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
                   "Keeping a watchful eye on a complex sky"

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, May 6, 2016
Quiz:  Mothers  (R)

We're repeating last year's "Mother's Day" quiz in honor of Mother's Day.  However, just so we don't feel completely lazy, we've added a couple questions.
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Dedicated to my mother.
A lady of the highest class who proves that the kind are the strongest amongst us.
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We know that Mother's Day is not until Sunday. However, Norman, everyday should be Mother's Day, so in a sense, we're spot on time-wise.    This week's quiz celebrates all things maternal: from the mythological to historical to contemporary.      We offer this tribute to all mothers roaming about on Mother Earth.


1.   According to Greek tradition, Mother Earth's name was:
a. Frigga
b. Gaia
c.  Musca
d.  Hellioparia

2.  By ancient Egyptian reckoning, Bast was the mother of all _______________.
a. pharaohs
b. gods
c. cats
d . stars

3. In 1997, Bobbie McCaughey set a record by producing how many children in a single birth?
a. 4
b. 6
c.  7
d.  8

4.  Which swollen footed tragic Greek hero actually wound up killing his father and marrying his mother, as the Delphic Oracle foretold?
a. Paris
b. Oedipus
c.  Meneleaus
d. Polyphemus

5. Elizabeth Ann Buttle holds the record for the greatest age span between successive children.  How many years separates her daughter Belinda and son Joseph?
a. 25 years
b. 30 years
c. 38 years
d. 41 years

6.  In the majority of languages, the word for "mother" starts with what letter?
a.    A
b.    E
c.     U
d.    M

7.  Who is credited with having started Mother's Day?
a.  Joan Crawford
b. Anna Jarvis
c.  Eleanor Roosevelt
d. Valentin Olgavorsky

8.  Omikami Amaterasu is the mythical mother of the world in which country's mythological tradition?
a. Malaysia
b.  Papua New Guinea
c.  Singapore
d. Japan

9.  When was Mother's Day first observed?
a.  May 14, 1866
b. May 10, 1908
c. May 11, 1913
d. October 9, 1919

10.  The following are mother-daughter pairs.  Which one is not correct?
a. Mother: Tippi Hedren;  Daughter: Melanie Griffith
b. Mother: Debbie Reynolds; Daughter: Carrie Fisher
c.  Mother:  Judy Garland; Daughter:  Liza  Minnelli
d  Mother:  Laura Ingalls Wilder;  Daughter:  Bess Truman

11. What is the name for the irrational fear of mothers?
a.  pentheraphobia
b.  heraphobia
c.  parthanophobia
d.  there is no name for this phobia.

12.  Which of the following species experience longer gestation periods than humans?  (Could be more or less than one)
a.  African Elephants
b. Camels
c.  Zebras
d.  Giraffes


ANSWERS

1. b. Gaia

2. c. cats

3. c.  7

4. b. Oedipus

5.  d  41 years
Her daughter, Belinda, was born on May 19,1956 and her son Joseph was born on November 20, 1997.  The daughter is about to celebrate her 59th birthday,  The son is not yet 18.

6. d.    M

7.  b. Anna Jarvis

8. d. Japan

9. b. May 10, 1908

10. d  Mother:  Laura Ingalls Wilder;  Daughter:  Bess Truman

11. a.  pentheraphobia

12.
a.  African Elephants (22 months!)
b. Camels  (13-14 months)
c.  Zebras  (12 - 13 months)
d.  Giraffes  (15 months)