The ITEs of March, Part 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Smokeless explosive

Cordite was developed by the British in 1889 as an alternative to gunpowder. Gunpowder is made of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate' cordite is made of nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose, and petroleum jelly. Gunpowder produces smokes, which discloses the location of the armament being fired; cordite does not.

Answer: Skin condition caused by cold

When skin and the tissues under the skin become too cold, serious damage may occur. This is most common on fingers and toes, and those parts of the face normally exposed, e.g. nose, ears, cheeks and chin. The severity of frostbite is progressive: frostnip, superficial frostbite and severe or deep frostbite.

The hometown of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose is Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.

Answer: Member of ancient Hebrew nation

The Hebrews or the Twelve Tribes of Israel are the descendants of the patriarch Jacob. From the Exodus, the term has been used for all members of the Hebrew nation. Technically, during the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the term was reserved to citizens of the former. Thereafter, not so much.

Answer: Space rock which lands on Earth

Meteors, meteoroids, asteroids, and comets are all bits of interplanetary stuff whilst it is still whizzing about in space. Most of those which approach Earth burn up completely in Earth's atmosphere. The few bits that arrive on Earth are instantly renamed meteorites in honour of their successful journey.

Answer: Monastic

Setting aside the more recent definition of cenobite in Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" series, cenobites are monastics. Monasticism is the tradition of living together in communities bound by vows. It can occur in (almost) any religious tradition but is most common in Christianity and Buddhism. The English term derives from Latin and Greek terms which refer to a common life, as indeed monks share life in common.

Answer: Chemical compounds changed biologically

When enzymes set to work breaking down a chemical, the results (whether wastes or products necessary to other tasks) are metabolites. Metabolism means "to change" and it describes the process whereby living things change things ingested into useable things. Digestion is a frequently-used example.

Other less-obvious examples include the alcohol produced when yeast acts on sugars in liquids to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, both of which are metabolites.

Answer: Canaanites expelled from the Promised Land

According the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, a group of people called Jebusites lived in and around Jerusalem when the land of milk and honey was promised by God to Moses. Various traditions hold that the city was claimed by Joshua or by King David, but, in both cases, it was taken from the Jebusites. There is no evidence of their existence outside of the Judeo-Christian scriptures.

Answer: Electoral vote on an issue

Initiatives and referenda are opportunities for an entire electorate to vote directly on a proposed law or constitution. When this occurs, the election is often called a plebiscite. The noun "plebiscite" derives from the Latin "plebiscita" which meant a decree of the popular assembly (Concillium Plebis) of the Roman Republic. In the United States, plebiscites are provided by law in those states most influenced by the Populist Movement of the 1890s and thereafter.

Answer: Surveying instrument

The modern theodolite is a device for precisely measuring horizontal and vertical angles. It is often mounted on a tripod and is most often used in surveying. Original theodolites were entirely optical, involving sighting through a telescope. More modern (and expensive) theodolites use laser and infrared light, computing angles in an on-board computer and saving the results digitally to a recorder.

Answer: Australian yeast extract

Australians spread Vegemite on toast and crackers and crumpets and such. The taste of the frightening-appearing food spread is salty and slightly bitter and some say a bit like sucking on a beef bouillon cube. It is extracted from spent brewer's yeast which would otherwise be either garbage or compost.

It is popular in Australia. President Obama described the taste of Vegemite as "horrible."