Cumulative PM-based History Quiz II

[Serutan]

OK, thanx.

 

[Rambuchan]

I'm still totally stumped on the not medieval thing. Are there any clues to be handed out?

 

[Richard Cribb]

I'm still totally stumped on the not medieval thing. Are there any clues to be handed out?

OK, since it is you and nobody else seems to bother to try anyway, be my guest :

 

[thetrooper]

@luce: what's the status of your pm quota?

 

[Richard Cribb]

Ouuch...
I am quite unused to such on-line popularity and additionaly was off-line for a couple of hours.
It is fixed now however.

 

[Richard Cribb]

Last bulletin before I hit the sack.
Rambuchan earns another extra point, pushing his score up to an amazing 16.
Apart from that, everything has been very quiet on all fronts.
Good night to everybody out there!

 

[YNCS]

Nighty-night. And don't worry about the monster in the closet.

 

[Richard Cribb]

I was intending to do an extensive summary on this quiz, but due to unfortunate circumstances I will just give the answers now, so that Rambuchan can post his quiz:
So here is a Reader's Digest version of the answers, I will try to post more later.
1.Who is this and what was he called?

François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture, also Toussaint Breda, Toussaint-Louverture(1743 - 1803) ,one of the leaders of the slave revoolt on Haiti in 1791 and a major figure in the ensuing struggles. He is also known as the black Spartacus.
I will get back to this fascinating person.

2.What important invention is usually attributed to Cai Lun?
Cai Lun (50-121) is usually credited with having invented paper.

3..What is the witch of Agnesi, and how did it get its name?
The "witch of Agnesi" is a mathematical curve studied by Maria Agnesi in 1748 in her book Instituzioni analitiche ad uso della gioventù italiana (the first surviving mathematical work written by a woman).
The name "witch" derives from a mistranslation of the term averisera ("versed sine curve," from the Latin vertere, "to turn") in the original work as avversiera ("witch" or "wife of the devil") in an 1801 translation of the work by Cambridge Lucasian Professor of Mathematics John Colson .

4.What was the Ludlow massacre?

One of the bloodiest assaults on organized labour in the US. In 1914 a group of Colorado miners and their families tried to organize a union and were shot by strikebreakers working for the mine owners.

5.What is this?

A Victorian chastity belt designed to prevent masturbation.

6.Which composer wrote a cantata lamenting his dead canary bird?
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 - 1767)
Pretty much the composer of the day, Telemann is again after a time in oblivion rehabilitated and put back in his well-deserved place as one of the greatest composers in the late baroque era. In his large production one can find many humorous pieces, like his mourning cantata over his canary bird eaten by a cat.

7.What does it mean to dance the Paddington frisk?
One of many expression for being hanged.

8.8.What event is described here? Bonus: By whom?

"The enemies Battaile standing firme, looking on us at a neere distance, and seeing the other Briggads and ours wheeleing about, making front unto them, they were prepared with a firme resolution to receive us with a salve of Cannon and Muskets; but our small Ordinance being twice discharged amongst them, and before we stirred, we charged them with a salve of muskets, which was repaied, and incontinent our Brigged advancing unto them with push of pike, putting one of their battailes in disorder, fell on the execution, so that they were put to the route.


I having commanded the right wing of our musketiers, being my Lord of Rhees and Lumsdells, we advanced on the other body of the enemies, which defended their Cannon, and beating them from their Cannon, we were master of their Cannon, and consequently of the field, but the smoake being great, the dust being raised, we were as in a dark cloude, not seeing the halfe of our actions, much lesse discerning, either the way of our enemies, or yet the rest of our Briggads: whereupon, having a drummer by me, I caused him beate the Scots march, till it clered up, which recollected our friends unto us, and dispersed our enemies being overcome; so that the Briggad coming together, such as were alive missed their dead and hurt Camerades."

The first battle of Breitenfeld, 7th September 1631 where Gustaf II Adolf's Swedish army inflicted a crushing defeat on the up to then invincible imperial army lead by count Tilly. The description is from one of the many scots in foreign service at the time, Robert Monro.

9.Denmark was also a colonial power. One of its most well-known colonies was Trankebar. What was the geographical location of that colony?

Coromandel Coast in the Bay of Bengal.

10.According to Lynn White, which invention created the feudal system?

The stirrup.

11.What event is depicted here?

