Christmas Quiz 2003 – Results and Answers
The winner this year was Keith
with the top score of 40. Close behind
were Furby, Mick and Pat, Sue and Helen.
Congratulations to them and thanks to all who entered. Here is Keith’s magnificent trophy:
In the quiz itself, no question stumped all of you, though there was only one correct answer for each of G, H, I and P. Conversely, everyone who entered got E, O, Q and V – I allowed ‘quiz’, ‘question master’ or ‘quiz master’ for Q, though strictly speaking it should have been either of the latter in accordance with the theme of people connected with Christmas.
Here are all the answers, followed by a short passage illustrating the Christmas connexions.
A. In Geography, which A falls from a great height? The Angel Falls in Venezuela, the world highest natural waterfall at around 3000 ft, and named after its American discoverer in 1937
B. In Literature, which B was one
of four tales of life in an Alexandrine community? Balthazar is one of the four
novels (Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea)
making up The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, set in the
expatriate community in Egypt in the early 40s
C. In Overseas Affairs, which C W
served Ron defensively for 6 years? Caspar Weinberger, US Secretary of Defense 1981-87 under
Ronald Reagan
D. In Art, which D
stands over 13 ft tall in Florence, though he made his name as the little
guy? David,
Michelangelo’s 13 ft statue in Florence, which shows him just before
vanquishing Goliath
E. In Celebrity, which E dressed
for a famous wedding in 1981? Emmanuel, David and Elizabeth, who designed Princess Diana’s
wedding dress
F. In Consumer Products, for what F
is this an early advertisement? Fairy Soap developed by Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbanks in the late
19th Century
G. In Sport, which G played their
last game in 1962 against professional opposition? The ‘Gentlemen’ were a select team of
amateur cricketers who played against a team of professionals in the annual
Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord’s, last held in 1962
H. In Politics,
which H did David Blunkett say he did not wish to be during the parliamentary
debate on asylum in November 2003? Herod - referring to the possibility of taking children into care, Mr
Blunkett said it would be a last resort and he was not in politics to be the
‘King Herod of the Labour Party’
I. In 18th
Century Drama, for what I does a young gentleman mistake the father of his
bride-to-be, and as a result is conquered by her? An Innkeeper. In Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer, the hero is
led to believe a private house is an inn, allowing the daughter of the house to
pose as a barmaid to win his love
J. In Entertainment, which J played
at school in 1968 to launch a really useful career in music? Joseph and the
Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat, first
performed at Colet Court School in London, and the first big success for Andrew
Lloyd Webber, who went on to form the Really Useful Group Ltd in 1977
K. In Popular Fiction, which K
wrote the saga of the dark tower? Stephen King. In
four books to date, King tells of the search of the gunslinger Roland for the
Dark Tower
L. In Sport, which L established a
home for English cricket in St John’s Wood in 1814? Thomas Lord, the founder of the
Marylebone Cricket Club, which controls the laws of cricket to this day
M. In Food and
Drink, what B M was invented by an American barman in the 20s when he mixed
vodka and tomato juice? A Bloody Mary, according to the Tabasco company, was
invented by one Fernand Petiot, who eventually added peppers, lemon and – guess
what – tabasco to the recipe
N. In History,
which royal N was murdered by Bolsheviks in July 1918, together with his wife
and five children? The deposed Czar Nicholas II, who had abdicated the previous
year and had been exiled to Siberia
O. In Music, what
O was the post held by the man on the right in Weimar between 1708 and 1717,
during which time he made his musical name?
Organist – the man on the right was Bach, who
during this period was Organist to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar and composed many of
his best organ works
P. In Aviation,
which H P was the first British commercial company to manufacture
aeroplanes? Handley
Page, which became a major manufacturer of both civil and military aircraft,
including the Halifax bomber in the Second World War and the Victor nuclear
bomber of the Cold War, before the firm collapsed in 1970
Q. In Television,
what Q links the following: Robinson,
Magnusson, Gascoigne? They were quiz (or question) masters: Robert Robinson on Ask the Family or
Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link, Magnus Magnusson on Mastermind,
Bamber Gascoigne on University Challenge
R. In
Entertainment, which R produced the annual scouts’ London Gang Show until
1974? Ralph Reader,
a Broadway musical director and former boy scout, who devised the show in 1932
S. In Literature,
which S D had an artistic upbringing in Ireland? Stephen Dedalus is the principal
character in James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and
later appears in Ulysses
T. In Nature,
which T is the largest and rarest breed of swan? The Trumpeter Swan, a native of North
America, nearly became extinct early in the last century
U. In Entertainment, from which U
came the singular role of Robert Vaughn?
Uncle - Robert Vaughn played Napoleon Solo, the
Man from UNCLE
V. In Television, as what V does
the chocolate-loving Geraldine fill our screens? Vicar - Geraldine,
played by Dawn French, is the Vicar of Dibley in the series of that name
W. In Geography, which W S began as a horse market and is overlooked by a statue of the national hero, King Vaslav? Wenceslas Square, which is in fact a 750 m long boulevard at the centre of Prague, Vaslav being better known as the St Wenceslas of the statue
Y. In History, what Y is missing
from this famous poster? It was ‘You’ who were needed in Kitchener’s First World War
recruiting poster
Z. In Pop Music,
which Z released the CD Chrome, Smoke and BBQ in November 2003? Zee - ZZ Top released the CD on 24 November 2003 on the Rhino
label (the answer strictly should have been ‘Zee’ – the person with the
Christmas connexion – but, as this was a bit obscure, I allowed ‘ZZ Top’ also)
Christmas Connexions
Christmas commemorates the birth
of Our LORD
Jesus Christ, or the EMMANUEL as foretold by Isaiah and announced by the ANGEL Gabriel to his
mother, MARY. When HEROD threatened the first-born, Jesus’s father JOSEPH headed for
Bethlehem, the birthplace of King DAVID. The Three KINGS, or Wise Men, BALTHAZAR, CASPAR and Melchior,
followed a star to the scene of the birth, which was a stable allocated by an INNKEEPER, who had no
room in the inn itself.
The modern celebration of
Christmas Day may begin with a religious service, led by the VICAR, at which carol
singing will be accompanied by the ORGANIST and lessons from the scriptures spoken by lay READERS. On Boxing Day, or St STEPHEN’s Day, there will
be a range of more secular activities:
in the countryside, fox hunting is popular, while at the pub the local QUIZMASTER may arrange an
end-of-year quiz. At one time, this was
the day for the distribution of presents in the manner of the fabled St NICHOLAS who became Santa
Claus – though nowadays we may look more hopefully to a rich UNCLE.
Popular cultural activities
include the exchange of Christmas cards, often featuring celebratory images
such as singers or TRUMPETERS; the decoration of Christmas trees, topped by a star or FAIRY; the singing of
carols, such as ‘God Rest Ye Merry GENTLEMEN’ and ‘Good King WENCESLAS’, about the ancient king of Bohemia and his PAGE; and listening to
modern popular songs about Christmas, for example the 1997 Cool Christmas collection
by Bobby ZEE and
Zoe. But, at the end of the day, as
it’s a holiday, you can do what YOU want.
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