A
Anonymous
Guest
Economy.
1. What was the name of the trade alliance of cities in the Baltic and North Sea area that today still is referred to in the official title of some northern German cities?
2. Prior to industrialisation, what were the top export goods of the British colony of Canada?
3. The historical cultivation of which crop may be evidence for early trans-Pacific trade relations?
4. What did the Greeks and Romans refer to as the "Persian Fruit" though it was native to China?
5. Which King is credited with introducing the first systematic coinage?
6. Which island was -and in modern tourist promotion still is- referred to as "Copper island"?
7. What was the main economic argument for the founding of St. Petersburg?
8. Why was Alexander's campaign disastrous for Greece?
1. What was the name of the trade alliance of cities in the Baltic and North Sea area that today still is referred to in the official title of some northern German cities?
Hansa, or Hanseatic League
2. Prior to industrialisation, what were the top export goods of the British colony of Canada?
Wood, furs and fish
3. The historical cultivation of which crop may be evidence for early trans-Pacific trade relations?
The sweet potato, which was cultivated in Polynesia, Indonesia, China and Japan, though native to Central America.
4. What did the Greeks and Romans refer to as the "Persian Fruit" though it was native to China?
The peach
5. Which King is credited with introducing the first systematic coinage?
Croesus of Lydia
6. Which island was -and in modern tourist promotion still is- referred to as "Copper island"?
Cyprus
7. What was the main economic argument for the founding of St. Petersburg?
The only other major Russian port, Arkhangelsk, was frozen during the long Russian winters.
8. Why was Alexander's campaign disastrous for Greece?
Alexander flooded the Greek market with Persian gold, causing an inflation from which the country would never recover.
I got...1, 2, and 7.
Deano
Ancient Mariner
1. This word means 'land between the rivers'. What is the word and to which rivers does it refer?
2. In which modern day country does Mesopotamia lie?
3. Which ancient Middle Eastern civilization invented the wheel?
4. What is the name of the Sumerian writing system, and who translated it in the 19th century?
5. Which Sumerian and later Akkadian poem has a great king searching for immortality?
I feel chep just taking this stuff off the internet but it's all in good fun.
Mesopotamia; Tigris and Euphrates
2. In which modern day country does Mesopotamia lie?
Iraq
3. Which ancient Middle Eastern civilization invented the wheel?
Sumerians
4. What is the name of the Sumerian writing system, and who translated it in the 19th century?
Cuneiform; Henry Rawlinson
5. Which Sumerian and later Akkadian poem has a great king searching for immortality?
Epic of Gilgamesh
I feel chep just taking this stuff off the internet but it's all in good fun.
I can usually get one or two of LC's, not too many of Perun's. I got #1 of Deano's.
Looks like I'm going to have to do a little studying...
Looks like I'm going to have to do a little studying...
A
Anonymous
Guest
Got all, Deano! Personal record!
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
1. Once upon a time New York was called New Amsterdam until it was lost to the English. The Dutch gave up their claim on New York in 1667 in exchange for what?
2. During the Edo period in Japan (1603-1867), the Dutch were the only Western nation allowed to trade with Japan. Their trading post, now a Dutch theme park called Huis Ten Bosch, was in which city?
3. The Dutch first landed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1602. It took them 56 years to drive out the other European nation that wanted control over the island. Which nation was this?
4. The focal point of the Dutch overseas empire in the 17th and 18th century was Jakarta in Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies). At the time it was not called Jakarta. What was the Dutch name?
5. An island in the Indian ocean was used by the Dutch as a reserve for fresh food on the way to India. It was occupied from 1638 until 1710 and was named after the Dutch stadholder (highest government official) at the time. The island still bears this name. What is it?
Surinam.
2. During the Edo period in Japan (1603-1867), the Dutch were the only Western nation allowed to trade with Japan. Their trading post, now a Dutch theme park called Huis Ten Bosch, was in which city?
