Yes, but if like the others above you typed it without really knowing why (I went "Zeppo, no, Gummo!") you don't half feel a fool when the "right" answer shows up. A comedy giant of the 20th Century.
Me too. I had to look them up to find out what the "Marx Brothers" were. Apparently they were a comedy troupe in the early 1900s, I'm assuming unrelated to Karl.
Try it the other way 'round, they are almost always listed as Gilbert & Sullivan. Famous for Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, The Sorcerer, etc.
They were most known for comic and satiric operas - Victorian stage performances which poked fun at their fellow Brits. Surprised you've never heard of them. You've probably heard some of the songs or famous lines but didn't know the origins. "It's love that makes the world go 'round," or "He did nothing in particular and did it very well."
I'm stunned that fewer people know W S Gilbert than know some fictitious wizard character. Actually, I'm running a pub quiz tomorrow night and Gilbert is one of the questions. Specifically, what was his middle name?
Even if you don't know the names Gilbert & Sullivan or their works, I'll bet you'd know at least one of their songs if you heard it... "I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral..."
Got it straight away but was also thinking of (King) Ghidora, which apparently is not accepted. Could we have it added for the nerds (those who aren't going to be pedantic about "King" being included, anyway)?
Huh. I did what lots of people did and read 'desert' as 'dessert' but I typed in gobi anyway because for some reason I thought it was the name of some sort of sweet dumpling. Clearly my subconscious managed to trick my stupid conscious thought process somehow.
I might have to be picky and say that their style was more operetta - closer to musicals than opera in many ways. And the pieces are often described as songs.
I don't normally weigh in with these "too American" battles, but from an international point of view, how is University of Florida's mascot "general knowledge"?
It's all "general knowledge". The 2nd busiest airport serving London is as obscure to anyone outside of Great Britain as the University of Florida mascot is to anyone outside of the US. Deal with it.
Here in Belgium, I learned in English course that the two main airports in London are Heathrow and Gatwick, and I never forgot that. On the other hand, it's not too hard to guess that a Floridian mascot could be a(n) (alli)gator.
That's the point I was making. If the second busiest airport in one city is general knowledge, then so is a university mascot. General knowledge is information about many different subjects usually learned over time, rather than detailed information learned about one subject. I thought this quiz did a good job. Of 24 clues, only 4 dealt solely with the US. BTW, the first time I took this quiz I didn't know the airport answer. The second time I took it I did. I learned from the quiz which is the reason I take them. The only quizzes I don't take are those written in another language. (Or those about soccer/futbol. I just can't seem to remember the players names no matter how many times I take the quizzes, although for some reason I do manage to remember Beckham.)
Here in Australia, with six friends present, I said "General Knowledge Questions" and I asked "What is the second busiest airport in the London area?:,,,,,,,, 4 got Gatwick, 2 couldn't bring the name Gatwick to mind......... Then I asked the same 6 what is the mascot of the University of Florida ........... they all started laughing. That about sums it up.
I had no idea of the answer, but I figured it would be an animal and the only animal that says 'Florida' to me is the alligator. I reckon it's a fair question.
Stats don't lie. Gator is sitting at 52% while Gatwick is at 48%. I'd say the mascot is more well-known. And as @GameKitty said, Gatorade is certainly a well-known beverage in many countries.
Surely that's more to do with the fact most people who take these quizes are American?
The Florida Uni mascot is just something non Americans (or at least non north Americans) have NO CHANCE of knowing. Gatwick airprot does make the news from time to time, and it is one of the biggest/busiest airports in the world. American College sport is not watched ANYWHERE outside of America.
Gatorade was invented at the Florida University School of Medicine for the student athletes of the various Gator teams, but at the request of the football coach Ray Graves. So I'd say it has a "hell-of-a-lot" to do with it, rudeytudey.
@Algernon, I'm not from the US and I couldn't care less about American football. I still got the answer just by thinking of Florida and then of crocodiles and alligators and then trying the one answer which starts with G. So I would say it's not entirely impossible as a non-American to get it right.
I had no idea what the mascot was but I knew alligators lived in Florida so I guessed Gator. Bingo! And I knew London's second largest airport fortunately, as that one not so easy to just guess!
Tried geysir, gaysir, geisir etc... Could it maybe be a bit more flexible with spelling? Also I, too, thought about desserts with that Gobi question and felt super dumb when I saw the answer and realized.
Serious scholars might question using 'Gaul' as a reference only to France. Gaul encompassed a fair chunk of Western Europe, including Belgium, Switzerland, parts of Italy and so on. "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres"
Oh my goodness, give all this Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings garbage a rest already! Of all G-related knowledge in the history of the world, a list can't be filled without resorting YET AGAIN to those 2 stupid stories?
The longer I take these quizzes, the more Harry Potter trivia I have learned. I have not read the books or watched the movies but I managed to answer correctly on this quiz on the first try. I am not sure if that is a good thing.
Be careful if you ever talk about the Gobi Desert while in China. The long-O pronunciation that is used in English leads to the word "gou bi", which means "dog vagina." I am not joking.
Wow, I actually live in China and was getting annoyed that I couldn't think of a Chinese dessert beginning with G. Kicked myself when I saw the answer...
One of the greatest comic acts ever. "Harpo" and "Chico" Marx were also brilliant musicians.
Gilbert and Sullivan operas are often performed at English public (private) schools and at Grammar schools where "posh" boys dress up as women.
The Florida Uni mascot is just something non Americans (or at least non north Americans) have NO CHANCE of knowing. Gatwick airprot does make the news from time to time, and it is one of the biggest/busiest airports in the world. American College sport is not watched ANYWHERE outside of America.
I also think that Geyser should have Geysir as an additional spelling.
Geppetto (variante del nome Giuseppe)
Glutinous rice balls
Green bean soup
Grass jelly
Guilin gao
... Even gyoza....
AND THEN I WAS THINKING what the hey is a Gobi? Little tadpole jelly balls?