A Hodgepodge of Mishmash Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

Corsica is a Mediterranean island that belongs to France, although it lies much closer geographically to Italy. While it's unlikely that everyone born in Corsica gets the crazy notion to launch a full scale invasion of Russia, its most notable native did. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in the capital city of Ajaccio in 1769, the same year the mountainous island fell under French control.

Despite French sovereignty, Corsica has a distinct culture apart from France, with its own language (surprise, it's Corsican!), its own traditions, and its own periodic independence movements. While independence is not really on France's mind right now, there has been some motion towards greater autonomy as of 2025.

Answer: James Herbert

The "Rats" trilogy was written by James Herbert, a British author known for his fast-paced and kinda gross horror novels. The first book, "The Rats" came out in 1974 and introduced us to a vision of London overrun by mutant, flesh-eating rats, which basically describes New York City on a good day. That was followed by "Lair" (1979) and "Domain" (1984), which took things even further, culminating in a post-nuclear Britain in which the rats have inherited the Earth, an eerily prescient notion.

Answer: Carbon dioxide buildup

Take a deep breath and hold it.

When you hold your breath, it's actually carbon dioxide (CO₂) buildup, not the lack of oxygen, that creates that ugly feeling and panicky urge to inhale. CO₂ is a waste product created when your body metabolizes food for energy. As the levels of CO₂ rise in your blood, the pH level in your blood changes, and your brain starts to sound the alarm. Ever helpful, your brain alerts you by creating discomfort and the compulsion to breathe.

If you're still holding you're breath, good. It should start feeling a little uncomfortable. You can breathe again in a minute.

Interestingly, a drop in oxygen levels doesn't produce an immediate urge to breathe. In fact, it's actually kind of pleasant! Low oxygen can induce feelings of calmness, dizziness, or even euphoria, none of which you're probably feeling at this point. It's only when oxygen drops very low that it becomes life-threatening. Luckily for us, long before that occurs the CO₂ buildup is making us miserable, and we remember that we have to breathe. It doesn't feel great, does it?

Okay, you can breathe again. Well done.

Answer: Colorado

The ever-controversial adult cartoon series "South Park" is set in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are both Colorado natives and were inspired by small towns they knew growing up, particularly Fairplay, Colorado, which is near a real region known as South Park. So head on up to Colorado, and see if you can't unwind.

Answer: Play-Doh

Yep, Play-Doh was originally invented in the 1930s by Noah McVicker at Kutol Products as a gentle wallpaper cleaner. It was designed to remove coal residue from wallpaper without damaging it, which was apparently a great need before electric and gas heating gained popularity.

When demand for wallpaper cleaner declined after WWII, the product was eventually given bright colors and rebranded as a children's modeling goop in the 1950s, with a little help from a preschool teacher named Kay Zufall who would let her kids play with wallpaper cleaner for some reason. She even helped name it "Play-Doh."

On a personal note, if you've never brought a can of Play-Doh to work and started mushing it into weird shapes at your desk while proofing technical documentation, you will absolutely LOVE the face your boss makes.

Answer: Stonefish

The stonefish holds the title for the most venomous fish in the world, and good for them, because they don't have much else going for them. This ugly little beastie is a master of camouflage, blending in with rocks and coral on the ocean floor waiting just for you to come along. See, it's all fun and games until you step on one, and that's when its dorsal fin spines inject a potent venom that causes excruciating pain, tissue damage, paralysis, and in some cases, even death. (And YOU thought I was mean for calling it "ugly".)

Answer: Dances with Wolves

And the Oscar goes to... "Dances with Wolves", directed by and starring Kevin Costner, back when people could still tolerate him. If you haven't seen it, you've probably seen the James Cameron remake with the tall blue aliens.

The movie tells the story of a Union Army lieutenant who befriends a group of Lakota Sioux while stationed on the American frontier, and it became a critical and box-office success.

Perhaps surprisingly, it beat out Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas", which still is widely hailed as one of the greatest mob films of all time. But in 1991, Kevin Costner's epic took home a total of seven Oscars, and Scorsese would have to release a slightly less great mob film to finally go home with an award.

Answer: Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, made history in 1987 as the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In fairness, it was just the second year they had ceremonies, but it's still something. With her powerful vocals and iconic songs, Aretha Franklin helped redefine American pop music.

Known for classics like her poignant remake of "Respect" (originally recorded by Otis Redding), "Chain of Fools", and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", Franklin brought gospel-rooted soul music into the mainstream and played a major role in shaping the sound of rock and soul.

Answer: World War I

After decades of planning for war, France and Germany had played their hands, and the results were clear: the German plan sucked just slightly less than the French plan. Schlieffen was spinning in his grave like a GI Joe on a drill press, and the French were learning that maybe winning wars required more than panache and a cool accent.

The new plan was thoughtfully crafted and carefully considered, and both sides arrived at the same brilliant idea: "Flank them!". Ladies and gentlemen, that is how, not even two months into the war, the Germans and French engaged in the deadly do-si-do which we now call the Race to the Sea.

So, the Race to the Sea took place in September and October of 1914, with both sides trying to outflank the other to the north. At each engagement, trenches were dug, and the maneuver was repeated. They finally ran out of room to keep it up at the Belgian North Sea coast in October, and it turns out there really was no winner in this race. A fresh series of trenches made up a massive new set of front lines, and those lines would barely change for years.

Answer: Sikhism

Sikhism was founded in the 1400s by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region, which spans parts of modern-day India and Pakistan. It is a monotheistic religion, one emphasizing a belief in a single God, equality of all people, honest living, and community service.

Sikhism rejects caste distinctions and ritualism, promoting a direct connection to God through ritualistic prayer and devotion. The religion has ten human Gurus, whose teachings are compiled in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs, regarded as the eternal Guru after the tenth.

Sikh men often wear turbans and maintain the "Five Ks", which are articles of faith symbolizing commitment. Today, Sikhism is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with most adherents still living in Punjab, India.

If you meet a Sikh and want to impress him, greet him with the words, "Sat Sri Akaal" ("Truth is timeless".) In my experience, he'll still charge you for the Chicken Tikka Masala, but he'll be smiling when he does it, and that's a good thing.