The Friday Question Set — 20-01-2012

Right, then, here we go … !

Week Three of the INDEPENDENT Friday Question set.

And I think I’ve a question for you.

Well, sixty of them, obviously: but there’s an extra one.

How’s that title?

Seriously … ?

I’m thinking I should maybe add the word ‘Free’, just to get a more relevant result in the Google rankings …

Let me know what you think, please, I’d appreciate it … !

»»•««

At any rate, let’s get down to business, shall we … ?

Let’s have that free sixty question quiz set, for struggling pub quiz masters: covered, as ever, by the Creative Commons License …

Online 136

ROUND ONE. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) Which item of clothing was named after an atoll in the Pacific Ocean?

A1) The Bikini. (after Bikini Atoll, site of the first nuclear bomb test, after WW2.)

Q2) Bel Pæse, meaning ‘Beautiful Country’, is what: cheese, wine or a sausage?

Q2) Cheese.

Q3) Marcella Detroit and Siobhan Fahey enjoyed chart success as which band?

A3) Shakespeare’s Sister.

Q4) Which 1912 disaster was filmed in 1958, as A Night To Remember?

A4) The sinking of the Titanic.

Q5) Which children’s tv series included a character called Captain Flack?

A5) Trumpton.

Q6) What did W. G. Grace do for a living, off the pitch? (Bonus point for telling us what sport he was famous for playing.)

A6) A doctor. (Cricket)

Q7) Who co–starred with Walter Matthau, in comedy classic, The Odd Couple?

A7) Jack Lemmon.

Q8) Which part of the city of Los Angeles have most Hollywood stars bought their houses?

A8) Beverly Hills

Q9) Who sang about a Laughing Gnome, in 1967?

A9) David Bowie.

Q10) What is Harry Ramsden famous for selling?

A10) Fish & chips.

ROUND TWO. THE GEE-GEES.

Q11) Bucephalus was the legendary horse of which ancient leader: Alexander the Great, Julius Cæsar or the Emperor Hadrian?

A11) Alexander the Great.

Q12) Who, according to legend, rode to York on a horse called Black Bess?

A12) Dick Turpin.

Q13) When the Duke of Wellington fought at the Battle of Waterloo, what was the name of his horse?

A13) Copenhagen

Q14) Which George was famed for his paintings of horses? (Bonus point for telling us which century he was born in.)

A14) George Stubbs. (The 18th: 1724, in fact.)

Q15) Roger Lloyd-Pack played which horsey character, in ‘Only Fools & Horses’?

A15) Trigger.

Q16) Between 1964, & 1966, Arkle won which classic race?

A16) The Cheltenham Gold Cup

Q17) Rosinanté was the name of which fictional character’s horse: Don Quixote’s, Gandalf’s or Zorro’s?

A17) Don Quixote’s

Q18) What was the name of the Lone Ranger’s horse?

A18) Silver.

Q19) Which US band had a hit with The Horse With No Name, in 1972?

A19) America.

Q20) What kind of animal is a devil’s coach horse?

A20) A beetle.

ROUND THREE. THE FINAL FRONTIER.

Q21) Which planet in the Solar System is nearest to the Sun?

A21) Mercury.

Q22) What was the name of the world’s first artificial satellite?

A22) Sputnik 1. (Accept just Sputnik.)

Q23) Which planetary body lost its status as a planet, in 2006?

A23) Pluto.

Q24) Which British space probe came to grief, on Mars, on December 25th, 2003?

A24) The Beagle 2.

Q25) Which book about the origins of the universe proved to be an unexpected best-seller, in 1988? (Bonus point for naming the author.)

A25) A Brief History of Time, by Professor Steven Hawking.

Q26) What was the name of the malfunctioning computer, in the 1968 film, 2001:A Space Odyssey?

A26) HAL 9000

Q27) Which rocket suffered a major malfunction, on its way to the moon, in1970?

A27) Apollo 13.

Q28) Which Russian dog became the first mammal into space, in 1957?

A28) Laika.

Q29) Which space shuttle exploded on the 28th January, 1986?

A29) The Challenger.

Q30) Phobos and Deimos are the two moons of which planet?

A30) Mars.

ROUND FOUR. MUSIC AND LIGHTS.

Q31) During the 90’s, which Canadian singer had a hit with Think Twice?

A31) Celine Dion.

Q32) At which US sports event did Janet Jackson famously suffer a wardrobe malfunction?

A32) The Superbowl.

Q33) Which of the Bee Gees died in 2003?

A33) Maurice Gibb.

Q34) Which band had a brand new piece of agricultural equipment in 1976? (Bonus point for the name of the song.)

A34) The Wurzels. (I Got A Brand New Combine Harvester)

Q35) Which band wanted you to stand further away, in 1980?

A35) The Police. (Don’t Stand So Close To Me.)

Q36) Which Northern Irish band had a hit with My Perfect Cousin, in 1980?

A36) The Undertones.

Q37) Which girl band had hits with Really Saying Something, Shy Boy, and Robert De Niro’s Waiting?

A37) Bananarama

Q38) Who released the album Blondes Have More Fun?

A38) Rod Stewart.

Q39) What part of the UK are pop group Franz Ferdinand from?

A39) Scotland.

Q40) The Verve entered the charts at number 2, in 1997 … with which hit?

A40) Bittersweet Symphony.

ROUND FIVE. THE F WORD.

Q41) According to a recent poll, what’s the most popular flavour of crisp, amongst British children?

A41) Cheese & Onion

Q42) What food gives Popeye his strength?

A42) Spinach.

Q43) In 1992, it became illegal to import which sweet into Singapore, because of the mess it made?

A43) Chewing gum.

Q44) What invention was introduced, in 1795, to help feed the French army, on campaign?

A44) Tinned food. (Accept the tin can.)

Q45) True or False: The Birdseye food company was founded by Clarence Birdseye

A45) True.

Q46) According to the Bible, what food from heaven stop the Israeli’s starving in the desert?

A46) Manna.

Q47) True or False: food rationing in Britain ended in 1956.

A47) False: it actually ended in 1954.

Q48) After which Australian Opera singer was the Peach Melba named?

A48) Dame Nellie Melba.

Q49) Who painted The Potato Eaters?

A49) Vincent Van Gogh.

Q50) Which nation eats more ice-cream than any other?

A50) Australia.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL IGNORANCE.

Q51) Famed Greek philosopher, Socrates, committed suicide by drinking what?

A51) Hemlock.

Q52) Which evil number would you get, by adding up all the numbers on a Roulette wheel?

A52) 666.

Q53) Which of Shakespeare’s character’s has the most lines, in any of his plays?

A53) Hamlet.

Q54) Tom Cruise, Emilio Esteves and Patrick Swayze, were all part of which group of Hollywood actors?

A54) The Brat Pack.

Q55) Can’t Buy Me Love, Tell Me Why, and And I Love Her, were all on which Beatles album?

A55) ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.

Q56) Is a baobab a monkey, a tree, or a chocolate and banana pudding?

A56) A tree.

Q57) Which sport is controlled from the Hurlingham Club, in London?

A57) Polo.

Q58) Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook and Jonathan Miller all starred in which satirical 60’s show?

A58) Beyond The Fringe.

Q59) Apart from being a film, and a Grateful Dead album, what is an American Beauty?

A59) A Rose.

Q60) What underground 60’s publication was taken to court after publishing, amongst other thing’s, stories about the sex life of Rupert the Bear?

A60) Oz Magazine.

Enjoy that, everyone: I hope it’s helpful …

I’ll leave you with a song about hobbits …