QUIZ - 97

After Wind and Clouds (Sky), it is the turn of Fire this week.


1) If Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire, who was the Greek God of Fire?

2) What is the highest grade of sacred fire in Zoroastrian Temples?

3) In 1667 Johann Joachim Becher postulated a scientific theory (now defunct) stating that all combustible substances contain within a fire-like element, which is released during the process of combustion. What name did he give to this fire-like element?

4) What happened at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on 2nd September 1666?

5) What term describes the property of a substance that will spontaneously ignite in air?

6) The Olympic flame commemorates the theft of fire from Greek God Zeus by Prometheus. In which modern Olympics was the practice of lighting the flame introduced?

7) What does Haines Index measure?

8) What is Pyrolatry?

9) Fahrenheit 451, a cult science fiction by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 describes a futuristic American society. What is the significance of the number 451 in the book’s title?

10) What enzyme is responsible for the glow in fireflies?

Answers to Quiz - 96

1) First observed only in 1885, these are the highest cloud in earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 80 km. They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the earth's shadow. What is the name of this not so well understood cloud?

Noctilucent Cloud

2) Name this cloud that has been often mistaken for UFO because of its characteristic lens like appearance and smooth saucer-like shape.

Lenticular Cloud

3) These clouds form when there are two parallel layers of air that are usually moving at different speeds and in difference directions. What is the name of this cloud that looks like a breaking wave in the ocean?

Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud

4) Name this extremely rare cloud that forms when a rush of moist air from the Gulf Stream gets trapped between layers of dry air.

Jellyfish Cloud

5) Name these thin wispy fair weather clouds

Cirrus Clouds

6) Name this smooth cloud that forms on the top of a major geographic feature, like a mountain

Pileus Cloud

7) Seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada, these clouds are mostly visible within two hours after sunset or before dawn when they blaze unbelievably bright with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colours. What are they called?

Nacreous clouds, sometimes called mother-of-pearl clouds

8) Name this low, horizontal tube-shaped cloud associated with a thunderstorm front

Roll Cloud

9) Very ominous in appearance these clouds are harmless and are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed. What is the name of this cloud with its characteristic pouch like structures?

Mammatus Cloud

10) What is the name given to cloud-like vapour trail that forms behind an aircraft flying in cold, clear, humid air from the water vapor contained in the engine exhaust?

Contrail

QUIZ - 96

The idea for this Quiz on Clouds was planted in my head by a person whose twitter handle is Blue Sky (in translation). Since the last Quiz was on Wind, I decided to do a series on the 5 elements of nature – Wind, Sky (Clouds), Fire, Water and Earth. The Ash Cloud from the erupting volcano in Iceland is a curious coincidence and not the inspiration for this Quiz.

1) First observed only in 1885, these are the highest cloud in earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 80 km. They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the earth's shadow. What is the name of this not so well understood cloud?

2) Name this cloud that has been often mistaken for UFO because of its characteristic lens like appearance and smooth saucer-like shape.

3) These clouds form when there are two parallel layers of air that are usually moving at different speeds and in difference directions. What is the name of this cloud that looks like a breaking wave in the ocean?

4) Name this extremely rare cloud that forms when a rush of moist air from the Gulf Stream gets trapped between layers of dry air.

5) Name these thin wispy fair weather clouds

6) Name this smooth cloud that forms on the top of a major geographic feature, like a mountain

7) Seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada, these clouds are mostly visible within two hours after sunset or before dawn when they blaze unbelievably bright with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colours. What are they called?

8) Name this low, horizontal tube-shaped cloud associated with a thunderstorm front

9) Very ominous in appearance these clouds are harmless and are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed. What is the name of this cloud with its characteristic pouch like structures?

10) What is the name given to cloud-like vapour trail that forms behind an aircraft flying in cold, clear, humid air from the water vapor contained in the engine exhaust?

Answers to Quiz - 95

1) What is the name of the winds blowing from east to southeast in Canada and USA that bring with them extreme cold air, so cold that it freezes all that it touches including hair and beards.

The Barber

2) What is the name of the sudden violent cold gust of wind that descends from mountain to sea in the Straits of Magellan and is a constant threat to ships sailing around Cape Horn?

