We bet you can pass this quiz – even though you've never heard about any of this before. See how clever you are.

Today's quiz will introduce you to a songwriter named Sydney Carter. If you are British, he's probably affected your life in ways you aren't aware of. And we're willing to bet you can pass this quiz – while learning a few things you didn't know you knew. This is going to be fun. (Non-Brits: play along. You'll get your turn another week.)

1. Sydney Carter was a Londoner, born in Camden Town. His song for Flanders and Swann called 'Down Below', was about…
   
   • The London Underground.
   • London sewer workers.
   • Going to hell.
   • The Isle of Wight.
2. Carter and Donald Swann were old friends. They met in…
   
   • Public school.
   • A pub, while singing.
   • Greece, while driving ambulances.
   • A sewer, during National Service.
3. Sydney Carter wrote a little ditty called 'My Last Cigarette', about a man trying to stop smoking. It was featured on the album called…
   
   • The Youth of the Heart.
   • Polkadots and Moonbeams.
   • Simple Gifts.
   • Taking Out the Dustbin.
4. Carter wrote two songs that are widely sung in British schools. One of them is 'Lord of the Dance'. The other one is…
   
   • This Old Man.
   • The Rainbow Connection.
   • Day by Day.
   • One More Step.
5. Carter wrote protest songs for the…
   
   • Aldermaston March.
   • Woodstock Festival.
   • BBC.
   • Brick Lane march.
6. Carter wrote an eye-opening and controversial religious song called 'Friday Morning'. Bishop Fulton J Sheen drew a radio lesson from it, but there was an outraged call to ban the song from…
   
   • Billy Graham.
   • Enoch Powell.
   • The BBC.
   • Mary Whitehouse.
7. Carter had a deeply spiritual philosophy, but he wasn't an orthodox religious thinker. A book containing his spiritual ideas had the title…
   
   • The Pilgrim's Regress.
   • The Sea of Faith.
   • The Rock of Doubt.
   • The Cloud of Unknowing.
8. Sydney Carter's most famous song is probably 'Lord of the Dance'. He claimed that, among other things, the song was inspired by…
   
   • A ballet he saw once.
   • Children dancing in the street.
   • A verse of the Bible about David dancing.
   • A figure of Shiva, Lord of the Dance.
9. Carter's song 'To the First of My Lovers' is about…
   
   • His first wife.
   • His love affair with the Mediterranean.
   • Jesus and St John.
   • The varieties of religious experience.
10. Sydney Carter's 80th birthday was celebrated in…
    
    • The Shakespeare's Head.
    • Waterloo Station.
    • The Royal Albert Hall.
    • Westminster Abbey.

Okay, some of that was easy, admit it. Want to check? Click the picture for answers.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

26.02.18 Front Page

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