Moloch

What is a moloch?

A) An Australian animal
B) A Babylonian bucket-wheel
C) A Canadian confection
D) A Danish detective

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Rules of law

In the legal systems of England and Wales, many Commonwealth countries and much of the USA, there is a set of criteria called the “McNaghten rules”. These are used to determine whether a person on trial is…

A) Adequately represented by legal counsel
B) Allowed to testify on his or her own behalf
C) Not guilty because of insanity
D) Old enough to be tried as an adult

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Byron’s daughter

Ada Lovelace, daughter of the poet Byron, lived a brief but full life, ended by illness in 1852 when she was just 36. By then she had made her own contribution to history as a pioneer in which field?

A) Aviation
B) Computer programming
C) Philosophy
D) Telephony

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Pantisocracy

In the form of government known as “pantisocracy”, who is in charge?

A) Everyone, equally
B) Married people with children
C) The community’s leading philosopher
D) Women

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John the Composer

Which of the following is generally regarded as the greatest English composer of the 15th century?

A) John Bull
B) John Dowland
C) John Dunstable
D) John Mundy

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Silphion

An important element of fine cuisine in ancient Greece and Rome was silphion. What was it?

A) The blessing of the household gods upon the food and dishes
B) The ideal balance of music, wine, food and conversation
C) A prized spice of North Africa that grew only in the wild
D) The common potato, which was believed to “strengthen the blood”

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Faust, the musical

The legend of Dr. Faust, or Faustus, who sold his soul to the devil, is the source for great plays by Marlowe and Goethe, but also for musical treatments by all the following 19th-century composers except:

A) Hector Berlioz
B) Johannes Brahms
C) Charles Gounod
D) Richard Wagner

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Strait and narrow

Approximately how wide is the Strait of Gibraltar — the narrow opening that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea — at its widest point?

A) 5 km (3 mi)
B) 8 km (5 mi)
C) 13 km (8 mi)
D) 21 km (13 mi)

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Clepsydra

What is a clepsydra?

A) A heated swimming pool
B) A serpent-headed lion
C) A six-stringed lyre
D) A water clock

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Every dog has his theory

In the 1860s, following the publication Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species and the birth of a new era in biology, brilliant English scientist Thomas Huxley was known as “Darwin’s bulldog”. Why?

A) Because of his tenacious public defence of evolutionary theory
B) Because his loyalty to Darwin allowed for no criticism at all
C) Because he attacked Darwin’s positions at every opportunity
D) Because his speaking style was said to resemble a dog’s barking

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