Confounding Conundrums Trivia Quiz

Answer: Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was commissioned to paint 2400 square feet of frescos on the ceiling of the auditorium in the Palais Garnier and his depictions are more modern than the works of Jules-Eugène Lenepveu which are still underneath. As a way of preserving the original paintings underneath and the history of the building, Chagall's work is on a series of panels which can be removed if needed, leaving the original work intact.

The magnificent ceiling of the Avant Foyer was painted by Paul Baudry.

Answer: Colony

Beavers group in a colony, along with weasels, flamingos, bats, ants, penguins and rabbits.

The other answers are company (parrots), covey (quail) and coalition (cheetahs). This list isn't complete, by any stretch of the imagination, as many animals have more than one collective noun each.

Answer: Cappuccino

A capuchin is a hood, so cappuccino means 'little hood' in Italian. It is believed that the cappuccino was introduced in Italy and the colour so resembled the colour of the Capuchin friars' robes that the drink was named for them.

Another school of thought has the cappuccino invented after the Battle of Vienna in 1683 and named after the Capuchin Friar Marco d'Aviano.

Answer: Concordia

The Concordia, owned by Italian company Costa Crociere and sailing under the name 'Costa Concordia' was a luxury cruise liner that operated from 2005 until 2012. It famously capsized when it failed to follow its planned course and hit submerged rocks off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, causing it to sink and taking the lives of 32 passengers and crew.

RMS Carpathia was a transatlantic passenger liner, famous for rescuing Titanic survivors. In 1918 during WWI she was used to transport troops to Europe and it was then that it was torpedoed by German U-Boats and sunk.

RV Calypso began life as a minesweeper during WWII. Following her decommission, she spent time as a ferry in Malta before being bought by Thomas Guinness. He lent the ship to Jacques-Yves Cousteau for use as his research vessel.

HMS Challenger was a steam-assisted Corvette (warship) that served as the flagship of the Australian Station British/Australian Naval Command) between 1866 and 1870. She saw military service in Mexico prior to this and later undertook a punitive operation in Fiji. Following her military service she embarked on the first global marine expedition, named 'The Challenger Expedition'. She is also the namesake of the Space Shuttle 'Challenger'.

Answer: Lizard

A chuckwalla is a large lizard and can be found in Mexico and the south-west United States. They have a wide, flat body and are primarily herbivorous, although they have been known to eat some insects.

How many wallas will a chuckwalla chuck...ah, forget it.

Answer: Chopper

A chopper is a colloquial name for a helicopter.

Mark 'Chopper' Read was a notorious criminal who spent most of his young adulthood in prison for a variety of crimes including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping. He has published several biographical novels about his time in prison. In his later years he featured in commercials warning of drink driving and domestic violence.

The 2000 movie 'Chopper' starred Eric Bana as Read and was adapted from the books. Read died from liver cancer when he was 58.

Clement and Coleman are types of fixed wing aircraft. The Cage Tilt-rotor is a helicopter, but not the correct answer here.

Answer: Caracas

Caracas, Venezuela, is only 725 miles from the equator. Cairo, Egypt is 1066 miles away followed by Canberra, Australia (2471 miles) and Copenhagen, Denmark (3836 miles).

Answer: Curling

A curling sheet is a rectangular area of ice on which the game of curling is played. A target on the surface is called the house and it is this the players aim their stones at. The hog lines mark the legal playing area, 21 feet from the centre of each house. The stone must be released before crossing the first hog line and must not go beyond the second.

Answer: Comic or nonsensical verse

Invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley when he was just 16 years old, a clerihew is a four-line, rhyming, comic verse that pokes fun at a person or character.

In 1905 he wrote this one:
"Sir Christopher Wren
Said, 'I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I am designing St. Paul's.'"

Answer: Ohio

While all of the above mentioned states have a capital city beginning with 'C', only Ohio has three highly populated cities that begin with 'C'- Columbus (the capital), Cleveland and Cincinnati.