One of the compliments I’m most proud of having been paid to me happened when I was at university. My tutor for the Old English and Old Norse course components was a lady called Henrietta Twycross-Martin. And Henrietta really knew her stuff. She was not the sort to suffer fools gladly and was not exactly fulsome with her praise. But as I say, she really knew her stuff. I have no recollection of how the subject came up but I clearly remember remarking how much I liked Tolkein, to which she replied, “Of course you do. You’re a medievalist.” Now, it may well be that she just meant – out of your 8 option choices you’re studying Old English, Old Norse, Old French and Middle English, so it’s clear that you like this sort of stuff – but I’ve always chosen to take it as meaning – you’re one of us. And it was all the more pleasing coming from such an unexpected source.
Don’t worry, I am meandering towards the point, although we’re
not quite there yet. So, we’ve established that when I was studying English
Literature, it was the medieval stuff that really lit my candle. If we focus on
Old English, then I have to ask – what is the single most famous text written
in Old English? Probably Beowulf. So let me ask you – what’s Beowulf about? If
you say – it’s about Beowulf the hero defeating and killing two monsters and a
dragon, well, ding ding, thanks for playing anyway, better luck next time. Or
rather, yes, it IS about Beowulf defeating the monster Grendel, Grendel’s more
terrifying mother, and a dragon, but it’s far more than that. Beowulf is a
beautifully interlaced narrative which interweaves politics, considerations of
the nature of duty and honour, and digressions which illustrate the main
characters’ past without affecting the narrative. In some ways, it’s akin to
the interlace patterns you can see on Anglo Saxon illuminated manuscripts and
jewellery. And this kind of interlacing is something I love.
What has this to do with a quiz? Well, after Jess’ quiz on
Thursday night we discussed the concept of the connection of connections. That
is, you do 8 rounds. In rounds 1 – 7 you’d have 3 or more questions in the
round, whose answers are all connected. Then in round 8, maybe the first 8
questions connected, with the 9th answer being the connection
between them. Then the 10th and final question would be – what is
the connection between the other 8 connections?
The appeal of doing this would be the challenge in being
able to create a quiz like this, which would certainly keep me interested while
doing it. I have never yet made a quiz like this. Why not? Well, I think it
just wouldn’t be right for the regulars
at the club. I’m not doing them down – well, that’s not my intention anyway.
But while they’re quizzers in as much as they participate in the quiz every
week, they’re not competitive quizzers. They’re not doing the quiz to win at
all costs, and they’re not doing it for a serious intellectual work out. They’re
doing it for the fun of it, and that’s a healthy attitude. It’s nothing to do
with intelligence.
Still, I have to admit it’s an appealing idea, even if it’s
not one I’d use for the club. So here's an attempt below:-
1) Which
group were originally called Smile?
2) Which
member of the Warmington on Sea Platoon in Dad’s Army was played by Colin Bean?
3) Which
is the name of the main thoroughfare through West Belfast, often in the news
during the Troubles?
4) What
is the connection between you last three answers
1) How
was basketball player Earvin Johnson better known?
2) The
band Clannad took their name from the Irish Gaelic word for what?
3) Musician
John Richie, who died in 1979 aged 21, was better known as what?
4) What
is the connection between your last three answers
1) Which
was the largest outdoor venue in Ancient Rome?
2) In the
word RADAR, what does the first R stand for?
3) What
was first published in 1955, following a pub argument about Europe’s fastest
game bird?
4) What
is the connection between your last three answers?
1) Which
1988 film starred Tom Cruise as bartender Brian Flanagan
2) Which
was the first film featuring Wallace and Grommit?
3) Andy
Summers was the guitarist in which late 70s early 80s band?
4) What
is the connection between your last 3 answers?
1) Pt is
the chemical symbol for which element?
2) Captain
Flint is a parrot belonging to which fictional character?
3) What
shot is a colloquialism for a police identity photograph?
4) What
is the connection between your last three answers?
1) Which
constituency was represented by Mrs. Thatcher from 1959?
2) Which
animator created Wallace and Grommit?
3) Who
played TV’s Ugly Betty?
4) What
is the connection between your last three answers?
1) Who
wrote “A Woman of Substance”
2) What
is the Emerald Isle?
3) Which
word can follow fairy, night or head?
4) What
is the connection between your last three answers?
1) Which shark
is named after a member of the caring professions?
2) Which
character from the comic 2000 AD has been played on film by Sylvester Stallone
and Karl Urban?
3) What title
is given to the chief legal advisor to the Government?
4) What
is the connection between your last 3 answers
5) What
is the connection between the 8 previous connections?
Hmm – it can be done! If I was going to use this in the
club then I’d do my best to refine it a little – some bits here are a little
bit creaky. The answers are all underneath – you can reveal them by right
clicking and dragging the cursor over them.
Answers
1)
Queen
2)
Private Sponge
3)
Falls Road
Connection - Victoria
1)
Magic
2)
Family
3)
Sid Vicious
Connection – Circle
1)
Circus Maximus
2)
Radio
3)
Records
Connection –
Piccadilly
1)
Cocktail
2)
A Grand Day Out
3)
The Police
Connection –
Metropolitan
1)
Platinum
2)
Long John Silver
3)
Mug shots
Connection – Jubilee
1)
Finchley
2)
Nick Park
3)
American Ferrari
Connection – Central
1)
Barbara Taylor Bradford
2)
Ireland
3)
Lights
Connection – Northern
1)
Nurse shark
2)
Judge Dredd
3)
Attorney General
Connection –
District
Super Connection – London Underground Lines
I’m still not doing something like this at the quiz, though.
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