Sunday, May 1, 2022

Great Minds Born in May

Here are all the "Great Minds" posts made in May, 2022.

Read more »

Saturday, April 2, 2022

The DAILY QUIZ: April 2022

Here are all the "Daily Quiz" posts, with links to the original sources and answers (a day later).

Welcome to Professor Jim Bucket's first-ever DAILY QUIZ! Answers and questions are in the "Jeopardy" format--that is, I give the answers, and you must ask the questions. I have provided links to the original posts in which the answers (questions?) can be found.

Have fun!

ANSWERS (April 1, 2022: #001):

  1. This Roman author wrote "The Metamorphoses," one of the most important sources on the mythology of Greece and Rome. (link)
  2. This "libertine" poet put the senses above reason--and died of venereal disease at age 33. (link)
  3. These languages (like Latin and Sanskrit) are no longer spoken by communities of people. (link)
  4. The Hwaseong Fortress was built by King Jeongjo of this country to protect and honor the remains of his father, Prince Sado. (link)

Questions will be posted tomorrow!

Here's the DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 2. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."


ANSWERS (002, for April 2, 2022):
  1. This Hellenistic Jewish philosopher famously harmonized the Hebrew scriptures with Greek philosophy. (link)
  2. "The Little Mermaid" was one of the most famous stories by this Danish author of fairy tales. (link)
  3. Legends of this "golden" king led to widespread exploration in northern South America. (link)
  4. Founded by Greeks as "Neapolis," this northern Italian city has been occupied by numerous cultures. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from YESTERDAY (April 2, 2022: #001):
  1. Who was Ovid? (link)
  2. Who was John Wilmot? (link)
  3. What are dead languages? (link)
  4. What is South Korea (ROK)? (link)

Here's the DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 3. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."


ANSWERS (April 3, 2022; #003):
  1. This Roman writer was so effective at both philosophy and playwriting that until the 16th century he was thought to be two separate people. (link)
  2. His famous short stories include one about a man who slept in the mountains for 20 years and another about the bullying of a timid school teacher. (link)
  3. This Dutch painting of a wealthy Italian couple makes use of a mirror to show us the fourth wall of the room in which it's set. (link)
  4. Niger's 5th-largest city, this ancient "Gateway to the Desert" still receives camel caravans of salt. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 2, 2022: #002):
  1. Who was Philo of Alexandria (Philo Judaeus)? (link)
  2. Who was Hans Christian Andersen? (link)
  3. Who was "El Dorado"? (link)
  4. What is Naples? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 4. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 4, 2022; #004):

  1. This Roman satire by Petronius was adapted to film by Federico Fellini. (link)
  2. This American poet and author published seven autobiographies, the first of which is frequently taught in schools and is also frequently challenged as inappropriate. (link)
  3. This proverb about rain in the spring months can mean "Difficulties can lead to happiness and joy." (link)
  4. This city on the Silk Road was besieged by Genghis Khan in 1220; a center of Islamic scholarship, culture, and religion, its medieval center has about 140 architectural monuments. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 3, 2022: #003):
  1. Who was Seneca the Younger? (link)
  2. Who was Washington Irving? (link)
  3. What is The Arnolfini Portrait? (link)
  4. What is Agadez, Niger? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 5. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 5, 2022; #005 ):

  1. This multi-volume work, sometimes called the Tipitaka, serves as the "Bible" for a major branch of Buddhism. (link)
  2. This American educator was born a slave, taught himself to read and write, and founded a major training college, as described in his memoir Up From Slavery. (link)
  3. This famed "advisor" to King Arthur allowed himself to be trapped by a student using his own magic. (link)
  4. This major Mayan site in the rainforests of northern Guatemala was inhabited from the 6th century BCE until it was abandoned at the end of the 10th CE. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 4, 2022: #004):
  1. What is Satyricon? (link)
  2. Who was Maya Angelou? (link)
  3. What is "April showers bring May flowers"? (link)
  4. What is Bukhara, Uzbekistan? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 6. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 6, 2022; #006):

