Are you ready for the End of the World?

They say the world will end in a week or so. Is that new? Try your hand at this apocalyptic quiz. Multiple choice, and all of the answers can be found in the Edited Guide. (We've got you covered for the End of the World.)

1. There are Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Their horses are red, white, black, and. . .
   
   • Blue.
   • Green.
   • Spotted.
   • Roan.
2. What probably caused the apocalyptic scare in New England in 1780?
   
   • The British.
   • Eating bad rye bread.
   • A solar eclipse.
   • A forest fire in Canada.
3. Why did 100,000 people refer to 1844 as 'The Great Disappointment'?
   
   • Joseph Smith died.
   • William Miller's prediction failed to come true.
   • Jonathan Chapman's apples did not ripen.
   • Boston was not flooded.
4. Who did 18th-century pamphleteer James Bicheno claim was the Beast of Revelation?
   
   • Napoleon.
   • Louis XIV.
   • King George III.
   • The Tsar of all the Russias.
5. What apocalypse did humans fear in 1999 that never materialised?
   
   • A comet collision.
   • A plague from outer space.
   • The fall of Communism.
   • Worldwide computer failure.
6. Why doesn't German researcher Herbert Illig fear the End of the World in 2012?
   
   • He believes it's really 1715.
   • He believes the Mayans were lying.
   • He believes European calendars are more important than American calendars.
   • He believes Harold Camping was right, and the world ended in 2011.
7. What is the 1979 film Apocalypse Now based on?
   
   • The Revelation of St John the Divine.
   • A novel by Joseph Conrad.
   • A poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
   • An apocryphal Biblical work.
8. What does magnetic pole reversal have in common with an asteroid colliding with the Earth?
   
   • They are both possible extinction level events.
   • They are both things that can never happen.
   • They are both possibilities that have never occurred in science fiction films.
   • They are both events related to global warming.
9. Who was Arthur Dent?
   
   • A scientist who worked with Buckminster Fuller.
   • A 16th-century Puritan.
   • A leading Millerite.
   • A BBC announcer.
10. According to the Mayan calendar, when did the world come into existence?
    
    • About 6 billion years ago.
    • 23 October, 4004 BC.
    • 13 August, 3114 BC.
    • 14 October 4115 BC.

Think you're ready for the Eve of Destruction? Click on the picture below for answers.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

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