Category: Brain Teasers

The World War II novel “Empire of the Sun” — in which a small boy is separated from his parents in the maelstrom of wartime Shanghai — was penned by what writer?

Kurt Vonnegut
J.G. Ballard
Joseph Heller
Tim O’Brien
Richard Hooker

Correct Answer: J.G. Ballard

Who launched his career with the 1948 novel “The Naked And The Dead,” which explores the personal bonds formed between ordinary soldiers during World War II?

Tom Wolfe
Norman Mailer
Philip Roth
Saul Bellow
J. D. Salinger

Correct Answer: Norman Mailer

Trivia: Baby grasshoppers are known by what mythological term?

Wizards
Naiads
Ogres
Nymphs

Correct Answer: Nymphs

So why is this answer correct? : Baby grasshoppers appear almost identical to adult grasshoppers but with underdeveloped wings.

Trivia: What type of animal are tiercels?

Male hawks
Female manatees
Male hedgehogs
Female zebras

Correct Answer: Male hawks

So why is this answer correct? : “Tiercel” refers to male hawks or, more specifically, male peregrine falcons.

Trivia: What animals are known as “jack” and “jill”?

Ants
Crabs
Opossums
Worms

Correct Answer: Opossums

So why is this answer correct? : Male opossums are “jacks,” and female ones are “jills.”

Trivia: Female wolverines are referred to by what feminine name?

Juliannes
Margarets
Sallys
Angelines

Correct Answer: Angelines

So why is this answer correct? : “Wolverines” only describes males of the species — females are “angelines.”

Trivia: What animals are known as “empresses” and “blackbacks”?

Rhinos
Chimpanzees
Eels
Parrots

Correct Answer: Chimpanzees

So why is this answer correct? : Female chimpanzees are called “empresses,” and male chimps are known as “blackbacks.”

Trivia: What term describes female pigs that have given birth?

Sows
Barrows
Queens
Oinkers

Correct Answer: Sows

So why is this answer correct? : Female pigs that have never given birth are called “gilts.”

Trivia: What is the word for female peacocks?

Peahens
Peafems
Peacoquettes
Drakes

Correct Answer: Peahens

So why is this answer correct? : People often refer to males and females as “peacocks,” but technically, females are “peahens.”

Trivia: What do you call the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey?

Mules
Janes
Nellies
Hinneys

Correct Answer: Hinneys

So why is this answer correct? : Conversely, if a male donkey mates with a female horse, the offspring is called a “mule.”