Quiz #6 - Unicorns and Springboks
Q 1 Who composed Ka Mate, the haka used by the All Blacks?
A Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe and composed the haka around 1820. The All Blacks have used it since 1905.
The Crown passed the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Act 2014 in response to concerns about misuse of the haka. After the act was passed, a set of guidelines were published along with this a rich source of information (PDF) about Te Rauparaha and the haka.
Q 2 Where in New Zealand is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu?
A Hawke's Bay
To be precise, it is here.
For some unknown reason the name was used (with a mangled pronunciation) at the start of the Quantum Jump's 'The Lone Ranger'.
It is a very strange song that became popular after it was used by Kenny Everett on his TV show, but was banned by the BBC because of its references to drug use and homosexuality.
Q 3 How many feathers on a regulation badminton shuttlecock?
A 16
The Badminton World Federation's Laws of Badminton states that, "The shuttle shall have 16 feathers fixed in the base."
There is an official test for shuttlecock covering stability, flight distance, trajectory among things.
Q 4 What percentage of a watermelon is water?
A 92 percent.
Watermelon rind contains citrulline, a substance that appears to work as a natural aphrodisiac. The rind can be candied, picked, or made into chutney. Don't all rush to the supermarket at once, OK?
Q 5 What is the national animal of Scotland?
A Unicorn
Scotland is not the only country to have a mythical national animal. Wales has the dragon, Greece the phoenix and the Czech Republic has the double-tailed lion.
New Zealand's national animal is the kiwi. But you all knew that, didn't you?
Q 6 Who wrote The Three Musketeers?
A Alexander Dumas
The three musketeers were Porthos, Aramis, Athos. D'Artagnan does not join the musketeers unitl near the end of the book. All four characters are fictionalised versions of real people - Isaac de Pothau (Porthos), Henri d'Aramitz (Aramis), Armand d'Athos (Athos) and Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan ( D'Artagnan).
The novel itself was published in serial form March through to July 1844.
Q 7 What was ENIAC?
A Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer
When it was completed in 1945, ENIAC was considered to be the first electronic digital computer. We now know that Colossus, built in secret by the British to crack codes during the war, was first.
ENIAC was designed for general purpose computing, whereas Colossus was optimised for code breaking.
Q 8 Penn and Teller are magicians. Which one never speaks?
A Teller
Penn Jillette (the taller one) and Raymond Teller performed their first show in 1975, and are known for the humorous and sometimes gory tricks.
They also sometimes reveal how tricks are done, but frequently with a twist.
Q 9 'A113' appears in every Pixar film. Why?
A It's a reference to Room A113 at the California Institute of the Arts. That's where students study graphic design and character animation. Directors John Lasseter (Toy Story) and Brad Bird (The Incredibles) are alumni.
It's also appeared in dozens of other animated films.
Pixar has a history of including Easter eggs - an inside joke or hidden message - in its movies, although they aren't alone in doing so.
Q 10 The All Blacks have a fantastic winning record, but South Africa are their toughest foes. What percentage of games have they won against the Springboks?
A 59%.
It's been far more one-way traffic in recent times than is traditionally the case, with the All Blacks winning 10 of their last dozen encounters.
The All Blacks only won their first series in South Africa in 1996, the year after losing the Rugby World Cup final there to the home side.
The coaches of both sides, Steve Hansen and Heyneke Meyer, have spoken ahead of this week's Rugby World Cup semi-final of their deep respect for each other and their sides. Meyer has called the current All Blacks the best team to play the game ever. Rich praise.
