I'm a Dreamer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edward Elgar

Elgar composed this work in 1900, inspired by a poem of the same name written in 1865 by John Henry Newman, a Catholic theologian. The poem describes the prayer of a man who is dying with responses from angels and demons. Although sometimes called an oratorio, Elgar himself strongly resisted this title and the work is usually referred to as a composition for orchestra and voices.

Performances of the work need a large orchestra with the sung parts involving a tenor to perform the role of Gerontius, and a mezzo-soprano as the angel. Smaller parts are also written for baritone and bass singers, although these are often performed by the same singer.

Answer: Australian Aboroginals

'Dreamtime' is also known as 'The Dreaming', with either version fitting the theme of this quiz. The terms were created by non-indigenous people and most sources refer to them being an inadequate understanding of the basis of Aboriginal beliefs.

The usual interpretation refers to a creation belief which is closely related to the land and nature. This is a simplistic view, and the belief system varies between different groups of indigenous peoples. The view of the 'Dreamtime' does cover the creation of humans and geographical features by 'spirits' with some places, such as Uluru. being sacred in their belief system. However, it is not just a 'creation myth' but a system which governs all aspects of their lives.

Answer: Barack Obama

All of these politicians led their countries for varying periods of time, but 'Dreams from my Father' was written by Barack Obama in 1995, when he was just starting his political life. It covers his early years, living in Honolulu, Hawaii, and then Chicago continuing until he goes to Harvard to study law. The book was reissued in 2004 when Obama became a senator. His political career reached its pinnacle when he became President of the USA in 2009, serving until 2017.

Boris Johnson was the UK's Prime Minister from 2019 until 2022, while Leo Varadkar has served two terms as the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, from 2017-2020 and again from 2022 until 2024. Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany from 2005 until 2021. All three of them have written memoirs about their lives in politics.

Answer: Steven Spielberg

The studio was established in 1994 by Spielberg, Jeff Katzenberg and David Geffen. As the name tells you, the company specialises in animated films with the first one being 'Antz' in 1998. Other films, among many, include 'Chicken Run' (2000), 'Shrek' (2001) and its sequels, 'Puss in Boots' (2011) and 'The Boss Baby' (2017).

Spielberg is best known as a director so the wrong answer options are all other directors - Eastwood may be better known as an actor, but has also established a reputation for directing.

Answer: REM

REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, during sleep, which is an indicator that the person is dreaming at the time. It was identified in 1953 by Nathaniel Kleitman, working with one of his students, with subsequent testing confirming their findings. Subjects are often woken when they are experiencing REM and confirm that they were dreaming.

The other acronyms are used medically - CBC stands for a blood test involving a Complete Blood Count, and TIA refers to a Transient Ischaemic Attack, called a mini stroke in layman's terms. MRI is a diagnostic procedure, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which can show soft tissues and nerves among other internal bodily structures.

Answer: Jacob

The story of Jacob's dream is found in Genesis. Jacob has tricked his father, Isaac, into blessing him by pretending to be Esau, his older twin. When Esau discovers this treachery, he threatens to kill Jacob who is sent away by his mother, Rebekah, who had aided him in the deception. During his journey, he dreams of a ladder (staircase in some versions) leading to heaven with angels moving up and down.

Joseph is remembered both as a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams, including those of the Pharaoh. Joseph dreamed of his brothers' sheaves of wheat bowing to his, which annoyed them and led to his arrival in Egypt. Pharaoh's dream of fat and skinny cows was correctly interpreted by Joseph as meaning a time of plenty followed by famine, and enabled plans to be made. Pilate's wife's dream is described in the Gospel of Matthew and led her, unsuccessfully, to try and persuade Pilate that Jesus was an innocent man.

Answer: Dream Lover

Bobby Darin was a popular singer of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His hits include 'Beyond the Sea' in 1960 and 'If I Were a Carpenter'. 'Dream Lover' was very successful reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. He followed it with 'Mack the Knife' which made number one on both charts.

'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' was by Eurythmics in 1983, 'Don't Dream It's Over' was a hit for Crowded House in 1986 and The Mamas and the Papas released 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' in 1968. Other options I could have chosen as wrong answers include Supertramp's 'Dreamer' and 'All I Have to do is Dream' by the Everly Brothers.

Answer: Dreamscape

The game is described as an 'adventure' with some puzzle solving elements and can be played by only one person at a time. The name is more often displayed as 'dream:scape'. The character of Wilson is lying in a coma, hovering between life and death. The gameplay, such as it is, involves exploration and reliving Wilson's memories with him.

The game was designed primarily for the iPhone4 and iPad2 and is no longer widely available on more modern mobile (cell) phones.

Answer: Basketball

The games were held in Barcelona that year, with the USA taking advantage of a change in the rules which enabled them to send professional basketball players to take part. The team included top quality players such as Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, so no wonder that they were given the nickname.

The team swept all before them winning all five of their matches and finishing with a points difference of 229 points. Charles Barkley scored most points overall, with Michael Jordan scoring twenty-two points in the final match which the USA won 117-85 over Croatia.

Answer: Robin Williams

The film was an adaptation of a novel of the same name written by Richard Matheson and published in 1978. The title was 'borrowed' from 'Hamlet', part of the title character's soliloquy with begins 'To be or not to be'.

The film is about a man (Williams) who dies in a car accident and finds himself unable to understand that he is no longer alive. His attempts to contact his widow, Annie, cause her more grief, and he finds himself in a version of heaven which he has created in his mind. Annie commits suicide (the film piles on the misery by having killed off the couple's two children in an earlier car accident) and is consigned to hell. I'll say no more in case anyone playing this decides they want to see the film.