Tag: answering other people’s questions

1.  Complete this analogy: strawberries and cream : Wimbledon :: mint juleps and burgoo :: ______.

I’m pretty sure this is the Kentucky Derby. I confess that I’m basing this solely on the juleps — I don’t know what burgoo is.

2.  What rock act is a duo made up two men, one named Russell, the other surnamed Russell?

I love this question, but I have no answer.

3.  Name the nutrient *and* the disease that both take their name from the Latin word “scorbutus.”

Let me recreate my mental riffing: Scor? Butus? Botulism? Scabies? Scabs? Scorbus? Ascorbic acid and scurvy — that’s my guess.

4.  The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout event is held annually one week before what holiday?

Based on nothing more than dim memories, I think this is Thanksgiving.

5.  What future head of state, in office from 1945 to 1969, was a baker at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1913?

I like this question, too, but have no idea. Golda Meir doesn’t work, and neither does Castro, which are the two names that spring to mind unbidden.

6.  What 1678 work’s full title includes the clause “From This World to That Which Is to Come”?

Hmm. Utopia? Paradise Lost? The Divine Comedy? Forced to guess, I choose the latter, but I’m pretty sure it’s wrong.

7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. locations?  Amarillo, TX; Chimney Rock, NE; Greenwich, CT; Moscow, ID; Pensacola, FL; Sitka, AK; Wheeling, WV.

I have no idea.

Ken’s questions. My guesses.

1. In 2000, who became the only two-time Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year?
Total guess: Michael Jordan.

2. What two U.S. states have capitals named for people who were executed?
Man, this is a good question. I’m assuming Lincoln was an assassination, not an execution, hence Nebraska doesn’t count. Hmm. Oh — Saint Paul, so Minnesota. And … North Carolina. (Curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid get.) Torturous, but this is the kind of question that rewards memorizing state capitals. Thank god something rewards that.

3. What did the Electro String Instrument Corporation change its name to, to capitalize on a distant relationship between its founders and a World War I hero?
Again I don’t know.

4. Which knight of King Arthur’s Round Table is Sir Lancelot’s son?
Ah. Sir Galahad.

5. Who appears, in front of a landscape of a different nation entirely, on New Zealand’s five-dollar note?
Sir Edmund Hillary, I presume.

6. What’s the only city to twice host a season of MTV’s The Real World?
New York, isn’t it? This is what I get for being a one-season fan. (San Francisco.)

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these actors? Alan Arkin, Emilio Estevez, Henry Fonda, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Peter Ustinov, and John Wayne.
They directed themselves in movies? Mostly a guess.

These answers come off the top of the head and are not guaranteed (or even likely) to improve your performance in Ken Jennings’ quiz.

1. What magazine’s name can be produced by combining the name of the computer and the cat from the movie Alien?
Mother Jones

2. What Peanuts character’s last night is Reichardt?
I’m guessing Peppermint Patty. Or Marcie, but I’ll lean towards Patty. (Can’t be Linus, Lucy, or Rerun, since they’re siblings. Even if Snoopy had a last name, it’d be Brown. I imagine Schroeder is Schroeder’s last name, although if it is his first name he’s the obviously Germanic kid. Hm.)

3. What landmark was originally painted Galaxy Gold, Orbital Olive, and Re-entry Red for its 1962 opening?
The Space Needle. And it was re-painted those colors earlier this year for the anniversary.

4. What E.U. nation is led by a president and a prime minster who are identical twins?
Well, it’s not the UK. Or France, or Monaco. Beyond that, I have no idea. Portugal.

5. What kind of object is smaller than its own Schwarzschild radius?
An unusual one.

6. How many contributors did struggling Christian-themed TV station WYAH recruit in a 1962 telethon?
There’s got to be some reason the number would be notable, but barring a moment of insight, my guess for remains 1. (As expected, the “publish” button inspired a moment of insight: 700. Final answer, Regis.)

7. What distinction is shared by these letters of the alphabet and no others? C, D, O, P, S, and W.
They’re shared by the Cyrillic alphabet? Totally random guess.

“As with all good trivia, it would take you about 30 seconds to Google the answers to the first six questions above. So you’re on the honor system here: no peeking, and only send in the answers you knew off the top of your head.” So says Ken Jennings. These posts record my answers, off the top of my head.

1. Who was arrested over thirty times during a famous campaign of “hatchetations”?
Strong guess: Carrie Nation

2. What landlocked country has nevertheless won two America’s Cups?
No idea.

3. In the book and movie, what is the actual nationality of the so-called “English” Patient?
German.

4. The name of what Baptist missionary is only remembered today because he was shot by Chinese communists near Xi’an in 1945?
John Birch, I’m pretty sure.

5. What does the “J.” in “Homer J. Simpson” stand for?
Jay

6. How old is ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”?
Well she was just 17. You know what I mean?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these vegetables? Eggplants, scallions, rutabagas, snow peas, summer squash, and zucchini.
They have popular alternate names borrowed from French. (Aubergines, ?, ?, mangetout, ?, courgette — I’m not 100% on the French part. Or the rest of this answer. But it’s the best I’ve got.)

