X-Rated Quiz

Answer: 10

The numbers we use are called Arabic numerals. The ancient Romans used a series of only seven letters to create their numerical system - I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500) and M (1000).

Answer: fish

X is one of the least used letters of the alphabet, ranking 23rd out of 26. Only the letters J, Q and Z are used less, ranking 24th, 25th and 26th respectively. The letters X, J, Q and Z are derived from the ancient Semitic symbols for fish, hand, ape and arrow (in that order).

Answer: 8

The letter X is worth 8 points, as is the letter J. Only the letters Q and Z are worth more, at 10 points each. Scrabble is an international game and the value of each letter varies in different versions according to the frequency with which the letter is used in any given language.

For example, in the German version, X is worth 10. Scrabble was invented by Alfred Butts in the 1930s but the game was not marketed until 1948. Butts studied the front page of the New York Times to get an estimate of the frequency with which the letters were used, which helped him to determine the value he assigned to the letters and the number of tiles per letter to be used.

Answer: x-ray

Phonetic alphabets were developed to cut down on confusion between similar sounding letters when spelling out words. There are a number of phonetic alphabets in use, such as those used by the military, international aviation and NATO. In most phonetic alphabets, X is represented by the word x-ray, however, the French use Xavier and the Germans use Xanthippe in theirs.

Answer: xenon

The only element whose name starts with an "X" is xenon. Xenon is a heavy, colourless, odourless, tasteless gas present in our atmosphere. It belongs to a group of elements called noble gases. It was originally thought to be chemically unreactive but it is not completely inert as it will form compounds with oxygen and fluorine.

Answer: Andrew

St Andrew was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. He is also patron saint of Greece, Russia and Scotland. St Andrew was crucified in Patras, Greece, because he refused to renounce Jesus. The X-shaped cross is known as the St Andrew's Cross, as is the Scottish flag (a white X on a blue background). The crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick make up the Union Jack.

Answer: Wilhelm Roentgen

Roentgen named them x-rays (or "x-strahlen") because they were rays of unknown origin. X is frequently used in mathematics and science as a symbol for the unknown and strahlen is the German word for rays. Another name for radiology (the study of x-rays) is roentgenology.

Answer: Malcolm Little

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925. He was a controversial black militant leader. He changed his last name to X when he joined the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim sect, as he considered that Little was a "slave name" bestowed by white slave-holders. X signified his lost tribal name. El-hajj Malik El-Shabazz was his Muslim name. He was assassinated in 1965.

Answer: Denzel Washington

In 1992, the movie "Malcolm X" was released starring Denzel Washington in the title role. The movie was based on the book "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" which was co-written by Alex Haley. The movie received Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Denzel Washington) and Best Costume Design.

Answer: all of these answers are correct

The name "Xanadu" is taken from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan" (1798) which tells of a mythical land of paradise. Coleridge's inspiration for the poem was a dream. When he woke, he started to write it down but he was interrupted. When he returned to the poem, he could not remember the rest of the dream so "Kubla Khan" is actually an unfinished work.

The poem begins:
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan,
A stately pleasure-dome decree ...

Answer: dry

Xerox is derived from the Greek "xeros" which means dry or parched. It refers to the fact that the process is "dry" (i.e. ink is not used). An electrostatic image is formed by powder on a sheet of paper and fixed by heating. The other answers are also related to "X" words: xenos (foreign), xanthos (yellow) and xylon (wood).

Answer: John Singer Sargent

Madame X was Madame Pierre (Virginie) Gautreau who allegedly did not like the painting. When it was first exhibited in 1884, it instantly caused a scandal in French society, destroying the both the artist's and the subject's reputations and causing Sargent to leave France. It now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Answer: Sesame Street

Each episode of 'Sesame Street' is "brought to you" by a particular letter and a particular number. 'Sesame Street' was first broadcast in 1969. The show is designed to help preschoolers learn the alphabet, numbers and social skills in a way that combines education with entertainment. Puppets are used to achieve this and most of the regular puppet characters, such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Bert and Ernie were created by Jim Henson.

Answer: broke the sound barrier

Yeager was the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound in a Bell X-1 rocket plane on October 14, 1947. On December 12, 1953, he set another record by flying 2 ½ times the speed of sound in a Bell X-1A.

Answer: no-one 17 and under admitted

The international movie ratings system is a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with the opportunity to assess the suitability of particular movies for their children's viewing.

The categories are G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. The infamous X-rating is now known as NC-17 which means "no-one 17 and under admitted". Contrary to popular belief, the X or NC-17 designation does not necessarily mean the film is obscene or pornographic.

It may contain other unsuitable content such as excessive violence or drug use.