10 Quick Questions

1. Which of these words has a similar meaning to “nugatory”?

❑ Nauseating

❑ Mysterious

❑ Satisfying

❑ Unimportant

2. Which of these languages has the most native speakers?

❑ Russian

❑ Portuguese

❑ Japanese

❑ German

3. Who was the only inmate at Spandau Prison for 20 years?

❑ Walter Raleigh

❑ Rudolf Hess

❑ Alfred Dreyfus

❑ Napoleon Bonaparte

4. What is the official name of China’s currency?

❑ Renminbi

❑ Yuan

5. In Norse mythology, which deity is depicted as having lost an eye?

❑ Odin

❑ Loki

❑ Thor

❑ Freyja

6. Which 1895 novel by George du Maurier originated the word “svengali”?

❑ The House of Mirth

❑ Lorna Doone

❑ The Scarlet Letter

❑ Trilby

7. Which of these people did not star in the BBC’s muchloved radio comedy The Goon Show?

❑ John Cleese

❑ Peter Sellers

❑ Spike Milligan

❑ Harry Secombe

8. Moore’s law is a well-known observation concerning which field?

❑ Psychology

❑ Electronics

❑ Climatology

❑ Linguistics

9. Which of these diseases has not been eradicated from the US?

❑ Smallpox

❑ Rinderpest

❑ Plague

❑ Polio

10. Who said “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think”?

❑ Joan Rivers

❑ Tina Fey

❑ Dorothy Parker

❑ Carol Burnett