Vera's Common Bond Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kite

Kites seem to get a bad rap. Kites and many other birds of prey are considered an abomination and not to be eaten according to Leviticus in the Bible.

They are mentioned in Shakespeare's plays as well:

"Ravens, crows and kites
Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey: their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost." --Julius Caesar

Answer: Henderson

John Lithgow starred in "Harry and the Hendersons," a charming movie about a family who has a close encounter with a Sasquatch (Bigfoot). The Sasquatch is a legendary creature thought to be related to humans and believed to live in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. The movie was directed by William Dear and was released in 1987. The half-hour television series aired in 1991-1993.

Answer: Hog's Head

Harry, Ron, and Hermione met at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade in order to start Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) lessons. They wanted to meet in secret with other interested students, since they were not allowed to use their wands in class due to the Ministry's decrees. Mundungus Fletcher overheard their plans while there and reported them to Dolores Umbridge, the DADA professor.

Answer: Horse

In the game Horse, if a person misses their shot, they are assigned a letter from the word "horse". Once they have all the letters in the word "horse", they are out. The last person left is the winner.

Answer: Trampoline

Directed by Penny Marshall, "Big" starred Tom Hanks as a 12-year old boy who made a wish to become big and it came true. Elizabeth Perkins played Susan, his co-worker and girlfriend. Tom's character, Josh, showed Susan how to jump on the trampoline he had set up in his apartment.

Answer: Henry

Many songs, including Johnny Cash's "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer," have been written depicting this contest between man and machine. In 1988, the Dance Theater of Harlem presented a ballet choreographed by Arthur Mitchell which was based on the story of John Henry.

Answer: Beetles

Nearly half of the insect world is made up of some type of beetle. As pests go, they are really destructive. Colorado potato beetles destroy potato and tomato crops. Bark beetles may carry Dutch elm disease which has led to the devastation of elm trees in Europe and North America. Flour beetles feed on wheat and other grains in cereal silos and can survive in very dry areas. Old wooden buildings in England are prey to the Death Watch Beetle, which attacks oak and chestnut hardwoods.

The Asian long-horned beetle, native to China, has caused vast devastation of maple, poplar, elm and willow trees in China and neighboring countries and has spread to the U.S.

Answer: Bishopsgate

Bishopsgate is named after one of the original seven gates in the London Wall, the defensive structure that the Romans built around Londinium, the port town on the Thames in England. A stone Bishop's mitre marks this site. Moorgate was demolished in 1762, but survives as a major street in London. Newgate was also one of the historic seven gates of London Wall and was later used as the infamous Newgate Prison for debtors and felons. Aldersgate is a ward as well as a street. It runs north from the site of the old gate to Clerkenwell in the borough of Islington.

Answer: Waltz

"The Last Waltz" concert was filmed at Winterland in San Francisco in 1976. The Band was breaking up and wanted to throw a last party for all its friends and fans. Each performer sang his or her music with The Band as their back-up and The Band played their own songs in between the acts. Bob Dylan was a great treat as The Band was his touring band from 1965-1966 when Dylan was still being booed by folk music purists for playing electric! Directed by Martin Scorsese, this was one of the best music documentaries of all time (in my opinion).

Answer: John Lennon

"Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" is on the phenomenal "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album by the Beatles, released in 1967. John Lennon wrote the lyrics based on a 19th century poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus. George Martin added organs and caliopes to the mix to give the song its carnival-like atmosphere.

The pertinent lyrics for the clues are listed below.

1) Kite: "For the benefit of Mr. KITE"
2) Henderson: "The HENDERSONS will all be there"
3) Hog's Head: "Lastly, through a HOGSHEAD of real fire!"
4) Henry: "And, of course, HENRY..."
5) Trampoline: "There will be a show tonight on TRAMPOLINE"
6) Horse: "And, of course, HENRY The HORSE..."
7) Beetles: The song was written and performed by the BEATLES (Beetles).
8) Bishopsgate: "Performs his feat on Saturday at BISHOPSGATE"
9) Waltz: "And, of course, HENRY The HORSE dances the WALTZ!"