Correlation vs. Causation Trivia Quiz

Answer: Karman Line

Defined by mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist, Theodore von Karman, the eponymous line is the demarcation zone separating the atmosphere and space. Situated at 100 km above sea level, it is not a defined line, but an area where the atmosphere becomes too thin to support flight. At this altitude, in order to be able to continue flying, an aircraft would need to accelerate to a speed faster than that needed to achieve orbit to ensure enough lift to fly.

While the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI: World Air Sports Federation) uses the 100km (62miles) mark to determine the Karman Line, NASA and the US Air Force define the limit to be 80km (50miles).

Answer: Molotov Line

Stretching some 130 km, the Molotov Line is a series of fortified regions, each consisting of heavily armed concrete bunkers called pillboxes. Built in 1940-1941 along what was then the western border of the Soviet Union, the Molotov Line was designed to prevent, or at least hinder, the advance of invading armies. Unfortunately when Germany attacked in 1941, most of the line was not completed, so did not provide the defence it was designed for.

Some 80 years later, any remaining bunkers can be found in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania.

Answer: Line Out

In a game of Rugby Union, once the ball has left the field of play, a lineout is the means to restart play. At least two players are required from each team to participate in the lineout and the team awarded the lineout designates the maximum number of participants, so all 15 team members could be included. Once the players are in lines (at a right angle to the touchline), the ball is thrown over head and the players attempt to catch the ball or knock it to a team mate. Lifting of players to gain height is permitted, but they may not tackle or interfere with any of the opposition players during the lineout.

A quick lineout may be taken instead, provided the ball has not touched a person or object outside of the field of play. The ball is then thrown to a team mate on the field before the traditional lineout has formed, therefore not disrupting the momentum of the game.

Answer: International Date Line

The International Date Line (IDL) roughly follows the 180˚ longitude meridian from the North to the South Pole and denotes the transition from one day to the next. The line is not straight however; of necessity it deviates around several Pacific Island countries and territories.

Twenty-six countries were represented at an International Meridian Conference in 1884 where the 180˚ meridian was selected as the IDL. It was chosen because it runs through the Pacific where there are not many landmasses and therefore a low population. Universal Time (UT) was also determined at this conference and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was set as the standard time as it lies on the 0˚ longitude on the opposite side of the world.

When travelling westward, clocks must be forwarded by a day, and set backwards when travelling eastward. One anomaly with the dateline is that for a brief moment each day, there are three different dates on earth. While most of the world is on the one day, American Samoa is on the previous day while Kiribati has changed to the next day.

Answer: Ley Lines

First purported by an archaeologist in the 1930s, the urban legend of ley lines has been embellished since, despite a lack of evidence proving them to be true. The theory is the ley lines are concentrated streams of magnetic energy along the earth's surface, and the major historical landmarks like Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza were built along these energy highways.

Thoughts on these lines vary: some believers say the sites hold psychic or religious power, while others declare them to be alien landing sites. Non-believers declare them to be a figment of the imagination. Without solid proof to support the theory of ley lines, scientists regard them as nothing but a hoax. Are they real? Or are they not?

Answer: Fault lines

A fault is a large fracture of displacement of rock where two tectonic plates meet and move against each other. While most of these are located deep underground, corresponding defects are visible on the surface. These areas can be seen or mapped and are called fault lines or fault zones.

A fault zone is a more complex fracturing of the ground that may be kilometres wide and thousands of kilometres in length. They are characterised by dramatic landforms where cliffs and large twisted monoliths appear to have been squeezed from the Earth.

The world's largest fault line is the Sunda Megathrust that extends for around 5,500 kilometres from Myanmar in Asia through to Australia.

Answer: Line of Variation

Of the millions of asteroids in our solar system, those venturing within 1.3 Astronomical Units (AU- distance from Sun to Earth) of our planet earn the title Near Earth Objects (NEOs). All NEOs are watched closely by NASA although many are only visible to our telescopes and radar for a short time. Of particular concern are asteroids passing by closer than the moon and so with a higher chance of impact. In these cases, NASA will calculate the line of variation- a path across the planet where any impact may occur. Most asteroids are small enough that they burn up in the atmosphere.

Answer: Line Up

In policing terminology, a line up is a group of suspects or people with similar looks, arranged in a line for easy identification by a witness.

A line up may also be found in sport where it refers to the list of players participating in a match. Other definitions include arranging items so they are in a straight line or the correct position, or to have work or jobs arranged and pending.

Answer: Maginot Line

In the 1930s, the French built a series of concrete fortifications and weapons bunkers in order to protect against the invading German army and allow time for local troops to mobilise. The fortified line was a series of ouvrages (large underground forts), concrete pillboxes and reinforced shelters (abri) for the troops. The bunkers were designed to withstand aerial and tank attack but were susceptible to concentrated artillery fire and bombs. They went deep enough into the earth to have an underground railway and some pillboxes were connected by underground passages.

The fortifications did not encompass all of France, however and the Germans went around the wall and entered from the north. The oversight of using a WWI battle plan and trusting a forest to repel a determined army from the gaps in the wall, proved to be the downfall of much of the allies' defence.

Several bunkers with their armoured cloches and retractable bunkers still stand decades after the war and are available for tours.

The term 'Maginot Line' has now entered the modern vernacular to mean anything that's very expensive, yet does not work properly.

Answer: Nazca Lines

The Nazca lines are a series of geometric drawings and motifs etched into the Nazca Desert soil in Southern Peru. Covering an area of about 50 square kilometres, the geoglyphs are a series of geometric designs featuring straight lines, spirals, plants and animals. While the lines are visible from high ground around the area, the full scope of the work is only visible from the air, raising speculation over how the drawings were created with such precision. They have been dated to have been created between 500BCE and 50CE. The entire area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.