Word of the Rings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rabbit

Rabbits (family Leporidae), while native to many countries, have been introduced into others where they have become little more than a pest. This is the case in Australia where they bred uncontrollably and caused millions of dollars worth of damage to crops. It wasn't until the Myxoma virus was introduced that the numbers were reduced to a manageable level.

A rabbit's foot as a lucky charm is very popular in North American culture, but the origins can be traced back as far as 600 B.C. Early European Celts believed the rabbit to be sacred and that they carried the essences of the spirits. In North American folklore, only the left hind leg of the rabbit is believed to be lucky, although the rabbit who owned the foot may not agree.

Answer: Ronaldo

Ronaldo played in the Brazilian national team, winning the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and 2002. He was first named FIFA's player of the year in 1996 at the age of twenty and he backed up the feat with another win the following year.

He announced his retirement from professional football in 2010, citing a medical condition as the cause.

Answer: Rocky

"Rocky" (1976), written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, won a Best Picture Oscar in 1976 and generated several sequels. The movie centres on small-time boxer Rocky Balboa, who is selected by Apollo Creed, reigning world heavyweight champion, to fight for the title.

The flying squirrel Rocky is a cartoon character seen with his moose side-kick Bullwinkle in cartoons, a movie and video games.

Answer: Rafflesia

The rafflesia is similar to the mistletoe in that it is a parasitic plant, taking nutrients from its host. It's not a true plant in that not only does it not have roots or leaves, it also has no chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize. The flowers can grow to three feet in size and the scent is likened to that of rotting meat, similar to the Amorphophallus titanum (Corpse Flower).

Despite being a parasite, due to its rarity and short life span of five to seven days, the rafflesia, native to Southeast Asia, has become a tourist attraction, with many people visiting the area hoping to see a flower in bloom.

Answer: Relax

Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their single "Relax" in 1983 when it immediately began climbing the charts. In January of the following year, a BBC DJ labelled the lyrics and the record sleeve as 'obscene'. Soon after this, it was banned from all BBC radio and TV productions.

Holding true to the maxim that any publicity is good publicity, the song hit the Number One spot on the UK charts and remained there for five weeks.

Answer: Romania

Romania shares borders with the Black Sea and five countries in Central and South-eastern Europe. After the revolution in 1989, Romania became a semi-Presidential republic and is run by a government headed by a President and a Prime Minister.

Romania has been very successful on the World Gymnastics stage, with Nadia Comaneci scoring the world's first perfect ten at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. The score boards at the time were incapable of registering anything over 9.99, so the score read as 1.00 instead of 10.00.

Bran Castle in Brasov, Romania was built as a fortress in 1212 by the Teutonic Knights. The famous landmark and National monument opened as a private museum in 2009 by the owners Archduke Dominic von Hapsburg and his sisters. It is unofficially called "Dracula's Castle" as Vlad the Impaler once lived there, and also due to the similarity between the castle itself and the description in the book.

Answer: Ratatouille

Thought to have originated in Nice, France, ratatouille uses eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini and capsicum as the core ingredients, with other vegetables and herbs added. There is much debate not only over the correct method of cooking this dish, but also the way in which it is presented. Traditionally the vegetables were roughly cut, but since the mid 1970s French chefs have been slicing and layering them to give the dish a more contemporary feel.

Disney released the animated movie "Ratatouille" in 2007, and in this film the stew was made with layered vegetables.

Answer: Richard

As the third son of Henry II and being unlikely to ascend to the throne, Richard (1157-1199) spent most of his life in France. He had a glorified military career which continued after his coronation in 1189. He was purported to be chivalrous and courageous, but with a foolish streak. He was also reportedly ruthless and cruel toward his enemies.

Answer: Raven

The common raven (Corvus corax) is a large black bird common throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Ravens are thought to be highly intelligent and given to mimicry. Young birds have been seen to pull twigs off trees for the express purpose of playing with them.

The raven has been popularized in mythology, literature, film, and folklore with Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" arguably the most well known.

The legend of the ravens at the Tower of London states that should the birds leave, then the monarchy would fail. Therefore the ravens have their flight feathers clipped and are treated as royalty themselves to dissuade them from leaving. In 2006, at the height of the H5N1 (avian flu) pandemic, the ravens were cared for in specially built aviaries inside the Tower, lest the birds die and the legend come true.

Answer: Rumpelstiltskin

The fairytale of "Rumpelstiltskin", originating in Europe and published by the Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century, provides several moral lessons. The miller lies to the king to make himself seem more important, the daughter makes a promise she cannot keep. Rumpelstiltskin himself is proud and egotistical. Rumpelstiltskin is known by several different names, and there have been as many different endings for the tale.