Try our quiz

1. From which book is this opening sentence?
" In these times of ours, though concerning the exact year there is no need to be precise, a boat of
dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark
bridge which is of iron, and London Bridge which is of stone, as an autumn evening was closing in."

Is it:

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame;
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen;
Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens.

2. These are some of the lyrics that all boaters sing when cruising along, or they would if they
knew them. Which song do they come from?

"Stealin' time, I've been stealin' time
But I don't feel guilty, cause the time was mine
Stealin' time, I've been stealin' time
Forgot about everything and eased my mind"

I watched the sky, watched the sky
Every day I let the world roll by
Sun and rain, sun and the rain
It felt so good to know that magic again.

Is it:

The Sounds of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkel
Stealin' Time, by Gerry Rafferty
Come on, how hard can this question be?, by the Blindingly Obvious Band.

3. This piece of brilliance is from which book?

Is it:

Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes, by Harry Graham.
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey;
A is for Apple by The Blindingly Obvious Educational Department of West Chiswick.

By the way, if you want to see the rest of the alphabet, drop me a line. Also, ignoring the contributions
to great literature by West Chiswick, check out the other likely candidate - his work is brilliant too.

4. And which famous cartoonist wrote this fantastic joke?
"Sir Jos Fosdyke: "Miss Muscles O'Gaskett is an authority on canals and pollution. I can see I've
come to the right place to ask about the canal and its contents." Miss O'Gaskett: "Yes, as well as
looking after the lock and barge crews I also keep a strict eye on what's in the canal. And while
there is pollution, there's still plenty of fish in there as you can see from my trophy cabinet. I took
that salmon out only last week." (Points to 1lb tin of salmon)"

6. This is the theme music to what? (Size 705Kb)

Is it:

The Simpsons;
The Magic Roundabout;
Wallace and Grommet.

7. If the answer is 42, what is the question?)

Is it:

What is 6 times 7;
The Ultimate Question: Life the Universe and Everything;
How many beans make five.

8. He is known as Bobbie in Belgium, Milou in France, and what in English?

Is it:

Batman's sidekick, Robin;
Harry Potter's sidekick, Ron Weasley;
Tintin's sidekick, Snowy.

9. Which is the shortest canal in England?

Is it:

The Trent and Mersey Canal;
The Wardle Canal;
The Llangollen Canal.

10. How many miles and how many locks are there between Stoke Prior and Alvechurch?

Is it:

6.25 miles and 35 locks;
15 miles and 4 locks;
12 miles and no locks at all.

Email tim.ford@ourmutualfriend.co.uk with your answers, and win a copy of "Our Mutual Friend" by Charles Dickens, to read and treasure.