THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N, 70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
"We'll leave the night on for you."
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, January 8, 2016
Quiz: Brain of Portland 2016 Part I
Well, we are absolutely galvanized with excitement because, after long
months of waiting, the next season of BBC Radio 4's "Brain of Britain"
begins on Monday, January 11th. For the benefit of those who've just
boarded our train, "Brain of Britain" is a general knowledge quiz that
can include questions about, well, anything: mythology, mathematics,
geography, history, science, astronomy (which is sort of like a
science, we guess), philosophy, literature, art, classical music, news
events, and any other intellectual pursuit.
In honor of this show, we devised our own version "Brain of Portland."
Throughout the year, we offer a few of these quizzes. Each quiz
contains more questions than the one preceding it. All these quizzes
lead up to the ultimate 200 question "Brain of Brains" quiz that will
post the first Friday in August. (The DA school year slams to a close
in early August.)
We started this "Brain of Portland" quiz last year and during the
ensuing months have modified the format somewhat. Initially, we just
posted the questions without including choices to make it more
challenging (i.e. because we're lazy sods who will use any excuse to
get out of work). We also meshed all the questions together in one
long string. Now, we divide the questions into 10-question segments
so a player needn't have to scroll down half a mile to access the
answers.
We did post a Brain of Portland quiz earlier this academic year, but
since we all enjoyed that prolonged hiatus, we're beginning again with
the first "Brain of Portland" quiz. It will contain 20 questions!
We hope you enjoy these quizzes as much as we enjoy crafting them!
SECTION I QUESTIONS
1. "Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania" were the first words spoken
by which character in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream?"
a. Robin Goodfellow
b. Oberon
c. Titania
2. A Stop sign* is shaped like a regular octagon. What is the sum
of the interior angles within any Stop sign?
a. 360 degrees
b. 720 degrees
c. 1080 degrees
3. Who composed the opera "L'oracolo in Messenia?"
a. Vivaldi
b. Rossini
c. Handel
4. Four chemical elements were recently added to the Periodic Table of
the Elements. What is now the highest atomic number that appears on
the Periodic Table?
a. 117
b. 118
c. 120
5. Which planet was once known as "Eosphorus," the 'Dawn star?'
a. Venus
b. Mercury
c. Mars
6. Which play by George Bernard Shaw was the only one to have been
set in America?
a. Man and Superman
b. The Devil's Disciple
c. Mrs Warren's Profession
7. The Oresund Strait separates which two countries?
a. Madagascar and Mozambique
b. England and Ireland
c. Denmark and Sweden
8. Symbols from which language were imprinted on The Stela of Samontu?
a. Cuneiform
b. Egyptian Hieroglyphics
c. Sanskrit
9. If Sam is twice as old as Lilah is now, but eight years ago was
four times older than Lilah, how old is Lilah now?
a. 12
b. 20
c. 24
10. German philosopher Leibniz referred to which English philosopher
as "that profoundest examiner of basic principles in all matters?"
a. Isaac Newton
b. Thomas Hobbes
c. John Locke
*Stop Sign: If you're a Portland motorist and therefore uncertain
about these objects and their purpose, please refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_sign
SECTION I ANSWERS
1. b. Oberon
2. c. 1080 degrees
To calculate the sum of the interior angles within any polygon, use
the formula (n-2) x 180 degrees.
n = number of sides. An octagon has eight sides, so the sum of its
interior angles is (8-2) x 180 = 6 x 180 = 1080 degrees.
3. a. Vivaldi
Composed in 1738
4. b.118
An official name has not yet been adopted for this element
5. a. Venus
6. b. The Devil's Disciple
(It was set in Revolutinary War era New Hampshire)
7. c. Denmark and Sweden
8. Egyptian Hieroglyphics
9. a. 12
10. b. Thomas Hobbes
SECTION II QUESTIONS
11. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a designated World
Heritage Site, is shared by Canada and which American state?
a. Montana
b. North Dakota
c. Washington
12. Which character from the Arthurian legends had an encounter with
the Green Knight?
a. Sir Lancelot
b. Sir Galahad
c. Sir Gawain
13. Who painted "The Plum Estate?"
a. Ando Hiroshige
b. Jan Vermeer
c. Claude Monet
14. On this day (Jan 8) in history, which American President
delivered his "Fourteen Points" speech?
a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Dwight Eisenhauer
15. You have a jar containing a small amount of bacteria. The
bacteria number doubles every minute. Exactly an hour after receiving
the jar, it is full of bacteria. How long after you received the jar
was it half full of bacteria?
a. 30 minutes
b. 45 minutes
c. 59 minutes
16. About 250 cities around the world have been designated as World
Heritage cities. As of now, only one US city is a World Heritage
City. Which city is it?
a. Boston
b. Philadelphia
c. St. Augustine, Florida
17. Betelgeuse, Sirius and which star comprise the "Winter Triangle?"
a. Procyon
b. Polaris
c. Alnilam
18. A block sliding down an incline plane is impeded by which type of friction?
a. static friction
b. kinetic friction
c. rolling friction
19. When Paris was instructed to select the most beautiful goddess of
three competitors, which goddess did he choose?
a. Athena
b. Hera
c. Aphrodite
20. What is the largest city in the tropics?
a. Sao Paulo, Brazil
b. Mexico City, Mexico
c. Manila, Philippines
SECTION II ANSWERS
11. a. Montana
12. c. Sir Gawain
13. a. Ando Hiroshige
14. b. Woodrow Wilson (1918)
15. c. 59 minutes
16. b. Philadelphia
17. a. Procyon
18. b. kinetic friction
19. c. Aphrodite
Aphrodite curried Paris' favour by offering him the most beautiful
woman in the world. He chose Helen of Troy for his bride. She,
alas, was already betrothed, which necessitated her abduction that
then precipitated the Trojan War
20. a. Sao Paulo, Brazil
Quiz written by Edward Gleason
Manager, Southworth Planetarium
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