WOMBAT part deux -- the Sequel

Annemehr annemehr at annemehr.yahoo.invalid
Thu Oct 5 13:06:11 UTC 2006


Does anyone else want to rehash like Hermione, or are your 
sympathies with Ron?

I shamelessly lifted the text of the questions from CoS forums over 
on Mugglenet.  And, I suppose I'll repost this over in the Hogs_Head 
group, too.

Anyway ----


W.O.M.B.A.T. Grade 2 Questions (four parts, 18 questions):

Part I
Magical Beings
(35/100)

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

-Hags eat small children
-Inferi cannot speak
-Goblins fear sunlight
-There are no female centaurs
-Vampire bites are curable nowadays

Anne: Inferi cannot speak

I'm pretty sure they were silent in the cave in HBP.  I *know* we've 
seen goblins in the sunlight, and I don't think they're afraid of 
much.  And, I think hags get a bad rap.
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2. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

-Ghosts can cause movement of both liquid and gas
-Freshwater merpeople are less warlike than salt
-The werewolf's snout is shorter than that of the true wolf
-There are no male veela
-Hags have four toes on each foot

Anne: Hags have four toes on each foot

I really think the werewolf and veela ones are true.  We have seen 
Myrtle move liquid; it really seems no leap to think she can move 
gas as well.  No idea about the merpeople, really, and I just 
guessed it was the hag one.
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3. Which of the following are considered MOST dangerous by the 
Ministry of Magic?

-Dementors
-Hags
-Inferi
-Vampires
-Werewolves

Anne: Dementors

Well, it was between Inferi and Dementors.  It does seem Inferi 
might be more *feared,* but I thought part of that might be more 
taboo than danger.  Inferi will kill you but dementors will do 
worse -- that's what finally swayed me.
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4. Which of the following are considered AMORTAL (have never died, 
and can never die) by the Ministry of Magic?

-Dementors
-Ghosts
-Inferi
-Poltergeists
-Vampires

Anne: Poltergeists
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5. Which (still unresolved) issue do most historians believe 
triggered the infamous goblin rebellion of 1612?

-Lack of goblin representation on the Wizengamot?
-Wizard attempts to enslave goblins and use as house-elves?
-Wizard refusal to grant goblins the right to carry a wand?
-Attempt of wizards to regain control of Gringotts bank
-Series of brutal goblin-slayings by wizard murderer Yardley Platt

Anne: Lack of goblin representation on the Wizengamot

Really, the wand issue seemed about as likely to be correct.  I let 
Hermione's statement, that goblins don't need protecting like House-
Elves do, sway me.  They might be peeved about the wand ban, but I 
don't think they really need them.

But a thought just occurred to me -- does the Wizengamot even go 
back to 1612?  I'll have to look that up...
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6. Which of the following statements on giants is TRUE?

-Giant clans are matriarchal (females in charge)
-Female giants are usually larger than males
-Giants' eyesight is very poor compared with that of humans
-Giants are nocturnal
-Many giants are cannibals

Anne: Giants' eyesight is very poor compared with that of humans

OoP disproves the first, and suggests the second and fourth are 
false also (they did stay up really late, but Hagrid and Olympe met 
the gurgs in the daytime).  I just thought the cannibal one sounded 
like it might be gossip.

In his scenes in OoP, Grawp does stoop down to get a better look at 
humans and centaurs -- it does seem to suggest the possibility of 
nearsightedness.
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7. Which of the following statements on house-elves is FALSE?

-House-elves have an average life-expectancy of 200 years
-A house-elf's allegiance is foremost to its house (rather than to 
the inhabitants of the house)
-House-elves cannot be ordered to kill themselves
-House-elf magic is sufficiently powerful to override wizards 
enchantments
-House-elves breed infrequently and then only with their master's 
permission

Anne: House-elves have an average life-expectancy of 200 years

If that were true, I don't think there would be all those heads 
mounted in the hall at 12 GP, given Aunt Elladora's spot on the 
family tree.  'Course, I could have been tripped up by JKR's lack of 
math skills...
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Part II
Wizarding Current Affairs
(25/100)

8. In a recent Ministry of Magic poll, what was identified as the 
issue most concerning the wizarding community at the present time?

-Insufficient information given by Ministry of Magic regarding the 
return of Lord Voldemort
-Insufficient action taken by Ministry of Magic to fight Lord 
Voldemort
-Inadequate Ministry of Magic resources devoted to the protection of 
the wizarding community
-Over-reaction of the Ministry of Magic to the return of Lord 
Voldemort, which is the best thing that has happened to the 
wizarding community in many years

Anne: Insufficient action taken

The wizarding public wants to see *results,* dang it.  Rufus 
Scrimgeour's attitude about Stan Shunpike's imprisonment would 
suggest that he got the memo on this poll, too.
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9. According to a recent article in the Daily Prophet, which subject 
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been complained 
about by parents more than any other (over 100 year period)?

