Dedicated to D Trivia Quiz

Answer: Danube

Formed by the deposition of sediment at the mouth of a river, a delta owes its name to its triangular shape, resembling the Greek letter of the same name. Some of the largest of these landforms, noted for their fertile alluvial soil and thus favourable to human habitation, are found in Asia and Africa. The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta on the Bay of Bengal is the world's largest, while the Nile Delta on the Mediterranean Sea has been known since antiquity as a rich agricultural region.

The Danube Delta is Europe's second largest after the Volga Delta on the Caspian Sea. The river flows for nearly 3,000 km (1,864 mi) from the Black Forest through Central and Southeastern Europe, emptying into the Black Sea. The area of the Danube Delta lies for the most part in southeastern Romania, with a small portion in southwestern Ukraine. Part of the Pannonian Steppe ecosystem, the delta has developed unique environmental features with both wetlands and semi-arid conditions. The region's distinctive flora and fauna include large populations of birds - notably two species of pelicans, the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), the largest member of the family, and the great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus).

The Dnieper and the Don, also among Europe's longest rivers, empty into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The Daugava flows west from Russia through Latvia, emptying into the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea.

Answer: Mexico

The genus Dahlia of the family Asteraceae (the sunflower family) includes 49 species of perennial plants widely cultivated for their flowers, which come in almost every colour except blue. Growing from tuberous roots, these plants - like their relatives in the sunflower family - have composite flower heads (capitula), with multiple florets arranged in a central disc and surrounded by petals. Many hybrids have been developed from the species Dahlia pinnata (garden dahlia) and Dahlia coccinea (red dahlia), which are grouped according to the shape of their flowers. The photo shows a collection of different dahlia cultivars.

Native to Mexico and Central America, dahlias were introduced into Europe in the late 18th century and named after Anders Dahl, a Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linnaeus. The indigenous people of the region (including the Aztecs) used their hollow stems as water pipes and their roots as medicine; their large, sweet tubers are still used as food in some parts of Mexico. In 1963 the dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico as a tribute to the flower's significance for the country's history and culture.

Answer: a science-fiction film

Formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, Duran Duran were at the forefront of the New Romantic scene in the early 1980s thanks to their glamorous image and well-crafted pop-rock tunes. They also owed much of their popularity to their innovative approach to music video, which at the time was developing into a veritable art form. The band's hit albums "Duran Duran" (1981), "Rio" (1982) and "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (1983) were recorded by the lineup of Simon LeBon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar), John Taylor (bass guitar), Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and Roger Taylor (drums).

Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, the band's founders, named their outfit after a character in the 1968 science-fiction movie "Barbarella", starring Jane Fonda (who became a sex symbol thanks to her role) and directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim. The character of Dr. Durand Durand, the film's main antagonist, was portrayed by Irish actor Milo O'Shea, who reprised his role in the 1985 Duran Duran concert film "Arena (An Absurd Notion)".

The early 20th-century illustration from H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" is meant to suggest science fiction.

Answer: they were considered a delicacy

Native to Europe, Asia and Africa, dormice belong to nine genera of small rodents in the family Gliridae. The origin of their common English name is disputed: some believe it to derive from Latin "dormire" (to sleep), a reference to the long period of hibernation, lasting six months or more, of the species that live in temperate regions. Though dormice resemble mice in appearance, they have furred tails, as well as large eyes and rounded ears. Mostly nocturnal and arboreal, they have an excellent sense of hearing that helps them to avoid predators.

Found in the deciduous forests of Central and Southeastern Europe, the European dormouse (Glis glis) is the largest of all living dormouse species. It is also known as the European edible dormouse because it was used as food by the Romans and other ancient peoples. In Ancient Rome, dormice were regarded as a status symbol by wealthy citizens. They were usually raised in pits or large terracotta pots called "gliraria", where they were fattened by feeding them nuts. As we know from Apicius' famous cookbook "De re coquinaria", dormice were served stuffed and roasted, or - as described in Petronius' "Satyricon" - as appetizers, glazed with honey and poppy seeds.

Edible dormice are still regarded as a delicacy in Slovenia, though their consumption is illegal in Italy and other countries.

Answer: Edmond Dantès

Edmond Dantès is the main character in Alexandre Dumas père's novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", published in serialized form between 1844 and 1846. The story, developed from plot outlines provided by Dumas' collaborator Auguste Maquet, was based on a true story related by Jacquest Peuchet, an archivist of the Paris police. Extremely popular ever since its first publication, the novel is widely regarded as a classic of adventure and historical fiction and has been adapted multiple times.

Set during the Bourbon Restoration in France, "The Count of Monte Cristo" begins in 1815, shortly before Napoleon's escape from Elba. The 19-year-old Dantès (here portrayed in an illustration for the 1888 edition of the book), a merchant sailor with a promising career before him, is caught in a web of conspiracy and betrayal leading to his imprisonment for 14 years in the forbidding Château d'If, off the coast of Marseille. Most of the book is dedicated to the elaborate revenge planned by Dantès under the identity of the titular Count against those who betrayed him.

Charles Darnay is one of the main characters of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". Auguste Dupin is the detective who appears in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Mystery of Marie Rôget" and "The Purloined Letter". Blanche DuBois, the only woman in this list, is the protagonist of Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire".

Answer: In the Name of the Father

Born in London in 1957, Sir Daniel Day-Lewis is the son of former Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis. Interested in acting since his early teens, he attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for three years, impressing his teachers with his natural talent. There he met fellow actors Miranda Richardson and Pete Postlethwaite, who would later star as Day-Lewis' character's father in the film "In the Name of the Father", directed by Jim Sheridan.

