Harvey’s contribution

William Harvey, a 17th-century English scientist, made an important contribution to biology with his:

A) Explanation of the circulatory system
B) Invention of the microscope
C) Research on vaccination to immunize against disease
D) Study of the electrical nature of nerve impulses

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Units of length

Which of the following statements about traditional units of length - not of all of them necessarily in current use - is false?

A) A cubit is less than a pace, which is less than a perch
B) An ell is less than a yard, which is less than a fathom
C) A hand is less than a span, which is less than a foot
D) A rod is less than a chain, which is less than a furlong

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Who were they?

Who were Gargantua and Pantagruel?

A) The children of Odin in Norse mythology
B) Greyhounds belonging to Queen Elizabeth I
C) Characters in a classic French novel
D) A husband and wife team of circus performers

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When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.

- Edna O’Brien (1930- ), author

Which game is it?

The Irish play an ancient team sport, somewhat similar to field hockey, called:

A) Field polo
B) Hurling
C) Lacrosse
D) Pelota

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“Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.”

- Joseph Campbell, mythographer

Food for worms

Most commercial silk fiber is produced by silkworms, a kind of caterpillar native to China. The silkworm is a fussy eater; in fact, it dines on nothing but:

A) Bamboo shoots
B) Eucalyptus bark
C) Mulberry leaves
D) Orchid nectar

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Time for a hand-count (and foot-count too)

Of the 206 bones in the human body, how many are in the hands and feet (wrists and ankles included)?

A) 40
B) 62
C) 84
D) 106

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Which sin is that?

One sin on the traditional list of “seven deadly sins” is known in Latin as accidia, from which we have the old-fashioned English word accidie. Today, the deadly sin of accidie is more usually known as:

A) Envy
B) Gluttony
C) Pride
D) Sloth

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Rhyme and reason

The words “Hickory, dickory, dock” from the well-known nursery rhyme are probably:

A) Amusing nonsense words chosen to fit the song
B) Derived from Celtic words meaning “eight, nine, ten”
C) A reference to Henry Dickers, an Elizabethan church official
D) From the Latin “Hic dictat dux” (roughly, “The boss speaks here”)

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