Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

Alice Munro and the short story tradition

Alice Munro is widely associated with the short story rather than the novel, which makes Dear Life a slightly unusual entry point. The 2012 collection brings together fourteen pieces, some of which she described as closer to autobiography than fiction. Munro won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013, with the Swedish Academy praising her as a master of the contemporary short story. Her work often examines life in small-town Ontario, where quiet moments reveal emotional complexity.

How a subtropical parrot colonised New York

Monk parakeets are native to South America, yet they have established breeding colonies in several North American cities, including New York. Their survival in colder climates is unusual for parrots and is partly linked to their habit of building large, communal stick nests. In urban areas they often construct these on utility poles or in park trees. Their presence has sparked debates about whether they are a charming curiosity or an invasive species competing with local birds.

The first Winter Olympics and the summer connection

The first Winter Olympics took place in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Originally called "International Winter Sports Week," the event was retroactively recognised as the first Olympic Winter Games. It featured sports such as figure skating, bobsleigh, ice hockey and Nordic skiing. Chamonix sits near Mont Blanc and was already known as a mountaineering and winter sports destination, which made it a natural host for the experiment.

Alfred Nobel and the paradox of dynamite

Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in 1867, creating a safer way to handle nitroglycerin. The invention made him wealthy and transformed construction and mining, but it also had military uses. Nobel later left the bulk of his fortune to establish the Nobel Prizes, including the Peace Prize. The link between his explosives work and his desire to reward peaceful achievement remains one of the most discussed paradoxes in the history of science.