Readers Digest-Urban Legends Quiz

Questions from Readers Digest…True or False Questions:

1. If you enter your PIN number backwards in an ATM, it will call the police.

2. Lemon Fresh Joy (a dishwashing liquid) and Listerine (mouthwash) will knock mosquitoes dead from the sky.

3. Deep in the heart of Australia, the self-proclaimed Prince Leonard of Hutt River riles over his self-proclaimed principality.

4. The artificial sweeter aspartame is responsible for an outbreak of cancer, brain tumors, and multiple sclerosis.

5. When you boil water in the microwave, it could suddenly explode

6. The FDA has barred travellers from taking Vegemite into the US      

Answers

1. False – Entering your PIN number in reverse will not contact the police. This myth originated from Joseph Zingher’s SafetyPIN System.

2. False – Leaving Lemon Fresh in a bowl or spraying Listerine around your home may attract some mosquitoes to the moisture but they won’t drop dead from the sky.

3. True – Leonard Casley had a disagreement with the government over a government-imposed wheat quota so he "seceded" from the Commonwealth of Australia and has been ignoring the government ever since. He rules along with his wife, Princess Shirley.

4. False – According to the FDA, no consistent pattern has been found to prove that aspartame contributes to these conditions.

5. True – Boiling water in the microwave could cause an explosion. However, the average microwave user will probably never witness the explosion because it requires a specific set of unlikely conditions.

6. False – The controversy began because folate is one of the ingredients used in Vegemite and under US regulations folate can only be added to breads and cereals. While Kraft, the makers of Vegemite, have stopped supplying it to retailers while the folate issue is resolved, travellers are still free to bring it into the US for personal use.

For more urban legends – check out snopes.com