Crooked House Trivia Quiz

Answer: The House of the Seven Gables

"House of Mirth" was written by Edith Wharton. Edgar Allen Poe wrote the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". "Bleak House" was a work by Charles Dickens.

"The House of the Seven Gables", written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, involves guilt, retribution, accusations of witchcraft and (as unlikely as it may seem) romance. The Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, believed to be the inspiration for the book, is located in Salem, Massachusetts and is now a museum/historical landmark.

Answer: chert

Chert is a sedimentary rock. Dark or grey-coloured chert is referred to as "flint". When chert is fractured it forms very sharp edges, making it a valuable cutting tool for prehistoric peoples.

An izba is a traditional Russian farmhouse, similar to a log cabin, usually built with handtools, ropes and mud and without the use of nails.

A yurt is a shelter used by nomadic peoples on the Asian steppes. Traditionally, it has a circular wooden frame and a domed top (or "crown") with walls covered in felt.

A chum (which is pronounced "choom") is a dwelling used by reindeer herdspeople in Siberia. It resembles the teepee (tipi) of the Native American tribes, except that it is more round and not as tall and the poles are extremely heavy (but hey, those reindeer come in handy for hauling things other than Christmas presents!).

Answer: this one's on the house

"Bringing down the house" has been used since the 18th century to mean rapturous applause. A stage manager might call out "is there a doctor in the house?" should a member of the cast or audience fall ill. House receipts are the "take" (hopefully a profit) for a particular performance.

"This one's on the house" means a "freebie" (rather like this question, perhaps).

Answer: House of Rothschild

The House of Piast was the first ruling dynasty in Poland. In 2005, after the death of Prince Rainier, Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi) became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. After Queen Juliana from the House of Orange-Nassau abdicated in 1980, her daughter Beatrix took over as Queen Regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The House of Rothschild was (and still is) a powerful family of German/Jewish origin who established banking houses in the late 1700s. While many family members were elevated to the nobility and given peerage titles in various countries, they never actually officially ruled any regions or territories. However, due to intermarriages within the aristocracy, their vast wealth and ability to fund any political or social action/faction they so desired, it could be argued that the Rothschilds were the real ruling force "behind the scenes" of many a royal family!

Answer: House of the Rising Sun

Artists/bands from the U.S. amongst the choices are: John Mellencamp ("Pink Houses"), Rosemary Clooney ("Come On-A My House") and Talking Heads ("Burning Down The House").

The Animals got started in Newcastle upon Tyne and later moved to London. Although they were not the first to record "House of the Rising Sun", they certainly had the most commercially successful version of it in 1964 - just in time to be included in the "British Invasion" of the U.S.

Answer: Jesus

The rains were brought down on Noah, Joshua brought down the walls of Jericho and Samson certainly brought down the house, but it was Jesus who advised "A house divided against itself cannot stand" (paraphrased at least three times in the gospels - Mark 3:25, Matthew 12:25 and Luke 11:17).

Answer: House of York

In Canada, the upper house is called the Senate and the lower house is the House of Commons. Together, they are called the Parliament. In the United Kingdom, the Parliament is comprised of the (upper) House of Lords - which includes the Sovereign - and the (lower) House of Commons. In the United States, the two bodies which make up the Congress are the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The House of York was an aristocratic family line that produced three English kings in the 15th Century (Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III).

Answer: parterre

"Parterre", besides being a formal garden design, is a term for the seating arrangement of the audience and usually refers to the seats at the back of a theatre, beneath the balconies.

A proscenium is a stage shaped like a picture frame and the audience views the action from the front only. A thrust stage can be viewed from three sides, while still retaining a backstage area which can be used by actors. Theatre in the round can be seen from all sides, requiring actors to make their entrances either from the "house" (audience area) or from openings in the floor of the stage itself.

Answer: Life As A House

"Animal House", of the gross-out genre, was John Belushi's best known movie (aside from the "Blues Brothers"). "Road House" starred Patrick Swayze as a bar bouncer. Bad action and an inane contrived plot combined with the fact that the acting abilities of the entire cast were wayyyy too good for this movie have made it into a sort of cult favourite over time. The cast of "The Cider House Rules" included the inimitable Michael Caine and a pre-Spiderman Tobey Maguire.

In "Life As a House" we see Kevin Kline as a man who, recently fired from his job and diagnosed with cancer, tries to rebuild what is left of his life. A pre-Darth Vader-Hayden Christensen plays his son. The film will make you laugh in several scenes, but be sure you have a box of kleenex/tissues nearby as well.

Answer: house of cards

A "house of cards" is any risky situation or arrangement that is insubstantial or in danger of collapsing.

The "big house" is a prison. "House of ill repute" is the equivalent of a bordello. A "house of worship" is, of course, a church/mosque/synagogue etc.