What Color Am I? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Green

What distinguishes peridot from olivine is the greater concentration of magnesium in the crystals. The best, gem-quality peridot is a deep, vibrant green. These gems are fairly rare and can sell for thousands of dollars a carat. Commercial quality peridot is a much paler green.

There is even a variety of peridot known as pallasite that is found in meteors; a few crystals are large enough to cut into gemstones, giving you an opportunity to own a piece of jewelry that is really "out of this world."

Answer: Orange

Irish Protestants are often called "Orangemen" and belong to The Loyal Orange Institution, which is often called the "Orange Order." How did orange come to represent Protestantism in Ireland? You have to go back a few hundred years to the end of the 17th century.

In 1688, King James II was forced to flee England, and his daughter, Mary II, and his son-in-law, William III, became joint monarchs in his place. James still had a lot of supporters, however, particularly in Ireland, so he gathered an army and by the middle of 1690 controlled the entire country, except for the northern province of Ulster. William got his own army together (composed mostly of foreign mercenaries), and the two armies clashed in what is known as The Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The Irish were greatly outnumbered, and no match for William's professional soldiers. James was badly defeated and had to flee the country. William became a hero to Irish Protestants; they believed he had saved them from Catholic domination. Before becoming William III, the king's title had been the Prince of Orange (named after a territory in France), so Irish Protestants adopted that color as their symbol.

The Battle of the Boyne is still celebrated by Irish Protestants on July 12.

Answer: Yellow

Although other colors (mostly white) and symbols were used in some areas, the most common symbol that Jews were forced to wear was a yellow Star of David. This was so common that it became known as simply "the yellow badge." Jews who failed to wear it could face heavy fines and other penalties.

This practice was continued by the Nazis to identify Jews both in Germany and in their conquered territories.

Answer: Blue laws

The pundit H.L. Mencken once defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." Blue laws are laws designed to restrict or ban some kind of activity, usually on Sundays, but sometimes on other days as well, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. One would think that such laws would long ago have gone by the wayside, but they are still around, and more common than many people think. The most common blue laws are those which restrict the sale of alcohol on Sunday; presumably, the early Puritans did not want their congregations showing up at church drunk. In some states it is illegal to hunt on Sundays; in others, car dealerships are not allowed to open on Sundays.

The term "blue law" is believed to have originated with "bluestocking," one of the Puritan supporters of Oliver Cromwell. It first appeared in print in 1755. The legality of such laws has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court. Many other countries besides the United States have some sort of blue laws, although they may go by another name.

Answer: Red

Betelgeuse is one of the largest known stars in our galaxy, and, at about 600 light years from earth, one of the closest "red giants." Betelgeuse is so large that if it replaced our sun, it would almost reach the orbit of Jupiter. It is in the final stages of its stellar evolution, and is expected to explode in a magnificent supernova within 100,000 years. Fortunately, it is not expected to pose any threat to life on earth when that happens, but for several weeks it will be the brightest object in the sky next to the sun.

Another red giant star visible from earth is Antares, in the constellation Scorpio.

Answer: Pink Lady

There are many variations in the recipe of this popular drink, but all contain gin, egg white, and grenadine. Most recipes also call for applejack and lemon, and some add cream to give it a creamy texture. A Pink Lady is considered a rather "dainty" drink, and is usually ordered by women.

Answer: Gray

Our brains are composed of two primary types of tissue: gray matter and white matter. The white matter makes up about 60% of the brain's mass, with gray matter comprising the remaining 40%. The cells of white matter are covered with a myelin sheath, a type of fatty protein that acts as an insulator and makes transmission of electrical nerve signals more efficient. Gray matter cells lack this myelin sheath, which is why they appear darker. Gray matter is associated with our ability to process information; Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, makes frequent references to his "little gray cells." The gray matter in our brains uses almost 20% of all the body's oxygen.

Answer: Violet

Heliotrope is a popular garden plant with violet-colored flowers. The plant got its name from the belief that it turned to face the sun; in fact, "turnsole" was a now-obsolete name for the heliotrope. The color heliotrope is a bright, light violet with a touch of pink. The first recorded use of heliotrope as a color was in 1882.

Somewhat confusingly, heliotrope is an alternate name for the gem more often called bloodstone, which is not violet or purple, but dark green with red spots.

Answer: Blue

At the beginning of the war, there was a great deal of confusion about uniform colors; many Union regiments wore gray coats, and some Confederate units wore blue. This caused any number of problems on the battlefield. Sometimes troops fired upon their comrades, thinking they were the enemy, and at other times enemy troops were mistaken for friendly forces. Eventually the Union settled on a Navy blue coat and lighter blue pants, while the Confederacy issued uniforms of "cadet gray." The Confederate uniforms were often poorly dyed, and had a tendency to fade to a brownish color called "butternut," after a dye obtained from the white walnut, or butternut tree, which was sometimes used to dye homespun cloth. Throughout the war, however, there were exceptions to this rule.

Some Union sharpshooters wore green uniforms, and Confederate troops often wore uniforms captured from northern supplies.

Answer: Green

Many golden poison frogs are bright yellow, but they can also be green, orange, or even white. There are many species of poison frogs, but "Phyllobates terribilis" is considered the most lethal. Animals have been known to die just from touching a spot where it has rested. It is native to the rain-forests of Colombia, and native tribes use its poison to coat the darts they use in their blowguns to bring down animals. The frogs are kept in a basket, and exposed to the heat of a fire, which causes them to secrete the poison through pores in their skin. The darts are dipped in the poison, and maintain their potency for up to two years.

Surprisingly, golden poison frogs are popular pets. They gradually lose their toxic qualities after a year or two in captivity, and frogs born in captivity are not poisonous at all. Scientists believe that there is something in their diet in the wild that is necessary for them to produce the poison, perhaps a species of ant, and that when this factor is removed, they lose the ability to produce the poison that makes them so feared.