Test yourself! Take this Witches Abroad Quiz | Pratchett, Terry

Answer: 1

In the Ramtops mountains inter-witch relationships take the form of clashes between very strong personalities. Consequently the witches only have get-togethers when they must and then spend much of the time arguing.

Granny Esmerelda Weatherwax, Nanny Gytha Ogg, Magrat Garlick and the other Ramtops witches live in the small kingdom of Lancre, high up near the Hub (centre) of the Discworld. As its name suggests, the Discworld is a flat, circular world where the unwary can sail over the Rim (edge).

Answer: Baggy trousers

Magrat takes with her the fairy godmother's magic wand she inherited but her choice of clothing is governed by practicality. Granny is shocked not only at seeing Magrat "bifurcated" but also by her statement that people are naked underneath their clothes. Granny insists that she herself is not naked because she is wearing three vests.

Written by Terry Pratchett as part of his "Discworld" series and published in 1991, "Witches Abroad" is the second book with Granny, Nanny and Magrat as main characters. In this book they argue their way across the Discworld's largest but unnamed continent.

Answer: Turns the rocks into pumpkins

Magrat can only use her magic wand to turn things into pumpkins. On this occasion the trapped dwarves then remove the top layer of pumpkins and escape unharmed. More importantly, as far as the dwarves are concerned, the vein of valuable rock that they were mining is also unharmed.

Reflecting its importance in their lives, dwarves are supposed to have over two hundred words to describe different types of rock. Inter-dwarf differences are considered less important and male and female dwarves look and dress alike. Some more traditional tribes even have no female pronouns, which means that courtships are pursued very carefully.

Answer: Hedgehog

When drinking, Nanny tends to sing what she defends as a traditional ballad but Granny disgustedly refers to as "That Song". Granny prevents Nanny from singing it soon after they leave the dwarves. However, fuelled by "Banananana dakrys", Nanny manages to give a rendition later on when they reach Genua.

"Wyrd Sisters", the first book to 'star' Granny, Nanny and Magrat, also features the song, although its words are never given. Terry Pratchett dedicated "Witches Abroad" to everyone who had sent him their version of "The Hedgehog Song" after reading the first book.

Answer: Eaten by a cat

While in bat form the vampire is unintentionally stunned twice: first by Magrat flinging a window shutter back and then by Granny throwing Nanny's garlic sausage through a window. Greebo, Nanny's cat, finds the semi-conscious bat on the ground and eats what he perceives as a winged mouse.

Vampires can be found in various places on the Discworld's largest continent, but their homeland is Uberwald in the Ramtops. Some of the more modern vampires have changed their lifestyles and no longer drink human blood. Others continue to follow their traditional way of life, inhabiting forbidding castles and preying on the unwary.

Answer: Cripple Mr Onion

Nanny Ogg loses most of the witches' money and her own broomstick to cardsharpers on a riverboat. Pretending to know nothing about the game, Granny then allows the cardsharpers to inveigle her into playing. She is actually an expert player and not only wins several times the amount that Nanny lost but also gets Nanny's broomstick back.

Cripple Mr Onion has been developed into a real-world game by Dr Andrew Millard and Professor Terry Tao. It is played with a pack of cards containing eight suits and is based on a combination of poker and pontoon/blackjack.

Answer: Shoot at her

A spell that resulted in a castle's inhabitants falling asleep for nearly ten years was cast by Granny's sister, Lilith. The sisters look alike and, when Granny awakens the castle's residents, they mistake her for Lilith and shoot an arrow at her as she leaves the castle. Fortunately for them, it misses.

Although Granny does not receive a medal, Terry Pratchett was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1994 for services to literature. He has also received a number of literary awards for individual books and was named "Fantasy and Science Fiction Author of the Year" at the 1994 British Book Awards.

Answer: A duck

Nanny sees what looks like a small house running between some trees in a swamp near Genua. Without having seen it, Granny decides it must be a duck. Mrs Gogol's wooden house is actually built on four stout poles that end in large duck's feet, on which it can travel around the swamp.

Often places on the Discworld resemble a real-world place or amalgam of places and Genua is one of these. Although its name suggests Genoa in Italy, many aspects of Genua have similarities with New Orleans, including its vicinity to a swamp. Many of its inhabitants prefer creole and Cajun cuisine while voodoo is the type of magic practised, the dead must be buried above ground, and Mardi Gras is celebrated with parades and parties.

Answer: Duc

Lilith, one of Ella's fairy godmothers, rules Genua through the Duc, a frog she turned into a man. He reverts to his original form at night but will become fully a man if Ella, the rightful heir to Genua, marries and kisses him. However, Ella's technically-deceased zombie father, Baron Saturday, stamps on the Duc while he is in frog form.

Ella's other fairy mother, Magrat, is herself being courted by royalty in the person of King Verence II of Lancre. The couple met in "Wyrd Sisters" but Magrat has called off the relationship temporarily when "Witches Abroad" starts. Unlike Ella, Magrat later marries her 'prince' in "Lords and Ladies", the next book about the witches.

Answer: An elephant

Although Magrat would like to see some ancient temples, Nanny has always wanted to see an elephant. The previous year she spent two pence on visiting a circus that advertised elephants only to find that it did not really have any. The witches travel home from Genua the long way round and this time Nanny gets her wish.

The Discworld itself is carried on the backs of four large elephants. These in turn stand on the back of the Great A'Tuin, an enormous turtle who paddles her way through space. Stories exist about a fifth elephant that freed itself and then crashed into the Discworld a long time ago. Some dwarves in particular believe that the large deposits of fat found under the Ramtops in Uberwald were the result of this enormous collision.