The Many Varieties of Calendars Online Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One for the ladies: In 2011, the website Quidoo.com sold poster-style planners including ones featuring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Johnny Depp. What variety of calendar was this called?

Answer: Hunky Celebrity Men

Other available celebrities included Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Paul Wesley, Zac Efron, and several more. I don't know why I didn't make the cut. I'm not associated with that site at all, but I took the challenge to make this quiz...

2. For the guys: Your calendar features Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart. Where might you expect to find them?

Answer: NASCAR

According to Military.com, Earnhardt "announced April 25 the formation of the Dale Jr. Division, an 88-person boot camp division at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois -- for sailors, not soldiers". But that makes this former squid proud. Gordon has worked to raise money for children and spouses of fallen soldiers. And Stewart has supported two military charities through Stewart-Haas Racing to help aid injured soldiers and their families. They are patriotic, but not Soldiers of Fortune.

And no, the three may be fans of the Packers and the NBA, but you will not see them on the field or the court.

3. This next type of calendar is based solely on the cycles of the moon. The Islamic type is the most widely used example.

Answer: Purely Lunar

Luna is the Latin term for the moon (Selena was the Greek goddess of the moon). The Islamic style of calendar is also based on astronomical observation. Purely solar types are based on the cycle of the seasons (as Earth rotates around the sun). Lunisolar and solilunar are real, but are too complex to go into here.

4. Based solely on rules, without regard to astronomical events, this means you set permanent dates for certain events on your calendar and build your itinerary around those dates. According to these, the year is ALWAYS 365.25 days long. Which of the following falls into this category?

Answer: Julian style

When Julius Caesar conquered Egypt, he wanted to make reforms. After setting specific dates (the vernal, or winter equinox), the rest of the days/dates could be calculated by rules, instead of the sun, moon, or stars. However, the new plan was imperfect and the seasons didn't agree with the agenda. So, in the 16th century, Pope Gregory approved another revision, and now we have a marriage of solar, lunar, and rules-planners.

The Incan is completely different, and the other two don't exist.

5. Throughout the ages, there have been those who warned of the end of time; Nostradamus perhaps the most famous. But at least one ancient civilization left us with a "Doomsday" calendar. They claimed that time occurred in a series of cycles, and that the current cycle would end on December 21, 2012. Who were they?

Answer: Mayans

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past decade or so, you have doubtlessly seen, read, or heard about the Mayan "Doomsday". There are literally thousands of sites for you to research.

The Mesopotamian/Sumerian life was centered by a solilunar/seasonal plan -- all they really cared about were growing seasons, and their doomsday happened long ago. The Assyrians set time by the moon beginning in 4750 BC, and they are still going strong (according to them, 2011 is the year 6761).

Those guys in Hollywood base their lives on bankers' hours.

6. Here's another one for you- what variety of planner might feature these holidays: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost?

Answer: Christian

If you guessed anything but Christian, you must be from a galaxy far, far away. Each of the holidays listed are exclusively Christian.

7. This lunisolar variety of calendar is used widely, but is best known as ______. Each year of a cycle of 12 is represented by a different animal. The year 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit. Around for thousands of years, can you name it?

Answer: Chinese

The earliest evidence of the Chinese calendar is found on what were called "oracle bones" from about 3,600 years ago. I was born in the Year of the Tiger, which is cool since I went to the University of Memphis. Woo hoo! Go Tigers!

We've already learned about the Mayan and Christian plans. Manganese is brittle metallic element which is necessary for healthy skin, bones, and cartilage.

8. Which of the following is NOT a "moveable feast"?

Answer: Christmas

"Moveable Feast" means that the date of the event is not fixed. Christmas was set for December 25 by Emperor Constantine who went by the Roman plan (solar). Passover, a Jewish feast is set by the Jewish plan (lunar). Easter and Shrove Tuesday are Christian, but are set by the date of Passover, due to Biblical references.

Had I called Shrove Tuesday "Mardi Gras," you could have challenged me because it doesn't appear officially on any church agenda.

9. According to a survey by Operation Organomics (August 2010), most Americans prefer electronic calendars to paper.

Answer: False

False? Really? I know, right? I would have chosen true, too. But according to the survey, only 26% of Americans used electronic planners in 2010, and the rest still preferred paper agendas.

Here is my source: http://smead.com/Director.asp?NodeID=1752

10. About 74% of Americans used calendars in 2011. If you have one, I hope you enjoy it! Maybe it is Gary Larson's cartoon calendar. What is it called?

Answer: The Far Side

Feel free to use your beautiful calendar to plan a VIRTUAL tour of the world (past and present) as I did in front of the computer. "The Far Side", by Gary Larson, ran from 1980-1995. Larson released a calendar in 2007.

Source: Author bitterlyold

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

The Many Varieties of Calendars Quiz

We've all seen, given, and/or received calendars. Some we love, some we hate, some we re-gift. Let's look at different types of calendars.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>