THE ENISOC DUCK QUIZ 2007

 

Dictionary Ducks

1 The stock exchange is known to have bulls and bears, but in the nineteenth century at least it had ducks. What was meant by this type of duck?

 

2 A ‘duck-weight’, a duck made of stone or clay and weighing ‘480 oz troy’ was used as a weight by which ancient civilisation? How much does it weigh in modern terms? (Imperial and metric)

 

3 The Book of St Albans in 1486 mentions ‘a badelyng of dokys’. Give two other collective nouns for ducks.

 

4 Whose is the first recorded use of ‘duck’ as an endearment, and when?

 

5 A duck, a score of 0, is short for a duck-egg. What similar term do the Americans use?

 

6 On signs attached to low beams in pubs, the words ‘duck or’ are followed by which other bird’s name?

 

7 In one context, ‘White ducks’ refer to garments. What sort of garment, and what was the fabric known as ‘duck’ made from?

 

8 ‘Duck-bill’ was apparently a type of red wheat, a broad-toed shoe, and a platypus. What is the Latin name for this marsupial?

 

Ornithological Ducks

1 When walking by a canal or river, how can you tell a duck from a drake, even if the feathers of both are completely white?

 

2 Why do ducks waddle?

 

3 What is the descriptive term applied to mergansers and goosanders?

 

4 What is the Latin name for the Wigeon?

 

5 In which century was the Gadwall introduced to Britain?

 

6 There is only one breeding species of duck in the UK to be ‘red-listed’ - officially classed as threatened. Breeding numbers have suffered a 50% decline over the last 25 years. Which is it?

 

7 Which duck nests in rabbit holes?

 

8 Strictly speaking, a Mallard can only be one sex. Which?

 

9 Why do ducks migrate to specific safe places to moult?  Where do vast numbers of Sheld-duck congregate at  this period?

 

10 Russian observations of ringed migratory birds have shown that wetland ducks such as teal and garganey have been migrating over longer distances since the 1970s. So have goldeneye, which are lake ducks. Sea-duck migrations have increased a little, but not as noticeably. Suggest an explanation for this phenomenon.

 

Ducks by any other name...

 Which duck is also known as:

A Cuthbert’s /Cuddy’s Duck

B Sea pheasant

C Whew or whistling duck

D White nun

E Wood duck

F Bergander

G Calloo

H Cricket Teal

I Grey duck

J Moss duck

K Weasel duck

L Mussel duck

 

And which duck has never been called by any other name?

 

Domesticated ducks:

1 Which duck is the usual species of  all-white duck found in Britain? It should have bright orange feet and blue eyes.

 

2 Another species of domestic duck comes in three variants, white, dark and khaki. Which ?

 

3 The Silver Appleyard breed was produced in the 1930s-1940s by a gentleman named Reginald Appleyard, a well known writer,and breeder of domestic waterfowl.  A miniature version was bred by Tom Bartlett in which decade?

 

4 What was the original use of domestic call ducks? Why did their small size  and bright colouring assist with this?

 

5 What happens if you breed a Muscovy duck with any other species?

 

6 At least two types of duck originate in Wales. Which?

 

Geographical Ducks

1 Which two ducks, rare everywhere else, are particularly to be found in Iceland ?

 

2 Which duck is ‘the most distinctive in South America’ and seems to think it is related to Dippers?

 

3 In which countries do tree ducks live?

 

4 Which duck has caused havoc on Australian golf courses?

 

5 Which country keeps quantities of ducks, usually in herds which are a major part of a family’s income? Breeds include Yellow Colophony , Baisha and Jinding.

 

Artistic, Literary, Cartoon and Film Ducks

 

1 In the film ‘Duck Soup’  Groucho Marx says ‘A child of five would understand this.’ What is his next sentence?

 

2 ‘All along the backwater, through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, up-tails all’  Who wrote this ‘Ducks’ Ditty’ and who wrote the book?

 

3 ‘From the troubles of this world I turn to ducks...’ Who wrote this poem?

 

4 ‘Mrs India-rubber Duck, I like to see you float

‘Round and round the bath-tub like a tiny sailing boat...

Mrs India-rubber Duck, I stroke your shining back,

But wouldn’t it be wonderful, if only...’

 

What does the child say would make his happiness complete?

 

5 Who, having spent some time with the Duck Man and his companions, finally gave way to his curiosity and asked why the man had a duck on his head? What was the answer?

 

6 ‘Though thou canst swim like a duck, thou art made like a-  What did Shakespeare compare this person to? Who was it?

 

7 a celluloid duck that made, when you pressed it, a most unducklike sound, a mewing moo that an ambitious cat might make who wished to be a cow... ’ Who wrote about having this duck for Christmas?

 

8 In which film do Donald Duck and Daffy try to outdo each other at playing the piano?

 

9 Which duck is also a James Bond film?

 

10 How many eggs did Jemima Puddleduck lay and what happened to them?

 

11 Sir Peter Scott painted many famous pictures of wildfowl. Which two species are shown in ‘Norfolk Spring’?  Whose son was Sir Peter Scott?

Founded by Sir Peter Scott, what is the ‘Severn Wildfowl trust’ now known as?

 

Railway Ducks

1 What class and type of locomotive is Mallard? Why is Mallard famous?

 

2 What other locomotives in this class were named after birds? (Up to 13 points available.)

 

3 One of these locomotives shared a name with another loco of a similar class, which was renamed. Which numbers and names did they end up with?

 

In the Rev. W Awdry stories,

A What type of locomotive was Duck?

 

B Why was he given this name and in which book was this explained?

 

C What was his original name?

 

D Which other locomotive was adopted by a duck?

 

E What name did the station-master give her? What did everyone else call her?

 

Culinary Ducks

1 What are ‘savoury ducks’? What are they traditionally wrapped in?

 

2 Which vegetable traditionally accompanies duck? and which fruit ?

 

3 What sort of stuffing accompanies roast duck?

 

4 There are French words for various parts of the duck prepared for cooking. What is Magret? What are Aiguillettes? And what would you get if you bought a jar of Confit?

 

5 Rouen in Normandy is famous for its ducks. What is ‘canard à la Rouennaise?’

 

6 How much is a box of six duck eggs? Is it possible to buy only one or two?

 

7 Duck Eggs have thicker shells than chicken eggs,  and more fat in the yolks and more protein in the whites than chicken eggs. Does this make cakes made with duck eggs rise more, or less?

 

8 Ducks are less susceptible to salmonella than chickens, but  the composition of the eggs makes it more likely that an infected bird will lay infected eggs. What is the particular part of the egg which causes the problem?

 

9 A Chinese recipe for ‘tea eggs’ involves simmering a duck egg for 8-10 minutes, until hardboiled, then carefully cracking the shell without peeling it off. Simmer the egg in strong tea for about an hour. What does the result look like? Does it work with chicken eggs?

 

 

 

Odd Ducks

1 The London Duck Tours last seventy minutes, including a twenty minute cruise on the Thames. The bright yellow amphibious vehicles are known as DUKWs. Why were they originally built?

 

2 What is the alternative name for a Bombay Duck? This foodstuff was banned by the E C, but has now been reprieved as long as it is packed in an approved packing station. What aspect of its preparation caused the problem?

 

3 Which duck is a fastmoving thriller by James Crumley in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald?

 

4 Did the making of eiderdowns involve killing the Eider ducks?

 

5 Which duck is under a death sentence, and which other duck are those responsible trying to protect?

 

6 Pairs of which ducks were given to Japanese newly-weds?

 

And if you’re not absolutely quackers by now... send in your answers to the email address on the main page and there will be a suitable prize. If we can think of one!


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