TRIVIA
Arctic Trivia Quiz
BY ALAN G. LUKE
A plethora of Arctic-oriented journals and novels have been published for more than a century. International explorers and creative authors have written harrowing tales of the Northwest Passage and the North Pole. Quiz yourself on these dauntless historic journeymen. 4. White Fang is a classic Jack London novel (1906). What was the name of the Wolfdog (Arctic Wolf‐Siberian Husky hybrid) who was featured in the subsequent 1991 adventure film? a) Jerry b) Jessie c) Jake d) Jed
1. The Terror (2007) is an epic horror novel by Don Simmons. This historical fiction documents the ill‐fated expedition of Sir John Franklin which occurred in what year? a) 1833 b) 1839 c) 1845 d) 1851
5. Which Monty Python alumnus wrote the novel, Erebus: The Story of a Ship, the vessel which accompanied the HMS Terror on its tragic Arctic voyage? a) John Cleese b) Terry Gilliam c) Michael Palin d) Eric Idle
8. Rear Admiral Robert Peary selected Captain Robert Bartlett (1895‐1946), who later had published, The Log of “Bob” Bartlett, to command what ice crushing vessel Peary himself designed for his 1908 North Pole expedition? a) SS Karluk b) SS Roosevelt c) SS Jefferson d) SS Cruncher
2. Fatal Passage (2002) is a Ken McGoogan novel about the untold story of what Arctic adventurer who discovered the fate of Sir John Franklin? a) John Rae b) James Ross c) Francis Crozier d) David Thompson 3. Which polar explorer was the first European to traverse the entire Northwest Passage via dog sled (1921‐24) in Across Arctic America (1927)? a) Pierre Radisson b) Knud Rasmussen c) Robert Bartlett d) Samuel Hearne
ANSWERS: 1. c) 1845 2. a) John Rae (1813‐93) 3. b) Knud Rasmussen (1879‐1933) 4. d) Jed 5. c) Michael Palin
6. d) 7 7. d) Norway 8. b) SS Roosevelt 9. c) ethnology (ethnicity anthropology) 10. a) Meteorological‐ observation station
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6. Matthew Henson (1866‐1955) wrote the novel, A Negro Explorer at the North Pole pertaining to his experiences with the Robert Peary Arctic expeditions. On how many of these expeditions did this African American explorer assist this renowned explorer and author of The North Pole? a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 d) 7 7. Roald Amundsen (1872‐1928), wrote two volumes on his historic northern polar voyage, The Northwest Passage (1908). What Scandinavian country was the birthplace of this seasoned explorer? a) Finland b) Denmark c) Sweden d) Norway
9. Manitoba‐born Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879‐1962), was an Icelandic American Arctic explorer who became an authority on Eskimo life and language. He wrote several books including My Life with the Eskimo (1913) and The Friendly Arctic (1921). He was acknowledged as a specialist in what study? a) biology b) endocrinology c) ethnology d) geology 10.U.S. Army officer and polar explorer, Adolphous Greely (1844‐1935) led the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (1881‐84) and penned the novel, Three Years of Arctic Service (1886). The purpose of the expedition was to establish what, for the first International Polar Year? a) Meteorological‐observation station b) Astrological laboratory c) Tele‐communications Centre d) Tim Horton’s franchise All images credit: Alan G. Luke
A B O V E & B E Y O N D — C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L N O V E M B E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | 0 6