-Care of Magical Creatures
-Defense Against the Dark Arts
-History of Magic
-Muggle Studies

Anne: DADA

It was between that and CoMC.  I guess I decided that a flurry of 
DADA complaints since the curse was cast may have outweighed the 
steady flutter of CoMC owls.  No confidence in this one, though.
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10. What percentage of wizards and witches believe that Weather-
Modifying Charms should be regulated due to their effect upon the 
environment? (Figures collected by Committee for Experimental Charms)
- 3%
- 33%
- 53%
- 93%

Anne: 3%

We just don't really see weather modification -- school students 
play Quidditch in thunderstorms, for heaven's sake (well, apparently 
it's an Experimental Charm anyway).  Nor do I imagine wizards would 
worry much about environmental damage unless they saw their activity 
cause a lot of it -- similar to Muggle attitudes, I guess.
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11. Which health scare at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies 
and Injuries has recently caused widespread panic? (Source: St. 
Mungo's Admissions Department)

-Suspected brain damage due to Imperius Curse
-Suspected death due to Thestral sightings
-Spate of suspected werewolf bits
-Uncontrollable bleeding due to 'Nosebleed Nougat'

Anne: Werewolf bites

Herbert Chorely notwithstanding
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12. What change would 18% of wizards like to see to the requirements 
for membership of the Wizengamot? (Source: Ministry of Magic poll)

-Average age lowered from 87
-Proof of pure-blood status
-Maximum of three years in post
-Goblin representation

Anne: Goblin representation

It goes nicely with my answer to #5 -- although, that could just as 
well mean I got them both *wrong.*  Proof of pure-blood status seems 
likely, too, but *maybe* 18% is a little high, since not all 
purebloods would vote this way.
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Part Three
Magical Objects
(15/100)

13. Assuming that you already have a wand, which THREE of the 
following would you consider indispensable in case of trouble?

-Anti-Muggle doorknob
-Broomstick
-Cauldron
-Crystal ball
-Extendable Ears
-Floo Powder
-Foe Glass
-Hand of Glory
-Invisibility Cloak
-Lunascope
-Omnioculars
-Parchment
-Pensieve
-Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder
-Potion-making kit
-Quick-Quotes Quill
-Remembrall
-Revealer
-Scales
-Secrecy Sensor
-Sneakoscope
-Telescope
-Time-Turner
-Two-way mirror
-Wizard's wireless

Anne: Broom, invisibility cloak, time-turner

I snapped up the cloak right away.  Eventually, I also picked out 
the broom, time-turner, and two-way mirror and had to narrow those 
down to two. (Dark detectors seemed tempting for about 5 seconds, 
but there are too many choices of them, and I think they're too 
dodgy to be useful.)

I went with the broom, in case of anti-apparition jinxes (I'm sure 
there was a JKR interview or chat answer about this issue somewhere -
- why they don't just apparate out of a losing battle), kept the 
time-turner, and reluctantly left the two-way mirror out.
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Part Four
Muggle Studies
(25/100)

14. Which of the following is the ONLY magical invention whose 
effect has not yet been duplicated FULLY by Muggle ingenuity?

-Flying broomstick
-Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover
-Omnioculars
-"reparo"
-Self-ironing robes

Anne: Reparo*

*Cf: landfills
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15. Which of the following is the ONLY Muggle invention whose 
effects cannot be duplicated FULLY by magic?

-Aeroplane
-Car
-Computer
-Telephone
-Television

Anne: Computer

I know we haven't seen anything quite like a television either -- 
but it seems to me that it surely *can* be duplicated by magic, as 
it's really just a combination of the scoreboard we saw at the QWC 
and wizarding wireless.
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16. The following beliefs are widely held in the wizarding world, 
but only ONE is actually TRUE. (According to the latest research 
from the Institute of Muggle Studies) Which is it?

-Muggleborn witches/wizards are more likely to produce Squib 
children than those who have one or more wizarding parents.
-Muggleborn witches/wizards usually have a witch or wizard ancestor 
somewhere in their family tree, though s/he may be generations back.
-Muggleborn witches/wizards are generally less prone to certain 
magical ilnesses than those who have one or more wizarding parent.
-Muggleborn witches/wizards are generally slower to show signs of 
magic in childhood than those who have one or more wizarding parents.
-Muggleborn witches/wizards have great natural rhythm.

Anne: Muggleborn witches/wizards usually have a witch or wizard 
ancestor somewhere in their family tree

I ruled out the illness and magic in childhood choices on the theory 
that they are based on the idea that Muggleborns are somehow *less* 
magical than other witches/wizards.  The Squib one seemed to be a 
little bit along those lines, too, so I chose the second one by 
process of elimination.  And after all, that's how my second 
daughter ended up a blonde...
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17. Which of the following statements is FALSE? (According to the 
latest research from the Institute of Muggle Studies)

-It is possible for a Muggle to produce elementary magic if they 
have access to a wand and a book of spells.
-It is possible for a Muggle to inadvertently stumble upon magically 
protected areas such as Diagon Alley and St. Mungo's Hospital for 
Magical Maladies and Injuries.
-It is possible for a Muggle to see and correctly identify magical 
creatures.
-It is possible for a Muggle to see and yet deny the existence of 
magical creatures, even without magical intervention.
-It is possible for a Muggle to believe in impossibilities.

Anne: It is possible for a Muggle to produce elementary magic
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18. Muggle are:

-Ignorant
-In danger
-Inferior to wizards
-Insensitive to their surroundings
-Interesting
-Irritating facts of life

Anne: Insensitive to their surroundings

They are also in danger, especially *now,* but I didn't choose that 
because this is not a current events question.
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I took the test a second time, changing a few of my most tentative 
answers, and I see the owls are on their way...

~Anne








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