Nagasaki. The trading post was in Dejima, an island in Nagasaki harbour, from 1641 until 1859. The only other foreign nation allowed to trade in Japan was China.
3. The Dutch first landed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1602. It took them 56 years to drive out the other European nation that wanted control over the island. Which nation was this?
Portugal. Ceylon did not become British until 1796. Before the Dutch took control is was a Portuguese colony.
4. The focal point of the Dutch overseas empire in the 17th and 18th century was Jakarta in Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies). At the time it was not called Jakarta. What was the Dutch name?
Batavia. Batavia did not become Jakarta until the start of World War II when Japan occupied Indonesia.
5. An island in the Indian ocean was used by the Dutch as a reserve for fresh food on the way to India. It was occupied from 1638 until 1710 and was named after the Dutch stadholder (highest government official) at the time. The island still bears this name. What is it?
Mauritius. Named after Stadholder Maurits.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Got 2 and 3, slapped my head when I read the answer to 4.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Two multiple choice ones:
1. On July 15, 1410 AD at the Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald), a combined Polish and Lithuanian force under the command of Ladislaus II, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, defeated this enemy, effectively ending it as a military threat in eastern Europe. Which enemy of Poland and Lithuania was it?
A Ottoman Turks
B Grand Duchy of Muscovy
C Teutonic Knights
D Khanate of the Golden Horde
2. In 1772 AD and again in 1793 AD portions of a weakened Poland were annexed by three major European powers. Which one of these does not belong?
A Russian Empire
B Kingdom of Prussia
C Kingdom of Sweden
D Archduchy of Austria
1. On July 15, 1410 AD at the Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald), a combined Polish and Lithuanian force under the command of Ladislaus II, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, defeated this enemy, effectively ending it as a military threat in eastern Europe. Which enemy of Poland and Lithuania was it?
A Ottoman Turks
B Grand Duchy of Muscovy
C Teutonic Knights
D Khanate of the Golden Horde
Teutonic Knights. With the conversion of the Lithuanians (the last pagan state of Europe) by the marriage of 1386 AD, the Teutonic Knights had lost their main purpose - "crusading" to convert the pagan. Their "holy mission" was soon exposed for what it was (and had always been) - land hunger!
2. In 1772 AD and again in 1793 AD portions of a weakened Poland were annexed by three major European powers. Which one of these does not belong?
A Russian Empire
B Kingdom of Prussia
C Kingdom of Sweden
D Archduchy of Austria
Kingdom of Sweden. Russia, Prussia, and Austria took part in the First Partition (1772 AD) but only Russia and Prussia in the Second Partition (1793 AD). By this time Sweden's European ambitions had been defeated and the kingdom had become a second-rate power.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Got both! 
Religion.
1. In Greek mythology, who ruled the world before the Gods?
2. Who are the "three prophets" of pre-islamic Iran?
3. Where did Martin Luther publish his 95 Theses?
4. Why do the seals of many Medieval cities feature an image of a wall with twelve gates and twelve towers?
5. The Persian King Xerxes did not only authorise the destruction of the old Acropolis in Athens. Which other (in)famous temple did he have destroyed?
6. Which two epics are the foundation of Hindu faith?
7. Who is the twelfth Imam whose return the Shi'ites are waiting for?
Religion.
1. In Greek mythology, who ruled the world before the Gods?
The Titans.
2. Who are the "three prophets" of pre-islamic Iran?
Zarathustra, Mani and Mazdak.
3. Where did Martin Luther publish his 95 Theses?
Wittenberg, now Lutherstadt-Wittenberg.
4. Why do the seals of many Medieval cities feature an image of a wall with twelve gates and twelve towers?
Because in Revelations 21, the "new Jerusalem" is described as having such a wall.
5. The Persian King Xerxes did not only authorise the destruction of the old Acropolis in Athens. Which other (in)famous temple did he have destroyed?
