Question 1: We hope you enjoy this question. A typical English joke. An elderly gentleman, taking the elevator to the top floor, starts a conversation with the elevator operator:
- Tell me, my dear, what is the most difficult thing in your work? Probably climbs?
- No, sir.
- Then, probably, descents?
- No, sir.
- But what, in that case?
Restore the elevator operator's answer.
Answer: “Questions, sir.”
Answer: Everything after three counts.
Answer: deadline.
Test: using the keyword “questions” (“stupid questions”, “stupid questions”, “answer questions”, etc.).
Question 4: Writer Sergei Ivanov compared the January sun with HER. SHE usually shines several times a day, and for a fairly short time. Name HER in two or three words.
Answer: light bulb in the refrigerator
Question 5: Once, in the mid-30s. last century, HE visited his friend and read one work to his friend’s daughters. When leaving, HE forgot his stick, and so the girls decided that HE was THE SAME. Name those whom we encrypted with the words “HE” and “THE SAME”
Answer: Marshak and Scattered from Basseynaya Street.
Question 6: In one of the Harry Potter books, a bookseller gets into serious trouble because of the pugnacity of the monster books. He recalls another unpleasant situation when the store purchased books on the ability to DO IT. Name the person who managed to DO THIS scientifically.
Answer: main character books The Invisible Man - Griffin, Books about Invisibility.
Question 7: On August 3, 1937, for literally an hour and a half, more than 15 thousand residents of Minsk saw how the red one was first raised on a high mast balloon, and then at different intervals one after another - six green balloons. What object serves as these balloons today?
…
Answer: Scoreboard.
Comment: The balls indicated those that were pocketed in football match goals.
Question 8: American actor Willie Rogers, proud of his family's ancient history, once said: “My ancestors were not among the first settlers who came to America on the Mayflower.” They were...” Finish the sentence.
Answer: among those who met him.
Question 9: Once on the Segodnyachko program it was reported that a dog bit a certain Sergei Ivanovich, and, according to the correspondent, now only this citizen knows... And what does he know?
Answer: where the dog is buried.
Question 10: [To the presenter: read Stalin’s phrase with a Georgian accent; Emphasize the word “soften” a little in your voice.]
“This thing is stronger than Goethe’s Faust. Here love conquers death.” They say that when the decision was made to put Maxim Gorky’s book with this inscription by Stalin on public display, the archive workers froze in anticipation of a scandal. One ordinary employee was not at a loss, who, in order to soften the impression of this exhibit on visitors, armed herself with a pen and added... What?
Answer: Soft sign.
Test: Soft signs.
Comment: Stalin wrote this inscription while he was very drunk, so he wrote “love.”
Question 11: Driving along a St. Petersburg street, the author of the question saw an inscription that reported one action that is completely common today. Exactly the same inscription, by the way, could easily hang on the doors of a medieval weapons workshop. Reproduce the text of this two-word inscription.
Answer: “Making copies.”
Question 12: At the Statler Hotel in Chicago, the management sometimes places a mannequin in front of those gathered for a dinner party, which they jokingly call Louis XIV, and serves him equally with other guests. In what cases do they do this?
Answer: When 13 people gathered at the table, they seated the 14th - a mannequin.
Comment: Superstitions are still strong today...
Question 13: About whom did Mark Twain say: “He was a happy man. When something funny came to his mind, he could be firmly sure that he was not repeating other people’s witticisms”?
Answer: Adam.
Question 14: The following useless fact can be found in the Book of Useless Facts: “If THIS were recognized as a religion, IT would be the tenth largest religious movement.” Let us add that in some countries, such as the DPRK, the People's Republic of China, the former USSR and, according to some sociological surveys, in Israel THIS would become the most numerous religion, but in Poland it would not. What is this?
Answer: Atheism.
Question 15:
Having guessed how LiveJournal user crimenelf signed these two pictures, write what word he signed with the third photograph we removed.
Question 16: In the TV series “House,” a doctor makes diagnoses for very complex cases of illness. His colleague Wilson is sometimes involved in determining the diagnosis. According to Wikipedia, Dr. House was based on another fictional person. Give this person's last name.
Answer: Holmes.
Commentary: Dr. House even lives in house number 221B, just like his supposed prototype Sherlock Holmes. House and Wilson have surnames that start with the same letters as Holmes and Watson.
Question 17: The German naturalist Johann Blumenbach called this animal “primary he”. We do not ask what and how we changed in this matter. Name this animal.
…
Answer: Mammoth.
Comment: In fact, Blumenbach called the mammoth “primary elephant.”
Question 18: According to one version, this work tells about the creation of the world. The demiurges are a bird and a mammal, and the emotional witnesses are a pair of ancestors, the first humans. Name this work.
…
Answer: “Chicken Ryaba.”
Question 19:
In one of the episodes of the animated series “The Simpsons,” Lisa starts smoking, and Homer tries to wean her from this habit. The original title of this episode was the title of a popular song, with the beginning changed last word. Play this title.
Answer: Smoke on the daughter.
Question 20:
A Twitter user commented on the resignation of Yuri Luzhkov with the words “The forest is being cut down - the chips are flying.” In one of the words in this post we replaced one letter. Reproduce the word the blogger used.
Answer: Caps are flying.
Question 21:
As the saying goes, this piece of clothing goes through a lot of hard work all day long. Name this item of clothing.
Answer: Socks. On your feet all day.
Question 22: Roma Voronezhsky depicted a BLACK SQUARE in the center of the Japanese flag and called what he got the flag of the Kuril Islands. What did we replace with the phrase “BLACK SQUARE”?
Answer: White rectangle.
Questions from school tournaments on the game “What? Where? When?"
2.1 The Hebrew textbook opens with the words: “You begin to study the language spoken by...” Who?
Answer. God.
2.2 This word is found in almost all Slavic languages. In Serbian and Slovenian it means “good harvest”. In Czech, Slovak and Polish it means "family". What is this word?
Answer. Homeland.
2.3 Among the Arab tribes of Eastern Jordan, deprivation of this was considered one of the most humiliating punishments. And now many spend about six months to get rid of the consequences of this. For example, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great did the same. What is this?
Answer. Beard. (Answer "mustache"- didn't count.)
2.4 Why did King Eric IV of Denmark receive the not-so-affectionate nickname “penny plow” among the people?
Answer. He introduced a tax on the plow.
2.5 Among them were an elephant, a rhinoceros, a grizzly bear, a marten, a lynx, a wasp, a bumblebee, a mouse... Name the two most famous animals from this unattractive company.
Answer. "Tiger" and "Panther". All this- names of fascist tanks and self-propelled guns. ("Leopard"- the answer is wrong. This is modern tank.)
2.6 Narts are the heroes of epic legends of many Caucasian peoples. The most powerful of the Narts was Sasrykva, born from stone and tempered in the forge. What is the name of the drink that he took from the gods and gave to people?
Answer. Nart-sano, that is, Narzan.
2.7 At the opening of the monument to Pushkin in 1880, especially honored guests were Maria Hartung, Countess Natalya Merenberg, brothers Alexander and Grigory. What are the brothers' last names?
Answer. Pushkins (all four: daughters and sons of the poet).
2.8 Bulgarian writer Stefan Prodev says: “They were created to help Byzantium fight Rome. The emperor and the church considered them their soldiers. But, created as soldiers of the empire, they became warriors of progress. Their strength defeated not only the papal nuncios, it broke the sword of the Byzantine colonialists sent to enslave the spirit of the Slavs...” Name those who created them.
Answer. Cyril and Methodius.
2.9 The main ten models have minor differences. For example, the “Voyri” model has a straight handle, the “Yalasyarvi” has a slightly curved blade, the “Rautalammi” has a handle trimmed with thin metal strips, and the “Tommy” has a straight blade without indentations. Their common name is “puukko”. What do we call them?
Answer. Finka.
2.10 There is only one sport in which you have to walk backwards to win. Once upon a time it was even included in the program of the Olympic Games. What is it called?
Answer. Tug of war.
2.11 Many representatives of the Naryshkin family left a noticeable mark on Russian history. And what did the Naryshkins themselves consider the main merit of their family to Russia?
Answer. Birth of PeterI. His mother was Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina.
2.12 From the Greek word "ridzikon", that is, "cliff", comes the French verb meaning "to maneuver between the rocks." What Russian word comes from this verb?
Answer . Risk, take risks.
2.13 One of the streets in the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh City is named after the Jesuit Alexandre de Roda, who lived in the 17th century. He gave the Vietnamese something they still use today. What did they use before?
