T r i v i a B u g | Culture and Arts Quiz Questions

Culture and Arts Quiz Questions

187.	In Greek mythology, which river flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the Underworld and where all those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness?^New!
	Lethe (from which we get the word lethargic)

186.	In legend, Dagonet was the beloved jester of whom?^New!
	King Arthur He was a Knight of the Round Table of Arthurian legend. He saw himself as a courageous warrior and would present himself as such. Yet, in reality, he would flee at the slightest provocation. He often battered his own shield so that it appeared that he had been in a fight - telling all that he emerged victorious of course.

185.	Which Russian colloquial term for a functionary of the Communist Party is now derogatorily used to describe people that are appointed to positions on the basis of political loyalty rather than competence?^New!
	Apparatchik Members of the "apparat" were frequently transferred between different areas of responsibility, usually with little or no actual training for their new areas of responsibility. Thus, the term apparatchik, or "agent of the apparatus" was usually the best possible description of the person's profession and occupation.

184.	Which classical ballet tells the story of Odette who is turned into a creature by an evil sorcerer's curse?^New!
	Swan Lake It was composed by Tchaikovsky.

183.	How do we better know Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru who embody a famous proverb?^New!
	As 'Three Wise Monkeys' of 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil. Sometimes there is a fourth monkey depicted with the three others; the last one, Shizaru, symbolizes the principle of "do no evil". He may be shown covering his abdomen or genital area, or crossing his arms.

182.	The 1633 painting 'The Storm on the Sea of Galilee' that depicts the miracle of Jesus calming the waves was stolen in 1990 from a Boston museum in what is considered to be the biggest art theft in history. This painting is the only known seascape of which great artist?
	Rembrandt It is widely believed, because of the fourteen people in the boat, that Rembrandt painted himself in the boat. (twelve disciples, Rembrandt and Jesus).

181.	In the office cultures of the UK and US, what is a Duvet day?
	A formal allowance of time off given by some employers It can be stipulated formally in a contract of employment and is considered part of the remunerations package along with Holiday allowance. The term has also since become used by people to reference taking a day off work for no normally accepted reason (such as sick, grievance or holiday) even if they have no official "Duvet day" entitlement with their employer.

180.	Toru Iwatani, the creator of which popular video game admitted in a 1996 interview that the story of a pizza missing a slice being the inspiration of the game's main character was only half true?
	Pac-Man

179.	What is the Russian word for a seasonal or year-round second home often located in the exurbs of Russian cities?
	A dacha

178.	What is the group of European clergymen who wrote satirical Latin poetry mocking and lampooning the Church in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries?
	The Goliards hey were mainly clerical students at the universities of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and England who protested the growing contradictions within the Church, such as the failure of the Crusades and financial abuses, expressing themselves through song, poetry and performance.

177.	What satanic name used to denote an apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type?
	A printer's devil The origin of printer's devil is not definitively known and there are several origin stories.

176.	The rivers of Alpheus and Peneus are concerned specifically with which particular task in Greek mythology?
	The cleaning of the Augean stables, Hercules' fifth labor The fifth of the Twelve Labours set to Hercules was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. This assignment was intended to be both humiliating and impossible, since the livestock were divinely healthy and therefore produced an enormous quantity of dung. These stables had not been cleaned in over 30 years. However, Hercules succeeded by rerouting the rivers Alpheus and Peneus to wash out the filth.

175.	Which decorative order is divided into five various degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand'Croix (Grand Cross)?
	The Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France It is a French order established by Napoleon in 1802.

174.	The term 'Urbi et Orbi' ("to the City and to the World"), a standard opening of Roman proclamations is now used to denote whose address?
	The Pope's The blessing takes place at each Easter and Christmas celebration in Rome from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.

173.	In tradition, who was executed by the Romans along with Dismas and Gestas?
	Jesus Christ They are the two thieves who were crucified along with Jesus. According to the Gospels, Gestas taunted Jesus about not saving himself, while Dismas asked for mercy. Dismas was saved, and Gestas was not. Gestas was on the cross to the the left of Jesus and Dismas was on the cross to the right of Jesus.

172.	What is the 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-karat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze?
	Ormolu Mercury gilding was outlawed from the 19th (in France) or 20th centuries because of its health risks, and electroplating is the most common modern techique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).

171.	Candlemas, which occurs on Feb 2 between the winter solstice and the spring equinox represents the first dawning of spring when animals start to venture from their dens. Which famous annual event of American culture also takes place on the same day?
	Groundhog Day According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

170.	Which dancer's accidental death by strangulation via her scarf in 1927 made Gertrude Stein say "affectations can be dangerous."?
	Isadora Duncan Isadora Duncan is considered by many to be the mother of modern dance. Although popular in the United States only in New York later in her life, she performed to acclaim throughout Europe.

169.	The name 'Rose Sélavy' which is a pun of the French phrase "Eros, c'est la vie" (English for "eros, that's life") was one of the pseudonyms of which 20th artist?
	Marcel Duchamp Sélavy emerged in 1921 in a series of photographs by Man Ray of Duchamp dressed as a woman.

168.	Which phrase that alludes to the propensity for hemorrhage at high altitudes is applied to those seats of a public arena that are farthest from the desired activity?
	The nosebleed section/nosebleed seats The reference alludes to the propensity for nasal hemorrhage at high altitudes, usually owing to lower barometric pressure.

167.	Which 1913 art show that took its name for the place where it was held became a watershed event in the history of American art and introduced New Yorkers to modern art?
	The Armory Show

166.	In Greek mythology, which bandit was known to either cut the legs of his victims or stretch them in order to fit them to a bed?
	Procrustes Nobody ever fit the bed exactly because secretly Procrustes had two beds. Procrustes continued his reign of terror until he was captured by Theseus who "fitted" Procrustes to his own bed.

165.	Done with the will of an owner, what is a 'manumission'?
	The freeing of slaves

164.	The symbol for which important world currency is derived primarily from the Latin word for scales or a balance?
	The pound The symbol derives from capital "L", standing for libra, the basic Roman unit of weight, which is in turn derived from the Latin word for scales or a balance.

163.	Which derogatory name for the British has its origins in sailors eating something specific to avoid scurvy?
	Limey

162.	In Greek mythology, which son of Helios (the sun god) makes a vain attempt to drive his father's chariot and is killed by a thunderbolt from Zeus?
	Phaeton Phaeton seeks assurance that his mother, Clymene, is telling the truth that his father is the sun god Helios. When Phaeton obtains his father's promise to drive the sun chariot as proof, he fails to control it and the Earth is in danger of burning up when Phaeton is killed by a thunderbolt from Zeus to prevent further disaster.

161.	In Irish legend, which pair of cats fought until only their tails were left?
	The Kilkenny cats The term Kilkenny cat now refers to anyone who is a tenacious fighter.

160.	The name of which 20th century artistic movement comes from the Dutch for 'The Style'?
	De Stijl Proponents of De Stijl sought to express a new utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order. They advocated pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; they simplified visual compositions to the vertical and horizontal directions, and used only primary colors along with black and white.

