Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - April 6
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What comedian did Iggy Pop phone up in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? Iggy and the Stooges --> Moe Howard
2. In what profession are "pointe shoes" worn? dancing or ballet dancing
3. The Hemlock Society, a U.S. right-to-die organization, took its name in honor of what philosopher? Socrates
4. On what TV show did The Office's Melora Hardin appear ten times, despite her character having been killed by a car bomb in the pilot? car bomb was the key clue that helped with this question. Monk
5. Sargassum muticum and Sargassum filipendula are two common species of what type of organism? Sargassum --> Sargasso Sea. moss or kelp?
6. Who was Oscar-nominated for playing a woman named Julia 32 years after making her film debut in the movie Julia? Meryl Streep
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what European city is most obviously missing from this list of world cities? Amsterdam, Bangkok, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale, Hamburg, Recife, St. Petersburg. Is that Birmingham, Alabama or England? Amsterdam has a lot of canals. I see that Recife is at a delta mouth. Birmingham, England apparently has extensive canals. If that is the common thread, the answer would probably be Venice.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Hiccups are caused by spasms of which muscle? One of many reasons to love your diaphragm. (That's what she said.) A good question. I should know this.
2. What uniform number did NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson begin wearing in 2001, his rookie year? As Spanish-speaking Dancing with the Stars fans know, the former Mr. Johnson now calls himself "Chad Ochocinco," in honor of his uniform number: 85. correct
3. What does the United Nations observe every spring equinox, though the rest of the world celebrates it a month later? The U.N. is losing the Earth Day branding battle. Don't feel bad, U Thant. I know you tried. correct
4. What 1678 literary work begins in the City of Destruction and ends in the Celestial City? That's Pilgrim's Progress. I don't know why everyone thinks the Pilgrim is so great, though. I mean, wouldn't you leave the "City of Destruction" too? Just something about that name, I guess. Pilgrim's Progress, voted the most boring classic in a poll a while back. Perhaps that is why I did not know that Bunyan wrote it in 1678.
5. What state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on U.S. soil? The Aleutian island of Attu, now part of the state of Alaska, was occupied by the Japanese until U.S. troops forced them out in 1943. I guess that Alaska was US soil in WWII even if it was not yet a state.
6. What award-winning 2009 film changed its name to avoid confusion with another movie, the superhero flop Push? That's why Precious now has that unwieldy subtitle "Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire." Doh!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Accidentally on Purpose, Dexter, Eight is Enough, The Flying Nun, Gossip Girl, Homicide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sex in the City, True Blood, The Unit. These are TV shows based on books. I can't wait to do a Question Seven on all the books based on TV shows I used to have as a kid, like MacGyver on Ice and Alf Summer Camp Adventure. I knew this fact about Eight Is Enough and Sex and the City. But it seemed too obvious and easy.
1. What comedian did Iggy Pop phone up in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? Iggy and the Stooges --> Moe Howard
2. In what profession are "pointe shoes" worn? dancing or ballet dancing
3. The Hemlock Society, a U.S. right-to-die organization, took its name in honor of what philosopher? Socrates
4. On what TV show did The Office's Melora Hardin appear ten times, despite her character having been killed by a car bomb in the pilot? car bomb was the key clue that helped with this question. Monk
5. Sargassum muticum and Sargassum filipendula are two common species of what type of organism? Sargassum --> Sargasso Sea. moss or kelp?
6. Who was Oscar-nominated for playing a woman named Julia 32 years after making her film debut in the movie Julia? Meryl Streep
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what European city is most obviously missing from this list of world cities? Amsterdam, Bangkok, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale, Hamburg, Recife, St. Petersburg. Is that Birmingham, Alabama or England? Amsterdam has a lot of canals. I see that Recife is at a delta mouth. Birmingham, England apparently has extensive canals. If that is the common thread, the answer would probably be Venice.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Hiccups are caused by spasms of which muscle? One of many reasons to love your diaphragm. (That's what she said.) A good question. I should know this.
2. What uniform number did NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson begin wearing in 2001, his rookie year? As Spanish-speaking Dancing with the Stars fans know, the former Mr. Johnson now calls himself "Chad Ochocinco," in honor of his uniform number: 85. correct
3. What does the United Nations observe every spring equinox, though the rest of the world celebrates it a month later? The U.N. is losing the Earth Day branding battle. Don't feel bad, U Thant. I know you tried. correct
4. What 1678 literary work begins in the City of Destruction and ends in the Celestial City? That's Pilgrim's Progress. I don't know why everyone thinks the Pilgrim is so great, though. I mean, wouldn't you leave the "City of Destruction" too? Just something about that name, I guess. Pilgrim's Progress, voted the most boring classic in a poll a while back. Perhaps that is why I did not know that Bunyan wrote it in 1678.
5. What state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on U.S. soil? The Aleutian island of Attu, now part of the state of Alaska, was occupied by the Japanese until U.S. troops forced them out in 1943. I guess that Alaska was US soil in WWII even if it was not yet a state.
6. What award-winning 2009 film changed its name to avoid confusion with another movie, the superhero flop Push? That's why Precious now has that unwieldy subtitle "Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire." Doh!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Accidentally on Purpose, Dexter, Eight is Enough, The Flying Nun, Gossip Girl, Homicide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sex in the City, True Blood, The Unit. These are TV shows based on books. I can't wait to do a Question Seven on all the books based on TV shows I used to have as a kid, like MacGyver on Ice and Alf Summer Camp Adventure. I knew this fact about Eight Is Enough and Sex and the City. But it seemed too obvious and easy.
