Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2015-02-23,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... I will reveal the correct
> answers in about 3 days.
Sorry, I lost count of days there.
> For further information see my 2015-02-23 companion posting on
> "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition (QFTCI*)".
> * Game 6, Round 2 - Science - Poisons
> We'll give you a short description of a deadly poison or the
> source it's derived from; unless instructed otherwise, you
> identify the poison.
> 1. This highly toxic flowering plant, also called conium, was
> popular with the ancient Greeks, who used it to kill off their
> prisoners. It acts as a paralytic that keeps the mind awake,
> so death comes from waking asphyxiation. Socrates is probably
> the most famous victim of the poison. Name the *plant*.
Hemlock. 4 for Peter, Jason, Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Björn,
Calvin, Pete, Marc, Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob.
> 2. This poison comes from the plant monkshood. It leaves only
> one post-mortem sign, that of asphyxia, as it causes arrhythmic
> heart function leading to suffocation. In pop culture, there
> is a connection between this plant and lycanthropy.
Aconite or wolfsbane. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Pete,
Bruce, and Rob.
> 3. Alexander Litvinenko fell ill on 2006-11-01 in London, England,
> and died 3 weeks later. It is believed that he was poisoned
> by an agent of Russia's Federal Protective Service who put this
> radioactive element in his teacup.
Polonium (210). 4 for Peter, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen, Calvin,
Marc, Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob.
> 4. Calomel used to be a popular medicine, routinely prescribed for
> teething and infection, and as a laxative. In the 19th century,
> it was realized that it was very toxic when it accumulated in
> the body. However, laxative preparations of calomel could
> still be purchased in the 20th century. What is the toxic
> element in calomel?
Mercury. I scored "mercury chloride" (which describes the *compound*
containing the toxic element) as almost correct. 4 for Peter,
Dan Blum, Stephen, Calvin, Marc, Dan Tilque, and Rob. 3 for Bruce.
> 5. This poison is found in a great variety of substances, including
> almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernels, and tobacco smoke.
> It's a rapid killer; depending on the dose, death occurs within
> 1 to 15 minutes. In its gaseous form, this was an agent used
> in Nazi gas chambers in WW2.
Cyanide. I scored "hydrogen cyanide" (which is the gaseous form)
as almost correct. 4 for Peter, Dan Blum, Stephen, Marc, Dan Tilque,
Bruce, and Rob. 3 for Erland. 2 for Calvin.
> 6. In the 19th century this poison was known as "inheritance
> powder". Englishwoman Mary Ann Cottone reputedly poisoned as
> many as 21 people between 1865 and 1872 with it. It was also
> used by Mortimer Brewster's spinster aunts in a Broadway play.
Arsenic. 4 for Peter, Jason, Joshua, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen,
Björn, Pete, Marc, Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob.
> 7. To achieve a dead-white complexion, Elizabeth I and the ladies
> of her court used ceruse as a face mask known as the "Mask of
> Youth". What was the toxic ingredient in this cosmetic?
(White) lead. 4 for Peter, Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Marc,
Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob.
> 8. The poisonous substance in the puffer fish is the tetrodotoxin
> found in its ovaries and other organs. This poison is not
> destroyed by cooking, although experts say that if the entrails
> are removed before cooking, the fish is harmless. It is used
> in a Japanese delicacy that can only be cooked and prepared by
> specially trained and licensed chefs. What is the *Japanese
> name* for the puffer fish?
Fugu. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Marc, and Bruce.
> 9. This is a highly toxic, naturally occurring lectin produced
> in the seeds of the castor oil plant. It acts as a toxin by
> inhibiting protein synthesis, so symptoms emerge only after a
> delay that varies from a few hours to a full day. In "Breaking
> Bad", Walt poisons Lydia by putting this poison in the sugar
> substitute she stirs into her chamomile tea.
Ricin. 4 for Peter, Joshua, Stephen, Marc, Dan Tilque, and Bruce.
> 10. *What commonly eaten tropical root* contains cyanide in high
> enough concentrations to lead to death if it is improperly
> prepared, and indeed frequently does kill the women preparing it?
Cassava, manioc, or tapioca root. 4 for Joshua (the hard way),
Stephen, and Rob. 3 for Bruce.
> * Game 6, Round 3 - History - The Vocabulary of Islam
> Islam is often in the headlines. This round tests your knowledge
> of vocabulary relevant to the faith, in Arabic and English.
> (On questions requiring an Arabic word as answer, please render
> it in the way that is usual when writing in English.)
> 1. First things first. What is the literal meaning of "Islam"?
> We are looking for the most widely accepted word in English,
> not a synonym.
Submission. And despite the question wording, "surrender" was also
accepted on a protest, so I'm taking that too. 4 for Jason, Joshua,
Marc, and Dan Tilque.
> 2. Which synonym for Muslim, common in medieval literature and
> still seen attached to cricket and rugby teams, originally
> referred to desert-dwellers?
Saracen. 4 for Peter, Calvin, and Pete.
> 3. A pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam.
> What is the Arabic word for this activity?
Hajj. 4 for Peter, Jason, Joshua, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen, Calvin,
Pete, Marc, Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob.
> 4. Once in Jannah, or paradise, true believers will have their
> needs seen to by squads of black-eyed nymphs of perfect beauty.
> What are these creatures called?
Houris. 4 for Joshua, Marc, and Dan Tilque.
> 5. This word in Arabic means "leader". Depending on the branch
> of the faith, it can be applied to the supreme temporal head
> of the faith or simply to the leader of Friday prayers.
Imam. 4 for Peter, Joshua, Erland, Björn, Pete, Marc, and Rob.
> 6. What do we call the well-known figure known in the Koran as Isa?
Jesus. 4 for Peter, Joshua, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen, Pete, Marc,
Dan Tilque, Bruce, and Rob. 3 for Calvin.
> 7. In many English-language newspapers in the Islamic world,
> the name of Mohammed is inevitably followed by the letters PBUH.
> What do they stand for?
Peace be upon him. Not "praise" and not "unto". 4 for Peter,
Joshua, and Stephen.
> 8. Allah created three orders of sentient beings: humans, angels,
> and which supernatural entities said to be made of "smokeless
> fire"?
Jinns or genies. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Stephen, Marc,
and Dan Tilque.
> 9. Which puritan Muslims continue to dominate Saudi Arabia?
Wahhabis. 4 for Peter, Joshua, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen, Marc,
and Dan Tilque. 3 for Calvin.
> 10. These medieval Shiite extremists were terrorists of an earlier
> age. It is said that they undertook their missions while high
> on drugs. Who were they?
Assassins. 4 for Joshua, Dan Blum, Erland, Björn, Marc,
and Dan Tilque.
Scores, if there are no errors:
GAME 6 ROUNDS-> 2 3 TOTALS
TOPICS-> Sci His
Joshua Kreitzer 28 36 64
Marc Dashevsky 32 32 64
Stephen Perry 40 20 60
Dan Tilque 28 28 56
Peter Smyth 28 24 52
Dan Blum 32 20 52
Bruce Bowler 38 8 46
Rob Parker 32 12 44
Erland Sommarskog 11 20 31
Pete Gayde 12 16 28
"Calvin" 14 14 28
Jason Kreitzer 8 8 16
Björn Lundin 8 8 16
--
Mark Brader | "The conversation never became heated, which would
Toronto | have been difficult in any argument where there
m...@vex.net | is a built-in cooling-down period between any
| remark and its answer." --Hal Clement, STAR LIGHT