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General Knowledge Quiz #155

Answer these random trivia questions.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: June 16, 2021
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First submittedJuly 15, 2016
Times taken80,971
Average score60.0%
Rating4.36
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Question
Answer
What is the only country in the world where some highways have no speed limit?
Germany
Whose image supposedly appears on the Shroud of Turin?
Jesus's
What is the most famous movie starring Judy Garland?
The Wizard of Oz
Who was the father of Hercules?
Jupiter
What German word means "to take pleasure from the misfortune of others"?
Schadenfreude
In what country did the sport of hurling originate?
Ireland
What company did Bill Gates and Paul Allen found in 1975?
Microsoft
What can come in Basmati, Arborio, and Jasmine varieties?
Rice
What band takes its name from an American spy plane used during the Cold War?
U2
What Olympic sport combines the five events of fencing, swimming, horse jumping,
shooting, and running?
Modern Pentathlon
What well-known single cell organism has a name that stars and ends with A?
Amoeba
What rail line connects the cities of Moscow and Vladivostok?
Trans-Siberian Railway
What word comes next in this series: Solo, Duet, Trio?
Quartet
What country, other than China and Taiwan, has a majority of
Chinese-speaking citizens?
Singapore
What is either a common first name or something a litigious person might do?
Sue
What would you add to a Croque Monsieur sandwich to make it a Croque Madame?
Fried Egg
What country is personified by the goddess Helvetia?
Switzerland
In terms of video games, what does the term VR stand for?
Virtual Reality
By area, what is the largest country that is entirely within Europe?
Ukraine
For what highly-effective insecticide did chemist Paul Hermann Müller win
a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1948?
DDT
+6
Level 85
Jul 15, 2016
"The spy plane was obviously not the idea." (_U2: An Irish Phenomenon_, p. 17)
+5
Level 56
Nov 21, 2016
I've always thought the name came from the phrase "you too".
+1
Level 67
Aug 16, 2021
I thought that the U2 plane was classified during the cold war.
+10
Level 74
Jul 18, 2016
I learned about schadenfreude from Boston Legal. You do occasionally learn things from TV shows. My brain wouldn't get off B-52s in order to remember any other type of plane.
+1
Level 71
Nov 21, 2016
In 1960 Central Intelligence Agency pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia (USSR) flying a U2 spy plane. USA denied it and it was really big news drawn out over weeks and weeks. Never forget it if you were around at that time.
+2
Level 53
Nov 24, 2016
I was the same, I remembered hearing at some point there was a band called the B-52s and couldn't think of anything else.
+2
Level 82
Aug 16, 2021
it's one of those trendy words that people can't stop parroting lately. Hard to not know what it means anymore.
+1
Level 57
Aug 16, 2021
I wouldn’t have gotten that one without the media constantly talking about it for a week or so when Trump had covid.
+2
Level 75
Aug 20, 2021
I got sangfroid in my head and couldn't get past it.
+3
Level 69
Nov 21, 2016
An accidental freebie for me today. I read curling in stead of hurling, tried Switzerland, and voilà.
+3
Level 86
Jun 3, 2018
Except curling was (probably) invented in Scotland.
+2
Level 65
Jan 8, 2019
My guess would ve been canada for curling
+2
Level 70
Jun 17, 2021
Curling was invented in Scotland but Canadians perfected it.
+4
Level 68
Oct 17, 2020
When the question is about weird sports, my mind always automatically goes to Scotland - and it's usually a good guess!
+1
Level 75
Nov 21, 2016
I believe that India also has no speed limit on some of its highways
+3
Level 81
Nov 21, 2016
I could only come up with the B-52s for the band named after a bomber. Probably wrong era though :/
+5
Level 69
Nov 21, 2016
Why do you accept "schadenfreud" without the final "e"? It's not event silent so someone who knows the word knows that it must end with "e"
+8
Level ∞
Jun 16, 2021
It's already hard enough to spell, that's why.
+2
Level 76
Aug 16, 2021
Ah, and adding an 'e' just makes it so much harder, does it? That's BS. Why don't you cut off the last letter from every answer then, or even the last two? I'm sure everybody would be so grateful to you for having to write less. I'm with Thorvald here, anyone who knows the word should also know how to write it properly. If you personally are unable to spell out certain words, that's not our problem.
+9
Level 82
Aug 16, 2021
Wow. That’s a lot of emotion for a single vowel.
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
All I could think of was sadism. But it's not German.
+1
Level 66
Nov 21, 2016
Croque madames are delicious. Try one sometime when you're in Quebec.
+1
Level 72
Jun 19, 2018
Why? A croque-madame (and croque-monsieur, for that matter) isn't a Québec thing. It's not even close to being a staple of French Canadian Cuisine, nor has it ever been.
+1
Level 68
Oct 17, 2020
While okay for a quick snack, it's also one of the less interesting things you can try in French cuisine!
