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The H2O Factor

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. The ancient Romans built complex waterworks. Which of the following is sometimes credited with contributing to the decline of the Roman Empire's ruling class?

   A. Aqueducts that spread malaria

   B. Famine from poor crop irrigation

   C. Plumbing that caused lead poisoning

2. Sir Benjamin Thompson was a physicist whose work led to improvements in cooking equipment and steam heating. True or false: Although a member of British nobility, Thompson was born in the United States.
3. In the Americas, some of the oldest manmade water systems currently in operation can be found in which country?

   A. Canada

   B. Colombia

   C. Peru

4. The clepsydra, or water clock, was the first mechanical clock. True or false: All authorities agree that it was invented in Japan.
5. In 1854, British physician John Snow traced a disease outbreak to a single contaminated water well in Golden Square London. Which disease was traced to this pump?

   A. Anthrax

   B. Onchocerciasis

   C. Cholera

6. Malaria-spreading mosquitoes breed in standing water. True or false: In Singapore, to prevent malaria, the law requires that outdoor flowerpots be properly drained.
7. Potable water is a valuable resource in arid Australia. In the old Australian song "Waltzing Matilda," which of the following refers to a source of water?

   A. Billabong

   B. Coolibah

   C. Jumbuck

8. Desalination plants convert sea water into drinking water, but the process is expensive. True or false: Today, most desalination plants are located in the Middle East.
9. Wherever you travel, you need to be able to discern the men's restroom from the women's. Match the following terms (often found on restroom doors) with their countries.

   A. Herren / Damen	1. Sweden
   B. Signori / Signore	2. Germany
   C. Herrar / Damer	3. Italy

10. Some waters are believed to have rejuvenating powers. True or false: The famous spa at Baden-Baden, Germany, has been in use since Roman times.

Answers

1. C. The Romans made their water pipes out of lead.
2. True. Born in Massachusetts in 1753, he spied on the United States for England during the American Revolution.
3. C. Some pre-Columbian irrigation systems and agricultural terraces developed by the Incas are still in use in Peru.
4. False. The origin of the clepsydra is disputed, but it is usually credited to the Middle East, with refinements by the Chinese.
5. C
6. True. Singapore's Ministry of Environment orders strict fines for offenders.
7. A. Billabong is an Aussie word for water hole.
8. True
9. A,2; B,3; C,1
10. True

Take Me To Your Leader

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. TRUE or FALSE: Within a generation or two, Japan may have its first female emperor.
2. A country's head of state is not always an elected official. True or false: The current head of state of Sweden is its king, Carl XVI Gustaf.
3. These Caribbean islands are classified as dependent states or overseas departments of larger nations. Although these islands have local governments, their official heads of state reside in larger nations. Match each island with the country in which its official head of state resides.

   A. Aruba	1. United Kingdom
   B. Cayman Islands	2. France
   C. Martinique	3. Netherlands

4. In 1994, a multinational military force temporarily restored exiled leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president of Haiti. (He served as President on three separate occasions). True or false: Aristide is a former Roman Catholic priest.
5. Who among the following is the current prime minister of Canada?

   A. Queen Elizabeth II

   B. Stephen Harper

   C. Jean Chrétien

6. True or false: The United Kingdom's election of Tony Blair in May 1997 marked the end of eighteen years of rule by Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
7. Which of the following countries has both a prime minister and a president?

   A. Brazil

   B. Qatar

   C. Singapore

8. General Alfredo Stroessner was the longest-ruling head of state and president in the Western Hemisphere in the twentieth century. True or false: Stroessner remains president of Paraguay.
9. Oscar Arias received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1987 for his work in negotiating a Central American peace plan. He was president of which nation?

   A. El Salvador

   B. Costa Rica

   C. Honduras

10. Edith Cresson was a controversial French politician. True or false: In 1991 she became the first woman to serve as prime minister of France.

