Birth of a '-NATION' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hibernation

Hibernation is a process through which a number of types of animals lower their metabolism in order to withstand harsher winter months when food, daylight, and warmth are scarce, and it's a natural occurrence brought on by evolutionary needs of creatures like bears and rodents.

The reverse process, in which creatures sleep during the summer, is known as aestivation, and it's typically reserved for creatures that would otherwise find it extremely tough to survive in hot and dry climes.

Answer: Imagination

Imagination is the cognitive process whereby humans exercise the capability to problem-solve or conceive of new ideas and concepts. It's through this that the mind can comprehend thoughts that are not tangible; when we read a fictional story, our minds can form what is evoked in the written word.

The mind is a complex thing. It's through imagination that we are able to recall memories and consider the future. Imagination inflation can occur, however, when one creates something in their mind that never existed but believes in it enough that it impinges on a real memory.

Answer: Combination

Combination is a mathematics term that refers to a collection, without regard to order, of different items, though the word has been used in other, more practical settings to mean similar things. A combination for a safe or a vault, for instance, would be a series of numbers input as a code or used as a key to gain access. In chess, a series of moves played strategically can also be called a combination.

In many cases, the word combination is shortened to combo. A combo meal, for instance, is a meal made up of a collection of different food and drink items that are placed together as a set for sale.

Answer: Indignation

If someone feels blamed for an injustice, then it's quite likely that they are feeling indignant, an emotional instance that falls in line with a sense of anger. The emotion is almost purely social since it stems from reactions that occur as a result of cause and effect with other people. If someone causes an event that inadvertently causes you harm, then you might feel indignant based on the circumstance as their actions created a result beyond your control. If you're blamed for said result, then that would certainly be a reason to be angry.

Answer: Termination

Termination refers to the end of something, so in the case of a layoff or dismissal, it would be implied that you are referring to the termination of an employment; receiving a pink slip, for instance, would be a termination letter.

This extends well beyond jobs though-- the word termination comes from the Latin root 'terminus', which means the end of something. If you take a train to the end of the line, you'll reach the terminus station.

Answer: Fascination

Generally, fascination refers to something that someone is greatly interested in; if you're fascinated by art, they you would generally be enthralled to engage with it. Fascination does, however, also reach to an extreme in the sense that someone who is fascinated can be entranced by a person, object, or idea.

In an occult or magical sense, fascination can be a bewitchment or a suggestive ability that causes a targeted person to be mesmerized.

Answer: Explanation

Perhaps this info doesn't bear one, eh?

Well, the reason for the answer to be 'explanation' would, in itself, be an explanation, since such a thing would be the factual reasoning behind itself. Generally, an explanation is backed up by proof, scientific or otherwise, to define why something is the way it is. There is a difference between an explanation and a justification or an argument; an explanation is the observable fact as to why something is as such while a justification is when something makes sense solely on what someone can reasonably know.

Answer: Elimination

Elimination can work in both a theoretical and a practical sense. In the former, looking at elimination as a process through which one can understand a solution is a common way of ruling out options (hence a 'process of elimination'). In the latter, elimination can refer to the literal removal of something through some means.

In a reality TV show, you might expect someone to be removed from the program or voted out or, well, eliminated based on the rules provided, resulting in their being sent home.

Answer: Destination

Destination comes from the Latin 'destinare', which refers specifically to the idea of determination; a destination is a place you are choosing to go. Destinations are commonly used in travel as you would select a vacation destination or you would attend a destination wedding in a far-flung location.

When looking at the idea of a 'destination wedding', it's a little bit weird though, isn't it? Typically, any destination could work for a wedding if you choose it. Tourism is all in the marketing.

Answer: Resignation

If you are giving a resignation at your job, you are giving your notice and departing. While this may not necessarily be with the intent to 'give up', resignation is a concession. This is why resignation in chess is done when you concede defeat.

There have been many famous resignations in history from world leaders to business CEOs to the Pope. Renouncing one's roles and responsibilities and resigning in a formal manner to let someone else take a role is generally done in a smooth, transitory process. Generally is the keyword here-- some resignations are messier than others.