Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - August 17
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What peninsula lent its name to a English verb meaning "to break up a region into smaller units"? Balkan
2. Who served as king for thirteen years between Philip II and Philip III of Macedon? I only know one other king of Macedon - Alexander the Great.
3. In its 35th and latest season, what TV show earned its 126th Emmy nomination, surpassing E.R. for the all-time record? started in 1975 (assuming that it has one season per year). Hmm. I think that 60 minutes began earlier. Late 60s. The Tonight Show, much earlier. Are we talking prime time Emmys? Or is daytime included? Here is a possibility - Masterpiece Theater. It has certainly been on the air for many years.
4. What interest is signaled by someone displaying the popular bumper sticker reading simply "26.2" on their car? marathon running
5. Tiny Monroeville, Alabama will receive over 30,000 tourists this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of what novel? To Kill A Mockingbird
6. What kind of male animal is called a "blackback" until it's roughly eleven years old? this makes me think of an animal with a long lifespan. One that would might be developing at 11 years old, like an ape, tortoise or elephant. Could blackbacks be the younger version of silverback gorillas?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these American cities and, as far as I can tell, no others? Hollywood, Kansas City, L.A., Miami Beach, Tucson. Is this Hollywood, CA or FL? Kansas City, MO or KS? Or does it not matter?
LAST WEEK's ANSWERS
1. The Giant's Causeway is a formation of 40,000 basalt columns at the northern end of what island? The Giant's Causeway is the most popular tourist destination in Northern Ireland. correct
2. What number, expressed in Roman numerals, also spells the name of a letter of the Greek alphabet? I had in mind eleven (XI) since xi is a Greek letter, but decided to accept 1,005 as well, since in the Middle Ages MV would have been spelled like the Greek letter "mu." correct
3. Name the two characters--one literary, one historical--that have both been played on screen by Charles Laughton *and* Anthony Hopkins. Laughton's two most famous roles--Captain Bligh and Quasimodo--have both been interpreted by Hopkins as well. Laughton never played Hannibal Lecter, but he did play a 16th-century serial killer named Henry VIII. correct!
4. What simple sugar is the right-handed stereoisomer of glucose? That's how dextrose got its name: "sinistr-" = left and "dextr-" - right. So right-handed was a clue. I missed that. And this occurred during the week when I celebrated National Lefthanders Day.
5. By what name do we better know the Schtroumpfs, created in 1958 by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo? The Schtroumpfs were the Schtroumpfiest bunch of Schtroumps the Belgians had ever Schtroumpfed! Ugh, that's annoying. We call them "Smufs." correct
6. In 1901, what famous woman said, "I can say what most conductors can't say: I never run my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger"? This particular railroad was Underground; the speaker was Harriet Tubman. 1901 is many years removed from the 1860s. I did not even think of that.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these teams from the four major North American sports leagues and (as far as I can tell) no others? Angels, Clippers, Cubs, Dodgers, Flyers, New York Giants, Jets, Knicks, Lakers, Oilers, Packers, Raiders, New York Rangers, Redskins, Stars, Yankeees. That's a list of all sports franchises that somehow make do without a costumed mascot pumping up the crowd. Sports fans: was my list pretty close? I had to build it from scratch and sometimes Internet info isn't 100% up-to-date. KMac pegged a tough one.
1. What peninsula lent its name to a English verb meaning "to break up a region into smaller units"? Balkan
2. Who served as king for thirteen years between Philip II and Philip III of Macedon? I only know one other king of Macedon - Alexander the Great.
3. In its 35th and latest season, what TV show earned its 126th Emmy nomination, surpassing E.R. for the all-time record? started in 1975 (assuming that it has one season per year). Hmm. I think that 60 minutes began earlier. Late 60s. The Tonight Show, much earlier. Are we talking prime time Emmys? Or is daytime included? Here is a possibility - Masterpiece Theater. It has certainly been on the air for many years.
4. What interest is signaled by someone displaying the popular bumper sticker reading simply "26.2" on their car? marathon running
5. Tiny Monroeville, Alabama will receive over 30,000 tourists this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of what novel? To Kill A Mockingbird
6. What kind of male animal is called a "blackback" until it's roughly eleven years old? this makes me think of an animal with a long lifespan. One that would might be developing at 11 years old, like an ape, tortoise or elephant. Could blackbacks be the younger version of silverback gorillas?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these American cities and, as far as I can tell, no others? Hollywood, Kansas City, L.A., Miami Beach, Tucson. Is this Hollywood, CA or FL? Kansas City, MO or KS? Or does it not matter?
LAST WEEK's ANSWERS
1. The Giant's Causeway is a formation of 40,000 basalt columns at the northern end of what island? The Giant's Causeway is the most popular tourist destination in Northern Ireland. correct
2. What number, expressed in Roman numerals, also spells the name of a letter of the Greek alphabet? I had in mind eleven (XI) since xi is a Greek letter, but decided to accept 1,005 as well, since in the Middle Ages MV would have been spelled like the Greek letter "mu." correct
3. Name the two characters--one literary, one historical--that have both been played on screen by Charles Laughton *and* Anthony Hopkins. Laughton's two most famous roles--Captain Bligh and Quasimodo--have both been interpreted by Hopkins as well. Laughton never played Hannibal Lecter, but he did play a 16th-century serial killer named Henry VIII. correct!
4. What simple sugar is the right-handed stereoisomer of glucose? That's how dextrose got its name: "sinistr-" = left and "dextr-" - right. So right-handed was a clue. I missed that. And this occurred during the week when I celebrated National Lefthanders Day.
5. By what name do we better know the Schtroumpfs, created in 1958 by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo? The Schtroumpfs were the Schtroumpfiest bunch of Schtroumps the Belgians had ever Schtroumpfed! Ugh, that's annoying. We call them "Smufs." correct
6. In 1901, what famous woman said, "I can say what most conductors can't say: I never run my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger"? This particular railroad was Underground; the speaker was Harriet Tubman. 1901 is many years removed from the 1860s. I did not even think of that.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these teams from the four major North American sports leagues and (as far as I can tell) no others? Angels, Clippers, Cubs, Dodgers, Flyers, New York Giants, Jets, Knicks, Lakers, Oilers, Packers, Raiders, New York Rangers, Redskins, Stars, Yankeees. That's a list of all sports franchises that somehow make do without a costumed mascot pumping up the crowd. Sports fans: was my list pretty close? I had to build it from scratch and sometimes Internet info isn't 100% up-to-date. KMac pegged a tough one.
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The more frustrating thing about question seven is that I *do* think he's referring to Hollywood, CA, though Hollywood isn't a city, it's a neighborhood in LA.
For that matter, is there significance to the fact that "LA" is the only city referred to by its initials (not that Miami Beach is often referred to as "MB", I guess).
This is a tough one.
For that matter, is there significance to the fact that "LA" is the only city referred to by its initials (not that Miami Beach is often referred to as "MB", I guess).
This is a tough one.
Because he said "as far as I can tell," I infer that this is something that required a lot of research to validate. When I see Hollywood and LA and Kansas City (no state specified), I think maybe of the title of a book or song. Something that has nothing to do with the geographic or civic entity.
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