Question 1

True or false: Calypso is both a moon of Saturn and a figure in Greek mythology.

Accepted Answer

True. Saturn's moon Calypso is named after the Greek nymph who detained Odysseus. Both exist—one in space, one in myth.

Question 2

True or false: The Calypso music style originated in Jamaica in the 1950s.

Accepted Answer

False. Calypso music actually originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 20th century, not Jamaica or the 1950s.

Question 3

True or false: The word 'calypso' is also a type of orchid native to North America.

Accepted Answer

True. Calypso bulbosa, or fairy slipper orchid, grows in cold northern forests across North America and Eurasia.

Question 4

True or false: Calypso was the name of the research vessel used by Jacques Cousteau.

Accepted Answer

True. Cousteau's famous ship was the RV Calypso, originally a British minesweeper converted into an oceanographic vessel.

Question 5

True or false: In Homer's Odyssey, Calypso held Odysseus captive for seven years.

Accepted Answer

True. In Homer's Odyssey, Calypso keeps Odysseus on her island Ogygia for seven years before he leaves, as stated in the epic.

Question 6

True or false: Calypso, the nymph, was the daughter of the Titan Atlas.

Accepted Answer

True. In Hesiod's Theogony, Calypso is listed as a daughter of Atlas, making her an Oceanid or Atlantid depending on the source.

Question 7

True or false: Calypso deep-sea fish are bioluminescent and live near hydrothermal vents.

Accepted Answer

False. No fish species is named 'Calypso' in deep-sea biology. There is a Calypso butterflyfish, but it lives in shallow tropical reefs.

Question 8

True or false: Harry Belafonte's 'Banana Boat Song' was the first calypso hit in the US.

Accepted Answer

False. Belafonte's song is a mento-style folk song, not true calypso. Early calypso hits in the US include 'Rum and Coca-Cola' by the Andrews Sisters.

Calypso Trivia Questions