+1
Level 75
Aug 20, 2021
Croque-monsieurs are okay but I'd rather have an American grilled ham and cheese sandwich covered in cheese sauce and baked until bubbly. :)
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
I think I'm going to have to go and have lunch now.
+3
Level 45
Nov 21, 2016
SR-71 is also a band named after a spy plane used during the Cold War
+1
Level 60
Nov 28, 2016
This was what I tried first, as well. The SR-71 was used during the Cold War, too.
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
Not YOU TOO!
+6
Level 86
Jun 3, 2018
I'm no music expert, but I think U2 might be slightly more famous than SR-71.
+3
Level 42
Jul 23, 2021
SR-71 was also my guess. Doesn’t matter that they aren’t as popular as U2, they’re big enough that I remembered them (and I can’t say I was a massive fan), and they fit the answer..
+2
Level 67
Aug 16, 2021
Whhhhyyyuuuhhhhhhyyyyyyy. Why you always kick me when I'm hiiiiiggggyyyyuuuuyyyyggghhhh?!
+2
Level 76
Aug 16, 2021
Did anyone else try 'Jefferson Airplane'?
+1
Level 36
Nov 21, 2016
Schadenfroh also means to take pleasure of others misfortune. Why is this not accepted?
+3
Level 68
Oct 17, 2020
Schadenfroh is the adjective, not the noun. As in, if you take Schadenfreude, you're schadenfroh. Of course it's up to quizmaster to accept it or not, but Schadenfreude is definitely the better answer.
+3
Level 82
Jun 17, 2021
The question as currently phrased is asking for a verb, so I don't see how that makes a noun better than an adjective.
+1
Level 76
Aug 16, 2021
True, the wording of the clue is a little misleading. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say "The state of taking pleasure from the misfortune of others".
+3
Level 56
Nov 21, 2016
Thanks for the hurling question, so few people know about such a brilliant sport
+1
Level 49
Nov 21, 2016
Ooh, pleased I got the least guessed answer! Seems, despite it sometimes coming up on quizzes, people don't know what it is. Not that I know many details of some obscure countries I now know exist.
+1
Level 82
Nov 21, 2016
Aren't there a couple highways in Wyoming or somewhere where, at certain times of day, there is also no speed limit? I thought I read that before.
+1
Level ∞
Jun 16, 2021
Montana got rid of their speed limits for a while, but brought them back.
+2
Level 47
Nov 23, 2016
either lots of germans took the quiz, or people cheated
+5
Level 86
Jun 3, 2018
Because of the autobahn and schadenfreude? They're both pretty widely known outside of Germany. Schadenfreude is the name of a song--maybe the best song--in the musical Avenue Q, and it was also mentioned on an episode of the Simpsons.
+1
Level 65
Jan 8, 2019
Schadenfreude is one of those words in the english language for which they dont have a word of their own. There are others but I cant remember them. There are some fun lists on the internet for words from all over the world. A single word describing something which other countries use several words for or dont even see it as a specefic thing. (Like how someone looks when eveninglight shines on their, for instance)
+2
Level 65
Jan 8, 2019
I guess you arent english/american? Cause I believe it is pretty common. Even I know it and it is not my language. (Maybe not common in sentences, but it definitely comes up a Lot as a subject, and how people think it is an interesting word etc
+3
Level 84
Nov 25, 2016
In NT (Aus) some highways also don't have speed limits.
+1
Level 74
Feb 11, 2017
That has been the subject of several changes over the last few years. I think at present there is a speed limit again
+1
Level 63
Jul 3, 2020
Some sections of the Stuart are still unlimted.
+1
Level 41
Apr 17, 2017
Hercules is the Greek name and Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus. Zeus is the correct answer.
+6
Level 76
Mar 15, 2018
Nope, Hercules is the Roman name. The Greek name is Heracles.
+3
Level 62
Oct 10, 2017
I could only come up with the B52's for the U2 question
+1
Level 75
Jun 6, 2021
Me too - I knew it wasn't a spy plane but couldn't get it out of my head.
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
Not YOU TOO!
+4
Level 77
Oct 14, 2017
I read, "the goddess Helvetica," and started to wonder where the font had originated and whether it was named after a god... sigh
+1
Level 84
Jun 16, 2021
Many moons ago, when I was first learning to use spreadsheets, the default font on whichever one I was using was listed as "Helvetica (Swiss)-12 pt," so I've thought of the two terms as synonyms ever since.
+18
Level 79
Nov 17, 2017
I really enjoyed the fact that so many people didn't get schadenfreude.
+1
Level 84
Jun 16, 2021
Brilliant.
+2
Level 57
Feb 24, 2018
Please also accept SR-71 as a recon aircraft-inspired band name. Thanks!
+1
Level 75
Jun 6, 2021
Seems legit.
+1
Level 71
Feb 24, 2018
Well today I learnt what a Croque Madame is and now I want one!
+1
Level 86
Jun 3, 2018
Sad (but not terribly surprised) that My Cousin Vinny is the least-guessed answer. One of my all-time favorite comedies. And, according to my lawyer parents, surprisingly realistic in its depictions of courtroom scenes.
+3
Level 78
Mar 11, 2020
Good afternoon QM.

