The 2008 King William's College Quiz...

[fajrdrako]

As we did last year, my friends and I are trying to get the answers to The 2008 King William's College Quiz. It's an annual quiz given to the students at this college on the Isle of Man. First they to it off the top of their heads, then they get it as an open-book test for a while. There's a prize for the person who gets the most questions right.

It's a great challenge. Part of the fun is figuring out the questions, let alone the answers. Each section has a theme, but it can be tricky to figure out what that theme is.

If you want to read the questions without my attempted answers (and those of my friends), don't read my entry here - go to the questions as listed in The Guardian.

Most people can get at least two or three answers off the top of their heads. Clever people with good memories might get a bunch more. I was discussing it yesterday with friends aged 11 and 13; they each got almost as many questions as I did. We're not talking high numbers. Eleanor (aged 11) knew the Ugly Duckling question, and the Lewis Carroll.

The rest - hard slogging and a serious challenge of research expertise, perseverance, and a twisted mind. Sometimes random association of ideas and buried memories are the way to go. Sometimes... not.

I don't want to take credit for answers I didn't get, so I'll credit my friends by first name or (when I know them) by LJ name. I'll put questions in bold, answers in plain, uncertain answers in italics.

Help is welcome!

General knowledge paper 2008-2009, sat by the pupils of King William's College, Isle of Man
"Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est". [Translating the motto isn't part of the quiz, but I love it: "To know where to find information is the most important part of education."]

1) During the year 1908:

1. who announced T?

- Henry Ford's Motor Company. The model T Ford was first manufactured in 1908. - Simon ("Why, it's the model T Ford made the trouble, made the people want to get, want to get up and go..." Oops, sorry, had a Music Man moment there.)

1-2. who finished at 59 with 15 and 25?

- W.G. Grace, a cricket reference. I have no clue about his one. He made his 880th and final first-class appearance (aged 59) on 20-22 April 1908 for the Gentlemen of England v Surrey at The Oval, where, opening the innings, he scored 15 and 25. - Colin

1-3. what confectionery was inspired by Shaw?

- The Chocolate Soldier, inspired by Shaw's play "Arms and the Man" - Simon

1-4. who gained her second first at an old east-coast fort?

1-5. where did the Thomas Flyer arrive on the Asiatic mainland?

- Vladivostock - 1908 New York to Paris Road Race - Simon

1-6. whose birthday present was cut into nine pieces for the family headdress and other equipment?

- the Cullinan Diamond belonging to King Edward VII of England - Sue

1-7. whose resignation pre-empted his demise by just 16 days?

- Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of England - Sue

1-8. which tale launched a nouveau riche boy-racer?

- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was first published in 1908. - Sue

1-9. for whom was Lord Hugh best man?

- Winston Churchill - "Hugh Cecil, 1st Baron Quickswood was the best man at Churchill's wedding in 1908." - Sue

1-10. what event elevated Manuel?

- Manuel II, 1889–1932, king of Portugal (1908–10)succeeded to the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother

2) Who began what by: [Theme: first lines of novels]

2-1. recalling unusual citrous abundance?

- Laurence Durrell, The Alexandria Quartet: "The oranges were more plentiful than usual that year."

2-2. describing his subject's physiognomy with a succession of v's?

- Dashiell Hammet, Sam Spade: "Sam Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostril's curled back to make another, smaller, v... The v motif was picked up again by thickish brows rising outward from twin creases above a hooked nose, and his pale brown hair grew down - from high flat temples - in a point on his forehead. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan."

2-3. justifying the creation of a short palindromic nickname for "himself"?

Pip in "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens - "MY father's family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." - maaseru

2-4. describing the emergence at dawn of a moustached little man with bowlegs?

- Billy Buck, The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. "At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a moment on the porch looking up at the sky. He was a broad, bandy-legged little man with a walrus mustache, with square hands, puffed and muscled on the palms."

2-5. recalling melancholy inspiration from early evening sights and sounds in a rural churchyard?

- Thomas Grey, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

2-6. suggesting that it was generally accepted that a well-heeled loner must be looking for a lady?

- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." - me and most of my friends, including rosiespark

2-7. describing a studio filled with the scents of roses, lilac and pink-flowered thorn?

- Oscar Wilde, The Portrait of Dorian Gray: "The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn." - me, rosiespark, others

2-8. describing his hero facing execution and recalling the –discovery of ice?

- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude: "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliana Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice." - me, Simon, Thomas

2-9. recalling a send-off from family and friends at Charing Cross?

- E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread: "They were all at Charing Cross to see Lilia off--Philip, Harriet, Irma, even Mrs. Herriton herself." - Jan

2-10. providing an alibi for the white kitten?

- Lewis Caroll, Through the Looking Glass: "One thing was certain, that the WHITE kitten had had nothing to do with it: -- it was the black kitten's fault entirely." - me, Eleanor, rosiespark

3) [Early telegrams and radio]

3-1. Whose ground-breaking effort quoted Numbers XXIII, 23?

Numbers 23 is "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!" - The last phrase was used in the first telegram, sent by Samuel Morse. - Sue

3-2. Who wired who confirming worst fears and requesting gumboots?

- Flora Poste, in Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. - Sue

3-3. Whose telegram caused Dew to hasten westward on the Laurentic?

- Captain Henry Kendall. In 1910 he was sailing the Montrose to Canada with London murderer Dr Crippen on board. He radioed Inspector Dew of Scotland Yard, who was able to take a faster ship, the Laurentic and get to Montreal in time to arrest Crippen coming off the boat. - Sue

3-4. Who, on sighting the enemy, urgently requested a firearm and 300 bullets?

- The stationmaster at Voi.

Many stories are still told and re-told concerning the Great War as it affected the Tsavo. The attitude of the British in Kenya at that time might
be summed up by the famous telegram sent by the stationmaster at Voi to his headquarters in Nairobi saying: "Just sighted 300 Germans. Please send one rifle and 300 rounds of
ammunition. Very urgent."

- Mickey

3-5. Whose expression of delight was accompanied by a request for a patent oil cooking stove?

- Arthur Davies in The Riddle of the Sands. - Sue

3-6. With what single word did the defeated Governor allegedly advise cancellation of the papal travel arrangements?
3-7. Who described a suave, Bohemian, elderly, storekeeper in the Commercial Road?
3-8. Which repetitious message prompted the query "Does that mean Yes?"

- In Swallows and Amazons, "Better drowned than duffers - if not duffers won't drown." - Sue

3-9. Who discovered a crumpled telegram reading "Suivez à Bokhare Saronov"?

- Leithen, in The Power House by John Buchan. - Sue

"It was in French, and I read it quite clearly. It had been sent from Vienna, but the address was in some code. "Suivez a Bokhare Saronov" — these were the words. I finished my collection of the cigarettes, and turned the lid over again on the telegram, so that its owner, if he chose to look for it diligently, might find it."

3-10. On what occasion was the royal wrath not expressed in code?

- Queen Victoria sent a telegram to Goldstone after the death of General Gordon. "The British press put the blame of Gordon's death on Gladstone, who was charged with excessive slowness in sending relief to Khartoum. He was rebuked by Queen Victoria in a telegram which became known to the public." - Mickey
4)

4-1. What is the Island of Sheep? [This section seems to be about Scottish islands.]

- "The Island is in "The Norlands" which is a fictionalised version of The Faroes." - Simon. Soay - Buster.

4-2. Where did the sea cave inspire Op 26?

- Fingal's Cave, in the Island of Staffa, in the "Hebrides Overture" by Felix Mendelssohn. - me, Simon, Lyn

4-3. Where was Magnus Erlendsson executed?

- Egilsay in the Orkney Islands. Magnus Erlendsson was St. Magnus. This was one I knew off the top of my head, having visited his church in Orkney. (Simon added, citing the Orkneyinga Saga for his information, "all roads lead to Dunnett." Well, in Orkney, they do!) - me, Simon

4-4. What was David's gift to the Berkshire monks?

- The Isle of May - Buster and others. From Guide to the East Neuk of Fife by D Hay Fleming: "It was probably because of its association with Adrian, that King David the First founded a monastery on the Isle of May, "before the middle of the twelfth century, which he forthwith granted to the Benedictine Abbey of Reading in Berkshire, recently founded by his brother-in-law, Henry Beauclerc." The monks of Reading were bound by the charter of donation to maintain nine priests on the May to pray for David's soul."

4-5. Where did an amputated digit earn its owner the right to build a monastery?

4-6. Where did the great grandson of King John III make his first British landfall?

Eriskay. The grandson of John III of Poland was Bonnie Prince Charlie. - Simon

4-7. Where is the unique mutton derived from a diet of Laminaria?

