Quiz 19 : This one is a thriller
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Click on each question to reveal the answer, or click on the 'Show all the answers' link to see how you went and to learn more. Let us know any suggestions you have for improving the quiz by emailing quizmaster@radionz.co.nz.
Q 1 What year did TPP negotiations start?
A 2008
In 2008 a meeting was held to expand the existing 2005 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP). The existing signatories: New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, and Chile, were joined by Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Vietnam with the aim of expanding the agreement.
Q 2 Which author has had the most screen adaptations of their work?
A Shakespeare
This is according to the Guinness Book of Records. There are 410 so far, and Wikipedia has the whole list.
The lists for Dickens and Verne is also quite vast.
Extra for experts: How many of these can you name without looking at the list?
Q 3 What time did Winnie The Pooh's clock stop?
A Five minutes to 11
Elevenses refers to a short break taken at 11am, something that Winnie The Pooh was very fond of. It is always "time for a smackerel of something!"
Q 4 We know Batman's butler by his first name Alfred. What is his last name?
A Pennyworth
His full name is Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth.
Andrew Martin was the butler in the novella (and film) Bicentennial Man. Or if your prefer, the remake of The Parent Trap. Heathcliff is the butler in the movie Big Hero 6. Parker is Lady Penelope's butler in Thunderbirds.
It is amazing to consider that there is a Wikipedia list of fictional butlers. My guess is that some teacher is going to set this as homework one day.
Q 5 When was soap invented?
A 2800 BC
A formula for soap was found on a Babylonian clay tablet from around 2200 BC, although evidence of the production of a soap-like substance dates from 2800 BC.
Technically speaking liquid soap is actually a detergent.
Q 6 Which actor reads a poem at the end of Michael Jackson's song Thriller.
A Vincent Price
The last name on this list composed the song, You know the other three, I am sure.
A lot has beenwritten about the production of Thriller, but we suggest you watch the making of:
And the video itself:
People of a certain age know all the dance moves from the video. The quizmaster is not one of these.
Q 7 What do you call a group of unicorns?
A Blessing
A group of geese in the air is a skein. A group of larks is called an exaltation. Wombats hang out in a wisdom.
Some other fun group names are crossing (Zebra), leap (Leopard), charm (Hummingbird), and convocation (Eagles).
Here is a list of more. What is it with the Internet and lists?
Q 8 How high is Mount Everest (approximately)?
A 8,848 metres
Mount Everest is in the Mahalangur mountain range which spans the border of Nepal and Tibet. Other mountains in the range are almost as high - K2 (8,611m), Kangchenjunga (8,586m), Lhotse (8,516m), Makalu (8,485m), Cho Oyu (8,188m). In geological terms Everest is the line parent of these five peaks.
Q 9 Which language is spoken by the most people in the world?
A Mandarin
It is estimated that more than a billion people speak Mandarin. English is not even close at about 510 million.
As at February 2016 Ethnologue has documented 7,102 living languages.
Q 10 What temperature is the same in fahrenheit and celsius?
A -40
If you got this right you probably guessed it or new it already. You could have used algebra and here is how.
Q 11 Is coffee a bean, berry or seed?
A It is a seed.
We won't debate it with you, but instead share some facts about one of the strangest forms of coffee.
Kopi Luwak is a coffee that includes seeds collected from the faeces of the Asian palm civet. The civet eats the coffee cherry, and excretes the partly digested seed. These are collected and made into coffee.
Sadly, demand for the product has resulted in the factory farming of civets to produce high yields.