159.	In Orthodox Christianity, who is deemed a 'Passion Bearer'?
	A person who faces his or her death in a Christ-like manner Unlike martyrs, passion-bearers are not explicitly killed for their faith, though they hold to that faith with piety and true love of God. Famous passion bearers include the entire Imperial Family of Russia who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

158.	When is a riderless or caparisoned horse with boots reversed in the stirrups most commonly seen?
	At a funeral procession It follows the caisson carrying the casket in a funeral procession. The custom is believed to date back to the time of Genghis Khan, when a horse was sacrificed to serve the fallen warrior in the next world. The caparisoned horse later came to symbolize a warrior who would ride no more. In the United States, the caparisoned horse is part of the military honors given to an Army or Marine Corps officer who was a colonel or above; this includes the President, by virtue of having been the nation's military commander in chief and the Secretary of Defense, having overseen the armed forces.

157.	If you plan to use a Bateson's Belfry, what are you trying to prevent?
	Premature burial

156.	Which Nubian temple that was built by the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius around 15 BC has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1978?
	The Temple of Dendur The temple was removed from its original site (modern name: Dendur, ancient name: Tuzis, about 80 kilometers south of the town of Aswan) in 1963 in order to save it from being submerged by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

155.	Can you 'predict' the type of experiments Zener cards are used for?
	Extra-sensory perception (ESP), most often clairvoyance Perceptual psychologist Karl Zener designed the cards in the early 1930s for experiments conducted with his colleague, parapsychologist J. B. Rhine.

154.	What is the name given to ceramic mugs sold in Britain that have caricatures of old sailors?
	Toby mugs

153.	The flag of which country prominently features 'The Eagle of Saladin' holding a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic?
	Egypt The eagle as a symbol of Saladin is disputed by archeologists.

152.	In the British peer system (or the ranks of nobility), who is below a viscount and has the the lowest rank in the peerage?
	A baron An English Peerage baron is entitled to a coronet bearing six silver balls (or pearls) around the rim. The actual coronet is mostly worn on certain ceremonial occasions, but a baron can bear his coronet of rank on his coat of arms above the shield.

151.	In 1933, which Mexican artist commissioned by the Rockefeller family to create a mural caused controversy by including Lenin in it and upset the Rockefellers?
	Diego Rivera Rockefeller asked Rivera to change the face of Lenin to that of an unknown laborer's face as was originally intended but the painter refused. The Rockefeller-Rivera dispute is covered in the films Cradle Will Rock and Frida.

150.	Produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers, which non-woven cloth is the oldest form of fabric known to humankind?
	Felt It predates weaving and knitting.

149.	Which title of the European nobility that is derived from the Latin for 'deputy companion' ranks above a baron and below an earl (in Britain) or a count (the earl's continental equivalent)?
	A viscount

148.	Which North African people's most famous symbol is the Tagelmust, an often indigo blue-colored veil that gives them the name 'People of the Veil'?
	The Tuareg They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa.

147.	Which phrase that is an euphemism for being bankrupt originates from the name of the London street where the UK bankruptcy court used to be located?
	On Carey street The court moved to Carey Street in the 1840s but the phrase didn't emerge as a synonym for bankrupt until much later.

146.	Which legendary king, the stories of whom were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries was said to have ruled over a Christian nation lost amidst the muslims and pagans in the orient?
	Prester John (also Presbyter John) Written accounts of this kingdom are variegated collections of medieval popular fantasy. Reportedly a descendant of one of the Three Magi, Prester John was said to be a generous ruler and a virtuous man, presiding over a realm full of riches and strange creatures, in which the Patriarch of the Saint Thomas Christians resided. His kingdom contained such marvels as the Gates of Alexander and the Fountain of Youth, and even bordered the Earthly Paradise. He was a symbol to European Christians of the Church's universality, transcending culture and geography to encompass all humanity, in a time when ethnic and interreligious tension made such a vision seem distant.

145.	What is the term given to the mammal skin which was used for the writing or printing of medieval manuscripts?
	Vellum The manufacture is involved: animal skin is cleaned, stretched on a frame, and scraped with a curved knife. To create tension, scraping is alternated by wetting and drying.

144.	In Greek mythology, who is the lover of Eos for whom she sought the gift of immortality from Zeus but forgot to ask about eternal youth?
	Tithonus

143.	If you shop in Netherlands for Klompen and wear them, you are likely to make a lot of noise. Why?
	They are clogs or a type of shoe/sandal made out of wood

142.	What is the correct name for a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface?
	A mural There are many different styles and techniques. The best-known is probably fresco, which uses water soluble paints with a damp lime wash. Murals of sorts, date to prehistoric times, such as the paintings on the Caves of Lascaux in southern France, but the term became famous with the Mexican "muralista" art movement (Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, or José Orozco).

141.	Saint Sarah (also known as 'Sara the black'), whose place of pilgrimage is Camargue in southern France is the patron saint of whom?
	The Roma (Gypsy) people Legend identifies her as the servant of one of the Three Marys, with whom she is supposed to have arrived in the Camargue. The day of the pilgrimage honouring Sarah is May 24; her statue is carried down to the sea on this day to re-enact her arrival in France. Roma participation in pilgrimage and their veneration of Saint Sarah has been recorded since the middle of the 19th century by travellers and parish priests.

140.	George Hepplewhite, Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale all are all iconic figures in what particular field?
	Furniture making They were the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century.

139.	The story goes that England's Edward III, after a victory in the Battle of Crécy, laid siege to Calais and Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. After Philip failed to lift the siege and the city surrendered, Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. How is this story immortalized in art?
	As 'The Burghers of Calais', one of the most famous sculptures of Auguste Rodin One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first and five other burghers soon followed suit and they stripped down to their breeches. Saint Pierre led this envoy of emaciated volunteers to the city gates and it is this moment and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice and the facing of imminent death that Rodin captures in these figures, which are scaled somewhat larger than life. In history, though the burghers expected to be executed, their lives were spared by the intervention of England's Queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded her husband by saying it would be a bad omen for her unborn child.

138.	Which (racist) American Indian expression has its origin in the days of exploration of the New World where Native Americans would lend items to the settlers, and the settlers thought that this was a gift and hence were shocked when the Native Americans asked for their items back?
	Indian giver

137.	If you are digging or excavating and find the 'Four sons of Horus', what are you also most likely to see/find?
	A mummy The Four sons of Horus were a group of four gods in Egyptian religion, who were essentially the personifications of the four canopic jars, which accompanied mummified bodies. Since the heart was thought to embody the soul, it was left inside the body. The brain was thought only to be the origin of mucus, so it was reduced to liquid, syphoned off, and discarded. This left the stomach (and small intestines), liver, large intestines, and lungs, which were removed, embalmed and stored, each organ in its own jar. There were times when embalmers deviated from this scheme: during the 21st Dynasty they embalmed and wrapped the viscera and returned them to the body, while the Canopic jars remained empty symbols.

