FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Toxic Trivia 2 Trivia Quiz

If you are interested in poisons, I hope you find this quiz 'intoxicating'!

A multiple-choice quiz by MotherGoose. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
MotherGoose

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
97,614

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1109

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. When it was first introduced to Europe by the Spanish, this vegetable was thought to be poisonous. Botanically speaking, it is actually a fruit. What is this common fruit or vegetable? Hint

Eggplant

Capsicum

Tomato

Cucumber

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. According to Robert Graves's book 'Claudius The God', the Emperor Claudius was poisoned by his wife Agrippina. What type of food did Agrippina poison, then offer to him? Hint

Olives

Figs

Mushrooms

Dates

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. In 1989, the world's first poisonous bird was discovered. It is called the pitohui. In which country was it found? Hint

Australia

Guam

India

Papua New Guinea

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following bacteria is responsible for Toxic Shock Syndrome? Hint

E. coli

Staphylococcus

Campylobacter

Salmonella

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Andrew Jackson (7th President of the USA) died in 1845 of lead poisoning. Which of the following factors caused it? Hint

A duel in 1806 where a bullet lodged permanently in his chest

All three choices are correct

A bullet lodged in his left shoulder for 19 years

His medicinal use of "sugar of lead" (the acetate)

6. Rasputin was a peasant monk who wielded considerable power in Russia because of his influence over Tsar Nicholas and his family. In 1916, Prince Yusupov and a group of aristocrats decided to assassinate him. They invited him to a midnight banquet and served cake and wine liberally laced with which poison? Hint

Strychnine

Cyanide

Arsenic

Morphine

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which poisonous alkaloid is found in tobacco leaves and was named after the French ambassador to Spain? Hint

Menthol

Creosote

Benzene

Nicotine

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Sir Douglas Mawson led the Australasian Antartic Expedition from 1911-1914, resulting in a knighthood for his achievements as an explorer and scientist. However, Mawson almost died during the expedition from an unusual type of poisoning. His companion Xavier Mertz did die. Which type of poisoning affected Mawson and Mertz? Hint

Mercury poisoning from eating fish

Vitamin A poisoning from eating husky dog liver

Ptomaine poisoning from eating seabirds

Cadmium poisoning by absorption from food storage containers

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In which of Shakespeare's plays was the king murdered when his brother poured poison into his ear while he slept? Hint

Macbeth

Hamlet

King Lear

Othello

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Which of the following phobias is the fear of being poisoned? Hint

Poinephobia

Kenophobia

Iophobia

Sitophobia

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When it was first introduced to Europe by the Spanish, this vegetable was thought to be poisonous. Botanically speaking, it is actually a fruit. What is this common fruit or vegetable?

Answer: Tomato

In France and northern Europe, the tomato was originally grown as an ornamental plant. Because it was identified as a relative of the poisonous belladonna and deadly nightshade, it was thought to be toxic too. When it was discovered to be edible, it was called the "love apple" (pomme d'amour) because it was believed to be an aphrodisiac.

2. According to Robert Graves's book 'Claudius The God', the Emperor Claudius was poisoned by his wife Agrippina. What type of food did Agrippina poison, then offer to him?

Answer: Mushrooms

The legend goes that Agrippina offered Claudius a mushroom from a dish she was eating. It was the only one that was poisoned but she was hoping he wouldn't be able to resist the particularly choice one she had prepared. Her ploy worked. Claudius was proclaimed a god after his death. Later on, his successor Nero jokingly referred to mushrooms as 'the food of the gods'.

3. In 1989, the world's first poisonous bird was discovered. It is called the pitohui. In which country was it found?

Answer: Papua New Guinea

Jack Dumbacher of Papua New Guinea caught a pitohui in his net. As he was removing it, the bird pecked at and scratched his fingers, which subsequently developed numbness. Studies showed that the feathers and the skin of the pitohui contain homobatrachotoxin, the toxin that is also found in the poison dart frog.

4. Which of the following bacteria is responsible for Toxic Shock Syndrome?

Answer: Staphylococcus

Although Staphylococcus is the usual cause, Toxic Shock Syndrome has also occurred in patients with streptococcal infections. And although we usually associate TSS with the use of tampons during menstruation, approximately half of all cases involve men, women who do not menstruate and menstruating women who do not use tampons.

5. Andrew Jackson (7th President of the USA) died in 1845 of lead poisoning. Which of the following factors caused it?

Answer: All three choices are correct

Jackson used lead acetate for his many ailments - he bathed his eyes in it, poured it into his wounds and drank it for abdominal cramps.

Answer: Cyanide

Rasputin reportedly consumed enough potassium cyanide to kill most human beings several times over but suffered no ill effects. He finally had to be shot five times and drowned in a sack before he would die. Why did the poison have no effect? Potassium cyanide rapidly deteriorates when exposed to air, heat or light, converting to harmless potassium carbonate. If the conspirators used potassium cyanide which was old or had not been stored correctly, the poison could have been quite harmless.

7. Which poisonous alkaloid is found in tobacco leaves and was named after the French ambassador to Spain?

Answer: Nicotine

Nicotine was named after Jean Nicot in the 1500's. The genus of tobacco plants, Nicotiana, is also named after him.

Answer: Vitamin A poisoning from eating husky dog liver

Mawson's diary describing his symptoms had doctors baffled for about 50 years. We now know they were the classic symptoms of Vitamin A poisoning.

9. In which of Shakespeare's plays was the king murdered when his brother poured poison into his ear while he slept?

Answer: Hamlet

Hamlet's uncle Claudius is the king of Denmark and his mother Gertrude is the queen. Hamlet's father was previously the King but Claudius murdered him to obtain the throne and his wife.

10. Which of the following phobias is the fear of being poisoned?

Answer: Iophobia

From the Greek ios (poison) and phobos (fear); also known as toxicophobia.

Source: Author MotherGoose

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.