Answers

1. ANSWER: FALSE. Although Japan has historically had male emperors, there had not been a male born into the Japanese royal family for some forty years....until September of 2006!
   The current heir to the throne, Crown Prince Naruhito, has a daughter as his heir, which might have forced the change in tradition. However, his brother Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko, had a baby boy who can theoretically become the next Emperor of Japan. The baby was named Hisahito, and he may be heir to the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy.
2. True
3. A,3; B,1; C,2
4. True. Aristide was suspended from the Salesian order in 1988 for his involvement in politics.
5. B. Prime Minister Harper has been the head of government since February of 2006, but since Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth is technically Canada's head of state.
6. True . And in June of 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a member of the Labor Party, began to serve.
7. C. Singapore, the smallest of these countries, has both a president and a prime minister.
8. False. General Stroessner was deposed in 1989, after thirty-five years of dictatorial rule.
9. B.
10. True. However, she held office for only ten months. Labeled “incredibly maladroit” at politics, this controversial politician claimed that the Japanese were successful economically because of their “antlike qualities,” and declared that one in every four British men were “homosexuals” (presumably those who did not flirt with her). Subsequently, Ms. Cresson became a senior EU official, and in 2003, was charged with fraud and abuse of confidence by Belgian prosecutors.

Foreign Phrases

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. Satirist H.L. Mencken said, "If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me." However, most Swiss businesspeople speak at least a little:

   A. Swiss, English, and Italian

   B. German, French, Italian, and English

   C. Dutch, Italian, French, and Romansch

2. Good first impressions can be made by using correct introductions. The phrase Trevligt att träffas (Pleased to meet you) is a gracious greeting in:

   A. St. Kitts and Nevis

   B. St. Croix

   C. Sweden

3. At breakfast in Egypt, you might ask for some ful. True or false: This common dish is a sugary, sesame-seed confection.
4. Toastmasters in Beijing say Ganbei (Dry glass). Match the following toasts to the places you are likely to hear them.

   A. A la Salute; Cin Cin	1. Hawaii
   B. Saude; Viva	2. Italy
   C. Ola mau loa	3. Brazil

5. George Bernard Shaw said, "America and Britain are two nations divided by a common language." True or false: US kerosene is called paraffin England.
6. In Jamaica, something that is irie is:

   A. Illegal

   B. Bad or nasty

   C. Good or nice

7. The cry of the French Revolution was liberté, égalité, fraternité. True or false: This is usually translated into English as liberty, egalitarianism, fatherhood.
8. If you're invited to a Braaivleis in South Africa, you can expect a:

   A. Formal dinner

   B. Barbecue

   C. Costume party

9. True or false: To "jack up" something in New Zealand is to arrange or organize it.
10. There are variations of Spanish throughout Latin America, but the following phrases will get you through many situations in any Spanish-speaking nation. Match the phrase with its meaning.

    A. Por favor	1. Thank you
    B. Perdón	2. I'm sorry
    C. Gracias	3. Excuse me
    D. Lo siento	4. Please

Answers

1. B. Switzerland has three official languages: French, Italian, and German, although most businesspeople speak some English as well. The Swiss also have a protected language, Romansch, and take the preservation of their languages and cultures quite seriously.
2. C. In Sweden, it's pronounced TRAYvlikt aht TREHffass.
3. False. Ful is a fava-bean dish. Sesame seeds go into halawa.
4. A,2; B,3; C,1
5. True. And of course, gasoline is called petrol.
6. C. The term is often used in reggae music.
7. False. The usual translation is liberty, equality, fraternity. This slogan has been adopted by many freedom fighters in the 200-plus years since the French Revolution.
8. B. Often shortened to Braai, such barbecues are popular ways of entertaining. Guests often bring alcohol to Braaivleises.
9. True
10. A,4; B,3; C,1; D,2