136.	Sauna culture is strongly associated with which country?
	Finland There are five million inhabitants and over two million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. Saunas are an integral part of the way of life in Finland. They are found everywhere: on the shores of Finland's numerous lakes, in private apartments, corporate headquarters, and even from the depths of 1400m (Pyhäsalmi Mine) or the Parliament.

135.	Which famed Paris theater was closed in 1962 with its final director, Charles Nonon, saying "We could never equal Buchenwald. Before the war, everyone felt that what was happening onstage was impossible. Now we know that these things, and worse, are possible in reality."?
	Grand Guignol From its opening in 1897 to its closing in 1962, specialized in naturalistic horror shows. The name is often used as a general term for graphic, amoral horror entertainment. The theater owed its name to Guignol, a traditional Lyonnaise puppet character, joining political commentary with the style of Punch and Judy.

134.	Legend has it that in medieval times, a knight and his lady were walking along the side of a river. He picked a posy of flowers, but because of the weight of his armour he fell into the river. As he was drowning he threw the posy to his loved one and shouted 'XXX' giving which plant/flower, called Myosotis, its common name?
	A forget-me-not Other stories exist, but are even less plausible. Nowadays the common Forget Me Not symbolizes true love, and is prized as a garden flower as well as a wildflower. Forget Me Not is the State Flower of Alaska.

133.	In Greek mythology, which Naiad who lived on the island of Ogygia kept Odysseus imprisoned for 7 years?
	Calypso Athena asked Zeus to spare Odysseus of his torment on the island, as he wanted to go to his homeland. Zeus sent Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, to tell Calypso to release Odysseus. As Zeus was the Lord of the Gods, she was unable to refuse him, although she wished to. The island of Gozo, part of the Maltese archipelago, has a long tradition that links it with the mythical figure of Calypso.

132.	Which 20th century art movement, whose leaders were Henri Matisse and André Derain emphasized strong colour over the representational values of Impressionism?
	Fauvism The paintings of the Fauves were characterised by seemingly wild brush work and strident colours, while their subject matter had a high degree of simplification and abstraction.

131.	Which French painter is most closely associated with scenes of Parisian night-life and portraits of popular cabaret entertainers?
	Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Toulouse-Lautrec is known, along with Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gaugin as one of the greatest painters of the Post-Impressionist period.(Thanks to Sarah B for clarifying that Toulouse-Lautrec is not in the postmodern era. )

130.	In ballet, what type of move is called a grand jete'?
	A long horizontal jump, starting from one leg and landing on the other It is most often done forward and usually involves doing full leg splits in mid-air. The front leg brushes straight into the air, as opposed to performing a develope or "unfolding" motion.

129.	The 'Rainbow Serpent' is an important mythological being for which group of indigenous people of the world?
	The Aborigines of Australia The Rainbow Serpent is seen as the inhabitant of permanent waterholes and is in control of life's most precious resource, water. Dreamtime stories tell of the great Spirits during creation, in animal and human form they molded the barren and featureless earth. The Rainbow Serpent came from beneath the ground and created huge ridges, mountains and gorges as it pushed upward.

128.	Which major 20th century art movement is divided into two parts called Analytical and Synthetic?
	Cubism Analytic cubists "analyzed" natural forms and reduced the forms into basic geometric parts on the two-dimensional picture plane. Colour was almost non-existent except for the use of a monochromatic scheme that often included grey, blue and ochre. Synthetic Cubism was the second main branch of Cubism developed by Picasso, Braque, Juan Gris and others between 1912 and 1919. It was seen as the first time that collage had been made as a fine art work.

127.	The Akubra hat, usually made from rabbit fur with wide brims is a distinctive part of the culture of which country's rural areas?
	Australia The name is believed to be derived from an Indigenous Australian word for head covering.

126.	Which chamber decoration piece of art, now lost, was created from 1701 to 1709 and was given by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I to his then ally, Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire?
	The Amber Room The Amber Room was looted during World War II by Nazi Germany and brought to Konigsberg. Knowledge of its whereabouts was lost in the chaos at the end of the war. Its fate remains a mystery, and the search continues. A reconstructed Amber Room was inaugurated in 2003 in the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_room)

125.	What is 'Gehenna' for Jews, 'Naraka' for Hindus, 'Tartarus' for Greeks, 'Jahannam' for Muslims and 'Xibalba' for the Mayans?
	Hell/Underworld

124.	Which psychological phenomenon describes that when two people live in close domestic proximity during the first few years in the life of either one, both are desensitized to later close sexual attraction?
	Westermarck effect It was first formally described by anthropologist Edvard Westermarck. The Westermarck effect has since been observed in many places and cultures, including in the Israeli kibbutz system, and the Chinese Shim-pua marriage customs, as well as in biological-related families. Freud argued that as children, members of the same family naturally lust for one another, making it necessary for societies to create incest taboos, but Westermarck argued the reverse, that the taboos themselves arise naturally as products of innate attitudes.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology))

123.	Which term, half of which meant slightly drunk, originated in the United States Navy in the 1920s and was a slang for on-ship performances?
	Happy Hour "Happy hour" entered civilian use around 1960, especially after a Saturday Evening Post article in 1959. Happy hour has become a tradition for many workers, white and blue collar alike. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_hour)

122.	Which character from Thomas Morton's play 'Speed the Plough'(1798), was considered by English-language authors to be the personification of the tyranny of conventional propriety and has come to mean an extremely conventional or priggish person?
	Mrs Grundy Curiously for so famous a character, Mrs Grundy never actually appears in the play which introduced her.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Grundy)

121.	The stories of which legendary American Cowboy, apocryphally immortalized in numerous tall tales of the Old West during American westward expansion, were probably invented by Edward O'Reilly in 1923 and are considered to be an example of fakelore?
	Pecos Bill Pecos Bill was a late addition to the "big man" idea of characters like Paul Bunyan or Iron John. Pecos Bill made the leap to film in the 1948 Disney animated feature Melody Time. Like many tall tales, Pecos Bill stories involve combinations of superhuman feats of courage and prowess.

120.	The Angel Moroni is an important figure in the theology of which religious movement?
	Mormonism/Latter Day Saint movement He is an angel that Joseph Smith, Jr. said visited him on numerous occasions, beginning in 1823. The angel was the guardian of the golden plates, which Smith said were buried in a hill near his home in western New York, and which he said were the source material for the Book of Mormon.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Moroni)

119.	Literally meaning 'guardian', what term is used by Muslims for people who have completely memorized the Quran?
	Hafiz or Hafith

118.	With reference to Japanese practices, what is 'Jigai'?
	Traditional method of ritual suicide for women Jigai is the female equivalent of seppuku, the ritual stomach-cutting suicide practiced by Japanese men. Although the term literally means "self damage" and in principle can refer to suicide in general, in practice it normally refers to the ritual suicide of women by the cutting of the jugular vein with a tantō (15-30 cm (6-12 inch) knife) or kaiken (15 cm (6 inch) knife). Often, they would be hidden prior within the sash of their kimono.

