XX Trivia Quiz

Answer: in the middle of the Sahara Desert

This remote, trade-wind swept place would probably not be one of your best choices for a touristic destination. The closest relatively important geographical landmark would be the Emi Koussi Peak (3415 m) of the Tibesti Mountains - Africa's 11th highest altitude. Just if you were curious you may gladly find out that the crossing of the 20 northern parallel with the 20 western meridian would have placed you in the Atlantic Ocean, pretty close to the African coast: the crossing of the 20 southern parallel with the 20 eastern meridian would have isolated you in the wilderness of Ngamaland, from north-eastern Namibia, while the crossing of the 20 southern parallel with the 20 western meridian would have brought you in the most remote place of them all - somewhere above the Atlantic Dorsal. Overall, not your most picturesque regions of the Globe.

Answer: Captain Nemo

As in most of his novels, Jules Verne impresses us with his ability to predict things which fitted in the sphere of SF at the time. The potential of submarines, the weapons and the self-contained oxygen diving suits are depicted with amazing accuracy, counting the fact they were not invented yet.

But '20000 Leagues Under the Sea' is more than that. Like Aronnax - the narrator from the book - states in the final chapter: "It is a faithful narrative of an incredible expedition in an element inaccessible to man". Both mysterious and exciting, this classical work of science-fiction turns captain Nemo of the Nautilus into an ageless character.

Answer: the 'Red Eyebrows' rebellion was taking place in China

The 'Red Eyebrows' rebellion was caused by Wang Mang's failure of diminishing the power and lands of the rich, as he had promised when he came to power. The poor people in Shandong were the first to rebel and this soon transformed into a large-scale civil war. Wang Mang was defeated, after ruling China for 15 years (9-23 AD) and the Han dynasty was reestablished.

Answer: Die Another Day

Released in 2002, the 20th Bond movie continues the 40 years tradition. The super-spy is played by Pierce Brosnan (for the fourth time) while his sidekick Jinx is also not to be ignored, being interpreted by the charming Halle Berry. Overall a great action movie, still sprinkled with the specific elements of every Bond film:
the outrageous gadgets, the terrific chases and stunts and the state- of-the-art special effects.

Answer: James A. Garfield

One interesting fact about James Garfield was that he could simultaneously write in Latin with his right hand and in Greek with his left hand.
The major conflict of his administration was patronage, which eventually brought his death. His assassin was Charles Guiteau, a disappointed office seeker.

Answer: Armadillos

The name Armadillo was given by the Spanish, meaning "small armored one". All the 20 species live in Latin America, and they are each individualized by the number of plates forming their protective armor.
They are nocturnal creatures, feeding primarily on insects. Their most important representative is the nine-banded armadillo, measuring 40-47 cm (without the tail), weighting 3-6 kg being highly prized for its white meat by the indigenous people.
The other groups contain a number of species as followed: Bears - 9, Penguins - 17 and Crocodiles - 23.

Answer: vingt

The numeral 20 is very important in French grammar as it is involved in the forming of the numerals from 20 to 29 but also the ones from 80 up to 99. And this is because 80 is thought as 4x20 (quatre-vingt) while 90 is 4x20+10 (quatre-vingt-dix), all the other intermediaries being derived from them.

Answer: King Louis XVI

King Louis XVI was born in 1754 and he became heir to the throne in 1765 on his father's death. He would wait until 1774 to ascend to the throne, taking over the power from his grandfather. In 1770 he married Marie Antoinette. Lacking political ambitions, Louis the XVI wasn't able to deal with the French Revolution which started in 1789.
This would eventually cost him dearly, as he was executed by guillotine in 1793. This unexpected event marked the end of the absolutist monarchy in France.

Answer: Tokyo

In 1603, the powerful Tokugaua leyasu established his Shogunate Government at Edo. This would rapidly develop into one of the world's major cities. Despite the policy of isolation adopted by Japan for almost three centuries, Edo thrived and so, in the 17th century was among the world's largest cities, if not the largest.

The 'closed country' policy (Sakoku) was brought to an end in 1853, when Commodore Matthew Perry's armada of 'black ships' imposed Japan to open its ports for commerce. Soon afterwards, the social revolution took place and in 1868 a new chapter began in the history of the country - the Meiji Period.

In the same year the imperial seat of power was moved to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo. Since then, the city has been continuously expanding although it was shaken by some tragic events that changed its face several times. Thus, in 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake claimed about 140,000 lives. Just after two decades the city was hit again, this time much worse: the air-raids during WWII razed almost two fifths of the city while the population was reduced to half of its level in 1940.

But Tokyo was reborn and in less than 50 years regained its former glory. Nowadays, the Tokyo-Yokohama urban agglomeration counts over 25 million people and is one of the world's leading economic and cultural centers.

Answer: 'Universal Children's Day' and 'Africa Industrialisation Day'

The General Assembly of the UN proposed in 1945 that all countries should institute a Universal Children's Day. The date was eventually set on the 20th of November, date marking the adoption of two important documents: the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.

