Things You Thought You Knew but Probably Didn't Quiz

Answer: Elizabeth Tower

Many people do not realise that "Big Ben" is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock within the tower, but the tower itself is called the "Elizabeth Tower". The tower was renamed in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II; before that date, it was officially called the "Clock Tower", though during the reign of Queen Victoria it was also known as "St Stephen's Tower".

Answer: Land der Berge, Land am Strome

Many people consider "Edelweiss" to be the national anthem of Austria because it was somewhat implied that this was the case in the 1965 movie musical "The Sound of Music". "Edelweiss" was written for the original score of the stage musical of the same name.

However, the national anthem of Austria is in fact "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" which, in English, means "Land of the Mountains, Land on the River". It is sung to the melody of "Freimaurerkantate", the last work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of Austria's most famous sons.

Answer: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Many people believe that this phrase is attributable to the actress Marilyn Monroe, possibly as a result of her lifestyle and sex symbol status. However, it was actually written by Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in an article she wrote in the 1970s on funeral sermons for Christian women.

Answer: 45 days

An urban legend suggests that Twinkies, a cream-filled cake snack, have an extremely long shelf life due to the chemicals used in their production. As a result of reference to the myth in popular media, many people believe that Twinkies have a shelf life of decades, or even centuries.

In reality, however, they have a shelf life of 45 days which was made possible in 2012 through the addition of a certain preservative.

Answer: Contracting human papillomavirus

Although it is a common misconception that toads are covered in warts and, therefore, humans can catch them, this is not the case. In fact, the bumps on toads are just their body shape - not warts. Warts in humans are caused by an infection which contains human papillomavirus (HPV). This can be transmitted between humans through damaged skin or even through sexual intercourse.

Answer: At least a few months, if not more

Although it is a commonly held belief that goldfish have three second memories, scientists have since the 2000s been proving that goldfish can be trained. In order to be trained they are required to hold memories for significant periods of time. In 2008, Israeli scientists conclusively proved that goldfish could retain memories for at least five months by training them to return for feeding when they heard a particular sound - the goldfish returned on cue five months later.

It is thought that their abilities may extend to longer periods.

Answer: Striving or struggling

Although many non-Muslims think that the word "jihad" means "holy war" , the word does in fact mean "striving or struggling, usually with a praiseworthy aim". There are many ways of interpreting this, and there have unfortunately been some people who consider the struggle to be against what they believe to be enemies of Islam (leading to wars, in some cases), but many Muslims prefer to interpret the word to refer to a struggle against one's own evil inclinations or the need to strive to make society a better place.

Answer: Banana

Despite its misleading name, a strawberry is an "aggregate fruit" rather than a "berry" for botanical purposes. Berries are a fleshy fruit without a stone produced from a single flower containing one ovary. Examples of "berries" include bananas, eggplants and cucumbers. Aggregate fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries, form from flowers with multiple ovaries.

Answer: Greenland

Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, covers an area of 836,109 square miles (2,166,086 square km), making it the world's largest island. It is mostly covered in ice but has a small population of people who live in the fjord-lands, mainly in the Southwest.

Australia is commonly thought to be the biggest island, but it is in fact a continental land mass and, therefore, is not categorised as an "island". Islands are either extensions of the oceanic crust (e.g. volcanic islands) or they are part of a continent sitting on the continental lithosphere (e.g. Greenland). Australia sits on its own continental lithosphere and tectonic plate and is therefore a continent rather than an island.

Answer: Exited the ampitheatre quickly after a performance

It is a common misconception that rich Ancient Romans had designated spaces in which they could vomit after binging on rich food and drink purely for the purposes of being able to do it all over again quickly.

In fact, the vomitorium was a passageway situated under the lower seats in an amphitheater which allowed easy exits for the crowds after large performances.