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Quiz about Guilding the Stone October
Quiz about Guilding the Stone October

Guilding the Stone: October Trivia Quiz


The Quiz Makers Guild monthly birthstones series reaches October; according to the American Gem Society, the opal.

A multiple-choice quiz by Snowman. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Snowman
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
318,439
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
1015
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Opals that display a play of colour are known as precious opals. When an opal shows no play of colour, how is it described? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Andamooka Opal is a magnificent 203-carat red, blue and green opal that is considered one of the finest ever discovered. It was set into a necklace in 1954 and presented to a recently crowned queen on the occasion of her first visit to one of her dominions. After this time it has also been known as the Queen's Opal. Which queen was it presented to?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1986, a massive black opal was uncovered which made its way into the "Guinness Book of Records" as the largest uncut black opal in the world. Weighing in at just shy of 2,000 carats, it was given a name to reflect one of the great events of the year in which it was discovered. What is the name of this opal? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The range of colours of the opal gave it a reputation as a bringer of good luck. This reputation was tarnished following the publication of the 1829 novel "Anne of Geierstein". In the course of the novel, one character, the Baroness of Arnheim, dies after some holy water drips onto her opal talisman. Since this time, the opal has been associated by some with death and bad fortune. Who was the author of this novel? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. More than 90 per cent of the precious opals found on earth are discovered in just one country. Unsurprisingly, this country has the opal as its national gemstone and the national women's basketball side, who claimed the world championship title in 2006, are also nicknamed "The Opals". Which country is it? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The opal requires the presence of water to form. Therefore, it was exciting for NASA scientists to announce, in 2008, that they had found evidence of opals being widespread on another planet in our solar system. This discovery has provided fresh impetus in the search for signs of life on which planet, beloved of science fiction writers? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The array of colours that are seen in the opal have inspired many a marketing man. One such example was the popular UK confectionery known as "Opal Fruits". The chewy candy cuboids in lemon, lime, strawberry and orange flavours, were introduced into the US market, several years after their UK launch, under a different name, a name that the UK brand was to adopt in 1998. What is the now global brand name for these sweets? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Situated somewhere in Maryland, the fictional metropolis of Opal City is home to a number of superheroes of the DC Universe. Originally the name given to the alter ego of Ted Knight and latterly to his son, Jack, what is the name of the superhero who is the defender of Opal City, his home town? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Endemic to southern Africa, the colourful species commonly known as opals (or coppers) are members of the Lycaenidae family, in the order Lepidoptera. Including such beautiful specimens as the Adonis Opal, the Azur Opal and Irene's Opal, what type of animal are they? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Opal is also popular in the community of the software developer. Which of the following is not a real software system known by the acronym OPAL? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Opals that display a play of colour are known as precious opals. When an opal shows no play of colour, how is it described?

Answer: Common Opal

Before the invention of the electron microscope it was not possible to discover how the structure of common and precious opals differed, as the degree of magnification required was beyond the limits of the optical microscope. Once it was possible to examine the opal's structure it was discovered that it was made up of small spheres of silica surrounding a central nucleus. The difference between common and precious stones was that common opals had an irregular structure with spheres of varying sizes, whereas the precious opals had regular stacks of similar sized spheres.

The "play of colour" refers to the display of colour that can be seen inside an opal. This colour is produced by the diffraction of light as it travels through the silica and the areas between the spheres and the refraction of light from the surface of the gem. The colour that is displayed can change with the angle that the stone is viewed at.

The irregularity in the common opals, combined with some smaller sized silica spheres, means that the light cannot be diffracted in the way that it is in precious opals. The colour displayed by precious opals is partially dependent on the size of the spheres it contains. The smallest spheres produce a violet colour, the largest produce red.

Black opals are the most valuable of precious opals as the darker background of the stone makes the play of colour stand out more. Crystal opals are precious opals with a lighter background. A boulder opal is precious opal set in firestone.
2. The Andamooka Opal is a magnificent 203-carat red, blue and green opal that is considered one of the finest ever discovered. It was set into a necklace in 1954 and presented to a recently crowned queen on the occasion of her first visit to one of her dominions. After this time it has also been known as the Queen's Opal. Which queen was it presented to?

