BrainTeaser: General Knowledge

This one is about all kinds of subjects – to test the breadth as well as depth of your knowledge. Need help? Use Credo Reference Online.

1. Which US television series starred six people including Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer?

2. Which of these is not an island: Mauritius, Madagascar, or Mauritania?

3. Who wrote a famous 1892 poem about Gunga Din?

4. A regicide is someone who kills what sort of person?

5. Who directed the films “Rear Window”, “Notorious” and “The Birds”?

6. Which poet called autumn the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”? Was it Keats, Shakespeare or Wordsworth?

7. The Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy was famous in which sport?

8. Is toothwort a disease, a plant, or an insect?

9. Is “K” the chemical symbol for krypton, iron, or potassium?

10. The balls used in snooker have eight different colours. Name six of them.

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

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Brain Teaser: The Mob in Las Vegas

Since it’s Mob month in Las Vegas, I thought we would test your knowledge of the mob in Las Vegas.

1. Who wrote Vegas Rag Doll?
2. Who wrote Murder of Mafia Daughter?
3. Name two of the notorious Chicago Mob associates featured this month in Las Vegas.
4. Who is the ex-mobster turned author/actor/film producer who made the movie Goodfellas?
5. Who did Henry Hill talk to just before he died?
6. What is the name of the Las Vegas sheriff who kicked the mob out of Las Vegas?
7. Who wrote the Battle for Las Vegas?
8. What was the name of the committee that held hearings to investigate organized crime in Las Vegas in the 1950s?
9. In which Las Vegas building is The Mob Museum located?
10. Which mobster opened the Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas?

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Related articles

• Mob Month 2013 (lvccldnews.wordpress.com)

Brain Teaser: First Names

English: German-born theoretical physicist  Einstein. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all know some famous people, but sometimes we only know their surnames. Try to answer these questions about celebrities’ first names. Need help? Use Credo Reference

1. What was the first name of Olivier (1907-1989), English actor whose films included “Wuthering Heights”, “Rebecca” and “Henry V”?

2. What was the first name of Einstein (1879-1955), German-born physicist famous for his theories of relativity?

3. What was the first name of Edison (1847-1931), famous inventor and businessman who popularized the use of electricity?

4. What is the first name of Armani (born 1934), Italian designer, one of the most influential designers of the 1980s?

5. What was the first name of Boswell (1740-1795), journal writer and biographer of Samuel Johnson?

6. What is the first name of Aguilera (born 1980), US pop singer whose first hit “Reflection” (1998) appeared on the soundtrack for the Disney animated film “Mulan”?

7. What was the first name of Picasso (1881-1973), Spanish painter, a pioneer of Cubism?

8. What was the real first name of the jazz musician Duke Ellington (1899-1974)? Was it Edward, Edmund, or John?

9. What is the first name of Gorbachev (born 1931), the Soviet Union’s last president?

10. What was the first name of Brahms (1833-1897), composer born in Hamburg?

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

Brain Teaser: Christmas Traditions Around the World

Christmas is about 10 days away, so let’s see how much you know about Christmas traditions around the world.  Need help? Use CultureGrams to find the answers.

1. On which date do Armenians celebrate Christmas?
2. What do kids in Brazil do on Christmas Eve?
3. In Austria, on which date does Nikolo (similar to Santa Claus) fill the children’s shoes with treats?
4. In Argentina, what name does Santa Claus go by?
5. What is the meaning of Boxing Day, celebrated in England and Canada?
6. In Croatia, Catholic Christians celebrate Christmas on 25 December, but Orthodox Christians celebrate it on which date?
7. For many years, Christmas was banned in Cuba, until the government declared it an official holiday again in which year?
8. What name do French children call Santa Claus by?
9. What is the German name for Christmas Tree?
10. At Christmas Ethiopians play a game which is like hockey, what is it called?

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Brain Teaser – Christmas Songs

Christmas is a time for music! Here’s a brainteaser about Christmas songs. Want to download these songs for the holidays? Get 5 free songs each week from our Freegal Music service. Yes, they are FREE with your library card and PIN!

1. Which British rock group returned its 1973 Christmas chart-topper “Merry Xmas Everybody’ to the British charts no less than eight times?

2. Which Christmas song is about a reindeer who is chosen by Santa because his red nose lights up the night?

3. What is the English title of the Christmas hymn “Stille Nacht”?

4. Name one of the two singers who composed “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” for Band Aid in 1984.

5. Which former member of the Beatles had a hit several times with “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”?

6. Which song was a No. 1 hit all over Europe for Boney M at Christmas 1978, having previously been recorded by Harry Belafonte?

7. Who wrote the song “White Christmas”: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter or George Gershwin?

8. Which group released the song “Last Christmas” in 1984?

9. Which singer-songwriter’s second album included a modern Christmas song, “A Spaceman Came Travelling”?

10. What Christmas song did Judy Garland sing to comfort Margaret O’Brien in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St Louis”?

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)