The Fear of All Sums Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stephen Fry

Not only did Fry manage to get expelled from school, he also spent time in gaol on remand for the theft of a credit card. In Catherine Hurley's book, 'Could Do Better', Fry's report for English in 1972 read 'bottom, rightly'. He has redeemed himself since, and is now considered one of the most erudite presenters on television with his appearances on the quiz show 'QI' (Quite Interesting). Following his brush with the law, Fry worked hard to obtain a scholarship to Cambridge where he joined the 'Cambridge Footlights'. He has appeared on the American television series 'Bones' as Dr. Gordon Wyatt.

Of the other choices, Hugh Laurie was Fry's partner in various comedy series, including 'Blackadder'. Slattery and Anderson were also in the 'Cambridge Footlights'.

Answer: Beethoven

Beethoven was taught by Haydn between 1792 and 1794, and was believed to be slow to learn and lack talent. Another comment made about him was 'he had never learned anything and would never do anything in a decent style', which is attributed to Haydn on some sites and to Albrechtsberger (another of his teachers) on others.

The comment in the question appears to have been made by yet another of his teachers. Haydn and Mozart were both Austrian born and Smetana was Czech.

Answer: Aneurin Bevan

Better known as 'Nye' Bevan, he was born in Tredegar and followed his father into mining. He did not do well at school, possibly due to suffering from a stammer, and may have had to repeat a year. The sources for this information are unclear, with some saying that this happened to his father instead. Bevan became a union activist by the age of nineteen, and was considered to be a troublemaker by his employers. He was elected as MP for Ebbw Vale in 1929, and appointed Minister of Health in the Labour government which won the 1945 election. In this position, Bevan oversaw the introduction of the NHS in 1948, which provided free healthcare for all.

David Lloyd George was Prime Minister during the First World War and Neil Kinnock was Labour leader from 1983 - 1992. Gwynfor Evans was the first man to be elected as an MP for Plaid Cymru, in 1966.

Answer: Albert Einstein

Einstein is probably best known for his 'theory of relativity', which even non-scientific people (like me) have heard of, even if they have no idea what it actually means. Einstein was born in Ulm in 1879, and studied in Zurich, Switzerland. Because of his Jewish heritage, and the threat of the Nazi regime in Europe, Einstein moved to the USA in 1933.

He became a citizen of the USA in 1940 and died in 1955 at Princeton, New Jersey. The other names are also famous scientists.

Answer: John Lennon

By the time he left Quarry Bank School, John's report was rather better, saying 'I believe he is not beyond redemption and he could really turn out a fairly responsible adult who might go far'. John went on to become one of the most famous musicians of all time, and wrote many memorable songs including 'Revolution', 'Imagine' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.

The quotations from his school reports come from 'Could Do Better', edited by Catherine Hurley. The other options are also British singers who wrote for themselves and others. Ray Davies was the lead singer of 'The Kinks'.

Answer: Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is generally considered to be the best basketball player of all time. He was dropped from the team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, in tenth grade, as he was considered not tall enough. He went on to reach 6ft 6in (1.98m) and played for the Chicago Bulls team. Contemporaries such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird have acclaimed him as the best player ever. Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron are both well known baseball players, and John Elway was an American football quarterback.

Answer: Peter Ustinov

Sir Peter Ustinov was much more than an actor, also being known as a director, raconteur and broadcaster among his many talents. He was born in London in 1921 - his father had Russian and German heritage. Ustinov appeared in many films and won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for 'Spartacus' (1960) and 'Topkapi' (1964). He also played Hercule Poirot in three films including 'Death on the Nile' (1978) and three 'made for television' films.

The other three choices were English actors born around the same time as Ustinov.

Answer: Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy was the author of the epic novel 'War and Peace', which is more than 1200 pages long and divided into four 'books'. He also wrote 'Anna Karenina', which has also become a classic novel. Tolstoy attended the University of Kazan, but left before obtaining his degree. Accounts of his life at this time all refer to debauchery, with a love for women and alcohol taking precedence over his studies. Despite his own failings, Tolstoy went on to set up schools for peasant children in Russia, which led to conflict with the Russian authorities.

The other options are also Russian authors, but primarily dramatists and poets.

Answer: Charles Darwin

Robert Darwin, his father, was a physician and wanted Charles to follow in his footsteps. Charles studied medicine at Edinburgh University, but took little interest in his studies. This led to the outburst from his father, which began "you care for nothing but shooting, dogs and ratcatching" before ending with the words quoted in the question.

His father also initially refused permission for Charles to travel on "The Beagle" and had to be persuaded to agree. The visit to the Galapagos Islands drew the attention of Charles to the differences in species and the theory of natural selection.

The other choices were also English scientists.

Answer: Steven Spielberg

Spielberg showed minimal enthusiasm for school and obtained only average grades. His interest was in making films, which he started at a young age, using an 8mm camera. Spielberg's lack of school qualifications meant that he failed to gain admittance to the University of Southern California's film school, although they gave him an honorary degree in 1994. Spielberg's breakthrough came in 1975 with 'Jaws' and he has also won the Oscar for Best Director for 'Schindler's List' (1993) and 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998).

The other directors named appear to have completed their schooling without problems.