Gods, Goddesses, And Glorious Legends

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. The Roman (or Greek) Pantheon contained twelve gods on Mount Olympus and two on earth. One of these gods was Jupiter, who was:

   A. God of the underworld

   B. Patron of travel

   C. Master of the skies

2. The Aztecs also had a pantheon of gods. True or false: Tonacatecutli was the eternal and supreme Aztec god.
3. Polynesians refer to the mythical concepts of Ao and Po, the universal forces of:

   A. Life and Death

   B. Masculinity and Femininity

   C. Past and Future

4. In Norse mythology, the ruler of the gods was Odin. True or false: Odin had only one eye because he bartered the other for a drink at the Well of Wisdom.
5. Goddesses of love play important roles in the legends of many cultures. Connect each goddess to her respective culture.

   A. Tlazolteotl	1. Egyptian
   B. Venus	2. Aztec
   C. Hathor	3. Roman

6. The Gaelic god of love was Angus Og, who himself fell in love with a magical maiden named Caer. She lived six months each year as a woman and the other six as a:

   A. Tigress

   B. Wolf

   C. Swan

7. The Navajo tell of a great flood that occurred after someone stole the children of the water serpent, Tieholtsodi. True or false: The thief was Coyote.
8. The heroic archetype is found worldwide. Match the following heroes with the appropriate locale.

   A. Siegfried	1. England
   B. Beowolf	2. Africa
   C. Don Quixote	3. Spain
   D. Mwindo	4. Germany

9. Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, was born when Izanagi washed the defilements from the land of the dead out of his left eye. True or false: Tsukiyomi, the moon, was born when Izanagi washed his right eye.
10. The "hitching post of the sun," intihuatana, at Machu Picchu is dedicated to the sun god Inti, who was the ancestor of his people, the:

    A. Maya

    B. Gauls

    C. Inca

Answers

1. C. Jupiter is known in Greek as Zeus.
2. True. Although many are more familiar with the Aztecs' hero god, Quetzalcoatl.
3. B. Ao is the masculine force, as well as the day and the sky; Po is the feminine force, along with the night and the earth.
4. True. In return for wisdom, Odin plucked out his own eye, and threw it down Mimir's well.
5. A, 2; B, 3; C, 1
6. C. And when Angus Og begged Caer to be his bride on Samhain (Halloween), the god of love was transformed into a swan as well.
7. True. The flood was so great it destroyed two worlds. We now live in the fifth world, safe from flooding, because Coyote gave Tieholtsodi's children back.
8. A, 4; B, 1; C, 3; D, 2
9. True. And when Izanagi washed his nose, Susanowo, the storm god, was born.
10. C. Inti was a kind Incan deity, as was his wife, the moon.

That Which We Call A Rose

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. Sculptures of a female figure symbolizing the French nation can be found in most city halls in France. What is this symbol's name?

   A. Brigitte

   B. Catherine

   C. Marianne

2. True of false: The names Sinead, Shena, and Sheena are all Irish versions of the English name Jane.
3. In Singapore, if you meet a Chinese woman named Li Chu Chin, what would be the most proper way to address her in English?

   A. Madame Li

   B. Madame Chu

   C. Madame Chin

4. The names Frances and Francis sound alike in English. One spelling is generally used for men, the other for women. True or false: Frances is the most common version used for a woman.
5. In the Middle East, you might see the name Khadijah binti Oman. True or false: Even if you did not know Khadijah was a woman's name, you could still discern her gender.
6. The sirens encountered by Odysseus on his long journey had counterparts in Germanic mythology. True or false: The most famous of the Germanic sirens was named Lorelei.
7. True or false: You can probably identify the gender of traditional Japanese speakers from transcripts of their dialogue.
8. In Sweden, the names Sara, Margareta, Johanna, Magdalena, Emma, and Kristina all refer to:

   A. The names of days celebrated during "Woman Week" on the traditional Swedish calendar.

   B. The names of female characters in Ingmar Bergman's early films

   C. A singing group known as the Andrewsson Sisters

9. Australia has many distinctive slang terms. True or false: A Margaret is the most common slang term for a young woman in Australia.
10. In the Italian tradition, an old woman on a donkey brings gifts to children on the Eve of the Epiphany, which is January 5. What is the name of this old woman?

