Pick n' Mix: Part FIFTEEN Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nhialic

Adherents to the Dinka religion reside in South Sudan, believing that Nhialic (also being referred to as "Deng Dit" in some areas) created the first man and woman from clay: Garang and Abuk. Nhialic left clay figures in pots, leaving them for a long time to find they had grown significantly.

The Dinka religion asserts that Earth and the Heavens were once joined by a rope, on the condition that Garang and Abuk would pound a particular amount of grain per day. Abuk got greedy, resulting in Nhialic getting a face-full of grain when Abuk was pounding too much of it. Nhialic was furious, there was an argument and Nhialic cut the rope connecting Earth to Heaven. This meant that humanity from there on were mortal and stuck to fend for and feed themselves.

Answer: Priscus of Panium

Priscus of Panium was born between 410-420 AD in a town called Panion in the east of Thrace. He wrote the "The History of Byzantium" consisting of eight volumes, all in Greek. He became a Roman diplomat.

Priscus came into the company of Attila the Hun in 449 AD. His account remains one of the only recorded eyewitness accounts of both the Hunnic Empire, and its leader Attila in person. Priscus had been sent there on a diplomatic mission from Rome.

Answer: Copernicium

Copernicium was created in 1996 in Germany by the Heavy Ion Research Laboratory, led by scientist, Sigurd Hofmann. To achieve copernicium, scientists used a heavy ion accelerator to bombard lead-208 nuclei with zinc-70 nuclei. Copernicium is a synthetic radioactive metal, and research on its characteristics are scarce due to its scarcity and high radioactivity.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the astronomer and mathematician the element is named after, asserted the hypothesis that the Earth orbits the Sun.

Answer: Gerald Ford

The Eagle Scout is the highest possible rank to achieve within the Boy Scouts of America. At least 40 astronauts have been recorded to have earned this badge in their youths, including Neil Armstrong and Charles Duke.

Gerald Ford (1913-2006) was President of the U.S.A from 1974-1977.

Answer: Barbeau Peak

Barbeau Peak is around 8,585 feet (2,615 m) high and is the highest mountain of Northern Canada. The mountain is said to be Canada's most isolated peak, and is named after Canadian anthropologist Marius Barbeau (1883-1969).

Ellesmere Island is the northernmost of all Canada's islands, and is sparsely populated, with the total population recorded as being just 144 in 2021. Cape Columbia, the most northerly point in Canada, is located on Ellesmere Island.

Answer: Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

King Fahd's Fountain is visible all around the city of Jeddah, located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The maximum height of the fountain's water jets is over 850 feet. Over 500 multicoloured lights embedded on the fountain illuminate the water at night.

Fahd gifted the fountain to the city, hence why it is named after him. Construction of the fountain began in 1980, ending in 1983.

Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1982 until his death in 2005. He was the son of the founder of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. He was one of the top eight sons out of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud's at least 45 children.

Answer: Yasunari Kawabata

Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) was known for his melancholic writings, attributed to a lonely childhood from experiencing death early, having been orphaned at aged four.

Yasunari Kawabata's works are also known to be inspired by an unrequited love in his life, Hatsuyo Itō (1906-1951). They were engaged in 1921, but this was abruptly broken off by Hatsuyo Itō for reasons that have been lost to history. Kawabata's 1926 short story, "The Dancing Girl of Izu" is said to be inspired by Hatsuyo Itō. A love letter that Kawabata never mailed to Hatsuyo was found in his former residence in 2014, decades after his death.

His works "Thousand Cranes," "Snow Country" and "The Old Capital" earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, becoming the first Japanese person to be awarded this.

Yasunari Kawabata died in mysterious circumstances in 1972. He died of gas inhalation at home, some citing he unplugged the gas pipe on purpose, some saying by accident. As a writer, it would be unusual for Kawabata to end his life without writing a note, but nothing of the sort was found at the scene. His death is still debated.

Answer: Hair follicles

The arrector pili muscles are small muscles which connect hair follicles to the papillary layer of the dermis. Contraction of the arrector pili muscle results in cutis anserina, that is, the hairs standing erect, being pulled into a vertical position, or "gooseflesh."

The arrector pili muscles are not present in the eyelashes, pubis, face, nostrils, eyebrows, jaw, etc.

Answer: Aaron Staton

Aaron Staton was born in Huntington, West Virginia in 1980. He has had parts on crime dramas such as "Law & Order" and "Without a Trace."

Aaron Staton underwent hours of facial captures and voice acting during his creation of Cole Phelps. "L.A. Noir" is set in Los Angeles in 1947, and follows the adventures of Cole Phelps as he ascends the ranks of the police department. The game was generally praised for its accuracy in its depiction of 1940s Los Angeles.

However, reviews were not all good. Not all of Rockstar's fans appreciated that after years of driving recklessly in "Grand Theft Auto", Rockstar brought out a game that deducted points for unscrupulous driving.

Answer: FedExForum

Located in Memphis, Tennessee, FedExForum was constructed and opened to the public by 2004. The Memphis Grizzlies have had it as their home ground ever since.

