Answers here
1. What does the term “trick” refer to in card games such as bridge and pinochle? What is another game in which tricks are used? [half point each]
2. What does the term “hat trick” usually signify, and to which sport did the term originally pertain in the 1800s? [half point each]
3. Which famous figure was dubbed “Tricky Dick” by one of his detractors in 1950?
4. Which rock band hit it big with the 1979 Live at Budokan album and songs such as “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me,” and “Dream Police,” and which “hot” song gave the band its biggest (and only #1) hit in 1988? [half point each]
5. Which popular animal TV segment debuted on a short-lived NBC morning show in 1980, and who was the show’s host (who found greater success in a different time slot)? [half point each]
6. According to the Kellogg’s web site, what two ingredients other than Rice Krispies are used to make Rice Krispies Treats?
7. What type of product is Tahitian Treat? [half point]
8. To what does the phrase “Dutch treat” refer? [half point]
9. Which actor won acclaim for his 1981 role in the movie Prince of the City and also starred in the 2002–2006 WB series Everwood?
10. Which medical condition are benzoyl peroxide, tretinoin and isotretinoin frequently used to treat?
11. Which radio host unintentionally “tricked” thousands of listeners, with an October 30, 1938, broadcast, into believing that a Martian invasion was taking place, and which H. G. Wells novel was being adapted during that broadcast seventy years ago ? [half point each]
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Some Series Questions [Quiz #14]
Answers here
1. The New York Yankees have won baseball’s World Series a record 26 times since the first modern series was held in 1903. As of today, which team has won the second most, 10.
2. The Fibonacci series is an infinite sequence of numbers beginning with 0 and 1. How are the following numbers in the series determined, and what, therefore, would the next five numbers be?
3. Which still-airing American program is the longest-running television series in the history of broadcasting? Which soap opera has aired even longer, counting its earliest incarnation as a radio series, and is the longest-running dramatic show?
4. Which series of bestselling novels concluded in 2008 with the publication of the fourth novel, Breaking Dawn? Who is the author? [half point each]
5. What does word “series” (followed by a year) indicate on US paper currency?
6. In reference to electrical flow, what is a series circuit, and what type of circuit is its opposite?
7. For each of the following series, identify what the series is [half point] and fill in the missing item or items [half point]. In order to claim the first half point, describe the order of items rather than just what the items have in common. [For example, “Domino’s pizza flavors” could not be a correct answer, but “Domino’s pizza flavors from most to least popular” could be. An ellipsis (…) indicates that some elements of the series are not shown.
a. _____, He, Li, Be, B, C, N, O…
b. …Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, _____, _____
c. denial; anger; _____; depression; acceptance [provide both the name of the series and the person most associated with it]
d. …Pierre Trudeau; John Turner; Brian Mulroney; Kim Campbell; Jean Chrétien; Paul Martin; _____
1. The New York Yankees have won baseball’s World Series a record 26 times since the first modern series was held in 1903. As of today, which team has won the second most, 10.
2. The Fibonacci series is an infinite sequence of numbers beginning with 0 and 1. How are the following numbers in the series determined, and what, therefore, would the next five numbers be?
3. Which still-airing American program is the longest-running television series in the history of broadcasting? Which soap opera has aired even longer, counting its earliest incarnation as a radio series, and is the longest-running dramatic show?
4. Which series of bestselling novels concluded in 2008 with the publication of the fourth novel, Breaking Dawn? Who is the author? [half point each]
5. What does word “series” (followed by a year) indicate on US paper currency?
6. In reference to electrical flow, what is a series circuit, and what type of circuit is its opposite?
7. For each of the following series, identify what the series is [half point] and fill in the missing item or items [half point]. In order to claim the first half point, describe the order of items rather than just what the items have in common. [For example, “Domino’s pizza flavors” could not be a correct answer, but “Domino’s pizza flavors from most to least popular” could be. An ellipsis (…) indicates that some elements of the series are not shown.
a. _____, He, Li, Be, B, C, N, O…
b. …Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, _____, _____
c. denial; anger; _____; depression; acceptance [provide both the name of the series and the person most associated with it]
d. …Pierre Trudeau; John Turner; Brian Mulroney; Kim Campbell; Jean Chrétien; Paul Martin; _____
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Around the Sun [Quiz #13]
Answers here
1. Which mercury-based preservative (first developed by Eli Lilly) was until recently commonly used in vaccines? What disorder do thousands of US lawsuits most frequently accuse it of causing, despite many scientific studies to the contrary? [half point each]
2. The sculpture known as Venus de Milo, shown below, is a product of which ancient culture? Which museum currently displays it?
