Thursday, September 26, 2013
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - September 24
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. When education policymakers fret over America's struggle to compete in the acronymic "STEM" fields, what four fields are they talking about? they are talking about my field - science, technology, engineering and math
2. What is by far the largest Greek island, more than twice as big as runner-up Euboea? Crete or Rhodes? I'll guess Rhodes
3. Rockatansky is the unusual last name of what iconic movie character who made his debut in 1979? a guess - Jaws from Moonraker. I could not think of any other iconic characters from 1979 movies.
4. What color is the cover of a current American passport? they were blue in 2009 when I last renewed
5. Three of the NFL's four current oldest players, including 40-year-old Adam Vinatieri, play what position? placekicker
6. What four-word sentence does Westinghouse factory worker Geraldine Hoff appear to be a saying in a famed 1943 propaganda poster by J. Howard Miller? I assume this is a WWII war slogan but nothing is coming to me. "Kilroy was here" is only three words.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these animals? Antelope, buffalo, cod, deer, elk, moose, sheep, shrimp, squid. Plural is the same as the singular?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In January 2011, two songs named for explosives traded off several times at the top of the pop chart. One was a Katy Perry song; the other was by Bruno Mars. Name either one. "Firework" and "Grenade" were the two dueling explosive hits. Choose your weapon. meh
2. If you use a bottle of a common household product that includes zinc pyrithione as its active ingredient, what chronic condition are you most likely treating? Zinc pyrithione is an antifungal and antibacterial agent most commonly used over-the-counter to prevent...dandruff. It's the "active ingredient" in Head & Shoulders and similar shampoos. correct
3. What large world city was home to the original "favela" neighborhoods, where 1.2 million people live today? The favelas are the hillside slums in Brazilian cities, especially the famed favelas of Rio de Janeiro. correct
4. All eight of the lead regulars on The Mary Tyler Moore are still alive, except for one who died in 1986. Name that performer. Ted Knight is the show's lone non-survivor. What a funny goof by them, to outlive him by almost 30 years! He got goofed. correct
5. What first name is shared by all three of the youngest men to be named Chief Justice of the United States? The three boyishly handsome jurists in question are John Jay, John Marshall and John Roberts. correct
6. What novel devoted 70 pages, in its first edition, to a single speech, a radio lecture delivered by inventor John Galt? Atlas Shrugged. That speech is totally cool because it actually makes the rest of the book seem, by contrast, well-written and full of incident. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries? Cambodia, China, Hungary, Japan, North and South Korea, Madagascar, Taiwan, Vietnam. Tough one--nearly impossible, maybe. These are countries whose residents typically put their surname (family name) ahead of their given name. Or, to our point of view, they put their last name first. yes, just about impossible
1. When education policymakers fret over America's struggle to compete in the acronymic "STEM" fields, what four fields are they talking about? they are talking about my field - science, technology, engineering and math
2. What is by far the largest Greek island, more than twice as big as runner-up Euboea? Crete or Rhodes? I'll guess Rhodes
3. Rockatansky is the unusual last name of what iconic movie character who made his debut in 1979? a guess - Jaws from Moonraker. I could not think of any other iconic characters from 1979 movies.
4. What color is the cover of a current American passport? they were blue in 2009 when I last renewed
5. Three of the NFL's four current oldest players, including 40-year-old Adam Vinatieri, play what position? placekicker
6. What four-word sentence does Westinghouse factory worker Geraldine Hoff appear to be a saying in a famed 1943 propaganda poster by J. Howard Miller? I assume this is a WWII war slogan but nothing is coming to me. "Kilroy was here" is only three words.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these animals? Antelope, buffalo, cod, deer, elk, moose, sheep, shrimp, squid. Plural is the same as the singular?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In January 2011, two songs named for explosives traded off several times at the top of the pop chart. One was a Katy Perry song; the other was by Bruno Mars. Name either one. "Firework" and "Grenade" were the two dueling explosive hits. Choose your weapon. meh
2. If you use a bottle of a common household product that includes zinc pyrithione as its active ingredient, what chronic condition are you most likely treating? Zinc pyrithione is an antifungal and antibacterial agent most commonly used over-the-counter to prevent...dandruff. It's the "active ingredient" in Head & Shoulders and similar shampoos. correct
3. What large world city was home to the original "favela" neighborhoods, where 1.2 million people live today? The favelas are the hillside slums in Brazilian cities, especially the famed favelas of Rio de Janeiro. correct
4. All eight of the lead regulars on The Mary Tyler Moore are still alive, except for one who died in 1986. Name that performer. Ted Knight is the show's lone non-survivor. What a funny goof by them, to outlive him by almost 30 years! He got goofed. correct
5. What first name is shared by all three of the youngest men to be named Chief Justice of the United States? The three boyishly handsome jurists in question are John Jay, John Marshall and John Roberts. correct
6. What novel devoted 70 pages, in its first edition, to a single speech, a radio lecture delivered by inventor John Galt? Atlas Shrugged. That speech is totally cool because it actually makes the rest of the book seem, by contrast, well-written and full of incident. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries? Cambodia, China, Hungary, Japan, North and South Korea, Madagascar, Taiwan, Vietnam. Tough one--nearly impossible, maybe. These are countries whose residents typically put their surname (family name) ahead of their given name. Or, to our point of view, they put their last name first. yes, just about impossible
