Super Eights Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oxygen

The number of protons which an element has in the nucleus of any one atom is what determines its atomic number. Oxygen has eight protons, giving it its atomic number. Oxygen was not identified until quite late on in history, compared to other elements. Credit for its discovery is often given to Joseph Priestley, a British clergyman with wide interests in science and philosophy, but there are other equally likely claimants as well.

Answer: Whiskas

The Whiskas brand is owned by Mars and is sold in purple packaging. The slogan stated that 'eight out of ten owners said their cats preferred Whiskas' but the Advertising Standards insisted on a change to make it clear that this only applied to those cat owners who expressed a preference.

The result was a much less catchy wording but the original phrase had already caught on by then and has been much imitated. I think I'd be asking what those eight out of ten cats preferred it to - a bath, no food at all or being taken to the vet maybe.

Answer: Adam Sandler

This animated film is set during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, which usually falls during December. The title refers to the eight nights of the festival, which involves the daily lighting of one the candles of a special candelabra until they are all burning.

As well as voicing the main character, Sandler also part wrote the script and was a joint producer of the film. Rob Schneider provided the narration.

Answer: Japan

The club was established in 1939 when it was the company team for the Toyota car making company. From 1992 it changed its name to Nagoya Grampus Eight before dropping the number in 2008 to become Nagoya Grampus. In the west, the club became more widely known when the former England international player Gary Lineker joined them in 1992. Arsene Wenger, who went on to manage Arsenal, based in London, was the manager for Grampus Eight from 1995 to 1996.

Answer: Roger Federer

Of the choices I gave you, only Federer is in the right age bracket. Laver was born in 1938, Perry in 1909 and Zverev is at the other end of the age spectrum, having been born in April 1997.

Federer's professional career began in 1998 and is still ongoing at the time of writing this quiz (2020). To date he has won twenty 'Grand Slam' titles at the four majors - Australian, French, Wimbledon and US - with the French being the most elusive due to the dominance of Rafael Nadal on clay courts. Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland and holds joint Swiss and South African nationality from his father and mother respectively.

Other people born on 8 August include Dustin Hoffman, Shawn Mendes and Princess Beatrice of York.

Answer: The Byrds

The song was written by two members of the band, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. It was banned in some parts of the USA due to the perceived references to drug use - the band denied these at the time but have since confirmed that the allegations were warranted. 'Eight Miles High' was a relatively minor hit for The Byrds at a time when they were at their peak, only getting into the top twenty on the US Billboard Hot 100 and to number twenty-four on the UK Singles Chart.

Answer: Catherine Deneuve

The alternative title should have helped you since only Deneuve is French among the four actresses listed. The film's plot sounds rather like one of Agatha Christie's novels since all eight women meet up at a country house only to find their host (related to most of them) has been murdered - and each of them turns out to have a motive.

The plot also includes a lot of singing and comedy and reaches an unexpected conclusion, which I won't reveal.

Answer: Rowntree

Now made by Nestlé, who bought Rowntree's in 1988, After Eights first appeared in 1962. They consist of a mint flavoured fondant covered with dark chocolate and were marketed as being a sophisticated way to finish a dinner party - after 8 p.m. As well as the original mints, the range now includes chocolate bars, mint filled straws, biscuits and desserts as well as other products for the Christmas and Easter markets.

Answer: 1963

At the time, this was a huge story in the UK. The audacity of the gang and the amount stolen (2.6 million pounds sterling, worth about 55 million in 2020) made it headline news. The gang stopped a Royal Mail train in Buckinghamshire and stole its cargo - a higher amount than normal following a long weekend. Most of the gang were caught fairly soon, but the escape of many of them from prison after being sentenced kept the event in the public eye.

The film 'Buster' (1968) was just one to be made based on the robbery.

It should be remembered, though, that the train driver was injured so badly during the heist that he was left with brain injuries which effectively ruined his life.

Answer: Beatitudes

The Beatitudes appear in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, and all begin with the words 'blessed are'. Even non Christians are likely to know of some of them, since they have passed into everyday speech - 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God' and 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy' are just two of them.

Of the other options, there are ten Commandments, twelve (original) disciples and ten plagues.