    A. Antonia

    B. Befana

    C. Centimani

Answers

1. C. Her image also appears on French coinage.
2. True. Variations of the name Jane exist in many languages.
3. A. Chinese names are presented in the opposite order from Western names. If her name is Li Chu Chin, Li is her surname and Chin is her first name.
4. True. The mnemonic device is "E is for hEr (FrancEs) and I is for him(FrancIs)."
5. True. The term binti (somtimes spelled "binty" or "binte" in English) means "daughter of."
6. True This siren lured sailors on the Rhone River rather than in the Mediterranean.
7. True. Japanese women traditionally used a highly deferential form of the language called nyobo kotoba.
8. A. This week falls in late July.
9. False. Sheila is the most common term for a woman. Margaret is an Australian surfing term for a big wave.
10. B. On the same night, children often dress up as old people called befani and go door to door collecting treats.

Notorious

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. True or false: Mariano Melgarejo, a former Bolivian dictator, attempted to intervene during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War by marching his army all the way to Europe.
2. Ned Kelly was one of the best-known Australians of the 1870s. What occupation brought him this notoriety?

   A. Con artist and forger

   B. Horse thief, cattle rustler, and bank robber

   C. Pirate and smuggler

3. Mae West (1892-1980) shocked and amused audiences with lines like "When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better." True or false: She was once jailed for obscenity.
4. Canada united as a country in part due to the fear of annexation by the United States. Which of the following constituted the final armed invasion of Canada across its southern border?

   A. Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)

   B. The War of 1812

   C. The Fenian invasions of 1866 and 1870

5. Sir Leander Starr Jameson became notorious in South Africa around the turn of the century. His fame is based upon which of the following?

   A. He led a famous raid against the Boer government of the Transvaal.

   B. He discovered gold in the Transvaal.

   C. He distilled the first good whiskey in Africa.

6. In Shakespeare's Othello, the villainous Iago convinces Othello that his loving wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful. True or false: Enraged, Othello kills Desdemona then commits suicide.
7. Welsh buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan sacked cities in Venezuela and Panama. True or false: For his success against the Spanish Empire, Morgan became lieutenant governor of Jamaica.
8. Lola Montez (1818-1861) was the mistress of such notables as composer Franz Liszt, novelist Alexandre Dumas, and King Louis I of Bavaria. Where was she born?

   A. Brazil

   B. Costa Rica

   C. Ireland

9. True or false: Former Nicaraguan Minister of Culture Ernesto Cardenal, a poet and author, gained notoriety entirely from his writing, which supported the Communist Sandinistas.
10. Alfred Hitchcock directed the 1946 film Notorious, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. Where was the film set?

    A. Argentina

    B. Brazil

    C. Colombia

Answers

1. True. But he called off the march when it began to rain.
2. B. A bushranger in Australian slang, Ned Kelly was captured and hung in 1880.
3. True. In the Twenties, West was sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for the content of a play she wrote.
4. C. Several hundred Irish-born veterans of the US Civil War, known as the Fenian Brotherhood, attempted and failed to conquer Canada and trade it for Irish independence.
5. A. Jameson failed in his attempt to overthrow the government of the Transvaal so it could be annexed as a British colony.
6. True. Iago's duplicity is then exposed, and he is arrested.
7. True. Sir Henry Morgan died a wealthy and respected man in Jamaica in August 1688.
8. C. Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert was born in Limerick, Ireland. Lola Montez was her stage name.
9. False. Cardenal, also a Catholic priest, openly defied Pope John Paul II's ban on the participation of the clergy in government.
10. B. Much of the action takes place in Rio de Janeiro.

