# Literature quiz question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201 "2005-09-24T13:00:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robmm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@robmm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robmm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/1 "2005-09-24T13:00:11Z")
Hi there, Does anyone know the answer to this question from the Sunday Times quiz? -Who writes an unsatisfactory thank-you letter for a platinum and gold ring? The answer will be a fictional character and I’m guessing 20th century as platinum is a fairly recent metal… Thanks 😕 ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/2 "2005-09-24T13:23:38Z")
I have no idea, but this question is also being discussed [here](http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Arts_and_Literature/Question141997.html) and [here.](http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=110652#post110652) ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/3 "2005-09-24T14:23:49Z")
> [@robmm](#): > > …I’m guessing 20th century as platinum is a fairly recent metal… Hard to know what you mean by a “recent metal,” but large quantities of platinum have been known since the mid 18th century. What could you have been trying to say? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/4 "2005-09-24T14:45:54Z")
> [@CC](#): > > Hard to know what you mean by a “recent metal,” but large quantities of platinum have been known since the mid 18th century. What could you have been trying to say? **CC**. Is it kosher to advertise products and services in your sig? I should think not. If nothing else it is certainly in bad taste, and I wish you would remove them. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/5 "2005-09-24T14:56:07Z")
I guess it’s possible that you think the sponsored links at the bottom of the page are my own personal advertisements. They are associated with the SDMB and appear at the bottom of any thread. Clearly something new, and obviously not connected to the last poster on the thread. Take a deep breath. Relax. And permit the mods to moderate the posts. Thank you. And for what it’s worth, I didn’t include my sig in my post above. If I had, it would look like this: ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/6 "2005-09-24T15:01:07Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I guess it’s possible that you think the sponsored links at the bottom of the page are my own personal advertisements. They are associated with the SDMB and appear at the bottom of any thread. Clearly something new, and obviously not connected to the last poster on the thread. Take a deep breath. Relax. And permit the mods to moderate the posts. Thank you. > > And for what it’s worth, I didn’t include my sig in my post above. If I had, it would look like this: My error. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen these ads. ---
**Author:** ![robmm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@robmm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robmm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/7 "2005-09-25T14:19:37Z")
Well I just thought it was fairly recent because I can’t think of platinum being mentioned in anything I’ve read before this century but I may well be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![robmm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@robmm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robmm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/8 "2005-09-27T13:26:10Z")
Does anyone have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/9 "2005-09-27T16:39:52Z")
> [@E = mc²](#): > > My error. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen these ads. The Google ads are addressed in the ATMB forum ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/10 "2005-09-27T17:51:37Z")
> [@robmm](#): > > Does anyone have any ideas? A white gold ring is the central artefact in Steven Donaldson’s “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”, the ring is referred to time and time again. Trouble is, I can’t remember any thank you letters being written in the books, and a fantasy book seems unlikely material for The Times literature quiz. So I guess the idea sucks, but maybe worth a WAG if you’ve got nothing else to put down. ---
**Author:** ![robmm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@robmm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robmm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/11 "2005-09-29T11:23:37Z")
> [@Myler Keogh](#): > > A white gold ring is the central artefact in Steven Donaldson’s “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”, the ring is referred to time and time again. Trouble is, I can’t remember any thank you letters being written in the books, and a fantasy book seems unlikely material for The Times literature quiz. So I guess the idea sucks, but maybe worth a WAG if you’ve got nothing else to put down. Thanks for the suggestion - but I think you’re right - it won’t be a fantasy novel. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/12 "2005-09-29T12:42:43Z")
Reaching to dim recesses, 2 names come up. F. Scott Fitzgerald, - a short story or _Tender is the Night_ Truman Capote. ---
**Author:** ![robmm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@robmm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robmm)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-quiz-question/323201/13 "2005-09-29T20:11:14Z")
I’ve just thought - it may be an unsatisfactory letter because it’s actually a theft and the thief leaves some sort of written boast…? Does that ring any bells with anyone?