"Pass, Queen Elizabeth's Keys... All is Well!" Quiz

Answer: The Papacy

The pair of keys which appear on the flag and the Coats of Arms of the Vatican City State represent the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The golden coloured key represents the power of heaven and the silver key represents that power extending to the faithful on earth.

The binding cord represents the link between the two and the significance of the key handles being at the base of the field demonstrate the power held by the Pope himself. On his election, each new Pope receives a unique pair of keys that have been especially made for him; on his death these keys are entombed with his mortal remains and a new pair are struck for his successor.

Answer: True

Roughening any surface prior to applying fresh coats of paint or stain is known as 'keying'. This laborious job, in the past carried out by using a small block of wood wrapped in sandpaper or with a specialist sanding block composed entirely of an abrasive material, has been made a far simpler task and much quicker today by using sanding machines.

Answer: Long case clock

The long case clock will be more familiar to many as the Grandfather or Grandmother clock. Far better time keepers than the earlier lantern clocks which they were evolved from, the first long case clock designs, which appeared during the 1670s, were very basic and built for function with little or no consideration given to aesthetics.

They were very slender in design, made of oak or pine and were occasionally ebonised creating a hardwearing and functional black polished finish. During the 1740s more exotic timbers became available resulting in mahogany becoming almost exclusively the material of choice with cabinet makers by 1760.

By the end of the 19th century the long case clock had evolved into the form still recognisable today; modern examples using far more accurate and reliable mechanisms needing little attention or maintenance on the part of the owner.

Answer: Bluebeard

As with many folk tales whose origins have been lost in the mists of time, the tale of Bluebeard has been revisited many times and has been interpreted differently on each occasion; musical works based on the tale include 'Bluebeard's Castle' which is an early twentieth century opera by the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók and 'Barbe-Bleue' a nineteenth century version by Jacques Offenbach. Perrault's version of the tale was published in Paris, France in 1697, one of a collection of folk tales in his 'Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé' and is the best known surviving literary version of the fable. 'Bluebeard' tells the story of a violent aristocrat and his curious but disobedient wife and her relatives. I won't go into any further detail for fear of ruining the tale for any that may not be familiar with the story and who might wish to read it in the future.

Answer: French

The names of notes on a staff depend on which clef or key is at the start of the music staff. In the past composers and musicians have used many different clefs but today this is usually limited to just two main clefs; the 'G' style clef and the 'F' style clef.

The 'G' style clef is referred to as the Treble Clef. This clef establishes the pitch of the note 'G' above middle 'C', the curl in the clef enveloping the second line on the stave denoting the note's position on this line. The 'F' style clef is usually referred to as the Bass Clef, the dots above and below the fourth line of the stave establishing the line on which 'F' is positioned. Clefs specifically aimed at percussion instruments which resemble the two lines often seen on a recording device's pause button, show different percussion instruments on different lines of the stave.

Answer: False

Any procedure referred to as keyhole surgery is correctly termed a Laparoscopy; a technique allowing a surgeon access the inside of the abdomen or pelvis without having to make large incisions. These procedures use a laparoscope, a small tube fitted with a light source and a camera which relays images of the inside of the patient to an external monitor.

There are a number of advantages that laparoscopy has over traditional open surgery which include shorter stays in hospital, faster recovery times and reduced scarring. Laparoscopy is most commonly used in procedures in gynaecology, gastroenterology and urology. To perform a laparoscopic procedure, the surgeon makes one or more very small incisions in the abdomen after which gas is used to distend the body cavity providing more room in which to work.

These are now routine procedures and patients are usually discharged home on the same day as their surgery. Complications are rare but may include minor infections, slight bleeding and bruising, nausea and vomiting.

Answer: The Bahamas

An island is defined as any land mass completely surrounded by water. Islands are formed through two types of geological activity, either volcanic action such as in the cases of Hawaii, Iceland and the Philippines, or they are formed when a part of continental plate moves around above the Earth's mantle.

