Skull and Crossbones Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jolly Roger

It is of course the Jolly Roger beloved of pirate-themed literature and films such as 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. In J M Barrie's 'Peter Pan', the 'Jolly Roger' was the name of Captain Hook's pirate ship.

In historical times, the Jolly Roger as a flag was flown to identify pirate ships and thus to hopefully intimidate their intended victims into an early surrender. Although it was often flown just as a plain black flag in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Jolly Roger we are more familiar with depicts a white skull above two crossed long bones against a black background (called a field). The actual origin of the name seems lost in obscurity, but early pirates also flew a plain red flag called the Joli Rouge (pretty red). Another possibility is that the name stems from 'Old Roger', an antiquated name for the Devil.

Answer: John Napier

Scottish mathematician and physicist John Napier (1550-1617) invented a type of board-based abacus or counting frame which was named after him. He was the 8th Laird of Merchistoun, and Edinburgh Napier University was named after him. He was a prominent mathematician in his time and contributed greatly to the subject. He is also known for his discovery of logarithms, and popularised the mathematical use of the decimal point.

Answer: Cordelia Gray

Crime novelist Dame P D James is perhaps better known as the author of books featuring her poetry-loving detective Adam Dalgliesh, but in addition to the fourteen novels featuring him she has also written two novels starring London private detective Cordelia Gray. 'An Unsuitable Job for a Woman', published in 1972, introduced the character, and 'The Skull Beneath the Skin' followed ten years later.

The books featuring private detective and ex-governess Miss Maud Silver were written by Patricia Wentworth. Precious Ramotswe is Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana-based private detective and Miss Jane Marple is Agatha Christie's elderly spinster turned amateur detective, her second most famous character after Hercule Poirot.

Answer: orbits

The orbits are two sockets in the skull which contain the eyes and their various attachments such as nerves, muscles, blood vessels etc. In humans they comprise seven bones. Because the structure and function of the eye is so complex, it is a vital structure as it surrounds the eye and offers some protection from injury.

Answer: Leonard McCoy

The character of Leonard McCoy, played by actor DeForest Kelley (1920-1999), was the Starship Enterprise's chief medical officer, hence the nickname 'Bones'. 'Bones' is a common nickname for doctors and is believed to have originated in the 19th century in the US military from the earlier British slang term 'sawbones' for a surgeon, a word created by Charles Dickens in 'The Pickwick Papers', published in 1837.

Answer: rowing

Sculling is a form of rowing with two oars per person. The oars are referred to as sculls, as are the boats themselves. It can be for one, two, four or eight participants, and is one of the oldest Olympic sports.

The world's most successful Olympic rower is the UK's Sir Steve Redgrave, who began his career in sculls. He won five successive Olympic Gold Medals from 1984-2000 (when he retired) as well as many other medals.

Answer: ear

The smallest bone in the human body is called the stirrup or stapes. It is situated in the middle ear, one of three tiny bones called ossicles, consisting of the malleus, incus and stapes, the Latin names for hammer, anvil and stirrup. The muscle serving the stapes, called the stapedius muscle, is the smallest muscle in the human body, measuring only a little over one millimetre long. There are 206 bones in the adult human body.

Answer: Snake

The Dark Mark is the symbol by which evil Lord Voldemort summons his Death Eaters, either by the Mark branded on their forearm or by casting the spell Morsmordre, which projects the Dark Mark's image into the sky. It appears as a glittering, green skull with a writhing snake protruding from its mouth. The Dark Mark is first encountered in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', when cast by Barty Crouch Jr. in the woods during the Quidditch World Cup Final.

Answer: washing up

The scullery is a room situated near a kitchen for the purpose of washing dishes, preparing vegetables, laundry, ironing etc. A more modern term nowadays is 'utility room'. In 19th century Britain, sculleries were originally built near the back of the house as close as possible to the water supply, before mains plumbing became the norm.

They usually had two sinks, one for cold water and one for hot, which was boiled in huge copper pans known as 'coppers'. Scullery conditions in the 19th century were not always very sanitary due to the close proximity of the house's sewer, which could - and did - lead to outbreaks of illness.

Answer: King Kong

Who could forget Fay Wray screaming her lungs out when held aloft by King Kong on top of the Empire State Building in the 1933 original version of the film? From her arrival on Skull Island to that iconic moment, 'King Kong' assured its place in cinematic history by being declared one of the 50 best films of all time. Surprisingly, however, the film won no Oscar nominations; in 1933 the Academy vetoed a suggested new Award for special effects, an Award which was not to come into force for another five years.