Day of the Week - Thursday Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Steinbeck

The Depression-Era story of the peculiar residents of Cannery Row in Monterey, California, continues in "Sweet Thursday." John Steinbeck's sequel is set just after the conclusion of World War II. Doc returns from the war to a much-changed community. As regards the choice of the title, according to the author, "Sweet Thursday is the day between Lousy Wednesday and Waiting Friday." In 1955, Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted the novel into the Broadway musical "Pipe Dreams."

Answer: entertainer

Eartha Kitt (1927-2008) was a singer, dancer, voice-over artist, actress and, by her own description, a "sex kitten." Her mother was of mixed Black and Cherokee blood; her father was white. She had an early singing career in Paris, appeared in movies in the US, acted on Broadway, and played the role of Catwoman on the TV series "Batman."

Answer: has far to go

Fortune-telling rhymes based on the day of the week on which a child is born have existed in English since the 16th century. The following one was first published in 1838: "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace. Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go. Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living. And the child born on the Sabbath day Is bonny and blithe, good and gay."

Answer: David Bowie

Singer David Bowie co-wrote "Thursday's Child" with Reeves Gabrels and recorded it on his album "Hours" (1999). Bowie said he took the name of the song from the title of Eartha Kitt's autobiography. The music video produced to accompany the song's release as a single is strange; it features Bowie sitting in front of a mirror reflecting on his life.

Answer: Dutch

The other days of the week in Dutch are "Maandag" (Monday), "Dinsdag" (Tuesday), "Woensag" (Wednesday), "Vrijdag" (Friday), "Zaterdag" (Saturday) and "Zondag" (Sunday).

Other words for Thursday are "Osteguna" (Basque), "Torsdag" (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish), "torstai" (Finnish), "Jeudi" (French), "Donnerstag" (German), "giovedi" (Italian), "Quinta-feira" (Portuguese), "joi" (Romanian), and "jueves" (Spanish).

Answer: foot washing and the Last Supper

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday in Holy Week, followed immediately by Good Friday. On this day (which is also called Holy Thursday, Great Thursday, and several combinations thereof), the church remembers two events: Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and telling them to do likewise (the maundy) and the Last Supper which Jesus told them to repeat.

The first is described in John 13:1-17; the latter in Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-38; and I Corinthians 11:23-25). The liturgy commonly includes the washing of feet (pedilavium) and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Other rituals may include the stripping of the altar of its adornments until it is decorated for Easter Mass.

Answer: walked out

There are twelve volumes in Harry Kemelman's series of novels involving Rabbi David Small, the first seven of which are named for the days of the week. The seventh novel in this series is "Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out." In it, a prominent but anti-Semitic town selectman is murdered.

The problem is that too many suspects all had abundant motive to commit the crime. Rabbi Small uses his Talmudic training to solve the mystery by seeking the third side to apparently two-sided arguments.

Answer: Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde created the character Thursday Next and placed her in a series of comedic literary fantasy novels (the genre is difficult to categorize). She is a sort of secret agent, the daughter of Wednesday Next and Colonel Next, also a secret agent. The universe in these novels is partly recognizable and partly absurd. England is still England but Wales is the "Socialist Republic of Wales". Genetic engineering has revived Neanderthal Man, which group has formed a Neanderthal Rights Movement. The demarcation between literature and reality in this world is badly blurred, but enjoyably so.

Answer: only that the titles are the same

The 1943 movie "Thursday's Child" was a British comedy film about a young girl cast in a movie. It was written and directed by Rodney Ackland. Stewart Granger (1913-1993) was cast in a supporting role.

The 1983 made-for-TV movie "Thursday's Child" was an American product about a high-school football player with a potentially-fatal heart disease. It starred Rob Lowe and Gena Rowlands. The script was based on a non-fiction book by Victoria Poole.

The 1972-1973 British television programme "Thursday's Child" was based on an historical novel by Noel Streatfeild. It aired on BBC One. It is the story of a foundling, Margaret Thursday, named after the day of the week on which she was left on the steps of a church. She and her companions Peter and Horatio escape from Saint Luke's orphanage and the ogress chief matron.

Generally speaking, titles are not subject to copyright protection.

Answer: Thor, Norse god of thunder

The Ancient Greeks named Thursday "hemera Dios" after the god Zeus, the god of the heavens and the supreme Greek god. Modern Greeks call Thursday "Pémpti" which means the fifth day. The Ancient Romans named the day "dies Jovis" which means the day of Jupiter (or Jove). Jupiter (Jove) is the supreme Roman god and patron of the Roman state and the creator of thunder and lightning. Compare the Modern Italian name for the day "Giovedi" with the Latin "dies Jovis." The Modern English word Thursday honours Thor, the Norse god of thunder.

The Germans call it "Donnerstag"; "donner" is German for thunder. The Old English had it either "thursdaeg" or "thunresdaeg." Thor is the Norse god of thunder.