General Knowledge . Questions
" WHAT was it that Gallio cared so little about ? " asks Mr. S. P. B. Mais in Do You Know?—his amusing general know- ledge book published by Messrs. Brentano at 3s. Od. Here, for instance, are half a dozen words—bisque, palinode, oread, ichthyology, asymtote, anode—which if tracked down through a good dictionary cannot but improve the general knowledge of the average reader. The setting of such questions bids fair to sweep over England like the. cross- word puzzle epidemic, and we would on the whole welcome such a ,benevolent infection, for though the information acquired would be discursive and disjointed anything (almost) is better than a sluggish mind.
Canon Birmingham's Can You Answer This? (Ernest Berm, 3s. 6d.) is a book in the same style ; it has not the advantage of. publishing the marks made by various eminent men, as has Mr. Mais.s (Mr. Wells, we note, scored only 63 out of a possible 100 in his paper, and the Headmaster of Stowe only 62 !). On the other hand, it has the better preface of the two, and a graduated sequence of examinations from " sitters " to special papers. Both, books arc provided with answers, of course.
The Editor offers a prize of a guinea to any reader sending in a set of thirteen general knowledge questions (on any subject, but if Biblical we should prefer readers to keep to the Old Testament) which is deemed suitable for publication in the Spectator. Letters should be marked " General Know- ledge."
As a change from acrostics and cross-words, we can welcome this new diversion whole-hcartedly. Here is a paper on Bible subjects set by one of our reviewers ; the answers will appear next week. , QUESTIONS IN BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE.
1. Whence do the following proverbial phrases come ? " Making bricks without straw " ; " escaped with the skin of my teeth " ; " whiter than snow " ; " cave of Adullam " or " cave " (polit.) " to possess one's soul in patience " ; " cast- ing pearls before swine " ; " the patience of Job " ; " angels unawares." .
. 2. Where were the bones of Joseph eventually buried ?
, 3. Give three instances of younger sons being preferred before elder. • 4, What king was a shepherd, a soldier, and a poet 5. Who said, " Had Zlinri peace, who slew his master ? "
6. What great English satire has been built on a Biblical • subject ?
7. Are " Adam's apple," " prodigal son," " Jeremiad," correct as " Scriptural " terms ?
8." The dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life." Of what man was this spoken ? 9. What book of the Bible makes no single mention of God throughout ?
10. What two men arc described in the Old Testament as obtaining release from captivity and advancement in .the State by the revealing of dreams ?
11. What is the meaning of the titles " Genesis," " Exodus," " Deuteronomy " ?
12. " What is truth ?," Who asked this question, and what great English essayist quotes it ?
13. Name two prophets who prophesied (1) unwillingly, and (2) unconsciously.
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