117.	In linguistics, what is the branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all the languages that descend from Latin, the language of ancient Rome?
	Romance Languages They have more than 700 million native speakers worldwide, mainly in the Americas, Europe, and Africa, as well as many smaller regions scattered throughout the world. The Romance language most widely spoken natively today is Spanish, followed by Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian.

116.	Which internationally renowned Romanian sculptor is known for his works of "Sleeping muse", "Bird in Space", and "Endless Column" among others?
	Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)

115.	In art, what is the term for the fine pattern of cracks formed on old paintings, which is sometimes used to detect forged art as it is a hard-to-forge signature of authenticity?
	Craquelure The precise pattern of craquelure depends upon where the picture was painted. There appear to be distinct French, Italian and Dutch "styles" of craquelure. Craquelure can furnish a record of the environmental conditions the painting has experienced during its lifetime, and also can reveal details about the painting's history of handling, transportation, and restoration.

114.	Which mythical medieval land of plenty, where all the harshness of peasant life does not exist, is commonplace of medieval Goliard verse and derives its name from Middle English for 'land of plenty'?
	Cockaigne Specifically, in poems like 'The Land of Cockaigne', Cockaigne is a land of contraries, where all the restrictions of society are defied (abbots beaten by their monks), sexual liberty is open, and food is plentiful (skies that rain cheeses). It represented both wish fulfillment and resentment at the strictures of asceticism and dearth.

113.	Which cultural symbol and icon of Mexico was meant to syncretically represent both the Virgin Mary and the indigenous Mexican goddess Tonantzin (lunar Goddess in Aztec mythology)?
	Our Lady of Guadalupe It is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon depicting an apparition of the Virgin Mary. It is Mexico's most beloved religious and cultural image. Our Lady of Guadalupe is known in Mexico as "La Virgen Morena", which means "The brown-skinned Virgin". Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12, commemorating the account of her appearances to Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from December 9 through December 12, 1531.

112.	Which internationally renowned Romanian sculptor is well-known for, among other things, his 'Endless Column' sculpture?
	Constantin Brancusi Inaugurated in Târgu Jiu, Romania on 27 October 1938, it is based on the symbolism of the axis mundi, was made as a tribute to the young Romanians who died in World War I fighting Germany, and is a stylization of the funerary pillars used in Southern Romania. In the 1950s, the Romanian communist government considered it an example of "bourgeois" sculpture and planned to demolish it, but the plan was never executed. It was restored between 1998 and 2000 through a collaborative effort of the Romanian Government, World Monuments Fund, the World Bank and other Romanian and international groups.

111.	In Western medieval legend, which creature is a demon in male form supposed to lie upon sleepers, especially women, in order to spawn others of its type?
	An Incubus The word is derived from the Latin preposition in, which in this case means on top of, and cubo, which is Latin for "I lie". The word incubo translates into "I lie on top".

110.	A snare is tied near the base of the bird's throat, which allows the bird only to swallow small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow a large fish, the fish is caught in the bird's throat. When the bird returns to the fisherman's raft, the fisherman helps the bird to remove the fish from its throat. Historically in China, Japan, and Macedonia, the fishing skills of which bird have been put to good use this way?
	The Cormorant In Japan, traditional forms of it can be seen on the Nagara River in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, where cormorant fishing has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years, or in the city of Inuyama, Aichi. In Guilin, China, cormorant birds are famous for fishing on the shallow Lijiang River. The method is not as common today, since more efficient methods of catching fish have been developed.

109.	Mentioned by Alexander Pope in 'Essay on Criticism', in Greek Mythology, it was believed that drinking from what would bring you great knowledge and inspiration?
	The Pierian Spring Pieria is a district of Macedonia believed to be the home of the Muses, the deities of the arts and sciences.

108.	What is the name given to native Egyptian Christians?
	Copts The Copts are by far the largest Christian community in North Africa and the Middle East. The word "Coptic" was originally used in Classical Arabic to refer to Egyptians in general, but it has undergone semantic shift over the centuries to mean more specifically Egyptian Christian after the bulk of the Egyptian population converted to Islam.

107.	Which illustrated manuscript, produced by Celtic monks around AD 800 has been described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination?
	The Book of Kells It contains the four gospels of the Bible in Latin, along with prefatory and explanatory matter decorated with numerous colourful illustrations and illuminations. Today it is on permanent display at the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland.

106.	'The Five Civilized Tribes' is the term applied to five Native American nations considered 'civilized' by white society because they had adopted many of the colonists' customs. Can you name the five tribes?
	The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole Today, many Native Americans, especially those from other nations, find the "Five Civilized Tribes" label patronizing or racist. When the tribes are discussed together, sometimes the modified label "Five Tribes" is used to avoid the suggestion that other indigenous peoples were savages.

105.	The appointment of a cardinal elevated by a pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or more generally, his relative has created which English word that now means bestowing similar favors?
	Nepotism The practise of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries.

104.	Similar to the Japanese art of Bonsai, what is the ancient Chinese art of growing trees and plants, kept small by skilled pruning and formed to create an aesthetic shape and the illusion of age?
	Penjing Penjing generally fall into one of three categories depending on what their subject matter is. These categories are Tree Penjing (essentially bonsai), Landscape Penjing, and Water and Land Penjing.

103.	Which group of iconoclastic English artists objected to the influence of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the founder of the English Royal Academy of Arts, calling him "Sir Sloshua", believing that his broad technique was a sloppy and formulaic form of academic Mannerism?
	The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (also known as the Pre-Raphaelites) They were a group of English painters, poets and critics, founded in 1848 by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt whose intention was to reform art by rejecting what they considered to be the mechanistic approach adopted by the Mannerist artists who followed Raphael and Michelangelo. They believed that the Classical poses and elegant compositions of Raphael in particular had been a corrupting influence on academic teaching of art. Hence the name "Pre-Raphaelite". They have been considered the first avant-garde movement in art.

102.	In legend, whose final fight was 'The Battle of Camlann'?
	King Arthur As the surviving accounts of this battle are all generally little more than legend or myth, some historians doubt this battle even took place.

101.	Deluded by a legend, two Spaniards Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro departed from Quito, Ecuador in 1541 in a famous and disastrous expedition towards the Amazon Basin; They did not find what they were looking for but Orellana became the first person to navigate the Amazon River all the way to its mouth. What were they seeking?
	El Dorado El Dorado (Spanish for 'the gilded one') is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and would dive into a lake of pure mountain water. The legend began in the 1530s, in the Andes of present-day Colombia, where conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada first found the Muisca, a nation in the modern day Cundinamarca and Boyacá highlands of Colombia, in 1537. The story of the Muisca rituals was brought to Quito by Sebastian de Belalcazar’s men; mixed with other rumors, there arose the legend of 'El Dorado'. Imagined as a place, El Dorado became a kingdom, an empire, the city of this legendary golden king.

100.	Which term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas could be described as a loose equivalent to the North American "cowboy"?
	Gaucho Like the North American word cowboy, Venezuelan or Colombian llanero, or Chilean huaso, or the Mexican vaquero, the term often connotes the 19th century more than the present day; then gauchos made up the majority of the rural pampas population, herding cattle and practicing agriculture as their main economic activities.

99.	Which legendary emperor of China is believed to have lived about 5,000 years ago and is considered as the father of Chinese agriculture as well as the discoverer of tea?
	Shennong The most well-known work attributed to Shennong is the 'The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic' first compiled some time during the end of the Western Han Dynasty, several thousand years after Shennong supposedly existed – which lists the various medical herbs such as reishi which were discovered by Shennong and given grade and rarity ratings. Tea is said to be his discovery. Shennong is also venerated as the Father of Chinese medicine and is believed to have introduced the technique of acupuncture.

98.	Selkies are mythological creatures in Irish, Icelandic, and Scottish mythology who are capable of taking which form apart from human?
	Seal The legend apparently originated on the Orkney Islands, where selch or selk(ie) is the Scots word for seal. Selkies are able to transform to human form by shedding their seal skins and can revert to seal form by putting their selkie skin back on. Stories concerning selkies are generally romantic tragedies. Sometimes the human will not know that their lover is a selkie, and wakes to find them gone. Other times the human will hide the selkie's skin, thus preventing them from returning to seal form.

97.	Which place located in India is the second most visited religious center in the world following the Vatican?
	The temple of the Hindu god Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi The town owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills. Tirumala is the abode of Lord Venkateshwara, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, located atop Seshachala hills often called as "Yaelu Malai" or "Yaedu Kondalu" (seven hills).

96.	In Greek mythology, from whom did Prometheus steal fire to give it to mortals?
	Zeus For that, Zeus ordered him to be chained on top of the Caucasus. Every day an eagle would come and eat his liver, but since Prometheus was immortal, his liver always grew back, so he was left to bear the pain every day.

95.	In Celtic polytheism who were the priestly class that existed through much of Western Europe and in Britain and Ireland until they were supplanted by Roman government and, later, Christianity?
	Druids The Druids were polytheists, but also revered elements of nature, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars, looking to them for "signs and seasons". They also venerated other natural elements, such as the oak, certain groves of trees, tops of hills, streams, lakes and even plants, especially mistletoe and holly. Fire was regarded as a symbol of several divinities and was associated with the sun and cleansing.

94.	Who are the mythical male legendary creatures that are counterpart to mermaids?
	Mermen The most well-known merman was probably Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Although Amphitrite gave birth to a merman, neither Poseidon nor Amphitrite were merfolk, although both were able to live under water as easily as on land. Triton was also known as the Trumpeter of the Sea for his usage of a conch shell.

93.	The name of which London fishmarket became a synonym for profanity or offensive language because of the raucous cries of the fish vendors?
	Billingsgate

92.	According to historic traditions if witches ride broomsticks, what do warlocks (the male equivalent of witches) ride?
	Pitchforks The commonly accepted etymology derives warlock from the Old English wǣrloga meaning deceiver, or "oathbreaker".

91.	Which ancient Egyptian god of the dead is usually depicted as man with the head of a jackal-like animal whose head is black?
	Anubis Although the Greeks and Romans typically scorned Egypt's animal-headed gods as bizarre and primitive (they mockingly called Anubis the "Barker"), Anubis was sometimes associated with Sirius in heaven, and Cerberus in hell.

90.	What valuable commodities were called 'Sweat of the sun' and 'Tears of the moon' by the Incas?
	Gold and Silver

89.	What construction was described by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as "a teardrop on the cheek of time"?
	The Taj Mahal

88.	Which famous 1930 painting by Grant Wood portrays a pitchfork-holding farmer and his daughter in front of a house of Carpenter Gothic style?
	American Gothic It is one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art. Wood wanted to depict the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hand labor. Wood referenced late 19th century photography and posed his sitters in a manner reminiscent of early American portraiture.

87.	When this great artist was once criticized for creating unrealistic art, he asked his accuser "Can you show me some realistic art?" The man showed him a photograph of his wife. The artist observed: "So your wife is two inches tall, two-dimensional, with no arms and no legs, and no colour but only shades of gray?" Who is this artist who went through a 'Blue Period' and a 'Rose Period'?
	Pablo Picasso

86.	What measures 460 × 880 centimeters (15 feet × 29 ft) and can be found in the back halls of a dining hall at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy?
	'The Last Supper' by Da Vinci Unlike many other valuable paintings, it has never been privately owned because it cannot be moved easily.

85.	With 3 million works of art, which is the largest museum in the world?
	The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia The vast Hermitage collections are displayed in six buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace which used to be the official residence of the Russian Tsars. International branches of The Hermitage Museum are located in Amsterdam, London, and Las Vegas.

84.	Which Dutch painter's work 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' is sometimes referred to as "the Mona Lisa of the North" or "the Dutch Mona Lisa"?
	Johannes Vermeer (ca. 1665–1675)

83.	Which comic strip character's impact on the general public has been so huge that medical profession sometimes refers to the biceps bulge (symptomatic of a tendon rupture) as the "X muscle"?
	Popeye However Popeye has pronounced muscles of the forearm, not of the biceps.

82.	What is the name of the ritual practiced by some Bedouin tribes of the Judean, Negev and Sinai deserts for the purpose of lie detection in which the accused is asked to lick a hot metal object?
	Bishaa If the person undergoing the ritual is found to have a scarred or burnt tongue, it is concluded that he was lying. It is the best-known of various trials by ordeal which are practiced by the Bedouin, which are now dying out.

81.	In mythology, how do we better know Castor and Pollux together?
	The Gemini Twins In Roman mythology they are the twin sons of Leda and the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. They are called the Dioscuri, meaning the "youths of Zeus".

80.	If you are 'Busking' in public places, what are you doing?
	Doing live performances to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips.

79.	Similar to the fear of number thirteen in the west, the usage of which number is avoided in China, Japan and Korea?
	The number four This is because the Chinese word for 4 sounds nearly the same as the word for death. Mobile telephone numbers with 4 in them sell for less and some buildings even skip level four, labeling it the 5th floor instead. One of the Japanese words for 4, shi, is also homonymous with the kanji in the word for death, shi of shinu. In Korea, number '4' is pronounced as sa and is homonymous with the word for death. Some, but not all, Korean buildings have the fourth floor written as 'F' floor.

78.	Which trademarked image created by the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is widely employed in the US in labeling of substances that are poisonous if ingested?
	Mr.Yuk The Mr. Yuk symbol has been used as a replacement for the traditional skull-and-crossbones (a.k.a. Jolly Roger) warning label for poison. This is because some young children are thought to associate this symbol with pirates and therefore may misinterpret it as an invitation to ingest the poison.