Answer. Hieroglyphs. Alexandre de Rode developed a romanized alphabet for the Vietnamese language.
2.14 According to biblical legend, Pharaoh's daughter found baby Moses in a basket in a reed thicket. The word for this basket appears one more time in the Hebrew text of the Bible. What object is called by this word?
Answer. Noah's Ark.
2.15 In 1920, a famous writer coined the word “laborge.” However, his brother famous artist, advised him to use another word. Which?
Answer. Robot. (“Laborge” from English.labor- Job. The writer's name was Karel Capek. IN1920. he wrote the play "IU. R", where the word "robot" was used for the first time.)
2.16 In the battle with the Swedes at Gangut in 1714, ten enemy ships were captured, including the flagship Elephant. In honor of this victory, it was built triumphal arch. On this arch hung a painting with the caption: “The Russian eagle doesn’t catch flies.” What was depicted in this picture?
Answer. Eagle holdingVelephant claws (“An eagle sitting on an elephant” counts.)
2.17 Members of one of the Old Believer sects believed that performing the rite of baptism required not the participation of a priest, but the participation of God. They baptized themselves. Where did they get water for this ritual?
Answer. They used water sent by God, that is, rainwater.
2.18 In South Africa, in the vicinity of the small town of Upington, there are luxurious vineyards. During the harvesting of ripe berries, they are transported by whole dump trucks to large concrete platforms the size of a football field, and they are left there. Why?
Answer . This is how raisins are made.
2.19 In ancient Babylon, this sequence looked like this: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. What do we now call what corresponded to Mars?
Answer. Tuesday.
2.20 Once upon a time in South America The Spanish conquistadors were amazed to see a creature hovering motionless in the air, surrounded by a cloud. He hastily called the priest, he looked at the miracle and announced that it was an angel. And who was it really?
Answer. Hummingbird.
2.21 Everyone is well aware of the “sandwich law,” sometimes also called the “law of selective gravity.” According to Jennings's addition to this law, "the probability of a sandwich falling on the carpet on the buttered side is directly proportional to..." What?
Answer, "...the cost of the carpet."
2.22 Which fish got its name for its big eyes?
Answer. Perch.
2.23 In the middle of the 9th century, the Vikings first entered the Mediterranean Sea. Having not encountered serious resistance from the rich coastal cities, they were nevertheless soon forced to go home. The Vikings were frightened by a “skin disease” that suddenly struck them. What was its cause?
Answer. The Vikings, who had never encountered the hot southern sun before, simply burned out.
2.24 This film has not left the screens for several decades. Although it constantly raises problems of relationships with blacks and cruelty to animals, the plot is always focused on the passions boiling between the inseparable main characters. It’s a pity that when films are translated into Russian, the names of the characters are not translated, otherwise their names would be Foma and Erema. What is the name of this film?
Answer. "Tom and Jerry".
2.25 What ancient Russian city was founded where the Volga makes a bend?
Answer. Uglich (from the word “angle”).
2.26 This type of treatment is used for diseases of the joints of the limbs, spine, bones, nervous system, blood vessels, and some forms of infertility. Common name medical procedures - applications, and some of them have special names: “gloves”, “socks”, “pants”, “jacket”. What type of treatment are we talking about?
Answer. Mud therapy (procedures are named depending on which parts of the body are covered with mud).
2.27 The ancient Semites called their temples “betil”, which means “house of God”. And the ancient Iranians called temples with the word “atashked”, which means “house...”. Whose?
Answer. Fire. Zoroastrians worship fire.
2.28 One of the English companies produces an “eternal” electric flashlight. The advertisement says that it is not harmed by immersion to a depth of 150 meters, the flashlight does not corrode, it cannot be broken or broken. This product is guaranteed for the lifetime of the owner. However, the warranty card contains a note: “The company is not responsible for the consequences of an attack on a flashlight by a shark, a bear and...” Who?
Answer. Child.
2.29 She inspired the artist Grekov, but we are more familiar with the work of the poet Ruderman and composer Listov, dedicated to her. If you believe that work, she was a native of Kyiv, or Poltava, or Rostov-on-Don. Name it.
Answer. Tachanka.
2.30 This Russian word in the past it meant “face” and came from words meaning “forehead” and “mouth”. What is this word?
Answer. Jaw (“brow” + “mouth”).
2.31 The first list is Euler, Brahe, Kepler, Regiomontan, Ulugbek, Biruni. The second list is Kordylevsky, Lovell, Struve, Sternberg, Galileo, Vorontsov-Velyaminov. People from the first and second lists were astronomers. And who were the people from the first list, but not the people from the second list?
Answer . Astrologers.
2.32 Once an attempt was made to find out what factors influenced the choice of profession by famous people. It turned out that the influence of acquaintances is in second place, travel is in third place, and travel is in fourth place. - natural beauty, then - the influence of parents, school and theater. Which factor came first?
Answer. Books.
2.33 Doll, dead man, amoeba, toy, corpse, queen. Select from this list those nouns that, from the point of view of Russian grammar, are animate.
Answer. Doll, dead man, amoeba, queen. By definition, animate nouns are those whose plural forms of the nominative and accusative cases do not match, for example: them. p. - dead, wine p. - I see dead people; them. p. - corpses, wine p. - I see corpses.
2.34 In the primitive era it was considered natural process ridding society of useless members. Then this was considered a terrible crime; the ancient Greeks were horrified by the mere thought of it. We have known about one such crime since childhood. The accused denied committing the crime. Name at least one of his distinctive features and the weapon of the crime.
Answer. The criminal was red-haired and freckled, and he killed grandfather with a shovel.
2.35 The African Swahili people have a legend that tells that the first man descended to earth from the sky. And who helped him do this?
Answer. Giraffe.
2.36 According to one child, adults do not know how to love, be friends, feel sorry for, or be happy. Because of this, they “don’t find what they are looking for.” And to find it, you need to know only two secrets. The first one says: “Only the heart is vigilant.” Name the second one.
Answer. “You are always responsible for those you have tamed.”
2.37 “We saw women fighting at the forefront as leaders. They are fair-skinned and tall, their long hair is braided and wrapped around their heads. The Okies are strong and, armed with bows and arrows, each of them fights no worse than ten men.” What is the name now of the country in which the author of these lines, Gaspar de Carvajal, discovered such amazing women?
Answer. Brazil.
2.38 And in traditional Russian women's suit, and the military uniform has an element whose name is related to the cockscomb. What is it called in each of these cases?
Answer. Kokoshnik and cockade.
2.39 Before Jean-Michel Jarre's concert near the Moscow State University building on Vorobyovy Gory, he received a promise from Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov that even the Pope could not give him. So what did Luzhkov promise?
Answer. Good weather.
2.40 Listen to an excerpt from a poem by poet Sergei Khmelnitsky dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad:
“There were six messengers in the world,
But the earth is not worth the seventh.
There was Adam and Nuh with Ibrahim,
And Musa, and Daud and Isa."
The seventh “messenger” is, of course, Muhammad. Of course, everyone knows who Adam is. And by what names do we know the other listed “messengers”?
Answer. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus.
2.41 Karion Istomin, the 16th-century author of the Primer, believed that an untidy upper room required five, bad behavior at the table - three, unwashed dishes - six, foul language - ten, failure to attend church - twelve, and playing cards or dice - eight. What do these numbers mean?
Answer. Number of blows with a rod. (Answer without the word “rod” is not counted.)
2.42 In Persian it means “cloth made of nettles”, in Turkish this expression became the name of a headdress, and in Europe it gave the name to the plant. Which one?
Answer. Tulip (from the word “turban”).
2.43 Many Africans who live in the same area as him avoid mentioning his name and call him “He who kills while smiling.” What do we call it?
Answer. Crocodile.
2.44 Followers of the Old Believer sect of the Onesimites believed that the most righteous of them received communion from the hands of an angel once a year. On Holy Thursday, after prayer, they waited for some time with their mouths open for the angelic communion. Because of this custom, they received two nicknames among the people. Name these nicknames.
Answer. Open and gaping.
2.45 Name the failed agricultural worker and musician who discovered significant gaps in the secondary education system.
Answer. Antoshka.
2.46 The flag of Ireland alternates green, white and orange. White symbolizes peace, and who do green and orange symbolize if for many years the symbolism of the flag could not be realized?
Answer. Catholics and Protestants.
2.47 Before the opening of the Moscow metro, it was necessary to decide how to make a signal for the departure of the train. Having tried different types whistles and horns, the leaders of the metro, in the end, made the same choice as the Prophet Muhammad in his time. What did they choose?
