January 2023

*** Another excellent quiz from Rhona, Chris, Sally and Paul ***

January Quiz Results

Many thanks to all members of the thirteen teams who took part in last evenings quiz.  The results (see below) seem to suggest that some of the rounds were far too easy, so our apologies if that upset the balance of thinking time and drinking time necessary to complete the quiz.

The lowest scoring was for Round 7 (average just under 6/10) which was largely comprised of geography questions.  (We have allowed "Tibet" as a correct answer to Round 7 Question 6 as it is a part of China and, some might argue, is a country in its own right.)

The lengthiest argument, at least in our household, was over whether Dot Cotton was an allowable answer to Round 9, Question 1.  “She left the Square two years ago aged 93.” This led to the discovery that Dot has an enormous entry in Wikipedia which is far far longer than that for June Brown but which, despite its length, does not mention when she was born.  It records her death as having occurred in early December 2022 (with her funeral being delayed because of the Qatar World Cup) which was some 8 months after the death of June Brown.  The majority decision here was that Dot left Albert Square when she died in 2022 but June left when she departed the filming set two years previously and so only June Brown is allowable as a correct answer.  Luckily most teams hedged their bets and gave both names and so our family squabble didn’t materially affect the results which were ….

Team Name

Score

Carrot Cakes

88

The Dahlias

87

Smashing Pumpkins

86

All the Ws

84

Popping Corks

84

Jolliers

82

Herts 2

80

Team Crackers

80

Field Laners

80

Poles Apart

76

Red Lichties

73

Two of a Kind

67

TouCHE

65

So many congratulations to Carrot Cakes who just happen to be the hosts of the next quiz which will be on Saturday the 25th February.

Also, don’t forget the real, in-person quiz at The Settlement on Friday 10th February. Tickets can be booked online or at the Settlement.

 

Rhona and Chris

29th January 2023

 

 

Answers Rounds 5 to 9

Round 5: Answers

  1.  a   (11 million)
  2.  b   (1,800)
  3.  a  (775,537)
  4.  a   (about 550)
  5.  a  (555,000)
  6.  b  (1786)
  7.  c   (about 12%)
  8.  a   (66,666)
  9.  c   (4.8 million)
  10.  b   (323 million)
  11.  a   (2,000)
  12.  b   (6)
  13.  c   (3.47 seconds)
  14.  c    (2.5 million)
  15.  c   (370)
  16.  a   (1000)  500 and then 500 more!
  17.  b   (20 million)
  18.  b   (nearly 7 million)
  19.  c   (13,760)
  20.  b   (263)

 

Round 6: Answers

  1. E  (Augustus Snodgrass appears in “The Pickwick Papers”.)
  2. B  (Mr Bumble appears in “Oliver Twist”.)
  3. J   (Bob Cratchit appears in “A Christmas Carol”.)
  4. F  (Clara Peggotty appears in “David Copperfield”.)
  5. H  (Philip Pirrip (Pip) appears in “Great Expectations”.)
  6. D  (James Henry Potter appears in “James and the Giant Peach”.)
  7. I   ( Boggis, Bunce and Bean appear in “Fantastic Mr Fox”.)
  8. G  ( Miss Trunchbull appears in “Matilda”.)
  9. A  ( Veruca Salt appears in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.)
  10. C  (The Queen appears in “The BFG”.)

     

Apologies for the typo on Boggis, Bunce & Bean.  We will allow answer “I”  or answer “A” for question 7.

 

Round 7 - Answers

  1. “Hyvää huomenta” is Finnish for “Good Morning” so you would most probably be in FINLAND.
  2. Halo-halo (Haluhalo) is a summertime dessert in the PHILIPPINES.
  3. You would definitely be in FRANCE.
  4. Amalfi is in ITALY.
  5. The MCG is the Melbourne Cricket Club so you would be in AUSTRALIA.
  6. You would be in CHINA.
  7. This could only be a Punch and Judy show so you would most probably be in the UK.
  8. The Tiger’s Nest Monastery is in BHUTAN.
  9. The world’s southernmost city is Ushuaia which is in ARGENTINA.
  10. The Øresund Bridge links Denmark and Sweden and if you were about to cross it heading south east you would be in DENMARK.

