Totally Trivial - 'D' Trivia Quiz

Answer: 42

There are 42 dots on a pair of dice. The dictionary meaning of dice, the plural term for die, is a small cube, i.e, an object with six equal square sides, with a different number of spots on each side, used in games involving chance.

Answer: All of these

All of these! According to the Cambridge Dictionary, 'd.' (as written with the full stop or period) is also the written abbreviation for 'died' and is used when giving the date of someone's death. UK English no longer uses the full stop (period) in abbreviations.

Answer: da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, born in Italy in 1452 was an engineer, painter and sculptor who died in 1519.

Answer: Dachshund

In ancient Assyrian and Egyptian monuments references were found to dogs similar to the Dachshund, and as such, it is one of the oldest dog breeds in history. The name is German for 'hunting badgers', as Dachs means 'badger' and Hund means 'hound'. A German tax collector, Louis Dobermann, bred the Doberman Pinscher in the 1860s, as he needed a dog to protect him from being robbed! He mixed several breeds including the German Shepherd, Rottweiller and other Pinschers.

The Dingo is not a domestic dog breed.

Answer: Ian Dury

Slim Dusty was born David Gordon Kirkpatrick in 1927 and died in 2003 in Sydney, Australia. He was one of Australia's favourite country singer/songwriters/guitarists. One of his most popular songs was 'A Pub With No Beer'. Ian Dury died in 2000. He was born in 1942 in Essex, England and was lead singer for 'The Blockheads'. One of their biggest hits was 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'. John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf Jnr in 1943, died in an aircraft accident in 1997; one of his biggest hits was 'Annie's Song'.

Answer: Disneyland opened in 1955

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy. The Disney Sorcerer is called Yensid, which is Disney spelt backwards. Movie detective Dirty Harry, made famous (or is that infamous?) by actor Clint Eastwood, has the badge number 2211.

Answer: Jack Nicholson

In 1971, the role of 'Dirty Harry' was offered to Frank Sinatra, but he refused. It was then offered to John Wayne and Paul Newman, both of whom also refused. Finally, one might say as a last resort, the role was offered to Clint Eastwood who went on to make it all his own!

Answer: Dave

The four principal characters from the cartoon series 'The Chipmunks' were Alvin, Simon, Theodore and Dave.

Answer: dray

A dray of squirrels; a drift of hogs; a down of hares; and a descent of woodpeckers.

Answer: Sumerians

The system developed by the Sumerians was the sexagesimal system, as the concept of zero was not known to them and was in fact discovered (invented) by Aryabhatta, an Indian (Hindu) mathematician, around 500 BC. The Sumerians (Mesopotamia) introduced their system around 4000 BC.

They based the system on 60 divided into multiples of 10. It was from this system that the Babylonians developed time as we know it today, i.e., each hour divided into 60 minutes then 60 seconds. Decimal is the Latin word for ten.

Answer: Dystychiphobia

Dystychiphobia is a fear of accidents. Didaskaleinophobia is a fear of going to school; Dishabiliophobia is a fear of undressing in front of someone; and, Doxophobia is a fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise.

Answer: Dominica

Dominica has an area of only 750km2, its capital is Roseau and it's a parliamentary democracy. Djibouti has an area of 22,000km2 and its capital is Djibouti! Denmark has an area of 43,070km2 and its capital is Copenhagen. The Dominican Republic has an area of 48,730km2 and its capital is Santo Domingo.

Answer: Joseph Dart

In 1842 Joseph Dart built the first grain elevator. In 1837 Charles Dickens published 'Pickwick Papers'; Thomas Davenport employed an electric motor to power 'shop machinery' (he also built the first electric model railway); and, John Deere patented a steel plow.

Answer: Diving Bell

In 1717, Edmund Halley invented the Diving Bell. In 1892, Rudolph Diesel invented the diesel engine. In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction and invented the dynamo. In 1875, the electric dental drill was patented by George Green.

Answer: Draco

In 621 BC Draco wrote the first 'code of law' for Greece. Penalties imposed for breaking the law were very severe, and the word 'draconian' comes from his name. In 1000 BC David was King of Israel and by 990 BC he had conquered Jerusalem. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and merry-making.

In 440 BC Democritus noted that all matter consisted of atoms. The word atom comes from the Greek word meaning 'indivisible'.