- North Ronaldsay. Here I jump up and down waving my hand because I knew the answer - a trip to Orkney was useful in answering this section. North Ronaldsay has very strange, distinctive sheep who eat a kind of kelp called Laminaria. I have photos of them in my photo album. (The sheep, not the kelp.) Simon got this one, too.

4-8. Where was quarantine enforced for 48 years?

Gruinard Island - Anthrax. Simon.

4-9. To what was Meg's deafness compared?

- Ailsa Craig. From Robbie Burns:

Duncan fleech'd and Duncan pray'd
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't!),
Meg was deaf as Ailsa Craig
(Ha, ha, the wooing o't!)

Funny, until I looked up Ailsa Craig just now, I thought Burns was referring to a woman of that name. Oops.

4-10. Where was Andie Dale the prefect?

- The Bass Rock, in Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson. - Simon
5) Travelling from Nordic lands, try unravelling:

5-1. the eponymous traitor,

- Vidkun Quisling - Norwegian Prime Minister who collaborated with the Nazis in World War II.

5-2. then Merrill's famed fisherman partner

- Jussi Bjorling, who sang in The Pearl Fishers by Bizet with Robert Merrill.

5-3. and a misplaced cygnet,

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, the story of a swan hatched among ducks. - me, rosiespark, Eleanor, Margot

5-4. contrasting with a little anser,

Gosling - 17catherines

5-5. thousands of whose elders visit a Waddenzee barrier island,

- Terschelling - Helen (Terschelling is one of the islands in the Waddenzee)

5-6. while in Belgium, memories of Ursula are awakened by a Flemish Primitive,

Hans Memling - 17catherines

5-7 and in the Amblève, or perhaps the Lesse, one might confusingly make geometry a sport

Angling - pun on 'fishing' and angles in geometry

5-8 and try to catch a little trout

Fingerling - a young trout

5-9 or even its seemingly lepidopteran relative

- Der Schemetterling? - Buster

5-10 before celebrating in Germany with Piesport's speciality

At a guess... Reisling? Piesport is in Rhineland-Palatinate, Reisling comes from near the Rhine.

6) Who:

6-1. was Foolish?

- James VI of Scotland - "The Wisest Fool in Christendom" - me, Thomas. Also possibly Charles VI "Le Fou" of France, but "Le Fou" doesn't mean "the Foolish".

6-2. was Rodrigo de Borja y Borja?

- Pope Alexander VI, Lucretia's Borgia's father - me

6-3. invested Henry Sinclair as Earl of Orkney?

- King Haakon VI of Norway

6-4. had a half-sister sired by his –father's physician?

- Frederick VI, King of Denmark - Heike

6-5. founded a Siamese school, which was later named in his honour?

- King Vajiravudh of Siam, 19881-1925, also known as King Rama VI

6-6. was born on the 34th annversary of the death of his great grandfather and the 17th of that of his great aunt?

- George VI of England, who was born Dec. 14, 1895. His great grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Consort of Queen Victoria) died Dec. 4, 1861. Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and the Rhine, died on that day in 1878. - me, and Suzanne

6-7. was the offspring of parents sharing the same grandmother?

- Frederick VI of Denmark. Maybe? Or Philip VI of France? I'm too sleepy now to unravel the geneologies.

6-8. was the 36th and last in a line started in 1299?

- Mehmed VI, last of the Ottoman(Osmanli) emperors of Turkey. - me

6-9. was blinded by his mother Irene?

- Constantine VI of Byzantium - Thomas, Viviana, me

6-10. was tripartite?

- Henry Vi of England, "tripartite" in that Shakespeare wrote his story as Part I, Part II and Part III. - me, Thomas
7)[Languages]

7-1. Which language was developed by a Polish ophthalmologist?

Esperanto, whose originator, Doktoro L.L. Zamenhof, was a Polish philologist and opthamalogist. - me (also roseiespark, David, and a few others)

7-2. Which language of the Romance group has a definite article suffix?

- Romanian - gillo and others


7-3. Of which European language is the origin unknown, even to the experts?

- Basque

7-4. Which geographically Scandinavian language is not linguistically Scandinavian?

- Saami

7-5. Which European language is the only survivor of its branch of the Indo-European group?

- Simon suggests Tocharian, but the use of the present tense here makes me think this isn't it - Tocharian was spoken in China but is now extinct. iclysdale suggests Romani. Hmm - I like that. Other good suggestion: Greek.

