Thirteen Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ground squirrel

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney and thirteen-liner. It has fur of a golden brown colour with thirteen alternating stripes that run down its back, seven stripes of a darker brown colour and six that are almost white. These stripes are also dotted with golden coloured squares or spots.

The typical length of this squirrel is eleven inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. It is a diurnal animal and feeds primarily on weed seeds, grass and leaves but will also eat insects, mice and small birds and lizards.

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is the mascot for the University of Minnesota, the Golden Gophers.

Answer: Comes after twelve

I know, that's terrible and I'm truly sorry. I hope the clues helped you to solve this.

Answer: Patty Duke

Patty was born as Anna Marie Duke on December 14th 1946 in New York. One of her best known roles was in 'The Patty Duke Show' in which she portrayed the characters Patty Lane and her Scottish cousin Cathy Lane. This television sitcom ran for 104 episodes between 1963-1966.

Following relationships with Desi Arnaz jr. and John Astin, Patty found herself pregnant whereupon she married rock'n'roll promoter Michael Tell. The marriage took place on June 26th 1970 but was annulled soon after on July 9th of the same year.

Patty later married John Astin who adopted her son Sean who is well known for his role as Samwise Gamgee in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

Answer: Th13rteen

Th13rteen was built at a cost of £15,000,000 in an area of Alton Park known as Dark Forest. At its highest point it is eighteen metres tall and can reach a top speed of sixty-six kilometres per hour. It has the capacity to accommodate 1500 riders every hour.

One element of the ride has the passenger train entering a darkened room and coming to a complete stop. Creaking wood sound effects are generated before the train suddenly drops down two feet. A couple of seconds later the train and the track drop again a further five metres. This is the first time a rollercoaster has ever featured a vertical freefall drop element.

For superstitious reasons the name of the ride was changed to Fourteen for just one day. That day was Friday the 13th of August, 2010.

Answer: Museum

K is the eleventh letter, L is the twelfth letter and N is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet.

According to figures compiled by 'The Art Newspaper', the thirteenth most visited museum in the world for the year 2009 was the Tokyo National Museum in Japan with a total of 2,273,634 visitors.

Established in 1872 it is both the oldest and largest museum in Japan. On display here are many works of art and archaeological artifacts from Asia. It houses more than 100,000 objects.

Answer: Lace handkerchiefs

Traditional anniversary gifts differ between the U.K. and the U.S. and that's why the American couple get the lace handkerchiefs. Unfortunately British couples will go empty handed according to my research as there is no traditional thirteenth wedding anniversary gift.

A box of tissues (paper) would be suitable in the U.S. as a first wedding anniversary gift but in the U.K. they would have to wait for the second anniversary.

Cotton sheets can be given as a first anniversary present in the U.K. but in the U.S. they would be more appropriate for the second anniversary.

Woolen jumpers can be gifted for the seventh anniversary in both the U.K. and U.S.

It is possible that the tradition of giving gifts for wedding anniversaries began in medieval Germany. Women here were given a silver wreath from friends and neighbours upon reaching twenty-five years of marriage. After fifty years she would be presented with a gold wreath.

Answer: Rhode Island

Officially known as Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen New England states to declare independence from British control but the last to officially become a state on the 29th of May 1790.

Situated on the east coast, it shares borders with Massachusetts to the north and east, Connecticut to the west and the Atlantic ocean to the south. The capital and largest city of Rhode Island is Providence and the state flag features thirteen stars.

Answer: Claudius

Claudius was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was thought to be somewhat dim-witted. Childhood illness had left him with a limp, slight deafness and a stammer and the family kept him from making public appearances. This was a bit unfair as Claudius proved himself to be quite intelligent and scholarly. He wrote many literary works, including histories of the Etruscans and Carthaginians as well as adding new letters to the Roman alphabet.

Claudius was instantly declared Emperor upon the assassination of his nephew Emperor Caligula. His reign started fairly well and he gained popularity by approving many public works. This did not last long though and in his later years was responsible for the deaths of many senators and knights who he felt were a threat to his position.

After his death, Claudius was succeeded by his adopted stepson Nero whose reign as Emperor also lasted for a period of thirteen full years.

Answer: Rainbows

One point - A E I L N O R S T U
Two points - D G
Three points - B C M P
Four points - F H V W Y
Five points - K
Eight points - J X
Ten points - Q Z

It is believed that if ever you find the end of a rainbow a pot of gold will be waiting there for you. Thirteen points.

By placing a used horseshoe with its open end facing upwards on your front doorframe, you are inviting good luck into your home. Fifteen points.

Feng-shui beliefs say that having a small bamboo plant in the house will bring good luck. This will only work if the bamboo is given as a gift and not if you have bought it yourself. Twelve points.

Carrying a dried acorn about will bring wealth and the gift of youth your way, as well as attracting members of the opposite sex. Seven points. (Now I'm off to find an oak tree).

Answer: Andy Warhol

Warhol's piece was a mural measuring thirty-six square feet and featured large scale images of thirteen wanted criminals. The pictures were believed to have been copied from a New York Police Department handbook titled 'Thirteen Most Wanted Men'. One popular theory for the controversy surrounding the work was that the majority of the criminals featured were of Italian descent and that the large Italian population within New York might take offence at it. The mural was subsequently covered over with silver paint before the exhibition opened.

Warhol later claimed that he was glad that his piece was painted over as he did not want to feel responsible for somebody being turned over to the F.B.I. after being recognised in one of his artworks.

Answer: The Thirteen Problems

'The Thirteen Problems' is comprised of three separate sets of narrative; the first two are made up of six stories each while the thirteenth and final story stands alone. Each of the thirteen stories however are tied in together in the general concept of the book.

