Berlin. Finally, after several makeshift structures and temporary boundaries, the Soviet Union erected first a wall of cider blocks which was replaced by concrete walls. It was topped with barbed wire and reinforced with guard dogs and mines. Four hundred and sixty-six guards manned the wall with machine guns at the ready.

In 1987 US President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech in Germany aimed at Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. He emphatically stated, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall". By 1989, the Berlin Wall was dismantled and it became a symbol of destruction of the entire Soviet bloc.

Answer: Maya Lin

The entire Vietnam Memorial consists of three parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Women's Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran's War Memorial Wall, the most well known of the three sections. The wall itself was constructed of blank granite obtained from Bangalore, Kamataka and India. It is 246 feet, nine inches (75 meters) long. At its apex, the wall stands ten point one feet (three meters). It slopes downward to eight inches (twenty centimeters).

Over 58,000 names are inscribed in the wall. They are arranged chronologically by either the date they were killed (KIA - killed in action) or when they went missing (MIA - missing in action).

Maya Lin is a Chinese American who was born in Ohio. Controversy about choosing her to design the war began almost instantly after she won the design contest at the age of 21. Her parents had emigrated from the People's Republic of China just a year before Maya's birth.

Answer: Walls of Jericho

The book of Joshua in the Bible followed the Israelites' escape from Egypt and their journey to the promised land, Jericho. However, when they arrived at the city, it was completely surrounded by a very forbidding wall. Their leader, Joshua, had his people encircle the city and march around it seven times. Trumpets blared loudly. On the last time around, Joshua whipped his troops into a frenzy resulting in a deafening war cry "...and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city." (Joshua 6:20)

A traditional American song described the events as follows:

"Joshua fit de battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho,
Joshua fit de battle of Jericho,
and the walls came a tumbalin' down, down, down, down."

Answer: The Green Monster

Fenway Park was first constructed in 1912. The left field wall was not painted green until 1947. The Green Monster is thirty-seven feet, two inches (eleven point three meters) in height. It is the highest outfield wall of any major league baseball park. There is some dispute on how far the wall is from the batter's box at home plate; the estimates are placed between 304 and 310 feet. Because of its height, the Green Monster makes hitting home runs in the park very difficult. But because of the height, there is an increase in doubles; that is a hitter reaching second base safely.

The Boston Red Sox's mascot is a furry green monster known as Wally.

Answer: France

Lascaux, near the village of Montignac in southwest France, contains wondrous paintings on the walls and ceilings of the caves that are approximately 16,000 years old. The paintings were discovered by four teenage boys in 1940 when one of their dogs accidentally wandered into one of the caves. With the increase in foot traffic, the images were damaged due to exposure to carbon dioxide. In 1963, the caves were closed to the public and the paintings were restored. A replica of the cave and its paintings was opened in 1983.

The paintings themselves are mostly of animals and figures of humans and signs can be seen. Of the approximately 2,000 images, over 900 are animals, mostly horses and deer. Other animals such as four large black bulls can also be observed.

Answer: Environmental Protection

"Wall-e" (2008) was an animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Andrew Stanton.

Wall-e was a robot who was tasked with cleaning up the Earth which had been smothered with trash. Humans have long since left Earth because living conditions had become intolerable. The humans now lived on a spaceship called the Axiom where their every need and desire was met by robots and computers.

Wall-e led a solitary existence, collecting bits and pieces of garage that he found interesting. One day, a spaceship arrived on Earth, depositing a female robot named EVE. EVE's function was to locate any plant life. Wall-e fell in love with EVE and presented her with one of his newest treasures, a green plant. EVE then immediately signaled her spaceship to come and retrieve her. Wall-e followed EVE once she left Earth. Through much trial and tribulations, humans finally realized that it was time to return and reclaim Earth. EVE, Wall-e and their other robotic friends helped the humans to re-establish life on Earth. Mankind had finally learned its lesson. They worked in harmony with the planet instead of destroying it.

Answer: Pink

Pink Floyd was an English rock band known chiefly for its psychedelic musical stylings. "The Wall" (1979) was a double album which included 26 songs. It was a rock opera featuring the character "Pink". "Pink" led a tragic life beginning with losing his father during World War II.

His mother was extremely overprotective, smothering him at times. In school, teachers were cruel to him. As an adult, his wife left him. All of these experiences caused "Pink" to become more and more isolated. Each struggle was "Another Brick in the Wall" of his isolation.

Answer: No

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses,
And all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Although it is never stated in the rhyme, Humpty Dumpty is usually represented by an egg. Theories about whom or what Humpty Dumpty was abounds throughout history and literature. One theory states that Humpty Dumpty was the name of a cannon used during the English Civil War in 1648. Another states that Humpty Dumpty was King Richard III because, during the Battle of Bosworth Field, he fell off his horse and was supposedly cut to pieces.

In modern culture, Humpty Dumpty is used repeatedly as a symbol of destruction. In the book "All the King's Men" (1946) and movie (1949), the rise and fall of Senator Huey Long was chronicled and his men (advisors, etc.) couldn't put him back together again after his fall from grace. "All the President's Men" (1974), a book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward traced the fall of Richard Nixon after the Watergate Scandal. Again, none of his men could repair the damage that Nixon himself had done.

Answer: Hadrian's Wall

Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 76-138) had construction on "his" wall begin in 122. Having trouble with maintaining law and order against the Pictish tribes (ancient Scots) in Roman Britain, it was determined that a series of three walls would be built to help mark the northern limits of the territory, provide economic stability and peace and also, with the addition of gates in the walls, serve as a vehicle to stop and collect taxes. Of the three, Hadrian's Wall, the middle of the three, is the best known because more of it has remained intact and can still be seen in places.

The wall itself was constructed of mainly turf and stone. The length was 117 kilometers. The width and height of the wall vary depending on the availability of materials in the area where the construction was taking place. The plans called for a milecastle fortlet to be built at every Roman mile along the length of the wall. These fortlets were observation towers housed by Roman guards.

If it weren't for the efforts of John Clayton in the mid-1800s, most of Hadrian's Wall probably would have passed into obscurity. In 1834, Mr. Clayton began buying up sections of land where the wall was located. Through his success at farming and other ventures, he was able to use the proceeds to start restoring Hadrian's Wall. After his death, the land passed to his relatives and was soon lost.

Answer: No

Constructed between 220-206 BC, the Great Wall of China was commissioned by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. It was built as a protective barrier and also served as the northern boundary of the Empire. It was built mainly of stone and earth as bricks were not known at the time. In 1449, the Ming Dynasty rebuilt and reinforced the wall in an effort to repel invading nomadic tribes.

There isn't much left of the Great Wall of China. Scientists have been able to calculate its original length. It used to traverse the earth for 8,851.8 kilometers or 5,500.3 miles. This length includes the man made portions of the wall as well as trenches and natural barriers such as rivers and hills.

No astronaut has ever reported seeing the Great Wall of China from the surface of the moon. In order to see this structure from the moon, a person would have to have vision that is 17,000 times better than normal 20/20 vision.