Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 16
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What empire had its capital at a city then called Qusqu? Cuzco --> Inca
2. A computer firm called Chicken Little Associates formed more than 35 years ago to predict where what 1979 event would occur? where Skylab would fall
3. What brand famously appears on the large cups that the American Idol judges drink from? I really do not watch the show. Coke?
4. What word, in science, refers to a solid material's ability to be deformed by compressing it--hammering it into a thin sheet, for example? malleability
5. Soviet basketball stars like Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis went on to more Olympic glory with what national team after the breakup of the USSR? Lithuania
6. Besides "USA," what word has appeared since 2006 on all the Post Office's "non-denominated" postage stamps? forever
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? Los Angeles, London, Baghdad, Mumbai, El Paso, Boston, Los Angeles. Baghdad, Mumbai, El Paso. These are not cities that would have anything in common through their histories or populations. So need to look in other places, like literature or movies or tv or music. Seeing LA twice makes me think of movies. I thought of James Bond movies. But Mumbai got me thinking Slumdog Millionaire which led to the answer. These are the main settings for the prior 7 best picture winners.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What kind of animal is Richard Parker, the title character's lifeboat companion in Yann Martel's book Life of Pi? He's a tiger--an obviously computer-generated tiger, if you saw the recent movie trailer. correct
2. What band's latest release is not a third rock opera, but a trilogy of pop-punk albums called !Uno!, !Dos!, and !Tre!? This is what Green Day is up to, if Billie Joe Armstrong ever gets out of rehab. correct
3. Which English king was described after his death as "little of stature" "crook-backed," and "deformed of body," with "one shoulder higher than the right"? Richard III--but apparently later writers really amped up the king's deformities as Richard's reputation suffered under Tudor rule. Still, there may be some truth to the portrayal--the possible "Richard III" remains recently dug up in Leicester seem to be of a man with serious scoliosis. correct
4. What gas is released by Pop Rocks as they dissolve? Carbon dioxide. Not carbon monoxide, as I accidentally told Lilly, our quiz grader. Carbon monoxide Pop Rocks would probably get pulled from store shelves pretty quickly. nitrous oxide Pop Rocks might be fun too
5. Tenzing-Hillary Airport, recently deemed the world's most dangerous, is found in the northeast corner of what nation? Nepal, where you'd find part of the mountain famously scaled by Tenzing and Hillary: Everest. Old Tenzing must be stoked to finally have his name listed first, for a change. correct
6. The stringed metal frame of a piano is sometimes called by the name of what other musical instrument? That's the "harp" of the piano--because in a grand piano, it looks quite a bit like a harp, if you think about it. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these consumer brands? Alfa Romeo, Best Western, Budweiser, Cadillac, Hallmark, Imperial Sugar, KLM, Rolex, Saab, Starbucks. All their logos feature crowns, which is why many are snobbish luxury brands like Rolex, Cadillac, and...er, Budweiser? correct
1. What empire had its capital at a city then called Qusqu? Cuzco --> Inca
2. A computer firm called Chicken Little Associates formed more than 35 years ago to predict where what 1979 event would occur? where Skylab would fall
3. What brand famously appears on the large cups that the American Idol judges drink from? I really do not watch the show. Coke?
4. What word, in science, refers to a solid material's ability to be deformed by compressing it--hammering it into a thin sheet, for example? malleability
5. Soviet basketball stars like Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis went on to more Olympic glory with what national team after the breakup of the USSR? Lithuania
6. Besides "USA," what word has appeared since 2006 on all the Post Office's "non-denominated" postage stamps? forever
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? Los Angeles, London, Baghdad, Mumbai, El Paso, Boston, Los Angeles. Baghdad, Mumbai, El Paso. These are not cities that would have anything in common through their histories or populations. So need to look in other places, like literature or movies or tv or music. Seeing LA twice makes me think of movies. I thought of James Bond movies. But Mumbai got me thinking Slumdog Millionaire which led to the answer. These are the main settings for the prior 7 best picture winners.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What kind of animal is Richard Parker, the title character's lifeboat companion in Yann Martel's book Life of Pi? He's a tiger--an obviously computer-generated tiger, if you saw the recent movie trailer. correct
2. What band's latest release is not a third rock opera, but a trilogy of pop-punk albums called !Uno!, !Dos!, and !Tre!? This is what Green Day is up to, if Billie Joe Armstrong ever gets out of rehab. correct
3. Which English king was described after his death as "little of stature" "crook-backed," and "deformed of body," with "one shoulder higher than the right"? Richard III--but apparently later writers really amped up the king's deformities as Richard's reputation suffered under Tudor rule. Still, there may be some truth to the portrayal--the possible "Richard III" remains recently dug up in Leicester seem to be of a man with serious scoliosis. correct
4. What gas is released by Pop Rocks as they dissolve? Carbon dioxide. Not carbon monoxide, as I accidentally told Lilly, our quiz grader. Carbon monoxide Pop Rocks would probably get pulled from store shelves pretty quickly. nitrous oxide Pop Rocks might be fun too
5. Tenzing-Hillary Airport, recently deemed the world's most dangerous, is found in the northeast corner of what nation? Nepal, where you'd find part of the mountain famously scaled by Tenzing and Hillary: Everest. Old Tenzing must be stoked to finally have his name listed first, for a change. correct
6. The stringed metal frame of a piano is sometimes called by the name of what other musical instrument? That's the "harp" of the piano--because in a grand piano, it looks quite a bit like a harp, if you think about it. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these consumer brands? Alfa Romeo, Best Western, Budweiser, Cadillac, Hallmark, Imperial Sugar, KLM, Rolex, Saab, Starbucks. All their logos feature crowns, which is why many are snobbish luxury brands like Rolex, Cadillac, and...er, Budweiser? correct
