Keeping Track of Black Trivia Quiz

Answer: 400 metres

Roger Black was born in Gosport, England, and went on to become one of the UK's most successful 400m runners. Incredibly, given his eventual success, Black was banned from running at school, due to a heart condition, and it was not until the age of eighteen that he began to participate in athletics. Along with his two silvers and one bronze, which were won at the Olympics, Roger Black also earned himself a haul of nine gold medals and three silvers, which were won at various Commonwealth Games, European Championships and World Championships, making him one of UK athletics' greats.

Answer: Amy Winehouse

After being propelled into the limelight shortly after the release of her 2003 debut album, "Frank", Amy Winehouse quickly became an overnight sensation. However this also meant that she became a media magnet, and became equally known for her musical talent as for her offstage antics and alcohol and drug abuse. Yet the hits kept coming, and Winehouse went on to win the Ivor Novello Award on three separate occasions, as well as earning herself numerous UK Top 40 hit singles.

However, on the 23rd of July, 2011, Winehouse's lifestyle finally caught up with her, and she was found dead in her London home, as a result of alcohol poisoning.

Answer: 24

The exact origin of the English nursery rhyme, "Sing a Song of Sixpence", is unknown, though several sources have been suggested, including William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". English Shakespearean commentator, George Steevens' name has also been put forward, as he supposedly used the rhyme to mock one-time Poet Laureate, Henry James Pye. One thing in particular is certain: in medieval England, people did actually put birds in pies, and it was considered to be a form of entertainment.

This serves as a reminder to us that many nursery rhymes, this one included, were very often steeped in fact, rather than fiction.

Answer: Jill Goodacre

Chandler found himself trapped in an ATM vestibule with 80s Victoria Secret model, Jill Goodacre, in the seventh episode of season one, entitled "The One with the Blackout". Following a power-cut that shut down New York, Chandler and Goodacre found themselves in the same ATM vestibule, something that the former was particularly happy about.

However as ever, Chandler had to work hard to overcome his dismal first impression, which included the sentence "You know, on second thoughts, gum would be perfection".

After mentally berating himself for such a ridiculous comment, he and Goodacre bonded over a game that involved a pen on a string, and by the end of the episode Chandler had redeemed himself, so that Goodacre's parting comment to him was "Well, goodbye Chandler. I had a great blackout."

Answer: Shunned

The term "blacklist" stems back to the time of King Charles II, who, determined to avenge his father's death, compiled a "blacklist", which included the names of the rich and powerful who were responsible for the execution of his father, King Charles I. From the names on that list, the vengeful King arranged the deaths of thirteen and the life imprisonment of twenty five.

A lucky twenty managed to escape, and thus the term "blacklist" was coined, due to the connotations of death associated with the colour black.

Answer: Coal

The valleys of South Wales were well and truly brought to the world's attention in the early twentieth century, when they helped make Wales one of the biggest exporters of coal in the world. Found underground, in saucer-like patterns, coal helped shape the entire topographical area of South Wales, and led to thousands of people flocking to the valleys, in order to work in the coal mining industry.

The work itself was incredibly dangerous, and accidents and disasters were common, such as the 1939 Senghenydd Colliery disaster, which claimed the lives of 439 miners.

Answer: Ballet

The plot of the 2010 film, "Black Swan", revolved around Nina Sayers, (played by Natalie Portman), a talented New York ballerina, who landed the role of a lifetime, as the Swan Queen in "Swan Lake". However the role soon began to have an adverse effect on Nina's mental health and she began not only to behave out of character, but also to hallucinate. Indeed it seemed the more Nina began to perfect the role, the more she spiralled out of control.

"Black Swan" premiered at the 2010 Venice Film Festival, and received a standing ovation from its rapt audience. The film was also nominated for five Academy Awards, with Portman walking away with the coveted Oscar for Best Actress.

Answer: Othello

Othello, also known as Reversi, is a two player board game in which competitors play with reversible discs, which are black on one side and white on the other. The aim of the game is to be the player with the most discs turned to their colour by the end of game.

The name of the game was inspired by Shakespeare's tragedy, "Othello", which tells the story of the title character, (who is described as a Moor), and his Caucasian wife, Desdemona, who Othello is tricked into killing at the end of the play, thus prompting his own suicide.

Answer: Jack

Born Thomas Jacob Black, Jack Black, as he is known professionally, has a number of strings to his bow, having dabbled not only in acting, but also in producing, writing, music and the comedy circuit. Born in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1969, Black's career kicked off in 1991, with the formation of satirical rock band, Tenacious D, which he formed with his friend, Kyle Gass. Though he appeared in a commercial for the Atari video game, "Pitfall!", as a child, it was as an adult that he began to take acting seriously.

Some of his earliest roles were bit parts in well-known Hollywood films, such as 1993's "Demolition Man", and 1995's "Dead Man Walking".

Answer: Black Beauty

Anna Sewell was the English author of children's classic, "Black Beauty", which was published in 1877, during the final years of Sewell's life. Incredibly, considering its popularity with children, Sewell actually wrote the novel with the intention of targeting an adult audience, and aimed to bring to light issues of animal welfare, in the hope of getting people to treat horses with more compassion and kindness. Though Sewell did live to see "Black Beauty" become a success, she died from hepatitis only five months after its publication, at the age of 58.