The Milk of Human Kindness Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Shakespeare

"The milk of human kindness" - a beautiful expression to describe compassion and care for others - is found in Act I, Scene 5 of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" - also known as the Scottish Play. In the scene - one of the key moments of the play - Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband relating his encounter with the three witches, who hailed him as the future king of Scotland.

In her soliloquy, the Lady regrets that her husband's nature is too compassionate to do what it takes for him to fulfill the prophecy (i.e. kill Duncan, Scotland's lawful king) - revealing herself to be the driving force behind Macbeth's ambition.

Answer: Hinduism

The Ocean of Milk (Kshir Sagar) is one of the cosmic oceans of Hindu cosmology. The famous episode of the churning of the ocean of milk, illustrated in the "Vishnu Purana", explains the origin of amrita (the Hindu equivalent of nectar and ambrosia in Greek mythology), the drink of immortality needed by the Devas (gods) to defeat the Asuras (demons) who had gained control of the universe.

A mountain (Mount Mandara) was used as a churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, as a churning rope; the god Vishnu, in his avatar as Kurma, the turtle, supported the mountain on his back to prevent it from sinking into the sea. Devas and Asuras worked together at the churning, which lasted a millennium. During the elaborate process, a number of people and things emerged from the ocean of milk, such as the goddess Lakshmi (Vishnu's divine consort), the moon and the heavenly physician Dhanvantari, carrying a pot containing the amrita. Rejuvenated by the miraculous drink, the gods eventually defeated the Asuras.

Answer: galaxy

The English word "galaxy" comes from the Greek "galaxías" (milky) - derived from "galaktós", the genitive form of "gala" (milk) - used to describe the Milky Way on account of its appearance as a faint, whitish band of light in the sky. In Greek mythology, the Milky Way originated from the milk spilled from Hera's breast when she realized she was nursing the baby Heracles. "Milky Way" is the English translation of the Latin "via lactea". The word "galaxy" later came to describe any of the systems of gravitationally bound stars and other matter found in the universe.

Of the other possible answers, "supernova" and "comet" derive from Latin, while "pulsar" is a modern word, combining "pulsating" and "star".

Answer: Montana

With a respectable length of 1,173 km/729 mi, the Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri. It rises in the Rocky Mountains' Glacier National Park, flowing through a sparsely populated area on the border between Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta.

It was given its name by Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark expedition), who in his diary commented on the river's unusual whitish colour - due the clays and silts suspended in its waters. Nicknamed the Big Sky Country, as well as the Treasure State, Montana is the fourth largest state in the US, but also one of the least populated. Yellowstone, assumed to be the world's first national park, is located there.

Answer: Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) is one of the most distinguished English-language poets of the 20th century. Written over a number of years, and completed in 1953, shortly before the poet's untimely death, "Under Milk Wood" was commissioned by the BBC. In the play, an omniscient narrator (First Voice/Second Voice) introduces the audience to the thoughts and dreams of the inhabitants of a fictional Welsh fishing village named Llareggub ("bugger all" read backwards). Its first reading on stage, on 14 May 1953 in New York City, featured Thomas himself as the First Voice; the first radio broadcast, on 25 January 1954, was recorded by an all-Welsh cast of actors, including Richard Burton as the First Voice. In 1972 "Under Milk Wood" was adapted as a film, directed by Andrew Sinclair and starring Burton, his then-wife Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O'Toole.

None of the remaining three poets was Welsh: Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin were both from England, while T.S. Eliot was born in the US and became a British citizen later in his life.

Answer: lactic acid

Lactic acid (CH3CH(OH)COOH) is classified as an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), like other commonly-occurring compounds such as citric acid. Lactic acid fermentation is produced by bacteria, which convert simple carbohydrates such as glucose into lactic acid. This reaction occurs in muscle cells during vigorous exercise, causing irritation and a feeling of soreness in the muscles; though uncomfortable, this is a natural by-product of metabolism. Lactic acid coagulates the casein in milk, resulting in widely consumed products such as yogurt and kefir; the sour taste of sourdough bread is due to the lactobacilli naturally occurring in the starter dough, working in combination with yeast. Lactic acid is also used in the brewing of some styles of beer, such as Belgian lambic.

The remaining options are all organic compounds. Sucrose (table sugar) is a simple carbohydrate, oleic acid is a fatty acid, and retinol is another name for Vitamin A1.

Answer: Scotland

The milk thistle is also known as St Mary's thistle, cardus marianus and Scotch thistle. The "milk" in the name refers to the white bands on the plant's leaves, associated in folklore with the Virgin Mary's milk (hence another of its common names). A native of Southern Europe, this annual or biennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae (sunflower) family is now found all over the world. Milk thistles can grow to a large size (up to 2 m/79 in tall), with reddish-purple flower heads and long, narrow leaves with spiny edges.

Besides its medicinal uses in the treatment of liver diseases, the milk thistle can be also used as food, though it can be quite time-consuming to prepare. The thistle used as Scotland's national symbol (representing the country's strong and independent spirit), however, is a different species, Onopordum acanthium, or cotton thistle.

Answer: Cleopatra

Donkeys have been domesticated by humans for thousands of years. In antiquity donkey milk was known for its health benefits, and in later times it was used for infant nutrition because of its resemblance to human breast milk. Compared to other dairy species, however, the milk supply produced by donkeys is much more limited. Donkey milk's cosmetic uses are also well documented. Among the ladies who are said to have used donkey milk to improve the appearance of their skin are the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII (of Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony fame), Emperor Nero's second wife, Poppaea Sabina (as reported by naturalist Pliny the Elder), and Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest sister. According to some sources, it took at least 700 donkeys to provide the quantity of milk needed by Cleopatra for her daily bath. In modern times, donkey milk is still used in the preparation of soaps, creams and lotions.

Though all the other ladies lived in ancient times, only two of them were royalty: Nefertiti, consort to Pharoah Akhenaten, and Messalina, the notorious third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius. Aspasia was the lover and partner of Athenian statesman Pericles.

Answer: a weak, unassertive person

The word "milquetoast" originates from an American comic strip whose protagonist was named Caspar Milquetoast. The strip, titled "The Timid Soul", was first published in 1924 in the New York World; after this paper folded in 1931, the strip ran in the New York Herald until 1953.

Its author, cartoonist Harold T. Webster, stated that the character was a self-portrait. The character's last name is a deliberate misspelling of "milk toast", a dish of buttered toast in warm milk that sounds like the epitome of blandness - light and easy to digest for someone with a weak stomach (often due to a nervous disposition).

The strip became very popular - so much that in 1945 Webster was featured on the cover of "Time" magazine, and the name of its protagonist was adopted into general American English usage.

Answer: Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Mother's Milk", the fourth studio album by Los Angeles-based quartet Red Hot Chili Peppers, was released after a time of turmoil for the band - following the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak and the departure of drummer Jack Irons, both founding members. The two remaining members, singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary, recruited drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante; the band's return was crowned by commercial success, as the album sold much better than its predecessors. "Mother's Milk", noted for its somewhat controversial cover of an almost-naked woman holding the band members in her hands, features an outstanding cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", which was also released as a single.

All the other bands have been associated with funk-rock, but only one of them (Faith No More) is from California. Living Colour and Talking Heads are from New York City.