Quizzing on Facebook

There’s no accounting for human tastes. Some people like blasting birds out of the sky. Some like collecting coins, stamps or even pencils. Some people like answering questions.

Yes, questions. Questions about geography, history, sports, art and religion. Current Affairs. Music and films. Language and literature. Cars and science.

Most of us have watched the peerless Gerry Scotti conduct “Chi Vuol Essere Milionario?” and wondered whether we would be good enough to do well in such a contest and win a stack of euros. However, many find quizzing exciting even when nothing more is at stake than the pleasure of a contest among like-minded individuals.

Many a time, even quizzing alone - pitting yourself against the question, digging deep into the memory, looking for connections between facts, putting things into context and hitting on the correct answer or attempting an educated guess which turns out to be right - allows you to experience a certain kind of thrill, an intellectual kick like no other. Get it wrong, and quite often your reaction is, “Damn, I should have known that one ... and next time I will know it’’ before the information is filed away into your mental cabinets, hopefully to be retrieved when that particular question comes up again.

Facebook has enabled quizzers to band together and conduct quizzing contests with great ease. Facebook pages dedicated to quizzes abound – and there is also a Malta-based quizzing page. It’s called Kwizzijiet and it started off some four years ago with the idea of providing Maltese quizzers with information about quizzes and a forum for discussion. Nobody took the blindest bit of interest.

Then, some three months ago, the founder of the page posted a 10-question quiz. Instantly, Kwizzijiet came alive and several peole turned up to take up the challenge. Now two or three quizzes a week are put up, and the number of members has surpassed ninety.

A development we never really expected was the interest the page aroused overseas. About one third of our members hail from places as diverse as Great Britain, the USA, Finland, the Philippines and Singapore. Some regularly take part in quizzing competitions, but most are simply ordinary folk who just love to take on the challenge of the general knowledge question, to rack their brains and rummage in the nooks and crannies of their memories.

There is one basic rule: no googling. Only very few are ridiculous enough to look up the answers before they post them. When they are found out the quizzing fraternity treats them like the pariahs they are.

If you would like to join, you are very welcome. Just click here , https://www.facebook.com/groups/108556435849901/?fref=ts  we’ll make you a member and you are free to answer the questions – or even post your own quizzes if you like.

In the meantime, here is a ten-question quiz gleaned from the quizzes posted on Kwizzijiet. Answers will be posted on this blog in a few days’ time.

    1. Which American singer had a big hit in 2014 with “Happy”?

    2. What symbol appears on the Swiss flag?

    3. Which is the national flower of India?

    4.  What is acrophobia?

    5. What is the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina?

    6. How many books are there in the New Testament?

    7.  In which year did man first walk on the moon?

    8.  Who won the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Title in 2014?

    9. Three of Henry the Eighth’s six wives shared which name?

    10. Which organ is affected by hepatitis?

Answers:
1. Pharrell Williams
2. White cross (on red background)
3. Lotus
4. Fear of Heights
5. Sarajevo
6. 27
7. 1969
8. Novak Djokovic
9. Catherine (Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr)
10. Liver