Mihai Viteazul (Mihai the Brave") entering Alba Iulia on November 1, 1599. Mihai Viteazul became voivode of Valachia in 1593, joined the Christian League - an anti-Ottoman coalition initiated by the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire and he succeeded, following heavy battles (Calugareni, Giurgiu) to actually regain the independence of his country. In 1599-1600 he united for the first time in history all the territories inhabited by Romanians, proclaiming himself "prince of Valachia, Transylvania and the whole of Moldavia." The domestic situation was very complex, the neighboring great-powers - the Ottoman Empire, Poland, the Hapsburg Empire - were hostile and joined forces to overthrow him; so this union was short-lived as Michael the Brave was assassinated in 1601. The painting shows him after the victory of the battle of Selimbar which gave him the control of Transilvania, entering Alba Iulia. The keys to the city is presented to him by bishop Napragy.

12.According to legend, how did the painter Zeuxis die?
He died of laughter from a painting he had made himself of an old woman.

13.Which people is described here?

[---] have such absolute Notions of Liberty that they allow of no Kind of Superiority of one over another, and banish all Servitude from their Territories. They never make any prisoner a slave, but it is customary among them to make a Compliment of Naturalization into [---], considering how highly they value themselves above all others, this must be no small compliment . . .

The Iroquois. In recent years some historians has been occupied with the influence the Iroquois had on the US democracy. While this is a raging debate, it seems clear that they had a certain impact.

14.What was the world's first computer game? NB: Be aware that many sources are mistaken about this one.

A version of noughts and crosses (Tic-Tac-Toe) to run on the EDSAC made by Alexander (Sandy) Douglas a PhD student at Cambridge University in 1952 .

15.What is the origin to the saying "cobbler stick to your last"("sutor ultra crepidam")?

The famous Greek artist called "Apelles, a contemporary of Alexander the Great, once made a mistake in his drawing of a sandal and was corrected by a cobbler. Spurred by his success, the cobbler then proceeded to critisize the legs of the subject in the painting, which gave Apelles the opportunity to this famous rebuke.

16. What sort of book is Guanzi ?
One of the first philosophy books in the world written by Guan Zhong, dating from about 685 -643 BC.

17. Who wrote this:

The rights of men stem exclusively from the fact that they are sentient beings, capable of acquiring moral ideas and of reasoning upon them. Since women have the same qualities, they necessarily also have the same rights. Either no member of the human race has any true rights, or else they all have the same ones; and anyone who votes against the rights of another, whatever his religion, coulour, or sex, automatically forfeits his own. It would be difficult to prove women incapable of exercising the right of citizenship. Why should people who experience pregnancies and monthly indispositions be unable to exercise rights we would never refuse to men who have gout every winter or who catch cold easily? People argue that, differences in education apart, men are still naturally more intelligent than women; but this is far from being proven, and would have to be before women could justly be deprived of a natural right. Even if we did accept it, their superiority would consist in just two points, it is said that no woman has ever made an important scientific discovery, or shown signs of genius in the arts or in literature, and so on, but we would hardly attempt to limit citizenship rights only to men of genius. It is also said that no woman has the same breadth of knowledge, or the same power of reason, as certain men; but this simply means that, with the exception of a small class of very enlightened men, there is complete equality between women and all other men; and that, this small class apart, both sexes have an equal share of inferior and superior minds. It would be quite absurd to limit the right of citizenship and the ability to discharge public functions to the superior class. Whey, then, should we exclude women, rather than those men who are inferior to a great many women?

Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, marquis de Condorcet .(1743-1794)
The favourite Enlightenment thinker of yours truly, way more progressive than some of the more famous salon lions, advocating a liberal economy( very progressive at that point of history), free and equal public education, constitutional justice, and equal rights for women and people of all races.

18. Whose coat of arms is this?

Matyas Hunyady, also known as Matthias Corvinus, Hungary's illustrious renaissance king (1443 - 1490) .
There exists at least three explanations for why he took the name corvinus(raven).

19.What was the Lunar society?

A society of Victorian British industrialist and modernists.Among its members was Erasmus Darwin and James Watt.

20.What is sedina stercoraria ?

Literally the "pierced chair" or "dung chair". A chair used in the Vatican for determining the gender of the pope by letting a cardinal examine his genitals. It is supposed to have been used after the pope Joan affair.
Since this is a legend, it is unlikely it was ever used and it has been suggested that this chair might also have been a toilet or a birth chair. But it is a nice story anyway.