The Tower of Babylon.
6. Which two epics are the foundation of Hindu faith?
Mahabarata and Ramayaana.
7. Who is the twelfth Imam whose return the Shi'ites are waiting for?
Muhammad al-Mahdi, or simply "The Mahdi".
1, 3, 5, 6. Damn!
Classical music...
1. In his early twenties, Beethoven was the student of another famous composer. Who was his teacher?
2. Mozart's compositions are often referred to with a notation like "K. 123". What does the K stand for?
3. In what year is the Baroque period ususally said to have ended, and why is that year chosen?
4. What famous composer was a pallbearer at Beethoven's funeral?
5. What student and close friend of Beethoven became a famous piano teacher, whose books are still used by piano students to this day?
6. What long-time conductor of the New York Philharmonic was a student of Gustav Mahler, and also famous for his interpretations of Beethoven's symphonies?
7. In what city did Handel compose and premiere his famous "Water Music"?
1. In his early twenties, Beethoven was the student of another famous composer. Who was his teacher?
Franz Joseph Haydn.
Almost a trick question, as many people might answer "Mozart". Beethoven famously auditioned to be Mozart's student, but Mozart declined to teach him.
Almost a trick question, as many people might answer "Mozart". Beethoven famously auditioned to be Mozart's student, but Mozart declined to teach him.
2. Mozart's compositions are often referred to with a notation like "K. 123". What does the K stand for?
Kochel - or more specifically the Kochel Catalog, the canonical list of all Mozart's works in chronological order of composition.
3. In what year is the Baroque period ususally said to have ended, and why is that year chosen?
1750 - the year in which the most famous Baroque composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, died.
4. What famous composer was a pallbearer at Beethoven's funeral?
Franz Schubert
5. What student and close friend of Beethoven became a famous piano teacher, whose books are still used by piano students to this day?
Carl Czerny
6. What long-time conductor of the New York Philharmonic was a student of Gustav Mahler, and also famous for his interpretations of Beethoven's symphonies?
Bruno Walter. His interpretations of Beethoven were considered authoritative in his day (early to mid 20th century).
7. In what city did Handel compose and premiere his famous "Water Music"?
London
A
Anonymous
Guest
Got #4 and 7. Better than I expected.
I, on the other hand, struck out.
The Hermit said:
Careful there, I like history, its fun, and I usually am the one that can get them right while playing the actual Trivial Pursuit game, but I have no where near the knowledge of the two Masters Of History (Perun and LC). I am, however, happy to play and toss out the occasional question.
I completely failed on SMX's music history lesson. I did get #1 of Perun's, both of Forostar's last two (i love multiple guess), and 1 & 2 of Deano's.
I think the questions you guys have posted so far rock! I like it when I only know a few, cause I can learn something.
A
Anonymous
Guest
(Visual) Art and Architecture.
1. Name the three styles of classical Greek architecture.
2. Why is the popular title The Nightwatch for the painting by Rembrandt inappropriate?
3. What cave is referred to as the "Sistine Chapel" of Prehistoric art?
4. The "Cyclopean Walls" were the city walls of...
I'll post more tomorrow.
1. Name the three styles of classical Greek architecture.
Dorian, Ionian, Corinthian.
2. Why is the popular title The Nightwatch for the painting by Rembrandt inappropriate?
It is a daylit scene.
3. What cave is referred to as the "Sistine Chapel" of Prehistoric art?
Altamira, Spain.
4. The "Cyclopean Walls" were the city walls of...
- Rome
- Mycenae
- Carthage
- Sparta
Mycenae
I'll post more tomorrow.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Got that last one.
Some more art.