  1. This "Apostolic Father" wrote seven important letters as he was being transported to Rome to be martyred. (link)
  2. This "muckraker" grew up in what became California's governor's mansion, and later made a career of exposing government corruption. (link)
  3. This list comprises nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections. (link)
  4. This unique central-star grid layout of roads demonstrated the power of the king and displayed superior planning and design. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 5, 2022: #005):
  1. What is the Pali Canon? (link)
  2. Who was Booker T. Washington? (link)
  3. Who was Merlin? (link)
  4. What is Tikal? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 7. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 7, 2022; #007):

  1. This Romano-Jewish historian may have left one of the only independent record of the lives of some Bible characters. (link)
  2. Author with Samuel Taylor Coleridge of the Lyrical Ballads, he helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature. (link)
  3. One of the most famous example of this figure of speech is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." (link)
  4. The group of 25 or so monuments at this place is a prime example of the nagara style of temple architecture commonly found in Northern India. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 6, 2022: #006):
1. Who was Ignatius (of Antioch)? (link)
2. Who was Lincoln Steffens? (link)
3. What are the "Eight Parts of Speech"? (link)
4. What is the par force hunting landscape of North Zealand, Denmark? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 8. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 8, 2022; #008 ):

  1. This ancient Roman writer of "Epigrams" about life in ancient Rome returned to his birthplace in Spain near the end of his life. (link)
  2. This English-born American traveller published several books of writings and photographs about his horseback rides in California's early-20th-century wilderness. (link)
  3. Along with the King James Bible, this writer's work had a greater impact on the formation of the English language than any other's. (link)
  4. This mud-walled oasis at the base of Oman's Jebel Akhdar was built in the 12th-15th centuries by the country's Banu Nabhani rulers. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 7, 2022: #007):
  1. Who was Josephus? (link)
  2. Who was William Wordsworth? (link)
  3. What is alliteration? (link)
  4. What is Khajuraho? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 9. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 9, 2022; #009):

  1. This Spanish-born Roman poet wrote the Pharsalia about Rome's Civil War. (link)
  2. This French poet wrote Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil). (link)
  3. For a time, the popularity of this Baroque piece by Johann Pachelbel caused some to call it "inescapable." (link)
  4. This Bronze Age burial site in Finland has 33 granite burial cairns built around three millennia ago. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 8, 2022: #008):
  1. Who was Martial? (link)
  2. Who was J. Smeaton Chase? (link)
  3. Who was William Shakespeare? (link)
  4. What is Bahla Fort? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 10. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 10, 2022; #010):

  1. This Greek priest and historian wrote paired biographies of great Greek and Roman leaders. (link)
  2. This governor of New Mexico Territory wrote a novel about a character whose life was intertwined with that of Jesus. (link)
  3. This proverb about the importance of logistics may have been said by the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte. (link)
  4. This site in SW Zimbabwe was the capital of the Butua kingdom after the collapse of Great Zimbabwe around 1450. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 9, 2022: #009):
  1. Who was Lucan? (link)
  2. Who was Charles Baudelaire? (link)
  3. What is the Canon in D Major? (link)
  4. What is Sammallahdenmaki? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 11. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 11, 2022; #011):

  1. This Stoic philosopher was born a Greek slave but, after gaining his freedom, taught in Rome before returning to Greece to found a school. (link)
  2. This American humorist, "the Jewish James Thurber," wrote stories for The New Yorker and a humorous dictionary, The Joys of Yiddish. (link)
  3. This Dutch draper improved the microscope and discovered "animalcules" in water droplets. (link)
  4. These mountains in eastern Slovakia are home to a unique collection of wooden churches. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 10, 2022: #010):
  1. Who was Plutarch? (link)
  2. Who was Lew Wallace? (link)
  3. What is "An army marches on its stomach"? (link)
  4. What is the Ruins of Khami? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 12. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 12, 2022; #012):

  1. This Roman historian's Annals and Histories cover the period from 14 to 96 CE. (link)
  2. This Spanish Franciscan missionary was killed in a violent native uprising on the Colorado River in 1781. (link)
  3. This group of animals, that can include cats and dogs as well as many wild creatures, hunts animals--called "prey"--for its food. (link)
  4. These two forts on the Caribbean coast of Panama were used to store loot stolen from the Incas as it was being shipped to Spain. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 11, 2022: #011):
  1. Who was Epictetus? (link)
  2. Who was Leo Rosten? (link)
  3. Who was Antonie van Leeuwenhoek? (link)
  4. What are the Carpathians? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 13. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 13, 2022; #013):

  1. This Greco-Roman scholar from what is now northern Jordan excelled at the "quadrivium": arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. (link)
  2. This American Founding Father wrote that "all men are created equal"--and kept over 600 slaves during his lifetime. (link)
  3. These two abbreviations mean "Before the Common Era" and "Common Era." (link)
  4. The old central area of this Finnish town of about 600 buildings is built almost entirely of wood; the medieval town layout has survived disastrous fires. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 12, 2022: #012):
  1. Who was Tacitus? (link)
  2. Who was Francisco Garces? (link)
  3. What are predators? (link)
  4. What are Portobelo and San Lorenzo? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 14. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 14, 2022; #014):

  1. This "younger" Roman, who left behind hundreds of letters detailing life in his day, was the heir to his famous uncle of the same name. (link)
  2. This Dutch scientist discovered Saturn's largest moon, Titan; he also invented the pendulum clock. (link)
  3. These two Greek letters are like "A" and "Z," and mean "the beginning and the end" or "everything." (link)
  4. This euphoniously named Marine National Monument in the NW Hawaiian islands is one of the world's largest protected areas, with numerous species. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 13, 2022: #013):
  1. Who was Nicomachus of Gerasa? (link)
  2. Who was Thomas Jefferson? (link)
  3. What are "BCE" and "CE"? (link)
  4. What is Rauma, Finland? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 15. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 15, 2022; #015):

  1. This "saint" was martyred for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor; while being burned at the stake, he had to be stabbed when after his body wouldn't catch fire. (link)
  2. This "Renaissance Man" was a famous artist, and a scientist, and a military engineer. His Mona Lisa and Last Supper are some of the products of his fertile mind. (link)
  3. This painting by Vermeer bears a title that points out a minor detail--and is not even a traditional name for the work. (link)
  4. This stark reminder of the first atomic bomb has been maintained as a peace memorial in Hiroshima, Japan. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 14, 2022: #014):
  1. Who was Pliny the Younger? (link)
  2. Who was Christiaan Huygens? (link)
  3. What are "Alpha" and "Omega"? (link)
  4. What is Papahanaumokuakea? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 16. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 16, 2022; #016):

  1. This Roman historian wrote about the lives of "The Twelve Caesars." (link)
  2. This "ideal French man of letters" won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921. (link)
  3. This proverb is based on the idea that people love negative gossip. (link)
  4. This site near Luoyang, China, has over 100,000 Buddhist statues and 2,345 caves carved into the native rock. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 15, 2022: #015):
  1. Who was Polycarp of Smyrna? (link)
  2. Who was Leonardo da Vinci? (link)
  3. What is "Girl with a Pearl Earring"? (link)
  4. What is the "Genbaku (Atomic Bomb) Dome"? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 17. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 17, 2022; #017):

  1. This Roman author's Satires include 16 poems in five books satirizing life in the Rome of his day. (link)
  2. This Danish author's novel Out of Africa and story "Babette's Feast" were both made into Oscar-winning films. (link)
  3. This ancient legal text is named for the Babylonian king that commissioned it; he is pictured on it along with the god of the sun and of justice. (link)
  4. Restored at the end of the 19th century, this medieval citadel in a southern French city sits on a hill that has been fortified since the pre-Roman period. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 16, 2022: #016):
  1. Who was Suetonius? (link)
  2. Who was Anatole France? (link)
  3. What is "Bad news travels fast"? (link)
  4. What are the Longmen Grottoes? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 18. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 18, 2022; #018):

  1. This epic poem by the monk Ashvaghosha is an early biography of the Buddha. (link)
  2. This English playwright probably collaborated with Shakespeare, and was considered one of the most successful dramatists of the reign of King James I. (link)
  3. This form of classical music is a composition for one or more soloists (often a violinist or a pianist) accompanied by an orchestra or a smaller musical ensemble. (link)
  4. "Lucy" is the most famous "person" found in this Ethiopian river valley. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 17, 2022: #017):
  1. Who was Juvenal? (link)
  2. Who was Isak Dinesen? (link)
  3. What was the Code of Hammurabi? (link)
  4. What is the Cité de Carcassonne? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 19. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 19 , 2022; #019):

  1. This Gnostic "gospel" from Nag Hammadi is composed of sayings rather than a narrated story. (link)
  2. This leading Spanish dramatist from the end of the 19th century won a Nobel Prize. (link)
  3. This figure of speech is a negatively-expressed understatement, like "not bad" for "good," or "not the most interesting" for "boring." (link)
  4. This Central European capital's "Old Town" has a Market Place, city walls, a Cathedral, and a historic fortification. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 18, 2022: #018):
  1. What is the Buddhacharita? (link)
  2. Who was Thomas Middleton? (link)
  3. What is a concerto? (link)
  4. What is the Lower Awash Valley? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 20. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 20, 2022; #020):

  1. This "Apostolic Father of the Church" and early "Pope" was supposedly executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea, making him a patron saint of mariners. (link)
  2. This Spanish painter and sculptor was an iconoclast, who held conventional painting methods in contempt and declared an "assassination of painting." (link)
  3. These two fruits are often used to indicate that two things are very different. (link)
  4. This Mexican city was founded in 1531 in an uninhabited spot about 60 miles east of Mexico City, at the foot of the Popocatepetl volcano. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 19, 2022: #019):
  1. What is The Gospel of Thomas? (link)
  2. Who was José Echegaray? (link)
  3. What is litotes? (link)
  4. What is Warsaw, Poland?(link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 21. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 21, 2022; #021):

  1. This Greco-Egyptian scientist wrote The Almagest and a Geography; he also wrote on astrology. (link)
  2. In recent years, this premier California conservationist and Sierra Club founder has been accused of being a racist. (link)
  3. This opening portion of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana laments the changeability of Fortune and Fate. (link)
  4. This medieval university town in Spain is the hometown of Cervantes. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 20, 2022: #020):
  1. Who was Clement of Rome (link)
  2. Who was Joan Miró? (link)
  3. What are "apples and oranges"? (link)
  4. What is Puebla, Mexico (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 22. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 22, 2022; #022):

  1. This early Mahayana sutra is named for a highly-accomplished Buddhist layperson. (link)
  2. This Austrian psychoanalyst wrote "The Myth of the Birth of the Hero," a book foundational to the work of Joseph Campbell. (link)
  3. This proverbial expression might be used as a "joking insult" when we run into an old friend. (link)
  4. This archaeological ruin was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire and the setting for the meeting between King Ahasuerus and Esther in the Bible. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 21, 2022: #021):
  1. Who was (Claudius) Ptolemy? (link)
  2. Who was John Muir? (link)
  3. What is "O Fortuna" (link)
  4. What is Alcala (de Henares), Spain? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 23. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 23, 2022; #023):

  1. These 27 "books" follow the Hebrew Scriptures, with which they make The Holy Bible. (link)
  2. This English painter of "Sunrise with Sea Monsters" was famous for his expressive use of light and color--and for fathering two daughters by his housekeeper. (link)
  3. This mythical immortal bird would periodically burst into flames, and a new one would rise from its ashes, symbolizing renewal. (link)
  4. This mountainside location in India is home to the Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 22, 2022: #022):
  1. What is the Vimalakirti Nirdesha (Sutra)? (link)
  2. Who was Otto Rank? (link)
  3. What is "A bad penny always turns up"? (link)
  4. What is Susa, Iran? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 24. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 24, 2022; #024):

  1. These documents include books that were excluded from the final canon of the New Testament. (link)
  2. This English novelist is best known today for The Chronicles of Barsetshire series, which included Barchester Towers. (link)
  3. This process integrates people, companies, and governments worldwide. (link)
  4. These 18th-century buildings in west-central Germany were once home to the prince-archbishops of Cologne. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 23, 2022: #023):
  1. What are the Christian Scriptures (or the "New Testament") (link)
  2. Who was J. M. W. Turner? (link)
  3. What is a phoenix? (link)
  4. What are the slopes of the Himalayas? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 25. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 25, 2022; #025):

  1. This Greek bishop helped "grow" the Church in the south of France just two generations after the Apostles. (link)
  2. This female American jazz singer excelled at scat singing and made a famous series of duets with Louis Armstrong. (link)
  3. These are used at the start of every sentence; for proper nouns; days, months, and holidays; etc. (link)
  4. This walled city is located about 90 miles south of Tunis along the Mediterranean coast; its Archaeological Museum contains inscriptions from the time of Carthage. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 24, 2022: #022):
  1. What are the extracanonical New Testament Books (the "New Testament apocrypha")? (link)
  2. Who was Anthony Trollope? (link)
  3. What is globalization? (link)
  4. What are The Castles (or Palaces) at Bruhl? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 26. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 26 , 2022; #026):

  1. This Jain monk is credited with writing Silappatikaram, one of the "Five Great Epics" of Tamil literature. (link)
  2. This pre-eminent English playwright and poet wrote the line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (link)
  3. This expression means "the bottom of the sea," and is named after the sailors' devil. (link)
  4. This national park in Hungary has been used for the grazing of domestic animals for over two millennia. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 25, 2022: #025):
  1. Who was Irenaeus of Lyon? (link)
  2. Who was Ella Fitzgerald? (link)
  3. What are capital letters? (link)
  4. What is The Medina of Sousse? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 27. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 27, 2022; #027):

  1. In this Buddhist book, a king asks questions of a monk named Nagasena. (link)
  2. This English historian wrote a monumental six-volume work, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." (link)
  3. This painting by Claude Monet helped launch (and give a name to) the movement known as "Impressionism." (link)
  4. This 1540 Mexican city on the western side of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula still has its fortifications. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 27, 2022: #027):
  1. Who was Ilango Adigal? (link)
  2. Who was William Shakespeare? (link)
  3. What is Davy Jones's Locker? (link)
  4. What is Hortobagy National Park? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 28. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 28, 2022; #028):

  1. This Christian apologist was beheaded with six companions in 165, earning himself the title "Martyr." (link)
  2. This renowned American author essentially published only one book; a "second" book was merely a draft of the first. (link)
  3. This proverb alludes to people who won't take responsibility for their mistakes, instead faulting their co-workers, working conditions, etc. (link)
  4. This English complex of buildings, including a church, a palace, and a clock tower, is recognized world wide. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 27, 2022: #027):
  1. What is The Milinda Panha (Questions of King Menander)? (link)
  2. Who was Edward Gibbon? (link)
  3. What is Impression: Sunrise (Monet)? (link)
  4. What is Campeche Fort, Mexico? (link)

Here's Professor Jim Bucket's DAILY QUIZ for posts from April 29. Remember, this is "Jeopardy" style: I've given the "answer," you supply the "question."

ANSWERS (April 29, 2022; #029):

  1. This Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher wrote "The Meditations." (link)
  2. This American jazz composer and performer wrote "Take the "A" Train" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." (link)
  3. Invented by an Elizabethan philosopher and scientist, this is one of the first versions of the modern scientific method. (link)
  4. This site near modern Konya, Turkey, has two mounds representing two periods of occupation; both were abandoned before the Bronze Age. (link)
"Questions" will be posted tomorrow!

