Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 18
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What author lent his name to the literary maxim that a loaded gun in a story must eventually be fired? I just saw the play The Method Gun where this maxim played a central role. Tennessee Williams?
2. Who's the only player to have a number retired by two different NFL franchises: the Eagles and the Packers? the only player I can think of who played for both franchises and accomplished enough to have his number retired is Reggie White
3. According to the title of the most famous song by the late Gil Scott-Heron, what can we expect of the revolution? it will not be televised
4. What's the unusual vocation of Joe Wurzelbacher, said to be considering a run for Ohio's 9th congressional district? plumber
5. What is the smallest number that's equal to its own absolute value? Not sure if 0 is considered the absolute value of 0, but that is my guess. However if absolute values only apply to whole numbers, the answer could be 1. If however you can do absolute values of fractions, you would not be able to pick the smallest fraction. Which leads back to the original answer of 0.
6. What country sits to the north of the Gulf of Aden, home to many Somali pirates? the Arabian Peninsula is just north of the Horn of Africa. I think that Yemen is the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV shows? Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chuck, Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Futurama, Lost, Roseanne, SpongeBob SquarePants. I think they all feature characters that worked at a fast food restaurant at some point during the run. I know about Breaking Bad, Lost and SpongeBob for sure. The other shows also seem to fit this hypothesis.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Who got his most famous nickname after Frank Galluccio attacked him with a knife in 1917 at a Brooklyn nightclub? Frank's was the knife that turned Al Capone into "Scarface." correct
2. What world airline uses the callsign "SHAMROCK"? The national airline of Ireland is Aer Lingus. correct
3. Frito-Lay is now selling "Cheesy Poofs" at Wal-Mart to celebrate the 15th anniversary of what? I'm having a hard time believing that South Park turned 15 this year, but it did. correct
4. What's the only type of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum that has a shorter wavelength than X-rays? Gamma rays, also the kind that can turn you into the Hulk when you are searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Alpha, beta, gamma rays. Would omega rays be even shorter?
5. Which Las Vegas casino has a $9 million lion habitat in its lobby? I was hoping you could guess this one even if, unlike me, you didn't spend the weekend there this summer. That's the MGM Grand, whose namesake studio was long represented by Leo the lion. Makes perfect sense. There may be a hotel in Ohio with a lion in its lobby, but that would not have been intentional. http://bit.ly/qZKw6u
6. What 85-year-old recently became the oldest artist by far ever to top the Billboard album chart? Tony Bennett has almost two decades on the previous record holder, Love and Death-era Bob Dylan. correct
7. Among non-European countries, what unusual distinction is shared by these and no others? Canada, Costa Rica, East Timor, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Liberia, Sout Africa, South Korea, USA. Did "Liberia" make this one easier? These are the countries that have been led by Nobel Peace Prize winners. Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won her prize earlier this month. correct. Easiest Q7 in a while.
1. What author lent his name to the literary maxim that a loaded gun in a story must eventually be fired? I just saw the play The Method Gun where this maxim played a central role. Tennessee Williams?
2. Who's the only player to have a number retired by two different NFL franchises: the Eagles and the Packers? the only player I can think of who played for both franchises and accomplished enough to have his number retired is Reggie White
3. According to the title of the most famous song by the late Gil Scott-Heron, what can we expect of the revolution? it will not be televised
4. What's the unusual vocation of Joe Wurzelbacher, said to be considering a run for Ohio's 9th congressional district? plumber
5. What is the smallest number that's equal to its own absolute value? Not sure if 0 is considered the absolute value of 0, but that is my guess. However if absolute values only apply to whole numbers, the answer could be 1. If however you can do absolute values of fractions, you would not be able to pick the smallest fraction. Which leads back to the original answer of 0.
6. What country sits to the north of the Gulf of Aden, home to many Somali pirates? the Arabian Peninsula is just north of the Horn of Africa. I think that Yemen is the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV shows? Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chuck, Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Futurama, Lost, Roseanne, SpongeBob SquarePants. I think they all feature characters that worked at a fast food restaurant at some point during the run. I know about Breaking Bad, Lost and SpongeBob for sure. The other shows also seem to fit this hypothesis.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Who got his most famous nickname after Frank Galluccio attacked him with a knife in 1917 at a Brooklyn nightclub? Frank's was the knife that turned Al Capone into "Scarface." correct
2. What world airline uses the callsign "SHAMROCK"? The national airline of Ireland is Aer Lingus. correct
3. Frito-Lay is now selling "Cheesy Poofs" at Wal-Mart to celebrate the 15th anniversary of what? I'm having a hard time believing that South Park turned 15 this year, but it did. correct
4. What's the only type of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum that has a shorter wavelength than X-rays? Gamma rays, also the kind that can turn you into the Hulk when you are searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Alpha, beta, gamma rays. Would omega rays be even shorter?
5. Which Las Vegas casino has a $9 million lion habitat in its lobby? I was hoping you could guess this one even if, unlike me, you didn't spend the weekend there this summer. That's the MGM Grand, whose namesake studio was long represented by Leo the lion. Makes perfect sense. There may be a hotel in Ohio with a lion in its lobby, but that would not have been intentional. http://bit.ly/qZKw6u
6. What 85-year-old recently became the oldest artist by far ever to top the Billboard album chart? Tony Bennett has almost two decades on the previous record holder, Love and Death-era Bob Dylan. correct
7. Among non-European countries, what unusual distinction is shared by these and no others? Canada, Costa Rica, East Timor, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Liberia, Sout Africa, South Korea, USA. Did "Liberia" make this one easier? These are the countries that have been led by Nobel Peace Prize winners. Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won her prize earlier this month. correct. Easiest Q7 in a while.