77.	Which counterculture phrase was coined by Timothy Leary in the 1960s when Marshall McLuhan asked him to come up with "something snappy" to promote the benefits of LSD?
	Turn on, tune in, drop out It is an excerpt from a prepared speech he delivered at the opening of a press conference in New York City on September 19, 1966. This phrase urged people to initiate cultural changes through the use of psychedelics and by detaching themselves from the existing conventions and hierarchies in society. A common misunderstanding of the phrase, by people not familiar with the context in which it was first said, is that 'turn on, tune in, drop out' refers to 'turn on to drugs, tune in to the counterculture, and drop out of job/society/school.

76.	What is the name given to handiwork created by whalers from the byproducts of marine mammals?
	Scrimshaw It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of Sperm Whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. It takes the form of elaborate carvings in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engravings highlighted using a pigment, or small sculptures made from the same material. The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1817 to 1824 on the Pacific Ocean, and survived until the ban on commercial whaling.

75.	What is the name of the water management system developed in ancient Persia that is used to provide a reliable supply of water in hot and arid climates?
	Qanat The technology is known to have developed in ancient Persia, and then spread to other cultures, especially along the Silk Road as far east as China as well as by Arabic cultures as far west as Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula. Traditionally qanats are built by a group of skilled laborers, muqannîs, with hand labor. The profession historically paid well and was typically handed down from father to son.

74.	In 1957, Pablo Picasso painted a series of 58 interpretations of which iconic art work of the Spanish painter Deigo Velazquez?
	Las Meninas Luca Giordano, the influential Italian late Baroque painter, said of Las Meninas that it was, itself, the "theology of painting" and Thomas Lawrence, the English painter said that it incarnates the philosophy of art.

73.	What is the traditional headdress of Arab men made of a square of cloth folded and wrapped in various styles and also has a distinctive woven check pattern?
	The keffiyeh The keffiyeh is almost always of white cotton cloth, but many have a checkered pattern in red or black stitched into them. The plain, white keffiyeh is most popular in the Gulf states, almost excluding any other style in Kuwait and Bahrain. The keffiyeh also became a trademark symbol of Yasser Arafat, who was rarely seen without his peculiarly arranged black-and-white scarf.

72.	Harmandir Sahib, the holiest site of the Sikhs is located in Amritsar, India. How do we know it better?
	As the Golden Temple

71.	According to Christian folklore, who taunted Jesus on the way to the crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming?
	The Wandering Jew A variety of names have been given to the Wandering Jew, including Melmoth, Ahasuerus, Matathias, Buttadeus, Cartophilus, Isaac Laquedem, and Juan Espera a Dios and also Jerusalemin suutari ("Shoemaker of Jerusalem" in Finnish).

70.	In theatrical parlance, what is referred to as 'breaking the fourth wall'?
	An actor onstage speaking to the audience directly The term originated from Bertolt Brecht's theory of "epic theatre" that he developed from (and in contrast to) Konstantin Stanislavski's drama theory. Most often, the fourth wall is broken through a character directly addressing the audience, although the same effect can be achieved by breaking character, through dialogue, or by the characters interacting with objects outside the context of the work (e.g. a character is handed a prop by a stage hand).

69.	What is referred to by the phrases 'Montezuma's revenge', 'Gringo gallop' or 'Aztec two-step'?
	The diarrhea suffered by tourists when travelling to foreign parts Montezuma was Emperor of Mexico, 1502-20. The sickness, more formally called "traveller's diarrhea", is usually caused by drinking unsterilised water or eating spicy food that visitors aren't accustomed to. It is a bacteriological illness, always uncomfortable, and occasionally serious. Most cases are caused by E. coli. The revenge element of the phrase alludes to countries that were previously colonized by stronger countries and are now, in this small way, getting their own back.

68.	Typically worn in rural areas for hunting, what type of hat became a stereotypical head wear of a detective because of its association with Sherlock Holmes?
	The deerstalker In Arthur Conan Doyle's stories Holmes is never actually described as wearing a deerstalker. The public perception of Holmes as a "deerstalker man" was derived from the original illustrations for the stories by Sidney Paget, Frederic Dorr Steele and others. The deerstalker is not the appropriate headgear for the properly-dressed urban gentleman and Paget and the other illustrators who portrayed Holmes in a deerstalker always placed him in the proper setting for such attire (i.e., operating in a rural outdoor setting).

67.	Which item of clothing that was invented in 1946 was named after the site of a nuclear weapons test on the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like the nuclear device?
	The bikini from Bikini Atoll The modern bikini was invented by French engineer Louis Réard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946.

66.	Which shrub widely cultivated in Yemen is chewed for the caffeine-like affect it gives?
	Qat Qat is so popular in Yemen that its cultivation consumes much of the country's agricultural resources. In 1980 the World Health Organization classified qat as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence. The plant has been targeted by anti-drug organizations like the DEA.

65.	Which ubiquitous clothing item takes its name from a French phrase that literally means the blue of Genoa?
	Jeans The French phrase is bleu de Gênes, literally the blue of Genoa. Jeans fabric, or denim, originated independently in two places: the French town of Nîmes, from which 'denim' gets its name; and in India, where trousers made of denim material were worn by the sailors of Dhunga, which came to be known as dungarees.

64.	In 1911, the poet Apollinaire who hated the Louvre was arrested and his friend Pablo Picasso was questioned by the French police in connection with what?
	The theft of Mona Lisa A Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia stole it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. After keeping the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to a Florence art dealer.

63.	In Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the 20th century, who was the only person from the world of fashion?
	Coco Chanel (1883-1971) Her modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her arguably the most important figure in the history of 20th-century fashion.

62.	Associated with Russia, what is the name of the set of dolls of decreasing sizes that are placed one inside the other?
	A matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll or a babushka doll The word "matryoshka" is derived from the Russian female first name "Matryona". The word "babushka" is the Russian word for grandmother.

61.	According to legend, who rode naked through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive toll imposed by her husband?
	Lady Godiva The name "peeping Tom" for a voyeur comes from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom watched her ride and was stricken blind.

60.	What is the British English term for tailored clothing made at a customer's behest and exactly to the customer's specification?
	Bespoke Hence a tailor who makes clothes individually, to one's specific personal requirements, is called "bespoke". This is unlike “made-to-measure”, which simply uses a basic, pre-existing template pattern. Bespoke has its roots in Savile Row, where a customer would speak for a measure of cloth. A bolt chosen by one customer was not available for anyone else until the entire suit had been cut out and assembled.

59.	Which artist's most famous image is 'Whaam!' that features a fighter aircraft firing a rocket into an enemy plane with a dazzling red and yellow explosion?
	Roy Lichtenstein (1923 – 1997) His work borrowed heavily from popular advertising and comic book styles, which he himself described as being "as artificial as possible".

58.	What is the name given to a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar?
	A caryatid The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese.

57.	What is the custom prevailing in certain parts of England by which lands/property descend to the youngest son, to the exclusion of all the other children?
	Borough English The origin of the custom of Borough English has been much disputed.

