Quizzes

Quiz # 29

11:19 am on 15 April 2016

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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.

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Q 1 What does RSVP stand for?

A Répondez s'il vous plaît

It is French for please respond. Etiquette requires a response to an invitation with the letters RSVP to indicate your attendance, or not.

Q 2 What is the circumference of Earth at the equator?

  1. 37,000 km
  2. 40,000 km
  3. 43,000 km
  4. 46,000 km

A 40,075 km

The Earth is an oblate spheroid, means it is squashed in one dimension. The circumference measured through the poles is about 67 km less than around the equator.

Q 3 The Statue of Liberty was NOT made in the USA. Where was it made?

  1. Germany
  2. Canada
  3. France
  4. Italy

A France

The Statue of Liberty was designed by a French sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and gifted to the United States as a symbol of friendship. It was built by Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Parisian tower that bears his name.

Q 4 Coleman, Dvorak and Workman are all types of what?

  1. Clock gears
  2. Keyboard layout
  3. Locking mechanism

A Keyboard layout

The Dvorak is the most commonly used keyboard layout after QWERTY. It was designed to be more efficient, moving the most commonly used letter to the home row. The QWERTY layout arose due to mechanical constraints in first typewriters, but was not standardised until the Remington No. 2 was released in 1878.

Q 5 Which was the first permanent lighthouse in New Zealand?

  1. Pencarrow Head
  2. Tiritiri Matangi
  3. Cape Reinga
  4. Cape Palliser

A Pencarrow Head

Commissioned in 1859, its first lighthouse keeper was Mary Jane Bennett the only woman to hold the position in New Zealand. She'd taken over the operation of a beacon at the some location after the death of her husband, and continued until being appointed official keeper when a permanent lighthouse was built.

In 1935 it was decommissioned when the Baring Head Lighthouse was built and in 1966 the New Zealand Historic Places Trust took over its care. Today it is Category 1 Historic Place.

Q 6 If you worked with frangible nuts you'd be a?

  1. Food technologist
  2. Mechanic
  3. Aerospace engineer

A Aerospace engineer

A frangible nut is one that can be explosively split. NASA use them to sever mechanical connections between rocket boosters and the launch pad.

Q 7 How many Earth years does Pluto take to go around the sun?

  1. 150
  2. 207
  3. 248
  4. 293

A 248.09

Pluto was discovered in 1930, which means it won't be in the same position again until March 23, 2178.

Q 8 How many frets on a standard classical guitar?

  1. 19
  2. 21
  3. 23

A 19

Q 9 Is combustion exothermic or endothermic?

A Exothermic

Exothermic reactions give off heat energy, endothermic reaction consume energy. This video has a demonstration of both, along with an explanation of what is happening at a molecular level.

Q 10 When was Poppy Day first held?

  1. 1919
  2. 1922
  3. 1925
  4. 1927

A 1922

The first Poppy Day was held on 24 April 1922. Two versions of the poppy were sold - a small one for 1 shilling, and a larger version for 2 shillings. A total of 260,000 were sold netting £13,000.

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The Quizmaster

Is the Quizmaster the source of all knowledge? Or do they just use the internet like eveyone else? Super search skills might not help you with these quizzes - their knowledge comes from outside of time and space. We get these quizzes via courier pigeon each Friday. Enjoy!

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