Question 1

The word 'dinosaur' was coined in 1842 by British scientist Richard Owen. What does it literally mean in Greek?

Accepted Answer

Terrible lizard. Owen combined the Greek words 'deinos' (terrible or fearfully great) and 'sauros' (lizard) to name a new group of ancient reptiles he had identified — though we now know dinosaurs were not closely related to lizards at all.

Question 2

Sydney is Australia's largest city and most famous internationally — but it is NOT Australia's capital. Which city is actually the capital of Australia, chosen partly as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne?

Accepted Answer

Canberra. Canberra was officially founded and named as Australia's capital in 1913, purpose-built on land between Sydney and Melbourne after both rival cities refused to let the other host the government. American architect Walter Burley Griffin won the international design competition.

Question 3

The word 'oxygen' was coined by the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier in the 1770s. What does the name literally mean — based on a mistaken belief Lavoisier held about the element?

Accepted Answer

Acid former — because he incorrectly thought it was a component of all acids. Lavoisier derived 'oxygen' from the Greek words 'oxys' (acid) and 'genes' (producer), because he incorrectly believed oxygen was a component of all acids. It was a foundational mistake — hydrochloric acid, for example, contains no oxygen at all — but the name stuck.

Question 4

Taylor Swift's ability to write deeply personal, specific lyrics is sometimes called 'confessional songwriting.' Which poet, who died in 1963, is widely credited with pioneering this raw, autobiographical style in American literature?

Accepted Answer

Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath's poetry — especially her collection 'Ariel' — broke the convention of emotional detachment in literary writing with raw, personal subject matter. Because of this raw, autobiographical approach, literary critics and scholars frequently analyze modern songwriters like Taylor Swift through the lens of the mid-century Confessional Poetry movement.

Question 5

Which city hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, featuring the famous 'Dream Team' that brought NBA superstars like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to international basketball for the first time?

Accepted Answer

Barcelona. The 1992 Barcelona Games are remembered partly for the U.S. men's basketball Dream Team, which won every game by an average of nearly 44 points. It was the first Olympics to allow NBA professionals and is widely considered the greatest sports team ever assembled.

July 13, 2026 Trivia

1. The word 'dinosaur' was coined in 1842 by British scientist Richard Owen. What does it literally mean in Greek?

2. Sydney is Australia's largest city and most famous internationally — but it is NOT Australia's capital. Which city is actually the capital of Australia, chosen partly as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne?

3. The word 'oxygen' was coined by the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier in the 1770s. What does the name literally mean — based on a mistaken belief Lavoisier held about the element?

4. Taylor Swift's ability to write deeply personal, specific lyrics is sometimes called 'confessional songwriting.' Which poet, who died in 1963, is widely credited with pioneering this raw, autobiographical style in American literature?

5. Which city hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics, featuring the famous 'Dream Team' that brought NBA superstars like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to international basketball for the first time?