Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - October 30
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What fish of the Indian Ocean is the best-known example of a "Lazarus taxon"? is this a fish that dates from long long ago like the coelecanth?
2. What last name was shared by the 1979 male winner and the 2002 female winnier of the Naismith Award for the nation's best college basketball player? Bird (Larry and Sue)
3. What country's famous flag was replaced last August by a red, black, and green triband with a white crescent and star? Libya?
4. The college study group in the TV comedy Community formed to study what subject? It seems to be a clever show. I loved the Xmas claymation episode. But among the few episodes that I have seen, I don't recall them talking about school. Psychology?
5. According to historians, what color was the hair of Norse explorer Leif Ericson's father? Red (for Eric the Red)
6. What restaurant chain can be reached nationwide by dialing 1-888-WE-JOUST? White Castle
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. presidents and no others? Polk, Taylor, Lincoln (twice), Bush 41, and Bush 43 (twice)? Research indicates that each of these lost the states of their birth when they ran. I did not check other winning candidates to see if these were the only presidents. But it's the best guess that I have.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In physics, what letter is used to represent an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared? That's the acceleration due to Earth's gravity, so it's usually abbreviated as "g". correct
2. What 1902 sculpture was originally inspired by its creator's desire to sculpt Dante at the Gates of Hell, mentally composing his epic poem Inferno? Now you know what "The Thinker" was originally supposed to be thinking about--at first, anywhere. (Rodin revised his idea for the work along the way.) correct
3. What actress starred in both Heartburn and Music of the Heart? Meryl Streep--so good in everything! But maybe not quite so good in movies with "Heart" in the name. correct
4. According to Ovid, what ancient king was cured by bathing in the Pactolus River, while in Aristotle's version, he winds up starving to death? Those are the two possible fates of King Midas, after receiving his famed "Golden Touch." Choose your own adventure! correct
5. World Taekwondo Federation headquarters and the Kimchi Museum are both found in what affluent district in southwest Seoul, Korea, which boasts the highest land values in the entire country? That's the district of Gangnam, as in "Oppan Gangnam style." If you got this wrong, look on the bright side: you will not be one of the dorks dressing as PSY for Halloween. correct
6. Choker, sautoir, and matinee are all varieties of what type of jewelry? Necklaces. correct
7. What unusual distinction--unusual for literary classics, anyway--is shared by these books, at least in large part? The Aeneid, As I Lay Dying, Bleak House, The Fall, Guys and Dolls, The Moviegoer, Ordinary People, Rabbit Run, Something Happened, The Song of Bernadette. These books, interestingly, are all told largely in the present tense--not uncommon today, but still pretty experimental when Camus or Faulkner or Dickens or even Updike tried it out. correct
1. What fish of the Indian Ocean is the best-known example of a "Lazarus taxon"? is this a fish that dates from long long ago like the coelecanth?
2. What last name was shared by the 1979 male winner and the 2002 female winnier of the Naismith Award for the nation's best college basketball player? Bird (Larry and Sue)
3. What country's famous flag was replaced last August by a red, black, and green triband with a white crescent and star? Libya?
4. The college study group in the TV comedy Community formed to study what subject? It seems to be a clever show. I loved the Xmas claymation episode. But among the few episodes that I have seen, I don't recall them talking about school. Psychology?
5. According to historians, what color was the hair of Norse explorer Leif Ericson's father? Red (for Eric the Red)
6. What restaurant chain can be reached nationwide by dialing 1-888-WE-JOUST? White Castle
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. presidents and no others? Polk, Taylor, Lincoln (twice), Bush 41, and Bush 43 (twice)? Research indicates that each of these lost the states of their birth when they ran. I did not check other winning candidates to see if these were the only presidents. But it's the best guess that I have.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In physics, what letter is used to represent an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared? That's the acceleration due to Earth's gravity, so it's usually abbreviated as "g". correct
2. What 1902 sculpture was originally inspired by its creator's desire to sculpt Dante at the Gates of Hell, mentally composing his epic poem Inferno? Now you know what "The Thinker" was originally supposed to be thinking about--at first, anywhere. (Rodin revised his idea for the work along the way.) correct
3. What actress starred in both Heartburn and Music of the Heart? Meryl Streep--so good in everything! But maybe not quite so good in movies with "Heart" in the name. correct
4. According to Ovid, what ancient king was cured by bathing in the Pactolus River, while in Aristotle's version, he winds up starving to death? Those are the two possible fates of King Midas, after receiving his famed "Golden Touch." Choose your own adventure! correct
5. World Taekwondo Federation headquarters and the Kimchi Museum are both found in what affluent district in southwest Seoul, Korea, which boasts the highest land values in the entire country? That's the district of Gangnam, as in "Oppan Gangnam style." If you got this wrong, look on the bright side: you will not be one of the dorks dressing as PSY for Halloween. correct
6. Choker, sautoir, and matinee are all varieties of what type of jewelry? Necklaces. correct
7. What unusual distinction--unusual for literary classics, anyway--is shared by these books, at least in large part? The Aeneid, As I Lay Dying, Bleak House, The Fall, Guys and Dolls, The Moviegoer, Ordinary People, Rabbit Run, Something Happened, The Song of Bernadette. These books, interestingly, are all told largely in the present tense--not uncommon today, but still pretty experimental when Camus or Faulkner or Dickens or even Updike tried it out. correct