7-6. Which Slavonic language is spoken in a country whose national language is not Slavonic?

- Slovenian in Austria. - Simon Sorbian - Kerstin Russian in Latvia - Helen

7-7. Which European language is spoken by about 1% of the population of Switzerland?

- Romansh - Simon, David

7-8. Which European language has a past tense form which looks like a future?

- Catalan - Mickey

7-9. Which Slavonic language has done away with the case forms of nouns?

- Simon suggested Russia, but I think they have some cases still. (See http://www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/case.html.) Kerstin thinks Bulgarian.

7-10. Which European national language still retains the dual number?

- Slovene. "but also Icelandic" - Simon.
8) What: [Crustaceans]

8-1. is also a game using 28 marbles?

- Abalone, a game and a shellfish - Buster

8-2. formed part of a linear horti–cultural decoration?

- Cockle shells? - "Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow, with silverbells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row" - Sue

8-3. are typically preserved in seasoned butter in Lancashire?

- Shrimps - Sue

8-4. when released in America, suggested involvement with Christine Keeler?

- The Amorous Prawn. The American title was The Playgirl and the War Minister.

8-5. are geographically confusing names of what is neither one thing nor the other?
8-6. pelecypod was perhaps familiar to the pupils (and their successors) of Rev Thomas Langhorne?

- Mussels, from Musselburgh, where the Rev. started the Loretto House boarding school. - Sue

8-7. did the man from the Borough regard as the invariable accompaniment of poverty?

- Oysters, with a reference to Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers: "It's a wery remarkable circumstance, sir," said Sam, "that poverty and oysters always seem to go together." - Sue

8-8. legs are found in unbaled water together with tangled lines?

- Crabs. From Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas: "Fishermen grumble to their nets. Nogood Boyo goes out in the dinghy _Zanzibar_, ships the oars, drifts slowly in the dab-filled bay, and, lying on his back in the unbaled water, among crabs' legs and tangled lines, looks up at the spring sky."

8-9. nominally, has blue representatives in another kingdom?

- Periwinkle, which is both a mollusc and a blue flower.

8-10. when baked too brown, must sugar his hair?

- The Lobster. 'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare ' You
have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.' (Lewis Caroll again) -

9) Journeying on what, between which termini, might one's thoughts turn to: [Named trains]

9-1. sleepwalking?

- "Bellini" - (Rome to Palermo)

9-2. elliptical orbits?

- "Johannes Kepler" (Prague to Leipzig) - Kerstin

9-3. the quintessential libertine?

- The Casanova Casanova from Venice to Ljubliana - Sue

9-4. a soldier without a passport?

- Budapest to Prague - from The Good Soldier Svejk - Kerstin

9-5. the founding father of the EU?

- "Jean Monnet". Brussels to Basle. Jean Monnet is the founding father of the ECSC, and various other proto-EU organisations. - Kerstin

9-6. the royal prisoner of Sönderborg?

- "Sibelius" (Helsinki to St. Petersburg)
King Christian II of Denmark was a prisoner in Sonderburg castle (Simon Hedges). no trains of that name anywhere. However, Jean Sibelius has written a "King Christian II Suite", and there is a "Sibelius" train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg - Kerstin.
9-7. Judith and three mute wives?

- "Bela Bartok" (Frankfurt-Budapest) Bela Bartok is the composer of
Bluebeard's Castle - Kerstin

9-8. clothed and naked versions?

The only clothed and naked versions I can think of are the Maja pictures by Goya, although there is a Goya station in Madrid - Sue

the "Francisco de Goya" which runs between Paris and Madrid - Kerstin.

9-9. the mount of Bellerophon?

- Pegasus - Train from Zurich-Amsterdam - Sue
9-10. melting clocks?

- "Salvador Dali" (Barcelona-Milan) - Kerstin

10) Which river:

10-1. received the defeated Aunus?
10-2. floats laden barges by banks of myosote?
10-3. was central to the non-payment of a mayoral debt?
10-4. was identified without doubt by the discovery of the initials AD

- Andrea Debono in Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne

Suddenly he grasped Kennedy’s arm, exclaiming: 'Look! look!'
'Letters!'
Yes; there, indeed, could be descried, with perfect precision of outline, some letters carved on the rock. It was quite easy to make them out: 'A. D.'
'A.D.!' repeated Dr. Ferguson. 'Andrea Debono— the very signature of the traveller who farthest ascended the current of the Nile.'

