Thursday, June 05, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - June 3
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What novelist is the subject of 1999's biography Mary Poppins, She Wrote? PL Travers
2. In 2013, who did the Evening Standard place atop their list of London's 1,000 most powerful people, even though he only became eligible in July? Prince George
3. "One nation, two systems," was the constitutional principle unveiled in 1984 to allow for self-government in certain regions of what country? South Africa
4. Rob Halford, with his famed four-octave vocal range, is best known for fronting what rock band since 1969 (aside from a hiatus during the 1990s)? Don't think I know who Rob Halford is. And I am flummoxed to think of bands that have been active since 1969 except for the Stones. Is that name an alias for someone like Iggy Pop? The Stooges?
5. In 2010, what automaker rolled out its first ever series production electric car, the Leaf? Nissan
6. What mythical creature appeared in the production logo at the end of the quiz show Jeopardy! from 1984 to 1994? a griffin for Merv Griffin
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? The Age of Innocence, Anchorman 2, Moonrise Kingdom, Pete's Dragon, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Shutter Island, Take This Waltz, The Ring. No idea. Of these, I have only seen Moonrise Kingdom.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What color is the bullseye in the middle of a competitive archery target? The rings go, from outermost to innermost: white, black, blue, red, yellow. Yellow is the bullseye. The Target logo has been lying to you. curses!
2. What large lake on the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is named for the emperor who founded a 4th-century Roman dynasty? Lake Constance is the third largest lake in central Europe. Konstanz, Germany, on its shores, was named for the founder of Rome's Constantinian dynasty. Don't know that I have ever heard of Lake Constance. But as I re-read the question, I realize that I was thinking of lakes on the wrong Swiss border.
3. "Ionization" is the name of the phase transition in which matter in what phase changes to matter in what other phase? Ionization is what happens when a gas turns into a plasma.
4. What musical acronym was used for the U.S. government program set up in 2009 to help "underwater" homeowners avoid foreclosure? The Home Affordable Refinance Program was better known as HARP. yay, I got one right
5. Who died of a heart attack on November 29, 1924, leaving a work named Turandot unfinished? Turandot was the last opera of Giacomo Puccini. correct
6. In China, oolong is a type of what? Oolong, made by oxidizing the leaves, is a traditional Chinese tea. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these holidays and observances, and no others? New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, the vernal equinox, Halloween, Thanksgiving (arguably), and Christmas. These are all the celebrations that the caller is NOT observing, by his own admission, in Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You." I have no idea if anyone got this Question Seven right, but at least it cracked me up at the time. Didn't crack me up and other subscribers may have had the same reaction. I regret the time I invested to answer this question.
1. What novelist is the subject of 1999's biography Mary Poppins, She Wrote? PL Travers
2. In 2013, who did the Evening Standard place atop their list of London's 1,000 most powerful people, even though he only became eligible in July? Prince George
3. "One nation, two systems," was the constitutional principle unveiled in 1984 to allow for self-government in certain regions of what country? South Africa
4. Rob Halford, with his famed four-octave vocal range, is best known for fronting what rock band since 1969 (aside from a hiatus during the 1990s)? Don't think I know who Rob Halford is. And I am flummoxed to think of bands that have been active since 1969 except for the Stones. Is that name an alias for someone like Iggy Pop? The Stooges?
5. In 2010, what automaker rolled out its first ever series production electric car, the Leaf? Nissan
6. What mythical creature appeared in the production logo at the end of the quiz show Jeopardy! from 1984 to 1994? a griffin for Merv Griffin
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? The Age of Innocence, Anchorman 2, Moonrise Kingdom, Pete's Dragon, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Shutter Island, Take This Waltz, The Ring. No idea. Of these, I have only seen Moonrise Kingdom.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What color is the bullseye in the middle of a competitive archery target? The rings go, from outermost to innermost: white, black, blue, red, yellow. Yellow is the bullseye. The Target logo has been lying to you. curses!
2. What large lake on the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is named for the emperor who founded a 4th-century Roman dynasty? Lake Constance is the third largest lake in central Europe. Konstanz, Germany, on its shores, was named for the founder of Rome's Constantinian dynasty. Don't know that I have ever heard of Lake Constance. But as I re-read the question, I realize that I was thinking of lakes on the wrong Swiss border.
3. "Ionization" is the name of the phase transition in which matter in what phase changes to matter in what other phase? Ionization is what happens when a gas turns into a plasma.
4. What musical acronym was used for the U.S. government program set up in 2009 to help "underwater" homeowners avoid foreclosure? The Home Affordable Refinance Program was better known as HARP. yay, I got one right
5. Who died of a heart attack on November 29, 1924, leaving a work named Turandot unfinished? Turandot was the last opera of Giacomo Puccini. correct
6. In China, oolong is a type of what? Oolong, made by oxidizing the leaves, is a traditional Chinese tea. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these holidays and observances, and no others? New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, the vernal equinox, Halloween, Thanksgiving (arguably), and Christmas. These are all the celebrations that the caller is NOT observing, by his own admission, in Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You." I have no idea if anyone got this Question Seven right, but at least it cracked me up at the time. Didn't crack me up and other subscribers may have had the same reaction. I regret the time I invested to answer this question.
