Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 26
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What current TV hit was created by Robert and Michelle King after they watched news footage of Silda Spitzer at a press conference in 2008? Silda Spitzer ---> wife of Eliot Spitzer who was caught paying call girls (aka escorts) ---> The Good Wife
2. Because it's famously difficult to hunt, what close relative of the sandpiper and curlew lent its name to a word for "sharpshooter"? sharpshooter ---> sniper ---> snipe
3. Who was the most recent U.S. president to make do without a Chief of Staff, only appointing Hamilton Jordan to the post for the last year of his presidency? Jimmy Carter
4. The score of what Broadway musical includes the songs "Something Bad," "For Good," and "The Wizard and I"? Wicked?
5. The dodecathlon is the most famous achievement of what mythological character? The 12 Labours of Hercules
6. What American inventor also wrote the slogan--"You press the button, we do the rest"--that made his 1888 invention such a great success? Edison?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these athletes? George Gervin, Ahman Green, Dwight Howard, Claudio Reyna, Cal Ripken Jr., Camilo Villegas, Dwyane Wade. Pretty easy this week. All have nicknames of superheroes. Iceman, Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, Flash.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What word of ancient Greek origin is more commonly used in America for the construction material elsewhere called "bitumen"? "Bitumen" is what asphalt is called elsewhere in the paved English-speaking world. correct
2. P. D. James's 2011 murder mystery Death Comes to Pemberley was written as a sequel to what 1813 novel? Pemberley is Mr. Darcy's estate in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Is Mr. Darcy himself the victim in the sequel?!? I'm too horrified to read on and find out. correct
3. Who was the only Buddhist ever to serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations? U Thant, of Burma, was a devout Buddhist. (The other Asian possibility, current Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has a Buddhist mother but is not himself religious.) I missed this one, but it was a reasonable guess
4. Of the thirteen independent island nations of the Caribbean, which is by far the closest to the South American coast? Trinidad and Tobago--the Trinidad part of it, anyway--is only 7 miles away from Venezuela at its closest point. my guess Aruba is 17 miles from Venezuela and is also not an independent nation. It is part of the Netherlands Antilles.
5. Solely on the strength of its 257 appearances in "Hey Jude," what is the 25th most commonly used word in the entire Beatles lyrical canon? "Nah." Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, repeat until fade-out. correct
6. Participants in Cub Scout car racing events are typically given a kit based on a block of what kind of wood? The event is the Pinewood Derby, and the block of wood is still pine to this day. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV series? Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under, Thirtysomething. Each featured a "ghost" of sorts--that is, a dead character who continued to recur as a cast member. I thought there were more examples of this, but I was sort of struggling to think of more than six. What did I miss? correct. Another that might fit - Peter White in St. Elsewhere though his ghost was only in two episodes.
1. What current TV hit was created by Robert and Michelle King after they watched news footage of Silda Spitzer at a press conference in 2008? Silda Spitzer ---> wife of Eliot Spitzer who was caught paying call girls (aka escorts) ---> The Good Wife
2. Because it's famously difficult to hunt, what close relative of the sandpiper and curlew lent its name to a word for "sharpshooter"? sharpshooter ---> sniper ---> snipe
3. Who was the most recent U.S. president to make do without a Chief of Staff, only appointing Hamilton Jordan to the post for the last year of his presidency? Jimmy Carter
4. The score of what Broadway musical includes the songs "Something Bad," "For Good," and "The Wizard and I"? Wicked?
5. The dodecathlon is the most famous achievement of what mythological character? The 12 Labours of Hercules
6. What American inventor also wrote the slogan--"You press the button, we do the rest"--that made his 1888 invention such a great success? Edison?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these athletes? George Gervin, Ahman Green, Dwight Howard, Claudio Reyna, Cal Ripken Jr., Camilo Villegas, Dwyane Wade. Pretty easy this week. All have nicknames of superheroes. Iceman, Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Spiderman, Flash.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What word of ancient Greek origin is more commonly used in America for the construction material elsewhere called "bitumen"? "Bitumen" is what asphalt is called elsewhere in the paved English-speaking world. correct
2. P. D. James's 2011 murder mystery Death Comes to Pemberley was written as a sequel to what 1813 novel? Pemberley is Mr. Darcy's estate in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Is Mr. Darcy himself the victim in the sequel?!? I'm too horrified to read on and find out. correct
3. Who was the only Buddhist ever to serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations? U Thant, of Burma, was a devout Buddhist. (The other Asian possibility, current Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has a Buddhist mother but is not himself religious.) I missed this one, but it was a reasonable guess
4. Of the thirteen independent island nations of the Caribbean, which is by far the closest to the South American coast? Trinidad and Tobago--the Trinidad part of it, anyway--is only 7 miles away from Venezuela at its closest point. my guess Aruba is 17 miles from Venezuela and is also not an independent nation. It is part of the Netherlands Antilles.