10-5. saw Captain Schenk acquire an engineer to replace the deceased Walter?

- The Danube, in Greenmantle by John Buchan

10-6. despite being in flood, could be crossed dry-shod following clerical plantar immersion?
10-7. provided drinks for kine, and horses, and little humorous donkeys?

- The Oise - Travels with a Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson

10-8. along with Cairo was passed unnoticed by the raft in the fog?

- The Ohio - Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Buster

10-9. was a source of shelly snails and green lettuces?

- The Amazon, in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

10-10. witnessed a case of unwitting filicide?

- The Oxus, Matthew Arnold, Sohrab and Rustum. "Rustum killed his son Sohrab unaware that, until he was dying, that Sohrab was his son. Sorhab's mother did not let Rustum know he had had a son, as she did not want her son to be warlike like his father and be killed in battle. Rustum fought the young man in a duel by the side of the river."

'Unwillingly the spirit ebbed away,
regretting the warm mansion it had left.
And youth, and bloom, and this delightful world.'
- Ann

11) Who or what: [Stanley]

11-1. had instinct?

- Rose Stanley, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

11-2. reds started as Villa?

- Accrington Stanley

11-3. uniquely, got three in whose match?

- Stanley Mortensen. Hat trick in 1953 Cup Final - Kerstin

11-4. claimed continuing labial adhesiveness?

- Stanley Baldwin - "My Lips Are Sealed" - Kerstin

11-5. was formerly William and succeeded Louis?

11-6. in repetitive utterances, anticipated Glyn Daniel et al?

- General Stanley, the Modern Major General of the song by Gilbert and Sullivan.

11-7. described a small arm accident on 17/6/15?

- Stanley Holloway - "Pick up thy musket, Sam" which starts Twas the night before
Wortaloo - Simon

11-8. was executed at Bolton after Worcester?

- James Stanley, Earl of Derby - Battle of Worcester, 1651 - Kerstin and Helen

11-9. was targeted by Nat and Dermot?

- Stanley Webber in The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter

11-10. was presumptuous?

- Henry M. Stanley, who said, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

12) Where: - the answers here are all pubs in Dickens. Buster came up with most of the answers, a few of which I knew but couldn't name.

12-1. was the mistress leguminous? The Blue Dragon, Mrs Lupin in Martin Chuzzlewit - Mickey
12-2. were the Harmonic Meetings regularly held? Sol's Arms, Bleak House
12-3. was Rogue resuscitated after his prolonged immersion? Six Jolly Fellowship Porters, Our Mutual Friend [I love that name!]
12-4. did the circus manager point out that "People must be amuthed"? Pegasus Arms, Hard Times
12-5. did the curate speak for one hour and 25 minutes at an anti-slavery meeting? Goat and Boot, in Sketches by Boz, "The Curate"
12-6. did a little, yellow high-shouldered man, with a fixed grim smile, tell about a queer client? The Magpie and Stump, Pickwick Papers
12-7. did the landlord report that Phil was so drunk that a boy might take him? The Three Cripples, Oliver Twist
12-8. did the Yorkshire schoolmaster interview tutors and pupils? The Saracen's Head, Nicholas Nickleby
12-9. did the strange man stir his rum-and-water with a file? Three Jolly Bargemen, Great Expectations
12-10. did the hangman bind the old man to his chair? The Maypole Porch, Barnaby Rudge

13) [American Presidents]

13-1. Who remained a bachelor?
13-2. Who had been ADC to Mad Anthony?

- William Henry Harrison - Simon

13-3. Who was described as a withered little apple-john?

- James Madison - Simon

13-4. Whose nickname was perfect for a slogan of approval?

- Dwight D Eisenhower - "I like Ike" - Simon

Or:

"The phrase "OK" most likely was born during Marty's campaign for re-election as President
in 1840. That same year a Democratic organization was formed in New York that called
itself the "O.K Club", which was named for Marty's home town of Kinderhook, New York,
which was commonly referred to as Old Kinderhook. The letters "OK" began appearing as
slogans, written on posters and appearing in newspapers, with no one explaining what it
stood for. Some claimed it stood for the old English words "Ole Kurrek", meaning "all
correct", while opposition supporters made up meanings for it, like "Out of Kash". The
campaign was effective enough that one newspaper preferred reversing the letters to "KO",
since the campaign was said to be like a knock-out punch. Van Buren lost the election but
the campaign slogan lived on and is now used in countless languages around the world."
http://www.christers.net/veeps/martin-van-buren.html
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1054 - Viviana


13-5. Who enlisted as a private, but came out as a brevet major?

