Red-letter day
The birthstone of July is the ruby. It is a pink to blood-red gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. The word “ruby” comes from the Latin ruber, which means “red.” The gem’s color is due to the element chromium.
The quality of a ruby is determined by its color, cut and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value. The world’s most expensive ruby is the Sunrise Ruby. It is a 25.59-carat (5.1 gr.) Burmese “pigeon blood” ruby mounted by Cartier and set between two heptagon-shaped diamonds weighing 2.47 carats (0.49 gr.) and 2.70 carats (0.54 gr.). In 2015 it was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva for a record $30.42 million.
Rubies have always been held in high esteem in Asian countries. They were used to ornament armor, scabbards and harnesses of noblemen in India and China. Rubies were laid beneath the foundation of buildings to secure good fortune to the structure.
In keeping with the color of the stone, the theme of this quiz is “ruby” and various shades of red. Thus all the questions and/or answers relate to that theme.
1. What fictional detective solved the mysteries in The Red Headed League and A Study in Scarlet? (a) Hercule Poirot (b) Nancy Drew (c) Sam Spade (d) Sherlock Holmes
2. What US cities are home to each of the following sports teams: Red Sox; Reds (baseball); Redskins (football); Red Wings (hockey)
3. What actress starred in the 1998 film A Price above Rubies? (a) Angelina Jolie (b) Scarlett Johansson (c) Renee Zellweger (d) Amy Irving
4. What actor starred in the 1970s TV sitcom Sanford and Son?
5. The flight between what two US cities is commonly referred to as “the red-eye”?
6. Who wrote the short story The Ransom of Red Chief?
7. What group had a hit with the 1966 song “Ruby Tuesday”?
8. Who wrote the novel The Red Badge of Courage? (a) Stephen Crane (b) Stephen King (c) Robert Louis Stevenson (d) Steven James 9. What two words complete this mariner’s rhyme? “Red sky at night .... ” 10. What is known in its native language as Krasnaya ploshchad? 11. Who starred in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October? 12. Who wrote the short story The Masque of the Red Death? 13. What singer had a hit in 1969 with the song “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”? (a) Kenny Rogers (b) Tom Jones (c) Willie Nelson (d) Neil Diamond 14. Where are the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz on display? 15. What ailment is called rubella? (a) scarlet fever (b) German measles (c) chicken pox (d) acne 16. In what language was the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam originally written? (a) Arabic (b) Persian (c) Aramaic (d) Kurdish 17. Who wrote the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter? (a) Ralph Waldo Emerson (b) Henry James (c) Nathaniel Hawthorne (d) Herman Melville 18. In the film Gone with the Wind, what does Scarlett O’Hara say that prompts Rhett Butler to respond with the immortal, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”? 18 19. In what city was President Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin born? (a) Haifa (b) Netanya (c) Jerusalem (d) Beersheba (Pinterest) 20. What comedian created the character Freddie the Freeloader? (a) Red Buttons (b) Red Skelton (c) Carrot Top (d) Red Grant 21. Who co-starred with James Belushi in the 1988 film Red Heat?
22. What ingredient makes Red Velvet Cake red?
23. Who starred in the 22 1948 western film Red River?
24. What was the nickname of German Air Force fighter pilot Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen? (a) The Scarlet Pimpernel (b) The Ruby Rogue (c) The Crimson Count (d) The Red Baron
25. On what TV drama series was Red John the arch villain? (a) The Catch (b) The Mentalist (c) The Closer (d) The Wire