2.48 The ancient Indians counted six “urmi” - sufferings that accompany human life. I will name five: hunger, thirst, heat, cold, greed. If your karma is not so heavy and you will not undergo the sixth suffering right now, then you will name it correctly. What is this?
Answer. These are mistakes.
2.49 Sailors, as you know, have no questions. And who, according to Yuri Mikhailik’s poem, has no answers?
Answer. U poets have no answers.
2.50 The Chinese sage Xu Zeshu wrote that you can do this when you are idle, when you listen to boring poetry, when the music stops, when you live in solitude, when you talk late at night, when you host a learned husband or well-mannered singers, in good weather, in hot weather. , day, at dusk. All of you probably do this, and most of you regularly. What is needed for this?
Answer. Tea and cups. This is a tea party.
2.51 In the games of two boys, she performed the functions of a Christmas tree, a cab driver, a Chinese pagoda, a flower pot on a stand, and even a bishop, until she became the keeper of the Great Secret. What was she really like?
Answer. Chess queen (“Conduit and Schwambrania” by L. Kassil). The answer “chess piece” is accepted, “pawn” is not.
2.52 The word "wing" in German and Dutch sounds very similar. Both words were borrowed from the Russian language, but the German began to denote a separate building, and the Dutch - a part of a building or, if you like, a device. Name both words.
Answer. Outbuilding and weather vane.
2.53 Alexey Ivanovich Popov, the Minister of Culture of the RSFSR in the 50s, was such a desperate swearer that even the Soviet leadership finally could not stand it. Popov was removed from the Ministry of Culture and appointed... who?
Answer. Minister of Education.
2.54 During excavations of an ancient Egyptian settlement in Thebes, fragments of limestone with funny drawings were discovered. One of them depicts a donkey, a lion, a crocodile and a monkey. Half of this information is enough for any Russian schoolchild to guess what they are doing. What?
Answer. They play musical instruments (a donkey and a monkey are half of Krylov’s “Quartet”).
2.55 Along with other great men of England, he is buried in Westminster Abbey. The following epitaph is placed on his tombstone: “He has increased the wealth of his country, increased the strength of man, and occupies a distinguished place among the most glorious scholars and real benefactors of the world.” This person's last name appears in the SI system. Who is he?
Answer. James Watt (bulb watts- Vhis honor).
2.56 According to legend, these sounds were heard in the summer of 1284 in a city in Germany. They heard the tickling rustle of grain flowing in a trickle from a hole in the bag; the cheerful clicking of oil in a frying pan; the crunch of a cracker under sharp teeth. What were these sounds needed for?
Answer. To lure rats out of the city (the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin).
2.57 A bold project, conceived in the 20s by two Soviet sailors: Andrei Vasilyevich Vronsky and Ivan Aleksandrovich Mann, remained unfulfilled. Their ship didn't even leave the port. But later this plan still brought them well-deserved fame. True, under different names. Which ones exactly?
Answer . Captain Vrungel and senior assistant Lom. Vronsky and Mann planned trip around the world on a two-seater yacht; A. Nekrasov based Vronsky’s stories about the failed journey as the basis for his book.
2.58 The sixth were birds, the seventh was a bull, the eighth were mares, the tenth were cows, the eleventh were apples, the twelfth was a dog. Name the first and second.
Answer. Leo (Namean) and Hydra (Lernaean). The labors of Hercules are listed (not all).
2.59 According to one ancient myth, when God created man, the devil wanted to repeat the experiment. But instead of a man, he got a wolf, which immediately bit his creator. For what place? Justify your answer.
Answer. By the leg, the devil has been limping ever since.
2.60 The word “dvija” - “twice born” - was used by the ancient Indians to name a representative of one of the three highest castes, as well as a part of the human body and the animal class... Name the animal and part of the body. Answers that correctly name at least one of the two will be accepted.
Answer . Bird and tooth.
2.61 According to legend, they poisoned Jesus’ last moments of his life, just as they often poison our lives. Therefore, according to popular belief By killing one of them, you can get rid of forty sins. Who are they?
Answer . Mosquitoes.
2.62 The production of Alexei Kruchenykh’s opera “Victory over the Sun,” which took place at the end of 1913, was also supposed to mark a complete victory over realism. Even the sun on the set had nothing in common with the real thing. Who was the artist for the play?
Answer. Kazimir Malevich (he depicted the sun as a black square).
2.63 The Romans used this word to describe harmonious playing of wind musical instruments, agreement, unanimity. Sometimes it acquired a negative connotation and meant: secret conspiracy, conspiracy to rebel. We call this word one of the necessary conditions for such a conspiracy. Name this word.
Answer. Conspiracy (cop- co, spero - spirit).
2.64 The inhabitants of Polynesia had very useful items, without which they did not go on trips. These objects were cuttings of palm leaves connected by plant fibers, intersecting at different angles. In some places, mollusk shells were attached to them. What did the cuttings mean and what did the shells mean?
Answer. These items are nautical charts, in which shells represented islands, and leaf cuttings represented sea currents.
2.65 The first edition of the Small Soviet Encyclopedia says about this city: “The population is 1 million 360 thousand inhabitants. Situated on a vast sheltered bay Atlantic Ocean. The main streets are not inferior to the first cities in the world in terms of the wealth of shops and splendor of buildings, but in the working-class districts there are squalid shacks, narrow and dirty streets.” And what clothes, according to a less authoritative source, did the residents of this city prefer?
Answer. White pants. This is Rio de Janeiro, and Bender carried a clipping from the Small Soviet Encyclopedia in his pocket.
2.66 There are 321 species in total. There are sword-billed, red, ruby-throated, sappho, angel, long-tailed, topaz, racket-tailed and others. Who are they and what is the name of the one the size of a swallow?
Answer. Giant or gigantic hummingbird.
2.67 The mystery of Igor Huberman. Huberman claims that he asked it to many friends in the humanities and only once received the correct answer. So, who are they - “brother-in-law is aiming for brother-in-law for sure”?
Answer. Dantes and Pushkin.
2.68 Demonakt once saw two ignoramuses, one of whom asked stupid questions, and the other gave equally stupid answers. Demonakt told them: “In my opinion, one of you is milking a goat, and the other is setting up...” What?
Answer. Sieve.
2.69 The first, which appeared in Moscow in 1338, arrived from captured Tver. After 1346, the chronicler talks about “captives” from the conquered cities and principalities: Gorodets, Pskov, Smolensk. In Moscow, “foreigners” could also be found among them; for example, many of them were captured in 1480 after a clash with the Livonian Order. There were also local “natives”. Why did a quarter of them die in the first half of the 18th century?
Answer . PeterIordered the bells to be poured onto the cannons.
2.70 In 1995, for the first time in history, the Japanese ate more of the former than the latter. Name both the first and second products.
Answer . Meat, rice.
2.71 You probably know the famous steam locomotive competition, which was won by Stephenson's Rocket. Before the start of these competitions, the judges disqualified one of the locomotives, as they discovered an unfair technique that sharply increased the chances of this locomotive winning. Now such a trick would hardly help win races. What engine did this locomotive have?
Answer. There was a live horse hidden there (with the help of peculiar pedals it drove the wheelsVmovement).
2.72 You have all heard about the famous Aztec civilization and their language, otherwise called Nahuatl. You all know that it was the Aztecs who gave the Old World chocolate, in Aztec “chocolatl”. Now tell me, how exactly do the names of a vegetable in the nightshade family and an animal in the canine family sound in Aztec?
Answer. Tomatl and coyotl.
2.73 By the beginning of the twentieth century, this area ratio for Great Britain was 1:109, for the Netherlands - 1:67, for France and Portugal - 1:21, for Germany and Denmark - 1:5, for Belgium - 1:80. What kind of relationships are these?
Answer . The ratio of the areas of metropolises to the areas of colonies.
2.74 On the back of the head of these birds is a black crest of elongated feathers. This feature, about two hundred years ago, made them look like people of a certain profession, hence the name of these birds. What are they called?
Answer. Secretary bird.
2.75 Sergei Lvovich Pushkin, being in a good mood, willingly recited this French playwright to children. Under his influence, 9-year-old Pushkin wrote - in French! - the play “The Kidnapper”. But the audience, represented by sister Olga, booed the play, and the self-critical author immediately wrote an epigram on himself, in which he admitted that he had borrowed the play from another... Who?
Answer. At Moliere's.
2.76 The "Scottish Brothers" were famous in XV-XVI centuries, “Bohemian Sisters” - in XIX-XX. However, the former name of a completely different country has become a household name. If you understand what we are talking about, you can easily say what this country is called now.