A Loaf Of Bread, A Jug Of Wine, And Thee

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. The lines "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree" were written by US poet Joyce Kilmer. Which of the following is not true about Kilmer?

   A. Kilmer was a man who died in battle during World War I.

   B. Kilmer was a woman who frequented the Algonquin Round Table in the 1930s.

   C. There is a rest stop named after Kilmer on the New Jersey Turnpike.

2. True or false: Vidal Sassoon was an English poet known for his pacifism.
3. Captain John D. McCrae (1872-1918) wrote In Flanders Fields to commemorate the lost soldiers of World War I. Which country is Flanders in?

   A. Belgium

   B. Netherlands

   C. Sweden

4. True or false: Caribbean poet Derek Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature
5. Which of the following was not written by Canadian poet Robert W. Service (1874-1958)?

   A. Cremation of Sam McGee

   B. The Shooting of Dan McGrew

   C. The Call of the Wild

6. Pablo Neruda won the 1971 Nobel Prize in literature. True or false: During his lifetime, Neruda remained an honored citizen in his home country of Chile.
7. Rubén Darío (1867-1916) was considered the finest poet writing in the Spanish language at the turn of the century. Which country was he from?

   A. Bolivia

   B. Dominican Republic

   C. Nicaragua

8. True or false: Several US beat poets of the 1950s lived and worked in Mexico.
9. South Africa has produced a number of internationally known writers, such as J.M. Coetzee (born 1940) and Nadine Gordimer (born 1923), as well as some accomplished poets. Who among the following is not a South African poet?

   A. Chinua Achebe

   B. Breyten Breytenbach

   C. Roy Campbell

10. Scots author Robert Burns (1759-1796) wrote such well-known poems as Merry Hae I Been Teethin a Heckle. True or false: Burns wrote his poems in Gaelic.

Answers

1.  B. A war hero born in New Jersey, Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918), has a turnpike rest stop named after him. The lines are from his poem Trees.
2. False. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) was an English poet who became a pacifist after serving in World War I. Vidal Sassoon sells hair-care products.
3. A.
4. True. Walcott, born in 1930 in St. Lucia, studied and worked in Jamaica and won the Nobel in 1992.
5. C. This short novel was written by another author associated with the Yukon, US author Jack London (1876-1916).
6. False. A Communist, Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was in exile from 1948 to 1952. The 1995 film Il Postino (The Postman) was based on his life.
7. C. Darío is also credited with leading the modernism movement of Spanish American literature.
8. True. Among others, Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) and William S. Burroughs (born 1914) lived in Mexico.
9. A. Achebe (born 1930) is Nigeria's most famous novelist.
10. False. Burns wrote in dialect, but the language was English.

To Market, To Market

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. Which European city is a favorite locale for test marketing?

   A. Madrid

   B. Brussels

   C. Rome

2. High-pressure sales and hype are counterproductive in many countries. True or false: Australians tend to fiercely resist pressure tactics.
3. Radio and television commercials are often more effective than newspaper advertisements in:

   A. Sweden

   B. Hawaii

   C. Bolivia

4. German and Brazilian consumers' tastes in advertisements are opposite, because Germans generally like what in their ads?

   A. Lots of data

   B. Fewer facts and more sex

   C. Hysterically manic imagery

5. True or false: Advertising in many Central American newspapers is tantamount to taking a political stand.
6. Marketing in Saudi Arabia must abide by local traditions. This precludes:

   A. Using children in advertisements

   B. Depicting a dog in an ad

   C. Direct marketing

7. Successful toothpaste sales in Canada depend on your target market and pitch. True or false: Promote the cavity-fighting aspects to Canadians of French descent, and the breath-enhancing capabilities to English-Canadian consumers.
8. Local representatives can be invaluable, but local laws often protect them from being terminated. Which country won't penalize you for changing your local agent?