5. Solely on the strength of its 257 appearances in "Hey Jude," what is the 25th most commonly used word in the entire Beatles lyrical canon? "Nah." Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, repeat until fade-out. correct
6. Participants in Cub Scout car racing events are typically given a kit based on a block of what kind of wood? The event is the Pinewood Derby, and the block of wood is still pine to this day. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV series? Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under, Thirtysomething. Each featured a "ghost" of sorts--that is, a dead character who continued to recur as a cast member. I thought there were more examples of this, but I was sort of struggling to think of more than six. What did I miss? correct. Another that might fit - Peter White in St. Elsewhere though his ghost was only in two episodes.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 19
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What word of ancient Greek origin is more commonly used in America for the construction material elsewhere called "bitumen"? bitumen sounds like a type of coal. Coal is not a construction material. Is this something like asphalt which might resemble coal? Is it a word of ancient Greek origin?
2. P. D. James's 2011 murder mystery Death Comes to Pemberley was written as a sequel to what 1813 novel? Pride and Prejudice
3. Who was the only Buddhist ever to serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations? Ban Kee Moon
4. Of the thirteen independent island nations of the Caribbean, which is by far the closest to the South American coast? Aruba is close to the coast of Venezuela if I recall correctly
5. Solely on the strength of its 257 appearances in "Hey Jude," what is the 25th most commonly used word in the entire Beatles lyrical canon? "na" This must be the easiest question he has asked in ages. Maybe I can use as a tiebreaker at O'Briens if this number is verifiable - how many "na"s in Hey Jude?
6. Participants in Cub Scout car racing events are typically given a kit based on a block of what kind of wood? pine, hence the pinewood derby
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV series? Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under, Thirtysomething. Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under - some of my favorite shows of all time. I cannot verify that it is true for all, but in many of these there is a recurring dead character - in Lost, everyone; in Rescue Me, Tommy's brothers; in Six Feet Under, Nathaniel Fisher; in Thirtysomething I think that Peter Horton's character died and came back to engage in long dialogue just like the rest of the cast.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. According the the old nursery rhyme, on which day of the week did Solomon Grundy die? Died on Saturday, buried on Sunday. Sort of a bummer of a nursery rhyme, since he was born just five days before. correct
2. The man who coached Western Kentucky's football team from 1989 to 2002 is better known today because of his two sons. What is their last name? The longtime Western Kentucky coach is Jack Harbaugh, father of this year's two Super Bowl coaches. correct
3. Israeli general Moshe Dayan and American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly are both well-known for wearing what unusual item? They both wear eyepatches. Well, Chihuly still does. I'm not sure if Dayan was buried with his. correct
4. In aerodynamics, two forces act on an airfoil due to motion: lift, that pushes the object upward, and what second force, which slows it down? It's kind of a drag. correct
5. What movie title hero, according to his 1986 poster, "survived the most hostile and primitive land known to man--now all he's got to do is make it through a week in New York"? You call that a trivia question? THIS is a trivia question. The answer is Crocodile Dundee. I thought that Encino Man was a reasonable guess. Paul Hogan, you have dropped off the face of the earth.
6. The Virginia-based "Altria Group, Inc.", one of America's largest companies, was better known as what before a 2003 rebranding? Altria is the new, theoretically less cancer-associated name for Philip Morris. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? Johnny Cash, Johnnie Cochran, Booker T. Jones, Benoit Mandelbrot, David O. Selznick, Harry Truman. They all had middle initials that stood for nothing--were just letters. A few added the styling themselves later in life, but most of these people just had parents who got lazy on the birth certificate. Johnny Cash didn't even have a FIRST name until he needed one to join the Air Force. correct!
1. What word of ancient Greek origin is more commonly used in America for the construction material elsewhere called "bitumen"? bitumen sounds like a type of coal. Coal is not a construction material. Is this something like asphalt which might resemble coal? Is it a word of ancient Greek origin?
2. P. D. James's 2011 murder mystery Death Comes to Pemberley was written as a sequel to what 1813 novel? Pride and Prejudice
3. Who was the only Buddhist ever to serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations? Ban Kee Moon
4. Of the thirteen independent island nations of the Caribbean, which is by far the closest to the South American coast? Aruba is close to the coast of Venezuela if I recall correctly
5. Solely on the strength of its 257 appearances in "Hey Jude," what is the 25th most commonly used word in the entire Beatles lyrical canon? "na" This must be the easiest question he has asked in ages. Maybe I can use as a tiebreaker at O'Briens if this number is verifiable - how many "na"s in Hey Jude?