Schadenfreude means "joy or pleasure in the misfortune of others". It is a noun, not a verb.

Therefore it can't mean "to take pleasure from the misfortune of others" as this is a verb phrase.

If you're looking for a verb, try "gloat" as its definition could be "contemplate or dwell on one's own success or another's misfortune with malignant pleasure".

+4
Level 25
Apr 12, 2020
Never heard before that Helvetia is a goddess...and I am Swiss...It is a symbolic figure or an allegory. Where did you get the info from?
+1
Level 63
Jul 3, 2020
There are sections of highway in the Northern Territory, Australia with no speed limit. Suggest changing the question wording.
+1
Level 59
Nov 11, 2020
is it LISTED as no speed limit or is there just no signs?
+1
Level 71
Jun 17, 2021
speed circle with a slash through it i believe!
+1
Level 86
Jun 19, 2021
Not since 2016 where there's a blanket default rural speed limit of 110km/h, and some specific roads with a 130km/h limit.
+1
Level 63
Dec 26, 2021
Not true. There are sections still between Alice and Tennant Creek with no speed limits.
+1
Level 86
Jun 19, 2021
The Isle of Man has roads without a speed limit (every rural road without a specifically signed lower limit).

The issue is whether it counts as another country, denying the answer as being the *only* country.

+1
Level 73
Aug 16, 2021
You're right that the Isle of Man has roads without speed limits - however, it has no motorways, which are the same thing as the highways asked for in the question, I think.
+1
Level 67
Jun 21, 2021
While *technically* they have a speed limit, most young Saudi Arabian men act like there is none.
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
Saudi Arabia was my first guess. But then I got autobahn.
+1
Level 41
Aug 16, 2021
"The most famous" is really subjective. Having said that, I wonder if anyone gives a different answer. Easter Parade or A Star is Born, anyone?
+1
Level 71
Aug 16, 2021
It's not subjective at all. It's literally the most viewed film of all time, per the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/oz/ozsect2.html

Yes, it could be possible to twist words to the extent of coming up with another definition of "most famous", but the disparity between the fame of The Wizard of Oz and any of Garland's other films is so great that there's no reasonable way of misinterpreting it to mean some other film.

+2
Level 59
Aug 16, 2021
There's a small typo in the Amoeba question; It's written "stars" instead of "starts".

It probably isn't worth the effort to fix, but since jetpunk is the place for pedantry, I figured there was no harm in pointing it out.

+1
Level 70
Aug 16, 2021
agree, threw me off a bit. I read it quickly as "shares a name with a star and ends with an A"
+1
Level 76
Aug 17, 2021
I would also suggest minorly adjusting the wording to say 'What *type* of well-known...' as 'amoeba' aren't any one individual species, but are rather an entire order of classification for many different single-celled organisms :)
+1
Level 75
Aug 20, 2021
I didn't even notice the typo, what looked odd to me was the spelling of amoeba. In the Middle Ages when I was in school we spelled it ameba.
+3
Level 73
Aug 16, 2021
There's a typo on the Amoeba question. You wrote "stars" instead of starts
+1
Level 59
Aug 16, 2021
Questions I would love to see #1 : 'Which highly effective insecticide shares its name with a finishing move made famous by Jake 'The Snake' Roberts?'
+2
Level 29
Aug 16, 2021
In the eleventh question it says what well-known single cell organism has a name that “stars” and ends with A

(I know that stars was meant to be starts)

+1
Level 53
Aug 18, 2021
This has been said multiple times but you wrote stars instead of starts in the eleventh question.
+1
Level 34
Mar 30, 2022
It asks for Hercules' (a Greek mythological figure) father, and then gives the Romanized version of the name. The answer should be Zeus not Jupiter
+1
Level 86
Aug 31, 2022
Hercules is the Roman name for Heracles, so the question is stated correctly.
+2
Level 49
Jul 10, 2022
Oh come on. I said “Siberia” instead of “Siberian” and it marked me wrong when most of the answers just autofinished anyway. Nit-picky.