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Quiz about You HAVE to Play this Quiz
Quiz about You HAVE to Play this Quiz

You HAVE to Play this Quiz!


Riddles, choices, questions and conundrums that MUST be answered - often with unexpected consequences!

A multiple-choice quiz by ignotus999. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
ignotus999
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
364,487
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
777
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The Sphinx: "Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" OK, we all know the answer is "Man" ... but there's a second riddle in some sources: "Two sisters give birth to one another. Who are they?" Hurry up, or the Sphinx will devour you! Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Judgement of Paris: Three goddesses each claimed to be the most beautiful. Zeus left the choice to Paris, the Prince of Troy. Whom did he choose? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. No Comment: The Roman Catholic Patron Saint of Politicians was executed for refusing to answer a question. Who was it? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Friend or Foe: The Bible records that the people of Gilead identified their enemies, the tribe of Ephraim, by a simple challenge; tens of thousands failed and were slain. What was it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Never Say Die: In 1779, Captain John Paul Jones engaged the British frigate HMS Serapis off the coast of England. Asked repeatedly whether he would surrender, Jones answered, "I have not yet begun to fight!" and later, "I may sink but I'll be damned if I strike!" What happened to Jones' ship, the Bonhomme Richard? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?: In the late 1940s, the Committee on Un-American Activities of the U.S. House of Representatives subpoenaed German author Bertolt Brecht to testify about his affiliation with the Communist Party. What did Brecht do? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "I cannot tell a lie": According to George Washington's hagiographer Parson Weems, young George gave this response and an inculpatory answer. What was the question? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Bastogne: On December 22, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, German General von Lüttwitz asked whether the American commander would surrender the town. What was his written answer? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Almost Home(r): Legend has it that the Greek epicist Homer was searching for his birthplace. When he visited the island of Ios, two fisherman posed a riddle: "What we caught we threw away; what we didn't catch, we kept." It is said that Homer died of frustration at being unable to answer. Can you - answer that is?


Answer: (One Word - four letters - rhymes with rice)
Question 10 of 10
10. Your Final Answer: The quiz show rigging scandals of the 1950s led to their virtual disappearance from American television ... but an innovative (and completely honest) producer had an answer for the problem. What quiz show was actually inspired by the scandals? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Sphinx: "Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" OK, we all know the answer is "Man" ... but there's a second riddle in some sources: "Two sisters give birth to one another. Who are they?" Hurry up, or the Sphinx will devour you!

Answer: Day and Night

If you don't know the answers, don't visit ancient Thebes. The Sphinx posed her riddles to travelers on the outskirts of the city, killing those who failed. In Greek, both "day" and "night" are feminine nouns, making it a bit easier. Oedipus is said to have answered the first riddle ("Man") correctly, and was allowed to enter Thebes. According to Sophocles, he'd have been better off if he'd been wrong.
2. The Judgement of Paris: Three goddesses each claimed to be the most beautiful. Zeus left the choice to Paris, the Prince of Troy. Whom did he choose?

Answer: Aphrodite

Each goddess tried to bribe the generally honest Prince Paris. Aphrodite's gift to Paris was the most beautiful mortal woman in the world - Helen of Sparta, who was already married to King Menelaus. Oops. The Trojan War followed.
3. No Comment: The Roman Catholic Patron Saint of Politicians was executed for refusing to answer a question. Who was it?

Answer: Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) would not say whether Henry VIII was the Supreme Head of the Church in England - but he would not say that Henry wasn't, either. He was arrested for treason anyway. At his trial, More refused to answer all questions touching the matter, relying on the legal maxim that "silence connotes consent." He was convicted on the perjured testimony of the Solicitor General, one Richard Rich, who claimed More had answered the question and had denied Henry's authority.
4. Friend or Foe: The Bible records that the people of Gilead identified their enemies, the tribe of Ephraim, by a simple challenge; tens of thousands failed and were slain. What was it?

