Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - June 30
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. After their Olympic successes, Bob Beamon, Bruce Jenner, and Carl Lewis were all drafted, as publicity stunts, by teams in which pro sports organization? the NFL has a history of drafting Olympic athletes. See Bob Hayes and Renaldo Nehemiah. But I don't remember hearing about any of these guys being drafted.
2. Paul Simon has yet to comment on the recently-announced retirement of "64" and "64 Professional," the last two products marketed using what brand? Here 64 does not mean Commodore computers. It is a film speed. Kodak just announced they would stop making Kodachrome film.
3. What author's first novel begins, "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning"? could this be Ian Fleming's Casino Royale?
4. What's the home state of rapper Tramar Dillard, of "Right Round" fame? what kind of question is this? This is an artist whose "fame" has previously been unknown to me. Unless there is a hidden clue to the answer, this is so arcane as to be really uninteresting. Many rappers are from Atlanta, so I'll guess Georgia.
5. Who's the only person ever to twice assume temporary presidency of the U.S. under the 25th Amendment? must be a recent president since the 25th amendment was passed sometime in the 1960s. I will guess GHB Bush - once when Reagan was shot and once when Reagan may have gone under anaesthesia for some kind of medical procedure.
6. What Central American country's name is believed to mean "surrounded by water"? Nicaragua has the word "agua" in it.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? J. J. Abrams, Roseanne Barr, Bono, Stephen Colbert, Tom Ford, Nick Hornby, Heidi Klum, Monica Lewinsky, Maria Sharapova, Kanye West.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What actress-turned-union leader is the author of the new memoir Prairie Tale? Melissa Gilbert, formerly "Half Pint" on TV's Little House on the Prairie, now heads the Screen Actors' Guild. correct
2. In what language does the word "Basij" mean "mobilization"? This is your "have you been watching CNN?" test. The Basiji are militia members in Iran, so the answer is Persian (or Farsi). correct
3. What biblical name is commonly given to your body's laryngeal prominence? That's your Adam's apple (unless you are not a man or transgender individual, in which you case you may not have much of one). correct
4. What TV network gives out "Buckle" Awards to musicians every year? CMT apparently likes to reinforce popular prejudices about country music by giving out awards shaped like, yes, giant belt buckles. Apparently their idea to give statuettes shaped like trailer homes was considered offensive. aha
5. The "small blind" and the "big blind" sit immediately to the left of whom? The dealer--well, the player with the dealer button--in poker games like Texas hold'em. right game, wrong answer
6. Two of the U.S.'s three biggest employers are government agencies--one a Cabinet-level department, the other a former Cabinet-level department. What are they? The Department of Defense is first, the U.S. Postal Service is third. (Wal-Mart is second.) USPS used to be a Cabinet Department? I checked - Homeland Security only has 207K employees. USPS has 786K.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and (to my knowledge) no others? Benin, Bhutan, Burma, China, Congo, East Timor, Gabon, Guyana, Japan, Lebanon, Malta, Marshall Islands, Nepal, Portugal, San Marino, Senegal, Sudan, Surinam, Taiwan, Togo, and Vietnam. These are all the country names whose "demonyms," or adjectival forms, end with "-ese." It's true: the Chinese, the Portuguese, even the Togolese: they all do it with -ese. This question was not that "e-zee"
1. After their Olympic successes, Bob Beamon, Bruce Jenner, and Carl Lewis were all drafted, as publicity stunts, by teams in which pro sports organization? the NFL has a history of drafting Olympic athletes. See Bob Hayes and Renaldo Nehemiah. But I don't remember hearing about any of these guys being drafted.
2. Paul Simon has yet to comment on the recently-announced retirement of "64" and "64 Professional," the last two products marketed using what brand? Here 64 does not mean Commodore computers. It is a film speed. Kodak just announced they would stop making Kodachrome film.
3. What author's first novel begins, "The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning"? could this be Ian Fleming's Casino Royale?
4. What's the home state of rapper Tramar Dillard, of "Right Round" fame? what kind of question is this? This is an artist whose "fame" has previously been unknown to me. Unless there is a hidden clue to the answer, this is so arcane as to be really uninteresting. Many rappers are from Atlanta, so I'll guess Georgia.
5. Who's the only person ever to twice assume temporary presidency of the U.S. under the 25th Amendment? must be a recent president since the 25th amendment was passed sometime in the 1960s. I will guess GHB Bush - once when Reagan was shot and once when Reagan may have gone under anaesthesia for some kind of medical procedure.
6. What Central American country's name is believed to mean "surrounded by water"? Nicaragua has the word "agua" in it.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? J. J. Abrams, Roseanne Barr, Bono, Stephen Colbert, Tom Ford, Nick Hornby, Heidi Klum, Monica Lewinsky, Maria Sharapova, Kanye West.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What actress-turned-union leader is the author of the new memoir Prairie Tale? Melissa Gilbert, formerly "Half Pint" on TV's Little House on the Prairie, now heads the Screen Actors' Guild. correct
2. In what language does the word "Basij" mean "mobilization"? This is your "have you been watching CNN?" test. The Basiji are militia members in Iran, so the answer is Persian (or Farsi). correct
3. What biblical name is commonly given to your body's laryngeal prominence? That's your Adam's apple (unless you are not a man or transgender individual, in which you case you may not have much of one). correct
4. What TV network gives out "Buckle" Awards to musicians every year? CMT apparently likes to reinforce popular prejudices about country music by giving out awards shaped like, yes, giant belt buckles. Apparently their idea to give statuettes shaped like trailer homes was considered offensive. aha
5. The "small blind" and the "big blind" sit immediately to the left of whom? The dealer--well, the player with the dealer button--in poker games like Texas hold'em. right game, wrong answer
6. Two of the U.S.'s three biggest employers are government agencies--one a Cabinet-level department, the other a former Cabinet-level department. What are they? The Department of Defense is first, the U.S. Postal Service is third. (Wal-Mart is second.) USPS used to be a Cabinet Department? I checked - Homeland Security only has 207K employees. USPS has 786K.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries, and (to my knowledge) no others? Benin, Bhutan, Burma, China, Congo, East Timor, Gabon, Guyana, Japan, Lebanon, Malta, Marshall Islands, Nepal, Portugal, San Marino, Senegal, Sudan, Surinam, Taiwan, Togo, and Vietnam. These are all the country names whose "demonyms," or adjectival forms, end with "-ese." It's true: the Chinese, the Portuguese, even the Togolese: they all do it with -ese. This question was not that "e-zee"
