Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - May 25
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Which two 2008 U.S. presidential hopefuls each had a great-grandfather with five wives? Mitt Romney, definitely. Maybe Obama's great-grandfather also had multiple wives in Africa.
2. "Demerara" is the name for one brown type of what common substance? I recall from living in England that brown sugar is called demerra sugar there. I'll go with sugar.
3. What country's name and flag appear prominently on the Space Shuttle's mechanical arm? if you don't watch tv news like me, you probably are going to have to guess at this. It would not be an interesting question if the correct answer was USA. Possibilities - China, Japan, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia. I am thinking of countries that have aerospace expertise or manufacture aircraft. I'll guess Canada.
4. What Baseball Hall of Famer wrote the autobiography "Say Hey"? Willie Mays
5. In 1958 and 1978, respectively, what father-son duo won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series? 1978 sounds like it was late in the run of All In The Family, but I like the answer of Rob Reiner and Carl Reiner. Robert Alda and Alan Alda were father and son actors. But Alan Alda would not have been nominated as a supporting actor for MASH. I also don't think of Robert Alda as a tv comedy guy.
6. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands contain the southernmost point of what country? Never heard of either. I don't see any other clues in that question. How about South Africa.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? City Lights, Eraserhead, Flags of Our Fathers, Halloween, House of 1000 Corpses, Leaving Las Vegas, The Others, Spy Kids.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Most of the world's sand is composed of an oxide of what chemical element? Most sand is silica: tiny little bits of quartz, a.k.a. silicon dioxide. It's the most abundant material in the Earth's crust. correct
2. What #1 hit of 1974 includes references to nursery rhymes like "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "Little Boy Blue" in its chorus? Look! As an early Father's Day present, it's a "Cat's in the Cradle" question! Harry Chapin hit #1, fancy that. We miss you, Harry.
3. "Submitted for Your Approval" was the name of the 1995 American Masters documentary about what TV legend? That was a catchphrase of the late Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone. I guess they shortened the working title: "Submitted for Your Approval Through Clenched, Tobacco-Stained Teeth." correct
4. Whose teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, are included in the so-called Pali Canon? The Pali Canon is an early collection of Buddha's teachings. correct
5. In headline-speak, "laxers" are people who enjoy what athletic activity? Lacrosse--l + a + cross = lax, get it? Between the Virginia murder case and the Duke (non-)rape case, laxers have been getting a surprising amount of news play in recent years. correct
6. A leaf from what tree is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Cannes, France? The city's symbol is a palm frond, which is why the annual film festival there (just concluded yesterday!) awards a Palm d'Or. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these brand names? Drano, Haagen-Dazs, Lancome, Nestle, Pokemon, and Ryka. I misspelled them all, since they all need a diacritic of some kind over one letter: a macron over the 'a' in Drano, the phony umlauts in Haagen-Dazs, a circumflex over the 'o' in Lancome, etc. Did I miss any good ones? correct
1. Which two 2008 U.S. presidential hopefuls each had a great-grandfather with five wives? Mitt Romney, definitely. Maybe Obama's great-grandfather also had multiple wives in Africa.
2. "Demerara" is the name for one brown type of what common substance? I recall from living in England that brown sugar is called demerra sugar there. I'll go with sugar.
3. What country's name and flag appear prominently on the Space Shuttle's mechanical arm? if you don't watch tv news like me, you probably are going to have to guess at this. It would not be an interesting question if the correct answer was USA. Possibilities - China, Japan, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia. I am thinking of countries that have aerospace expertise or manufacture aircraft. I'll guess Canada.
4. What Baseball Hall of Famer wrote the autobiography "Say Hey"? Willie Mays
5. In 1958 and 1978, respectively, what father-son duo won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series? 1978 sounds like it was late in the run of All In The Family, but I like the answer of Rob Reiner and Carl Reiner. Robert Alda and Alan Alda were father and son actors. But Alan Alda would not have been nominated as a supporting actor for MASH. I also don't think of Robert Alda as a tv comedy guy.
6. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands contain the southernmost point of what country? Never heard of either. I don't see any other clues in that question. How about South Africa.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? City Lights, Eraserhead, Flags of Our Fathers, Halloween, House of 1000 Corpses, Leaving Las Vegas, The Others, Spy Kids.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Most of the world's sand is composed of an oxide of what chemical element? Most sand is silica: tiny little bits of quartz, a.k.a. silicon dioxide. It's the most abundant material in the Earth's crust. correct
2. What #1 hit of 1974 includes references to nursery rhymes like "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "Little Boy Blue" in its chorus? Look! As an early Father's Day present, it's a "Cat's in the Cradle" question! Harry Chapin hit #1, fancy that. We miss you, Harry.
3. "Submitted for Your Approval" was the name of the 1995 American Masters documentary about what TV legend? That was a catchphrase of the late Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone. I guess they shortened the working title: "Submitted for Your Approval Through Clenched, Tobacco-Stained Teeth." correct
4. Whose teachings, including the Four Noble Truths, are included in the so-called Pali Canon? The Pali Canon is an early collection of Buddha's teachings. correct
5. In headline-speak, "laxers" are people who enjoy what athletic activity? Lacrosse--l + a + cross = lax, get it? Between the Virginia murder case and the Duke (non-)rape case, laxers have been getting a surprising amount of news play in recent years. correct
6. A leaf from what tree is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Cannes, France? The city's symbol is a palm frond, which is why the annual film festival there (just concluded yesterday!) awards a Palm d'Or. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these brand names? Drano, Haagen-Dazs, Lancome, Nestle, Pokemon, and Ryka. I misspelled them all, since they all need a diacritic of some kind over one letter: a macron over the 'a' in Drano, the phony umlauts in Haagen-Dazs, a circumflex over the 'o' in Lancome, etc. Did I miss any good ones? correct