   A. Japan

   B. UAE

   C. Ecuador

   D. USA

Answers

1. B. As headquarters of the European Commission, and in addition to its historic Flemish, French, and German influences, Brussels is home to consumers with many different tastes.
2. True. Be honest, direct, and brief with Aussies.
3. C. Another useful venue is the cinema, which shows many ads before the feature presentation.
4. A. The more facts in Germany -- particularly of a technical nature -- the better.
5. True. Newspapers in Central America are often associated with a political outlook. For example, each of Belize's largest newspapers supports a different political party.
6. B. Dogs are considered unclean.
7. False. Do the reverse.
8. D

The Mother Of Invention

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Terri Morrison

1. The open-air thermometer was invented by Galileo Galilei, c.1607. Match these improvements to their country and year of discovery.

   A. The clinical thermometer, by Santorio Santorio	1. Germany, 1714
   B. Absolute-temperature (or Kelvin) scale, by William Thomson, Lord Kelvin	2. Sweden, 1742
   C. The mercury (also called the Fahrenheit) scale, by Gabriel D. Fahrenheit	3. England, 1848
   D. The centigrade scale, by Anders Celsius	4. Italy, c.1612

2. True or false: The parachute, hot-air balloon, and airplane were all invented in France.
3. Belgian inventor Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) was a pioneer in the plastics industry. True or false: He named his breakthrough substance Orlon.
4. Alfred Nobel of Sweden (1833-1896) left the bulk of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, which are awarded each year in the categories of medicine, physics, literature, chemistry, peace, and economics. Nobel made his fortune inventing and marketing:

   A. Pneumatic tires

   B. Dynamite

   C. Hydrofoils

5. Dutch naturalist Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) reported his observations of microscopic animalcules in a series of letters to the Royal Society of London. True or false: van Leeuwenhoek constructed only one microscope.
6. Luis F. Leloir's discovery of sugar nucleotides won him the 1970 Nobel Prize for chemistry. He is a citizen of which South American country?

   A. Argentina

   B. Brazil

   C. Chile

   D. Peru

7. The 1965 Nobel Prize for physics was jointly awarded to scientists from Japan (Shinichiro Tomanaga) and the USA (Julian Schwinger and Richard P. Feynman). Their Nobel Prize was awarded for work in which field?

   A. Nanotechnology

   B. Quantum electrodynamics

   C. Education

8. Many Italian scientists came to the United States to work, except for which of the following. (Hint: He's the only one who didn't win a Nobel Prize.)

   A. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), nuclear physics

   B. Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), telegraphy

   C. Giulio Natta (1903-), polymer chemistry

   D. Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), electricity

9. Which specialists work in Hawaii?

   A. Astronomers

   B. Botanists

   C. Volcanologists

   D. All of the above

10. Two scientists from Canada, Sir Frederick Banting and John J.R. Macleod won the 1923 Nobel Prize for medicine. True or false: They are credited with discovering insulin.

Answers

1. A, 4; B, 3; C, 1; D, 2
2. False. The airplane's invention is generally credited to the Wright brothers, who first flew an engine-powered craft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. In 1783, the first successful parachute descent was made by Louis S. Lenormand, and the hot-air balloon invented by Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier in France.
3. False. Baekeland's revolutionary thermosetting resin was named Bakelite. He moved from Belgium to the USA in 1889, where he founded the Bakelite Corporation. He is also credited with major innovations in photography, which were purchased by Eastman Kodak Company in 1899.
4. B. Nobel named his new explosive dynamite and patented it in 1867.
5. False. Constantly tinkering with his instruments, van Leeuwenhoek built as many as 550 different microscopes. Only nine of these are known to have survived.
6. A
7. B
8. D
9. D. It should come as no surprise that scientists study Hawaii's rare fauna and volcanoes, but there is also an astronomical observatory atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii, and NASA has a tracking station at Kokee on Kauai.
10. True