Angels and Demons Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Pope has died.

The death of the Pope is marked by the smashing of his ring and a period of mourning. The ceremonies are presided over by the Carmerlengo, an administrative aide and personal assistant to the Pope. Until the cardinals can elect a successor, the Carmerlengo is the acting head of the Vatican.

In this case the Carmerlengo, played by Ewan McGregor, is also the adoptive son of the Pope, who took him in as an orphaned eight-year-old. The Pope appears to have died due to natural causes, but it is later revealed that he has actually been murdered, by an overdose of one of his medications.

Answer: antimatter

In the movie, CERN has succeeded in creating antimatter, a theoretical substance that has not yet been successfully created in real life, in any measurable quantity. It is considered to be the antithesis of matter and scientists theorize that if it comes into contact with matter, an explosion will occur, of a force similar to a nuclear explosion.

In the film the scientists at CERN have created three canisters of antimatter, that are kept suspended (and therefore not in contact with any matter) by a powerful electro-magnetic force. One of these canisters is stolen and the race is on to recover it before the battery runs out, allowing the antimatter to come into contact with the matter of the container, creating a blast large enough to destroy Vatican City.

The estimated time of the battery running out is, of course, midnight. Vittoria Vetra, one of the scientists involved in the production of antimatter, helps Langdon in trying to track down the canister, in the hopes that she can recharge the battery before it's too late. Vetra is played by Ayelet Zurer.

Answer: He has written a book on the Illuminati.

After the death of the Pope, the Conclave of Cardinals must elect a new Pope. Four cardinals have been identified as the preferiti, or the preferred candidates. These cardinals have been kidnapped and a note has been received from the Illuminati, threatening the public execution of these cardinals, one each hour, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The Illuminati also reveal, by live digital feed, that they are in possession of the antimatter, which is hidden somewhere in the Vatican. Because Langdon has written a book on the Illuminati, his expertise is sought in helping to understand the group.

At once point Langdon asks the police why he had been invited to the Vatican, and then answers his own question, when he realizes that it is because of his book making him an expert. Tom Hanks reprises the role of Robert Langdon.

Answer: the Swiss Guard

The Swiss Guard is made up of Swiss soldiers. The detachment that takes responsibility for the personal safety of the Pope have done so since the 15th century, first serving Pope Sixtus IV. They are historically known as a dedicated group, a fact which is emphasized by their Commander in the movie (played by Stellan Skarsgard), who points out that the position is more of a calling than just a job.

They often dress in ceremonial costumes and sometimes, at least in the film, butt heads with the Vatican Police, a separate force operating within Vatican City.

Answer: a believed to be defunct group of Catholics who embraced science over the church

Langdon describes the Illuminati as a group of Catholics who chose science over the teachings of the Church, whenever the two diverged. The Church saw them as a threat and, in 1668, declared war on them by branding them with the sign of a cross and killing them, in an event known as la purga. Instead of eliminating the group, this only radicalized them and drove them underground.
The reappearance of the Illuminati, plus the threat to the four preferiti, and to the Vatican itself, is interpreted as a resurrection of this group, seeking revenge for the way they were murdered.

Answer: They are branded.

Langdon equates the kidnapping of four cardinals as being symbolic of the four pillars of science that are embraced by the Illuminati. These four pillars are earth, air, fire and water. The first cardinal is branded with the word for earth on his chest, before being suffocated by having his mouth filled with dirt.

The second cardinal is found clinging to life, with the word for air branded on his chest. His lung is punctured and he dies. The third cardinal is found above a burning pyre, with the word for fire branded on his chest. Attempts to rescue him are hampered by the killer opening fire on the rescuers, and he is consumed by the fire.

The fourth cardinal has the word for water branded onto his chest and he is dumped into a fountain, bound to a cart of some sort. With the help of a stranger, Langdon is able to save this man before he drowns.

Answer: sculptures of angels

Finally being given access to the archives, Langdon finds clues to following the Path of Illumination, in a book written by Galileo Galilei. Focusing on the line "Let angels guide you on your lofty quest", he follows the route indicated by the directions in which the angels appear to be pointing (by one method or another), consulting a map to find which churches lie along the indicated path.

The sculptures are all by Bernini and take different forms, from three dimensional statues, to a flat stone in the ground, carved with an angelic face that appears to be blowing.

Answer: The air supply to the archives is shut off.

Early in the movie we learn that, in order to preserve the aging books and documents, the oxygen level is kept low in the archives. The air is pumped into the sealed rooms. Langdon is back in the archives, seeking more clues, when the power supply is cut off, eliminating the source of oxygen.

The guard with him, a smoker, passes out first, leaving Langdon alone to try to break out. Feeling dizzy and weak, he tips over a large metal bookcase, hoping that it will crack the glass, but it falls too short to do much damage.

He eventually passes out while leaning against the fallen case which is, in turn, leaning on the glass. The glass eventually does shatter, seconds before the power is restored. The police had been systematically cutting off power to sections of the Vatican, in the hopes of determining where the canister is hidden.

The fact that the power is cut off when Langdon is down there though, is highly suspect, and one wonders if it is indeed an attempt on his life.

Answer: No

Because of his heroic efforts, in saving the Vatican from the explosion caused by the antimatter (by flying it high in the air and then parachuting out), many of the cardinals in the conclave want to have the Carmerlengo declared the new pope. In fact when he is summoned to appear before them, it is obvious that he thinks this is what is going to happen. However Langdon and Vittoria have discovered the recordings made of the confrontation between the Carmerlengo and the head of the Swiss Guard, in which his guilt is revealed (and in which it can be seen that he brands himself). Instead of being captured by the Swiss Guard, he commits suicide by setting himself on fire.
Cardinal Baggia, the only one of the four preferiti to live (because Langdon saves him from drowning) is elected the as Pope Luke I.
Cardinal Baggia is played by Marc Fiorini.

Answer: an old and important book

Prior to the Illuminati threat, Langdon had been unsuccessfully petitioning the Vatican for permission to access the archives, specifically to study Galileo Galilei's "Diagramma della Veritas", to complete his second book on the Illuminati. It is in this book that he discovers the clues to the Path of Illumination (and from this ancient book that Vittoria rips a page).

In gratitude for what Langdon has done, both for the Vatican and in saving his life, the Pope makes a gift of the book to Langdon, with a request that Langdon give it back to the Church in his will.