3. The Good Earth was a 1931 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by which American author? In which country does the novel takes place? [half point each]
4. What’s the premise of the 2006–2007 British TV series Life on Mars as well as its US remake, which premiered in October 2008? [provide both the occupation of the main character and his general dilemma]
5. Which early video game is pictured below? What pioneering company produced the game? [half point each]
6. Jupiter is the name of a city of 50,000 in a US state and the nickname of a famous composer’s 41st symphony. Name the state and the composer. [half point each]
7. Over what realm did ancient Romans recognize Saturn as the god, and what annual feast commemorated the dedication of his temple? [half point each]
8. The planet Uranus has five large moons that were discovered between 1787 and 1948; Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda. Each of these names, as well as those of the nearly two dozen smaller moons discovered since 1985, are taken from works by which two prominent English writers? [half point each]
9. The Neptunes are two men; for what are they best known?
10. Pluto was generally considered a planet until 2006; what did the International Astronomical Union then vote to reclassify it (as well as four other celestial bodies) as?
1. Which mercury-based preservative (first developed by Eli Lilly) was until recently commonly used in vaccines? What disorder do thousands of US lawsuits most frequently accuse it of causing, despite many scientific studies to the contrary? [half point each]
2. The sculpture known as Venus de Milo, shown below, is a product of which ancient culture? Which museum currently displays it?
3. The Good Earth was a 1931 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by which American author? In which country does the novel takes place? [half point each]4. What’s the premise of the 2006–2007 British TV series Life on Mars as well as its US remake, which premiered in October 2008? [provide both the occupation of the main character and his general dilemma]
5. Which early video game is pictured below? What pioneering company produced the game? [half point each]
6. Jupiter is the name of a city of 50,000 in a US state and the nickname of a famous composer’s 41st symphony. Name the state and the composer. [half point each]
7. Over what realm did ancient Romans recognize Saturn as the god, and what annual feast commemorated the dedication of his temple? [half point each]
8. The planet Uranus has five large moons that were discovered between 1787 and 1948; Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda. Each of these names, as well as those of the nearly two dozen smaller moons discovered since 1985, are taken from works by which two prominent English writers? [half point each]
9. The Neptunes are two men; for what are they best known?
10. Pluto was generally considered a planet until 2006; what did the International Astronomical Union then vote to reclassify it (as well as four other celestial bodies) as?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A Day of Atonement [Quiz #12]
Answers here
1. Who wrote the 2001 novel Atonement, on which the 2007 movie was based?
2. Minister Louis Farrakan called for “sober, disciplined, committed, dedicated, inspired black men to meet in Washington on a day of atonement.” What was this event known as, and in what year did it take place? [half point each]
3. Perhaps the most famous act of atonement of the Middle Ages was performed by King Henry II of England, whose penance including a beating by 80 monks with birch twigs. Whose murder in 1170 had he incited? [half point each for the victim's name and title]
4. The Roman Catholic sacrament of penance involves both confession and an act of contrition. What adjective is used to describe sins such as murder and adultery, and what adjective describes less serious sins? [half point each]
5. In a classic French novel, Jean Valjean, released after 19 years in prison, steals silver from a bishop. The bishop confirms Jean’s false alibi (that it was a gift) but exacts a promise of atonement. Jean spends the rest of the novel atoning for his crime by becoming an honest man. What is the novel, and who is the author?
6. For what action did the United States government atone by passing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (and a 1992 amendment) appropriating reparations of $20,000 for each of what turned out to be over 80,000 surviving victims?
7. A surprising amount of atoning has come from gaffe-prone politicians. These examples come from the 2008 US presidential campaign. [half point each]
(a) Who apologized to Republican primary candidate Mitt Romney in December 2007 for a New York Times Magazine article in which he asked, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”
(b) Who apologized for saying that Barack Obama was “talking down to black people,” and adding “I want to cut his nuts off,” during a July Fox News interview when he thought his microphone was off.
(c) What word had Obama advisor Samantha Power used to describe Hillary Clinton in March, leading to apologies by both Obama and Power and to Power’s departure from Obama’s presidential campaign?
(d) For what false claim involving a 1996 trip to Bosnia did Hillary Clinton apologize for making in April?
8. Match these “atonal” song titles with the artist and year the song was a top ten Billboard hit. One song title applies to two artists. [one point for matching all five artists, half a point for matching three or four]
(a) Brenda Lee [1960]; (b) John Denver [1975]; (c) Elton John [1976]; (d) Chicago [1982] (e) Timbaland featuring OneRepublic (2007)
(1) “Apologize” (2) “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (3) “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (4) “I'm Sorry”
9. What two Japanese terms are also used in English to describe the act of ritual suicide by disembowelment, originally reserved for samurai, that was sometimes done as an act of atonement for serious offenses? [half point each]
1. Who wrote the 2001 novel Atonement, on which the 2007 movie was based?
2. Minister Louis Farrakan called for “sober, disciplined, committed, dedicated, inspired black men to meet in Washington on a day of atonement.” What was this event known as, and in what year did it take place? [half point each]
3. Perhaps the most famous act of atonement of the Middle Ages was performed by King Henry II of England, whose penance including a beating by 80 monks with birch twigs. Whose murder in 1170 had he incited? [half point each for the victim's name and title]
4. The Roman Catholic sacrament of penance involves both confession and an act of contrition. What adjective is used to describe sins such as murder and adultery, and what adjective describes less serious sins? [half point each]
5. In a classic French novel, Jean Valjean, released after 19 years in prison, steals silver from a bishop. The bishop confirms Jean’s false alibi (that it was a gift) but exacts a promise of atonement. Jean spends the rest of the novel atoning for his crime by becoming an honest man. What is the novel, and who is the author?
6. For what action did the United States government atone by passing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (and a 1992 amendment) appropriating reparations of $20,000 for each of what turned out to be over 80,000 surviving victims?
7. A surprising amount of atoning has come from gaffe-prone politicians. These examples come from the 2008 US presidential campaign. [half point each]
(a) Who apologized to Republican primary candidate Mitt Romney in December 2007 for a New York Times Magazine article in which he asked, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”
(b) Who apologized for saying that Barack Obama was “talking down to black people,” and adding “I want to cut his nuts off,” during a July Fox News interview when he thought his microphone was off.
(c) What word had Obama advisor Samantha Power used to describe Hillary Clinton in March, leading to apologies by both Obama and Power and to Power’s departure from Obama’s presidential campaign?
(d) For what false claim involving a 1996 trip to Bosnia did Hillary Clinton apologize for making in April?
8. Match these “atonal” song titles with the artist and year the song was a top ten Billboard hit. One song title applies to two artists. [one point for matching all five artists, half a point for matching three or four]
(a) Brenda Lee [1960]; (b) John Denver [1975]; (c) Elton John [1976]; (d) Chicago [1982] (e) Timbaland featuring OneRepublic (2007)
(1) “Apologize” (2) “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (3) “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (4) “I'm Sorry”
9. What two Japanese terms are also used in English to describe the act of ritual suicide by disembowelment, originally reserved for samurai, that was sometimes done as an act of atonement for serious offenses? [half point each]
Thursday, October 2, 2008
October Fest [Quiz #11]
Answers here
1. There is one United States federal holiday in October. What is it, and on what date does the federal holiday fall in 2008? [half point each]
2. The Hunt for Red October is the 1984 debut novel (later turned into a film) by which former insurance agent? What does “Red October” refer to in the novel and movie?
3. “October Revolution” usually refers to events in which country? In what year did these events occur?
4. Which sports figure is frequently referred to as Mr. October? During which decade did he earn this nickname? [half point each]
5. How many days does the German Oktoberfest traditionally last? Which city held the first festival in 1810 and continues to host the largest celebration? [half point each]
6. Whose poem “October,” excerpted below, appears in his debut collection A Boy’s Will (1913)?
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call…
7. In US politics, to what does the term “October surprise” refer?
8. Which two signs of the Zodiac are associated with the month of October? [half point each]
9. Why is October, the tenth month, called by a name that comes from the Greek word meaning “eight”?
10. Since the 1980s, October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What is the primary symbol used to promote awareness of the issue, and what, according to the NBCAM organization’s website, is its focus? [half point each]
1. There is one United States federal holiday in October. What is it, and on what date does the federal holiday fall in 2008? [half point each]
2. The Hunt for Red October is the 1984 debut novel (later turned into a film) by which former insurance agent? What does “Red October” refer to in the novel and movie?
3. “October Revolution” usually refers to events in which country? In what year did these events occur?
4. Which sports figure is frequently referred to as Mr. October? During which decade did he earn this nickname? [half point each]
5. How many days does the German Oktoberfest traditionally last? Which city held the first festival in 1810 and continues to host the largest celebration? [half point each]
6. Whose poem “October,” excerpted below, appears in his debut collection A Boy’s Will (1913)?
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call…
7. In US politics, to what does the term “October surprise” refer?
8. Which two signs of the Zodiac are associated with the month of October? [half point each]
9. Why is October, the tenth month, called by a name that comes from the Greek word meaning “eight”?
10. Since the 1980s, October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What is the primary symbol used to promote awareness of the issue, and what, according to the NBCAM organization’s website, is its focus? [half point each]
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