O, Boy! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Osbourne

The song was "Changes", written by Tony Iommi and first released by Black Sabbath on their 1972 album "Volume 4". It was reached the top of the UK singles chart in 2003 when released by former Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and his daughter Kelly.

The photograph shows the impressive stage set for Black Sabbath's 2013 gig at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

Answer: Orchidectomy

The surgical form of male castration, an orchidectomy (or orchiectomy and sometimes simply called an 'orchi') is the surgical removal of one or both testicles.

Of the types of this procedure, both a simple or a subcapsular orchidectomy are usually done under local anesthesia. These are procedures often undertaken during the treatment for prostate cancer, but a 'simple orchi' may also be part of a gender reassignment process.

An inguinal (or radical) orchidectomy, requiring general anesthesia, is usually undertaken in cases of suspected or confirmed testicular cancer in order to retard spreading of the disease.

Answer: Oysters

'Angels on horseback' is made by rolling shucked oysters in bacon and baking them. This hot hors d'oeuvre may be served on either skewers or bread, accompanied by various condiments.

The photograph shows the American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), a member of the Haematopodidae family of wading birds.

Answer: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Perhaps the most famous of all Oklahoma City natives, Johnny Bench played his entire 16-year major-league career with the Cincinnati Reds, winning the World Series in 1975 and 1976 as part of "The Big Red Machine". Bench was World Series MVP in 1976 and was twice named MVP of the National League. Bench retired with the record for most home runs ever by a catcher (since surpassed by Carlton Fisk and Mike Piazza), and more than 35 years after he finished his career his ten grand slams remains a catcher's record. Bench was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and is widely regarded as the greatest catcher of all time. The Reds retired the number 5 in his honour.

The photo shows the skyline of Oklahmoma City.

Answer: Oribi

First described in 1782 by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann, the oribi is the sole member of its genus. Part of the Neotragini tribe, its closest cousins are the dik-dik, the klipspringer and the grysbok.

Primarily a grazer, the oribi lives in small herds of about four individuals commanding a large territory of up to 100 hectares. Females usually produce just a single calf after a 6-7 month gestation period, and weaning occurs at 4-5 months of age. Although numbers have declined due to agricultural expansion, oribi can be found from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east and south into Angola and the Eastern Cape region of South Africa.

Answer: Ouagadougou

Conveniently, there are four national capital cities starting with "O". The photograph shows storms rolling in over Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa, with the skyline dominated by the 'Place Memorial auz Heros Nationaux' ("Memorial of National Heroes").

To an English speaker, Ouagadougou is surely the most wonderfully named capital city in the world, although locals refer to it simply as 'Ouaga'. This city of 2.2 million (2015 estimate) is centrally located in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country about the same size as New Zealand. Originally part of French West Africa (along with what is now Upper Senegal and Niger), the region that is now Burkina Faso became the colony of 'Haute Volta' (French Upper Volta) in 1919. It became the self-governing of the Republic of Upper Volta in 1958 and achieved full independence in 1960. The name was changed to Burkina Faso ("Land of the Upright/Honest People") in 1984.

Answer: Kenzaburô Ôe

Kenzaburô Ôe was born in 1935 in the village of Ôse (since merged into the city of Uchiko) on the Japanese island of Shikoku. He studied French Literature at Tokyo University and published his first short stories whilst still a student. His first novel, "Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids", published in 1958 and first translated into English in 1995, tells the story of a group of adolescent boys who are sent to a remote village during WWII.

A pacifist and anti-nuclear campaigner, Ôe has been a controversial figure throughout his life. Many of his writings dealt head-on with the subject of nuclear arms and nuclear power. The photograph gives an excellent impression of a nuclear power station surrounded by what could easily be the devastation caused by nuclear fallout from either weapons or an accident.

Around the same time that he was awarded the Nobel Prize, he was also scheduled to receive Japan's "Order of Culture", but he declined as the award comes from the Emperor whilst Ôe stated that he did not recognize an authority higher than democracy.

Of the alternatives, Bertil Ohlin was the Swedish winner of the 1977 prize for Economics; Sir John Boyd Orr was the British winner of the Peace prize in 1949; and Yoshinori Ohsumi was the Japanese winner of the 2016 prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Answer: Oliver!

Based on the 1838 Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist" (or "The Parish Boy's Progress"), the stage show "Oliver!" opened in the West End in 1960 and on Broadway two years later. Featuring lyrics and music by Lionel Bart, the London show at the New Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre) ran for more than 2,600 performances. The original cast included Ron Moody as Fagin, a role he would reprise for the 1968 film based on the show. Sung by Nancy, "As Long as He Needs Me" features early in Act II.

The photograph shows a depiction of Fagin and the Artful Dodger from the annual Norland Scarecrow Festival.

Answer: Ob

The Golden Mountains of Altai were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, and it is from high in this range in southern Siberia that the waters of the River Ob begin their long journey to the Arctic Ocean. The westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers, the Ob passes through the cities of Biysk, Barnaul, Novosibirsk, Nizhnevartovsk and Surgut, providing drinking water, irrigation, hydroelectric power and fishing along its 2,268-mile course.

The Gulf of Ob stretches more than 600 miles, making it the world's longest river estuary. Running in a generally northwards direction, it has an average depth of less than 40 feet but is 30-50 miles wide. At its northern end, the gulf empties into the Kara Sea, a branch of the Arctic Ocean, from where beluga whales seasonably migrate into the gulf.

The photograph shows the snow-covered scene where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the River Ob. The winter scenery might suggest a Russian river rather than one further south.

Answer: Oscar

Born in 1799, Oscar I reigned as King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 until his death in 1859. His son, born in 1829, ruled as Oscar II from 1872 until 1907.

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1973, Oscar De La Hoya won gold in the lightweight division of the boxing events at the 1992 Olympics before going on to win ten world titles in six weight divisions as a professional.

Born in New York City in 1895, Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated with Jerome Kern on the musicals "Show Boat" and "Vincent Youmans" and with Richard Rodgers on "Oklahoma!", "Carousel", "South Pacific", "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music".

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854, Oscar Wilde was a noted playwright who also penned the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray".