Everything Is Impossible in this Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth", or so said possibly the most famous fictional detective ever. Who was it?

Answer: Sherlock Holmes

A quick quote from the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle. It was said in "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier", a Sherlock Holmes short story in 1926.

The adventures of Sherlock Holmes in literature ran to 56 short stories and four novels.

The Baker Street Wiki claims Sherlock Holmes to be the world's favourite character in movies in English. It lists 48 movies. Other sources claim more than 70 movie and TV adaptations.

2. "To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go..." These were lyrics from the award-winning song "The Impossible Dream". Which Japanese car company used the song in a television commercial?

Answer: Honda

The two-minute long Honda advert debuted in the United Kingdom in 2005. It cost over �4m to make. An extended version appeared in the Netherlands five years later.

The song was written by Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh and it won them a Tony when used in the 1965 musical "Man of La Mancha". The advertising company used the 1968 Andy Williams recording.

3. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, it to name the first actor to play the leader of "Mission:Impossible" team on television.

Answer: Steven Hill

"Mission:Impossible" debuted in the USA in 1966. In season one the leader of the team was Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill. Subsequently Peter Graves took over, playing Jim Phelps.

Hill had an Orthodox Jewish faith that meant he was not prepared to work on the Sabbath. While his role was downplayed, this was never cited as a reason, with producers pointing to his refusal to take part in one risky sequence.

Lalo Schifrin composed the title music, Bruce Geller created the show.

Hill later had a successful ten-season run as District Attorney Adam Schiff in "Law & Order". He died in 2016 at the age of 94.

The Impossible Mission team was a group of secret agents who took on operations that would never be admitted by the government. A series of movies starring Tom Cruise debuted in 1996.

4. In what sport would you be participating if you were able to perform a manoeuvre known as 'Ollie Impossibles'?

Answer: Skateboarding

The trick was created by a skateboarding legend called Rodney Mullen.

Since skateboarding is a foreign language to this quiz author, I am going to quote a definition of the trick: "Ollie Impossibles, also known simply as Impossibles, are similar to 360 Shove-Its in that the board rotates 360-degrees. However, Ollie Impossibles are performed when the skateboard is wrapped almost vertically over the back foot while in the air, resulting in a 360-degree rotation of the board." [brailleskateboarding.com]

Clear as mud.

5. What fantastic abilities did the Marvel Comics superhero 'Impossible Man' have?

Answer: Shape-shifting

Impossible Man was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for the comic "Fantastic Four" in 1963.

He hailed from the planet Poppup and was generally used for comic effect as an associate of the main characters. He was often known as "Impy".

In later years Impossible Man married Impossible Woman and to prove that um, nothing is impossible, they had a son: Adolf Impossible.

6. In a 1960s animated series, The Impossibles were a group of crime fighters with super powers. What was their cover occupation?

Answer: Rock band

Just one season of 18 episodes was made in 1966 by by Hanna-Barbera for Saturday morning broadcast by CBS. Each ran to about six minutes.

As a pop trio, they played to adoring fans and had a drum kit that could turn into a car, plane or submarine.

7. In 2008, a Dutch company was founded as the Impossible Project to manufacture new products for a defunct technology. What was that technology?

Answer: Polaroid film

Polaroid was one of the original instant picture camera companies. You took a photograph, waited a short time then peeled off a cover to reveal the image. No more trudging to the pharmacy or drug store to wait days for your prints or posting off the exposed film to TriFCA for processing.

The quality of the images was not great from the limited cameras. However high-end camera companies such as Hasselblad made Polaroid backs for their cameras. That enabled the top professional to set up lights and make camera settings and then get a quick check of how the picture would look when shot on 'proper film'.

The Polaroid Corporation went bust in 2001. A new company suffered the same fate in 2008. In that year the Impossible Project was set up to make instant film for Polaroid cameras. It was rebranded as Polaroid Originals in 2017, and renamed Polaroid in 2020.

8. "Impossible For a plain yellow pumpkin To become a golden carriage! Impossible For a plain country bumpkin And a prince to join in marriage, And four white mice Will never be four white horses Such fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee dee Of course is Impossible!..." No points for guessing that this song entitled "Impossible: It's Possible" was from the musical "Cinderella". Which famed musical duo wrote the music and songs?

Answer: Rodgers and Hammerstein

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein were the men behind a string of top musicals. On that list were "Oklahoma", "Carousel", "South Pacific" and "The King and I".

They wrote "Cinderella" for television in 1957. It is estimated that 107 million viewers tuned in. Julie Andrews got an Emmy nomination for the title role.

9. "Somos novios Pues los dos sentimos mutuo amor profundo Y con eso ya ganamos lo m�s grande De este mundo Nos amamos, nos besamos Como novios Nos deseamos y hasta a veces sin motivo Y sin raz�n, nos enojamos..." These are the original lyrics for a song in Spanish "Somos novios". Which relaxed-style American was the first to record the English version "It's Impossible"? "It's impossible Tell the sun to leave the sky It's just impossible It's impossible Ask a baby not to cry It's just impossible..."?

Answer: Perry Como

Red herrings abounding in this question since all recorded the song.

Perry Como was first, though. In 1970 he recorded lyrics in English by Sid Wayne. The original song was by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968.

10. "The Impossible Dead" was the second in a series of books about a police officer who investigated corruption within the police force. Which author famous for creating an Edinburgh-based detective, wrote it?

Answer: Ian Rankin

John Rebus was the most famous creation of the Edinburgh-based author Ian Rankin. More than 20 novels had been published at the time this quiz was written and several had been adapted for television.

Rankin has conceded he may have made a mistake in ageing Rebus in real time throughout the series. It meant that the character got to the age where a real detective would have long retired. In the later books, Rebus was retired, but "consulted" with his former colleagues.

Rankin created Malcolm Fox as a police officer investigating corruption within the police service in Edinburgh. Fox as the main protagonist first appeared in "The Complaints" in 2009 and this was followed by "The Impossible Dead" in 2011. Fox later appeared in five Rebus novels, having apparently given up on trying to dish the dirt on the senior detective.

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Everything Is Impossible in this Quiz

"Anything is possible" is the heartfelt claim of the desperate defence lawyer. This quiz, though, explores ten ways in culture and fact that everything is impossible.

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