Facts You'll Never Know Trivia Quiz

Answer: All are correct

A goose is a waterfowl from the Anatidae family of birds, and is related to other cute little waddlers such as swans and ducks. On the ground, a group of geese together is referred to as a gaggle, possibly because of the not-so-tuneful sounds they make when vocalising. In the air they can be called a skein, team or occasionally a wedge, and, somewhat comically, if flying very close together, they are referred to as a plump. Perhaps the person who came up with that collective term was feeling hungry.

These statuesque birds mate for life, and should one die, its partner can be seen waddling around seeking it, and calling sorrowfully for it to return. It's a heartbreaking sight. Geese have been on the earth for ten million years. When in flight they honk to one another. It is believed that this is to encourage the team to maintain the v-shaped formation of their flight. It's a rather lovely sight watching them fly overhead. but, if you'll pardon the pun, should they be flying over your head - duck!

Answer: Black mamba

The black mamba is an extremely venomous snake usually found in the sub-Saharan areas of Africa. Adults of this creepy species can grow to six feet in length, an image frightening enough to give anyone nightmares. Black mambas can live quite happily on either ground or in trees, and when moving, are deadly quick. They never miss when they strike and their fatality rate is almost 100 per cent. Their preferred meals of choice are either birds or small mammals.

You'll be pleased to know that the black mamba will only attack humans when cornered or feeling threatened. In that case, it opens its terrifying mouth wide, enlarges its neck flap and hisses. That's when you either faint with horror or head for the hills. When it strikes, it usually does so with a number of quick savage bites in succession - and symptoms of its deadly force begin to manifest themselves within ten minutes. Did you know that an overwhelming fear of reptiles is known as ophidiophobia? I do believe, dear reader, that this quiz writer is in the grip of that right now.

Answer: Assyria

Also known as Assur, this city was once the capital of three separate Assyrian states between 2025 and 1050 BC. Biblically speaking, it was 40 miles south of Nimrud and 60 miles south of Nineveh. Its ruins are located on the west of the Tigris River in what is now Iraq. It remained as a thriving city for over four thousand years from its beginnings, falling periodically to various conquerors, recovering and rising again over and over. The history is way too long and detailed to discuss in here, but when the city was finally abandoned in the 13th century, it was used for a time as a cemetery, before, finally, succumbing to the grave itself.

Assur/Ashur wasn't only a city, however. Over time, it was the name given to the lands ruled by the city, and also of the city's deity. From that name sprang the name Assyria (the area over which Assur ruled) and today's Syria. Placed on the World Heritage List in 2003 to prevent the construction of a proposed large scale dam, any hope of Assur being restored through archeological intervention was dealt a death blow, firstly by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and then by its remaining once glorious ruins being utterly demolished by the Islamic State, IS.

Answer: All of these

Yoga combines physical, mental and spiritual methods of calming the mind and bringing about a form of detachment from the everyday cares, worries and suffering. It is believed to have originated in ancient India several thousands years ago and spread out to the rest of the world from there, particularly influencing Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism along the way, and being introduced to the western world circa 1850s. There are various forms of this ancient practice, so many in fact that I'm getting a headache trying to understand them all. Time to calm my mind.

Om mani padme hummmm.

That is a traditional yoga chant associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Its purpose, according to the Dalai Lama and the internet, is to "transform (the impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech and mind of a Buddha" with the ultimate aim of attaining enlightenment.

Answer: Hercules in New York

This was a low-budget 1970 film. Very low budget by the sounds of it. It was Schwarzenegger's first film, and in it, he plays the hero of the same name who wanted to journey down to earth, and, after arguing violently with his father, Zeus, about this, he sets off.

He eventually arrives in New York, after terrifying an old woman out of her wits along the way, and becomes a popular wrestler. And so on. This film only cost $300,000 to produce - and it shows.

Answer: Madox

Ford Brown (1821-1893) was a British artist who focused mainly on religious or historical subjects in his works. His religious output is pretty heavy going and overly detailed, but when he branches out into more everyday areas, this is where his true skill as an artist shines through. Ford's most notable painting is called "Work" and in it, he attempts to portray as much of the Victorian era social system as possible, juxtaposed against a theme showing the transition from rural to urban life. Dickens on a canvas, you could say. Oh and his middle name? That was his mother's maiden name, so there isn't much mystery to that. That painting, however, is really rather fascinating.

Answer: 1906-09

The Provisional Government of Cuba, also known as the Second Occupation of Cuba, took place from 1906 to 1909, after the Cuban government of the time, under President Tomas Palma, collapsed. US President Roosevelt at the time wished to prevent what was rapidly looking like civil war there, and, in order to protect American interests in the country, he ordered US troops into the nation until a new and stable Cuban had been elected.

After that took place, with President Jose Gomez taking office in 1909, US forces withdrew within a matter of two weeks.

Answer: Newly married bride living with her mother

Matrilocal is a word that describes a bride of a newly married couple living in the home of her mother, while her husband usually remains living with his side of the family. The couple spend time together in between times. It is a custom that has been practised by various cultures over many years, including those from southern India, China, Taiwan, Japan, and various native Americans. The family of the bride rears any children from the marriage, and while the father of the children is not involved in their upbringing, he is, in keeping with the custom, involved with the rearing of the offspring of his sisters and nieces.

The purpose behind the practice is that any inherited property remains within the bride's clan for generations and is undivided. Interestingly in more recent times, given the high rate of infanticide of infant girls in China, and in an attempt to restore a more balanced population distribution between the sexes in that country (where males heavily outweigh females), matrilocal residence is said to have become encouraged there.

Answer: Sweetwater

What a gruesome thought. Rattlesnake roundups are held periodically in various states of the mid-west in America. Sweetwater in Texas holds the dubious distinction of bring the largest centre of this form of activity. Formerly, the purpose of these roundups were to kill as many of the creatures as possible, and Texas holds the record for that as well, but in more recent times, snakes are either sold, displayed, killed for food (no, a million times, no!) slaughtered for their skins, or even released back into the wild, so roundups today include display stalls, information and education stalls, food stalls, rides and so on. Thousands of tourists flock to these "fairs" and hundreds of thousands of dollars of income are the result for local communities.

It is common for several hundred **thousand** kilograms of rattlesnakes to be caught and slaughtered for this money raising form of entertainment, and although snakes actually make me shudder with repulsion, the questions should be asked as to how much damage this is doing to mother nature's cycle of life - and what price is put on the cruelty of killing her creations. It is an uneven battle.

Answer: High school habit of puffing out his chest

Sean John Combs, also known as Puff Daddy or just Puffy, was born in Harlem, New York City in 1969. This rapper, singer, producer, actor and entrepreneur has his own record company (Bad Boy Records) and is behind the careers of performers such as the Notorious B.I.G. and Usher. Sean Combs also has his own clothing line as well (called Sean John).

Rap music may not appeal to some people, and most definitely not to me, but this man, after a struggling childhood, is to be greatly admired for his achievements in life, and the fact that he devotes quite a lot of his time and money to charitable programs. Given the nickname Puff when he was a child, Combs said, in an interview in USA Today in 2005, that it was because, when he grew angry as a child, he would huff and puff in annoyance. It's nice to know Sean "Puffy" Combs has huffed and puffed his way to success.