FunTrivia Blockbusters: I'll Have a 'G' Quiz

Answer: Gnu

Gnus are also known as Wildebeest. Some varieties are migratory, following the richest grazing available.
Several variety of Wildebeest exist. Their numbers have been reducing due to competing demands, mainly from humans, for the lands they occupy.

Answer: Great

Huge is a synonym of great and insignificant is an antonym of great. Then we have a giant dog hailing from Germany - Great Dane.

Answer: George Clooney

George Clooney earned his acting spurs in the medical TV drama "ER" between 1994 and 1999.
He went on to star in the movies "Batman & Robin" (1997), "Three Kings" (1999), and "Ocean's 11" (2001).
He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "Syriana" (2005) and shared the Best Picture award for producing "Argo" in 2013.
In his personal life, he was a supporter of humanitarian causes and in 2014 married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
In 2006 Clooney began advertising Nespresso coffee in Europe. The campaign moved to the USA in 2015.

Answer: Green Lantern

The first Green Lantern stories were published by DC Comics in 1940. Alan Scott was the first character and stories followed his adventures until 1949.
In 1959 the Green Lantern Corps was established to provide a continuing number of characters.
In 2011, a movie, "Green Lantern" featuring the superheroes was made.
An animated series ran on television between March 2012 and March2013.

Answer: Garfield

Garfield first appeared in an American comic strip created by Jim Davis in 1978.
Garfield lived with his owner, Jon, and Odie the dog. He frequently outsmarted both, particularly when it came to consuming lasagne, and also got in the way of Jon's love life.
At one stage it was the world's most syndicated cartoon strip, and was also made into TV shows, movies and a stage show.

Answer: Gannet

Gannets are seabirds that nest in rocky cliffs. Two-thirds of the worldwide population can be found in the United Kingdom, but others are also to be found in Canada, Ireland and Iceland.
The Fairey Gannet was a British carrier-borne naval aircraft that was in service between 1949 and 1978. It was initially used as an antisubmarine and strike aircraft and later for airborne early warning purposes.
Gannet Island is a rocky outcrop of what had once been a volcano. It is located 19 kilometres (12 miles) off the west coast of North Island.

Answer: Germany

At 357,021 km2 (137,847 sq mi) Germany is the seventh largest country in Europe.
Adding up its mainland and its 3,000 islands, Greece has an area of 131,957 km2 (50,949 sq mi.)
Located on the equator, Gabon has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi.)
Located in Central America, Guatemala has an area of 108,889 kmē (42,000 sq mi.)

Answer: Gallipoli

The campaign in Gallipoli was meant to divert Germany and her allies from the war on the Western Front.
The peninsula was also the northern bank of the Dardanelles, a strait that provided a sea route to the Russian Empire, one of the Allied powers during the war.
While the attacking troops fought bravely, the campaign is generally considered nowadays to have been foolhardy, ill-conceived and a great waste of human lives.
The Turkish defence forces repulsed the attackers, who withdrew after eight months. Casualties on both sides were extensive, probably totalling about 500,000.

Answer: Glock

Glock semi-automatic pistols are widely used by law enforcement agencies throughout the world. They are favoured for their size, light weight, reliability and accuracy.
Different models can be bought for a wide variety of bullet calibre.

Answer: Gremlin

Aviators have long blamed Gremlins for mechanical problems with their craft. It became part of Royal Air Force slang in the 1920s.
The origin of the word may be older than manned flight, however. It has been argued that it is derived from the Old English gremian, "to vex"
The English writer Roald Dahl probably popularised it outside of aviation when he published his children's book "The Gremlins" in 1942. Dahl had served in the RAF.
In the book, Gremlins were tiny little characters who lived in aircraft and caused problems.

Answer: William Golding

As well as "The Lord of the Flies", Sir William Gerald Golding (1911 - 1993) was also known for his novel "Rites of Passage." The latter won him a Booker Prize and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.
"Lord of the Flies" was the story of a group of young boys stranded on a tropical island reverting to savagery. Initially it had been rejected by several publishers. It was made into a movie in 1963 and again in 1990.