FedExForum cost $250 million to make at the time, and the naming rights to the building were purchased for $92 million by FedEx, one of the most prominent co-operations in Memphis.

Inside the arena is homage to Memphis' musical history, with paintings of BB King, Elvis Presley etc, hanging inside. FedExForum has also hosted several professional wrestling events from WWE.

Answer: Heinrich von Kleist

Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) was a German playwright and author. Since 1912, a yearly award named the "Kleist Prize" is given out as an honour for those excelling in literature. The prize was first awarded on the 100th anniversary of Kleist's death, was discontinued in 1933, then reintroduced as an award in 1985.

Kleist wrote "Penthesilea" in 1808, about the Amazonian Queen Penthesilea of Greek mythology. It was regarded as so sexually charged at the time, that Goethe is said to have rendered it "unplayable" upon reading it. It was first performed in what is now called the Konzerthaus Berlin in 1876, 65 years after Kleist had died.

Answer: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was a French painter and illustrator. He developed a love for prostitutes, as evidenced in some of his work. He was an alcoholic who was frequently bullied about his small stature, after breaking both of his legs as a child and developing pycnodysostosis, a condition that renders bones unusually dense.

During his time as an artist in Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec met both Vincent Vanbrugh and Émile Bernard.

In 1889, the Moulin Rougue show was starting out and Toulouse-Lautrec was hired to create some promotional posters. He painted Jane Avril several times, and she was subsequently an icon. Zsa Zsa Gabor was the first to play Avril in film, in John Huston's 1952 film, "Moulin Rougue." José Ferrer plays Toulouse-Lautrec in this film, and he was portrayed again by John Leguizamo in the 2001 film, "Moulin Rouge!"

Answer: Botswana

Translating to "Blessed Be This Noble Land," "Fatshe leno la rona" was implemented as Botswana's national anthem in 1966 following independence. It was composed in 1962 by Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete.

Answer: Beryllium

Beryllium has a low atomic number (4) and a very low absorption rate for x-rays, and a normal glass window is much less transparent than a beryllium window. This means beryllium is used to cover the ends of the tubes where the x-rays exit.

Discovered by French chemist, Nicolas Louis Vauquelin in 1798, (although not isolated into its pure form until Friedrich Wöhler did in the 1820s) beryllium is a brittle, rare, alkaline earth metal.

Answer: Jainism

The word "manastambha" gets its name from the coupling of two Sanskrit words: "mana" meaning "pride" and "stambha" meaning "pillar." The idea is that anyone approaching a Jain monument or entering a Jain temple will shed their pride before proceeding.

Answer: Australia

The bell miner (Manorina melanophrys), also known as the bell bird, resides in the southeast of Australia. It is a medium bodied honeyeater, part of the super family, Meliphagoidea, of passerine birds. Bell miners share a genus, Manorina, with three other types of miner: the yellow-throated miner (Manorina flavigula), the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) and the black-eared miner (Manorina melanotis). "Manorina" is derived from Ancient Greek, with "manos" meaning 'thin" and "rhinos" meaning "nostrils." They are called "bell miners" due to the sound of their call.

The bell miner is in no way related to the crested bellbird, which is part of the Oreoicidae and endemic to inland Australia.

Bell miners are fiercely protective and aggressively territorial of their colonies, with breeding pairs staying home with the young, while those who are not breeding fly out to gather food for the colony, even to feed chicks that are not related to them. Bell miners are found throughout Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

Answer: CA Osasuna

Club Atlético Osasuna, often simply called Osasuna, has existed since 1920 and plays in La Liga, the highest possible league to play in professional football. Osasuna's nicknames include "Los Rojillos" or "Gorritxoak" that is, "Little Reds."

"Osasuna" translates to "health" in Basque, in the context of resilience and vigour.

Located in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain, El Sadar Stadium was constructed and opened by 1967, with the first match being played there being between Real Zaragoza and Portuguese team, Vitoria de Setúbal. The building is named after a river near the stadium.

Answer: Angelica Pickles

Cheryl Chase was born in Manville, New Jersey in 1958.

Angelica Pickles is a regular character on Nickelodeon's "Rugrats." She is often an antagonist, regularly bullying her cousin Tommy and his friends.

Answer: Alexander Muir

Alexander Muir (1830-1906) was a Canadian poet, lyricist, soldier and teacher. He was born in Lesmahagow, Scotland, but his family moved to Canada when he was three in 1833. Although considered an amateur from a musical perspective, he is hailed for his patriotism for Canada, penning several songs declaring his dedication to the country, such as "Young Canada was Here" and "Canada Forever."

"The Maple Leaf Forever" was released the year of Canada's Confederation, 1867. Muir composed the song the year before during his time with the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The song was not endearing to French-Canadians due to the song's pro-British sentiments.

Answer: Pearl Jam

Jeff Ament was born in 1963 in Havre, the county seat of Hill County, Montana. He was the oldest of 12 children. Before he joined Pearl Jam, he played for the bands Mother Love Bone and Green River.

As well as playing bass for Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament contributes thoroughly to the song writing.

In 2021, Ament became involved in building skate parks across Montana, with at least 25 being built.