6. Participants in Cub Scout car racing events are typically given a kit based on a block of what kind of wood? pine, hence the pinewood derby
7. What What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV series? Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under, Thirtysomething. Lost, Northern Exposure, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under - some of my favorite shows of all time. I cannot verify that it is true for all, but in many of these there is a recurring dead character - in Lost, everyone; in Rescue Me, Tommy's brothers; in Six Feet Under, Nathaniel Fisher; in Thirtysomething I think that Peter Horton's character died and came back to engage in long dialogue just like the rest of the cast.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. According the the old nursery rhyme, on which day of the week did Solomon Grundy die? Died on Saturday, buried on Sunday. Sort of a bummer of a nursery rhyme, since he was born just five days before. correct
2. The man who coached Western Kentucky's football team from 1989 to 2002 is better known today because of his two sons. What is their last name? The longtime Western Kentucky coach is Jack Harbaugh, father of this year's two Super Bowl coaches. correct
3. Israeli general Moshe Dayan and American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly are both well-known for wearing what unusual item? They both wear eyepatches. Well, Chihuly still does. I'm not sure if Dayan was buried with his. correct
4. In aerodynamics, two forces act on an airfoil due to motion: lift, that pushes the object upward, and what second force, which slows it down? It's kind of a drag. correct
5. What movie title hero, according to his 1986 poster, "survived the most hostile and primitive land known to man--now all he's got to do is make it through a week in New York"? You call that a trivia question? THIS is a trivia question. The answer is Crocodile Dundee. I thought that Encino Man was a reasonable guess. Paul Hogan, you have dropped off the face of the earth.
6. The Virginia-based "Altria Group, Inc.", one of America's largest companies, was better known as what before a 2003 rebranding? Altria is the new, theoretically less cancer-associated name for Philip Morris. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? Johnny Cash, Johnnie Cochran, Booker T. Jones, Benoit Mandelbrot, David O. Selznick, Harry Truman. They all had middle initials that stood for nothing--were just letters. A few added the styling themselves later in life, but most of these people just had parents who got lazy on the birth certificate. Johnny Cash didn't even have a FIRST name until he needed one to join the Air Force. correct!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 12
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. According the the old nursery rhyme, on which day of the week did Solomon Grundy die? died on Saturday, buried on Sunday?
2. The man who coached Western Kentucky's football team from 1989 to 2002 is better known today because of his two sons. What is their last name? Harbaugh!! Jack, Jim and John
3. Israeli general Moshe Dayan and American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly are both well-known for wearing what unusual item? eye patch
4. In aerodynamics, two forces act on an airfoil due to motion: lift, that pushes the object upward, and what second force, which slows it down? drag
5. What movie title hero, according to his 1986 poster, "survived the most hostile and primitive land known to man--now all he's got to do is make it through a week in New York"? Encino Man?
6. The Virginia-based "Altria Group, Inc.", one of America's largest companies, was better known as what before a 2003 rebranding? Philip Morris - one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? Johnny Cash, Johnnie Cochran, Booker T. Jones, Benoit Mandelbrot, David O. Selznick, Harry Truman. There is an important missing item from this list - Harry S Truman. All of these accomplished men have middle initials but not middle names.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Name two adjectives that can each refer to a resident of certain U.S. state capital *or* a resident of a Mediterranean nation. (One nation is ancient, one is modern.) Phoenicians can come from Phoenix or (back in the day) Phoenicia; Albanians can come from Albany or Albania. correct
2. Scientist J. J. Thomson is well-known for proposing the "plum pudding" model of what? Thomson is the physicist who discovered the electron, and his "plum pudding" idea was an early model for how the atom might be structured. correct
3. The hornpipe is a traditional dance historically associated with what profession? Sailors are believed to have danced the first hornpipe, and they certainly made it famous. Old Popeye cartoons used to begin with "The Sailor's Hornpipe." correct
4. What's the only language ever to "die" as a spoken language and then be revived among a population of new first-language speakers? Hebrew was nobody's native language in the early 20th century when it was revived by the Zionist movement to be the official language of the State of Israel. Today it has over three million native speakers. neat fact to learn. Hebrew is prominent even in Reform services nowadays
5. Johnny Wakelin's hit songs "Black Superman" (1975) and "In Zaire" (1976) both celebrated what real-life figure? Muhammad Ali was "Black Superman." Which boxer was "Black Green Lantern"? Discuss. correct
6. What German car company was sued over its logo by the International Olympic Committee in 1995? The Audi four-rings logo was found to be substantially different from the five-ring Olympic logo. Case dismissed. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? New York City, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, San Francisco. These are the metropolitan areas that have been the settings for Woody Allen's movies lately as he's moved overseas from Manhattan. I was talking with a friend last night about the location of Allen's last four films (London, Barcelona, Paris and Rome) and speculating where he might go next.
