Saturday, August 09, 2014
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 15
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What word for an order of mammals is also a religious title for the highest-ranking bishop in some country or jurisdiction? primate?
2. The award-winning 2012 documentary The Act of Killing exposes the anti-communist purge in what Asian country following a failed 1965 coup? Indonesia?
3. In June 1990, En Vogue and Wilson Phillips had songs in the Billboard Top Ten at the same time that shared what title? no idea; I don't know much about either of these performers
4. What common culinary measure in the United States is equal to 16 tablespoons? one cup
5. The ATSF railway was so named because it linked two U.S. state capitals as well as what other small Kansas city? Atchison (which must link Topeka and Santa Fe)
6. According to the famous first line of L.P. Hartley's novel The Go-Between, what "is a foreign country" where "they do things differently"? never heard of this. Sports?
7. What unusual distinction is most famously shared by these U.S. presidents? George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Dwight Eisenhower, James Monroe, Richard Nixon, James K. Polk, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What relic was holding an apple in its left hand when peasant Yorgos Kentrotas discovered it on a namesake Aegean island in 1820? The Venus de Milo was found with fragments of its now-missing arms. hmm. did not know that Milo was an Aegean island
2. On February 1, 2014, Adam Silver took a new job, replacing what man who had been in the post 30 years? He's the new NBA commissioner, replacing David Stern and taking a much harder line on old racist billionaires. correct
3. What Navajo name is usually given to the ancient Pueblo people who built the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde? They'r often called the Anasazi--those this name is now controversial among the Pueblo, since it's Navajo for "ancient enemy." correct
4. Jeff Richards and Taran Killam are the only actors to be cast members on both of two longtime rival TV shows. What are the two shows? They're the only two people to be players on both MadTV and Saturday Night Live. 1/2 correct. Is MadTV still on? Don't know that I have ever watched it.
5. What was the home country of Grammy-winning musician and activist Miriam Makeba? She campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. correct
6. Which of the 4 nucleobases in DNA was first extracted from Peruvian bird dropping? Guanine is name for guano. I'll never look at my nucleobases the same way again. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these bands? The Association, the Commodores, the Earls, Evanescence, the Grateful Dead, Incubus, Indigo Girls, OutKast, the Pixies, R.E.M. They all (according to band lore, anyway) chose their name by random perusal of a dictionary. really? brutal
1. What word for an order of mammals is also a religious title for the highest-ranking bishop in some country or jurisdiction? primate?
2. The award-winning 2012 documentary The Act of Killing exposes the anti-communist purge in what Asian country following a failed 1965 coup? Indonesia?
3. In June 1990, En Vogue and Wilson Phillips had songs in the Billboard Top Ten at the same time that shared what title? no idea; I don't know much about either of these performers
4. What common culinary measure in the United States is equal to 16 tablespoons? one cup
5. The ATSF railway was so named because it linked two U.S. state capitals as well as what other small Kansas city? Atchison (which must link Topeka and Santa Fe)
6. According to the famous first line of L.P. Hartley's novel The Go-Between, what "is a foreign country" where "they do things differently"? never heard of this. Sports?
7. What unusual distinction is most famously shared by these U.S. presidents? George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Dwight Eisenhower, James Monroe, Richard Nixon, James K. Polk, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What relic was holding an apple in its left hand when peasant Yorgos Kentrotas discovered it on a namesake Aegean island in 1820? The Venus de Milo was found with fragments of its now-missing arms. hmm. did not know that Milo was an Aegean island
2. On February 1, 2014, Adam Silver took a new job, replacing what man who had been in the post 30 years? He's the new NBA commissioner, replacing David Stern and taking a much harder line on old racist billionaires. correct
3. What Navajo name is usually given to the ancient Pueblo people who built the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde? They'r often called the Anasazi--those this name is now controversial among the Pueblo, since it's Navajo for "ancient enemy." correct
4. Jeff Richards and Taran Killam are the only actors to be cast members on both of two longtime rival TV shows. What are the two shows? They're the only two people to be players on both MadTV and Saturday Night Live. 1/2 correct. Is MadTV still on? Don't know that I have ever watched it.
5. What was the home country of Grammy-winning musician and activist Miriam Makeba? She campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. correct
6. Which of the 4 nucleobases in DNA was first extracted from Peruvian bird dropping? Guanine is name for guano. I'll never look at my nucleobases the same way again. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these bands? The Association, the Commodores, the Earls, Evanescence, the Grateful Dead, Incubus, Indigo Girls, OutKast, the Pixies, R.E.M. They all (according to band lore, anyway) chose their name by random perusal of a dictionary. really? brutal
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - July 8
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What relic was holding an apple in its left hand when peasant Yorgos Kentrotas discovered it on a namesake Aegean island in 1820? something from Crete? holding a golden apple?