56.	Which is the name of the landmark sculpture in Brussels that depicts a little boy urinating into a fountain?
	Manneken Pis There are several legends behind this statue, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfried II of Brabant. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung it in a tree, to encourage them. From there, he urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.

55.	In industrial circles, who or what is a Blackleg miner?
	A strikebreaker Blackleg Miner is a 19th Century English folk song and the lyrics depict the aggressive stance against strikebreakers adopted by collectivised strikers - the term blackleg being an older word for scab. The UK miners' strike (1984-1985) saw striking miners using the song to intimidate those who continued to work.

54.	Along with New York's Broadway, which London theatre is considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking world?
	West End West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of London's "Theatreland". Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London.

53.	'The Jargon File' is the glossary of slang of which group of people?
	Hackers The original Jargon File was a collection of hacker slang from technical cultures such as the MIT AI Lab, the Stanford AI Lab (SAIL), and others of the old ARPANET communities.

52.	Which incident that occurred in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881 has come to symbolize the struggle between law-and-order and open-banditry in frontier towns of the Old West?
	Gunfight at the O.K. Corral It is a testament to the gunfight's impact on the US national psyche that numerous dramatic, fictional, and documentary works have been produced about or referencing this event over the decades.

51.	The Ouroboros, one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world, was the inspiration behind the discovery of the structure of the Benzene molecule. How is it represented?
	A serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle

50.	What trademarked spiritual technique was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1958?
	Transcendental Meditation or TM During the 1960s and early 1970s the TM Movement became seen as part of the then current "counter-culture" phenomenon, at which time a number of celebrities learned TM. Celebrity students at that time included The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

49.	Most mosques in the world contain a niche in a wall that indicates the qibla. What is it?
	It is the direction that should be faced when praying The qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca.

48.	Which philosophical position argues that the world, especially past and current human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value?
	Nihilism Nihilism is often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, though Nietzsche explicitly repudiated it. Another prominent philosopher who has written on the subject is Martin Heidegger who argued that "[the term] nihilism has a very specific meaning. What remains unquestioned and forgotten in metaphysics is being; and hence, it is nihilistic."

47.	In photography, what is a phenomenon where it becomes difficult to detect changes in an upside down face, despite identical changes being obvious in an upright face?
	The Thatcher effect or Thatcher illusion It is named after British former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on whose photograph the effect has been most famously demonstrated. This was originally created by Peter Thompson, who is a senior lecturer at the University of York, England. This is thought to be due to specific psychological processes involved in face perception which are tuned especially to upright faces.

46.	In American political jargon, what is a Sherman(esque) statement or Sherman speech?
	A statement by a potential candidate that they will never run for election to an office The term derives from the Sherman pledge, a remark made by American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman when he was being considered as a possible Republican candidate for the presidential election of 1884. He declined, saying "If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve."

45.	Situated at Poissy, outside of Paris, what is the seminal work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier?
	The Villa Savoye The house was emblematic of Le Corbusier's work in that it addressed "The Five Points", his basic tenets of a new aesthetic of architecture constructed in reinforced concrete.

44.	What symbol of Chinese culture is depicted by a circle with black and white areas and represents the principle of yin and yang from Taoist and Confucian philosophy?
	Tajitu The term Taijitu itself refers to any of several schematic diagrams representing these principles.

43.	What was the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century?
	Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was originally a specific place, West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The start of Tin Pan Alley is usually dated to about 1885, when a number of music publishers set up shop in the same district of Manhattan but its end is unclear.

42.	What public housing development in Chicago, USA created terrible conditions for the residents and became synonymous with the problems associated with public housing in the United States?
	Cabrini-Green

41.	Made famous by 'The Da Vince Code', what drawing depicts a nude male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and square?
	The Vitruvian Man It was created by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1492. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. It is on display in the Gallerie dell' Accademia in Venice, Italy.

40.	Which magnificent site that was constructed in the 15th century was brought to international attention by Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911?
	Machu Picchu Sometimes called the "Lost City of the Incas", it is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) on a mountain ridge. Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km (44 mi) northwest of Cusco.

39.	Which dog breed was a favored imperial pet in ancient China?
	Pekingese These dogs are also called Dogs of Foo (or Fu) by the Chinese and they were considered a guardian spirit as they resembled Chinese lions. Interestingly, the lion is not indigenous to China. When Buddhist travelers, probably out to trade, brought stories about lions to China, Chinese sculptors modeled statues of lions after the travelers' descriptions--and after native dogs, since no one in China had seen a lion with his or her own eyes. The mythic version of the animal was originally introduced to Han China as the Buddhist protector of dharma.

38.	Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture 'The Thinker' was originally meant to depict whom?
	Dante in front of the gates of hell, pondering his great poem More than any other Rodin sculpture, The Thinker moved into the popular imagination, as an immediately recognizable icon of intellectual activity; consequently it has been subject to endless satirical use.

37.	What is a tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere?
	A cenotaph The word derives from the Greek words kenos, one meaning being "empty" and taphos, "tomb". Although the vast majority of cenotaphs are erected in honour of specific individuals, many of the best-known cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the war dead of one specific country or empire. Probably the best-known cenotaph in the modern world is the one that stands in Whitehall, London.

36.	The Temple of the Tooth which houses the only surviving relic of Buddha (a tooth) is located in the city of Kandy in which Asian country?
	Sri Lanka The relic has played an important role in the local politics since ancient times, it's believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country, which caused the ancient kings to protect it with great effort. Kandy was the capital of the Sinhalese Kings from 1592 to 1815, fortified by the terrain of the mountains and the difficult approach. The city is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO, in part due to the temple.

35.	Who is a Stigmatic?
	One who has bodily marks or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus The causes of stigmata are the subject of considerable debate. Some contend that they are miraculous, while others argue they are hoaxes or can be explained medically. Stigmata are primarily associated with the Roman Catholic faith.

34.	Which iconic video game centers on the experiences of the super-solider Master Chief and his artificial intelligence (AI) companion, Cortana?
	Halo The trilogy of Halo video games have been praised as being among the best first-person shooters on a video game console, and are considered the Microsoft Xbox's "killer app".

33.	Theo was the beloved younger brother of which suffering post-Impressionist painter?
	Vincent van Gogh Theo was an art dealer who admired his elder brother Vincent and supported him throughout his life.

32.	Where are Panama hats made?
	Ecuador They are made from the plaited leaves of the panama-hat palm. The Ecuadorian town of Cuenca is the main producer; however, the town of Montecristi has the reputation of producing the finest quality hats. Glorified during the 19th century, the panama has since been considered the prince of straw hats.

31.	In Norse myth, where did the Gods live?
	Asgard It should not be confused with Valhalla, which is Odin's hall located in Asgard.

30.	With connection to Christianity, what are 'Gadzooks'?
	Nails by which Christ was fastened to the cross Gadzooks is usually said to be an alteration of God’s hooks. According to a BBC website, the word 'Gadzooks' can be traced to the literature of the late 17th Century.

