What's Your Poison? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chocolate

Human chocolate can poison a dog. The other options, though, would be great treats and are recommended by veterinarians.

Answer: False

In the words of Larry Lawrence, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research: "Feeding lawn clippings will dramatically upset the balance of microbes in the hindgut, potentially leading to colic or laminitis."

Horses may also gulp clippings down too quickly and choke on the volume.

Answer: Cyanide

Cyanide is extremely toxic to humans. If enough apple pips are eaten, it can cause vomiting and other side effects.

Look out also for peach and apricot pits, which also contain cyanide.

Answer: Tetraodontidae

Most pufferfish species are toxic and some are among the most poisonous vertebrates in the world. They contain tetrodotoxin and are highly toxic to most animals.

The meat of some pufferfish varieties is considered a delicacy in some Eastern cuisines. Chefs are specially trained in preparing them.

Answer: Nutmeg

Just one teaspoon of nutmeg can produce nasty psychological effects and even worse side effects. These include nausea, elevated heart rate, dry mouth and vomiting.

It can also lead to loss of balance and lack of concentration and can last over a week.

Eating too much salt can also be harmful, but for different reasons.

Answer: Kidney

Kidney beans contain large amounts of the glycoprotein lectin.

It can be destroyed by careful cooking to a temperature high enough to kill the lectin - and where would chili con carne be without them?

However, as few as four uncooked beans could cause extreme nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting.

Answer: Cocaine

The Coca-Cola company denies that its best-known product has ever contained cocaine.

However, Coke was inspired by "Vin Marian", which was created by Angelo Mariani, a chemist from Corsica, in 1863. It consisted of Bordeaux red wine and a sizeable pinch of cocaine.

At that time cocaine was legal in most countries and was said to provide an energy boost.

John Sith Pemberton, a chemist from America's deep south, created a non-alcoholic version. It was made from sugar syrup spiced with citric acid, nutmeg, vanilla, Chinese cinnamon oil, kola nut powder to deliver a caffeine kick and coca leaf extract which contained trace quantities of cocaine.

Answer: United States Surgeon General

In 1962, Surgeon General Luther L. Terry convened a committee of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on the effects of smoking.

Its work took almost two years and was announced in January 1964.

That report held cigarette smoking responsible for a 70 percent increase in the mortality rate of smokers over non-smokers.

It also reported that that average smokers had a nine- to tenfold risk of developing lung cancer compared to non-smokers.

The report was a sensation and changed the views of people dramatically. In 1958, a survey showed that 44 percent of Americans believed that smoking caused cancer. By 1968 that figure was 78 percent.

In 1965, the United States Congress legislated that all cigarette packages distributed in the country should carry a health warning.
Most countries now carry similar warnings and the advertising of cigarette brands has been prohibited in many.

Answer: Claudius

Claudius was an accidental Emperor. When his nephew Caligula was murdered in AD41, Claudius was found hiding behind curtains in the palace.

He was made emperor by the Praetorian Guard and the Senate was forced to acquiesce, though without much grace.

In AD54 he hosted a banquet and, some sources say, he was fed a Death Cap mushroom by his fourth wife Agrippa so that her (but not his) son Nero would inherit.

Answer: Ragwort

When eaten, Ragwort attacks a horse's liver. They normally avoid it because of the bitter taste, but it is palatable when dried and fed in hay.

In the United Kingdom, under government regulations landowners can be penalised for allowing ragwort to spread to grazing land.