 

Round 8: Answers

  1. The Mamas and the Papas were dreaming of CALIFORNIA.
  2. SID VICIOUS sang “My Way”?
  3. A cello has 4 (FOUR) strings.
  4. ALISON BALSOM was a former pupil of first, middle and upper schools in Royston and has won many awards for her prowess in playing the trumpet.  She is married to Sir Sam Mendes, a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter, whose first wife was the actress Kate Winslett.
  5. PLACIDO DOMINGO means Peaceful Sunday.
  6. ELVIS PRESLEY dressed from head to toe in black leather?
  7. Coldplay’s album was PARACHUTES.
  8. Susie Simple’ was SUSAN BOYLE.
  9. Lulu performed the theme song for “THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN”.
  10. The city which unites the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Def Leppard is SHEFFIELD

 

Round 9: Answers

  1. JUNE BROWN  who played Dot Cotton in Eastenders, died 3rd April.
  2. SHINZO ABE, former Prime Minister of Japan, died 8th July.
  3. WILKO JOHNSON, former guitarist with Dr Feelgood and with the Blockheads, died 21st November.
  4. BERNARD CRIBBINS who recorded the song “Right Said Fred” in the 1960s and narrated “The Wombles” in the 1970s, died 27th July.
  5. LESTER PIGGOTT won more than 5,000 races worldwide, died 29th May.
  6. MIKHAIL GORBACHEV was the last president of the Soviet Union, died 30th August.
  7. Her Majesty QUEEN ELIZABETH II, died 8th September.
  8. ROBBIE COLTRANE played Rubeus Hagrid, died 14th October.
  9. OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN who sang “You’re the one that I want” in the film “Gease”, died 8th August
  10. HILARY MANTEL who wrote a trilogy of historical novels about Thomas Cromwell, died 22nd September.

 

We hope you have enjoyed this evening’s quiz.  The remaining answers will be published here at 9.45 pm. 

Dates for your diary:

  1. The February Quiz will take place on Saturday, 25 February - 6:45pm for 7pm as usual. It will be a general knowledge quiz hosted by the Carrot Cakes.
  2. The Settlement is holding a fund-raising quiz on Friday 10 Feb  £60 per table of up to 6 people. Tickets can be booked online Events Tickets | Letchworth Settlement or at the Settlement.

If any other team would be interested in hosting the monthly quiz please contact Ann at lalgquiz@outlook.com.  Don’t worry about the technology, the website is very easy to use and full IT support will be provided.

With many thanks for taking part …

 

Rhona and Chris

 

Round 9: They died in 2022

  1. She left the Square two years ago aged 93.
  2. This long serving eastern politician was assassinated with a home-made weapon whilst delivering a campaign speech.
  3. This Canvey Island boy played with Dr Feelgood and, later, The Blockheads.  His angry angular twitchy playing style was known as a “duck walk”.
  4. Right said Fred in a Wombles voice.
  5. Starting with partnerships with Sir Ivor and Nijinsky he went on to be a winner more than 5,000 times worldwide.
  6. Of this man, the last president of his country, Mrs Thatcher famously claimed, “We can do business together.” 
  7. She had an annus horribilis in 1992.
  8. Best known as Rubeus Hagrid, the half giant and half human at Hogwarts.
  9. “You’re the one that I want”, she sang to John.
  10. She lived the life of Thomas Cromwell for ten years.

