By Barry Prince on December 18, 2021
The quizmaster, Barry Prince (83) is aware of the irony of asking quiz questions of the AD community, when many of them suffer from memory problems, but explains: “My family member suffering from AD has wonderful memories about life in the 20th century, but struggles to recall what happened in the big netball tournament last week. Accordingly, I have selected quick quizzes from the archive that are focused on people and events before the new millennium.”
Each of the Quick Quizzes is confined to 10 questions a single subject – pop music, films, celebrities, history, and geography, for example. There aren’t any questions about politics or science – Barry says anyone who missed Chemistry and Physics at college won’t be handicapped. Most of the questions are about things that happened in the 20th century.
Hope you were listening at Sunday School!
1. In the Bible story, how many wise men were there?
2. The Latin phrase Adeste Fideles roughly translates as what?
3. The Twelve Days of Christmas end on Twelfth Night, which is on what date every year?
4. On which continent did the turkey originate?
5. 'And all the bells on Earth shall ring, on Christmas day in the morning...' is from which Christmas carol?
6. Viscum is the botanical name of which indispensable Christmas plant – holly, ivy, or mistletoe?
7. In the song The Twelve Days Of Christmas, how many lords are leaping?
8. What is the name of the angel who visited Mary?
9. Under which Puritan leader did the English parliament pass a law in 1647 banning Christmas?
10. It is traditionally believed that eating a what each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas brings happiness the following year: brandy-snap; mince pie; lamb shank, or turkey drumstick?
Scroll down for the answers
Answers
1. In the Bible story, how many wise men were there? – Nobody knows for certain! The quote in the book of Matthew says only that: “wise men came from the East.”
2. The Latin phrase Adeste Fideles roughly translates as what? – Oh Come All Ye Faithful.
3. The Twelve Days of Christmas end on Twelfth Night, which is on what date every year? – The 5th of January
4. On which continent did the turkey originate? – North America. Turkeys originated in Mexico and were first brought to England in 1526 by William Strickland.
5. 'And all the bells on Earth shall ring, on Christmas day in the morning’ ... is from which Christmas carol? – I Saw Three Ships
6. Viscum is the botanical name of which indispensable Christmas plant? – Mistletoe. Viscum is also Latin for glutinous, and gives us the words viscous and viscosity.
7. In the song The Twelve Days Of Christmas, how many lords are leaping? – From the top, it goes: 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a’leaping.
8. What is the name of the angel who visited Mary? – He is called the ‘archangel’ Gabriel.
9. Under which Puritan leader did the English parliament pass a law in 1647 banning Christmas? Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658)
10. It is traditionally believed that eating a what each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas brings happiness the following year: brandy-snap; mince pie; lamb shank, or turkey drumstick? – Mince pie. Early mince pies were made of meat, fruit, and spice and inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine brought back by the Crusaders.
© Copyright Barry Prince, 2017. All rights reserved.