Deck 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Which man was responsible for the 19th century genocide in the Congo resulting in the deaths of at least 10 million Congolese?

A

King Leopold II of Belgium

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2
Q

Who wrote the Man Booker shortlisted ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’?

A

Tan Twan Eng (2012)

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3
Q

For which pharaoh was the first pyramid built?

A

Khufu

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4
Q

Where is the ‘Bocca della Verita’ and what was its original purpose?

A

Rome. It was a sewer cover. (It has been linked since the Middle Ages to a belief that if one puts one’s hand into its mouth and one has been unfaithful, one’s hand will be bitten off.)

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5
Q

When did World War II end?

A

14 August 1945 following the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki.

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6
Q

Which edifice above the Forum dominated Ancient Rome?

A

The Temple of Jupiter.

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7
Q

Where does the word ‘goodbye’ originate?

A

A contraction of the medieval farewell ‘God be with you’.

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8
Q

Which classic novel was written on the island of Jura in the Hebrides in 1948?

A

Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell

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9
Q

In mythology, who killed herself after she was violated by Tarquin?

A

Lucretia

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10
Q

What is the original meaning of ‘quintessence’?

A

The ‘fifth essence’ additional to the four elements. It was the stuff of which the heavenly bodies were thought to be composed.

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11
Q

For whom are Vladimir and Estragon waiting?

A

Godot. (Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett).

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12
Q

What does the Latin term ‘sui generis’ mean?

A

Unique in its characteristics; of its own kind/genus.

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13
Q

What is the capital of Emilia Romagna and what are its three nicknames?

A

Bologna. La dotta; la grassa; la rossa. (The learned; the fat; the red.)

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14
Q

In Roman mythology who was the god of medicine?

A

Apollo

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15
Q

In the Standard Model, what are the six varieties of quark called?

A

Up; down; top; bottom; charm; strange.

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16
Q

Electromagnetic radiation which according to theory should be emitted by a black hole is known as what?

A

Hawking radiation (named after British physicist Stephen Hawking).

17
Q

Which pioneering people devised the first alphabet?

Containing how many letters?

A

The Phoenicians.

22.

18
Q

Where was the ancient city of Babylon?

A

Modern day Iraq

19
Q

Whilst banished to Babylon, which work of fiction did the Jews begin work on?
What did it establish?
What was the name of their god?

A

The Bible ( The Old Testament).
The world’s first monotheistic religion.
Yahweh.

20
Q

What does the term ‘basilica’ actually mean?

What is the name of the most famous basilica in Rome?

A

King’s hall.

St. Peter’s Basilica.

21
Q

According to the accepted version of the story, who swam the the Hellespont every night to visit Leander?
Where is the Hellespont and what is its modern name?

A

Leander.
Northern Turkey ( a narrow strait connecting the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara).
The Dardanelles.

22
Q

English biographer (1880-1932). Member of the Bloomsbury Group. Achieved recognition with ‘Eminent Victorians’ (1918).

A

Lytton Strachey

23
Q

How is George Remi better known?

A

Hergé. (His initials reversed and pronounced in French - RG.)