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
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