- Rutherford B. Hayes - Simon

13-6. Who maintained that silence ensured no need for repetition?

- Clavin Coolige - "Silent Cal" - Olive - "If you don't say anything, you won't be called on to repeat it."

13-7. Who, in his youth, admitted to cutting down a cherry tree?

- George Washington - Simon [unless we discount that story as untrue - did someone else do it?)

13-8. Who compared his strength to that of a male cervid?

- Theodore Roosevelt - msp_hacker
13-9. Who is remembered, nominally, in West Africa?

- James Monroe - Monrovia, Liberia is named after him. - Simon, Thomas, me

13-10. Which two died on the same day?

- Thomas Jefferson and John Adams - July 4, 1825. - Simon

14) Within the capital of which member state of the United Nations will you find:

14-1. calluna?

- New Zealand, Wellington. (Calluna or heather is also called ling.) - Kerstin

14-2. 3.14159?

- Samoa: Apia (contains 'pi') - Olive

14-3. that its alright?

- Japan, Tokyo - )contains 'ok') - Kerstin (Alternate: Bangkok)

14-4. a Windermere resident?

- Romania, Bucharest - (with the argument that there are char in Lake Windermere) - Mickey

14-5. a West Country watercourse?

- Canada, Ottawa (the River Taw in Devon) - Simon

14-6. a pudding distinguished by –ladies' fingers?

- Belgium: Brussels (russe, for Charlotte Russe)

14-7. a simian representative?

- Hungary, Budapest (ape) - Olive

14-8. a Tibetan monk?

- Pakistan, Islamabad (lama) - Olive

14-9. a semi-metal?

- Botswana, Gaborone (Boron) - Olive

14-10. nothing?

- Philippines, Manilla (nil) Kerstin

15) Who:

15-1. was morally pure in EC2?

- Moll Yellowhammer, in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton - Sue

15-2. shot Buffalo Bill at Belvedere, Ohio?

- A. Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs - Buster and Jenifer

15-3. went to the wrong church for her wedding?

- Fanny Robin, Far from the Madding Crowd - Viviana

15-4. believed, erroneously, that –Byron murdered Ezra Chater?

- Bernard Nightingale, in Arcadia by Tom Stoppard - Kerstin, jadesfire2808

15-5. killed Lord Frederick in a duel, following his return from Belgium?

- Sir Mulberry Hawk in Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - Simon

15-6. possessed nothing but the –contents of his wallet, the clothes he stood up in, the hare-lip, the automatic he should have left behind?

- Samuel Raven, in Gun for Sale by Graham Greene - Simon

15-7. was as little interested in love as in the habits of Trematodes?

- James Shearwater in Aldous Huxley's Antic Hay - Mickey

Chapter 5 "...replied Shearwater with candour. `The Great Wall of China, the political situation in Italy, the habits of Trematodes – all these are most interesting in themselves. But they aren't interesting to me; I don't permit them to be. I haven't the leisure.'" - Sue

15-8. wore white for her immolation on October 27?
15-9. advocated unlimited slaughter of bluejays?

- Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Buster

15-10. posed as Doctor Copernicus

- Garbriel Swan, Doctor Copernicus by John Banville

16) Following my leader, who or what: [Fishing flies]

16-1. is a Hampshire jewel?
16-2. decorated Findlater's label?

- Dry Fly

16-3. is meteorologically striking?

- Thunder & Lightning Salmon Single - Sue

16-4. houses Colum Cille's shrine?

- "The Dunkeld Fly is a good attractor pattern for rainbow and sea trout" - In 850 Dunkeld became the religious centre of Scotland when the relics of St Columba were moved here from Iona in the face of increasing Viking attacks on the west coast. - Sue

16-5. could be wild duck washed down with Ch. Latour?

- Mallard and Claret - Sue

16-6. might refer to poor Sarah's biliary obstruction?

- a Yellow Sally - Sue

16-7. is absolutely necessary to a ram?

- Tups Indispensible - Sue

16-8. was Anastasia's great aunt?

- Alexandra (a wet fly) - Jayne, Sue

16-9. could have been a crusader?

- Knight's Templar - Mickey

16-10. is a – musteline appendage?

- Stoat's Tail - Sue

17) In which town: (French towns in books)

17-1. did prisoner 24601 steal the episcopal silver?

