Confusables Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charlotte

"Jane Eyre" (1847) was the first of Charlotte Bronte's novels to be published. She had previously written "The Professor, A Tale" (1846) but was unable to get it published. It was eventually published posthumously (1857). "Jane Eyre" was credited under a pseudonym as being "edited by Currer Bell". She later wrote the novels "Shirley" (1849) and "Villette" (1853).

Emily Bronte, on the other hand, only ever wrote one novel, "Wuthering Heights" (1847), although she did co-author a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte and Anne. "Wuthering Heights" was published under the name Ellis Bell.

The third Bronte sister, Anne, wrote two novels - "Agnes Grey" (1847) and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" (1848). Like her siblings, she was published under a pseudonym, Acton Bell.

Answer: Montague

"Romeo and Juliet", a play by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy involving the romance and subsequent deaths of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, who fall in love at first sight. In the prologue, Shakespeare described them as "star-crossed lovers". They came from rival families who were feuding so their romance was forbidden.

They married in secret but a series of misunderstandings resulted in them taking their own lives.

Answer: Stalagtites

Stalagtites hang from the ceiling of a cave and stalagmites rise up from the ground. At school we were taught to remember the difference as stalagTITES "hold tight" to the ceiling and stalagMITES "might" reach the ceiling one day. They are usually made of a mineral called calcite (calcium carbonate).

They are formed over thousands of years by water dripping from the ceiling of the cave which leaves mineral deposits behind. Geologists refer to them as speleothems, a term derived from the ancient Greek "spelaion" (cave) and "thema" (deposit).

Answer: Teacher

Socrates (c.470-399 BC) was the teacher and Plato was his student. Both were ancient Greek philosophers and teachers. Socrates taught by a strategy which is now called the Socratic method. This consisted of encouraging his students to ask questions and think for themselves, rather than simply lecturing them.

Plato (c.428-423 to 348-347 BC) had a slightly different philosophy. He believed in using logic and reason, in addition to observation, as a teaching method. He believed an education should supported by gymnastics for physical health and music and art for mental health. Plato founded the Academy in Athens, a forerunner of today's universities.

Just as Plato was a student of Socrates, so Aristotle was a student of Plato. Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed in learning by observing nature and has been called the "Father of Biology". He believed knowledge comes from using all the senses to observe the world around you.

Answer: Left

With respect to directions on a ship, words like front, back/behind, left and right are not used because they are relative terms and depend on what direction you are facing. In nautical terms, the front of a vessel is the bow and the rear is the stern. If you are facing the front or bow, the left-hand side is port and the right-hand side is starboard. Bow, stern, port and starboard are fixed directions, no matter what direction you happen to be facing.

For example, a command to "go left" could be in any direction, whereas "go portside" is unambiguous.

Answer: Brass

Brass and bronze are both copper-based alloys. Bronze is typically about 88% copper and 12% tin although other metals, such as aluminium, nickel or zinc may be mixed in. Brass is comprised of copper and zinc. The proportions can vary considerably, ranging from 55% to 95% copper and 5% to 45% zinc, depending on what it is going to be used for.

Brass is a very useful alloy because it is durable, corrosion-resistant, has excellent electrical conductivity and an attractive gold colour.

Answer: Perigee

The Moon takes approximately 27.3 days to complete one full revolution around the Earth in an orbit that is elliptical, not circular. This means that the distance between the moon and the Earth varies. Perigee refers to the moon's closest point to the Earth (a distance of approximately 363,300 kilometres or 225,744 miles). At perigee the moon appears very large and bright. When perigee coincides with a full moon, the moon is referred to as a supermoon.

The furthest point on the orbit is called apogee (a distance of approximately 405,500 kilometres or 251,966 miles from Earth). At apogee the moon appears smaller.

The suffix "gee" in apogee and perigee is derived from the Greek "ges" meaning 'earth'. In perigee, "peri" means 'near' so perigee means near to the Earth. In the same way, "apo" means 'away from' therefore apogee means away from the Earth.

Answer: Poseidon

The Greek god of the sea is Poseidon. He is also the god of earthquakes and horses. According to mythology, Poseidon is one of the 12 Olympians (major gods). He is the brother of Zeus (ruler of all the gods) and Hades (god of the dead and the Underworld).

His Roman counterpart is Neptune. Both gods are usually depicted carrying a trident (a three-pronged spear) which they used to calm the waves or create a storm. The state of the seas were said to reflect their moods. Both drove a chariot drawn by seahorses.

Answer: Optometrist

An optometrist is a medical professional who examines the eyes, diagnoses problems with eyesight and prescribes lenses to correct any issues. They are also able to diagnose certain medical conditions affecting the eyes but, as they are not doctors, they cannot prescribe medication and will usually refer such patients to an ophthalmologist, a specialist eye doctor.

An optician is a person who makes and supplies glasses or contact lenses by filling a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

It's easy to remember the difference between an optometrist and an optician by remember that the -metr- in optometrist means "to measure"; that is, an optometrist measures one's vision.

Answer: Black

Zebras are black-skinned animals with white stripes. However, people often think they are white animals with black stripes because there is proportionally more white fur than black, particularly on their bellies and on the inner side of the legs.

A zebra's coat consists of both black and white hair due to presence or absence of the pigment melanin. But underneath their coat, their skin is completely black. A zebra embryo is black until the final stages of gestation, when the white stripes appear as a result of inhibition of melanin. The stripe pattern on each zebra is unique, just like human fingerprints, and is genetically determined. The young are actually born with a brown and white coat and the brown darkens to black with age.