• Although “a cappella” refers to unaccompanied singing “in chapel style,” collegiate a cappella groups are known for their unconventional renditions of all types of music — and for their unconventional names. For instance, the Yale Whiffenpoofs a capella group, founded in 1909, take their name from the imaginary whiffenpoof fish mentioned in the 1907 Broadway musical “Little Nemo.”

• After Louis Pasteur found that garlic has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, battlefield medics in World War I and World War II put his findings to the test, using garlic juice mixed with distilled water to treat wounds and prevent gangrene. (We do not recommend that you do this yourself!)

• There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes on Earth. They can be found everywhere from the rainforests of South America to the Arctic tundra, where they irritate the caribou. In laboratory conditions, they’re fed on a diet of blood from the bellies of mice. A single female mosquito can drain the blood of 24 rodents every month.

1. The Barden Bellas are a fictional singing group in what movie franchise?

A) “Bring It On”

B) “Pitch Perfect”

C) “Step It Up”

D) “You Got Served”

2. Halitosis is a fancy name for what physical condition?

A) Bad breath

B) Chapped lips

C) Dandruff

D) Stinky feet

3. What word refers to a beetle-shaped amulet from ancient Egypt?

A) Inukshuk

B) Moai

C) Scarab

D) Tiki

4. Wiping out mosquitoes that carry malaria and yellow fever was crucial to the construction of what landmark?

A) Empire State Building

B) Great Pyramids at Giza

C) Panama Canal

D) Sydney Opera House

5. Frankie Yankovic and Jimmy Sturr are known for playing what type of music?

A) Electronic dance music

B) Jazz

C) Polka

D) Salsa

6. Pilsner beer takes its name from the city of Plzen (or Pilsen), in what country?

A) Belgium

B) Czechia

C) Denmark

D) Poland

Answers

1) The Barden Bellas are a fictional singing group in the “Pitch Perfect” movie franchise.

2) Halitosis is a fancy name for bad breath.

3) Scarabs are beetle-shaped amulets from ancient Egypt.

4) An unanticipated result of building the Panama Canal was the development of methods to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes.

5) Frankie Yankovic and Jimmy Sturr are renowned polka musicians.

6) Plzen, or Pilsen, in Czechia is where Pilsner beer originated.

Email Leslie at triviabitsleslie@gmail.com.