Quiz #22 - It's raining Batmen
We hope you are enjoying our quizzes. We think you'll find them tougher than others but also more rewarding.
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 Which countries are part of the United Kingdom?
A England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
The UK originally included all of Ireland, from 1801, but in 1922 southern Ireland became a free state.
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK, and are known as dependencies of the Crown.
Q 2 What is the longest palindomic word in the English language? (We are not making this one multi-choice; that would be too easy.)
A Tattarrattat or detartrated
Tattarrattat is a made up term meaning a knock on the door, and was coined by James Joyce in his 1922 book Ulysses.
Detartrated holds the Guinness work record for the longest palindromic word. It is the past participle of detartrate, a chemical term meaning to remove tartrates.
Q 3 Who had a hit with the song It's Raining Men?
A The Weather Girls
This soul duo's career peaked in 1982 with the hit It's Raining Men. You really must see the video.
Q 4 How many actors have player Batman in live-action film or TV as at February 2016?
A 7
Here is the the complete list:
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Lewis G Wilson
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Robert Lowery
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Adam West
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Michael Keaton
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Val Kilmer
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George Clooney
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Christian Bale
Ben Affleck will play the caped crusader in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And no answer would be complete though without mentioning some of the voice actors who've played Batman in his animated adventures: Will Arnett, Olan Soule, Kevin Conroy, Will Friedle, Rino Romano, Diedrich Bader, Jeremy Sisto, Bruce Thomas and Roger Craig Smith.
You can read more about all of these at the Den Of Geek. The phrase "I am Batman" has become a bit of a film meme, with many actors using the phrase for dramatic or comic effect. Here is a compilation of actors using the phrase.
We think it is a shame that the phrase "I am Quizmaster" is unlikely to also reach cult status.
Q 5 Which way do cyclones spin in the southern hemisphere?
A Clockwise
This is due to the rotation of the Earth and is called the Coriolis effect. Some say that the water in toilets and bathtubs also swirls in a particular direction, and this has been tested many times. No spoilers here, you'll have to watch the video.
Q 6 Which country was the first to adopt a standard time-zone country-wide?
A New Zealand
New Zealand Mean Time was set on November 2, 1868, and was 11 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Q 7 How many players from an ice hockey team are on the ice at any one time?
A 7
The basic rules are clear - there are 6 on ice and one goaltender. This is one of the most dangerous positions to play as the puck can reach over 130 km/h during a goal shoot. A slapshot can propel the puck at over 160 km/h.
Q 8 From what food did Popeye the Sailor Man get his strength?
A Spinach
If you do not like eating spinach we recommend that you read the Wikipedia article about it. It won't give you super-human strength, but a 100 grams serving contains only 23 calories while containing many vital nutrients.
Q 9 Which breed of cat is hairless?
A Sphynx
The Sphynx breed is the result of selective breeding that started in the 1960s, and while it has no fur it does have very fine hairs. Sphynxs are susceptible to skin cancer due to the lack of fur, and can also have other health issues such as heart disease, most likely stemming from the limited gene pool in breeding animals.
Q 10 Which planet has the hottest average surface temperature?
A Venus
The planet is second closest to the Sun, but temperatures can reach over 460°C. Mercury, the closest to the sun, is slightly cooler, peaking at about 427°C.
Venus is hotter than Mercury because of the greenhouse effect - its atmosphere is almost 100 percent carbon dioxide and is about 90 times thicker than that of Earth.