 

Round 8: Musically challenged

  1. Which US state were the Mamas and the Papas dreaming about in their 1965 hit?
  2. Which member of the Sex Pistols sang a raucous cover version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”?
  3. How many strings does a cello have?
  4. Educated in Royston, a finalist in the 1998 Young Musician of the Year, a soloist at the Last Night of the Proms and a successor to Kate Winslett.  Who is she?
  5. Which of the Three Tenors has a name meaning Peaceful Sunday?
  6. Whose legendary 1968 “Comeback Special” concert saw him dressed from head to toe in black leather?
  7. Coldplay’s debut won the Grammy for best alternative music album in 2001.  What was it called?
  8. Who was nicknamed ‘Susie Simple’ at her Scottish school, but went on to release in 2009 the fastest selling UK debut album of all time?
  9. Lulu performed the theme song for which James Bond film starring Roger Moore?
  10. Which city unites the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Def Leppard?

 

Round 7: In which country would you most probably be if ...

  1. … you were greeted by someone saying, “Hyvää huomenta”?
  2. … you spotted someone eating halo-halo (Haluhalo)?
  3. … you were at a location 46 degrees north and 3 degrees east?
  4. … you could see a signpost which indicated, “Amalfi 5K”?
  5. … you were watching an event live at the MCG?
  6. … you were looking south and could see Mount Everest?
  7. … you could see a man beating his wife and a crocodile snacking on sausages?
  8. … you could see The Tiger’s Nest Monastery?
  9. … you were in the world’s southernmost city?
  10. … you were about to cross the Øresund Bridge in a south easterly direction?

 

Round 6: Dickens and Dahl

Here are 5 books written by Charles Dickens …

  1. The Pickwick Papers
  2. Oliver Twist
  3. A Christmas Carol 
  4. David Copperfield
  5. Great Expectations

… and here are 5 books by Roald Dahl:

  1. James and the Giant Peach
  2. Fantastic Mr Fox
  3. Matilda
  4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  5. The BFG

… and here are 10 characters from those books …

  1. Veruca Salt
  2. Mr Bumble
  3. The Queen
  4. James Henry Trotter
  5. Augustus Snodgrass
  6. Clara Peggotty
  7. Mrs Trunchbull
  8. Philip Pirrip (Pip)
  9. Boggis, Bunce and Bean
  10. Bob Cratchit

For each of the 10 books (1 to 10) give the character who appears there (A to J).

 

Answers: Rounds 1 to 4

Round 1 - Answers

  1. Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy all came together in the film “The Best Exotic MARIGOLD Hotel.”
  2. Dame IRIS Murdoch won the Booker Prize in 1978 for "The Sea, The Sea.”
  3. Tiny Tim had a hit with “Tiptoe through the TULIPS” in 1968.
  4. LOTUS cars were developed in Norfolk in 1948.
  5. VIOLET Carson played Ena Sharples in “Coronation Street” from 1960 to 1980
  6. The national symbol of Ukraine is the SUNFLOWER
  7. Patricia Routledge played HYACINTH Bucket in the sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances.”
  8. The source of the drug digitalis is the FOXGLOVE.
  9. In the film “The Wizard of Oz” Dorothy falls asleep in a field of magic POPPIES created by the Wicked Witch of the West.
  10. PASQUE FLOWERS appear on Therfield Heath during late March and early April.

 

Round 2: Answers

  1. The White RABBIT sang this in “Alice in Wonderland”.
  2. Our local Credit Union is called “The Black SQUIRREL”.
  3. Petruchio and Katherine are characters in Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the SHREW”.
  4. This was Liam FOX.
  5. In Aesop’s fable the slow tortoise won a race with the overconfident HARE.
  6. Roland RAT possibly saved TV-am.
  7. The youngest of the Scouts are the BEAVERS.
  8. From the nursery rhyme, “Up and down the City Road, in and out of The Eagle, that’s the way the money goes, pop goes the WEASEL”.
  9. CAT Stevens recorded the hit “Wild World” in 1971 and later changed his name to Yusuf Islam.
  10. Kenneth Grahame wrote “Wind in the Willows’ where MOLE abandoned his underground home for a life with some new friends.