Keys or Cayes are sandy, low islands that are formed above coral reefs usually by wave and ocean current action depositing sediments in the calmer waters that cover such reefs. The Exuma Keys, a chain of some three hundred and sixty-five islands, form one of the districts of the Bahamas; the largest of which is unimaginatively named Great Exuma. Founded in 1793, the capital of Exuma district is the city of Georgetown.

Answer: Female sports officials

The commentary pairing of journalist Richard Keys and former professional footballer Andy Gray had been a successful one but the pair found themselves in hot water in January 2011 after a series of unguarded sexist remarks which led to Keys' resignation and Gray's dismissal. Richard Keys was first suspended after a Sunday newspaper had published a transcript of a recording of a conversation in which they had criticised match official Sian Massey during a game between premiership clubs Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers; the pair mistakenly believed that their microphones were switched off.

Unfortunately, they were recorded commenting that Massey, a qualified Football Association referee, was unlikely to know the off-side rule, and cast doubt over her ability to officiate over top-level matches just because she was a woman. Andy Gray had been Sky Sports' pundit for twenty years before finding himself accused of behaviour described by sources at Sky Sports as "unacceptable and offensive". Within days, Sky Sports presenter Andy Burton was also suspended after describing Massey as 'a bit of a looker' and further questioning her abilities with another male member of the Sky Sports production team.

Answer: Mack Sennett

The Keystone Cops were a police force who appeared regularly in silent film comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1914 and the early 1920s. Dressed in ill-fitting, unkempt uniforms, the incompetent officers first appeared in the film 'At It Again' which was released in 1912 but they only became popular figures after the release of their next film 'Bangville Police', a short feature from 1913 which was the first film in which the Cops played a central role.

In 1914 the Keystone Cops began to fulfill a more supporting role for some of the bigger names in comedy at that time such as Charlie Chaplin and, former Keystone Cop himself, the actor Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle.

Although many studio records have been lost, those playing the roles of the Cops are generally considered to have been Slim Summerville, Bobby Dunn, Charles Avery, Hank Mann, Edgar Kennedy, George Jeske and Mack Sennett himself, performing under the pseudonym Mack Riley.

Answer: Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London

At different periods in the past, the Ceremony of the Keys was rarely witnessed by anyone outside of the military personnel taking part or the staff employed at the tower and their families. In more recent decades spectators given the privilege of watching this ancient ceremony would be selected, by the warders, from those visiting the tower; today visitors simply buy a ticket, although these are in short supply and applications are often grossly over-subscribed. Having taken place every single night since 1340 and possibly for hundreds of years prior to this date, the Ceremony of the Keys begins at exactly seven minutes to ten starting from the Byward Tower, the tower through which the majority of visitors to the palace pass through. The ceremony itself takes place at the gate underneath the Bloody Tower with the spectators assembling across the road with their backs to the equally infamous Traitor's Gate. Here is a brief explanation of the proceedings as the Keys and their escort approach the Bloody Tower:

Sentry: "Halt! Who comes there?"
Chief Yeoman Warder: "The Keys!"
Sentry: "Whose Keys?"
Chief Yeoman Warder: "Queen Elizabeth's Keys!"
The Chief Yeoman Warder and the Escort to the Keys advance and halt a few paces from the sentry.
Sentry: "Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys and all is well!"

The sentry presents his arms as the Chief Yeoman Warder, the Keys and escort pass through gate and halt at the base of the steps that lead from the Bloody Tower to the Inner Ward.
The Commander of the Guard then calls the guard to attention, and order that the guard present their arms.
The Chief Yeoman Warder will then take two steps forward, remove his Tudor bonnet and cheer "God preserve Queen Elizabeth!" To which the guard respond "Amen!"
The Last Post is then played by duty bugler or piper.
The Chief Yeoman Warder falls out and returns the Keys to the Queen's House before retiring for the night whilst the guard are dismissed and return to the Wellington Block to continue with their duties.