21.Where was the famous explorer Maurycy Beniowsky (Moric Benovsky) appointed king?

Madagascar.

22.I suppose everybody knows the name of this painting and who made it, as well as the two persons in the middle.
But do you also know who is in the lower left part of it, with his head encircled with red?

Ibn Rushd, better known as Averroes. (1126-1198)
One of the most famous intellectuals in his time, philosopher, physician and matemathician, and the foremost scholar on Aristotle.
The painting is Rafael's "School of Athens"

If somebody has any comments, questions, critique, please by all means step forward.

And so over to you Rambuchan

 

[Rambuchan]

I was intending to do an extensive summary on this quiz

I look forward to a discussion on your quiz questions. There were some very interesting subjects you introduced us to. . Here were my favourite questions:

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1. François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture, also Toussaint Breda, Toussaint-Louverture. I had never heard of this guy.

5.What is this?

A Victorian chastity belt designed to prevent masturbation. I was really close!!!!

8.The first battle of Breitenfeld, 7th September 1631 where Gustaf II Adolf's Swedish army inflicted a crushing defeat on the up to then invincible imperial army lead by count Tilly. The description is from one of the many scots in foreign service at the time, Robert Monro.

9.Denmark was also a colonial powe...Coromandel Coast in the Bay of Bengal.

10.According to Lynn White, which invention created the feudal system?
The stirrup.

11.What event is depicted here...Mihai Viteazul (Mihai the Brave") entering Alba Iulia on November 1, 1599.

12.According to legend, how did the painter Zeuxis die?
He died of laughter from a painting he had made himself of an old woman.

13.The Iroquois. In recent years some historians has been occupied with the influence the Iroquois had on the US democracy. While this is a raging debate, it seems clear that they had a certain impact.

16. What sort of book is Guanzi ? One of the first philosophy books in the world written by Guan Zhong, dating from about 685 -643 BC.

21.Where was the famous explorer Maurycy Beniowsky (Moric Benovsky) appointed king?

Madagascar.

22.Ibn Rushd, better known as Averroes. (1126-1198) One of the most famous intellectuals in his time, philosopher, physician and matemathician, and the foremost scholar on Aristotle. The painting is Rafael's "School of Athens"

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Please excuse me posting the next quiz so quickly. I am leaving soon and will be away till at least Saturday evening and maybe Sunday. But please go ahead and discuss Luc's chosen subjects.

I've put together a mixture of easy and hard questions. A few minutes Googling on each question will get you a high score. Other questions will need more than Google but I've framed these so it's easy to make guess at least. Rewards for going further into the topics too. Lots of points to be had.

All in all I have cooked up a feast . I'll be serving up in a minute...

 

[Rambuchan]

“Chez Ram”
[Aka Rambuchan’s First Quiz]
20 Questions – A feast of points to be had!!!

Starters​

1) Comparative Mythology has recognised that many geographically distinct cultures have created parallel Gods for the world around them. For example an Ocean or Sea God appears in many cultures’ pantheon of Gods: Greek (Poseidon), Roman (Neptune), Egyptian (Sebek) and Indian (Varuna). Please choose either 'Starter Menu A' or 'B' and correctly fill in the spaces where you see ‘???’ for [1 point each (4)]:

Starter Menu A
Function: Lightning God
Greek: ???
Roman: ???
Egyptian: ???
Indian: ???

Starter Menu B
Function: Death God
Greek: ???
Roman: ???
Egyptian: ???
Indian: ???​

2) The Safavid Persian Empire is known as one of “The Three ??? Empires”. Fill in ??? and tell me the name of the other two empires. [3 points]

3) What is the name and location of the church which the British abolitionists Zachary Macaulay and William Wilberforce attended in London? [1 point]

Main Course​

4) This is a little something I quickly put together to tell the story of one of the most famous jewels in the world (it also proves that women always get their way in the end).

Please fill in the blanks to tell me what three names this jewel has been known by through history. [1 point for each]:

a) The **** ** *****
b) The ***-*-*** [1 point for the English translation as well]
c) *****’s *******

There are [2 points] for telling me the name of the mines that the gem came from and [1 point] for each of the portraits you can identify.

