Answers to Ian’s Trivialus 21 April 2025

Answers

1. Ju-Jitsu – Japan.

2. Jones

3. a) 10 minutes and 21 seconds (three and a half minutes to reach space, three to four minutes of

weightlessness, and three and a half to fall back to Earth). Against the backdrop of the world’s

problems, and its prevailing poverty, many have criticised the hullabaloo and the extravagance.

4. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

5. b) – 2

6. It ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. The judges added that “the

concept of sex is binary”, but cautioned people against viewing the ruling as a triumph of one group

over another.

7. 13

8. The 707

9. Hermès – famous for its Birkin bags, it has withstood the slowdown in luxury goods better than its

rivals.

10. b) – Julius Caesar. His forces set fire to ships docked in the port and the resulting fires inadvertently

spread to the library. Despite damage to numerous scrolls, the destruction was only partial, and the

library continued for another 700 years when eventually an Arab army captured the city and allegedly

destroyed the library’s contents.

11. Plato – in his dialogues, Timaeus and Critias, Plato tells the story which he claimed came from Egyptian

priests.

12. b) – Boeing. It ordered Chinese airlines to stop taking deliveries from Boeing in retaliation for US

tariffs. It sends a strong message to other US firms that depend on the Chinese market.

13. True – cats may fight with each other accompanied with howling/hissing, but the typical meow is

something that they reserve for humans.

14. An abnormal fear of thunder and lightning – a treatable phobia that can occur in humans and animals.

15. A Minecraft Movie – an adaptation of the block-building game. Cinema owners are complaining about

unruly teenage audiences screaming, jumping off their seats and hurling drinks in the air.

16. The River Plate or Rio de la Plata. The ship was scuttled shortly after leaving Montevideo harbour after

an engagement with three British cruisers – the HMS Exeter, Ajax and Achilles.

17. The Count of Monte Christo.

18. Margaret – over the years Maggie was used for Margaret and then Meggie and Meg were derivatives.

This continued to transform into Peggy or Peg as we have a tendency of creating nicknames that

rhyme. Similarly, Bill is used for William.

19. Peter Sellers – it was his last film role before his passing. Worthwhile watching.

20. Portugal