The Rainbow has been a symbol of hope since the time of Noah. In today’s pandemic it has reappeared in many windows. My Rainbow quiz was to be used at a Friends’ fundraising event this Spring, which cannot, now, take place.

I thought that some of you could occupy a little time answering those you could, and researching those you could not. I start with white as this is the colour of the light which forms the basis of the rainbow. The colours will follow , finishing with the rainbow round.

If you have had enjoyment in doing this non-competitive quiz, perhaps you could make a small contribution to the museum, when we re-open.

Take care and have fun! Dorothy

1 The Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was premiered in which year?

2 What colour is the square for Whitechapel on a standard Monopoly board ?

3 The Woman in White  was written by which author?

4 What sporting activities took place at the White City?

5 In which county is the most famous white horse?

6 The white rose is the symbol of which county?

7 Where is the White Tower?

8 What is the address of the White House in Washington DC?

9 Which football team traditionally played at White Hart Lane?

10 Who was the White Queen?

This week the questions are related to the colour red. It is the first colour in the rainbow. It has the longest wavelength of the light visible to the human eye. Some animals can see beyond our range, bees for example can see the ultraviolet which emanates from some flowers. Having the longest wavelength is the reason red is used as a warning colour, as it can be seen better than violet in difficult conditions.

1 The Red House was the home of which well-known designer?

2 Which planet has a Red Spot?

3 In which county is the town of Redcar?

4 In the logo of the Olympics, what is the position of the Red ring?

5 What city has been called “The rose red city half as old as time”?

6 Who was the Red Baron?

7 Who trained the race-horse Red Rum?

8 What is a redstart?

9 The followers of which Italian Republican wore Red Shirts?

10 Red mullets are fresh-water fish. What other colour do they come in ?

This week’s colour is orange. A secondary colour made by the merging if the two primary colours, red and yellow, on either side of it.

It is associated with the Dutch Royal family who took the name from the village of that name in the south if France where their ancestors came from. They are unique, as they allowed the monarchy to descend through the female line early in the 20th Century. Queen Wilhelmina reigned in her own right until she abdicated in favour of her daughter, Juliana. She in turn abdicated and her daughter, Beatrix, ruled until 2013, when she gave up the throne to her son. Willem-Alexander. He is the first king of the Netherlands for over a century.

Orange is said to be the only word in English that has no rhyme. Sporange, a corruption of sporangium, has been suggested, but is rather difficult to see how it could be used in a poem. Srorangium is part of fern.

1 The Orange River is the boundary between which two countries?

2 What is the botanical name for mock orange blossom?

3 Satsumas are in the orange family, but what is Satsuma Ware?

4 Who wrote the novel, The Clockwork Orange?

5 William of Orange became king of England under which name?

6 Seville oranges are used to make marmalade, but who wrote the opera, The Barber of Seville?

7 What is an orange tip?

8 “Oranges and lemons,” said the bells of St Clements. Which local celebrity is buried in that church?

9 Oranges are not the Only Fruit was written by whom?

10 What acid is found in oranges?

Yellow is the next primary colour in the rainbow. It is a warm and cheerful colour which suggests sunshine and happiness. There is a dark side, however. It is used in many phrases which are not so pleasant.

To be "yellow-bellied", is to be a coward. To possess a "yellow streak", means cowardice. A ship flying a "yellow flag" is in quarantine."Yellow lines" on the road indicate parking restrictions are in place. Being shown a "yellow card" on the football pitch is a warning to the player to amend his behaviour. "Yellow peril" was a term of mistrust of Asian people and a "yellow-dog" contract in America prohibited the employee from joining a trade union.

Perhaps we should just think of the sunshine.

1 For which singer was the Yellow Rose of Texas a hit in the sixties?

2 Who wore yellow stockings in a Shakespearean play?

3 When a ship flies a yellow flag what does it indicate?

4 Yellow rattle is a member of which plant group?

5 Norfolk grows two yellow spices?  (bonus point for both)

6 Yellowstone Park is mainly in which American State?

7 Which architect with local connections died of Yellow Fever?

8 The yellow jersey is worn by the leader of what race?

9 The inhabitants of which nearby village were called “Yellow bellies”?

10 What makes the yellow in fireworks?

Green is the next secondary colour in the rainbow. A mixture of its two neighbours, yellow and blue, of course. It is the colour of our English countryside and has a calming effect.