The 'Africa Industrialization Day' was instituted in 1989 and is intended to mobilize the international community towards the supporting and development of the African continent.

Answer: Maya

The names of the 20 Mayan days and their approximate meaning were:
1:Imix(Waterly); 2:Ik'(wind); 3:Ak'bal(night/house); 4:K'an(maize);
5:Chikchan(snake); 6:Kimi(death); 7:Manik'(hand); 8:Lamat(rabbit);
9:Muluk(water); 10:Ok(dog); 11:Chuen(Monkey); 12:Eb(tooth/skull);
13:Ben(reed); 14:Ix(jaguar); 15:Men(eagle); 16:Kib(soul); 17:Kaban(earth); 18:Etz'nab(knife); 19:Kawak(Storm); 20:Ahaw(lord/flower).
Combined with the second date component (1-13), these Mayan days formed the 260 days ritual calendar known as Tzolkin. Besides this calendar the Mayas also used a solar calendar, known as the Haab, which consisted of 18 months each of 20 days, plus 5 rest days thus making 365 days. The importance of this calendar for the Mayas can be exemplified by one of their most remarkable buildings - the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá. Built around 1050 it was designed to function as such a calendar, having 4 stairways, each with 91 steps and a platform at the top, summing 365. The accuracy and complexity of these calendars make them one of the most important achievements of the Mayan civilization.

Answer: the Treaty of Trianon

The Treaty of Trianon was signed consequently to World War I on June 4 1920, between the Allies and Hungary, which lost almost two thirds of its former territory due to this agreement. Thus, Romania received Transylvania and parts of Banat, Czechoslovakya received Slovakya while Yugoslavia obtained Croatia.

Answer: X-Men 2

X-Men 2 received a lot of positive appreciation from the public. The cast from the first series was reunited but also extended and it managed again to successfully impersonate the characters from the popular comic-book. I'm not much of a reviewer, but if you enjoy special-effects combined with a good storyline, I would advise this movie as being a great choice.

Answer: Kevin Garnett

In the 2002-2003 season Gary Payton played for the Seattle Supersonics, Eric Snow for the Philadelphia 76ers and Allan Houston for the New York Knicks. Kevin Garnett, from the Minnesota Timberwolves, wore number 21 and he was the MVP of the All-Star game.

Answer: Mamenchisaurus

Carnivores like Tyrannosaurus Rex( 12 m , 8 t) and Gigantosurus (16 m, 8t) were huge for their kind but they were still surpassed by the colossal sauropods - the largest land creatures ever. Mamenchisaurus (25 m, 27 t) belonged to this group and it lived in China in the Late Cretaceous. It was a peculiar dinosaur because its neck alone was 14 m long.

Answer: Henry James

Although Henry James was born in America (1843), he died in Europe (1916), after living much of his life in the Old continent. The close contact with both worlds is reflected in the themes of his novels which dwell upon the opposition between the innocence of the New World and the corruption and wisdom of the Old one.

Answer: Odysseus'

The hard-tried Odysseus spends 20 years away from his native island of Ithaca and his beloved wife Penelope. Cunning and clever, Odysseus brings an end to the Trojan War after 10 years of struggles. On his return trip, the hero find himself drawn into a series of adventures that keep him away from home for another 10 years, this being in fact the subject of the second Homeric poem.

Answer: Ca

Calcium is a metallic element belonging to the alkaline earth elements. You wouldn't find it free in nature, but it is very abundant as limestone, gypsum and fluorite, forming also around 3% of the earth's crust. Calcium is an essential constituent of leaves, bones, shells and teeth. It was discovered in 1808 by Sir Humphrey Davy.

Answer: the summer Olympic Games

Each of these sporting events (which together make the world's top four sporting competitions) take place once every four years. By 2020 there would have been 21 Soccer World Cups, 9 Rugby World Cups and 23 winter Olympic Games. Till 1992, the summer and winter Olympic Games would be held in the same but from that year on, they were separated by two years. So the only sporting event to be held in 2020 would be the 29th summer Olympic Games.

However, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympics were postponed.

Answer: 17, yes

Snail problem:
In the first day, the snail reaches a height of 4 m, but slides down 3 m during the night, thus ending at 1 m. The second day, it reaches 5 m, but slips back at 2 m. And so on, and so on... In the 16th day he starts out at 15 m, he reaches 19 m, but falls back at 16 m. The 17th day his troubles are over though. He sets off at 16 m, climbs up 4 m and finally gets at 20 m, thus reaching the top of the pit. So my friend was 17 years old.
Age problem: As unlikely as it may seem it is possible that she will be 20 years old next year. It goes like this: let's say today is January 1. And let's presume her birthday is on December 31. When I asked her two days ago what her age was, it turned out she was 17. So yesterday was her 18th birthday. Then this year she'll be 19. And so next year she'll be 20. This solving is an example of 'lateral thinking' - term coined by Edward de Bono - which involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles.