Mr Zammit's Quiz of the Week - 22/03/21

What was the cause of these ‘apocalyptic’ scenes in Beijing last week?

• A sandstorm coming from the Gobi Desert

• Volcanic ash blowing across the city from an eruption in Southern Japan

• A mix of pollution from sulphur mines and coal power stations

It was St Patrick’s day last week! The patron saint of Ireland is associated with the colour green, but this has not always been the case. What was the original nationality of St Patrick and the colour that was associated with his religious order?

• Orange and Dutch

• English and Red

• Welsh and Blue

Why was the number 50,000 news-worthy in Iceland last week?

• It is the total amount of earthquakes they have recorded on the island in just 3 weeks

• It was 50,000 days ago that the Vikings first landed and inhabited the island

• It is the number of puffins estimated to have descended on the capital city to build nests – which is causing rather a lot of noise and mess

Heavy rains have caused mudslides in Greece, and the removal of soils has unearthed some 3000-year-old metal bulls. Which of the ancient Greek civilizations was most famous for revering (and almost worshiping) bulls?

• Athenians

• Minoans

• Spartans

Scientists are growing increasingly concerned about the ‘invasion’ of millions of these ravenous pests that are being found all over farms in Europe – what are they?

• Eastern Zombie Crickets

• Colorado Potato Beetles

• Marmorated Stinkbugs

Which movie has become the world's highest-grossing film, after it was eventually released in China for the first-time last week?

• Titanic

• Avatar

• Marvel's Avengers: Endgame

The annual ‘World Happiness Index Report’ was released last week. Finland again came top, but in which place did the Netherlands find itself?

• 5th

• 16th

• 33rd

At a video games convention in the US last week, what did a group of the world’s leading game designers claim was the ‘hardest thing to make in a video game’?

• Hair

• Animals

• Doors

Why did the small town of Rancho Mirage in California make global headlines last week?

• Facebook announced plans to build the world’s tallest building there and use it as their new HQ

• They’ve added a new district (houses, schools, golf course etc.) and everything was made by 3D printers

• New crop circles have been found there with what looks like mysterious ‘alien’ writing around the outside

There have been angry exchanges between China and Taiwan last week. Both nations even put their militaries on ‘high alert’ – but what caused the argument to escalate?

• Pineapples

• The correct pronunciation of an island

• A very old wooden chair