5) Whose parents’ real life romance gives the inspiration for the novel “Love in a Time of Cholera”? [1 point] Who wrote it? [1 point]

6) Who wrote ‘Monkey’? [1 point] What is it about? [1 point]

7) From which group of people does the following myth / legend / story come from? I need the specific ethnic / cultural group and the wider nation that they belonged to please. There is a point for each. [2 points]

“Many interesting myths are related of the manner in which Hi’nun destroyed the monsters and giants which infested the early world. A hunter, caught in a heavy thunder-shower, took refuge in the woods. Crouching under the shelter of a great tree, he became aware of a mysterious voice which urged him to follow it. He was conscious of a sensation of slowly rising from the earth, and he soon found himself gazing downward from a point near the clouds, the height of many trees from the ground. He was surrounded by beings who had all the appearance of men, with one among them who seemed to be their chief. They asked him to cast his eyes toward the earth and tell them whether he could see a huge water-serpent. Unable to spy such a monster, the chief anointed his eyes with a sacred ointment, which gave him supernatural sight and permitted him to behold a dragon-like shape in the watery depths far below him. The chief commanded one of his warriors to dispatch the monster, but arrow after arrow failed to transfix it, whereupon the hunter was requested to display his skill as an archer. Drawing his bow, he took careful aim. The arrow whizzed down the depths and was speedily lost to sight, but a terrible commotion arose in the lake below, the body of the great serpent leaping from the blood-stained water with dreadful writhings and contortions. So appalling was the din that rose up to them that even the heavenly beings by whom the hunter was surrounded fell into a great trembling; but gradually the tempest of sound subsided, and the huge bulk of the mortally wounded serpent sank back into the lake, the surface of which became gradually more still, until finally all was peace once more. The chief thanked the hunter for the service he had rendered, and he was conducted back to earth. Thus was man first brought into contact with the beneficient Hi’nun, and thus did he learn the existence of a power which would protect him from forces unfriendly to humanity”.

8) What colour did a notorious Jamaican rebel movement take as their identifier and name? (They were fighting against the English). [1 point]

Their insignia, often seen on the buttons of their coats, was an [animal] holding a [plant] and an [plant] branch. [3 points]

9) Michel Foucault wrote a book, first published in 1961 by Librairie Plon, entitled “Folie et ???" or “Madness and ???". I need both the French and the English ??? for [1 point].

10) Who painted these? [1 point] Which two 20th century art movements do critics often say the artist united, or at least bridged? [2 points]

11) Who directed the film “Raise the Red Lantern” and what is it about? [2 points]

12) What misfortune did the poet Ma’sud Sa’ad Salman suffer for 18 years of his life? [1 point] Which three literary traditions (languages) did his body of work help unite? [3 points]

13) From which religion and modern day nation does this painting come from? [2 points]

14) ‘Kimchi / Gimchi’ is the national dish of which nation? [1 point] What is it? [1 point]

15) Tell me the name of the martial tradition the weapon being described below comes from, and the geographical location of that tradition. [2 points](I have of course blanked out any clues in the text): [3 bonus points for the first person to provide a photo of an urumi or it in use]

“Urumi is the most popular weapon described in the Ballads of

Spoiler :

. It is some what an exclusive weapon, popular in the northern parts. It has a long blade with spring like action, 41/2’ to 51/2’ in length and ¾” to 1” in width. It has a small handle with cover. As an urumi can be wrapped round the waist, it is the best weapon to be carried with ease. A woman can keep an urumi around her waist and use it, if required.

Spoiler :

, one of the heroines of the ballads of North

Spoiler :

, is said to be an expert in the use of this weapon.

While practicing urumi, shield is used for self defence. It is a dangerous weapon as it will coil round the user, if he fails to keep its correct speed, wrist-work and pose.

There were a number of other weapons on which practices were held in

Spoiler :

and referred to in medieval literature (like ponti, bow and arrow,

Spoiler :

(axe),

Spoiler :

, and trisool), but have almost vanished from the

Spoiler :

of today.”

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

16) There are five pillars of Shia Islam, often symbolised by the five fingers on a hand. Tell me what those 5 Shia pillars are in both English [1 point] and Arabic [1 point]. Clarifier available upon request.