- Digne - where Jean Valjean stole the Bishop's candlesticks. - me, Simon

17-2. did Lady de Winter poison the novice at the convent?

- Lille - The Three Musketeers - Buster

17-3. was the cathedral like a vast boudoir prepared for Emma?

- Rouen - Madame Bovary - Buster

17-4. did Jake, dining alone, drink a bottle of Ch. Margaux for company?

- Bayonne in The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. "about nine o'clock we got into Bayonne... I drank a bottle of wine for company. It was a Chateau Margaux. It was pleasant to
be drinking slowly and to be tasting the wine and to be drinking alone."

17-5 .did Duhamel ask that the crayfish should be very lightly boiled just seized?

- Alencon - The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brien - Buster

17-6. did la Baronne de la Chalonnière encounter Alexander Duggan at the Hôtel du Cerf?
17-7. did Holmes spend some months in a research into coal-tar derivatives?

- Montpellier - Buster, Thomas

17-8. were plum-coloured shoes removed to expose red stockings?
17-9. did Harry urge his uncle to enter and fortify the town?

- Harfleur - Henry V by Shakespeare: Act 3 Scene 3:

Open your gates. Come, uncle Exeter,
Go you and enter Harfleur; there remain,
And fortify it strongly ’gainst the French.

- Simon

17-10. did Hannay receive hellish news from Laidlaw?

- Alençon, in Mr Standfast by John Buchan. - Buster, Viviana, Simon

18) During 2008:

18-1. which gartered kiwi was laid to rest?

- Sir Edmund Hillary - New Zealander, member of the Order of the Garter - Simon, me, Thomas

18-2. which fine food has gained PGS in Leicestershire?

- Melton Mowbray pork pies, now a restricted geographical area product - gillo

18-3. who, following 2nd at 2K with 3 others, got 1st at 3K alone?
18-4 which sometime bulbous plant would seem to be involved with "arthrology"?
18-5. who made successive day trips to Abergele, Fountains Abbey and Mugdock?
18-6. where has the pancake bell ceased to signal the start of a race owing to health and safety issues?

- Olney

18-7. where did a giant arachnid briefly invade an apparently – coleopteran habitat?
18-8. what legendary diamond fell to the successors of the fictitious Misson?
18-9. who got six months for dis–honesty at White Plains?
18-10. whose jobcentre manager fetched £17.2m?

Obviously, this is a work in progress - I'm getting too tired to list more answers now, whether they're known or not. More later!

Comments

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, you know 2/9, I know you do. What if I gave you the hint of the author's name? Verne.

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

I think the theme for 5 is that they all end in 'ling', which fits with 5.1, Quisling, and 5.3, Ugly Duckling.

Therefore, I think 5.7 must be angling. 5.6 is Hans Memling, a Flemish Primitive who did the Holy Ursula Shrine.

5.4 might be gosling, since apparently geese belong to the genus Anser.

5.8 could be 'ling', a type of fish.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, you know 2/9, I know you do.

I do?

What if I gave you the hint of the author's name? Verne.

Verne, as in Jules?

[Blush]

I'm not sure I know any Verne references, unless they're in Alan Moore's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". I know he created Captain Nemo. What am I missing?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think the theme for 5 is that they all end in 'ling', which fits with 5.1, Quisling, and 5.3, Ugly Duckling.

...! Yes! Yes, you're brilliant! There it is... right in front of my nose.

Duckling, yes. Memling, yes. Gosling, yes.

I think 5.8 is 'angling'.

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

I thought that might be 5.7, because of the pun on angles and since fishing is nominally a sport.

Couldn't get very far with the other unanswered sections, though.

[msp-hacker.livejournal.com]

5. Which European language is the only survivor of its branch of the Indo-European group?

The answer to this is either Albanian or Armanian. I'm almost positive it's Albanian, but I'm not entirely sure.

Section 8, Question 15:

I have a theory that it's the Mission Saturn-Apollo 1 rocket. It was painted white, and was launched on the october 27

Section 13, Question 8:
Theodore Roosevelt comapred himself to a bull moose.

Section 14, Question 3:
OK Hotel in Seattle ( captial of Washington state ).

Section 14, Question 9:
Nakhon Si Thammarat is the captial in a province of Thailand, and had a arsenic comtamination problem with it's drinking water.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Section 7 answers, off the top of my head:

1. Esperanto, as almost all of us know.

2. Romanian, as proven here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_language#Grammar).

3. Basque, again as we all know.

4. Finnish, again as we all know.

5. Albanian, which is apparently proven here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_(language)#Classification).