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QUESTIONS from the day before (April 28, 2022: #028):
  1. Who was Justin Martyr? (link)
  2. Who was Harper Lee? (link)
  3. What is "The bad workman always blames his tools"? (link)
  4. What is Westminster, London, England? (link)

Friday, April 1, 2022

Great Minds Born in April

Here are all the "Great Minds" posts made in April, 2022.

Read more »

Monday, March 21, 2022

"See Saw Margery Daw": A Read-Aloud-Rhyme

Parents and teachers can read these rhymes aloud, and encourage little ones to repeat and even memorize them (I did when I was a kid!)

This rhyme may once have been used when children played on an actual seesaw (teeter-totter). You can "hear" the rhythm of the rhyme as children swing up and down. It might also have been used as a work song as men sawed wood by hand using a two-man saw.

See Saw Margery Daw,
Jack shall have a new master;
Jack shall earn but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.

Meaning: Neither "Margery Daw" nor "Jack" refer to real people, but it may be that Margery ("Daw" means a lazy person in some dialects) had to go to work sawing because Jack--who can't work very fast--got fired ("shall have a new master"), and his new job pays poorly ("a penny a day").

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Some words to talk about:

  • master: a boss
  • a penny: the smallest coin; very, very little money

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ACTIVITIES:

Children can hold hands and "see saw" (lean forward and backward) as they recite the rhyme (or sing it! Check YouTube for melodies).

Discussion: Do you think it's fair that Jack only gets a penny a day? Is it fair that "lazy Margery" has to go to work? How could Jack work faster?

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Sunday, March 20, 2022

From "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake

A mystic is a person who believes that there is another world outside of this one, and attempts to contact that world, or understand it in ways beyond the intellectual, or even be absorbed into it. Along the way she or he may have moments where they see, in this world, hints at what the other world may be like.

The Great English poet William Blake was such a person, and he wrote these four lines (part of a larger poem called "Auguries of Innocence") about such a moment: seeing the other world peeking through into this one.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

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SOME WORDS:

  • absorbed: taken into; dissolved into
  • auguries: predictions; indications
  • eternity: time without limit
  • infinity: space without limit

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QUESTION TO THINK ABOUT:

This question does not have a "right" or "wrong" answer. It only asks your opinion.

1. Why do you think Blake chose "a Grain of Sand" to represent the World, and "a Wild Flower" to represent Heaven?

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Friday, March 18, 2022

John James Audubon, Ornithological Artist

(Wikimedia)

There was a time, before photography, when scientific illustration rose to the level of fine art. For example, before she became the "mother" of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter did scientific drawings, especially of mushrooms.

But few made as big a splash in the borderlands between art and science as did the Haitian-born American ornithologist John James Audubon (1785-1851).

His major work, The Birds of America (1827–1839), depicted his subjects in their natural habitats, and is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon is also known for identifying 25 new species.

His father was a French landowner in what is now the country of Haiti; his mother was a servant in his father's house, and died when the baby was only a few months old. He returned to France around age four, where he was raised by his father's legal wife.

As he grew, he learned to ride and fence, and loved to walk in the fields, returning home to sketch the birds' eggs and nests he had collected. His father encouraged these artistic leanings. At age 18, the lad who had been known as Jean-Jacques Anglicized his name to John James and set off for the United States.

He became a U.S. citizen and attempted to establish himself in business, but his true passion was studying and painting birds. He wrote later: "I felt an intimacy with them...bordering on frenzy..." At some point he conceived a project which was to consume the rest of his life, and become his legacy: he planned to find and paint every bird in North America, a monumental undertaking which resulted in his gargantuan The Birds of America.

