The Forest for the Trees Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Powerful symbols of life, strength and resilience, trees have been revered since time immemorial, occupying an important place in many of the world's religions and mythologies. In the creation story featured in the Bible (Genesis 2:8-9 NIV), God created the Garden of Eden and filled it with all kind of trees: in the middle of the garden stood the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Genesis 3:22, it is made clear that eating the fruit of the tree of life would grant one eternal life. After Adam and Eve's fall, in order to prevent them from living forever with their sinful nature, God expelled them from the Garden and placed a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the tree.

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ("Odin's horse") is a gigantic ash tree that stands in the centre of the cosmos, connecting the Nine Worlds of which the Norse universe consists. Its branches reach out into the heavens, while three roots support it, also extending very far. Various creatures live in the tree, and the gods assemble there every day to hold court. Yggdrasil is mentioned in both the Poetic and the Prose Edda, the main sources of Norse mythology.

Trees also appear in many works of literature. "The Giving Tree" is one of American writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein's best-known works. Written in 1964, this popular children's book (also illustrated by Silverstein) describes the relationship that develops between a boy and an apple tree, continuing until the boy reaches old age. The book has sparked controversy because of the supposedly abusive relationship between the "giving", selfless tree and the "taking", self-absorbed boy.

Trees have also had a considerable influence on musicians and composers. "O Tannenbaum" is the original German title of the popular Christmas song known in English as "O Christmas Tree". While the music is a 16th-century folk tune not related to Christmas, the lyrics were written in 1824 by organist and composer Ernst Anschütz. Both the German lyrics and their English translation emphasize the unchanging nature of a fir tree's leaves, which remain green both in summer and in the cold of winter - symbolizing constancy and faith.

On 9 March 1987, Irish rock band U2 released their fifth studio album, titled "The Joshua Tree". Inspired by the band members' experiences when touring the USA, as well as American literature and politics, the album is named for the plant Yucca brevifolia, which mainly grows in the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada; a photo of one of these trees is featured on the back cover. "The Joshua Tree" was a commercial and critical success, and is widely regarded as the band's masterpiece.

Many animal species make their home in trees. The six extant species of sloths - mammals in the superorder Xenarthra, which also includes anteaters and armadillos - are often referred to as tree sloths to distinguish them from the extinct ground sloths, some of which were as large as elephants. Native to Central America and tropical South America, sloths spend most of their lives on trees, hanging from branches with their long, sharp claws, coming down only once a week for necessary bodily functions.

A number of national flags feature trees, though most of them are part of a coat of arms. On the flag of Lebanon (adopted in 1943), a green tree appears directly in the middle of the large, central white stripe, enveloped by two thinner red stripes. This tree is the symbol of the Middle Eastern nation's cultural heritage, a conifer species known as cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). Native to the mountains of the eastern Mediterranean, this majestic evergreen has enjoyed iconic status since antiquity, and is mentioned several times in the Bible.

The word tree is also used to denote things whose shape resembles that of a tree. This applies in particular to a kind of diagram that branches out from a single stem, representing a hierarchical structure. Used to show genealogical relationships within a family, a genealogical or family tree is shaped like an upside-down tree, with the "stem" (in this case the family ancestor) at the top, and the "leaves" (the descendants) at the bottom. The family tree is believed to have originated from the medieval depiction of the ancestors of Jesus Christ in the Tree of Jesse.

The last two items on the list are about real trees, though of vastly differing sizes. Bonsai is the ancient Japanese art of growing miniature trees in shallow containers. While the word is used in English and other languages to denote any kind of tiny potted plant, true Japanese bonsai are grown according to very precise rules, creating miniature replicas of fully-grown trees with special attention given to shape and proportions. Bonsai are often displayed in gardens and other outdoor spaces, and exhibitions dedicated to this art are held all over the world.

General Sherman is the name given to the world's largest (by volume) living single-stem tree, a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) found in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in California. Named for American Civil War general William T. Sherman, this massive evergreen conifer is believed to be at least 2,300 years old. It has a height of 83.8 m (275 ft), a diameter of 7.7 m (25 ft), and an estimated bole volume of 1,487 m³ (52,513 cu ft).

The six wrong answers are all related to flowers. The Hong Kong flag depicts a flower (Bauhinia); ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging; hippies were synonymous with "flower power"; bees feed on flower pollen and nectar; French poet Charles Baudelaire wrote "The Flowers of Evil".