Friday 9 September 2016

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 9-9-2016: Tolstoy

Hmmm … It’s … what … day 6 of job-hunting … 

Remember, yesterday, that I had my initial New Claims interview: at ten thirty, at Brentwood Job Centre?

Frankly?   I was there, on time, and ready to rock and roll.

But told … that the various bits of paperwork I had were insufficient: and that, as a result of not having a passport of photographic drivers license, I needed half a ton more than I actually had.

Which means adding an EXTRA appointment to the mix: I have to go back to the Job Centre on Monday … with the relevant paperwork.

Oy … veh … 

~≈Ú≈~

At any rate … ?

I think today is the last bit of pay I’ll be getting from KFC.

At least, as far as I can tell: there may be one more, if I have it right, but I very much doubt it.

At any rate?

At ANY rate, my plan for today is to pay my bills … 

And, if possible?   Head into Romford to hand out my CV.

Something I’ve been doing all week: and may — hopefully — lead to a job.

I doubt it … but can only try … 

~≈Ú≈~
But let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with both scoring ten out of ten.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s Tolstoy-themed questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and video … 

Q1) 9th September saw the birth of Leo Tolstoy.   In which year of the 1820s?
Q2) He was born under which name: Leo, Lev or Lee?
Q3) Which noble rank did Tolstoy hold?
Q4) Tolstoy’s middle name — Nikolayevich — is a patronymic.   In other words, it tells us the name of his: mother, father or paternal grandfather?
Q5) Tolstoy was born at the family estate: Yasnaya Polyana.   The name of the estate means Bright what: Glen, Glade or Garden?
Q6) Tolstoy’s final short novel, Hadji Murat, was published posthumously.   In which year: 1911, 1912 or 1913?
Q7) His short story, Sevastopol Sketches, was about his experiences in which war: the Invasion of Northern Kyrgyzstan, the Crimean War or the January Uprising?
Q8) His 1863 novel, Kazaki, is usually called what, in English: The Cossacks, The Kazakhs or The Chechens?
Q9) Anna Karenina, focuses on Princess Anna Arkadyevna Karenina.   What’s her family name?
Q10) Finally … Tolstoy’s other best known work is War and Peace.   The novel was published, in its complete form, in which year of the 1860s?
Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …
Q1) 8th September is World Literacy Day.   The day was first proclaimed by UNESCO: in which year of the 1960s?
A1) 1965.
Q2) Literacy is defined as an ability to read, write, and use simple … what?
A2) Arithmetic.
Q3) Writing is said to have its origins, where: Sumer, Babylon or Mesoamerica?
A3) Sumer.
Q4) That area used Cuneiform script: a form of writing on what: paper, papyrus or clay?
A4) Clay.
Q5) The earliest forms of Chinese date back to which dynasty: Shang, Qing or McSweeney?
A5) Shang.
Q6) Written Chinese consists of what: letters, logograms or pictograms?
A6) Logograms.
Q7) Ancient Egyptian used what: hieroglyphs, an alphabet or a syllabary?
A7) Hieroglyphs.
Q8) Hiragana and Katakana are syllabaries: used to write which language?
A8) Japanese.
Q9) Many European languages use a version of the Latin alphabet.   The alphabet was originally used in Latin: originally spoken in WHICH Empire?
A9) The Roman Empire.
Q10) Finally … Which Asian nation — according to UNESCO’s 2015 reports — claims to have a 100% literacy rate?
A10) North Korea.
I’ll leave you with a though from Ernest Hemingway …
“But nobody’s going to get me in any ring with Mr. Tolstoy unless I’m crazy or I keep getting better.”   Ernest Hemingway.
And Janáček’s 1st String Quartet, inspired by Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata … 


Have a good day … 











*        You know, Olga, there’s not that many pub quiz writers on Fiverr: that’s possibly a good thing: there’s minimal competition … !   That’s probably the way to go, in conjunction with some sort of Amazon business … (I still the digestion stats: AND the apparent research linking left-handedness to sex-linked paranoid schizophrenia.   The weird bit?   Apparently, the anti-nausea medication I’ve been prescribed is ALSO used — at higher dosages — is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.   Oy vey!)

†        You know, they only ever made 13 episodes of Bagpuss, Debbi.   Supposedly?   They based Professor Yaffle on Bertrand Russell.   Although I have my suspicions of who they REALLY copied.   At any rate, North Korea’s tested another nuclear missile, this morning.   It’s reassuring to know the thing can read and write …


1 comment:

Debbi said...

Heh heh. Yeah ...

1. 1828
2. Lev
3. Count
4. father
5. Glade
6. 1912
7. the Crimean War
8. The Cossacks
9. Karenina (aka Каренина in Russian)
10. 1869