Quizzes & Puzzles 63

Some new problems with which to exercise the brain. But first a look at answers and solutions to Quizzes & Puzzles 62. New problems below the image (cartoon).

Answer to Quiz 62:1

Who succeeded Adolf Hitler (after his suicide) as head of state, and who signed German capitulation in World War II? The question refers to two different individuals.

Karl Dönitz succeeded Hitler as head of the German state. However, Alfred Jodl signed the capitulation.

Answer to Quiz 62:2

How many legs has a spider?

A spider has eight legs.

Answer to Quiz 62:3

There is a script for people who are blind. It can be read with the fingertips. The script wears the name of its creator. What is the script called?

This is Braille, invented by Louis Braille and published in 1829. Judging by the answers, this was the easiest question this time. Right answers wee posted by @Unity, @TheGuy and @Duvinca.

Answer to Quiz 62:4

Andrés Segovia is a legend in his field. But what was he doing?

Andrés Segovia was classical guitarist. A great virtuoso. He developed the technique, increased the repertoire, and gave the guitar a respectable place among classical instruments. His impact on subsequent classical guitar music is monumental.

Answer to Quiz 62:5

In 1990. Peter T. Daniels introduced the term “abjad”,in opposition to ”alphabet”. In that context, what is an abjad?

Further; can you give an example of an abjad?

It should be noted that the term “abjad” also has another meaning, which I am not searching here, so please pay attention to the context in the question.

An abjad is an alphabet, noting only consonants

The Arabic “alphabet” is an abjad. However, it's an impure abjad, since diacritics can be used to denote vowels. There is also one distinct vowel, alif.

Answer to Quiz 62:6

Baratheon, Stark, Tully, Lannister, and Targaryen are five prominent families in... well, in what?

In Game of Thrones, as @Duvinca knew. I don't think “ Game of Thrones” needs a closer presentation, but if you are interested, read my article A Song of Ice and Fire - Game of Thrones: Books, TV series & Quotes .

Answer to Quiz 62:7

Who wrote this?

“Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth – more than ruin -- more even than death.... Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.”

This was written by Bertrand Russell, philosopher - and Nobel Prize winner in literature, in 1950.

Answer to Quiz 62:8

What is it called when one has two full moons in the same month?

(It should be noted that, although “two full moons in the same month” is the definition one usually sees, it is not scientifically correct as a definition. I don't ask anything about it, I merely mention it as a parenthesis for those who know it, and otherwise would feel inclined to protest.)

It is called “blue moon”. To elaborate on that, I quote an article (titled just “Blue Moon”) I wrote in Meriondho Leo in 2015. (It has never before been published on internet). I just omit the three first sentences,which are irrelevant here.

“[..] The original definition, however, is the occurrence of 4 full moons in an astronomical season of normally 3. That is, 4 full moons during astronomical spring, summer, autumn, or winter. Then the 3rd of these 4 is called “blue moon”.

One might wonder why anyone would be interested in the 3rd moon of 4 in a season. Why not the 4th, isn't that the extra moon? The answer most likely has to do with the Christian ecclesiastical calendar and the determination of the right time of Lent and Easter. According to the Gregorian calendar, the ecclisiastical spring equinox (which doesn't necessarily coincide with the astronomical equinox) is always on the 21st March. It was important to get the right moons before and after the solstices, since the Lenten moon must be the last moon of winter, and the Easter moon the first moon of spring. That defines Lent and Easter.

Only by considering the 3rd moon as the extra one, it is possible to keep the right moons before and after equinoxes and solstices.

But why is it called blue?

The moon can sometimes appear blueish, but that depends on small particles in the air that scatter the red light and make it blueish. Such particles can be the result of a volcanic eruption or something similar. But this is very rare and it doesn't have anything to do with the concept of “blue moon”.

One explanation that has been suggested is that “blue” is derived from the archaic and obsolete word belewe, “to betray”, because a moon causing confusion about Lent would have been called “a betrayer moon”.

According to Oxford dictionary, the first recorded reference to a blue moon in the language is a verse from 1528 (below). But I doubt that it has anything at all to do with the lunar event.

“If they say the moon is blue,

We must believe that it is true.”

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

Quiz 63:1

Does the fly agaric belong to the plant kingdom?

Quiz 63:2

If you suffer from acromegaly, what's wrong with you then?

Quiz 63:3

In which country took the events place which posterity calls “Chushingura”?

Quiz 63:4

Which playing card is ”the curse of Scotland”

Quiz 63:5

Which author created the Cthulhu Mythos?

Quiz 63:6

Nobody really knows if Lemuria has existed or not. But whether it was fictitious or real, what was it?

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.)