The Christmas factor

To a physician, what is the “Christmas factor”?

A) A blood-clotting factor whose absence produces hemophilia
B) Ethyl alcohol
C) The high incidence of household injuries in the holiday season
D) The tendency of some patients to believe in unrealistic cures

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Nom de plume

The American short story writer William Sydney Porter is better known by his pseudonym. What was it?

A) O. Henry
B) Ring Lardner
C) Damon Runyon
D) James Thurber

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Heavens to Gilgamesh

In Mesopotamian mythology, which goddess consigned her lover, Tammuz, to the underworld?

A) Gaia
B) Ishtar
C) Kali
D) Tammuk

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Where to meet your Waterloo

The end of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brilliant military career came at the battle of Waterloo, where he was defeated by Wellington and Blücher. In what country is Waterloo?

A) Austria
B) Belgium
C) Netherlands
D) Portugal

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Three of a kind

Criollo, forastero and trinitario are all types of:

A) Abstract sculpture
B) Cacao tree
C) Hunting dog
D) Sicilian wine

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Thirty minus six

The ancient Greek poet Tryphiodorus is famed for having written an epic poem of 24 books, in which each book:

A) Consists of 24 stanzas, with exactly 24 lines in each
B) Describes the poet’s thoughts during one of the 24 hours of the day
C) Is a monologue on human folly and virtue by one of 24 Greek gods
D) Was written without using a particular one of the 24 Greek letters

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Where in the world?

You are watching giant teak logs as they float down the Ayeyarwaddy River. What country are you in?

A) China
B) Ecuador
C) Myanmar
D) South Africa

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Digging time

While excavating beneath an ancient burial mound in Gokstad, Norway, in 1881, investigators made a momentous discovery. What did they find?

A) Weapons and jewelry of African origin
B) The manuscript of a long-forgotten Norse saga
C) A remarkably-preserved Viking ship
D) A modern-day murder victim

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Utnapishtim

The ancient Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest works of literature still extant. One important episode features a man named Utnapishtim, who:

A) Attacked and slew a three-headed dog at the gate of hell
B) Built an ark to save himself from a flood sent to destroy humanity
C) Caused disaster by misusing his ability to turn all things to gold
D) Drove the sun-god’s chariot across the sky

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The local Laconians

The region of the ancient world called “Laconia” was the home of:

A) The Druids
B) The Hittites
C) The Spartans
D) The Thracians

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