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.
