Darwin Was The Fittest! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 203 years old

The notebook belonged to a Dutch man named Jan Teerlink, who had collected the seeds from thirty-two different species during a stop over just off the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa in 1803. He was a merchant that traded in tea and silk, and on his way back to Europe the ship he was on, the Henriette, was seized by the British navy. All of Teerlink's belongings were subsequently handed over to the High Court of Admiralty and then onto the Tower of London.

In 2006, these belongings were noticed by a Dutch researcher who sent the seeds to the Millennium Seed Bank being run by the Royal Botantic Gardens in Kew, England. From the thirty-two species, twenty-nine failed to respond to water and nutrients, but three species did start to grow shoots and roots. The species Liparia produced sixteen healthy plants, one leucospermum conocarpodendron plant and one acacia.

Answer: Resident Evil

The video game "Resident Evil" was created by Shinji Mikami, and released by Capcom in 1996. In response to the popularity of these games, a movie of the same name was released in 2002 which was written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and starred Milla Jovovich. Both media have produced a number of sequels.

Answer: Running of the bulls

The running of the bulls in Pamplona is a part of the seven day festival of Sanfermines in honour of Saint Fermín, the co-patron of Navarre. The event involves releasing a number of bulls, usually a dozen, within the confines of sectioned off streets and then for people to run ahead of the charging bulls.

It is an event that is not just held in Pamplona, as the tradition is run in other cities of Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Peru, France and even in Nevada, America. The tradition is said to have started in the 14th century as part of traders herding cattle through the streets quickly on their way to sell at market, with it progressing to a competition.

Answer: Simon

First published in 1954, 'The Lord of the Flies' is a novel written by Nobel award-winning author William Golding. The book explores a group of children's descent into the recesses of human nature when they are marooned alone on an island, and are faced with creating their own rules and society. The boys are split early on as two tribes are established, Jack being the leader of one tribe and Ralph being the leader of the other. During the spilt, Simon aligns himself more with Ralph's tribe, but essentially through his perspective is a separate "tribe".

Jack's group, in particular, begins to obsess about "the beast", not realising it is actually the dead body of a fighter pilot. It is only Simon who recognises the body for what it is, and he who recognises that the "the beast" is within them not an outside creature. However, on his way back to tell the others, he is mistaken as "the beast" himself by Jack's group and they stab him to death.

Answer: Queen Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I was born on September 7th, 1533 to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. After the death of her half-brother, Edward VI, in 1553, he passed the crown to Lady Jane Grey to try and ensure that the religion of the kingdom stayed Protestant. She was to only rule for nine days before his half-sister Queen Mary took control of the throne and converted the realm back to Catholicism. Queen Mary ruled until her death in 1558 when her half-sister Elizabeth took the throne.

As with her sister, Queen Elizabeth I was pressured to be married and felt the pressure of being a woman in what was seen as a man's role. The right of the crown was expected to be earned by blood, but also earned and fought for in battle. A woman was seen as weak, more sinful and less intelligent than a man, so to win the respect of her people Queen Elizabeth I was extremely clever. She used her awareness of the sentiments towards women as a strength and appeared humble and servile, while showing strength, but not arrogance, as seen in the quote used in the question. She showed the strength of a good wife, and to relay the idea of this further she portrayed herself as being virtuous and constructed herself as the Virgin Queen. A Virgin Queen giving herself only to her people; married only to her people. Thus she ruled with strength and survived other plots for the crown.

Answer: Forms a cocoon from its skin's outer layer that conserves water underneath.

The water-holding frog sheds multiple layers of its skin underground and forms it into a tight cocoon around its body. This cocoon becomes like a mucus membrane that is water-tight, and stops any moisture from within the frog from evaporating. The water stays trapped between the frog itself and the cocoon, creating a full cover of water as the frog stays underground for six months at a time during hot, dry periods.

They are a common frog, and can be found in nearly every state of Australia, except Victoria and Tasmania. This prevalence came in handy for Australian Aboriginals, who would dig them up, and lightly squeeze them to get some of the water for themselves. The frog could return to the ground afterwards.

Answer: 72 days

The story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 has been told through the memoir of Nando Parrado, who along with fellow survivor, Roberto Canesso, trekked for ten days across the Andes to get help. The flight crashed into the Andes on October 13th, 1972, and initially sixteen people died on impact or died due to their injuries and the cold temperatures a few days later. Eight more were to die after an avalanche hit the crash site, and trapped the survivors for three days inside the fuselage. Those that were still alive had various broken bones, limited cold weather clothing and no food. They made the decision to eat the flesh from those that had died in order to survive. It was not a decision that they took lightly, as they were not only eating another human but people they knew; loved ones.

Despite three countries searching for the plane, the searchers did not know approximately where it went down and the colour of the plane camouflaged it into the snow, and made the group almost impossible to find. Subsequently the search was called off after eight days. The survivors did have a radio with them, and heard themselves eleven days after the crash that the search had been called off. There had been talk before the avalanche that the only chance of rescue was to seek it themselves, but now they were certain and they tried a number of attempts. Each time they were hampered by altitude sickness, dehydration, snow blindness, malnourishment and the extreme cold of the nights. These hurdles were overcome by Nando Parrado fashioning a sleeping bag, Roberto Canesso insisting that they wait longer before they trek out so that the temperatures would be lighter and Adolfo "Fito" Strauch making sunglasses out of the pilot cabin's sun visors. Thus Parrado and Canesso reached help on day 69 since the plane crashed, and all of the others were rescued by day 72.

Answer: Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow was born in 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. His hierarchy of needs theory details Physiological as breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion. Once these needs have been met a person's primary focus will be on the next level of needs, which Maslow categorised as Safety. This group includes security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health and property. As with the progression from Physiological to Safety a person will focus up to Love/Belonging and will continue to cycle through the different levels of need as each is fulfilled or unfulfilled.

The theory is often depicted as a pyramid, but Maslow never referred to it in such a way and each category is of equal importance. A person may have their needs completely fulfilled in the categories of Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, and Self-Actualization, but may lack Esteem, and therefore feel anxious and lacking and feel unfulfilled despite having so many other needs met.

Answer: Invictus

During most of Nelson Mandela's twenty-seven year imprisonment he was located at a prison on Robben Island. This location was used to try to isolate political prisoners, but it is here that Mandela took hope from the message of self-mastery in the poem and recited it to other prisoners.

The author of this poem, William Ernest Henley, wrote it during a bleak time in his life. He was hospitalised with tuberculosis, and had one of his legs amputated in order to save his life. It was then suggested that he have his other leg amputated as well. He chose, however, to get a second opinion and received the help of a different doctor, Joseph Lister. This proved a good decision, as he was able to keep his other leg after intensive surgery. While recovering in the hospital, he wrote the words of "Invictus", which are as follows:

"Invictus"

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. "

Answer: Flute

Three flutes, one made from mute swan and the other two from mammoth ivory, were found in the Geissenkloesterle Cave in Swabian Jura, Germany. They had two finger holes, and a "V" shaped wedge on one end. These flutes have been dated to being approximately 42,000 and 43,000 years old.

In the same region in Germany, three more bone flutes were found in 2008 that were made from a vulture's wing bone and mammoth ivory. The best preserved flute was made from a vulture's wing bone. The vulture bone flute measured "20cm long with five finger holes and two "V"-shaped notches on one end of the instrument into which the researchers assume the player blew". These flutes were dated as being approximately 35,000 years old.