Question 1: Which philosopher famously stated "I think, therefore I am"?
Question 2: What term describes a play with music in which the songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story with dramatic goals?
A musical is a form of theatre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
Question 3: When was the Eiffel Tower in Paris completed?
The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, a world's fair held in Paris to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Gustave Eiffel's company designed and built the tower in just over two years.
Question 4: Where would you find the smallest bone in the human body?
The stapes, also known as the stirrup, is the smallest bone in the human body. It is one of three tiny bones located in the middle ear that transmit sound vibrations from the outer ear to the inner ear.
Question 5: In the periodic table of elements, which element has the chemical symbol Hg?
Mercury, with the chemical symbol Hg, is a heavy, silvery-white liquid metal. It is the only metallic element that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. The symbol Hg comes from the Greek word 'hydrargyrum', meaning 'water-silver'.
Question 6: Who wrote the influential work "The Republic", which discusses the nature of justice and the ideal state?
Plato's "The Republic" is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory. In it, Plato explores the idea of justice and what would constitute an ideal state, with much of the dialogue presented through the voice of his teacher, Socrates.
Question 7: If an actor is "chewing the scenery", what are they doing?
The phrase "chewing the scenery" is used to describe an actor who is overacting, often in an exaggerated, hammy, or melodramatic way. The phrase suggests the actor is so over-the-top that they are almost eating the set.
Question 8: If 1945 and 1991 are considered the start and end years of the Cold War respectively, approximately how many years did the Cold War last?
The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that began after World War II. It lasted from roughly 1945 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, making it a span of about 46 years. The Cold War was characterized by an arms race, proxy wars, ideological rivalry and competition to spread influence around the globe.
Question 9: Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean?
The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans because it was built on an unstable foundation. The ground was too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight, causing the tower to tilt during construction in the 12th century. The lean has been partially corrected through stabilization projects over the years.
Question 10: Where did the Allied forces launch the D-Day invasion during World War II?
The D-Day invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, marking the beginning of the liberation of German-occupied France and laying the foundations for the Allied victory in World War II.
The phrase "I think, therefore I am" (originally in Latin: "Cogito, ergo sum") was coined by French philosopher René Descartes in his 1637 work Discourse on the Method. This proposition became a fundamental element of Western philosophy, as it forms a foundation for all knowledge.