1. According the the old nursery rhyme, on which day of the week did Solomon Grundy die? died on Saturday, buried on Sunday?
2. The man who coached Western Kentucky's football team from 1989 to 2002 is better known today because of his two sons. What is their last name? Harbaugh!! Jack, Jim and John
3. Israeli general Moshe Dayan and American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly are both well-known for wearing what unusual item? eye patch
4. In aerodynamics, two forces act on an airfoil due to motion: lift, that pushes the object upward, and what second force, which slows it down? drag
5. What movie title hero, according to his 1986 poster, "survived the most hostile and primitive land known to man--now all he's got to do is make it through a week in New York"? Encino Man?
6. The Virginia-based "Altria Group, Inc.", one of America's largest companies, was better known as what before a 2003 rebranding? Philip Morris - one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? Johnny Cash, Johnnie Cochran, Booker T. Jones, Benoit Mandelbrot, David O. Selznick, Harry Truman. There is an important missing item from this list - Harry S Truman. All of these accomplished men have middle initials but not middle names.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Name two adjectives that can each refer to a resident of certain U.S. state capital *or* a resident of a Mediterranean nation. (One nation is ancient, one is modern.) Phoenicians can come from Phoenix or (back in the day) Phoenicia; Albanians can come from Albany or Albania. correct
2. Scientist J. J. Thomson is well-known for proposing the "plum pudding" model of what? Thomson is the physicist who discovered the electron, and his "plum pudding" idea was an early model for how the atom might be structured. correct
3. The hornpipe is a traditional dance historically associated with what profession? Sailors are believed to have danced the first hornpipe, and they certainly made it famous. Old Popeye cartoons used to begin with "The Sailor's Hornpipe." correct
4. What's the only language ever to "die" as a spoken language and then be revived among a population of new first-language speakers? Hebrew was nobody's native language in the early 20th century when it was revived by the Zionist movement to be the official language of the State of Israel. Today it has over three million native speakers. neat fact to learn. Hebrew is prominent even in Reform services nowadays
5. Johnny Wakelin's hit songs "Black Superman" (1975) and "In Zaire" (1976) both celebrated what real-life figure? Muhammad Ali was "Black Superman." Which boxer was "Black Green Lantern"? Discuss. correct
6. What German car company was sued over its logo by the International Olympic Committee in 1995? The Audi four-rings logo was found to be substantially different from the five-ring Olympic logo. Case dismissed. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? New York City, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, San Francisco. These are the metropolitan areas that have been the settings for Woody Allen's movies lately as he's moved overseas from Manhattan. I was talking with a friend last night about the location of Allen's last four films (London, Barcelona, Paris and Rome) and speculating where he might go next.
Friday, February 08, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 5
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Name two adjectives that can each refer to a resident of certain U.S. state capital *or* a resident of a Mediterranean nation. (One nation is ancient, one is modern.) Phoenecian (ancient), Albanian (modern). What about Athenians from Athens, GA or Olympians from Olympia, WA? And are people from Helena, MT called Hellenes? This is a really good question.
2. Scientist J. J. Thomson is well-known for proposing the "plum pudding" model of what? wasn't he a physicist? Was this his model of the atom?
3. The hornpipe is a traditional dance historically associated with what profession? sailor
4. What's the only language ever to "die" as a spoken language and then be revived among a population of new first-language speakers? Aramaic?
5. Johnny Wakelin's hit songs "Black Superman" (1975) and "In Zaire" (1976) both celebrated what real-life figure? Muhammad Ali
6. What German car company was sued over its logo by the International Olympic Committee in 1995? Audi
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? New York City, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, San Francisco. Not even sure where to begin. These are all great world cities that could have many things in common. Geographic features? Parks? Ethnic make up? Most visited cities in the world?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What ancient book would you consult to interpret hexagrams numbered from 1 ("Force") to 64 ("Not Yet Fording")? That's the I Ching. Try using its amazing predictive powers on Tuesday Trivia one of these weeks. You might be surprised. You don't hear many references to the I Ching. Must not be very quotable.
