Quizzes & Puzzles 46

Some new problems with which to exercise the brain. But first a look at answers and solutions to Quizzes & Puzzles 45 . New problems below the image (cartoon).

Answer to Quiz 45:1

Gymnopédie is a peculiar little piece of music. Who composed it?

Gymnopédie 1-3 (Trois Gymnopédies) is a suite for piano, composed by Eric Satie in 1888. The most famous one is Gymnopédie No. 1:

Answer to Quiz 45:2

The coat of arms of the city of Nimes, in France, looks like this:

There are no crocodiles in Nimes, so why is there a chained crocodile on their coat of arms?

I think many of you are surprised when I say that the crocodile symbolises Egypt - and it is chained because it symbolises the defeated Egypt. But what on earth is the connection between Nimes, a French city, and a defeated Egypt?

I quote my article The Crocodile, a Symbol of Egypt?

“It is an interesting fact that the French city of Nimes today has a crocodile chained to a palm tree on its coat of arms. The shield has the inscription COL NEM, which means "colony of Nimes", or "Colonia Nemausus'. Nemausus received the status of Roman colony [colonia] when Emperor Augustus settled veterans from the wars in Egypt there. The chained crocodile is the symbol of the conquered Egypt.

The coat of arms was not created until 1535, but then the symbol was taken from ancient Roman coins. They had made Roman coins with a crocodile motive also in Nemausus.”

If you want to know more about this symbol, read the full article.

Answer to Quiz 45:3

What fundamental difference is there between, on the one hand, vitamin B and C, and on the other hand, vitamins A, D, and E?

@fantagira knew it; the former are water soluble, the latter (together with vitamin K) are fat soluble.

Answer to Quiz 45:4

Between 1192 and 1867, Japan was ruled by hereditary military dictators (even though the emperor was the formal head of state). What was the title of such a dictator?

The title was “Shogun”, and @Tomi-Ajax answered that. If you want to know more about the Shogunate, read my article Emperor & Shogun, The Edo Period and Ukiyo-e.

Answer to Quiz 45:5

There is only one genuine lunar calendar used in the world today – which calendar is that?

It's' the Muslim calendar. You can find more about the different forms of calendars in Zodiac, Month, Year: Some Scientific Elementa.

Answer to Quiz 45:6

In 1805, there was a battle, sometimes known as the Battle of the Three Emperors. I have three questions about it.

• Where did it take place?

• In which present day country can we find the site of the battle?

• Who were the three emperors?

The Battle of the Three Emperors is also called “The Battle of Austerlitz, and it was Napoleon's greatest victory. So the first answer is Austerlitz.

Austerlitz can be found in present day Czechia (or the Czech Republic). The Czech name of Austerlitz is Slavkov u Brna. The battle took place outside the town.

The three emperors were Napoleon (I), emperor of the French; Emperor Francis of Austria; and the Czar of Russia, Alexander I.

Answer to Quiz 45:7

Thomas De Quincey relates this anecdote about one of the greatest thinkers of European history – who? This man really loved coffee!!!

“At the beginning of the last year of his life, he fell into the custom of taking, immediately after dinner, a cup of coffee. [...] Sometimes, in the interest of conversation, the coffee was forgotten, but not for long. He would remember and with the querulousness of old age and infirm health would demand that coffee be brought 'upon the spot'. Arrangements had always been made in advance, however; the coffee was ground, and the water was boiling; and in the very moment the word was given the servant shot like an arrow and plunged the coffee into the water. All that remained, therefore, was to give it time to boil up. But this trifling detail delayed seemed unendurable to [name removed for the quiz]. If it were said 'Dear Professor, the coffee will be up in a moment', he would say 'Will be! There's the rub, that it only will be.' Then he would quiet himself with a stoical air, and say, 'Well, one can die after all; it is but dying; and in the next world, thank God, there is no drinking of coffee and consequently no waiting for it.' When at length the servant's steps were heard upon the stairs, he would turn round to us, and joyfully call out: 'Land, land! my dear friends, I see land!'”

Who was this fanatical coffee lover?

This was German philosopher Immanuel Kant. He had a brilliant mind, but as a person he was incredibly childish.

If you want to read more about coffee fanatics, take a look at Do You Drink Much Coffee - I Bet You Can't Beat These Enthusiasts.

And now some new exercises for brain & memory...

Quiz 46:1

Name of dog and previous planet?

Quiz 46:2

2πr - What can you calculate with this formula?

Quiz 46:3

In which countries can we find the following volcanoes?

• Krakatoa

• Mount Pinatubo

• Mount Stromboli

• Mount Fuji

• Eyjafjallajokull

Quiz 46:4

Nebuchadnezzar II was a powerful king of his time – but where?

Quiz 46:5

Nicki Lauda, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost – what do they have in common?

Quiz 46:6

Being a well preserved 17th century ship, Wasa or Vasa is a tourist attraction with its own museum. The ship's name is the same as the name of the royal dynasty then in power. But where can we find this ship and its museum?

Quiz 46:7

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz... what are these examples of?

You'll find answers and solutions in the next “Quizzes & Puzzles”.

Quizzes & Puzzles has its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found.

In my INDEX, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.

Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved

(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)

(All the images are in the Public Domain.