Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 22
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The tail of a comet always points in which direction? what is KJ looking for? Up? Down? Left? Right? How do you describe direction in 3 dimension space? Comets are portrayed with the head toward the sun and the tail pointing away from the sun.
2. Before Santana plays "Black Magic Woman" in concert, the band often reminds the crowd that it's a cover of a song by what other band? She's Not There is a cover of a song by the Zombies. But I did not know that Black Magic Woman was a cover. Maybe Blood, Sweat and Tears?
3. What U.S. state borders two other states whose two-letter postal abbreviations are reversals of each other, like Minnesota (MN) and New Mexico (NM) are? Alabama (AL) and Louisiana (LA) both border Mississippi
4. What 1517 document has a full title that ends with the phrase "on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences"? 1517 document? Has to be Martin Luther's 95 Theses. I can't think of another document from that era.
5. Who is still officially the "Eternal President" of his nation, despite having died in 1994? Kim Il Sung?
6. What company made headlines last week by claiming to own a trademark on the word "footlong"? Subway
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these American novels? Pat Conroy's The Lords of Discipline, Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, John Updike's Rabbit Run, Tom Wolfe's I Am Charlotte Simmons.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What is the Russian word for "truth"? In a journalistic irony to make even the Fox News marketing team blush, the Russian word for "truth" is "Pravda." Da, Comrade Alex.
2. What popular product has its origins in a "non-expanding recreational foam" invented by Parker Brothers in 1969? Nerf is as acronym--who knew? correct
3. Who is the author of current and upcoming songwriting memoirs called Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat? These are quotes from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. correct
4. What country has the world's longest total set of land borders with other countries, slightly ahead of Russia? China has longer borders than Russia. I was surprised too. correct
5. Who is the oldest active player in the NBA? Shaq is about six months older than runners-up Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill. Luckily he has the age-defying powers of his genie character in his classic movie Kazaam. Jason Kidd is a year younger than Shaq.
6. The second law of thermodynamics states that what quantity, symbolized by the letter S, can only increase in a closed system? Entropy is like a bicycle: it doesn't go backwards. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these songs? Badfinger's "Without You," The Band's "Sleeping," Cameo's "Word Up," Exile's "Kiss You All Over," Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love," Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man," Restless Heart's "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," Roxy Music's "More Than This." These songs were all memorably used as karaoke numbers in the movies. If you're interested, the films are: Bridget Jones's Diary, The Brothers Bloom, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Wild Hogs, The Cable Guy, Rush Hour 2, Up in the Air, (500) Days of Summer, Boys Don't Cry, and Lost in Translation. good one, Alex
1. The tail of a comet always points in which direction? what is KJ looking for? Up? Down? Left? Right? How do you describe direction in 3 dimension space? Comets are portrayed with the head toward the sun and the tail pointing away from the sun.
2. Before Santana plays "Black Magic Woman" in concert, the band often reminds the crowd that it's a cover of a song by what other band? She's Not There is a cover of a song by the Zombies. But I did not know that Black Magic Woman was a cover. Maybe Blood, Sweat and Tears?
3. What U.S. state borders two other states whose two-letter postal abbreviations are reversals of each other, like Minnesota (MN) and New Mexico (NM) are? Alabama (AL) and Louisiana (LA) both border Mississippi
4. What 1517 document has a full title that ends with the phrase "on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences"? 1517 document? Has to be Martin Luther's 95 Theses. I can't think of another document from that era.
5. Who is still officially the "Eternal President" of his nation, despite having died in 1994? Kim Il Sung?
6. What company made headlines last week by claiming to own a trademark on the word "footlong"? Subway
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these American novels? Pat Conroy's The Lords of Discipline, Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, John Updike's Rabbit Run, Tom Wolfe's I Am Charlotte Simmons.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What is the Russian word for "truth"? In a journalistic irony to make even the Fox News marketing team blush, the Russian word for "truth" is "Pravda." Da, Comrade Alex.
2. What popular product has its origins in a "non-expanding recreational foam" invented by Parker Brothers in 1969? Nerf is as acronym--who knew? correct
3. Who is the author of current and upcoming songwriting memoirs called Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat? These are quotes from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. correct
4. What country has the world's longest total set of land borders with other countries, slightly ahead of Russia? China has longer borders than Russia. I was surprised too. correct
5. Who is the oldest active player in the NBA? Shaq is about six months older than runners-up Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill. Luckily he has the age-defying powers of his genie character in his classic movie Kazaam. Jason Kidd is a year younger than Shaq.
6. The second law of thermodynamics states that what quantity, symbolized by the letter S, can only increase in a closed system? Entropy is like a bicycle: it doesn't go backwards. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these songs? Badfinger's "Without You," The Band's "Sleeping," Cameo's "Word Up," Exile's "Kiss You All Over," Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love," Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man," Restless Heart's "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," Roxy Music's "More Than This." These songs were all memorably used as karaoke numbers in the movies. If you're interested, the films are: Bridget Jones's Diary, The Brothers Bloom, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Wild Hogs, The Cable Guy, Rush Hour 2, Up in the Air, (500) Days of Summer, Boys Don't Cry, and Lost in Translation. good one, Alex
