The sport of curling is believed to have originated in Scotland, probably in the Late Middle Ages. It is played on an icy surface (the curling sheet) and involves sliding stones towards a circular target (the house) aided by an implement called a curling broom or brush.
The curling stones (also known as rocks) are made of granite that comes from two sources: the island of Ailsa Craig off the southwestern coast of Scotland, and the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales.
2. prehistory
Answer: stone
Stone Age is the colloquial name for a prehistoric period that lasted about 3.4 million years, ending between 4000 and 2000 BC. Encompassing the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and Neolithic (New Stone Age), the period was characterized by the widespread use of stone tools (hence its name) by the genus Homo.
Its end came when humans learned to melt and smelt copper - marking the beginning of the Bronze Age.
3. eloquence
Answer: stone
The Blarney Stone is a block of Carboniferous limestone set into the battlements of the tower of Blarney Castle, in Ireland's County Cork. According to a popular legend, kissing the stone while hanging upside-down will confer the gift of eloquence (referred to as the "gift of the gab") on the person who dares to perform this feat.
The noun blarney, derived from the name of the castle, means clever talk or flattery.
4. Mick Jagger
Answer: stone
Born in 1943, Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones, the seminal rock band formed in London in 1962. The band took its name from the 1950 song "Rollin' Stone" by blues singer-songwriter Muddy Waters, whose title refers to the well-known proverb "a rolling stone gathers no moss".
A charismatic frontman, in 2003 Jagger was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to popular music.
5. Ming Dynasty
Answer: china
The Ming Dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. During this period of 276 years, the empire saw great demographic and economic growth, and culture, science and the arts flourished. The Dynasty is especially linked to the production of blue-and-white porcelain (also known as china) of the highest quality. Those exquisite pieces, decorated with a cobalt-based blue pigment, were exported to Europe and other parts of Asia, where they commanded very high prices.
6. bull
Answer: china
The idiom "a bull in a china shop" describes someone who causes physical or emotional damage out of clumsiness or lack of tact in delicate situations. It is one of the English language's most effective idioms because of its strongly visual quality - evoking the image of a large animal let loose in an environment full of fragile things.
In other languages, the bull is replaced with an elephant; in Italian, the china shop is replaced by a glassware shop.
7. dolls
Answer: china
The term "china doll" refers to dolls made of glazed porcelain; those made of unglazed porcelain (biscuit) are called bisque dolls. In many cases, only the head of a china doll was actually made of china, while the body was made of leather or fabric. These dolls, which are now sought-after collectors' items, were predominantly manufactured in Germany in the 19th century, with production lasting until the beginning of WWII.
8. Wedgwood
Answer: china
Based in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent, Wedgwood is a manufacturer of fine china, porcelain and other luxury articles. The company was founded in 1759 by potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood, the grandfather of Charles Darwin. However, the company never produced china during its founder's lifetime, concentrating instead on Wedgwood's iconic creations, such as jasperware and creamware.
The production of bone china began in the 19th century.
9. Pinocchio
Answer: wood
The titular character of Carlo Collodi's children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" ("Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino", 1883) is a wooden puppet ("burattino" in Italian) carved from a sentient log of wood by elderly woodcarver Geppetto. Carved into the likeness of a young boy, Pinocchio goes through many adventures - some of them positively frightening - before eventually achieving his desire to become a real boy thanks to his good deeds.
10. good luck
Answer: wood
The phrase "knock on wood" is meant to ward off bad luck after making a positive statement - such as expressing hope of success or boasting about some achievement. It is likely to have originated from the ancient Celtic or Germanic belief that deities or spirits resided in trees, or from the Christian symbolism of the cross.
This custom is shared by other cultures, while in others the material that is touched as protection from bad luck is iron.
11. termites
Answer: wood
Though they are sometimes referred to as "white ants" because of their appearance and social organization, termites belong to the same order as cockroaches (Blattodea). They feed on a variety of decaying plant matter, including wood: however, only a small percentage of the nearly 3,000 extant species of termites are pests. Most of those that are belong to the genus Coptotermes, and are known for the damage they can inflict on houses and other wooden structures.
12. sawdust
Answer: wood
A byproduct of woodworking - either performed by hand or using power tools - sawdust, or wood dust, consists of very fine chips of wood. Though sawdust can pose considerable health risks, both through direct exposure and as a fire hazard, it also has a number of practical uses - such as being made into particleboard or wood pulp, or used as mulch, cat litter, animal bedding, or even as biofuel.
13. Cinderella
Answer: glass
In Charles Perrault's fairytale of "Cinderella" (1697), the well-known motif of the glass slipper is introduced for the first time. In fact, the original title of the story is "Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre" (Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper).
In other versions of this ancient tale - literary or otherwise - the prince also recognizes the mysterious lady he met at the ball by means of a shoe that no other woman can wear, though the missing item of footwear is made of different materials than glass.
14. Venice
Answer: glass
The Italian city of Venice has been renowned for its glassware since the Early Middle Ages. From the late 13th century, the glass-making industry was based in Murano, one of the islands in the Venetian lagoon, where craftsmen developed a number of innovative (and secret) techniques. Murano is still home to numerous glass-making factories whose products are exported worldwide.
The island also hosts a museum dedicated to the history of glass-making.
15. Blondie
Answer: glass
Formed in 1974, New York-based new wave band Blondie had their commercial breakthrough in 1978 with the release of their third album, "Parallel Lines". In particular, the third single from the album, "Heart of Glass", was a worldwide hit that reached number one in the UK and US singles charts. Written by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, the catchy song about a lost love is an early example of dance rock, fusing rock and disco.
16. ceiling
Answer: glass
The metaphor "glass ceiling" denotes an invisible but hard-to-break barrier that prevents women or minorities from reaching the highest levels of a hierarchy, regardless of their skills and qualifications. The phrase was coined in 1978 by American writer and diversity advocate Marilyn Loden during a speech, and popularized in 1984 by British-born writer and editor Gay Bryant.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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