Answer: Gladiator

Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie had a star-studded cast led by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris.
It told the story of a Roman general whose family was betrayed and he was made a slave. He became a gladiator and rose through the ranks to avenge the betrayal.
The film won five Academy Awards in all, with Russell Crowe being judged Best Actor.

Answer: Guy Clark

Guy Clark was born in Monahans, Texas, in November 1941 and died in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2016.
Clark was part of a group of songwriters whose music transcended country and crossed into blues and rock.
Two of his best known compositions were "LA Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train", both popularised by his friend Jerry Jeff Walker.
Clark was a mentor to singers such as Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell, and with his second wife, Susanna, was close to Townes Van Zandt.
As he grew older, Clark's songs grew in their complexity and he won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2014 for "My Favorite Picture of You", which was dedicated to Susanna, who died in 2012.
In a 2013 interview with "American Songwriter" magazine, John Hiatt said: "Guy is the kind of writer who is too strong to fade out. His songs will remain long after he does. They get in your heart and mind, and they become part of you."

Answer: Sammy Gravano

Salvatore Gravano, aka "Sammy the Bull", was born on March 12, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York.
Although baptised Salvatore, he was given the name Sammy from an early age because people thought he looked like an uncle of that name.
His life of crime began with petty theft at the age of seven. He soon joined a street gang.
After service in the US Army, he drifted into Mafia membership. It is thought he committed his first murder in 1970.
Initially a part of the Colombo crime 'family', he was allowed to leave and join up with that of Carlo Gambino, boss of one of the 'big five' Mafia families in New York City.
He rose through the ranks, with several more murders along the way.
By the late 1980s, he was effectively running the Gambino family while its boss was in jail.
When John Gotti became leader of the family, Gravano and others became dissatisfied. In 1991 he turned States Evidence and testified against Gotti in court. (Gotti was convicted and jailed for life. He died in 2002.)
After a period in a witness protection programme, Gravano re-emerged into public, wrote a book - and became involved in criminality. In 2002 he was jailed for 20 years for drug dealing.

Answer: Gabriel

The name Gabriel means "man of God" or "strength of God."
Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and is noted as the bearer of good news. He is not identified in the Bible, though, as being an archangel.
In the New Testament he brought word to Mary regarding the child she was carrying. In the Old Testament, Daniel 8:16, he explained a vision.
He also appeared to Zacharias in the Book of Luke.

Answer: Gallium

If you are looking at your LED watch and wondering just how much longer this quiz will take, it is quite probable that Gallium was used in the process. (You also have Gallium naturally occurring in your body!)
Gallium has an atomic number of 31. In solid form it is a blue/grey metal. It is solid at room temperature and becomes liquid when heated. It easily alloys with a range of other metals.
Liquid Gallium can be coated into mirrors to give a high degree of reflection. It is also used in integrated circuits for watches, computers and mobile phones.
(Don't bother looking up Garbashdian, I have invented it.)

Answer: Glima

Glima is based on a sport that was popular with the Vikings. Both men and women competed in the Viking age. It had several varieties, including Brokatrok, Hyrgspenna, and Lausatok.
In 1912, Glima was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games.

Answer: Golden Girls

The sit-com "The Golden Girls" first aired in 1992. It starred Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan as divorced and/or widowed women who shared a house in Miami, along with Arthur's mother, played by Estelle Getty.
They may have had a lot of life behind them but none had given up on finding another love.
The show ran for 180 episodes and was a multi-award winner.

Answer: Grand Theft Auto

First seen and played in 1997, the "Grand Theft Auto" series went on to chalk up more than 230 million sales.
The concept involved players stealing and getting away with cars. Many involved quite graphic violence, which attracted controversy.

Answer: Ghan

The Ghan travels between Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Darwin. The route is 2,979 kilometres long, 1,851 miles. The travelling time is a total of 54 hours, including a stop at Alice Springs.
Construction of a long-distance route began in 1878 at Port Augusta but it was not until 1929 that the route reached Alice Springs.
It had always been the intention to extend the line to Darwin, but the route ran at a loss and work on the additional track did not start until 2001.
The first coast-to-coast train ran in 2004, meaning it took 126 years for the original vision to be achieved.
The modern name comes from the previous nickname "The Afghan Express", which was said to honour Afghan camel drivers who arrived in Australia in the late 19th century to help find a way to explore the interior.