Williwaw

3) Derived from Greek mythology what is the name of the warm and gentle westerly breeze that blows during summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

Zephyr

4) Lasting as briefly as 20 minutes, this extremely hot dust laden wind blows across the deserts of Arabia. Named after the Arabic word for poison, it is responsible for reshaping the sand dunes of the desert in summer. What is it called?

Simoom

5) What is the name of the wind that funnels though the Strait of Gibraltar and is usually accompanied by a characteristic Banner Cloud on top of the Rock of Gibraltar?

Levanter

6) Named after the Arab word for wind, what is the name of the sand/dust storm that occurs on an average of 24 times in a year in Khartoum, Sudan?

Haboob

7) What is the generic term for a warm and very dry wind that descends on the leeward side of a mountain barrier?

Föhn Wind

8) Where would you expect to encounter ‘The Brickfielder’, a strong, hot, dry and dusty wind?

Southern Australia

9) With what sea would you associate the wind Meltemi?

Aegean Sea

10) What is the name of the warm dry wind that periodically occurs late afternoons in the Santa Barbara area of Southern California?

Sundowner

QUIZ - 95

Ten questions on Wind names

1) What is the name of the winds blowing from east to southeast in Canada and USA that bring with them extreme cold air, so cold that it freezes all that it touches including hair and beards.

2) What is the name of the sudden violent cold gust of wind that descends from mountain to sea in the Straits of Magellan and is a constant threat to ships sailing around Cape Horn?

3) Derived from Greek mythology what is the name of the warm and gentle westerly breeze that blows during summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

4) Lasting as briefly as 20 minutes, this extremely hot dust laden wind blows across the deserts of Arabia. Named after the Arabic word for poison, it is responsible for reshaping the sand dunes of the desert in summer. What is it called?

5) What is the name of the wind that funnels though the Strait of Gibraltar and is usually accompanied by a characteristic Banner Cloud on top of the Rock of Gibraltar?

6) Named after the Arab word for wind, what is the name of the sand/dust storm that occurs on an average of 24 times in a year in Khartoum, Sudan?

7) What is the generic term for a warm and very dry wind that descends on the leeward side of a mountain barrier?

8) Where would you expect to encounter ‘The Brickfielder’, a strong, hot, dry and dusty wind?

9) With what sea would you associate the wind Meltemi?

10) What is the name of the warm dry wind that periodically occurs late afternoons in the Santa Barbara area of Southern California?

Answers to Quiz - 94

1) What is the study of butterflies and moths called?

Lepidopterology

2) Name the smallest butterfly which has a wingspan of less than half an inch.

Western Pygmy Blue

3) When an adult butterfly emerges from the pupa it expels the metabolic waste product through the anal opening. What is the name given to this blood like red fluid?

Meconium

4) What metaphorical term in Chaos Theory attributed to mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz describes how small variations can affect giant and complex systems?

The Butterfly Effect

5) Name the collection of cells located at the base of the butterfly’s antennae that is responsible for maintaining its sense of balance and orientation during flight.

Johnston's organ

6) What is the term for a group of butterflies?

Rabble or Swarm

7) What is the term for modified wing scales on male butterflies that release pheromones to attract females?

Androconia

8) Which is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do?

The Monarch

9) What is the significance of 86 degrees F in a butterfly’s life?

They can fly only if their body temperature is above 86 degrees F

10) What is the biggest butterfly of the world with a wingspan of up to one foot found in the forests of Papua New Guinea?

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

QUIZ - 94

1) What is the study of butterflies and moths called?

2) Name the smallest butterfly which has a wingspan of less than half an inch.

3) When an adult butterfly emerges from the pupa it expels the metabolic waste product through the anal opening. What is the name given to this blood like red fluid?

4) What metaphorical term in Chaos Theory attributed to mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz describes how small variations can affect giant and complex systems?

5) Name the collection of cells located at the base of the butterfly’s antennae that is responsible for maintaining its sense of balance and orientation during flight.

6) What is the term for a group of butterflies?

7) What is the term for modified wing scales on male butterflies that release pheromones to attract females?

8) Which is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do?

9) What is the significance of 86 degrees F in a butterfly’s life?

10) What is the biggest butterfly of the world with a wingspan of up to one foot found in the forests of Papua New Guinea?