Ten Shades of Colours Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tommy James and the Shondells

Tommy James and the Shondells' first major hit was 'Hanky Panky' in 1966 which made number one in the US charts. Later, in 1968, they reached number three with 'Mony Mony', which was also a number one hit in the UK. 'Crimson and Clover' was released later that year and became the group's biggest-selling single, charting in several countries. The single was later re-recorded for their album of the same name, released in 1969. Other colourfully-named tracks on the album include 'I'm a Tangerine', 'Crystal Blue Persuasion' and 'Smokey Roads'.

Answer: blue

Lapis lazuli is a stunning deep blue colour and has been prized for thousands of years. It was used in ancient cultures for jewellery and sculpture, and also in painting, where it was ground into powder to make the pigment called ultramarine. There are several precious artefacts made from examples of lapis lazuli work in museums around the world, which had their origins in many different cultures. The majority of the world's lapis lazuli comes from Afghanistan and there are further sources in Chile, Russia, USA and other countries. It is still fashionable in jewellery and other items today.

Answer: pea green

The first line of the poem, which was published in 1871, reads 'The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat.' Edward Lear was born in Holloway, Middlesex (now a district of London) in 1812. He was famous for his 'nonsense' verses, 'The Owl and the Pussycat' being one of the best-known.

He was also famous for his limericks, of which he wrote over 200. Lear came from a large family of 21 children, of which he was the second youngest. As well as being a prolific writer and illustrator (he illustrated his books himself) he was also a talented musician and composer. Edward Lear died in San Remo, Italy, in 1888.

Answer: The Silver Chair

The book with which many people are most familiar is 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', which was the first to be published, in 1950. It introduces children Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie to the land of Narnia, which they discover through a wardrobe in the house to which they have been evacuated in 1940. In all, the 'Chronicles of Narnia' series spans seven books, written between 1950-56. Although 'The Silver Chair' was the fourth to be published, in 1953, it is actually sixth in reading order according to the timescale of events in Narnia, which can sometimes divide readers' opinions. The books remain enduringly popular and have been adapted for stage and screen several times.

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast in November 1898 and died in Oxford on 22 November 1963 just a week before his 65th birthday. His death was largely overshadowed in the media by the assassination of President John F Kennedy on the same day. Coincidentally another famous author, Aldous Huxley, also died on that day.

Answer: raspberries

Red and black raspberries are used in the making of the French liqueur Chambord, along with vanilla, cognac and other ingredients. It is sold in a distinctive round bottle and is a popular ingredient in several cocktails including the Champagne cocktail Kir Imperial, a twist on the cocktail Kir Royale, which consists of Champagne and creme de cassis, a liqueur made with blackcurrants. Chambord is made in France's Loire Valley area.

Answer: Whitechapel

'Jack the Ripper' was the name used in the media to describe the unknown murderer of five women in 1888 in the Whitechapel district in London's East End, following a letter to the press purporting to be from the killer and signed 'Jack the Ripper', although its authenticity was never proved. The exact number of his victims remains uncertain; there were eleven unsolved murder cases during the time period 1888-1891, dubbed 'the Whitechapel Murders', and it was believed that at least five were the work of the same killer. All the victims were women; most of them were prostitutes working in the area and many were brutally mutilated. Theories as to the identity of the killer have abounded in the media ever since and several books have been written on the subject, but it remains a mystery.

Geographically speaking, the areas of the choices are: Whitechapel is in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, Blackfriars is in the city of London, Primrose Hill in Camden and Greenwich is the name of both the London district and its borough.

Answer: G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith (G. K.) Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He was baptised into the Anglican faith although he converted to the Catholic faith in later life. His short stories featuring Father Brown, which spanned five books, have been adapted for radio, television and film. He also wrote several non-fiction books, plays and poems and was a talented journalist. G. K. Chesterton died in Buckinghamshire in 1936.

Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson is best remembered for his books 'Treasure Island' and 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' among other works. P. G. Wodehouse was famous for his 'Jeeves' and 'Blandings Castle' series of books, and C. S. Forester was known for his series featuring Horatio Hornblower; among his other works he also wrote the book 'The African Queen' on which the award-winning 1951 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn was based.

Answer: pink

Snooker balls when potted score between one and seven points, respectively red, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black. The cue ball is white, as is the surname of one of the UK's foremost snooker players, Jimmy White, nicknamed 'The Whirlwind'. Jimmy White was born in Tooting, London in 1962.

He has won several championships, and is one of the UK's most popular players on the circuit. He has also made some television appearances including 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!' in 2009, where he braved the Bush Tucker trials until the final day and came third. Jimmy White was honoured with an MBE in 1999.

Answer: Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson was born in New York in 1984. Her film debut was in 'North' (1994) and she has subsequently appeared in many film and television productions including 'The Horse Whisperer' and biographical film 'Hitchcock'. She has won, and been nominated for, several awards, including winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role where she played opposite Bill Murray in the 2003 film 'Lost in Translation'.

In the same year she also starred with Colin Firth in 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', which centres around Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer and his masterpiece of the same name.

Answer: green

That green refers to gardening is easily understood; in the UK skill in gardening is referred to as someone having 'green fingers', whereas in the US the term 'green thumb' is used. The meaning of the colour green for jealousy features in two of Shakespeare's plays; in 'The Merchant of Venice' when Portia refers to 'green-eyed jealousy' and again in 'Othello' when Iago refers to the 'green-eyed monster'.

There are lots of idioms that include the word 'green'. To give someone 'the green light' to go ahead and do something, 'the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence' and 'green around the gills' are some other familiar ones.