Answer . Thailand, we are talking about Siamese twins.
2.77 One day, the “Golden Goddess”, a cup awarded to world football champions, was stolen. The dog who found her, Shalopai, immediately became famous. He was invited to star in the film “The Detective with a Cold Nose” and was awarded a commemorative medal. What privilege was he given in addition, if he alone of his fellows possesses it?
Answer. The right to attend football matches.
2.78 War propaganda specialists know that when campaigning it is necessary to take into account national psychological characteristics enemy personnel. For example, it is believed that American soldiers tend to evaluate the orders of commanders from the point of view of expediency; for the Japanese, comfort during combat operations is not important; The French are inventive and have a developed imagination, which cannot be said about the British. Representatives of which nation are known to overestimate the role of numerical superiority over the enemy?
Answer. About the Chinese.
2.79 In an ancient Welsh manuscript called the Black Book, the legendary King Arthur bears the title "Amberwyder". What does this title mean?
Answer. This is a corruption of the word "emperor".
2.80 All of you, of course, know the story of three hundred Spartans who detained an entire army of Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge. But why did only this small detachment stand in the way of the Persian army? Where was the main power of Hellas concentrated at this time?
Answer. In Olympia. The main forces of the Greeks set out on the campaign only after the end of the Olympic Games.
2.81 Listen to the poem.
"The Acrobat and the Little Dog"
Two empty barrels weigh
A smart dog without an acrobat
Weighs two skeins of twine,
And with one skein of lamb
You see, it weighs like a barrel.”
Attention, question:
“How much does an acrobat weigh?
In terms of lambs?
Answer. 2.
2.82 Some historians believe that they came from China, others insist that they came from Africa. Their appearance in Europe was first documented in 1369. Name those that have two heads.
Answer . King, queen, jack.
2.83 In Moscow there is a river called Los, a tributary of the Ichka River, which flows into the Yauza. What is the name of the largest of the streams flowing into the Elk River?
Answer. Elk calf.
2.84 This man, based on the text of Homer’s “Odyssey,” tried to calculate the route of Odysseus’s journey according to Mediterranean Sea. He allegedly found the cave of Polyphemus in Sicily, and identified the island of Pheakov with the island of Corfu. Later researchers refuted his conclusions. But his other project was more successful. What was this man's name?
Answer. Heinrich Schliemann.
2.85 In ancient Chinese writings it is said that in the spring it is necessary to make sacrifices to Ma-zu - the progenitor of horses, in the summer - to Xian-mu - the first shepherd of horses, in the winter - to Ma-bu - the spirit of horse diseases. And in the fall, sacrifices should be made to Ma-she, who, as you can easily guess, is also related to horses. Who was Ma-she?
Answer. The first rider.
2.86 The iconographic rules for depicting this saint were established recently - in 1988. According to them, he should be depicted with the icon of the Trinity in his hands. Name it.
Answer. Reverend Andrei Rublev.
2.87 The navigator Bougainville concluded his diary of his journey to this place with the words: “Goodbye, happy people. I will always remember with joy every moment spent among you, and as long as I live I will glorify the happy island of Kifaru, this true Utopia.” And someone who has never been there claims that his life is no worse with us. What kind of place is this?
Answer. Tahiti Island. "Someone who has not been there"- cat from the cartoon "Return of the Prodigal Parrot".
2.88 Five qualities: loyalty, politeness, courage, truthfulness, simplicity - are the main virtues of one of the Japanese ways. And what do people on this path say: “If you gave up on this, you gave up on your life”?
Answer. About the sword.
2.89 For us real estate- these are buildings, and movables - cash and valuables. The ancient Greeks had a similar division, but they did not call precious metals in bullion, gold, copper, iron, as moving wealth; and what kind of wealth they called the word “probata”, i.e. "moving property"?
Answer. Scott.
2.90 Not far from the Danish city of Aarhus there is a whole country of technical fantasy. Here you can take a walk along the invented Indian country with caves, monsters and attractions, walk through a “mini-Copenhagen” with the royal palace and guards, sit next to Andersen... What are all the elements of this extraordinary “country” made of?
Answer. From Lego construction parts, this is Legoland.
2.91 According to the Guinness Book of Records, the first to do this was the French soldier Jean Marie Saletti, who escaped from an English prison in 1815. By May 1997, 4,412 people had attempted this, of which 505 had completed their task, some more than once. What did they do?
Answer . We crossed the English Channel by swimming.
2.92 In the Khanty language “ket” means heart, “sam” means hand. Translate the word “ketsem” into Russian.
Answer. Pulse.
2.93 Claudia Zakharovna Plotnikova, a representative of the Kamasin people, who died in 1975, and Dolly Pentre from the Cornish people were such. But the heroes of the works of the famous American writer and the famous Soviet writer were not like that, despite the names of the works. What were the people mentioned, but the characters mentioned were not?
Answer. The last ones (“The Last of the Mohicans” by Cooper and “The Last of the Udege” by Fadeev).
2.94 A person looking at the list of Moscow museums can conclude that the life of Ermolova, Chekhov, V. Vasnetsov, Lermontov and A. Ostrovsky was more comfortable than the life of Gorky, Dostoevsky, Tsvetaeva, Meyerhold and A. Vasnetsov. What two terms will help you make this conclusion?
Answer. House-museum and museum-apartment.
2.95 We call a respirator a device that protects the respiratory system from dust and harmful substances contained in the air. Its name comes from the Latin word respirare, "to exhale." What device do the French call an aspirateur, literally “inhaler”?
Answer. Vacuum cleaner.
2.96 Derzhavin, seeing this, wrote: “The mountain is falling like diamonds.” What did he see?
Answer. Waterfall (to be precise, the Kivach waterfall in Karelia).
2.97 According to the French proverb, which building is closest to the tavern?
Answer. Jail.
2.98 The Monk Maximus the Confessor, who lived in the 7th century, skillfully and successfully proved the incorrectness of the Monothelite heresy, which was widespread at that time. When he fell into the hands of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, a supporter of heretics, he ordered the two parts of Maximus’s body, the most dangerous from the emperor’s point of view, to be cut off. What parts of the body did St. Maximus lose?
Answer. Tongue and right hand (so that he could neither preach nor write books).
2.99 One of the first to dramatize Pushkin’s works was playwright Shakhovskoy. Staging " Queen of Spades"he called "Chrisomania, or Passion for Money"; The name “Kerim-Girey, or Bakhchisarai Fountain” speaks for itself. And he simply called an episode from a certain poem “Finn.” What kind of poem is this?
Answer. "Ruslan and Lyudmila."
2.100 Blok wrote: “In taverns, in alleys, in twists and turns, In an electric waking dream...” - What did Blok mean by “an electric waking dream”?
Answer. Cinema.
2.101 They can be in the shape of an arch, wing, dome, pyramid or table, and their maximum draft can be more than half a kilometer. Name their most famous victim.
Answer. "Titanic" (we are talking about icebergs).
2.102 In the Middle Ages, this was the name for ready-made examples of charters, in which you only needed to enter the date and names of the parties to the transaction. We also get the result by substituting specific data into them. What are we talking about?
Answer. About formulas.
2.103 This fish got its name because if it is pulled ashore, it immediately changes color - it becomes covered with dark spots. What kind of fish are we talking about?
Answer. Lin (he is molting).
2.104 The names of these military uniform accessories come from words meaning "shoulder" - one on German, the other is in French. Name both accessories.
Answer. Aiguillette and epaulette.
2.105 Even on the wedding day, the future mother-in-law was ready to postpone the ceremony, demanding more and more amounts from Pushkin. As a result of this, the poet did not have enough funds even to purchase this item of clothing necessary for the wedding. And he borrowed it from Nashchokin. According to Pushkin's friends, the same item of clothing was used during the burial. What subject are we talking about?
Answer. About the tailcoat.
2.106 What is the official name of the 19th province of Iraq, according to the official opinion of the Iraqi government expressed in the early 1990s?
Answer. Kuwait.
2.107 The prototype of this musical instrument was the so-called Yelets piano accordion. Modern name The Viennese master Damian gave it to him in 1829 to show that on the instrument he designed, by pressing one button, several sounds could be produced at once. Name this tool.
Answer. Accordion- from the word “chord”, the piano accordion got its name due to the fact that its right keyboard was equipped with keys, like a piano. The right accordion keyboard has the same appearance.
2.108 Through a simple operation, Matroskin proved to Pechkin that he had a high fever, although Pechkin’s temperature was only 36.6 °C. Reproduce this proof.