6. Sorbian or Wendish, as noted here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbian_languages).

7. Romansch, as a lot of people knew.

8. My guess is French, as I was reading this (http://community.livejournal.com/medievalstudies/284357.html) recently.

9. I was leaning towards Serbo-Croatian, though here I will admit cluelessness.

10. My guess was Greek, as inspired by Katharevousa, but I was wrong. both Slovene and Icelandic are much better fits. :-)

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Ah, if you haven't read much Verne, then you won't know the answer immediately.

It's the start of Around the World in Eighty Days. Just one of those things that's stuck in my memory.

I noticed more answers, but it's 1:30am and I have to get to sleep, alas, as I have prep for a colonscopy tomorrow. (Nothing says Happy Holidays like a colonoscopy, eh? Feh.)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I should be going to bed now too. I'm so tired I can't put two brain cells together: Time to stop trying!

Good luck with the colonoscopy - I hope it's as quick and hassle-free as possible.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Also, in Section 3, #1, the answer is Samuel F.B. Morse, whose first telegraphic message quoted that last part of Numbers 23:23 (as noted here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morse#Telegraph)).

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

The following settles the issue for #10: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_grammatical_number#Use_in_modern_languages. Icelandic apparently does not have the dual anymore, but Slovene (and Scots Gaelic!) apparently do.

[order_of_chaos]

8-10: Lobster.
'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare ' You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair.' (Lewis Caroll again)

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

And in Section 3, #3, the answer is the skipper of the S.S. Montrose, Captain Henry George Kendall, who tipped off Insp. Walter Dew by wireless (as noted here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Dew#Arrest_of_Crippen).

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

The answer to this is either Albanian or Armanian ...

Hmmm. I had not thought of Armenian, but a case could be made for it too. Albanian is what first came to my mind, as quoted from the article "Albania" found in the 1963 Encyclopedia Britannica (memorized :-). Wikipedia, as I noted, has apparently confirmed it as well.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Been there, done that ... my sympathies too. At least for me the prep was painless, but the op itself was a pain (partly because I *hate* needles, and partly because I'm allergic to something I was given -- the sedative?).

[calime]

BTW, 4 can also be Sami language, I know that sometimes Fiunland is considered to be a part of Scandinavia, except, well, politico-culturally, maybe, yes, but definitely not geographically. So it'd depend on which definition of Scandinavia one uses. Here on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland no one'd dream to say Finland is part of Scandinavia no more than we'd claim Estonia is. Though we'd say we're both 'Nordic countries* *grin*.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

In Section 9), I have two answers:

6. The reference is probably to "the 331 meter long King Christian X's Bridge (Kong Christian Xs Bro), built in 1925 to 1930" which connects the two parts of the city of Sønderborg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Als_Island). The "royal prisoner of Sönderborg" is apparently a reference to Christian II of Denmark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8nderborg_Castle#History). [I might add that the Swedish letter 'ö' and Danish letter 'ø' apparently represent the same sound.]

9. On a winged horse (Pegasus) on the way to kill the "Chimaera," as noted here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus#Adventures).

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Good grief, this is addictive. I may see the dawn if I do not quit now. :-/

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I can add 15.4 - that's Bernard Nightingale in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. I'm trying not to look at the other answers until I've had a go myself!

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

for 7.4 a case could be made for Sa(a)mi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_languages), the languages of what is commonly known as the Laps. Saami land is in Norway and Sweden (and Finland and Russia) and so perhaps even more undisputedly in Scandinavia and it is certainly not related to the other Scandinavian languages.

post without answers

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

for a Dutch of a similar type: de grote anti-Google quiz (http://www.groene.nl/2008/51_52/De_Grote_Groene_Amsterdammer_Anti-Google_Quiz)

Re: post without answers

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I love these things!

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

You folks are amazing!

10-8 is the Ohio, from Huckleberry Finn

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So Sami might be right and might be wrong - ? Arrgh! So confusing! I suppose the question is, do the Manx think it's in Scandinavia or not? It'd be so much simpler if they'd called it 'Nordic' or 'Baltic' or something!

[calime]

8. along with Cairo was passed unnoticed by the raft in the fog? Wasn't it Ohio? I don't have Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at hand to check...