29.	What was created in 196 BC, discovered by the French in 1799 and was translated in 1822 by Frenchman Jean-François Champollion?
	The Rosetta Stone The text of the Rosetta Stone is a decree from Ptolemy V, describing the repealing of various taxes and instructions to erect statues in temples. The Rosetta Stone has been exhibited in the British Museum since 1802, with only one break, from 1917 to 1919. Toward the end of World War I, in 1917, the Museum was concerned about heavy bombing in London and moved the Rosetta Stone to the Postal Tube Railway 50 feet below the ground at Holborn.

28.	In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, what is the name of the mystical kingdom hidden beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas?
	Shambhala It is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra and the ancient texts of the Zhang Zhung culture which pre-dated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet.

27.	During the canonization process of the Roman Catholic Church, what was the canon lawyer who argued against the canonization of a candidate called?
	The devil's advocate The Devil's advocate was opposed by God's advocate, whose job was to make the argument in favor of canonization. The office was established in 1587 during the reign of Pope Sixtus V and was abolished by Pope John Paul II in 1983. This abolition streamlined the canonization process considerably, helping John Paul II to usher in an unprecedented number of elevations: nearly 500 individuals were canonized and over 1,300 were beatified during his tenure as Pope as compared to only 98 canonizations by all his 20th-century predecessors.

26.	Among birthstones that are assigned to specific months, which is the only non-mineral?
	Pearl (for June)

25.	The ancient Greeks made drinking vessels out of which precious stone in the belief that it would prevent intoxication?
	Amethyst Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, its chemical formula is SiO2 and it is the birthstone associated with February. The Greek word "amethystos" basically can be translated as "not drunken."

24.	Made famous by the movie 'Midnight Express', what is the punishment of Falaka or Bastinado?
	Beatings on the soles of the feet This torture is effective due to the clustering of nerve endings in the feet and the structure of the foot, with its numerous small bones and tendons.

23.	In Greek mythology, Achilles' mother dipped him in a river and held him up by his ankle which remained dry and thus vulnerable. Name the river.
	Styx Legends state that Achilles was killed in battle by an arrow to the heel, and so an Achilles' heel has come to mean a person's only weakness.

22.	Which Italian painter's name literally translates to 'Little Barrel'?
	Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) His work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting, and The Birth of Venus and Primavera rank now among the most familiar masterpieces of Florentine art.

21.	The name of which eponymous color is derived from an artist's use of brownish orange, especially for the hair of his early portraits of courtesans?
	The color Titian Recognized by his contemporaries as "the sun amidst small stars" (recalling the famous final line of Dante's Paradiso), Titian (1485-1576) was one of the most versatile of Italian painters, equally adept with portraits and landscapes (two genres that first brought him fame), mythological and religious subjects.

20.	Which influential family produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI), rulers of Florence (notably Lorenzo il Magnifico, notable patron of renaissance art) and later members of the French and English royalty?
	The Medici family The most significant accomplishments of the Medici were in the sponsorship of art and architecture, mainly early and High Renaissance art and architecture.

19.	What is the world's best-selling toy with 300 million items and imitations sold worldwide?
	Rubik's cube It was invented in 1974 by the Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernõ Rubik. This plastic cube comes in four widely available versions: the 2×2×2 ("Pocket Cube"), the 3×3×3 standard cube, the 4×4×4 ("Rubik's Revenge"), and the 5×5×5 ("Professor's Cube").

18.	Which famous painting has also been known as Soft Watches, Droopy Watches, or Melting Clocks?
	The Persistence of Memory It is quite possibly the most famous painting by artist Salvador Dalí and it is currently displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, where it has been since 1934.

17.	Which group is responsible for the security of the entrances to the Vatican City and the safety of the Pope?
	The Swiss Guard They are Swiss mercenary soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts from the late 15th century until the present day (in the form of the Papal Swiss Guard). They have generally had a high reputation for discipline and loyalty to their employers.

16.	Which Arabic word literally translates to 'Submission' or 'Surrender'?
	Islam It is the second-largest religion in the world today, with an estimated 1.4 billion adherents.

15.	What language is commonly spoken by Gypsies?
	Romany It is the language of the Roma and Sinti, peoples often referred to in English as "Gypsies".

14.	Which word comes from the Spanish for 'Little War'?
	Guerilla Guerrilla warfare is a method of unconventional combat by which small groups of combatants attempt to use mobile and surprise tactics (ambushes, raids, etc) to defeat a foe, often a larger, less mobile, army.

13.	Which word is derived from the name of an ancient Greek city that was noted for the pleasure-seeking habits of its inhabitants?
	Sybarite from Sybaris

12.	Who or What is a 'Penang Lawyer'?
	A walking stick 'Penang Lawyer' was made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his book 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. It is made of a fine thick piece of wood, and is bulbous-headed and was just such a stick the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry – exuding dignity, solidity and reassurance.

11.	Viracocha was the one of the most important deities for which civilization?
	The Incas

10.	In his 11th labor, whom does Hercules persuade to retrieve the golden apples of Hesperides by offering to hold up the heavens for a little while?
	Atlas

9.	According to folklore, which bird is the last form of wildlife to take shelter prior to a hurricane and the first to reappear after the storm passes?
	The Ibis The Sacred Ibis was also an object of religious veneration in ancient Egypt, particularly associated with the god, Thoth.

8.	What popular festival is named for the French for 'Fat Tuesday'?
	Mardi Gras It is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival and is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent.

7.	In Greek mythology, what are the race of creatures that are part human and part horse?
	The Centaurs This half-human and half-animal composition has led many writers to treat them as liminal beings, caught between the two natures, embodied in contrasted myths, and as the embodiment of untamed nature.

6.	Which day of the week is derived from the Norse god of thunder?
	Thursday, from Thor Thor was very much the favorite deity of ancient Scandinavians.

5.	Which day of the week is derived from the name of the Germanic god of the Anglo-Saxons?
	Wednesday, from Woden Arising from this, the German name for Wednesday has been Mittwoch (literally: "mid-week") since the 10th Century, having displaced the former name: Wodanstag ("Wodan's day"). The Finnish name is similarly practical: Keskiviikko (literally: "center of the week") as is the Icelandic name: Miðvikudags ("Mid-week day").

4.	The launch of Sputnik inspired writer Herb Caen to coin which term that has come to indicate the superficial aspects of the Beat Generation of the 1950s?
	Beatnik It has evolved into a media stereotype that borrowed the most superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s to present a distorted, cartoon-like misrepresentation of the real-life people found in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical fiction.

3.	L Ron Hubbard was the founder of which organization/cult?
	Scientology Scientology is said to offer "an exact methodology" to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and, simultaneously, to become more effective in the physical world.

2.	U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning saw a film about X before their first mass jump and started which trend in 1940?
	Shouting 'Geronimo' during jumps.

1.	In Greek mythology, who was cursed to stand in a pool of water with low branches, and whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches raised his intended meal from his grasp. Whenever he bent down to get a drink, the water receded before he got any.
	Tantalus It is from this story that the word 'tantalizing' comes.

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