Second name basis

What was the middle name of U.S. president Harry S. Truman?

A) S
B) Saginaw
C) Shemp
D) Simple

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The X factor

American statesman Benjamin Franklin said, “He that lives upon X will die fasting.” French author Francois de La Rochefoucauld said, “X and fear are inseparable.” German religious reformer Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by X.” What is X?

A) Ambition
B) Hope
C) Love
D) Luck

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Vitiate

What is the meaning of the verb vitiate?

A) Bite or gnaw
B) Corrupt or impair
C) Laze or sprawl
D) Revive or reawaken

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Better living through science

In the 1960s, U.S. chemist Norman Stingley combined two substances — butadiene and sulphur — under heat and pressure to produce the material that made possible what well-known product?

A) The non-slip sole for athletic shoes
B) Pantyhose
C) The soft contact lens
D) The Super Ball

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The Roadrunner and the Headache

Before achieving worldwide success with a long-running series of crime dramas, which well-known author wrote for pulp magazines in the 1920s, creating such unusual heroes as Dane Skarle, the “Gamy Crimefighter”, El Paisano, the “Roadrunner”, Ben Harper, the “Man Who Couldn’t Forget”, and Ed Migrane, the “Headache”?

A) Agatha Christie
B) Erle Stanley Gardner
C) Ellery Queen
D) Rex Stout

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Three-point question

Which of the following swords is not used in the modern sport of fencing?

A) Epée
B) Foil
C) Rapier
D) Saber

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Impervious horrors

Throughout the millennia, sailors have feared what the poet William Falconer called “Th’impervious horrors of a leeward shore”. A “leeward shore” is one…

A) Having no safe harbor
B) Too distant to reach with the supplies aboard
C) Towards which the wind is blowing
D) With jagged rocks just below the water surface

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The latest instalment of The Ashes — the storied cricketing contest between the national teams of England and Australia — is just now getting under way in Brisbane. To celebrate, we launch our first new quiz for some time, a novice-level Cricket Quiz that even those with scant knowledge of the game can approach without fear. If you’re the sort who doesn’t like to linger over abstruse pleasures, cricket might not be the game for you, but you could still try the quick version of the quiz before making your hasty judgement: it has all the questions on one page with a minimum of supplementary information. Whichever version you choose, here’s the first question:

The first official international cricket match was held in 1844. Which were the participating countries?

A) Afghanistan and India
B) Australia and England
C) Canada and the United States
D) Ireland and Scotland

Place name

“Logria” is an ancient name for which country?

A) Denmark
B) England
C) Germany
D) Scotland

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Oil Grey

The popular tea blend known as “Earl Grey” owes its distinctive flavor to the oil of…

A) A Chinese flower
B) An English herb
C) An Indian nut
D) An Italian fruit

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