17) The Incan Empire, at its height, surpassed the Roman Empire’s greatest extent. This was a truly massive, mountainous empire which needed to be strictly and meticulously organised. There were records of everything and Incan census taking was far more detailed than Europe’s at the time. The empire depended on a very precise and elaborate bureaucratic system. Yet the Inca’s did not write at all. In Civ terms you might say 'they never discovered Writing’ . So how was this bureaucracy conducted? [2 points – 1 for describing how they did it, 1 for naming ‘it’]

Desserts​

18) Australian Aborigines were, and still are, flamboyant storytellers. They did so with their cave paintings, which are the oldest in the world (some located in Arnhem Land, Ubirr, and Nourlangie have been dated back to 40,000 years old). What wind instrument did / do they use to accompany the viewing of these paintings with music, thereby making theirs the world’s oldest, and most enduring, audio-visual storytelling tradition? [1 point]

19) In which culture / empire was this made? [2 points] What kind of person does it depict? [1 point]

20)

SWEETS
No. 74 - ASSORTED BAKLAWA (5 pieces) £3.50
​

Which large body of water (ocean or sea) does this sweet most commonly get eaten next to?[1 point]
What nut is most commonly used in the making of this sweet? [1 point]

---------​

Side orders of clues available upon request. To be posted on the thread for all.

Your waiter for this evening will be: Pierre​

---------​

c. 60 points total – Entries received after exactly one week (to the minute) of this post will not be accepted. Results posted asap upon receipt but please bear in mind that I will not be around on CFC from Friday 4pm GMT and maybe till Sunday daytime GMT. I will attend to all PMs as soon as I return. Word doc attached for easy reference and printing.

May the best history buff win!

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

A few minutes Googling on each question

That brings up a question: From my understanding, googling is out for the PM quiz, and fine for the regular one (especially since Lucea introduced the picture quizzes, where google won't help much anyway).
Am I wrong here?

Of course, if you explicitely allow it, it's fine.

 

[Richard Cribb]

Allow me to be the first one to say: brilliant!
I will probably participate hors concours.

 

[Rambuchan]

That brings up a question: From my understanding, googling is out for the PM quiz, and fine for the regular one (especially since Lucea introduced the picture quizzes, where google won't help much anyway).
Am I wrong here?

Of course, if you explicitely allow it, it's fine.

Yes Doc, please google away on this quiz (talk to your waiter). I'd rather you learned from the experience than sat scratching your head in displeasure because of a silly rule which I don't think exists.

[EDIT - Oops it does exist - but please research with whatever you have at your disposal for this quiz. Should be interesting not frustrating.]

 

[Rambuchan]

Nonconformist Is in with the first answers already!!!! His score is...... 4.5. Check your PMs noncon.

 

[Richard Cribb]

That brings up a question: From my understanding, googling is out for the PM quiz, and fine for the regular one (especially since Lucea introduced the picture quizzes, where google won't help much anyway).
Am I wrong here?

Of course, if you explicitely allow it, it's fine.

No you are right - as usual I should probably add.
But apart from the fact that Rambuchan as quiz-master allows it, I would also rather have preferred some "googlers" answering mine. It is a little turn-offish to prepare an intellectual banquet and so experience that only three guests accepts the invitation...

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Oh, I loved your questions...I even had some 'educated guesses' which turned out to be correct, and while I forget Toussaint's name, I knew he was from Haiti and the era. And as you'd expect, I knew that Victorian thingie ...

But, the rules forbid me to submit anyway.

 

[Serutan]

@doc - You can submit, you just can't win.

 

[YNCS]

I never Google before I submit the answers to a quiz. I just Googled several of Rambuchan's questions that I didn't know. I was able to find the answers, but I've already submitted my answers and I'm not going to change them.

If somebody Googles where Wilberforce lived in London (the location being the name of a particular sect led by John Venn, the rector of the church Wilberforce attended), I consider it cheating.

I realize that there's no way to tell if somebody Googled or not. Personal pride keeps me from Googling.

 

[Plotinus]

Personally I would never Google answers to a quiz as I don't see the point - answering the quiz just becomes a mechanical exercise and not a test of knowledge. It would be interesting to have a quiz which is intended to be Googled (and Jeevesed and so on), but where the questions are phrased in such a way that it's not obvious what to type and how to do it. The famous King William's School quiz - http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1379479,00.html - is just such a quiz. But it's not easy to set.

 

[Richard Cribb]

I don't google myself.
And yes, I regard it as cheating - usually.
But on the other hand I realize that my questions seems to be rather far out in this community, judging from the simple fact that when I tried to make a popular one, it failed miserably.
Alternatively I can save myself the trouble, of course...
About King William's School quiz; yes it is interesting and ingenious, but I fear that this sort of thing would be even less popular than those I make.