General Knowledge - Very Difficult XXVII

Who cursed Medusa, turning her into a monstrous figure with snakes for hair whose gaze could turn people to stone?

Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters, along with Stheno and _____, who were immortal, while Medusa was mortal.

The chief protagonist of The Iliad is _____, the great Achaean warrior whose rage instigates the action of Homer's story.

The protagonist of Homer's The Odyssey is _____, a Greek king of Ithaca, who embarks on a perilous journey home after the Trojan War.

The protagonist of Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers" is d'Artagnan, a young Gascon nobleman who travels to Paris to become a musketeer, eventually befriending Athos, Porthos, and ____.

The protagonist of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is Captain ____, the obsessive and vengeful captain of the whaling ship Pequod, whose relentless pursuit of the white whale Moby Dick drives the plot.

Best known book by Toni Morrison - a 1987 novel, set in the period after the American Civil War, the novel tells the story of a dysfunctional family of formerly enslaved people whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit.

"East of Eden" is a 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, considered his magnum opus, exploring themes of family, love, identity, and the struggle between good and evil, set against the backdrop of Salinas Valley in _______.

"Of Mice & Men" is a 1937 novella by John Steinbeck, it tells the story of ____ Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.

The Epic of _______ is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. It is considered the oldest surviving literary work, dating back to around 2100 BCE.

A 1931 German mystery thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert, a serial killer who targets children.

Arthur Rimbaud is possible Frances best known poet. Rimbaud was a libertine and a restless soul, having engaged in a hectic, sometimes violent romantic relationship with fellow poet ________.

Which actor was the first woman to be paid $1million dollars for a role?

Although they have since been re-designed, the national flags of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and East Timor once featured what item?

Name the type of erosion which occurs when rocks grind along the bed and banks of a river to wear it down?

Joe Frasier was the first person to beat who at professional boxing in 1971?

Which country’s name means “The Shallows”?

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was the first person to reach what on 14 December 1911?

What type of rock is marble?

What type of rock is obsidian?

What type of rock is sandstone?

Which colour is the most common on the national flags of the world, featuring on 75% of national flags?

A ______ roll is a type of uramaki sushi, an inside-out roll, featuring a filling of shrimp tempura, unagi (eel), and avocado, with thin slices of avocado layered on top

The Sturmabteilung (SA) was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi rallies and assemblies, disrupting the meetings of opposing parties, fighting against the paramilitary units of the opposing parties. What were they also known as?

The Voluntary Militia for National Security (Italian Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the ________ was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-volunteer militia of the Kingdom of Italy under Fascist rule, similar to the Sturmabteilung.

_____ are a subgroup of the Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France, Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today only a small percentage remain unsettled.

What does the German word 'Bitte' translate to in English?

Who painted the famous 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'?

The world's longest sea beach is Praia do Cassino in _____ stretching 254 kilometers (158 miles) along the South Atlantic coast.

Goneril is a character from which Shakespeare play?

The name of Hermoine’s cat in the “Harry Potter” series of books and movies?

Bob Dole ran against who in the 1996 US elections?

During WWII; Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword were nicknames for what?

____ ___ _____ the "Iron Chancellor," was the Prussian statesman primarily responsible for unifying Germany through a series of wars and diplomatic maneuvering, leading to the formation of the German Empire in 1871.

Who was the first cartoon character to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

In 1940 about 850 private boats were used to help evacuate 330,000 Allied troops trapped at which locale?

Which number is represented by a one followed by 12 zeros? One ______.