Answer. 36 and 6= 42.
2.109 Now the Moscow Museum of Horse Breeding belongs to the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, but at its founding it belonged to another Moscow institution. Which one?
Answer. Hippodrome.
2.110 Some researchers believe that the Latin name for willow, Salix, comes from two Celtic words “sal” and “lis”. The first means "close". What does the second mean?
Answer. Water (willow grows near water).
2.111 Most representatives of isopod crustaceans live in water. Only one group of these animals has adapted to live on land, and even then only in a humid environment. This feature is reflected in their russ com name. Name them.
Answer. Woodlice.
2.112 They say that Leo Tolstoy loved to do this. A Huanapum Indian chief named Smohalla refused to do this, saying that he "wouldn't dare damage his mother's hair." And we have all heard repeatedly that this night hour animals were doing. Which?
Answer . Hares (mowed the grass).
2.113 This man did not believe the words of soothsayers like Nostradamus, of whom there were many in his time. Making fun of them, he wrote the essay “Predictions,” where he described ordinary things in vague and sometimes ominous terms: a dream, a person’s shadow, playing ball, ants, the work of a digger, starting a fire. You know these works well. Name their author.
Answer. Leonardo da Vinci (the so-called “Leonardo’s riddles” are taken from the book “Predictions”),
2.114 On June 8, 1799, Pushkin was baptized in the Church of the Epiphany in Yelokhov. On February 1, 1837, his funeral service was held in the Stable Church in St. Petersburg. What happened on February 18, 1831 in the Moscow Church of the Great Ascension?
Answer . The wedding of the poet with Natalya Nikolaevna.
2.115 Right at the Oscars ceremony, the long-awaited statuettes are taken away from the lucky winners of the prizes. Why is this being done?
Answer. They will be engraved with the honoree's name and returned.
2.116 For Catherine II’s journey along the Volga, shipwright Shchepin built a magnificent galley “Tver” in Tver with eight cabins for the empress, eight cabins for the retinue... The crew lived in the hold. The galley was armed with eight small cannons. What were they intended for?
Answer. For fireworks.
2.117 In a letter to Bonch-Bruevich dated February 5, 1920, Lenin cited the phrase “a newspaper without paper and without distances.” What did he mean?
Answer. Radio broadcasting (radio is not received).
2.118 He was an artist, speed cleaner, builder, nanny, dog walker, trainer, juggler, cook, doctor and much more. He assessed his successes in all areas of activity equally. How?
Answer . Considered myself the bestVworld.
2.119 In 1936, the song “Eleven Sisters” was written for the film “Girl from Kamchatka”: “Eleven beloved And all as chosen...” Even if you have not seen the film, you will probably remember the name of at least one sister.
Answer. Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, etc. In 1936, the USSR included 11 republics (excluding the Baltic states and Moldova).
2.120 In a Dutch book of the 18th century. “Emblems and Symbols” says about Margaret of Navarre: “All her actions, thoughts, desires and feelings followed the great Sun of Righteousness, the almighty Lord, for all her thoughts were turned to the heavenly and spiritual.” What was the symbol of Margaret of Navarre?
Answer. Sunflower.
2.121 For the first time this word in its modern meaning was used in relation to the Englishman James Fig, who defeated all his opponents in fights with rapiers, cutlasses, clubs and fists. In combination with what name is this word most often written on Moscow fences?
Answer. Spartacus. Word- "champion".
2.122 The huge and luxurious airship "Hindenburg" during construction received a nickname, which, during its eleventh voyage to New York, it, in fact, justified. This nickname consisted of two words. The first word is “heavenly”. Name the second one.
Answer. "Titanic".
2.123 Oscar Wilde, who was prone to paradoxes, argued that “a map that does not indicate this country is not worthy to hang on the wall.” However, you will not find this country on the political map of the world. Name it.
Answer. Utopia.
2.124 The servant of the god Ares Alectryon stood guard during the meetings of his master with Aphrodite and had to wake them up before morning. One day he overslept, and Helios caught them. As punishment, Ares turned Alectryon... Into what?
Answer. At the rooster.
2.125 For men it weighs on average 25 g and for women it is only 15 g. According to the rules good manners, it is not recommended to display this for public viewing, but if the need arises to use it, then it must be used discreetly and silently. What is this?
Answer. Handkerchief.
2.126 Judging by its name, it should give liquid food, but many of us have happened to ask it for solid food. Who is she?
Answer. Ladybug.
2.127 Lao Tzu said: “A trap is needed to catch a hare: when the hare is caught, the trap is forgotten. THEY are needed to catch the thought: when the thought is caught, THEY are forgotten.” Name THEM.
Answer. Words.
2.128 This military rank appeared in the Russian army in 1716 by decree of Peter the Great. In 1798 it was abolished by Paul I, but in 1917 it was restored by the Provisional Government and finally abolished only in 1942 by the Supreme Command. Name this title.
Answer. Commissioner.
2.129 Valery Bryusov wrote in his poem “Never Again”:
“My face is too stern, like the singer Inferno,
Girls are confused by the secret of past years..."
Who is this singer Inferno?
Answer . Dante. "Inferno» - "Hell" (it.)- first part of The Divine Comedy.
2.130 American Lee Coppola entered his dog Ashley in the telephone directory instead of himself. Soon the mailbox was filled with letters addressed to Ashley Coppola with offers to buy lawn care products, a book on the history of the Coppola family, where Mr. Ashley Coppola was allegedly also mentioned, and other rubbish. But one commercial proposal, according to the owner, should have especially outraged Ashley, because it directly encroached on his functions. What was he offered to buy?
Answer . Electronic system home security.
“And so all the diversity of peoples of the world,
United by the commonality of the idol,
Leading a peaceful, noble dispute,
Answer. Pierre de Coubertin.
2.132 In 1783, one very ordinary French ram received an honorable discharge and a lifelong place in the royal menagerie of Louis XVI. What kind of vehicle did he have to travel in for this?
Answer. On a hot air balloon.
2.133 When Byzantine enemies presented this man with poisoned food, he realized that it contained poison and refused to eat. After this, as a sign of his ability to foresight, he received a nickname. Which?
Answer. Prophetic.
2.134 “Veterinarian” in Chukchi is “kora-doctor.” What does the Chukchi word “bark” mean?
Answer. Deer (northern).
2.135 Pushkin wrote about Alexander I:
“He's a man! they are ruled by the moment.
He is a slave to rumors, doubts and passions;
Let us forgive him his wrongful persecution:
He took Paris..."
What else, in Pushkin’s opinion, did he do good?
Answer, “...he founded the Lyceum.”
2.136 One of the ideas of the Russian philosopher N. Fedorov was the resurrection of all people who have ever lived on Earth. One of Fedorov’s followers wondered, where is there room for everyone? And he found a way out. We don't ask what he suggested, just say his last name.
Answer. Tsiolkovsky.
2.137 At 5 it is considered light, at 12.5 it is considered strong. Name a person of royal blood whom he once helped in carrying out search activities.
Answer . Prince Elisha. It's about the wind.
2.138 Christian holidays in Rus' were often accompanied by peculiar customs. So, on Trinity Sunday they cut down a tree, decorated it with ribbons, carried it around the village singing, and then broke off its branches and scattered them across the fields to make the soil more fertile. What song did they usually sing?
Answer. “There was a birch tree in the field.”
2.139 Finish the joke by humorist Vladimir Reznichenko: “Due to the increased rate of spread of AIDS, Moscow ambulances will be equipped with additional…” What?
Answer . "... speedometer."
2.140 Why the Chinese poet Su Shi wrote:
Answer. About poetry.
2.141 Vadim Nikitin, owner of several Moscow restaurants, believes that it is more difficult to cook, for example, borscht well than frog legs. Explaining this idea, he almost repeats one of the arguments of Confucius. Why is it so difficult to please a client with borscht?
Answer. Because everyone knows what borscht should taste like, and few people know what frog legs should taste like. (Confucius says that it is more difficult to draw a rooster than a devil).
1.142 Until recently, it was believed that the first realistic depiction of this was made in the 16th century by the Flemish anatomist Andrew Vesalius. However, archaeologists recently found a clay vessel in Mexico similar to this one, made about 2,500 years earlier. What is this?
Answer. Human heart. The answer “heart” without specifying that it is human also counts.
1.143 After the crisis that began in August 1998 and hit Russian entrepreneurs very hard, a proverb was born among them: “Before August 17, it was prestigious to have a mobile phone, and after August 17...” What kind of phone became desirable to have after August 17?