Answer: Say the word "shibboleth"

"Shibboleth" is a Hebrew word meaning grain-bearing stalk. The dialect spoken by the people of Gilead included a phoneme for the "sh" sound; the dialect of the Ephraimites did not. The test and its dire consequences are described in Chapter 12 of the Book of Judges. Today, "shibboleth" is used in English to mean a test or criterion to distinguish members of a cultural subgroup - without fatal connotations.
5. Never Say Die: In 1779, Captain John Paul Jones engaged the British frigate HMS Serapis off the coast of England. Asked repeatedly whether he would surrender, Jones answered, "I have not yet begun to fight!" and later, "I may sink but I'll be damned if I strike!" What happened to Jones' ship, the Bonhomme Richard?

Answer: She sank

Late in the battle, Bonhomme Richard was on fire and her ensign (national flag) was shot away. Hauling down the ensign was a sign of surrender, provoking the British commander's questions. The two ships were grappelled together, which kept the Richard afloat. After Serapis surrendered, the Richard was abandoned: she indeed did sink but did not strike her colors.
6. Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?: In the late 1940s, the Committee on Un-American Activities of the U.S. House of Representatives subpoenaed German author Bertolt Brecht to testify about his affiliation with the Communist Party. What did Brecht do?

Answer: He answered their questions

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) initially said he would refuse to appear, but later relented. He stated, apparently truthfully, that he had never been an actual member of the Communist Party. The day after his testimony, he returned to Europe. Brecht settled in East Berlin, where the Communist government gave him his own theater and acting company - but not a Party membership card. Meanwhile, Brecht maintained Austrian citizenship and received hard currency via Western bank accounts.

The "Hollywood Ten," who refused to testify, were neither so clever nor so fortunate.
7. "I cannot tell a lie": According to George Washington's hagiographer Parson Weems, young George gave this response and an inculpatory answer. What was the question?

Answer: Who killed the cherry tree?

Mason Weems' (1759-1825) book, "A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington" (1800) is more a collection of moral lessons than a bona fide biography. Supposedly ... the six-year-old Washington was given a hatchet, with which he nicked (but did not actually chop down) his father's favorite young cherry tree. When George admitted his guilt, his father supposedly exclaimed, "Such an act of heroism in my son is more worth than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver, and their fruits of purest gold." Oh my.

Weems wrote that George also chopped down his mother's beanpoles - but doesn't record her reaction.
8. Bastogne: On December 22, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, German General von Lüttwitz asked whether the American commander would surrender the town. What was his written answer?

Answer: "Nuts."

Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe was surrounded but refused to surrender. McAuliffe almost never used profanity. He dictated: "To the German Commander - Nuts - The American Commander." The answer was typed out and given to Colonel Joseph Harper for delivery under a flag of truce.

The German officer who read it did not understand the colloquialism. Harper explained, "In plain English? Go to hell." McAuliffe's troops held the town, stalling the German offensive.
9. Almost Home(r): Legend has it that the Greek epicist Homer was searching for his birthplace. When he visited the island of Ios, two fisherman posed a riddle: "What we caught we threw away; what we didn't catch, we kept." It is said that Homer died of frustration at being unable to answer. Can you - answer that is?

Answer: lice

There's little surviving information about the blind bard's life, but many scholars believe Homer did die on the island of Ios. The quizzing fisherman are almost certainly fictional, but the story has been repeated often enough over the centuries.
10. Your Final Answer: The quiz show rigging scandals of the 1950s led to their virtual disappearance from American television ... but an innovative (and completely honest) producer had an answer for the problem. What quiz show was actually inspired by the scandals?

Answer: "Jeopardy!"

In the late 1950s, producers boosted quiz show ratings by giving popular contestants the answers in advance. Merv Griffin wanted to create a new television quiz show, but was deterred by the odium of the genre. His wife suggested that the contestants (and the audience) be given the "right" answers, and try to figure out the questions. Griffin's reverse-quiz show debuted as "Jeopardy!" in 1964.
Source: Author ignotus999

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Snowman before going online.
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