The first six stories take place at the home of Miss Marple where a group of people known as the 'Tuesday Night Club' tell each other tales of mystery. Miss Marple of course, is able to resolve these mysteries. The second set of stories follows the same pattern but in a different location where Miss Marple is a dinner guest.

'Death by Drowning' is the thirteenth tale in which Miss Marple enlists the aid of Sir Henry Clithering in solving a mysterious death in her home village. Sir Henry is a retired Scotland Yard commisioner and was present at both meetings in the first two parts of the book and it is through this character that all thirteen stories interrelate.

Agatha Christie's next publication was the 1933 novel 'Lord Edgware Dies', also known as 'Thirteen At Dinner'.

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

'Number 13', Hitchcock's debut as director, was intended to be a silent film for Gainsborough Pictures in the U.K. The script was written by a female employee of the studio.

It is believed that only two rolls of film had been used in shooting before the budget dried up. It is not known for sure what has happened to these rolls of film but they are much sought after by film historians. It is possible that the film studio melted the rolls down to obtain the silver nitrate contained within them.

The intended female star of 'Number 13' was Clare Greet who helped finance the film with her own money. Hitchcock repaid her generosity by casting her in a further six films that he directed.

Answer: Pink

'Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self' is featured on Pink's 2006 album 'I'm Not Dead'. Whether by design or purely coincidental, it is the thirteenth track on the album.

The songwriting is accredited to Pink and Billy Mann who co-wrote about half of the album as well as producing a number of the tracks contained on it.

The other colourful yet incorrect answer options are a play on the names of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Christina Aguilera.

Answer: India

Gulzarilal Nanda was a member of the Indian National Congress Party. His first brief stint as Prime Minister of India came after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru and lasted from the 27th of May to the 9th of June 1964. He was succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri following a party vote, but when Shastri also passed away while in office, Nanda once again assumed the Prime Ministership from the 11th of January to the 24th of January 1966.

His successor on this occasion was Indira Gandhi.

Answer: Bar Mitzvah occurs at the age of thirteen for boys in Judaism

While the modern English corruption of the term Bar Mitzvah usually refers to the religious ceremony undertaken by thirteen year old Jewish males, its true meaning relates to the boy himself as becoming a Bar Mitzvah or 'son of the commandment'. This is seen as an important coming of age for the boy as he is now responsible for his own actions regarding the following of the Jewish laws, traditions and ethics. In certain Jewish observances, girls celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah, 'daughter of the commandment' at the age of twelve.

There are five pillars of wisdom in Islam.

There are ten avatars of Vishnu in Hinduism.

Traditionally there are fourteen stations of the cross in Christianity.

Answer: Emirp

There are twenty-five prime numbers between one and one-hundred, eight of these are emirp (prime spelt backwards) numbers; 13, 17, 31, 37, 71, 73, 79 and 97. Eleven is not considered an emirp as it is a palindromic prime, that is it reads the same backwards as it does forwards.

By definition, one is not considered a prime number as it only has one divisor, namely itself. Prime numbers must have two divisors.

While some people may consider an emirp to be really, really special, it is not the term that mathematics has applied to them, neither is Optimus Prime who is a character from Transformers.

Answer: Green

The objective of snooker is to obtain a score higher than that of your opponent by pocketing or 'potting' various coloured balls with differing point values. Red = one point, Yellow = two, Green = three, Brown = four, Blue = five, Pink = six and Black = seven.

A game or 'frame' begins with fifteen red balls arranged in a triangular shape and one each of the other coloured balls placed in designated spots on the table. A player must pot a red ball before they are allowed to attempt potting any of the other coloured balls.

Once a red ball has been potted it remains in the pocket for the remainder of the frame. Any of the other coloured balls when potted are removed from the pocket and returned to their designated point on the table before play continues.

Answer: Extras

'Extras' was first screened on BBC2 in the U.K. on July 21st, 2005 and ended with the movie length thirteenth episode on December 27th, 2007.

'Extras' is a comedy program that follows the lives of Andy Millman (Gervais) and his friend Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen) who both work as extras in the film and television industry. As the series progresses Andy eventually gets to star in his own television program 'When The Whistle Blows'.

Each episode of 'Extras' features guest appearances by celebrities playing themselves. Amongst those to have been featured are David Bowie, Robert De Niro, Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe and Sir Ian McKellen.

Answer: Shy Guy

Shy Guy is an enemy character who has appeared in many of the games within the Mario series as well as games from the Yoshi series. Typically dressed in a cloak and wearing a mask that covers its face, Shy Guy appears in a number of different guises, with each type having its own unique power, from cannons on top of their heads (Boom Guy) to propellors that enable them to fly (Fly Guys).

Using the Nintendo DS download play function with 'Mario Kart DS', multiple players may choose to race as Shy Guy. When this occurs each player is assigned their own individually coloured character. The incorrect options for this question are three of the unlockable characters from the same game.

Answer: The Red Queen

Palenque is located at Chiapas in the southern region of Mexico and is dated from around the first century B.C. to around 800 A.D.

Temple XIII was first discovered by Mexican archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzales Cruz in 1994. It consisted of three rooms with the central room containing the coffin and body of the woman he dubbed the Red Queen owing to her body having been covered in cinnabar.

While it is not known for certain who the woman was, many believe her to be Lady Sak-Kuk, the mother of the Mayan ruler Pacal the Great. Pacal's tomb, known as the Temple of the Inscriptions, was discovered at Palenque in the 1950s and is located next to Temple XIII. A small passage that leads between the two structures is thought to symbolise an umbilical cord hence the maternal link to the Red Queen.