Answer. Worker.
1.144 The first name and patronymic of the first of them was Mikhail Fedorovich, the last one is Nikolai Alexandrovich. What was the name of the second one?
Answer. Alexey Mikhailovich (Romanov).
1.145 In what ways can the sperm whale, narwhal and walrus replace the elephant?
Answer. Their teeth replace ivory.
1.146 The Sandwich Islands archipelago consists of twenty-four islands: Maui, Molokai, Oahu and so on. What is the name of the largest of the Sandwich Islands?
Answer. Hawaii (Sandwich Islands otherwise known as Hawaiian).
1.147 The first of them has 4 and 4, the second has 8 and 6, the third has 6 and 8, the fourth has 20 and 12, the last and fifth has 12 and 20. Name any of these five.
Answer. Tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron (five regular polyhedra).
1.148 Who committed the greatest sacrilege in history against the goddess Artemis?
Answer . Herostratus (burned the Temple of Artemis in the city of Ephesus).
1.149 Which of the apostles at the Last Supper was marked with the so-called “communion of salt,” that is, Jesus personally dipped a piece of bread into salt for him?
Answer. Judas Iscariot.
1.150 Which watch always shows true time?
Answer. Solar (“true solar time”).
1.151 In Malay, as you probably know, the word "orang" means "person". What does the word "orangorang" mean?
Answer. People (plural).
Answer . Fuel, instead of boiling water (99% of bacteria die from the sun during this time).
1.153 He tried to ask peas, wheat, oats, hemp, barley to do this. What plant should I have asked for?
Answer . Sim-sim, or sesame, or sesame (Kasim, when he wanted to leave the cave of robbers, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”).
2.154 Ivan Vasilyevich came to Novgorod, trampled on its liberties, and executed many people. Question: who is this - Ivan the Third, the Fourth or someone else?
Answer. Both (and IvanIII, and IvanIV- both did this).
2.155 Name two more characters, besides Romeo and Juliet, in this tragedy, using the same names as they are indicated in the list of characters.
Answer. Montagues and Capulets (fathers), Senora Montague and Senora Capulet, Juliet's nurse, brother Lorenza, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, Paris, Apothecary, Duke Escalus, Old Man, brother Giovanni, Balthasar, Samson, Gregory, Pietro, Abram, pages Mercutio and Paris, Bailiff.
2.156 A rectangular sheet of paper folded in half was cut in half again. How many pieces will there be?
Answer. Or two, or three. Answers 2 or 3 will not be accepted.
2.157 By the will of fate, we are especially familiar with three characters in the story Ancient Egypt who lived at the same time. This is Akhenaten, his wife and his young successor.
Name the woman and the boy.
Answer. NefertitiAndTutankhamun.
2.158 Buses, trolleybuses, trams and electric trains, when driving on the right, often exit at right side than to the left. Why is this not the case for metro trains?
Answer. Platform between the tracksAnot outside.
2.159 This city was renamed in 1946 so that the Latinized version of its name Regiomontan would have to be replaced by Viburnumurbus. What kind of city is this?
Answer. Koenigsberg, Kaliningrad (German: “koenigs”= lat. "regio"= "royal", German "berg"= lat. "montan"= "mountain", lat. "Viburnum» = viburnum (plant), lat. "urbus"= "city").
2.160 Which two supreme pontiffs, among other things, became famous for the reform of the calendar?
Answer. Julius Caesar and Pope GregoryXIII.
2.161 Clocks are designed differently. Which two types of clocks noticeably speed up when gravity increases?
Answer. Walkers with weights (pendulum) and sand (or water).
2.162 What, from a general biological point of view, is the main difference between oriole and meadowsweet?
Answer . Oriole is an animal, meadowsweet is a plant.
2.163 The word "solfeggio" comes from the name of two notes. Which ones?
Answer. G and F (in Italian sound).
2.164 In order to reach Pereslavl and Kyiv from Suzdal in the 12th century, you had to have very long... What?
Answer. Hands (Yuri Dolgoruky received his nickname because, as a Suzdal prince, he fought for power far from Suzdal).
2.165 From the first letters of the names of the two main characters and two main heroines of this famous novel, the word “veto” is formed. What kind of novel is this?
Answer. “Eugene Onegin” (Vladimir, Evgeny, Olga, Tatyana).
2.166 What are these Latin words: Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus?
Answer . Names of the Zodiac signs (Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn).
2.167 Who swallowed the stone and ultimately lost his political career as a result?
Answer. Kronos (swallowed a stone instead of baby Zeus).
2.168 Few of them are so poetic as to carry V imagine the beauty of “ivory” or “morning freshness”. What is this?
Answer. Names of states (Korea = Joseon - “Land of Morning Freshness”, Ivory Coast = “Ivory Coast”).
2.169 What is deuterium oxide commonly called?
Answer. Heavy water.
2.170 If d'Artagnan had gone not to England, but V Russia, he would find here an extremely romantic, but very little reflected V literature period of history. At the court of which king, almost the same age as Athos, would he end up?
Answer . Mikhail Romanov (reigned from 1613 to 1645, LouisXIIIdied 1643, LouisXIV- 1638-1715).
2.171 The Latin word "xiv" is actually not a word, but... What?
Answer. Number 14(XIV).
2.172 Plan of biographical description: place of birth, place of residence, appearance, environment and meetings, fatal meeting and death, posthumous fate. Quote the beginning of this biographical description.
Answer. “A Christmas tree was born in the forest...”
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This phrase “What? Where? When?" For more than 40 years now it has been associated with us in a TV game show in which the intellectual elite Club of “experts” participates. Questions sent by viewers are always very unusual, interesting and tricky.
I.I. Rusanova compiled a most interesting book from them, which can become a guide for beginning experts. True, the author, as expected, first gives the questions, and at the end of the chapter - the answers, but in order to save you time on searching, we will give them right away. So…
1. Why does a heron not move from its spot when it pecks at a fish?
Because at this time a kind of “dandruff” falls off it, on which fish and frogs “peck”.
2. Why did the duelists hold left hand raised up?
Since duels usually took place at dusk, either at dawn or in the evening, they held a lantern in their left hand.
3. Why did Alexander the Great require his soldiers to shave their beards?
So that in battle the enemy could not grab them by the beard. This contributed to increasing the combat effectiveness of the troops.
4. Why were typhoons used to be given female names?
Typhoon (Chinese tai feng - big wind) is the name given to tropical cyclones of storm and hurricane force in the Far East. The name of the first schooner damaged by the typhoon was "Maria", and since then typhoons have been given predominantly female names.
5. Why do cows like to graze on the railroad embankment?
Typically, railway sleepers are impregnated with tar, which consists of petroleum resins. The smell of tar drives away mosquitoes and other insects that bite cows.
6. Which woman did not sleep at night for 2 years, 8 months and 4 weeks?
This is a character Arabian tales“1001 Nights” Queen Shahrazad (or, as we are more familiar, Scheherazade). Her husband, King Shahriyar, after the betrayal of his former wife, took up arms against all women. Every night he took a new wife, and the next morning he executed her. The cunning Scheherazade began to tell a fairy tale at night and interrupted it in the middle interesting place. This went on for 1001 nights. During this time, Shahriyar fell in love with the wise queen, and she became his faithful companion.
7. On which foot did Cinderella lose her shoe - on the right or on the left?
In the 17th century, when Charles Perrault, the author of this tale, lived, shoes for both feet were the same, without distinction between right and left. Division was only introduced in the 19th century. By the way, her slipper was not crystal at all, it’s just that in some French publications, instead of the word vair - “fur for edging”, verre - “glass” was mistakenly printed, and therefore in translations of this tale into other languages, including Russian, it appeared "crystal slipper"
8. Where did the ancient Romans look before paying off their debts?
In Ancient Rome, the date for paying off debts was the calends - the first day of the month. The word “calendar” (from the Latin calendarium) literally means “debt book”.
9. What was the name of the stick of the ancient mule drivers?
In Ancient Rome, a pointed stick used to drive animals was called a stimulus (from the Latin stimulus). The word “stimulus” has acquired a figurative meaning - now we call it the motivating reason (an incentive to work, an incentive to win).
10. Name the main word in modern telephone conversations and explain the connection between it and English sailors of the 18th century.
Until the beginning of the last century, the word “hello”, used in maritime practice, meant “listen”; he was shouted into the mouthpiece of another ship. It is with this word that we start a conversation on the phone and pronounce it when it is hard to hear.
11. Why do Arabs usually say that the distance between truth and falsehood is only five fingers?
Because the distance between the ear and the eye is equal to the width of the palm.