2. The CW's new show The Carrie Diaries is a prequel set about 15 years before what other TV series? Carrie is Ms. Bradshaw, of Sex and the City fame. correct
3. What will be the next year to be divisible by four that will *not*, nevertheless, be a leap year? Years divisible by 100 are *not* leap years--unless they're also divisible by 400. So the year 2100 will not be a leap year. See you then! I reversed the rule. Thought that century years are leap years unless divisible by 400. Coincidentally, we had a question this week at O'Briens that asked the names of the three US presidents not born in a leap year.
4. The only commissioned U.S. Navy vessel not in American hands is the USS Pueblo. The Pueblo is currently a captive of what country? The Pueblo was seized in 1968 by North Korea and is now what passes for a tourist attraction in Pyongyang. correct
5. What's the more common name for Lophophora williamsii, a cactus listed as a "controlled substance" unless it's being used in "bona fide religious ceremonies"? We usually call it by its Spanish name, peyote. correct
6. How many children appear with their "Migrant Mother" in Dorothea Lange's famed photo of that name? Florence Owens Thompsons appears with three of of her seven kids: one on either side, and a baby in her arms. missed it by one baby in the arms
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these literary works? A Doll's House, Madame Bovary, Rebecca, Romeo and Juliet, Sons and Lovers, Steppenwolf, Tom Jones, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Each includes a visit to some kind of fancy-dress event: a costume party or a masquerade ball or something. I really liked Q1 this week. On the other hand Q7 last week is terrible. Choose an obscure detail from 8 works and construct a question around it. Boo. Hiss.
1. Name two adjectives that can each refer to a resident of certain U.S. state capital *or* a resident of a Mediterranean nation. (One nation is ancient, one is modern.) Phoenecian (ancient), Albanian (modern). What about Athenians from Athens, GA or Olympians from Olympia, WA? And are people from Helena, MT called Hellenes? This is a really good question.
2. Scientist J. J. Thomson is well-known for proposing the "plum pudding" model of what? wasn't he a physicist? Was this his model of the atom?
3. The hornpipe is a traditional dance historically associated with what profession? sailor
4. What's the only language ever to "die" as a spoken language and then be revived among a population of new first-language speakers? Aramaic?
5. Johnny Wakelin's hit songs "Black Superman" (1975) and "In Zaire" (1976) both celebrated what real-life figure? Muhammad Ali
6. What German car company was sued over its logo by the International Olympic Committee in 1995? Audi
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these cities, listed in this order? New York City, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, San Francisco. Not even sure where to begin. These are all great world cities that could have many things in common. Geographic features? Parks? Ethnic make up? Most visited cities in the world?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What ancient book would you consult to interpret hexagrams numbered from 1 ("Force") to 64 ("Not Yet Fording")? That's the I Ching. Try using its amazing predictive powers on Tuesday Trivia one of these weeks. You might be surprised. You don't hear many references to the I Ching. Must not be very quotable.
2. The CW's new show The Carrie Diaries is a prequel set about 15 years before what other TV series? Carrie is Ms. Bradshaw, of Sex and the City fame. correct
3. What will be the next year to be divisible by four that will *not*, nevertheless, be a leap year? Years divisible by 100 are *not* leap years--unless they're also divisible by 400. So the year 2100 will not be a leap year. See you then! I reversed the rule. Thought that century years are leap years unless divisible by 400. Coincidentally, we had a question this week at O'Briens that asked the names of the three US presidents not born in a leap year.
4. The only commissioned U.S. Navy vessel not in American hands is the USS Pueblo. The Pueblo is currently a captive of what country? The Pueblo was seized in 1968 by North Korea and is now what passes for a tourist attraction in Pyongyang. correct
5. What's the more common name for Lophophora williamsii, a cactus listed as a "controlled substance" unless it's being used in "bona fide religious ceremonies"? We usually call it by its Spanish name, peyote. correct
6. How many children appear with their "Migrant Mother" in Dorothea Lange's famed photo of that name? Florence Owens Thompsons appears with three of of her seven kids: one on either side, and a baby in her arms. missed it by one baby in the arms
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these literary works? A Doll's House, Madame Bovary, Rebecca, Romeo and Juliet, Sons and Lovers, Steppenwolf, Tom Jones, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Each includes a visit to some kind of fancy-dress event: a costume party or a masquerade ball or something. I really liked Q1 this week. On the other hand Q7 last week is terrible. Choose an obscure detail from 8 works and construct a question around it. Boo. Hiss.
