A Grain of Truth Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Spanish born wine merchant Don Facundo Bacardi Masso emigrated to Santiago de Cuba and founded the Bacardi distillery in 1862. The original building where he looked to start his business was old and had bats in the belfry. As quoted on their company website, "The bat had always been a symbol of good fortune, so when Doña Amalia Bacardí spotted fruit bats in the family's distillery, she insisted it be used as their symbol. Today it remains on the bottle, helping the family survive whatever fate throws at it."

Answer: False

A person who studies the processes and history which make up Earth is a 'geologist' and the name given to a person who studies Mars is called an 'aerologist'. The word 'aerology' is taken from 'Ares' the Greek god of war, and 'ology' which means 'study of'.

Answer: False

Christiansborg Palace is in fact the name of the building where the Danish parliament is housed in Copenhagen. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of a previous palace which burned down in 1884. Binnenhof is the name of the buildings where the Dutch parliament is housed in The Hague.

It is a Gothic style castle built during the 13th century and is situated next to Hofvijver lake in the centre of the city.

Answer: True

Liam Neeson was offered the role in 1994 which he turned down. According to the press, he was not interested in playing in action films, although some reports say that his future wife did not want him playing Bond. The role was accepted instead by Pierce Brosnan who starred in the 1995 film "Golden Eye".

Other actors who have turned down the James Bond role include Cary Grant, Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler. Liam Neeson went on to star in the action films "Taken", "Unknown" and "The A-Team".

Answer: False

The game 'hopscotch' is believed to have been invented during the Roman Empire, several centuries before Leonardo Da Vinci was born. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was ahead of his time and some of his designs were the forerunners to many modern day inventions, including the parachute, diving suit and helicopter.

Answer: True

The Nobel Peace Prize medal was designed by Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. The front of the medal shows the face of Alfred Nobel with the inscription "Pro pace et fraternitate gentium" which means "For the peace and brotherhood of men". The reverse of the medal shows three naked men clasping each other's shoulders.

Answer: True

This neurological disorder was discovered in 1878 when French-Canadian lumberjacks were seen to jump up and down in reflex to when they were startled. Other symptoms included obeying sudden orders without question. It was first coined by American neurologist George Miller Beard who visited and observed the men at Moosehead Lake in Maine.

There are slight similarities between Jumping Frenchman of Maine and Tourette Syndrome although they are not the same. Other examples of Jumping Frenchmen of Maine were also found in Siberia and Malaysia.

Answer: True

A cork closure on its own would not be able to withstand the pressure of champagne within the bottle and so a muselet was created. The name was taken from the French word 'museler' which means 'to muzzle'. A sommelier opens the muselet by turning with wire opening anti-clockwise approximately six turns until it releases the cork, sometimes with a pop.

Answer: False

The mangelwurzel (Beta vulgaris), otherwise known as mangel or mangold, is a vegetable, usually with a thick yellow root and traditionally cultivated as animal fodder. An old custom in Somerset, England, is called Punkie Night which is held on the last Thursday in October. Children parade through the streets carrying a hollowed out mangelwurzel lantern, similar to a pumpkin seen at Halloween.

Answer: False

The "i" in Apple products stands for 'internet'. Former creative director Ken Segall is credited for coining the name 'iMac'. In an interview, Segall said "It referenced the Mac, and the "i" meant internet. But it also meant individual, imaginative and all the other things it came to stand for".

Answer: True

Louis Braille (1809-1852) had full vision when he was born but a childhood accident caused his eyes to become infected which led to his eventual blindness. He devised the Braille writing system in 1824 to help blind and visually impaired people to read. Raised dots are marked onto embossed paper which allows people to run their fingers across and translate the markings by touch.

Answer: False

There are several accepted names for the cross of any offspring from a match between a zebra and another equine. These include zebroid and zedonk. The offspring of a male zebra and a female horse is sometimes called a 'zorse', the other way around is called a 'zonkey'. A hobra does not exist.

Answer: False

"For the lord God omnipotent reigneth, hallelujah" is taken from the chorus of "Handel's Messiah (The Hallelujah Chorus)". Following a rebellion led by English Barons, the 1215 Magna Carta (Great Charter) granted by King John laid down a formal agreement on taxation, feudal systems and justice. Although only valid for ten weeks, it formed the foundation for British constitution and inspired the US Declaration of Independence.

It began:

"JOHN, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, and to all his officials and loyal subjects, Greeting."

Answer: True

Maw sit sit is an unusual gemstone which is predominantly green but with a black marbled/spotted effect. It is only mined from Myanmar in the foothills of the Himalayas. The appearance of the rock resembles jade, but is composed of several different minerals including kosmochlor and chromian jadeite. Like other gemstones, it can be made into beads, jewelry and carvings.

Answer: False

Schadenfreude is the word given to describe the satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune or expense. It has never been a title of a classical composition, but it has featured as a song in the stage musical, "Avenue Q". The lyrics include "Don'tcha feel all warm and cozy, watching people out in the rain?". Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the similar sounding "Scheherazade" in 1888 which was based on the legendary queen from the story collection "One Thousand and One Nights".