Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - June 29
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What musical instrument is also called the "lepatata" in the Tswana and Sesotho languages? The vuvuzela. Is that a vuvuzela in your pants or are you just loud and annoying?
2. Bret Easton Ellis's first novel and its recent sequel are both named for works by what singer-songwriter? I don't know the recent sequel. But Bret Easton Ellis wrote Less Than Zero --> Elvis Costello
3. In what part of his body would you find a man's cervix? Is this a trick question? A woman's cervix is part of the body through which a baby is delivered.
4. What nation joined the "Group of Seven" in 1997 to form the G8? I think that is when they added Russia
5. Who was the only Olympian god in Greek mythology to have the same name as his Roman counterpart? No idea. But at least I know it was a male god. That narrows it down. The Jeopardy guys at the pub quiz would probably know this but I don't. I was surfing cable tv recently and saw a rerun of the original Star Trek. A total guess based on that episode - Adonis.
6. What legendary American entertainer merged his business with that of rival James Bailey in 1881? Phineas Taylor Barnum
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these legendary writers? Maxwell Anderson, Raymond Chandler, Ed McBain, Dorothy Parker, Robert Sherwood, John Steinbeck, Thornton Wilder. KJ does like his superlatives. Raymond Chandler legendary? A fine writer, but he was no Bryce Dallas Howard. Thanks to wikipedia, I see one thread - penning screenplays for Hitchcock. Anderson - The Wrong Man. Chandler - Strangers On A Train. McBain - The Birds. Parker - Saboteur. Sherwood - Rebecca. Steinbeck - Lifeboat. Wilder - Shadow Of A Doubt.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The early edition of a newspaper is nicknamed for what breed of dog? It's the "bulldog edition," though no one's really sure why. One theory is that the nickname suggests the fierce competition between publishers of morning newspapers. professional argot. really needed a clue to help guess.
2. Of the 32 teams in this year's World Cup, what's the only one that's not also a member of the United Nations? I admit that this was a bit of a trick question. No, it's not North Korea; both Koreas have been U.N. members since 1991. The only non-U.N. side in the World Cup is the only non-independent nation represented: England. as discussed in the comments, this question should have been more precisely worded.
3. Henry Winkler is the godfather of what Hollywood leading lady? Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of his Happy Days co-star Ron Howard. Aaaayyyy! leading lady? Sandra Bullock is a leading lady. Angelina Jolie is a leading lady. Bryce Dallas Howard is maybe Double A, not major league.
4. What river is navigated by the seven boats known as "Maid of the Mist"? Those are the tourist boats that approach the namesake falls of the Niagara River. correct
5. What kind of animal--the only cephalapod with an external shell--lent its name to the principal setting of a classic French novel of 1869? The nautilus, whose chambered airtight innards suggested to Jules Verne the name of Captain Nemo's submarine. correct
6. Kaiser Wilhelm, the German emperor during the First World War, was the first grandchild of what famous woman? He was Queen Victoria's oldest grandchild, making the demonization of "Kaiser Bill" in Britain during the war a little ironic. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. states, listed in this order? Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois. These are the home states of the nine winners of American Idol. Too hard? Maybe so. Not too hard for Kmac.
1. What musical instrument is also called the "lepatata" in the Tswana and Sesotho languages? The vuvuzela. Is that a vuvuzela in your pants or are you just loud and annoying?
2. Bret Easton Ellis's first novel and its recent sequel are both named for works by what singer-songwriter? I don't know the recent sequel. But Bret Easton Ellis wrote Less Than Zero --> Elvis Costello
3. In what part of his body would you find a man's cervix? Is this a trick question? A woman's cervix is part of the body through which a baby is delivered.
4. What nation joined the "Group of Seven" in 1997 to form the G8? I think that is when they added Russia
5. Who was the only Olympian god in Greek mythology to have the same name as his Roman counterpart? No idea. But at least I know it was a male god. That narrows it down. The Jeopardy guys at the pub quiz would probably know this but I don't. I was surfing cable tv recently and saw a rerun of the original Star Trek. A total guess based on that episode - Adonis.
6. What legendary American entertainer merged his business with that of rival James Bailey in 1881? Phineas Taylor Barnum
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these legendary writers? Maxwell Anderson, Raymond Chandler, Ed McBain, Dorothy Parker, Robert Sherwood, John Steinbeck, Thornton Wilder. KJ does like his superlatives. Raymond Chandler legendary? A fine writer, but he was no Bryce Dallas Howard. Thanks to wikipedia, I see one thread - penning screenplays for Hitchcock. Anderson - The Wrong Man. Chandler - Strangers On A Train. McBain - The Birds. Parker - Saboteur. Sherwood - Rebecca. Steinbeck - Lifeboat. Wilder - Shadow Of A Doubt.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The early edition of a newspaper is nicknamed for what breed of dog? It's the "bulldog edition," though no one's really sure why. One theory is that the nickname suggests the fierce competition between publishers of morning newspapers. professional argot. really needed a clue to help guess.
2. Of the 32 teams in this year's World Cup, what's the only one that's not also a member of the United Nations? I admit that this was a bit of a trick question. No, it's not North Korea; both Koreas have been U.N. members since 1991. The only non-U.N. side in the World Cup is the only non-independent nation represented: England. as discussed in the comments, this question should have been more precisely worded.
3. Henry Winkler is the godfather of what Hollywood leading lady? Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of his Happy Days co-star Ron Howard. Aaaayyyy! leading lady? Sandra Bullock is a leading lady. Angelina Jolie is a leading lady. Bryce Dallas Howard is maybe Double A, not major league.
4. What river is navigated by the seven boats known as "Maid of the Mist"? Those are the tourist boats that approach the namesake falls of the Niagara River. correct
5. What kind of animal--the only cephalapod with an external shell--lent its name to the principal setting of a classic French novel of 1869? The nautilus, whose chambered airtight innards suggested to Jules Verne the name of Captain Nemo's submarine. correct
6. Kaiser Wilhelm, the German emperor during the First World War, was the first grandchild of what famous woman? He was Queen Victoria's oldest grandchild, making the demonization of "Kaiser Bill" in Britain during the war a little ironic. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. states, listed in this order? Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois. These are the home states of the nine winners of American Idol. Too hard? Maybe so. Not too hard for Kmac.