Day-Lewis made his film debut in 1971 at the age of 14 in "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", though his breakthrough role came in 1985 with "My Beautiful Laundrette". By the end of the 1980s he had established himself as one of the finest actors of his generation. He won his first Academy Award as Best Actor for "My Left Foot" (1989); a few years later, "In the Name of the Father" earned him his second nomination. The film is based on the true story of Gerry Conlon, a Belfast man falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings. In 2003 Day-Lewis was also nominated for "Gangs of New York", then won in 2008 with "There Will Be Blood" and in 2013 for "Lincoln". His final nomination before his retirement from acting came in 2018 for "Phantom Thread". However, after seven years away from the scenes Day-Lewis returned to acting in 2025 with the film "Anemone", directed by his son Ronan.

The painting by Renaissance artist Cima da Conegliano is called "God the Father" - a reference to the film's title.

Answer: his mother was a mortal woman

There are many different myths concerning Dionysus, a god associated not only with wine, theatre and merrymaking, but also with darker aspects such as insanity and ritual madness. Some scholars believe that his cult came from Asia Minor, where orgiastic cults were not uncommon. Other beliefs within Ancient Greek religion emphasized his "foreignness", portraying him as a god that came from outside. Another important aspect of Dionysus was his connection with the underworld and his nature of "twice-born".

In the best-known myth concerning his birth - also mentioned by Hesiod in his "Theogony" - Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, one of the ill-fated daughters of Cadmus, founder and king of Thebes. According to some sources (such as Ovid's "Metamorphoses"), the pregnant Semele was deceived by Hera into asking Zeus to show himself to her as a god - which he did, killing her with a thunderbolt. The baby Dionysus, born prematurely, was rescued by Zeus and sewn into his thigh. Once he became older, Dionysus retrieved his mother from the underworld and took her to heaven, where she became an immortal with the name of Thyone.

Interestingly, Semele's mother was the goddess Harmonia, often named as a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite - which would make Zeus Semele's great-grandfather.

Answer: Indian subcontinent

The Dravidian family is a group of about 70 languages spoken by about 250 million people in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. The majority of speakers are concentrated in the South Indian states of Kerala (Malayalam), Tamil Nadu (Tamil), Karnataka (Kannada), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Telugu). These four languages have rich literary traditions and are officially recognized as classical languages of India. In fact, the Dravidian languages are believed to be among the world's oldest, as they probably predate the spread of Indo-Aryan languages in the Indian subcontinent. The name of the language family comes from "Dravida", a Sanskrit word for the peoples of South India derived from the name Tamil.

While the Dravidian languages have their own distinctive writing systems, most of the Indo-Aryan languages of India and Nepal (including Sanskrit and Hindi) use the script known as Devanagari - here shown in an early 19th-century manuscript. Written from left to right, it is an abugida (a segmental writing system) consisting of 48 primary characters; it is recognizable by the horizontal line that runs along the top of full letters. Devanagari, whose name means "urban script" in Sanskrit, was developed in the 8th century AD; its modern form was already in use in the early 11th century.

Answer: fennel

Dill (Anethum graveolens) belongs to the family Apiaceae, which also includes carrots, celery and parsley. These flowering plants are also known as umbellifers because of the distinctive, umbrella-like shape of their flowers. Native to North Africa and the Middle East, dill is widely grown in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are a key ingredient in many cuisines. Dill leaves have a distinctive, feathery appearance and texture. Like its close relatives fennel and anise, dill contains the organic compound anethole, though in much smaller amounts: the primary aromatic compounds in dill are carvone and limonene.

Dill is a staple culinary herb in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, where it is used both in cold and hot dishes. It goes very well with fish, especially salmon (as in gravlax, Scandinavian salt-cured salmon, or lohikeitto, Finnish salmon soup), boiled potatoes and yogurt-based dips or sauces (such as tzatziki, a cold yogurt-cucumber dip from Greece, Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula). Dill seeds are also widely used in pickling vegetables, in particular cucumbers.

Thyme and rosemary belong to the mint family (Lamiaceae), while chives are related to onions and garlic.

Answer: Denver

"Dynasty" was conceived as US broadcast network ABC's answer to CBS' successful prime time soap opera "Dallas", aired from 1978 to 1991. Like its competitor, the series - created by Richard and Ethel Shapiro - revolved around the family of an oil magnate, Blake Carrington (portrayed by veteran actor John Forsythe). In fact, the series' working title was "Oil", which became the title of the pilot episode, aired on 12 January 1981. Set in Denver, the capital of Colorado, the story begins with Blake Carrington's wedding to his former secretary, Krystle (Linda Evans). The introduction of his first wife, Alexis (Joan Collins) in the plot at the end of Season 1 considerably boosted the show's popularity. "Dynasty" lasted for nine seasons and 220 episodes but was eventually cancelled in May 1989. The casting included appearances by some famous actors, such as Rock Hudson, Diahann Carroll, Helmut Berger and Billy Dee Williams.

Located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is known as the Mile-High City because of its average elevation (1,610 m/5,280 ft). Home to over 700,000 people, it is the fifth most populous state capital in the US. It was established in 1858 and named after Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver. "Dynasty" reflects the effects of the energy boom of the early 1980s, when many of the skyscrapers in downtown Denver were built.

Dover is the capital of Delaware, while Des Moines is the capital of Iowa. Detroit, though the largest city in Michigan, was replaced by Lansing as state capital in 1847.