Friday, March 16, 2012
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - March 13
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. George Eads and Paul Guilfoyle are the only actors that have survived as case members during the entire 12-season run of what TV series? CSI (the Who Are You series)
2. Who published his Catechism of the Church of Geneva in 1542? Geneva was a focal point for the Reformation. I remember seeing a monument to John Knox when I was there. Could it be him?
3. What common fashion accessory is made entirely of nacre? crossworders associate nacre with pearls
4. What 1964 song's most memorable lyric was suggested by Bill Dees, who noticed that the singer always said "Mercy!" when he saw an attractive girl? This really has me perplexed. I should know this song, but it is not coming to me yet. A Beatles song? A Motown song? Wild Thing?
5. What U.S. state's unusual flag has a covered wagon and two boats on one side, and a beaver on the other? Oregon is the only double-sided flag as far as I know
6. What movie title character speaks his film's final line: "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!" I have thought up and down about this. Is it a literal line? A thumb-your-nose comment? Is it something off the wall like Donald Duck in Nutziland? But a light bulb went off as I was typing this answer. Could it be The English Patient?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these countries and no others? Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Burundi, Guyana, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Niger, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Sweden. No idea. I generally struggle with questions about what countries have in common. I don't seem to be getting any better at them.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What cartoon character made his 1935 debut as the sidekick for a cat named Beans? This was the less-than-auspicious origin of Porky Pig. Get it, Pork and Beans? Good one, crudely-drawn early Merrie Melodies! Beans was the key clue. Alex picked up on this though I did not.
2. What mathematical construct has eigenvalues and a determinant? Those are just a few of the cool things you can do with matrixes. Er, matrices. For more fun matrix algebra ideas, consult your library! I may have known this at one time but I have not encountered a matrix in at least 30 years.
3. What is the anatomical name for the tobogganing sport re-introduced to the Winter Olympics in 2012? Skeleton is back. correct
4. The "Trail of Tears" created by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 ended in what is now which U.S. state? The "Indian Territory" of the 19th century is now the eastern part of the great state of Oklahoma. correct
5. What now-world-famous woman was born in north London in May 1988 to a teenaged single mother named Penny Adkins? Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, better known just as Adele. If any recipient of this email is the man who hurt her, know that I am coming for you. correct
6. In additional to the title alias, what French literary character also goes by Lord Wilmore, Sinbad the Sailor, Abbe Busoni, and Monsieur Zaccone? Edmond Dantes' most successful alias during his long struggle for revenge was "The Count of Monte Cristo." correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? About a Boy, All About Eve, Citizen Kane, Election, Goodfellas, Hannah and Her Sisters, Sin City, The Thin Red Line. These are all movies with multiple narrators, lots and lots of narrators, umpteen narrators. Really, I could have replaced The Thin Red Line with "pretty much any Terrence Malick movie" but I didn't want to give away the game. I still believe that my answer that the screenplay for each was written or co-written by the director is correct. Seems like an unusual distinction to me.
1. George Eads and Paul Guilfoyle are the only actors that have survived as case members during the entire 12-season run of what TV series? CSI (the Who Are You series)
2. Who published his Catechism of the Church of Geneva in 1542? Geneva was a focal point for the Reformation. I remember seeing a monument to John Knox when I was there. Could it be him?
3. What common fashion accessory is made entirely of nacre? crossworders associate nacre with pearls
4. What 1964 song's most memorable lyric was suggested by Bill Dees, who noticed that the singer always said "Mercy!" when he saw an attractive girl? This really has me perplexed. I should know this song, but it is not coming to me yet. A Beatles song? A Motown song? Wild Thing?
5. What U.S. state's unusual flag has a covered wagon and two boats on one side, and a beaver on the other? Oregon is the only double-sided flag as far as I know
6. What movie title character speaks his film's final line: "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!" I have thought up and down about this. Is it a literal line? A thumb-your-nose comment? Is it something off the wall like Donald Duck in Nutziland? But a light bulb went off as I was typing this answer. Could it be The English Patient?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these countries and no others? Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Burundi, Guyana, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Niger, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Sweden. No idea. I generally struggle with questions about what countries have in common. I don't seem to be getting any better at them.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What cartoon character made his 1935 debut as the sidekick for a cat named Beans? This was the less-than-auspicious origin of Porky Pig. Get it, Pork and Beans? Good one, crudely-drawn early Merrie Melodies! Beans was the key clue. Alex picked up on this though I did not.
2. What mathematical construct has eigenvalues and a determinant? Those are just a few of the cool things you can do with matrixes. Er, matrices. For more fun matrix algebra ideas, consult your library! I may have known this at one time but I have not encountered a matrix in at least 30 years.
3. What is the anatomical name for the tobogganing sport re-introduced to the Winter Olympics in 2012? Skeleton is back. correct
4. The "Trail of Tears" created by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 ended in what is now which U.S. state? The "Indian Territory" of the 19th century is now the eastern part of the great state of Oklahoma. correct
5. What now-world-famous woman was born in north London in May 1988 to a teenaged single mother named Penny Adkins? Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, better known just as Adele. If any recipient of this email is the man who hurt her, know that I am coming for you. correct
6. In additional to the title alias, what French literary character also goes by Lord Wilmore, Sinbad the Sailor, Abbe Busoni, and Monsieur Zaccone? Edmond Dantes' most successful alias during his long struggle for revenge was "The Count of Monte Cristo." correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? About a Boy, All About Eve, Citizen Kane, Election, Goodfellas, Hannah and Her Sisters, Sin City, The Thin Red Line. These are all movies with multiple narrators, lots and lots of narrators, umpteen narrators. Really, I could have replaced The Thin Red Line with "pretty much any Terrence Malick movie" but I didn't want to give away the game. I still believe that my answer that the screenplay for each was written or co-written by the director is correct. Seems like an unusual distinction to me.