Answer: Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The opal was found in Andamooka following a deliberate attempt to find the finest opal in Australia, in anticipation of Queen Elizabeth's visit. The necklace it was set in was made of 18-carat palladium and was inset with diamonds. It was presented to Elizabeth II at a banquet in Adelaide, which was named after Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom.
3. In 1986, a massive black opal was uncovered which made its way into the "Guinness Book of Records" as the largest uncut black opal in the world. Weighing in at just shy of 2,000 carats, it was given a name to reflect one of the great events of the year in which it was discovered. What is the name of this opal?

Answer: Halley's Comet Opal

The opal was discovered by a group of miners who called themselves "The Lunatic Hill Syndicate" at about the time that Halley's Comet made its first appearance in Australian skies for 76 years. It measures 100 x 66 x 63 mm and has a band of green and orange running through it.

There is a giant opal called the "Olympic Australis" which was discovered in 1956 and was named in celebration of the Melbourne Olympics, the first Games to be held in the southern hemisphere.

Live Aid took place in 1985. Black Monday was in 1987.
4. The range of colours of the opal gave it a reputation as a bringer of good luck. This reputation was tarnished following the publication of the 1829 novel "Anne of Geierstein". In the course of the novel, one character, the Baroness of Arnheim, dies after some holy water drips onto her opal talisman. Since this time, the opal has been associated by some with death and bad fortune. Who was the author of this novel?

Answer: Sir Walter Scott

"Anne of Geierstein" also known as "The Maiden of the Mist" was the last of Scott's "Waverley" novels and the most commercially successful of his later works. Each of the Waverley novels was published anonymously as "The Author of Waverley" even though, in 1827, Scott had publicly acknowledged his own authorship of the books.

Set in the time of the Wars of the Roses, the novel follows two exiled Lancastrians, the Earl of Oxford and his son, as they travel through Switzerland to attempt to convince Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, to support the Lancastrian cause. In the course of their travels, the two men are caught in a storm and seek refuge in the home of the Count of Geierstein, where they meet, and the son falls in love with, the Count's beautiful daughter, Anne.

The Baroness of Arnheim, the wife of the Count, had a beautiful opal with "a slight tinge of red like a spark of fire." When the opal, which acts as a talisman for the Baroness, is dripped on with holy water, it turns transparent and she instantly drops to the ground in pain. She is taken to her chamber to recover. When she is visited two hours later, "no traces of her could be discovered, unless that there was about a handful of light gray ashes, found on the bed where she had been laid."
5. More than 90 per cent of the precious opals found on earth are discovered in just one country. Unsurprisingly, this country has the opal as its national gemstone and the national women's basketball side, who claimed the world championship title in 2006, are also nicknamed "The Opals". Which country is it?

Answer: Australia

The main opal fields in Australia are found in South Australia and New South Wales. Each of the mined areas has a different type of opal with Lightning Ridge in NSW and Minibie in South Australia producing almost all of the world's high-value black opal.

The Australian women's basketball team claimed their first world title in 2006 with a victory over Russia in the final. They had finished third in the previous two tournaments. They also claimed the silver medal in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic tournaments.
6. The opal requires the presence of water to form. Therefore, it was exciting for NASA scientists to announce, in 2008, that they had found evidence of opals being widespread on another planet in our solar system. This discovery has provided fresh impetus in the search for signs of life on which planet, beloved of science fiction writers?

Answer: Mars

The opal is formed by crystals of hydrated silica, and the water content of the gem can range from anywhere between three and twenty per cent of the total mass.

Though opals had been found in one crater on Mars' surface prior to 2008, the widespread presence of the mineral in other surface areas has changed the prevailing view of when Mars ceased to have water on its surface. By measuring the pH value of clays and other hydrated minerals in Mars terrain, it had been estimated that Mars became free of surface water sometime around three billion years ago (the scarcer the water on the surface, the more acidic it becomes). However, the opal that was discovered dates to less than 2.5 billion years ago.