 

Round 3: Answers

  1. Snowflake
  2. Bethlehem
  3. Mistletoe
  4. Partridge
  5. Mincemeat
  6. Greetings
  7. Trimmings
  8. Decorated
  9. Stockings
  10. Christmas

 

Round 4: Answers

  1. The novel was Anne of GREEN Gables.
  2. Irma Renault is an anagram of ULTRAMARINE
  3. Alice Walker wrote the novel “The Color PURPLE”
  4. The colour with RGB value 255;255;255 is WHITE.
  5. The waltz was “The BLUE Danube”.
  6. This was the BLACK Death.
  7. These are the English Heritage BLUE plaques.
  8. These are words from “Another Brick in the Wall” recorded by PINK Floyd in 1979.
  9. This was the SCARLET Pimpernel.
  10. JADE Goody was evicted from the BIG Brother House in 2007.

 

Round 5: How many …. an' a' that?

  1. How many pet cats were there in the UK in 2021?

    a)   11 million    b) 17 million   c) 25 million
  2. How many babies on average are born in England and Wales on a leap day?

    a)   5,000   b) 1,800   c) 500
  3. According to a 2020 study of Ordnance Survey data, the names of how many roads end in the word ‘Road’?

    a)   775,537   b) 500,211  c) 1.23 million
  4. How many poems and songs were written by Rabbie Burns?

    a)   about 550   b)   about 1550   c)   about 2550
  5. According to the National Caravan Council, how many touring caravans are there in the UK?

    a)   555,000    b)  305,000   c)  123,000
  6. When was the oldest working distillery in the Scottish Highlands founded?

    a)   1145   b)   1786   c)   1889
  7. How many of the 790 offshore islands in Scotland are permanently inhabited?

    a)   about 26%   b)   about 43%   c)   about 12%
  8. According to the Guinness Book of Records the largest published crossword puzzle was in Japan in 2016.  How many clues did it have?

    a)   66,666   b)  10,000   c)15,675
  9. In dollars, how much did Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday, Mr President’ dress sell for at a 2016 auction?

    a)   $1.2 million   b)  $2.4 million   c)   $4.8 million
  10. How many fewer single-use plastic carrier bags did the 7 top supermarkets in the UK sell in 2019/20 compared to previous year? (0.5 billion were sold the previous year)

    a)   567 million   b)   323 million   c)   1.4 million                
  11. There were over 1 million UK coalminers in 1920.  How many were there in 2015?

    a)   2,000   b)   850   c)   25,400
  12. How many people have won a medal in both the summer and winter Olympics?

    a)   12   b)   6   c)   25
  13.  As of August 2022, what is the fastest time that a Rubik’s cube has been completed?

    a)   12.01 seconds    b)   8.54 seconds     c)   3.47 seconds
  14.  How many Mars Bars were made on average every day in Slough in 2022?

    a)   500,000   b)   1.5 million   c)   2.5 million
  15. How many miles is it from Letchworth Garden City  to Rabbie Burns’ birthplace in Alloway near Ayr in Scotland?

    a)   770 miles   b)   570 miles   c)   370 miles
  16.  How many miles were the Proclaimers prepared to walk (or later to roll) to “fall down at your door.”

    a)   1000   b)   500   c)   800
  17. How many firearms were sold in the USA in 2021?

    a)   6 million   b)   20 million   c)   13 million
  18. How many sheep were there in Scotland in 2022?

    a)   nearly 3 million   b)   nearly 7 million   c)   nearly 1 million
  19. In kilograms, how heavy is Big Ben the great bell in the Elizabeth tower at the houses of parliament?

    a)   25,987 kg   b)  5,876 kg   c)  13,760 kg
  20. It was Rabbie Burns’ birthday last Wednesday.  (Which is why he, and Scotland, have featured heavily in this round.)  How many birthdays has he had?

    a)   178   b)   263   c)   345

 

