Category Archives: amusements

amusements, music

January Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to this month’s five quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.

January Quiz Questions: Music

  1. Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem was composed for the consecration of what building? The new Coventry Cathedral in 1962
  2. Who composed Liberty Bell? John Philip Souza
  3. Who created 4’33” of silence? John Cage
  4. JS Bach wrote a huge amount of both liturgical and secular music. But what brand of Christianity did he belong to? Lutheran
  5. Which Russian composer was also a renowned chemist? Alexander Borodin

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2022.

amusements, personal, photography

Self-Portrait, January

Here’s something else I’m going to try new this year: take a few self-portraits. They may turn out to be interesting, or deadly dull. I don’t know, as it’s not a photographic genre I’ve really had a go at before. They’re not intended to be “selfies” in the popularly understood form, although no doubt they’ll be construed as such. Anyway I’m intending to post one a month. So here’s the first …

Bathroom Cabinet, Mirror Doors
Bathroom Cabinet, Mirror Doors
[Click the image for a larger view]
amusements, music

January Quiz Questions

Again this year we’re beginning each month with five pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. They’re not difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers, so hopefully you’ll learn something new, as well as have a bit of fun.

January Quiz Questions: Music

  1. Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem was composed for the consecration of what building?
  2. Who composed Liberty Bell?
  3. Who created 4’33” of silence?
  4. JS Bach wrote a huge amount of both liturgical and secular music. But what brand of Christianity did he belong to?
  5. Which Russian composer was also a renowned chemist?

Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.

amusements

Boxing Day Madness Generator

AS i traditionally do, once again we bring you this year’s King William’s College General Knowledge Paper 2022-23.

According to Wikipedia: Since 1904, the College has set an annual general knowledge test, known as the General Knowledge Paper (GKP). The pupils sit the test twice: once unseen on the day before the Christmas holidays, and again when they return to school in the New Year – after spending the holiday researching the answers. These days, however, pupil participation is voluntary.

The quiz is well known to be highly difficult, a common score being just two correct answers from the list of several hundred. The best scores are 40 to 50 for the unseen test and about 270 out of 360 for the second sitting.

The quiz is always introduced with the Latin motto Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis, ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est, “To know where you can find anything is, after all, the greatest part of erudition.”

You can find this year’s GKP on the King William’s College website at https://kwc.im/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Questions-2022-23-email.pdf.

As usual, at a first reading, I have fairly few clues!

amusements, history

December Quiz Answers

OK, so here are the answers to this month’s quiz questions. All should be able to be easily verified online.

December Quiz Questions: 17th Century England

  1. John Aubrey and John Evelyn were fellows of which organisation founded in 1660? The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, aka the Royal Society
  2. Who married the 15 year old Elisabeth Marchant de Saint Michel in December 1655? Samuel Pepys
  3. How is Matthew Hopkins (c.1620-1647) better known? Witchfinder General
  4. What discovery did William Harvey publish in 1628? The workings of the circulatory system
  5. Which influential work on political theory did Thomas Hobbes publish in 1651? Leviathan

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2021.

amusements, history

December Quiz Questions

This year we’re beginning each month with five pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month. They’re not difficult, but it is unlikely everyone will know all the answers, so hopefully you’ll learn something new, as well as have a bit of fun.

December Quiz Questions: 17th Century England

  1. John Aubrey and John Evelyn were fellows of which organisation founded in 1660?
  2. Who married the 15 year old Elisabeth Marchant de Saint Michel in December 1655?
  3. How is Matthew Hopkins (c.1620-1647) better known?
  4. What discovery did William Harvey publish in 1628?
  5. Which influential work on political theory did Thomas Hobbes publish in 1651?

Answers will be posted in 3 weeks time.

amusements, medical

November Quiz Answers

OK, so here are the answers to this month’s quiz questions. All should be able to be easily verified online.

November Quiz Questions: Medical

  1. What is the name of the light sensitive panel of cells at the back of the eye? Retina
  2. By what name is Hansen’s Disease more commonly known? Leprosy
  3. In humans, the atlas and axis bones are found in which part of the body? The neck
  4. The hormone prolactin stimulates the production of what after childbirth? Milk
  5. Which blood type is considered the universal donor? O negative

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2021.