The breathing space around large towns is called the" green belt", where grass and trees provide a relief from brick and tarmac. People who are good at gardening are said to have "green fingers" , "green accounting" allows for environmental costs of companies. The Green Party campaigns for the environment and against the "greenhouse effect" of global warming. The "green light" gives the "go ahead".

The only negative connotation for this colour seems to be its association with one of its parents, yellow. It can also stand for envy and jealousy, as the "green-eyed monster".

On the whole a very positive hue.

1 Who is purported to have written the song Greensleeves?

2 In what novel does the line, "The green light at the end of the pier” occur?

3 What are Green Goddesses?

4 Which London Underground line is green?

5 In what year was the Green Cross Code introduced?

6 Who are the Co-Chairmen of the Green Party?

7 Where would you find a Green Room?

8 Who wrote Anne of Avonlea?

9 Who said “My salad days when I was green in judgment”?

10 Greenland belongs to which country?

Blue is the third primary colour. It is the colour of the sky, sea and oceans. It occurs in many sayings, sometimes but not always, as an actual colour.

To have" blue blood" is to be aristocratic, the "blue-eyed boy" is the favourite child or to be very lucky. A" blue print" is a copy or example of a scheme. A "blue ribbon" or riband event is a particularly important or prestigious one. "Blue pencils" are used to censor material and a ship flying the Blue Peter is about to leave port. Blue cheese is made by injecting blue mould into a standard wheel of cheese. To "blue" your money means you have lost or wasted it. "Blue murder" is the cry for an outstanding crime. Modern communications between computers is known as "blue tooth". The largest mammal in the world is the blue whale.

It can also have a darker meaning, describing depression or pornography. As with other colours, we can concentrate on the positive qualities of blue. What better way to lift spirits than a bluebell wood to mark the end of Winter?

1 Which American state is known as the Blue Grass State?

2 Where is the mineral, Blue John found?

3 Who wears the Pale Blue berets?

4 Which artist had a Blue Period?

5 In which year did the Bluebell Line first open?

6 We all know the expression “once in a blue moon”, but what is the astronomical definition of a blue moon?

7 Blue suede shoes was a hit for Elvis Presley. What is his middle name?

8 There is a Blue Coat School within Sussex, where is it?

9 Who were called "Blue Stockings"?

10 What is the botanical name for Blue poppies?

Purple, or more correctly, violet, refers to any colour between red and blue. It is usually considered that purple is nearer to red and violet, nearer to blue. It was the colour of kings and emperors. The dye was so expensive, being obtained from certain shellfish,that the common people could not afford it.

It was the favourite colour of Queen Victoria. It is said to be the reason that Cadbury's chose it for their wrappers.

The Purple Heart is awarded to American service men who are wounded or killed in battle. The purple colour in some fruit, flowers and vegetables is caused by a high proportion of anthrocyanins in them.

Only two flags contain purple, those of Dominica and Nicaragua, although the flag of the Spanish Republicans during the civil war had a broad purple stripe across the bottom of the usual national flag.

It seems to have avoided the usual negative connotations that other colours have attracted. No wonder it is my favourite colour, too.

PURPLE

1 "I never saw a purple cow" is a nonsense poem by whom?

2 The Purple Heart is the US equivalent of which British decoration?

3 “The purple headed mountain” occurs in which verse of a popular hymn?

4 Purple sprouting broccoli belongs to which family of plants?

5 The film "The Colour Purple"  who won Best Actress?

6  Who in Byron’s poem Destruction of Sennacherib came down “gleaming in purple and gold”?

7 Who could go through a purple patch?

8 What root vegetable was originally purple ?

9 What semi-precious stone is a pale shade of purple?

10 On Nov 11^th we wear a red poppy, but what does a purple one signify?

This is the last round of the Rainbow quiz. You are all aware that rainbows are formed when a light source passes through a prism or water droplet. The different wavelengths for each colour means that they emerge at different angles, revealing the separate colours that white light consists of.

1 What is the scientific name for the cause of a rainbow?

2 Who wrote the novel, The Rainbow?

3 The term “Rainbow Nation”for S Africa was first used by whom?

4 “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is a song from the Wizard of Oz, but who wrote the book on which it is based?

5 The Rainbow Warrior is owned by which organisation?

6 What is described by W H Davies as being “given birth by the rainbow”?

7 What are the colours of the rainbow referred to scientifically?

8 What is a mnemonic for remembering the rainbow colours in order?

9 The Rainbow Falls are in which American state ?

10 How many points would the word “rainbow” score in Scrabble assuming no doubles or trebles?