Round 4: Colours

  1. This 1908 novel by L M Montgomery was set in Prince Edward Island, Canada.  It has many adaptations as films, TV, musicals and plays.
  2. A confused Irma Renault and an expensive pigment.
  3. Alice’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize winning novel became a Steven Spielberg film in 1985, starring Whoopi Goldberg, and is due to be released as a film musical for Christmas 2023.
  4. For computers, this colour can be described as having an RGB value of 255; 255; 255. (full red, full green, full blue)
  5. This waltz, composed by Johan Strauss in 1866, celebrates the river which rises in the Black Forest mountains and finishes at the Black Sea.
  6. The most fatal pandemic in recorded human history it killed many millions of people peaking in Europe in the mid 14th Century.
  7. Now administered by English Heritage, you must have been dead for at least ten years to get one of these.
  8. “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control”, according to David and friends (but not Syd).
  9. This swashbuckling English hero rescued French aristocrats during the French Revolution.  “They seek him here.  They seek him there.”
  10. This Essex girl was possibly the most hated woman in England when she famously fell out with housemate Shilpa in 2007.

 

Round 3: Solve these anagrams of 9-letter Christmas words

  1. sneak fowl
  2. the mel heb
  3. emote list
  4. dip grater
  5. menace tim
  6. eggs inert
  7. mrs tim gin
  8. decode art
  9. snog stick
  10. trish macs

 

Round 2: British Mammals

  1. Frightened of losing his head for unpunctuality he sang, "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!".
  2. Our local Credit Union.
  3. Does Petruchio's abuse of Katherine make this a misogynistic Shakespearian play?
  4. This Scottish GP rose to be Minister of Defence under Prime Minister Cameron. He continued in high office under Teresa May but wasn’t a favourite of Boris Johnson.
  5. The tortoise’s fabled opponent whose arrogant overconfidence led to his loss.
  6. This puppet character first appeared in 1983 when he was regarded as the saviour of TV-am.  He lived beneath King’s Cross Station.
  7. The youngest of the Scout Groups.
  8. “Up and down the City Road in and out of The Eagle.”
  9. Accused of sexism in 1970 for his “Wild World” this chap later became Yusuf.
  10. Created by Kenneth Grahame in 1908, this character abandons his underground home for a life with some new friends by the river.

 

Round 1: At the florists

  1. Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy all come together in this exotic retirement home and let go of their pasts.
  2. This Dame won the Booker Prize in 1978 for "The Sea, The Sea". She died from Alzheimer's disease in 1997.
  3. Tim trod warily through these in 1968.
  4. This sports car was first developed in Norfolk in 1948.
  5. She was in “The Street” for almost 20 years, usually in a hair net.
  6. The national symbol of Ukraine.
  7. Patricia Routledge kept up appearances in this role from 1990 to 1995.
  8. The source of the drug digitalis.
  9. On her way back to Kansas Dorothy falls asleep in a field of these.
  10. These appear on one part of Therfield Heath during late March and early April.

 

Welcome to the LALG January Monthly Quiz

  • Please put your team name in the Subject box of each email and head the text with the Round number.
  • Questions for Rounds 1- 4 will be published here at 7.00, 7.15, 7.30 and 7.45pm. There will be 15 minutes to complete each round. Your answers should be sent to lalgquiz@outlook.com before the start of the next round. You may copy the questions into the email, and then put the answer after each question, if you find that easier.
  • Some devices may need you to refresh the screen from time to time to see each new round.  To do this, depending on your device, press the F5 key or the refresh icon.
  • At 8.00pm there will be a round of 30 minutes to allow for refreshments. The questions should be answered and returned by 8.30pm. The answers for rounds 1- 4 will also be provided.
  • There will be another 4 rounds at 8.30, 8.45, 9.00 and 9.15pm. The answers again must be submitted within 15 minutes.
  • The answers to Rounds 5-9 will be placed on the website at 9.45pm. Teams should mark all 9 rounds and send the results for each round plus the total to lalgquiz@outlook.com after the end of the quiz. Please do not send results during the quiz.
  • Please DO NOT use the email address at the top right of this page (MonthlyQuiz@ ......) as this will not be checked during the evening.
  • The Quiz Setters’ decisions are final.
  • Spelling, providing it is intelligible, is not being assessed!
  • There are no prizes but we will publish a ranked list here by Sunday evening.

GOOD LUCK!   From Rhona & Chris (and with assistance from Sally and Paul)