Five pick-’n’-mix questions – Quick Quiz answers
We asked you five questions on assorted subjects. How many did you get right? Here come the answers!
- What is clinophobia?
An abnormal fear of going to bed. It can develop from a fear of nightmares or of bedwetting. As you can probably imagine, sufferers may develop insomnia as a consequence, with all the attendant extra suffering that causes. - What is the world’s smallest mammal?
The bumblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), also known as Kitti’s hog-nosed bat after its Thai discoverer, Kitti Thonglongya. It’s classified as “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; it exists in a few areas in Western Thailand and South Eastern Burma. - What is the current use of Hitler’s cremation ground?
It’s a playground for children. Hitler shot himself on 30 April 1945, by which time Berlin had become a battleground. His body was hastily taken to the ground above the Führerbunker near Potsdamer Platz, doused in petrol and burnt in a shell crater. The exact location is unknown, but the playground is the safest bet. - What does the Japanese term rikishi mean?
It’s a professional sumo wrestler. Popularly, it’s the term for sumo wrestlers in general; within the sport, it’s the term for the journeymen sumo wrestlers in the lower divisions, as opposed to the considerably more prestigious and better paid sekitori of the upper two divisions of jūryō and makuuchi. - In which modern-day country were telescopes invented?
The Netherlands. The person most commonly credited as the inventor of the telescope is Hans Lippershey, an optician in the town of Middelburg in Zeeland who took out the first known patent for a telescope on 2 October 1608; Zacharias Janssen, also of Middelburg, and Jacob Metius of Alkmaar had rival claims to the invention. Galileo Galilei heard of the invention a year later, built his own within a month, and improved the design substantially over the next year.
How did you get on? Why not let us know?
One Response to “Five pick-’n’-mix questions – Quick Quiz answers”
I have to admit I only got one of these right when Kay fired them at me – and even then I’d never previously heard of Janssen and Metius!