Sands and Sands Ability Multiple Choice Quiz | People

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe." The poet who wrote "The Cremation of Sam McGee" is responsible for the quote above. By what nickname was he known?

Answer: The Bard of the Yukon

Robert W. Service was a poet born in Lancashire, though known as the Bard of the Yukon. He wrote several famous poems, including "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and "The Shooting of Dan McGrew". Both these poems were from his 1907 book "Songs of a Sourdough" (also called "The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses").

2. "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up." The Greatest boxer once uttered this line. What was his birth name?

Answer: Cassius Clay

"Sports Illustrated's" Sportsman of the Century, Muhammad Ali, was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. Known as the Louisville Lip, and The Greatest, this boxer is one of the best known sports figures of the 20th century. He is also known for many quotes, including the above as well as the more popular "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

3. "To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour." The poet who said this, born in Soho in 1757, wrote which of these?

Answer: Songs of Innocence

William Blake, the 38th greatest Briton according to a BBC poll in 2002, was responsible for the sandy quote. Blake wrote many famous works, including "Songs of Innocence" in 1789. He spent almost his entire life in London, born and died in Soho.

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", "The Cask of Amontillado", and "Ode to a Grecian Urn" we rewritten by Maya Angelo, Edgar Allen Poe, and John Keats, respectively.

4. "Even castles made of sand fall into the sea eventually." The man who said this died at 27, and has been considered the greatest guitarist of all time. Which of these bands was he part of?

Answer: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist and singer who died in 1970, when he joined the "27 Club" (musicians who die at 27). In 2003, "Rolling Stone" created a list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time", where Jimi Hendrix topped the list. In 2011, this list was updated, and Hendrix was still considered the greatest guitarist of all time.

5. "If you must speak ill of another, do not speak it. Write it in the sand near the water's edge." An author who wrote one of the best selling books of all time was responsible for this quote. Which of these is a book by the author?

Answer: Think and Grow Rich

The man who was the advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1936 was Napoleon Hill. He wrote "Think and Grow Rich" in 1937, and between release and his death in 1970, the book sold over 20 million copies. Of course, the quote in the question was Hill's, though he is more known for "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

6. "When I was a little kid we had a sandbox. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child ... Eventually." The stand-up comedian who said this released a comedy album with an animal in the title. What is the name of the album?

Answer: I Have a Pony

Steven Wright was a stand-up comedian, an actor, and a writer. He was known for his deadpan humor and use of irony. He released his debut comedy album "I Have a Pony" in 1985. This album won him a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. He released "I Still Have a Pony" in 2007. He has also appeared in several films including 2003's "Coffee and Cigarettes".

7. "The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when we are gone." This "Middlemarch" author wrote in a time when being a woman writer was almost unheard of, so she went by a different name instead. Who was this woman who said the above quote?

Answer: Mary Anne Evans

George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, who wrote her works during a period where it was frowned upon to be a woman author. As such, Mary Anne chose George Eliot, a male name, to mask her real identity. She was well known for many of her works, including "Silas Marner", "The Mill on the Floss", and "Middlemarch".

Her best known novel, "Middlemarch", published in 1872, has been described by some as the greatest novel in the English language.

8. "We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings." The American humorist who said the above quote was well known for her witty sayings and clever quips. She wrote several books, one of which asked an interesting question. What is the title of her book?

Answer: If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Why Am I Always in the Pits?

Do not be fooled, these are all indeed titles of books. It was Erma Bombeck, owner of the quote in question, however, who wrote "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Why Am I Always in the Pits?" In 1978. Of course, as one who is well known for her humorous statements, there are plenty more that are well known, such as "The Grass is always greener on the other side of the septic tank." My personal favorite, though, is one she requested to appear on her epitaph: "I told you I was sick!"

9. "Please don't ask me to do that which I just said I'm not going to do, because you're burning up time. The meter is running through the sand on you, and I am now filibustering." It may be a bit confusing to read (I thought so), but this quote was from the 41st President of the United States. What was the First Lady's name?

Answer: Barbara Pierce

George H. W. Bush (known simply as George Bush before his son became known as well), was the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981-1989. From 1989-1993, he served as the 41st POTUS (which stands for President of the United States). He married his wife, Barbara in 1945. In 2010, they celebrated 65 years of marriage! Most of us are just happy to reach 65 years of age...

10. "Life lasts but a few scratches of the claw in the sand." Though Mozart was born in what is now Austria, of what nationality was the "Mozart of Poetry", who gave us the quote from above?

Answer: Polish

The winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature, the "Mozart of Poetry", was Wislawa Szymborska. She was known throughout the world; her works being translated into many European languages, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese, and of course English. I do not dare try and pronounce so,ecof her noted works, which include "Wszelki Wypadek", or "Could Have", and "Komiec i Poczatek", "The End and the Beginning".

Source: Author salami_swami

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Sands and Sands Ability Trivia Quiz

You'd be amazed at how many people have used sand in a quote; I know I was. Here are ten who spoke about sand, though the quiz will be unique in that I won't directly ask who said each quote.

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