Play that Funk Music Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hannibal

Hannibal's father was one of the prominent Carthaginian leaders during the First Punic Wars between Carthage and the Roman Republic. There is some suggestion that he had input into his son's strategy which nearly led to the defeat of the Romans during the Second Punic Wars. Hannibal himself was a brilliant strategist and his greatest strength was his ability to divine both his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and then instigate plans that subdued these strengths while manoeuvring his own forces into positions where they could use their own strengths against the opposition's weaknesses. Hannibal will forever be remembered for his audacious execution of leading his war elephants over the Pyrenees and the Alps to make an unexpected entry through the north of Italy.

If you're wondering how I made the leap from funky singer to Hannibal, that funky American R&B singer James Shaw was known on stage as "The Mighty Hannibal".

Answer: Rock, paper, scissors

"Rock, paper, scissors", which, in Asia is broken down as "Ro, sham, bo" is a contest between two people. On the count of four both players will "shoot" to display a representation of one of the three objects listed. Rock is created by presenting a clenched fist, scissors are the fist with two fingers extended and paper is an open hand with the fingers together.

The whole purpose is to present a hand (pun intended) that is stronger than that of your opponent. Usually the winner is decided on a "best of three" basis. To this end a rock will defeat scissors because it has the power to blunt (or break) them.

The rock, however, can be wrapped (or captured) by paper while the paper can be cut by the scissors.

Answer: They became ashamed of their nakedness

In Genesis 3:7 it is revealed (pun not intended this time) that their eyes were opened by the consumption of the fruit and they immediately realised that they were naked. They apparently did not like this state so they covered themselves up with fig leaves that they sewed together.

It was then that they heard the Lord approach (Genesis 3:8) and they grew fearful of him and hid. When they revealed their transgression to God he cursed them (Genesis 3:14) and the ground that they were to toil on (Genesis 3:17).

Answer: A graph to show work remaining and time allotted

To create the graph the remaining backlog of work is incorporated onto the "Y" or vertical axis while the time that remains in which to complete these tasks is set out on the "X" or horizontal axis. The aim of this chart is to provide measurable progress over a period of time and a means by which to gauge the efficiency within the office during this timeframe.

The critical factor that determines the dependability of a graph such as this is the accuracy of the original time estimates of each job installed onto the chart.

For example, if you have a tendency to overestimate the amount of time that you have in which to complete the task there's a very good chance that you will show (falsely) that you're constantly ahead of schedule.

Answer: Robert Downey Jr

The story revolves around Max (Wesley Snipes), a successful television commercials director, who flies to New York and, as a result of circumstances, has an affair with a lady named Karen, played by Natasha Kinski, before returning home to his wife. Twelve months later he returns to New York to visit his close friend Charlie (Downey) who is dying as a result of AIDS. While he's there he gets to meet Charlie's brother who shows up with his new wife who just happens to be his old fling Karen. It's not long before Max adds up two and two and discovers it's not a the number he wanted to see. Oh dear, Max now has a confession to make to his wife.

Joe Eszterhas was paid an enormous amount of money to write this script, four million dollars in fact. What he presented was then re-written by the director, Mike Figgis, with the studio's blessing. The movie did not succeed at the box office making one wonder where the wisdom in the re-write was.

Answer: Ancient Greeks

The Greeks began their speculations of a spherical Earth as early as 600BC and one of the foremost speakers to this effect was Pythagoras. Some three hundred years later, with their improvements in astronomy, the Greeks were able to confirm the shape of the Earth. Ferdinand Magellan provided substance to this when his expedition became the first to circumnavigate the globe during the years 1519 to 1521.

Whilst Magellan is seen as the first man to complete the circumnavigation, technically that honour should belong to his second in charge, Juan Sebastian Elcano, who took over (and completed) the enterprise after Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines.

Answer: Alcoholics Anonymous

Affectionately known by their acronym AA the organisation has stated that its primary purpose is to "stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety". The journey that they put forward to get their people to their goal is a twelve step programme that involves an alcoholic:
- admitting that there is an inability to control their compulsion (addiction) to drink
- coming to the realisation that strength can be obtained from a "higher power"
- looking at the mistakes that they have made to get to this point and then putting in motion steps to make up for those failings
- establishing a new code of behaviour that they will now live by and
- providing assistance to those that also find themselves in a similar position.

Answer: Rorschach

Rorschach, a member of the Watchmen, would also rank as one of the greatest comic book characters that was ever created, however, the odds were stacked against him right from the start. He was abused by his prostitute mother who coolly informed him that he should have been aborted, he is then removed from his mother at an early age and placed in a home. Somehow the home environment works for him and he starts to show an interest in and then excel at gymnastics and boxing.

He becomes a vigilante after experiencing disgust while his neighbours watch and do nothing as a young woman is raped and murdered.

When the Keene Act is passed to outlaw masked vigilantes Rorschach ignores the order and continues to remain active. Whilst his theories are proved correct in the end, sadly, because of his standing within the group he is not believed and it costs him his life.

Answer: John Cusack

"Being John Malkovich", directed by Spike Jonze, deals with an unemployed puppeteer, portrayed by Cusack, who discovers a door behind a filing cabinet that leads him into the mind of John Malkovich. Out of work he realises an opportunity to earn some money and begins to charge visitors $200 for a journey into the actor's head. Malkovich discovers what is happening and confronts Craig (Cusack) demanding that this portal be shut down.

It's at this point that a truck drives past and the driver yells out the above line while a buddy, rather irreverently, hurls a beer can at Malkovich's head. Deservedly the film received positive reviews from most quarters and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Answer: 1940's

Regine Zylberberg is generally seen as the person who started the first commercial discotheque, as we know it today, when she opened her club Chez Regine in the Latin Quarter of Paris in 1957. However, the birth of the discotheque can be traced to an earlier period; that of Nazi occupied France during World War II.

By the time Germany took over France in 1940 the country was in the midst of a "Primitivism" movement that embraced such things as American jazz music and dance. The Germans sought to suppress this and, as a result, nightclubs literally opened up underground.

These venues utilised vinyl recordings instead of live bands. They had little option as the American musicians had fled the war and returned home and, as such, the venues were baptised "discotheques" which is a French word that means "record library".