• In China, Nov. 11 has become known as Singles Day. (The date is written 11/ 11. One one one one — get it?) The idea may have originated with some university students who were tired of holidays celebrating couples and families and felt it was time the singletons got some love. In 2009, online retailer Alibaba started promoting Singles Day as a shopping opportunity, and it really took hold. Table for one? Why not?

• Because medieval and Renaissance paintings were made on wooden boards, they can be dated using dendrochronology — the science of tree-ring dating. Growth rings visible on the unpainted edges of an artwork help historians estimate when the tree was chopped down. That gives them an indication of when the painting was made. The process is not perfect, but in some cases, it’s been able to trace several boards not only to the same time period but also to the same tree.

1. Who holds the Major League Baseball record for singles in a career?

A) Hank Aaron

B) Tony Gwynn

C) Derek Jeter

D) Pete Rose

2. The leaves of which tree are the primary food source for koalas?

A) Bamboo

B) Chestnut

C) Eucalyptus

D) Teak

3. Which world-famous work of art is housed in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan?

A) “The Burghers of Calais”

B) Michelangelo’s “David”

C) “The Last Supper”

D) “Mona Lisa”

4. The famous White Cliffs of Dover are formed primarily from what substance?

A) Aluminum

B) Chalk

C) Granite

D) Quartz

5. Which Shakespearean character speaks the lines: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day”?

A) Desdemona

B) Macbeth

C) Portia

D) Prospero

6. In geometry, what term refers to an angle of greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees?

A) Acute

B) Obtuse

C) Reflex

D) Right

Answers

1) Pete Rose holds the Major League Baseball record for singles in a career with 3,215.

2) Eucalyptus leaves are the primary food of koalas.

3) Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” can be found in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

4) The famous White Cliffs of Dover are formed primarily from chalk.

5) Macbeth speaks the lines: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.”

6) In geometry, an angle of greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees is an obtuse angle.

Email Leslie at triviabitsleslie@gmail. com.