Impressive performance. 20 right, 3 wrong, and two places where
*I* was wrong -- one a major blunder on my part, one poor wording.
You did far better than anyone else who has ever taken the quiz.
Taylor Kingston wrote:
I was going to ignore this, but finally decided to take a crack at
it. I think I have most of them right.
Guy Macon http://www.guymacon.com/ wrote:
01] How long did the Hundred Years War last?
About 116 years off and on, 1337-1453
Correct!
[02] What was New Mexico named after?
I give my answer with some trepidation, since it seems to lack the
irony inherent in the others, but as far as I can determine it was
named after (Old) Mexico, which ceded the New Mexico territory to the
USA in 1848.
Incorrect. New Mexico was named during the 1500s. The country
called Mexico came into being hundreds of years later in 1821.
[03] Which country makes most Panama Hats?
Ecuador
Correct! The Panama region of Ecuador, to be precise. A portion of
the Panama region of Ecuador became the country named "Panama" but
the majority of the hats have been made for more than 300 years
in the portion of the Panama region that remained part of the
country of Ecuador.
[04] In the story "1001 Arabian nights" what nationality was Aladdin?
Interesting - checking Richard Francis Burton's translation of
"Arabian Nights" (first published in the 1880s), I can find no
character named Aladdin. The closest match is Ala al-Din, son of Cairo
merchant Shams al-Din, but his story does not seem to involve genies
from magic lamps.
Incorrect. The Sir Richard Francis Burton translation is online he
http://mfx.dasburo.com/an/a_index_commented.html ]
and the story told on night 29 is he
[
http://mfx.dasburo.com/an/a_night_29.html ].
The title is "Aladdin; Or, The Wonderful Lamp"
Aladdin and his father lived in China.
The story also says that a "dervish from the Maghrib, the Land of the
Setting Sun" who was "a Moorman from Inner Morocco" misrepresented
himself as being the brother of Aladdin's father -- and presumably
of the same race -- but it also says that Morocco was his "adopted
country" and that "hath reappeared from his exile." From this I
conclude that Aladdin's father and presumably his mother were native
to China where they lived.
BTW, this question is phrased incorrectly; the "Arabian Nights" is
not _a_ story, but a collection of several hundred stories.
Thanks! You are right. I will correct my error, and I really
appreciate you calling it to me attention.
[05] What nationality were the original Pennsylvania Dutch?
German
Correct!
[06] From which animal do we get Catgut?
Ungulates such as sheep and goats. Never from cats.
Correct!
[07] Which U.S. State is the farthest North?
Alaska
Correct!
South?
Hawaii
Correct!
East?
Alaska. Some of the Aleutian islands stretch from the western into
the eastern hemisphere, up to longitude 173 east, approximately.
Correct!
West?
Alaska again, for the same reason.
Correct!
[08] In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
Due to changing to the Gregorian calendar, what was October 24 is
now November 7.
Correct!
[09] What material was used to clad the sides of the US warship
"Old Ironsides"?.
You mean the USS Constitution? It was made mainly of oak,
specifically Southern live oak from Georgia. This proved tough enough
to withstand some cannon-fire, hence the nickname "Old Ironsides."
Correct!
[10] What is a Camel hair brush made of?
Variously from the hair of horses, squirrels, goats, sheep, and/or
bears.
Correct! Do you know wht it is called a Camel hair brush?
[11] The Canary Islands are named after what animal?
Dogs. In Latin "insula canaria" means "island of dogs."
Correct!
[12] What was King George VI's first name?
Albert
Correct! His full name was Albert Arthur Frederick George Windsor.
[13] What color is a Purple Finch?
Mainly brown. The males have a reddish (not really purple) head and
breast, and a sort of reddish wash over their otherwise brown wings.
The females are brown with whitish breasts.
Correct! Other descriptions I have seen are "Dusky rose red"
or "dark crimson red overlaying an off-gray" but your description
comes closer to the birds I have seen.
BTW, The latin name is Carpoedacus purpureus --"purple fruit eater."
Not only is the purple finch not purple, it eats mostly seeds.
[14] Where do the Cuban Lily and Confederate Rose come from?
The Cuban Lily comes from the western Mediterranean: Portugal, Spain
and environs. The Confederate Rose is a species of Hibiscus orignally
from China.
Correct! (Some sources say Japan, and I had incorrectly agreed,
but further research based on your answer shows that the flower
was depicted in Chinese art long before it was depicted in Japanese
art.)
[15] Upon what hill was the Battle of Bunker Hill fought?
Breed's Hill
Correct!
[16] Who is buried in Grant's tomb?
Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia.
Incorrect.
[17] What bird has the scientific name Puffinus puffinus puffinus?
The Manx Shearwater.
Correct!
The Atlantic Puffin is Fratercula arctica.
....and the Horned Puffin is Fratercula Corniculata, and
the Tufted Puffin is Fratercula Cirrhata..
[18] What is another word for Thesaurus?
Snynonymy
I am going to assume that that second letter "n" was a typo.
and say you got it right. "Synonymy" is correct.
Nobody has ever gotten this one right without looking at the
answers on my website or in one of my posts. I am curious;
did you know the answer before I posted it?
[19] What color are White Rhinos?
Gray, like most rhinos.
Correct!
[20] How long did the Thirty Years War last?
30 years, give or take a few months. 1618-1648.
Correct! For some strange reason many people expect a trick question...
[21] A man travels due south for one kilometer. He turns left
90 degrees and travels due east for one kilometer, at
which point he shoots a bear. He then turns left 90
degrees and travels due north for one kilometer, returning
to the exact spot he left from.
[21a] What color is the bear?
[21b] What direction is the wind blowing from at the
starting/ending point?
The man starts at the North Pole, from which all directions are
south. The bear is a white polar bear. The described itinerary is also
possible starting from a point very near the South Pole, but there are
no bears there.
Correct! (And very few get that second location, or incorrectly
miss the lack of bears there.)
BTW, There are an infinite number of possible starting points near
the south pole, and not just then obvious case of different places
on a circle that is 1 kilometer + 1/Pi kilometers from the pole.
Where are they?
--
Guy Macon
http://www.guymacon.com/