Tales of the Bungee Trivia Quiz

Answer: Republic of Vanuatu

According to the story, it was a woman who originally attached a vine to her ankle and jumped from a tree on Pentecost Island. Said to have first been a ritual by women to honor the original vine jumper, men eventually decided that they didn't want their wives participating in such an event, so they took it over. Also called "land diving", or "nanggol" the people believe that this action can enhance the health of the diver, and is a sure sign of the person's masculinity.

Although Christian missionaries tried to put an end to the practice, since the 1970s it has been viewed as an important part of the peoples' cultural identity.

In fact, in 1995 the country's attorney general, stating that their tradition had been stolen, endeavored to gain royalties from bungee jumping businesses.

Answer: Wooden Towers

Over time, instead of using trees, wooden towers were built by the men on Pentecost Island, and they used two vines tied around their ankles while jumping. Reaching a height of 20-30 meters (66-98 ft), today the wooden towers take 2-5 weeks to build and are constructed solely by men; in fact, women are not allowed to go near the tower and men must live sequestered from the women during this time. Choosing the two vines that are the only safeguard used during the dive is an extremely important task, and is traditionally the done by a village elder. Today vine jumping is an important part of the tourist industry on Pentecost Island. Rather than having just one annual event, the jumping is performed weekly during the dry season, with visitors paying as much as $100-$120 to watch.

Answer: Yam Harvest

The yam harvest, typically in April, May, or June, is important to the people on Pentecost Island because they are subsistence farmers, and most of the food that is grown is for local use. While many believe a good jump will bring a good harvest, more importantly, the time of the yam harvest corresponds with the time when both the wood and vines are dry and suitable for use.

It is during this time that the vines, called lianas, have the most elasticity. There is a story that Queen Elizabeth II visited Pentecost Island in 1974 in the middle of the wet season; nevertheless, villagers wanted to show their skills. One diver had both vines break during his jump and subsequently died from his injuries. According to one source, the only other fatality from vine jumping that the people remember occurred in 2006.

Answer: Anything thick and squat

In 1825, James Jennings published a book called "Observations of Some of the Dialects in The West of England"; it is from this source that the definition "anything thick and squat" was taken for the word "bungee". According to "Dictionary.com" English school children in the 1800s used the word as slang for rubber erasers, and by the 1930s the "Oxford English Dictionary" used the term to mean an "elastic rope" when speaking of the bungy-launching of gliders.

Answer: Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club

Only active for about ten years, the Dangerous Sports Club at Oxford participated in a jump off Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. This action, which took place in 1979, is considered to be the first modern bungee jump. Subsequent jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge in Colorado were also made.

It was New Zealander A J Hacket, however, who popularized the event and founded the first commercial enterprise in 1988, a year after he bungee jumped off the Eiffel Tower.

By the way, members of the club participated in many hair raising events, such as hand gliding from active volcanoes and BASE jumping, which is parachuting from a stationary structure.

Answer: Kawarau Bridge

Located on New Zealand's South Island near Queensland, the Kawarau Bridge was completed in the late 1880s, and used by miners making their way to the Central Otago goldfields. Although it was replaced by a new bridge in 1963, the Kawarau Bridge is classified by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic place. Today it is the location of Kawarau Bridge Bungy, founded in 1988, which offers a variety of activities according to the company's website. Jumpers at this location can leap 43 meters (141 ft) above the Kawarau River.

Answer: Parachute

While many jumpers may think that it looks cool to employ only an ankle attachment during a bungee jump, it is a good idea to check out safeguards that are used by companies to ensure their customers' safety while jumping. A body harness, much like the type used by climbers, can provide a good second line of defense against accidents. Nevertheless, the potential for accidents - rope burns, eye trauma, and even back injury - is very real.

The rope used in bungee jumping is commonly made of strands of latex that are enclosed in an outer cover; in New Zealand, it is common to expose the latex strands as doing so is said to give a "softer, longer" bounce. Evidently doing this makes the cord look as though it is worn out and frayed - but it isn't! One New Zealand destination website states that A J Hackett's businesses only use the cords for 500 jumps - although they should last for 1500! Oh! And what about those parachutes? If you want one of them, then you will have to try sky diving!

Answer: False

Believe it or not, people can bungee off several objects, some of which are moving! Forget the normal wooden platforms and bridges - bungee jumping may also take place from moving objects, such as helicopters, cable cars, or hot-air balloons! If that isn't exciting enough, you may want to look into other types of bungee jumping.

Some places offer a tandem jump with a friend (considered to be rather dangerous considering that the two bodies may get tangled up or bump heads), while others suggest that it is fun for friends to actually throw each other from a bridge! While some may not wish to land in the water - make sure that it is deep enough - that option is available too!

Answer: True

There are several variations of bungee jumping today. In one, called "Catapult" or "Reverse Bungee", the participant begins on the ground and then is "shot" into the air! Oh my! Another version, called "Bungee Running", is said to be popular with children! A bungee is attached to both a track and the runner, and the distance that was run before the runner gives up and can no longer resist being pulled back by the cord is recorded. "Bungee trampoline" allows a person to jump higher that humanly possible on a trampoline.

The person wears a body suit that is connected to two bungee cords that are attached to poles on either side of the trampoline; as the person jumps, the cords get tighter, allowing for a higher jump.

Answer: Be circumcised

Boys may participate in the activity, considered to be an important ritual that is not put on for public display, after they have been circumcised at the age of 7 or 8. Vine jumping is an important rite of passage; many times the boy's mother will attend the event - yes, today women are allowed to be there - and hold her son's favorite childhood item.

After the jump has been completed, the item will be thrown away, symbolizing that the boy has become a man. Although many of the Pentecost Island villages follow Christian religions today, they still continue to embrace ancient beliefs.