The book was printed over a period of 12 years, consisting of 435 engraved and hand-painted plates measuring 39 by 26 inches--that's a book over a yard tall! It was originally issued as separate plates, and different subscribers bound it in different ways. The book includes illustrations of six species which are extinct today. It is estimated that not more than 200 complete sets were ever compiled; only 120 copies are known to still exist, and they fetch record prices when sold: Sotheby's sold one for approximately $11.5 million in 2010, a record auction price for a printed book.

The National Audubon Society was started and named for John James Audubon a half-century after his death. It is the oldest conservation organization in the world, educating the public through its 500 chapters.

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PRACTICE:

Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Correct answers are in the first comment below.

1. Anglicized
2. extinct
3. fetch
4. frenzy
5. gargantuan
6. intimacy
7. leanings
8. legacy
9. ornithologist
10. splash

A. tendencies; inclinations
B. huge; gigantic
C. bring
D. familiarity; closeness
E. a person who studies birds
F. craziness
G. an impression
H. changed to English
I. something that someone leaves behind for future generations
J. no longer in existence; not found alive anymore

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers are in the first comment below.

  1. Where was Audubon born? Where did he grow up?
  2. What distinction did Audubon have as a scientist?
  3. How large is The Birds of America?
  4. How rare is The Birds of America?
  5. What distinction does The Birds of America hold in the art market?

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:

These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.

  1. Do you think it's possible for a scientific illustration to be both beautiful and accurate?
  2. Do think it's important for a person to have a passion for his work, as Audubon describes?
  3. Based on hints in the text, why do you think there are so few copies of Audubon's book in the world?

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Thursday, March 17, 2022

FOR YOUNG READERS: "The Legend of William Tell"

This article is designed for younger readers, with activities more suitable for children and young teens.

Switzerland is widely known as a peaceful, stable country. But it was not always so. Around the start of the 14th century, a governor, Albrecht Gessler was sent by the rulers of Austria to try to take over one part of the country.

The evil Gessler set up a pole and put his hat on it. Anyone who passed was to bow to the hat, to show they respected Gessler.

William Tell was a famous woodsman. He was very good with a special weapon called a crossbow.

When William came to town with his son, he refused to bow to Gessler's hat. Gessler was very angry, and so he set up a cruel test: William was to shoot an apple from the head of his own son! If he refused, Gessler's soldiers would kill the boy and his father.

And so an apple was set on the boy's head, and his father shot an arrow straight through it! As they were leaving, an arrow fell out of William Tell's coat.

"What is that?" asked Gessler.

"Oh," said the father, "If I had shot my son, I would have shot you next with this arrow!"

Tell was again arrested, but he escaped, killed Gessler, and led his people to throw off the Austrian rulers and become free.

Although this is just a legend, the Swiss people today still remember William Tell as a hero.

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SOME WORDS TO TALK ABOUT:

  • crossbow: a weapon like a bow and arrow, but with a trigger like a gun
  • governor: local ruler
  • woodsman: person who makes a living in the forest: hunting, fishing, cutting trees, and so on

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Questions to Answer:

Choose the best answer. Correct answers are in the first comment below.

1. Who did Albrecht Gessler work for?
   A. the Swiss people
   B. the Austrian rulers
   C. William Tell

2. Why did William Tell get in trouble?
   A. He refused to shoot an apple from his son's head.
   B. He refused to use a crossbow.
   C. He refused to bow to Gessler's hat.

3. Why did William Tell have an extra arrow ready?
   A. He wanted to shoot at his son twice.
   B. He was prepared to kill Gessler if he had to.
   C. He wanted to escape.

4. Who killed Gessler?
   A. William Tell
   B. William Tell's son
   C. the Swiss people

5. How do the Swiss people feel about William Tell today?
   A. They don't know who he is.
   B. They think he had a nice hat.
   C. They think he's a hero.

Questions to Think About:

These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.

  1. If you were given a choice to die or to shoot toward your child, what would you do?
  2. How do you think William Tell felt when Gessler told him to shoot toward his son?
  3. Why do you think Gessler put his hat on the pole?

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