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Quiz about The Wonderful World of Death
Quiz about The Wonderful World of Death

The Wonderful World of Death Trivia Quiz


This quiz is about some of the various death practices that cultures or individuals around the world perform. It includes some modern day practices as well as death practices throughout history.

A multiple-choice quiz by club_soda. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
club_soda
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
234,156
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
632
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Question 1 of 10
1. This maritime custom that involves stranded sailors drawing straws to decide who will be killed and eaten so that some of the others could survive is known as The Custom of ___________? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In Tibet, there is a death custom which involves a priest ritually cutting up a corpse into pieces and placing them on top of a mountain, so that birds of prey may eat the flesh. This type of burial is called a _______ Burial.

Answer: (One Word)
Question 3 of 10
3. During the Black Death, a French custom surfaced that was meant to remind the people of how delicate and frail their lives were. It was also meant to remind people to not partake in earthly delights and sin. This custom was a procession known as the Danse _________? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. When Ancient Egyptians mummified a person, they would remove various organs from the body and place them in vessels known as ________ jars.

Answer: (One Word)
Question 5 of 10
5. There is a custom in which living relatives offer notes of money to their dead relatives in hope that the relative could use the money in the afterlife. These notes of money are known as Hell Bank Notes and are traditionally used in what culture? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. During the Second Crusade, after important knights or soldiers had died, the custom of Mos Teutonicus would sometimes be performed on them. What exactly does this custom involve? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In Judaism, when a close relative dies, it is customary for the family to go through a period of grief and mourning known as Shiv'ah. What does the word 'Shiv'ah' mean in Hebrew? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In ancient Rome when a person died, their body would be taken to burial in a procession. During the procession, there would be a chief jester who would stand behind the body and imitate the person as if they were living. What was the name of this type of jester? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This mass known in Latin as 'Missa Defunctorum', is a service of the Catholic Church which prays for salvation of departed souls. It also shares its title with various musical works that commemmorate the dead. What is the name of this mass/musical composition?

Answer: (One Word (Mozart wrote a famous one))
Question 10 of 10
10. Cremation of the deceased is illegal in Japan.



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This maritime custom that involves stranded sailors drawing straws to decide who will be killed and eaten so that some of the others could survive is known as The Custom of ___________?

Answer: the Sea

In 1820, when the Essex was sunk by a whale, the survivors, in three small boats, decided to resort to cannibalism so that some could survive. When one member of the crew became unconscious, the rest decided to kill him and eat him. When they were rescued a few days later, the surviving crew members were charged with breaking The Custom of the Sea, since they didn't draw straws to see who would be murdered, and were charged with murder.
2. In Tibet, there is a death custom which involves a priest ritually cutting up a corpse into pieces and placing them on top of a mountain, so that birds of prey may eat the flesh. This type of burial is called a _______ Burial.

Answer: Sky

This was not a ritual to honor birds of prey. In the Buddhist religion, it is believed that once a person dies their soul leaves the body and the corpse is simply an empty shell. The Sky Burial is just a means of disposing of the remains. It is also practical since soil in the region of Tibet is hard to dig, and burying a corpse in the ground would be difficult.
3. During the Black Death, a French custom surfaced that was meant to remind the people of how delicate and frail their lives were. It was also meant to remind people to not partake in earthly delights and sin. This custom was a procession known as the Danse _________?

Answer: Macabre

The procession conisists of a death-like figure leading a group of people towards the grave. The types of people included an emperor, a monk, a pope, a king, a young person, and a beautiful girl. Death usually addresses each of the members. Here is how Death addresses the Emperor:

Emperor, your sword won't help you out
Sceptre and crown are worthless here
I've taken your hand
For you must come to my dance.
4. When Ancient Egyptians mummified a person, they would remove various organs from the body and place them in vessels known as ________ jars.

Answer: Canopic

There were four jars with hieroglyphs on them and the head of a god on the top. The four gods represented Horus' four sons:

Imset (depicted as a human) was responsible for the liver.
Hapi (a baboon) for the lungs.
Duamutef (a jackal) for the stomach.
Kebechsenef (a falcon) for the viscera of the lower body.
5. There is a custom in which living relatives offer notes of money to their dead relatives in hope that the relative could use the money in the afterlife. These notes of money are known as Hell Bank Notes and are traditionally used in what culture?

Answer: Chinese

There are also stories of living relatives using the notes to bribe the King of Hell so he will not punish their deceased relatives so severely. The Chinese take Hell Bank Notes very seriously and they can be purchased in large denominations going as high as $500,000.

It is considered bad luck to give a Hell Bank Note to a living person or to keep them in the house where they can be seen.
6. During the Second Crusade, after important knights or soldiers had died, the custom of Mos Teutonicus would sometimes be performed on them. What exactly does this custom involve?

Answer: Boiling the flesh off the bones

Since the knights were off fighting far from home, it would be difficult to transport the body back to his home so he could be buried. To make the transportation easier, the body would be boiled in hot water till the flesh came off. Then, the bones could be easily transported back to his home.
7. In Judaism, when a close relative dies, it is customary for the family to go through a period of grief and mourning known as Shiv'ah. What does the word 'Shiv'ah' mean in Hebrew?

Answer: Seven

This custom is named so because of the period of a week that the mourning takes place in. It is also named Shiv'ah because the custom applies only to the death of seven first-degree relatives: father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, or spouse. Shiv'ah includes the men not shaving, keeping only minimum personal hygiene, covering the mirrors in a house, and sitting on low stools for the week.
8. In ancient Rome when a person died, their body would be taken to burial in a procession. During the procession, there would be a chief jester who would stand behind the body and imitate the person as if they were living. What was the name of this type of jester?

Answer: Archimime

This was a not a form of mocking or insulting the dead, but was a form of respect for the recently deceased. Archimimes were not initially related in any way to death. They were performers at the theatre and at feasts, and then at funerals. They would imitate the gestures, movement, and speech of the dead.
9. This mass known in Latin as 'Missa Defunctorum', is a service of the Catholic Church which prays for salvation of departed souls. It also shares its title with various musical works that commemmorate the dead. What is the name of this mass/musical composition?

Answer: Requiem

Over 2000 Requiems have been composed. As I said in my hint, Mozart's Requiem Mass is perhaps the most famous of them all, and was written shortly before his own death. Not all Requiems are related to the Catholic Church. Some are written for Lutherans or Hebrews. Today, many Requiems are War Requiems that are dedicated to people killed in various wars.
10. Cremation of the deceased is illegal in Japan.

Answer: False

In fact almost 99% of Japanese deceased are cremated. This is because it is very difficult to find a funeral plot in Japan, especially in Tokyo. On average, a Japanese funeral costs $40,000. When the body is cremated, the family removes the bones with chopsticks, and places them in an urn.

They begin with the bones of the feet and end with the head. Eventually, the urn will be taken to a family grave and be buried.
Source: Author club_soda

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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