12. In the last century, American miners, going down into the mine, took cages with canaries with them. Why was this done?
Canaries played the role of a kind of “sensor” of harmful gases. When their level increased, the canaries died, and the miners rose to the surface because there was a danger of explosion.
13. Why are there such short acts in Moliere’s comedies—lasting no more than half an hour each?
In Molière's time, the stage was lit with candles, and the candle burns out in about half an hour.
14. When one person speaks, it is a monologue, and when two people speak, it is a dialogue. What do you call a conversation between six people?
In Greek, dialogue means “conversation, conversation,” so six people will also have a dialogue.
15. What will happen to the matador if instead of an angry bull he is attacked by an angry cow. Justify your answer!
When a bull is enraged, his eyes become bloodshot, he sees almost nothing and simply closes his eyes when attacking. This does not happen to a cow, so it perfectly sees the object of attack.
16. One day Pythagoras asked his students a question: what needs to be done in order for a valuable thought to come to mind.
The correct answer, which the teacher himself gave, made his students very happy. So, what needs to be done when doing science so that a valuable thought comes to mind?
According to Pythagoras, for this you just need to rest.
17. What is the name of a French dish made from all sorts of things: different types of greens, meat, etc.?
This dish is called potpourri in French. The same name began to be given to a piece of music consisting of various melodies. famous operas, operettas and songs.
18. What is in the black box is a fake, a fake and a deception.
It is made by men, but is used by women. This deception is over 200 years old, but we still continue to pay money for it. What's in the box?
This is costume jewelry - jewelry made from base stones and metals. Its heyday came in the 18th century, when there was a great need for imitation precious jewelry. Subsequently, a wide variety of materials began to be used to make jewelry: glass, wood, leather, plastic, etc. Costume jewelry with Swarovski crystals, which, thanks to a special processing technology, are difficult to distinguish from real diamonds, is especially valued.
19. Far from the city of Snezhnogorsk, in a deep forest, there is a hut for hunters and fishermen, which is called a “winter hut”.
Usually, when leaving there after hunting or fishing, people leave a supply of food. How can you preserve fresh potatoes without freezing?
Potatoes should be placed in a plastic bag, tied tightly and placed in water under ice. Since the water always has a positive temperature, potatoes can be perfectly stored for a long time.
20. Most popular view urban transport in London in the 19th century were cabs - hired carriages.
However, in the second half of the century, a certain invention appeared that caused violent protests among English cabmen. Which?
It was an umbrella that actually appeared in China back in the 11th century BC. and served as protection from the sun. English entrepreneur Jonas Hanway took it out into the rain for the first time, and mass production of this item, especially relevant for England, immediately began. And the cab drivers were simply afraid that they would have fewer clients.
21. Name and show that item of clothing that was not in the wardrobe of the Romans before their conquest of the northern peoples.
Pants, or, in modern terms, trousers, became such a novelty for the Romans. Their name among the northern peoples was similar: among the Celts - “brak”, among the Germans - “brokes”, among the Dutch - “brock”.
22. This technical innovation appeared in London in 1911, but Londoners were wary of it.
Then the management, to prove its safety, hired a disabled person on a wooden crutch to demonstrate its advantages. After that, everyone began to use the new product and continues to do so. What is it?
This is an escalator at a metro station, the safety of which was convincingly proven by a disabled person on a wooden crutch.
23. In Japan, where earthquakes are frequent, reinforced concrete buildings are destroyed during earthquakes, but pagodas remain standing. Why?
In each pagoda, the builders hung a special long wooden beam from top to bottom, equipped with a weight at the end, and the oscillation frequency of this kind of pendulum was selected in such a way that the beam would swing out of phase with the building itself during an earthquake. This made it possible to dampen vibrations caused by an earthquake. The same principle is used today in vibration dampers installed on tall factory chimneys and television towers.
24. The Japanese concern Toyota pays its staff remuneration for inventions and improvements. Which ones pay the smallest reward?
Remuneration, even the smallest one, is paid even for those inventions that have no practical application.
25. The object in the black box is a masterpiece that was invented back in Ancient Babylon and reached us unchanged. What is this?
This is a brick. Bricks appeared in Ancient Babylon, and it was there that the corresponding standard was first approved for them, which made it possible and allows the construction of any buildings and structures from bricks.
26. The Swedish lake Holmsø was polluted by acid rain and industrial waste.
Ecologists proposed restoring life in it using large amounts of lime. What ingenious way have local authorities found to solve this problem?
There is a confectionery factory on the shore of this lake. In her yard there is a constant accumulation of huge amount eggshells are an excellent calcareous material. If these shells are thrown into the lake, then, according to scientists, it will gradually cleanse it of industrial pollution.
27. In 1769, residents of Boston, America discovered that mail from England to Boston was delivered two weeks later than from Boston to England. Who was the culprit of this violation?
The culprit was the current: ships sailed to England with the current, and from England - against the current. In 1769, the Boston City Council complained to King George III that mail from England was constantly being delayed. B. Franklin, an outstanding American politician and scientist, who was at that time the Under Secretary of Post for the Colonies, decided to find out the reasons for this and, after studying the logbooks and charts of whaling ships, compiled a map of the Gulf Stream, a powerful warm current in the Atlantic Ocean.
28. In the first half of the 15th century, there were only a few tens of thousands throughout Europe handwritten books, and by 1500 the number of printed books was already more than 9 million.
Such sharp increase The number of books was facilitated by three inventions made in different centuries: 1) the invention of paper and its use instead of expensive parchment, 2) the invention and improvement of fonts, as well as the invention of movable metal type, when lines in a typesetting frame were composed of pre-cast letters and signs. What was the third invention?
It was the invention and spread of glasses that made it possible to change (mostly reduce) font sizes. True, the English scientist Roger Bacon wrote about glasses back in the 13th century, and ancient authors also mentioned polished natural crystals, which could be used to improve vision.
29. “The doctor has three weapons”
“The doctor has three instruments,” wrote the great Arab scientist, philosopher and physician of the 10th century, Avicenna. “The first is a knife, the second is a plant, and the third is the main thing...” What tool, according to Avicenna, was the main one of the doctor!
This is the word. No wonder in Ancient Rus' people who knew how to talk mentally, persuade, persuade, and calm others were called doctors, from the word “to lie.” True, then it simply meant “to speak.”
30. We usually use table napkins, or wipers, as they were called in Rus'. How were such napkins used in Ancient Rome?
In Ancient Rome, each guest was served two napkins. He used the smaller one during meals. As you know, feasts in Ancient Rome were plentiful, with dozens of courses, and in a second, larger napkin, the guest could take the treat home.
31. Once the Chancellor of the German Empire, Bismarck, went hunting in Russia, but at the very first pothole, the coachman knocked the chancellor into the mud.
At the sight of the chancellor yelling at him, the coachman said only one word, and the “iron chancellor” liked it so much that he ordered it to be engraved on his family ring, and then said it often throughout his life. What is this word?
"Nothing!" In Russian it is ambiguous: okay, let it be, it doesn’t matter, everything is in order, so be it, no big deal.
32. In 1989 he turned 100 years old. The dimensions are the same in three dimensions – 39 mm each. Located at a depth of 9 m underground. What is this?
This is the standard of one kilogram - a cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy, which is kept near Paris at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, founded in 1875.
33. The famous Elsinore Castle, where the tragedy “Hamlet” takes place, stands on the shore of the strait.
In the 15th to 18th centuries, all ships passing through the strait had to pay a duty to the Danish kings based on the value of the goods. Moreover, each captain himself reported the cost of his cargo. What method did the royal treasury use to ensure that this was done absolutely honestly?
The Danish king reserved the right to purchase any cargo according to the cost that the captain named, and if it turned out to be suspiciously low, the king immediately laid out the named amount, and the captain could only sail with empty holds.
15 not the most difficult questions asked in the game “What? Where? When?"
1. Aviation sports include: airplane, helicopter, glider... Name the fourth type.
Answer:* Parachuting.
2. The British say: “It doesn’t matter what you’re hanged for - a sheep or a lamb.” What are we saying in this case?
Answer: “Seven troubles, one answer.”
3. According to local legend, the inhabitants of this small mountainous European country, with a predominantly Muslim population, are descendants of a large black eagle. What kind of country is this if its name means “Country of Eagles”?
Answer: Albania.
4. What rule is strictly observed in relation to diamonds weighing more than 50 carats?
Answer: They are given names.