2. On February 1, 2014, Adam Silver took a new job, replacing what man who had been in the post 30 years? Silver replaced David Stern (NBA commissioner)
3. What Navajo name is usually given to the ancient Pueblo people who built the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde? Anasazi
4. Jeff Richards and Taran Killam are the only actors to be cast members on both of two longtime rival TV shows. What are the two shows? I am pretty sure that SNL is one. They have a rival? Fridays?
5. What was the home country of Grammy-winning musician and activist Miriam Makeba? South Africa?
6. Which of the 4 nucleobases in DNA was first extracted from Peruvian bird dropping? guanine!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these bands? The Association, the Commodores, the Earls, Evanescence, the Grateful Dead, Incubus, Indigo Girls, OutKast, the Pixies, R.E.M.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. How many bytes are there in a petabyte? A gigabyte is a billion, a terabyte is a trillion, and a petabyte is what comes next. It's a quadrillion bytes, or one followed by fifteen zeroes. off by 3
2. What are the only two neighboring countries in the world that start with the same letter AND whose capital cities begin with the same letter? (Two different letters, one for the nations and one for the capitals.) Hard question! If it came to you, you should feel very good about yourself: Ethiopia and Eritrea begin with the same letter, and so do their respective capitals, Addis Ababa and Asmara. Depending on how you alphabetize the Republic of Congo, it's also a possibility (Brazzaville and Bangui, Central African Republic) so we accepted that pair as well. really tough
3. An antimacassar is a cloth usually placed on the back of what? It's one of those hair-grease-absorbing doilies sometimes seen atop chairs and sofas. Divans. Settees. That's what I'm talking about. did not know this had a name
4. What first breed of beef cattle ever developed in the U.S. was named in honor of its forebears, cattle imported from India beginning in 1854? Brahman bulls got their name due to their Indian heritage. correct
5. The fictional European republic of Zubrowka was the setting for a 2014 Ralph Fiennes film about an establishment named for what real European city? The Grand Budapest Hotel is named for Budapest, but apparently located nowhere near it. correct
6. What surname is shared by these celebrity brothers: Skip, a sportswriter and ESPN analyst, and Rick, a Chicago restaurateur? Skip and Rick Bayless, both TV stars in their own little worlds, have almost no relationship today. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world countries and no others? Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg (sometimes), Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey? These are all the nations whose people go by a demonym that end with "-ish": the Danish, Finish, British, Irish, Luxembourgish (apparently?) and so on. good one!
1. What relic was holding an apple in its left hand when peasant Yorgos Kentrotas discovered it on a namesake Aegean island in 1820? something from Crete? holding a golden apple?
2. On February 1, 2014, Adam Silver took a new job, replacing what man who had been in the post 30 years? Silver replaced David Stern (NBA commissioner)
3. What Navajo name is usually given to the ancient Pueblo people who built the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde? Anasazi
4. Jeff Richards and Taran Killam are the only actors to be cast members on both of two longtime rival TV shows. What are the two shows? I am pretty sure that SNL is one. They have a rival? Fridays?
5. What was the home country of Grammy-winning musician and activist Miriam Makeba? South Africa?
6. Which of the 4 nucleobases in DNA was first extracted from Peruvian bird dropping? guanine!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these bands? The Association, the Commodores, the Earls, Evanescence, the Grateful Dead, Incubus, Indigo Girls, OutKast, the Pixies, R.E.M.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. How many bytes are there in a petabyte? A gigabyte is a billion, a terabyte is a trillion, and a petabyte is what comes next. It's a quadrillion bytes, or one followed by fifteen zeroes. off by 3
2. What are the only two neighboring countries in the world that start with the same letter AND whose capital cities begin with the same letter? (Two different letters, one for the nations and one for the capitals.) Hard question! If it came to you, you should feel very good about yourself: Ethiopia and Eritrea begin with the same letter, and so do their respective capitals, Addis Ababa and Asmara. Depending on how you alphabetize the Republic of Congo, it's also a possibility (Brazzaville and Bangui, Central African Republic) so we accepted that pair as well. really tough
3. An antimacassar is a cloth usually placed on the back of what? It's one of those hair-grease-absorbing doilies sometimes seen atop chairs and sofas. Divans. Settees. That's what I'm talking about. did not know this had a name
4. What first breed of beef cattle ever developed in the U.S. was named in honor of its forebears, cattle imported from India beginning in 1854? Brahman bulls got their name due to their Indian heritage. correct
5. The fictional European republic of Zubrowka was the setting for a 2014 Ralph Fiennes film about an establishment named for what real European city? The Grand Budapest Hotel is named for Budapest, but apparently located nowhere near it. correct
6. What surname is shared by these celebrity brothers: Skip, a sportswriter and ESPN analyst, and Rick, a Chicago restaurateur? Skip and Rick Bayless, both TV stars in their own little worlds, have almost no relationship today. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world countries and no others? Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg (sometimes), Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey? These are all the nations whose people go by a demonym that end with "-ish": the Danish, Finish, British, Irish, Luxembourgish (apparently?) and so on. good one!
