2B or not 2B ... That is the Pencil. Quiz

Answer: To write

In the 1500s when graphite was first discovered in England it was found useful for marking sheep and was later used for writing. It was thought to be a variety of lead hence the term "lead" pencil. It was later named graphite. Other words which derive from "graphein" include biography, cartography, chromatography and cinematography.

Answer: Nuremberg

The Staedtler family have been making pencils in Nuremberg for centuries. In the 1600s, Friedrich Staedtler's occupation was recorded in town documents as a pencil maker. He made his pencils by hand. The Staedtler company still has its headquarters in Nuremberg and one of its manufacturing plants in the north of the city.

Answer: Pencil Pine

Pencil pines are hardy trees in the cypress family which grow in all but the most severe of climates. It will grow to 35m (115 feet) in height but has a very narrow form. The width of the tree may only be ten percent of its height. Other names for the pencil pine include Italian, Tuscan or Graveyard Cypress. Sempervirens refers to the tree's evergreen habit.

They are commonly used for landscaping as their height gives another dimension to a garden while taking up little ground area.

Answer: You've Got Mail

In "You've Got Mail" Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are internet chat buddies who don't know each others' real identities. In this email Tom Hanks writes how he loves New York in the fall. For him it signals the time to buy school supplies and perhaps send Meg a bouquet of pencils. Tom and Meg also starred together in "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Joe Versus The Volcano". Meg Ryan was in "Top Gun" but the lead actor was Tom Cruise, not Tom Hanks.

Answer: Crayon

Le crayon is French for pencil. It is derived from the French word 'craie' meaning 'chalk'.

Answer: John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck would start the day with 24 sharpened pencils. He'd need to resharpen them as the day wore on. Writing "East of Eden" used around 300 pencils. I wonder what he would have thought about computers and word processing.

Answer: Christian Dior

There was a slim line skirt called a hobble skirt in the early 1900s. The wearers of hobble skirts had movement restricted by a band around the skirt near the ankles. The fashion died out as these skirts made getting in and out of cars and buses very difficult.

After WWII, Christian Dior designed the pencil skirt, a slim line skirt which accentuates the female form. They do restrict movement somewhat but a split in the back or sides helps alleviate that problem. The pencil skirt has survived in various forms, particularly forming part of a corporate suit for business women.

Answer: Pencil of Doom!

In this children's' book, Henry has a pencil. This magical pencil has the power to make everything Henry draws or writes come true but not in the way he imagined. Even if he draws something good the pencil will change his wish into something bad. Henry's attempts at disposing of or destroying the pencil fail, until the pencil falls into the hands of another schoolchild.

The pencil of doom twists the other child's wish into an unintentional self destructive act. The children and the pencil are trapped underneath a pile of library books, the children being rescued by Mr Shush, the librarian.

Answer: Ellen Pompeo

Ellen Pompeo is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. Born November 11, 1969, she didn't appear on the screen until 2002. She is best known for her role as Dr. Meredith Grey in TV's "Grey's Anatomy" made since 2005. She married her husband Chris Ivery in a quiet ceremony with only two witnesses. The witnesses were the Mayor and First Deputy Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg and Patti Harris respectively.

Answer: Jimmy Buffett

"Pencil Thin Moustache" appeared on the 1974 "Living & Dying in 3/4 Time" album. It never reached the top 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 101. It fared better on the Easy Listening charts reaching number 44.