5. The highest mountain system of Western Europe - the Alps - is located on the territory of 7 countries. I will name six of them, and you will name the seventh. So: Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Yugoslavia.
Answer: France.
6. As the measure of length was called in Russia since the 16th century, equal to the length phalanx index finger, which in turn was equal to 1.75 inches?
Answer: Vershok.
7. Translate the word “revenge” into Italian.
Answer: Vendetta.
8. For the first time this military rank (as a title) was received by the brother of the French king Charles IX, later the king himself - Henry III. In Russian history they can be counted on one hand. Name the first and last in the USSR.
Answer: Stalin is a generalissimo.
9. When under stress, the body produces dangerous toxins. How, most often independent of human will, are they removed from the body?
Answer: With tears.
10. What word means “big wave in the harbor” in Japanese?
Answer: Tsunami.
11. Although he built many structures: a bridge in Bordeaux, a viaduct in Garabi, a train station in Budapest, and took part in the construction of the Panama Canal, - worldwide fame brought him only one object. Which one?
Answer: Eiffel Tower in Paris.
12. What are the names of Romeo and Juliet?
Answer: Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet.
13. The British say: “Curses are like chickens - they immediately come back.” What are we saying in this case?
Answer: “Don’t dig a hole for someone else, you will fall into it yourself.”
14. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. "Taras Bulba". Ostap: “Dad! where are you? Can you hear? Taras Bulba: “I hear you!” Name two more characters between whom there is almost verbatim dialogue.
Answer: Wolf: “Hare! Can you hear me? Hare: “I hear, I hear.” Wolf: “Well, Hare, wait!”
15. You know that if a cat is aggressive towards you, it arches its back, flattens its ears, moves its tail; if a dog is aggressive, it bares its teeth, bristles and growls. And what animal in this situation bares its teeth, flattens its ears and tries to turn its back?
Answer: Horse.
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Package of questions for training game"What? Where? When?"
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Questions of medium difficulty (for middle and high schools)
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Question 1: A gamer is a fan of computer games. To play means to play, to croak means to play Quake. And how in the language of a gamer would it be to play the well-known game DOOM?
Answer: Think.
Question 2: At the end of 1997, an unusual championship took place. Its participants competed in destroying their own kind. The winner, originally from Russia, showed an excellent result - 9600 out of 10000, i.e. 96%. American competitors lagged behind by about 2%. The victims of this ruthless extermination do not evoke any sympathy, since they often poison the lives of many of us. Name them.
Answer: Computer viruses.
Question 3: Any programmer knows what “Debugging” is – the process of removing errors from a program. And this concept was born on the day when the Mark 1 computer stopped working at Harvard University. State the reason why the computer stopped.
Answer: Insects (Bugs).
A moth accidentally got on the relay contacts.
Question 4: According to the Swedish color system purple designated R50B. Explain the meaning of this designation.
Answer: 50% red and 50% blue (RED 50% BLUE).
Question 5: In the 70s, a computer program was created in the USA to simulate naval battles. As a rule, in such simulated battles she defeated real naval commanders. When people took a closer look at machine tactics, they saw a strange thing: after the end of the “battle”, before entering a new one, the computer began to shoot at one or two of its ships and sank them. Why did he do this?
Answer: A squadron cannot move faster than its slowest ship. By shooting his most damaged ships, he gained an advantage in speed.
Question 6: Leonardo Fibonacci (Leonardo of Pisa) is a major Italian mathematician, the author of the Book of Abacus (1202), which for several centuries remained the main repository of information on arithmetic and algebra. In it, he points out that there are 3 methods of calculation: one - using the abacus, the second - using numbers. Name the third one if it is the most famous and you have also used it more than once.
Answer: Using your fingers.
Question 7: While working in a text editor, we forgot to press a certain key and got 6-0 instead of what we wanted. What did you want to get?
Answer: Smiley.
Question 8: At the dawn of cybernetics, a very funny toy appeared in America: a box with a button to turn it on. When you pressed the button, a dissatisfied grumbling sound was heard from the box, then the lid swung back. A mechanical hand appeared from the box. What was she doing?
Answer: She pressed the button (turned off the toy).
Question 9: This first appeared in the mid-80s. Initially it was assumed that there would be twelve main elements, as in its predecessor. But technical difficulties forced the creator to make simplifications, reducing the number of basic elements to seven. That's what determined the name of this one. Name it.
Answer: Tetris.
wanted to create a toy based on Pentamino, which has 12 main shapes. But the computers were weak and did not draw figures from five squares in real time. Then Pajitnov reduced the number of squares to 4, and, accordingly, the number of possible shapes to 7. Since there were 4 squares in each figure, he called the game Tetris.
Question 10: One of the very highly qualified and fairly highly paid categories of scientific workers in the United States bears the strange slang name “professional idiots.” What do these people do at their jobs?
Answer: Testing computer programs.
When testing programs, they must anticipate all the most idiotic mistakes that a user might make, and identify the program's reaction to them.
Question 11: The computer company Microsoft has opened a museum of the company's history. Among other exhibits, there is a red telephone on the wall. By picking up the phone, the visitor can hear the speech of the most important person in the company, according to employees. Who is this?
Answer: User (client).
When you pick up the phone, you can hear regular conversations between customers and technical support.
Question 12: This man discovered a number of errors in astronomical tables. The low reliability of manual calculations gave him the idea... What?
Answer: Creation of computers.
It was the low reliability of manual calculations, and not their low speed, that gave Charles Babbage the idea of creating a universal computing machine.
Question 13: Recently, the World Shooting Championships took place in Korea. The Russian national team won. Before the start of the competition, the participants took an oath. What did they take an oath on?
Answer: On a laptop.
Question 14: I wanted to get into the Guinness Book of Records. To do this, he provided the editors of the book with a list of 308 words in English, German and French, which he managed to obtain using something well known to you, but completely not intended for this. With what?
Answer: Using a micro calculator.
Question 15: In Japan, many years ago, rats began to nest in the depths of large computers. The Japanese immediately built a “rat trap of the electronic age” - with an ultrasonic bait, a vacuum pump and a gas chamber... But other Japanese proposed a more radical method. Which?
Answer: Build more compact computers (so that rats have nowhere to nest)
Question 16: Zvenigorodsky was the first in the Soviet Union to introduce performers into school computer science. Each of the software-implemented performing robots was focused on solving specific, private pedagogical problems. Thus, a robot called “Tom Sawyer” was only engaged in formulating the concept of a cycle in children. What did this “Tom Sawyer” do?
Answer: Painted the fence.
Question 17: Jokers say that Niklaus Wirth was once invited to Italy. He arrived and asked:
– Is it true that the coolest language in the world is Pascal?
How did the Italians respond if Niklaus Wirth was very offended and since then never went to Italy again?
Answer: Si! (SI).
Question 18: This invention by Alex Osborne was kept secret from 1937 to 1957. After forced declassification, Osborne's method was used by General Motors and General Electric, which led to sharp growth profit. Use the Osborne method and then call it.
Answer: Brainstorming.
Question 19: In a comic computer dictionary published in the magazine "Practical Computing", the concept of "Recursion" is defined in a very interesting way. The definition consists of just two words. Reproduce this definition.
Answer: See "Recursion".
Question 20: It was this word that in Turing's time was often used to describe a person who earned his living by performing arithmetic operations.
Answer: Computer (the exact translation of this word is “calculator”).
Question 21: The American company Zemso Industries produces microcalculators. Convenient buttons different colors, elegant original forms “at your fingertips” There are even a number of calculators with a keyboard layout that is fundamentally different from the generally accepted one. Who are they intended for?
Answer: For left-handers.
Question 22: This man was born in the town of Petrovichi, Smolensk region. He graduated from Columbia University, served in the departments of chemistry and biochemistry, and wrote more than 300 scientific, popular and works of art. But most of all, he glorified his name by the three laws he discovered. What are they dedicated to?
Answer: robotics. .
Question 23: E. Dijkstra once said: “It is impossible to teach normal programming to those who started with “this language.” As potential programmers, they are mentally stupefied with no hope of recovery." Name this language.
Answer: BASIC.
Question24 : 12. The author of the question recently checked the spelling of text in Microsoft Word. The editor unexpectedly reacted to the name of one composer, commenting on it like this: “Perhaps a slang word.” Name this composer.
Answer: Glitch.
Question 25: The first world championship among them was held in 1974, although it could have taken place much earlier. After that they were held every three years. Once the victory went to the USSR, five times to the USA, once each to Germany and the Netherlands. Name their representative who managed to achieve the greatest fame in this field.
Answer: Deep Blue is about computers playing chess