Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 27
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Acura is the luxury division of what major automaker? Honda
2. Which Lewis Carroll character is honored by fans one day a year: on June 10 in the U.K., and October 6 in America? 10/6 or 6/10. Is that a reference to the White Rabbit who was late? The Mad Hatter?
3. Most of the bats used in major league baseball games--over 60%--are manufactured in what U.S. state? Louisville Slugger --> Kentucky
4. What Russian statesman under Catherine the Great had a battleship named for him that was the site of a famous 1905 mutiny? so that is how the Potemkin got its name
5. What word is used for the four major divisions--frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal--of the brain's cerebral cortex? lobe? is that the word he is looking for?
6. Despite being part of Asia, what nation has been disallowed from the Asian Games since 1974 and has competed in the Eurovision song contest since 1973? can't be a Russian republic since they did not exist in 1974. Could be Turkey. But only half of Turkey is in Asia. What about Israel? Doesn't Israel compete in Eurovision?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Garth Brooks, Marlon Brando, Stephen Hawking, Le Duc Tho, Sinclair Lewis, Sinead O'Connor, John Singer Sargent, Jean-Paul Sartre. This seems to be pretty easy given the inclusion of Brando, O'Connor and Sartre. They all refused awards. Brooks - American Music Award. Le Duc Tho - Nobel Peace Prize. Hawking - knighthood. Sargent - knighthood. And so on.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The website for what 2010 film contained nothing but the image of an endlessly spinning toy top for the first four months of its on-line life? A few guesses of Toy Story 3 here...but only from people who have yet to see Inception, in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character is never without his trademark top. correct
2. What nation will be the site of the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2014, when the city of Sochi plays host? Sochi is in southern Russia, near the disputed Georgian border. correct
3. What word for an animal in family Talpidae is also a unit of measurement: 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd particles of some substance? The members of family Talpidae are all moles. Interestingly, our color "taupe" comes from the same root as Talpidae, and means "mole-colored." On second thought, the etymology of the word "taupe" probably can't be described with the word "interestingly." Never mind. correct
4. What novelist had hits with the recent sequels Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men? These are recent sequels to Wicked, a reimagining of Oz by Gregory Maguire. Who? A dead CS Lewis was a more intriguing answer.
5. What profession has appeared in more Monty Python sketches than any other, with 51 appearances to its credit? There's a policeman in a record 51 sketches. Actually, I have no idea if this true or not; I didn't count them myself. I'm choosing to believe the A&E release of Monty Python's Flying Circus on DVD. I request corroboration please. Or at least clarification. Is the inspector from the Hygiene Squad who confronts the owner of the Whizzo Chocolate Company considered a policeman?
6. Which modern country is, by treaty, the successor state to the defunct Ottoman Empire? Modern-day Turkey was the center of the historical Ottoman Empire. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these musical artists? Aaliyah, the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Blur, Brooks & Dunn, Dave Matthews Band, Cole Porter, the Hives, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night. All these artists are well-known for songs with opposite-pair titles. To wit: "Back and Forth," "Heroes and Villains," "Heaven and Hell," "Girls & Boys," "Lost and Found," "You and Me," "Night and Day," "Supply & Demand," "Us and Them," and "Black and White."
1. Acura is the luxury division of what major automaker? Honda
2. Which Lewis Carroll character is honored by fans one day a year: on June 10 in the U.K., and October 6 in America? 10/6 or 6/10. Is that a reference to the White Rabbit who was late? The Mad Hatter?
3. Most of the bats used in major league baseball games--over 60%--are manufactured in what U.S. state? Louisville Slugger --> Kentucky
4. What Russian statesman under Catherine the Great had a battleship named for him that was the site of a famous 1905 mutiny? so that is how the Potemkin got its name
5. What word is used for the four major divisions--frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal--of the brain's cerebral cortex? lobe? is that the word he is looking for?
6. Despite being part of Asia, what nation has been disallowed from the Asian Games since 1974 and has competed in the Eurovision song contest since 1973? can't be a Russian republic since they did not exist in 1974. Could be Turkey. But only half of Turkey is in Asia. What about Israel? Doesn't Israel compete in Eurovision?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Garth Brooks, Marlon Brando, Stephen Hawking, Le Duc Tho, Sinclair Lewis, Sinead O'Connor, John Singer Sargent, Jean-Paul Sartre. This seems to be pretty easy given the inclusion of Brando, O'Connor and Sartre. They all refused awards. Brooks - American Music Award. Le Duc Tho - Nobel Peace Prize. Hawking - knighthood. Sargent - knighthood. And so on.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The website for what 2010 film contained nothing but the image of an endlessly spinning toy top for the first four months of its on-line life? A few guesses of Toy Story 3 here...but only from people who have yet to see Inception, in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character is never without his trademark top. correct
2. What nation will be the site of the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2014, when the city of Sochi plays host? Sochi is in southern Russia, near the disputed Georgian border. correct
3. What word for an animal in family Talpidae is also a unit of measurement: 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd particles of some substance? The members of family Talpidae are all moles. Interestingly, our color "taupe" comes from the same root as Talpidae, and means "mole-colored." On second thought, the etymology of the word "taupe" probably can't be described with the word "interestingly." Never mind. correct
4. What novelist had hits with the recent sequels Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men? These are recent sequels to Wicked, a reimagining of Oz by Gregory Maguire. Who? A dead CS Lewis was a more intriguing answer.
5. What profession has appeared in more Monty Python sketches than any other, with 51 appearances to its credit? There's a policeman in a record 51 sketches. Actually, I have no idea if this true or not; I didn't count them myself. I'm choosing to believe the A&E release of Monty Python's Flying Circus on DVD. I request corroboration please. Or at least clarification. Is the inspector from the Hygiene Squad who confronts the owner of the Whizzo Chocolate Company considered a policeman?
6. Which modern country is, by treaty, the successor state to the defunct Ottoman Empire? Modern-day Turkey was the center of the historical Ottoman Empire. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these musical artists? Aaliyah, the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Blur, Brooks & Dunn, Dave Matthews Band, Cole Porter, the Hives, Pink Floyd, Three Dog Night. All these artists are well-known for songs with opposite-pair titles. To wit: "Back and Forth," "Heroes and Villains," "Heaven and Hell," "Girls & Boys," "Lost and Found," "You and Me," "Night and Day," "Supply & Demand," "Us and Them," and "Black and White."