The discovery suggests that future explorations of the planet's surface that are looking for signs of life, might find their best evidence at the site of the opal fields.
7. The array of colours that are seen in the opal have inspired many a marketing man. One such example was the popular UK confectionery known as "Opal Fruits". The chewy candy cuboids in lemon, lime, strawberry and orange flavours, were introduced into the US market, several years after their UK launch, under a different name, a name that the UK brand was to adopt in 1998. What is the now global brand name for these sweets?

Answer: Starburst

Opal Fruits are best remembered in the UK for the tagline "Made to make your mouth water". The original flavours of the sweets have been modified on several occasions. Firstly, the lemon and lime flavours were dropped in favour of a blackcurrant and a lemon & lime variety. Later, more brands were added to the Starburst stable; Starburst Sour Chews, Starburst Smoothies and Starburst Choozers, which introduced the flavours of blueberry, banana, passion fruit and mango.
8. Situated somewhere in Maryland, the fictional metropolis of Opal City is home to a number of superheroes of the DC Universe. Originally the name given to the alter ego of Ted Knight and latterly to his son, Jack, what is the name of the superhero who is the defender of Opal City, his home town?

Answer: Starman

Ted Knight was a genius scientist who developed the cosmic rod, a device that could create cosmic energy from starlight. Using this device he made himself into Starman and joined the Justice Squad of America in 1941. Coincidentally, this is also when he made his first appearance in DC's "Adventure Comics". In the 1990s, he retired and passed the Starman mantle on to his son, David, and following David's death, to his second son, Jack. By this time, he had earned his own comic book series, "Starman".

Their home city, Opal City, started out life as the Port O'Souls on the coast of Chesapeake Bay in northern Maryland. It was renamed as Opal City in the mid-19th century and underwent a re-building program in the early years of the 20th century. As a consequence, many of its buildings are in the Art Deco style. Ted Knight saved it from destruction when he uprooted the post office and sent it into space after a nuclear bomb was discovered buried within it.

Other superheroes who live in Opal City include Phantom Lady, Black Condor and the Elongated Man.
9. Endemic to southern Africa, the colourful species commonly known as opals (or coppers) are members of the Lycaenidae family, in the order Lepidoptera. Including such beautiful specimens as the Adonis Opal, the Azur Opal and Irene's Opal, what type of animal are they?

Answer: Butterfly

The Lycaenidae family of butterflies is myrmecophilous, which means that the butterflies live in association with ants, both mutually and parasitically. Some opal butterfly caterpillars produce nectar for the ants to feed on and also produce chemicals that mimic ant pheromones so that the ants will defend them against attack. Also, the ants' eggs and pupae and sometimes their regurgitations can provide food for the caterpillar. Lycaenid pupae often have thicker skin than average to protect against ant bites.

Many of the species of opals are classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
10. Opal is also popular in the community of the software developer. Which of the following is not a real software system known by the acronym OPAL?

Answer: Operating Process Application Library

OPAL (Oracle/PHP/Apache/Linux) is a software solution stack comprising an operating system (Linux), server software (Apache), a programming language (Pre-hypertext Programming or PHP) and database software (Oracle). It is an alternative software solution to the more common LAMP stack, which replaces Oracle with MySQL.

The OPAL project (OPtimized Applicative Language) is an open source, algebraic programming language developed at the Technische Universität Berlin.

OPAL software (Open Physics Abstraction Layer) is software that simulates the action of virtual objects in a real life framework. For example, if a spherical object were dropped onto a sloped surface with several obstacles upon it, the software would predict where the object would come to rest. OPAL software is often used in video game development.
Source: Author Snowman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Guilding The Stone - a QMG Series:

In 2009, the Quiz Makers Guild produced a monthly series of quizzes inspired by birthstones. Here they are, all neatly arranged together in their proper order!

  1. Guilding the Stone-January Average
  2. Guilding the Stone - March Tough
  3. Guilding the Stone - April Average
  4. Guilding the Stone - May Tough
  5. Guilding the Stone - June Tough
  6. Guilding the Stone: July Tough
  7. Guilding the Stone - August Average
  8. Guilding the Stone: September Average
  9. Guilding the Stone: October Average
  10. Guilding the Stones: November Average
  11. Guilding the Stones: December Average

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