Sunday 1 January 2023

Happy New Year - Sleb Christmas Quizzes - Resurrecting the Wiki Challenge

Happy New Year to you all. How’s your year going? As the man who threw himself off the top of the Empire State Building was heard to say as he wooshed down past the 96th floor – so far so good.

Last week I wrote about the UC at Christmas series. I actually really enjoyed the series, but one silly thing stuck in my mind after watching Balliol deservedly defeat Hull in the final. I say silly – all I mean is that it’s silly that it stuck in mind. It’s that one of the sets of bonuses was an answer smash set. If you’re not familiar with the always enjoyable Richard Osman’s House of Games, the games in the title of the show vary from show to show, but it always ends with a game called Answer Smash. Basically there will be a question in text, combined with an unrelated photograph. So for example, the text – name the presenter of House of Games – with a photograph of the lower jaw – would throw up the answer of Richard Osmandible. Well, the UC set of bonuses were pairs of language where the last three letters of the first were also the first three letters of the second. Yeah, they didn’t actually call it an answer smash set, but come on, we all know where the inspiration came from.

There’s been a real glut of sleb quizzes on the Beeb over the holiday period. That’s not a complaint, merely an observation. I have to admit that I’ve enjoyed The Weakest Link over the last week. I think keeping with the slebs has been a good idea. What I found about the Weakest Link in its original incarnation was that it became something of a caricature of itself, and the ratio of wit to nastiness in Anne Robinson’s comments to the contestants made for quite uncomfortable viewing at times. Romesh’s rejoinders seem commendably tongue in cheek.

Still, I am glad that full strength Quizzy Mondays are back tomorrow. In honour of the return of Mastermind, I’m going to take the wiki Challenge on one of tomorrow’s subjects – Charles Rennie Mackintosh. For those who might not know about the wiki challenge, about 11 years ago I introduced the idea of picking a subject about which I knew very little, and preparing for it by culling questions solely based on the Wikipedia page appropriate to the subject. When I used to do it I found that results were varied – I almost always got at least one point I wouldn’t have had otherwise, but sometimes it would bring up to half a dozen.

Here's the questions:-

1.    Where was Mackintosh born in 1868? – 70, Parson Street, Parkhead, Glasgow

2.    His father was chief clerk and superintendent of which organisation? – City of Glasgow Police

3.    He attended Reid’s Public School and which other? – The Allen Glen Institution

4.    Which nickname was used by family members and friends? – Toshie

5.    Mackintosh was first apprenticed to which Glasgow architect? – John Hutchinson

6.    Which architectural firm did he join in 1889 as a draughtsman and designer, in which he became a partner in 1901?-  Honeyman and Keppie

7.    In 1893 he was the lead designer for interior work in which building in Dumbreck? – Craigie Hall

8.    What was the name of the student at Glasgow School of Art whom Mackintosh met in 1892, and married in 1900. – Margaret MacDonald

9.    Mackintosh, his wife Margaret, her sister Frances Macdonald and who else worked collaboratively and beame known as The Four? – Herbert MacNair

10.                   In which street did Mackintosh and Margaret set up their first home? – Mains Street – renamed Blythewood Street

11.                   In which year did Mackintosh begin to work on the design for the Glasgow School of Art? – 1896

12.                   The Mackintosh Church, the only church to be designed by Mackintosh, is also know by which name? – Queen’s Cross Church/ the Free Church of St. Matthew (NB the decommissioned church is now home to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society)

13.                   Mackintosh submitted a design for a competition to design which building in Liverpool ? – Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

14.                   Mackintosh and MacDonald’s work was exhibited in Vienna in which exhibition in 1900? – 8th Secessionist Exhibition

15.                   The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, was designed in 1895 by Mackintosh as the offices for which newspaper? – Glasgow Herald

16.                   Which house did Mackintosh renovate in Northampton for Wenman Bassett-Lowke – 78, Derngate

17.                   For whom did Mackintosh design four tea rooms,including the famous Willow Tea Room – Catherine Cranston

18.                   The Artists Project – based on three unused Mackintosh design from 1901 – was built near which Scottish city in the 1990s? - Inverness

19.                   Which publishing company commissioned Mackintosh in the 20s to work on bindings for their publications? – Blackies

20.                   In 1915 Mackintosh was briefly arrested  under suspicion of being a spy in which Suffolk village to which he had moved the year before? – Walberswick

21.                   In 1923 the Mackintoshes moved to which town in Southern France? – Port Vendres

22.                   Which disease forced the Mackintoshes to return to London in 1927? – Throat and tongue cancer

23.                   After dying on 10th December 1928, Mackintosh was cremated in which crematorium? – Golders Green

24.                   In 2009 an image of Mackintosh was used on £100 notes issued by which bank? – Clydesdale

There you go. Now, I didn’t know the answer to any of these questions while I was working through the Wikipedia page, so I’ll be interested to see how many points – if any – it brings me in tomorrow night’s round.

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