1. Who painted a panoramic landscape of death: the sky in the distance is blackened by smoke from burning cities and the sea is littered with shipwrecks. Armies of skeletons advance on the hapless living, who either flee in terror or try vainly to fight back. Skeletons kill people in a variety of ways - slitting throats, hanging, drowning, and even hunting with skeletal dogs. In the foreground, skeletons haul a wagon full of skulls, and ring the bell that signifies the death knell of the world. A fool plays the lute while a skeleton behind him plays along; a starving dog nibbles at the face of a child; a cross sits lonely and impotent in the center of the painting. People flee into a tunnel decorated with crosses whilst a skeleton on horseback slaughters people with a scythe. The painting clearly depicts people of different social backgrounds - from peasants and soldiers to nobles and even a king - being taken by death indiscriminately.
2. Which painter belongs to this description?
Many of his works depict sin and human moral failings. He used images of demons, half-human animals and machines to evoke fear and confusion to portray the evil of man. The works contain complex, highly original, imaginative, and dense use of symbolic figures and iconography, some of which was obscure even in his own time.
3. Which painter made this work?
A John Constable
B J.M.W. Turner
C Caspar David Friedrich
D Albrecht Dürer
4. Which painter helped Alfred Hitchcock with the design in some vital scenes of the film "Spellbound"?
5. Which of the following painters did not belong to the Pre-Raphaelites?
A Dante Gabriel Rossetti
B Percy Bysshe Shelley
C John Everett Millais
D William Holman Hunt
6. COBRA (or CoBrA) was a European avant-garde movement active from 1949 to 1952. What is the origin of the name?
7. How did Gaudi die?
Some more art.
1. Who painted a panoramic landscape of death: the sky in the distance is blackened by smoke from burning cities and the sea is littered with shipwrecks. Armies of skeletons advance on the hapless living, who either flee in terror or try vainly to fight back. Skeletons kill people in a variety of ways - slitting throats, hanging, drowning, and even hunting with skeletal dogs. In the foreground, skeletons haul a wagon full of skulls, and ring the bell that signifies the death knell of the world. A fool plays the lute while a skeleton behind him plays along; a starving dog nibbles at the face of a child; a cross sits lonely and impotent in the center of the painting. People flee into a tunnel decorated with crosses whilst a skeleton on horseback slaughters people with a scythe. The painting clearly depicts people of different social backgrounds - from peasants and soldiers to nobles and even a king - being taken by death indiscriminately.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder - the painting is called "The Triumph of Death"
2. Which painter belongs to this description?
Many of his works depict sin and human moral failings. He used images of demons, half-human animals and machines to evoke fear and confusion to portray the evil of man. The works contain complex, highly original, imaginative, and dense use of symbolic figures and iconography, some of which was obscure even in his own time.
Hieronymus Bosch
3. Which painter made this work?
A John Constable
B J.M.W. Turner
C Caspar David Friedrich
D Albrecht Dürer
Caspar David Friedrich - the painting bears the name "The Abbey in the Oakwood"
4. Which painter helped Alfred Hitchcock with the design in some vital scenes of the film "Spellbound"?
Salvador Dalí
5. Which of the following painters did not belong to the Pre-Raphaelites?
A Dante Gabriel Rossetti
B Percy Bysshe Shelley
C John Everett Millais
D William Holman Hunt
Percy Bysshe Shelley
6. COBRA (or CoBrA) was a European avant-garde movement active from 1949 to 1952. What is the origin of the name?
The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels (Br), Amsterdam (A)
7. How did Gaudi die?
On June 7, 1926 Gaudi was run over by a tram. Because of his ragged attire and empty pockets, many cab drivers refused to pick him up for fear that he would be unable to pay the fare. He was eventually taken to a pauper's hospital in Barcelona. Nobody recognized the injured artist until his friends found him the next day. When they tried to move him into a nicer hospital, Gaudi refused, reportedly saying "I belong here among the poor." He died three days later on June 10, 1926, half of Barcelona mourning his death. He was buried in the midst of La Sagrada Família.
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Anonymous
Guest
I got #3, although -or perhaps, because- he is one of my least favourite painters.