Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Tuesday Trivia

  1. Who is the most successful textbook author of all time?
  2. When was the first cookbook published?
  3. Who, according to popular opinion at the time, was the most famous and important playwright in the Elizabethian age?
  4. The moons of all planets except for Uranus are named after Greek gods. What are the moons of Uranus named after?
  5. Where does A. A. Milne's classic children’s character, Winnie-the-Pooh, get his name?



Last Week’s Answers


How many US States have names that contain only one syllable?

Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.


How many of Shakespeare's heroines disguise themselves as males?

Seven. Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona; Portia, Nerissa, and Shylock’s daughter Jessica in The Merchant of Venice; Imogen in Cymbeline; Viola as Cesario in Twelfth Night;Rosalind as Ganymede in As You Like It.


Which Polish novelist contemporary to Melville is quoted as saying, “Melville knows nothing of the sea” in response to the 1851 classic novel, Moby Dick?

Heart of Darkness author, Joseph Conrad.


Which Robert Louis Stevenson work originated from a game he played with his stepson?

Treasure Island originated from a game Stevenson played with his stepson. Drawing a treasure map for his stepson on a rainy day, Stevenson was urged by the child to make up stories to go along with the drawings. Stevenson liked the stories so much that he wrote them down, and they became the basis for his novel.


What is the longest word in the English language that does not contain a vowel (a,e,i,o,u)?

“Rhythm” and "syzygy" are the longest English words without a vowel.

2 comments:

Stephanie Polukis said...

3. Ben Jonson?
4. Characters in Shakespeare

Anonymous said...

1. William Holmes McGuffey (of McGuffey Reader fame)
2. a long time ago?
3. Christopher “Kit” Marlowe
4. Characters of Wm. Shakespeare and Alexander Pope
5. His son (Christopher Robin Milne – who grew up hating his father) had a stuffed bear – or something like that.

-- Wow, I actually knew some!