So as I often like to do, I thought I would feature a higher or lower quiz, and in keeping with this week's landmark, every question has a 500 theme to it.
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| "We're going to need a bigger tape measure." |
1) World's fattest man
The average man weighs around 88.8 kilograms, but of course not everyone is average. Some people are skinny, and some people are, er ... 'plus sized'.
But what did the fattest man of all time weigh? Was it more than 500 kilograms, or less than 500 kilograms?
For the benefit of anyone who prefers pounds, 500 kilograms is equivalent to 1,102.3 pounds, so it's very heavy indeed!
Higher or lower?
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| Raspberries. Winner of the Charles Fudgemuffin award for nicest fruit. But how many contenders were they up against? |
2) Fruit
With the exception of durian fruit which is minging, fruits are generally delicious and also of course healthy.
But how many varieties of fruit are there in the world? Are there more than 500 types of fruit, or less than 500 types of fruit?
Higher or lower?
3) Satellites
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| This is the satellite which beams the Charles Fudgemuffin blog around the world, but how many satellites are there in total? |
But how many satellites are there currently orbitting the Earth? Is it more than 500 or less than 500?
Higher or lower?
4) Palladium
Most people are aware that gold, silver and platinum are precious metals. However, some precious metal dealers also stock a fourth precious metal, palladium.
But how much does an ounce of palladium cost? Is it more than five hundred pounds or less than five hundred pounds?
For reference, at the time of writing, an ounce of gold costs £1,285.95, an ounce of silver costs £15.99, and an ounce of platinum costs £706.90.
Higher or lower?
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| Pharmaceuticals, pictured yesterday. |
5) Pharmaceutical company fines
As we all know, pharmaceutical companies are always honest, and always have our best interests at heart. They would never lie to the public, nor would they ever put their profits ahead of people's health. **shifty eyes**
However, you may be surprised - shocked, even - to learn that incredibly, there have been a very small rare number of occasions when pharmaceutical companies were fined for fraud and dishonesty.
But how much were pharmaceutical companies fined in total between January 2003 and December 2016? Was it more than 500 million dollars, or less than 500 million dollars?
Higher or lower?
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| How many McCalories are there in a Big Mac? |
6) Big Mac
As we all know, McDonalds sell a variety of calorie-filled burgers, with their most famous burger perhaps being the Big Mac, or as it's known in France ... 'le Big Mac'.
But how many calories does a Big Mac contain exactly? Is it more than 500 calories, or less than 500 calories?
Higher or lower?
7) Blog posts
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| Editor: "Charles, you've given the game away!" Charles: "Relax, Ed. My readers are really intelligent, so they would have worked it out anyway, even without the photo clue." |
Is it more than 500, less than 500, or exactly 500?
Higher or lower or equal?
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Scroll down the page to reveal the answers...
Answers:
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| A fat cat. |
1) World's fattest man
Higher: 635 kilograms
Incredibly, the heaviest man on record was Jon Brower Minnoch who at his peak weighed a mind-blowing 635 kilograms! That's almost ten times what I weighed when I was young and slim!
If you're thinking of attempting to beat his record, then be warned that according to the Guinness Book Of Records, 'applications for this record title will only be accepted if the applicant is 16 years of age or over.'
You should also be warned that weighing that much is extremely unhealthy. In fact, of the two warnings, that's probably the most important warning. I would therefore urge anyone considering breaking this record to reconsider.
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| Is it a banana, or is it a dolphin? N.B. That's not one of the official quiz questions, by the way. You don't get a bonus point if you get it right. |
2) Fruit
Higher: Approximately 2,000
I was surprised to learn that there are around 2,000 varities of fruit found around the world, although we generally only use around 10% of them. Some of the stranger named varieties of fruit include ice cream beans, elephant apples, and the unfortunately named 'ugli' fruit!
3) Satellites
Higher: 7,389 satellites
As you may have guessed, there are considerably more than 500 satellites currently orbitting the Earth. According to the Index Of Objects Launched Into Outer Space* there were 7,389 satellites in the Earth's orbit at the end of April, 2021. Apparently, 11,697 satellites have been launched into space, but only 7,389 are still orbitting the Earth. The rest have either burnt up, or fell back to Earth as debris.
* That's a real thing! I promise I'm not making it up!
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| Unfortunately I don't have any photos of palladium, so I had to use this photo of silver bullion and hope nobody notices. Editor: "I thought you said your readers were intelligent, Charles?" |
4) Palladium
Higher: £1,382.20 per ounce
At the time of writing an ounce of palladium costs £1,382.20, so it's worth considerably more than 500 hundred pounds. However, that's significantly less than a few months ago, and as recently as May 2021 an ounce of palladium was trading for over two thousand pounds!
5) Pharmaceutical company fines
Higher: $33 billion!
In total, 26 pharmaceutical companies were fined a massive 33 billion dollars during the 13 year period! And that's just in the United States. It doesn't include fines in the rest of the world! Nor does it include the cost of any class action settlements.
The biggest fine was against GlaxoSmithKline who back in 2012 were fined three billions dollars for the illegal promotion of drugs.
Once again though, you can definitely trust pharmaceutical companies to always do the right thing, and they would never sacrifice our health and lives for short term profits. Nor would they ever promote a dangerous expensive drug over a safe cheap drug. **shifty eyes**
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| Ronald McDonald. Or as he's known in Japan, Donarudo Makudonarudo. |
6) Big Mac
Higher: 550 calories
According to Nutritionix, a Big Mac contains 550 calories. So if, despite my health warnings, you're still considering going for the heaviest man world record, then eating plenty of Big Macs could perhaps help you achieve your ill-advised goal.
7) Blog posts
Equal: 500 (Unless you're reading this in the future, in which case the answer will be 'higher'.)
The correct answer will depend on when exactly you're reading this.
If you're reading this blog post the week that it was published, then the answer is exactly 500! However, if you're reading this blog post in the future*, then the answer will be more than 500, so the correct answer will vary for each reader. Bear that in mind therefore before deciding whether or not to award yourself a point.
* Obviously, it won't be the future to you, it'll be the present, but when I'm writing this it'll be the future.
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How did you do? How many questions did you answer correctly? Check out the following table to rate your performance:
6-7 Congratulations! You're an expert at all things related to the number 500.
3-5 Not bad, but there's still room for improvement in your general 500 themed knowledge.
0-2 A poor effort. Your 500 themed knowledge is sorely lacking.
500 Wow! 500 points! That's amazing! Sadly though, you're clearly a cheat, because there were only 7 questions, so the maximum possible score is 7.
I occasionally feature higher or lower quizzes on the Charles Fudgemuffin blog, so if you want to read more higher or lower quizzes, then I suggest you keep reading the blog over the next few years in the hope that I occasionally publish another higher or lower themed quiz.
Alternatively, if you're in a rush, and can't afford to wait several years, you can find some of my previous higher or lower quizzes below:
Higher or lower quiz
Half a million page views!
Christmas higher or lower quiz
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