General Knowledge 101 Flashcards
Who is Odysseus’s son in Homer’s “The Odyssey “?
Telemachus
In “The Odyssey” by Homer, who is Telemachus’s teacher?
Mentor
In “The Odyssey” who visits Telemachus disguised as his teacher, Mentor, in order to take him out into the world to learn about his father and thereby complete his teaching?
The goddess Athena
Who wrote The Odyssey inspired novel “Les aventures de Telemaque” (1669)
Francois Fenelon
What is foolscap?
A sheet of writing paper 8”x13” (like a legal pad - it gets its name from the watermark it used to hold of a jester’s motley (also known as a foolscap).
What is the meaning of parse?
To study something closely by looking at it’s parts.
Who is the “father of sociology?”
Auguste Comte
What is the former name of Tokyo in Japan?
Edo
(Edd-doh)
What Japanese Art movement has a name that translates as “pictures of the floating world?”
Ukiyo-e
(Uh-key-oh)
Ukiyo-e Japanese Art depicts cultural urban scenes from the Edo period in Japan under which ruling dynasty?
The Shoguns
Toyota Hokkai (born circa 1780) began his working life as a fishmonger but later honed his artistic skills under which renowned master?
Katsushika Hokusai
Within the genre of Ukiyo-e, artist Toyota Hokkai specialized in a type of intricately designed woodblock prints called what?
Surimono
Fuliginous is a synonym of what word?
Sooty (it can also be used figuratively to describe something dark or dirty, eg “fuliginous soul”)
In what Henry James novel is the character Waymarsh described as having “dark fuliginous eyes”?
“The Ambassadors”
What was singer Billie Halliday’s real name?
Eleanora Fagan
What was Paul McCartney’s 1st solo album called?
McCartney
The black swan is native to which continent?
Australia
What was the Clash’s 1st album called?
The Clash
Which artist painted “Whaam”?
Lichtenstein
Who invented the operant conditioning chamber?
B. F. Skinner
Who coined the term “pop art”?
Lawrence Alloway
What is the dog’s name on “The Muppet Show?”
Rowlf
What type of animal is a platypus?
Mammal
What date was the tank 1st used on a battlefield?
15th September 1916
What 4 islands make up the Balearic Islands?
Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentaria
What year did Michael Foucault die?
1984
Who painted “The Gleaners”?
Jean Francois Millet
What is Bel paese?
A type of Italian cheese
How many NBA championships did Michael Jordan win?
6
In what year did SOS become recognized as the universal distress signal?
1908
What year did Pink Floyd release “Another Brick in the Wall”?
1979
How many Harry Potter books are there?
7
Who did Michael Jordan win his 6 NBA championships with?
Chicago Bulls
What is Michael Jordan’s middle name?
Jeffrey
The Maidens Tower is a small observation and broadcast tower located off the coast of where?
Istanbul, Turkey
In which body of water can the Maiden’s Tower be found?
The Bosphorus strait
By what other name is the Maiden’s Tower sometimes known?
Leander’s tower
In classical mythology, who is the goddess of the moon and hunting?
Diana
Who, in myth, were the goddess Diana’s parents?
Jupiter and Leto
According to mythology, who gazed upon Diana and her nymphs bathing?
Actaeon (a hunter)
According to mythology, how did Diana punish Actaeon for catching sight of her bathing?
She turned the hunter into a stag (like the ones he was hunting), and his own dogs turned on him and tore him to shreds.
In mythology, which of Diana’s nymphs gets pregnant by her father Jupiter?
Callisto
In mythology, how does Diana punish the nymph Callisto for getting pregnant by her father?
Turns her into a bear
What is the official name for the flag of Japan?
Nisshoki (flag of the sun) but it is more commonly known as Hinomaru (ball of the sun)
What is the 2nd most populous city in Australia?
Melbourne (in the state of Victoria), Sydney is the most populous city
What is interesting about gecko’s?
They have no eyelids
According to Beijing Standard Time, how many time zones does China have?
One
Who first demonstrated classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov
Who is Harry Potter’s godfather?
Sirius Black
Who made their directorial debut with American History X starring Edward Norton?
Tony Kaye
Who wrote the book “X-men: The Characters and their Universe?”
Michael Mallory
Who wrote the song “Here Comes the Sun”?
George Harrison
What album was “Here Comes the Sun” on?
Abbey Road
What is the 1st name of Nash (as in Crosby, Stills and Nash)?
Graham
Where did the 1996 Summer Olympics take place?
Atlanta, USA
Who said “Some people die aged 25 and aren’t buried until their 75”?
Benjamin Franklin
What is the second highest mountain in Africa called?
Mount Kenya (after which the country Kenya is named)?
What is the 2nd largest Arab city after Cairo?
Baghdad in Iraq
What river is Baghdad located on?
Tigris
Who wrote “Existentialism is a Humanism”?
Jean Paul Sartre
On what date did President Kennedy get assassinated?
22nd November 1963
Who played Miranda in Sex and the City?
Cynthia Nixon
Who created the series Sex and the City for HBO?
Darren Star
Sex and the City was adapted from whose newspaper column and 1996 book?
Candace Bushnell
Who said “God does not play dice with the universe “?
Albert Einstein
What is the atomic symbol of lead?
Pb (from Latin plumbum)
What does aplomb mean?
Complete and confident composure and self assurance
In February 1888, Vincent Van Gogh, left Paris for where?
Arles, in southern France
Vincent Van Gogh painted his famous sunflowers in the fall of 1888 whilst waiting for which artist to join him?
Paul Gauguin
What did the constellation Orion used to be known as?
Hippolyta (named after the Amazon warier).