A couple of recent commenters asked about the premise for these posts. Basically, I’m following the instructions Jennings includes every week: “As with all good trivia, it would take you about 30 seconds to Google the answers to the first six questions above. So you’re on the honor system here: no peeking, and only send in the answers you knew off the top of your head.” These posts record my answers, off the top of my head.

(And greetings, Google cheaters!)

1. What world leader began his plan to take power after the 1989 Caracazo riots?
I don’t know, but my guess: Hugo Chavez.

2. What play’s Broadway opening was the occasion for a tie-in advertising promotion by Hormel Foods?
Spamalot.

3. What are the “ten” being referred to when a surfer “hangs ten” on a wave?
toes — thank you, random surfing documentary!

4. Complete this film analogy: Before Sunset : Paris :: Before Sunrise : _____.
Vienna. (I love this question format — I may have to do a round like this.)

5. What was the last name of the seven Italian brothers whose company, in 1955, found a new household use for the agricultural pumps it was producing?
Something tells me it wasn’t “Sump,” which is my best guess right now.

6. Who was the most famous client of British lawyer Jonathan Harker?
He is…Dracula. (Nice way to phrase a question about such a famous figure: write it from the point of view of a less-well-known character.)

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S states, and no others? Alaska, California, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
They’re the only states whose quarters don’t have a human figure on the obverse.

(Ha. I don’t actually know the answer to 7. But Ken can track down lazy Google cheaters now.)

Sign up to play at the source.

1. What kind of sporting event is divided into chukkas?
One with which I’m not familiar, it seems. Not that that narrows it down much.

2. What president was married to a First Lady whose first name was Eleanor?
Guess: it’s not Franklin Roosevelt! Second guess: Woodrow Wilson.

3. Who wrote sonnets called “La primavera,” “L’estate,” “L’autunno,” and “L’inverno” to be read with the movements of his most famous work?
Dante … ?

4. What’s the name of Audrey Hepburn’s cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s?
Can’t remember offhand. If I think of it, I’ll edit it in.

5. The U.S.’s center of population was in eastern Maryland at the time of the first census, but it’s since moved six states westward. What state is it in today?
I’m pretty sure it’s Missouri.

6. What two cast members of TV’s The West Wing were real-life brothers-in-law?
Ann, my West Wing-loving friend, might know this one. I don’t.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these musical acts? The Clash, the Early November, George Harrison, the Magnetic Fields, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Smashing Pumpkins, and Frank Zappa.
Oooh ! Oooh! A question 7 I probably know without Googling. They all released triple albums — at least, I know it’s true of the Clash (Sandinista!), George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), the Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs), and Prince (Emancipation, I think).

Tuesday trivia, Wednesday afternoon quarterbacking.

1. What famous club, whose first chapter formed in San Bernardino in 1948, borrowed the World War II nickname for the 303rd Bombardment Group?
Guess: Hell’s Angels

2. What’s the largest of the Society Islands?
Guess: Christmas Island.

3. What’s the first fruit to appear in the Pac-Man maze?
Cherries?

4. What movie was Tom Cruise promoting when he decided to “jump the couch” on Oprah?
War of the Worlds, I think.

5. What color ribbon is worn to promote breast cancer awareness?
red

6. Members of what nation’s police force must, by law, be citizens of Switzerland?
I’m pretty sure this is Vatican City

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? John Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin, Charles I of England, Alistair Cooke, Joseph Haydn, Gram Parsons, Eva Peron, and Laurence Sterne.
At the moment, no clue.

As always, these are my best guesses for the 7 questions of Ken Jennings’ Tuesday Trivia quiz. I’m not Googling, Wikiing, or otherwise consulting references for answers. In other words, it’s proof that I only look like a genius when I’m writing the questions. Wanna play? Here’s where to go.

1. What TV series closes with a logo for “30th Century Fox”?
I think it’s Futurama.

2. What did Shane Stant do on January 6, 1994 that got him a four-year prison sentence?
Cheat on Tuesday Trivia? No. Hmm. Is this the guy who landed a plane on the White House lawn? That’s my guess, but maybe I’m conflating some airplane/White House guy with the guy who landed in Red Square, which I’m pretty sure was earlier than 1994 because that happened in the days of the Soviet Union.

3. What hit song did Quincy Jones want to rename, fearing that everyone would assume it was about the tennis superstar?
“Billie Jean” is not Ms. King. She’s just a girl who claims that Mike was the one.

4. What scoop out cirques, coombs, and corries?
Glaciers. (Aside: I’m guessing “coombs” is an alternate spelling for “cwms,” one of those rare w-as-the-only-vowel words.)

5. The island in the middle of Victoria Falls is named for what famous Scotsman?
David Hume. But really, I have no idea.

6. Who hosts the “Mad-Tea Party” in Alice in Wonderland?
Something makes me think it’s not the Mad Hatter. But maybe it is the Mad Hatter and I’m supposed to second-guess myself. Oh, dilemmas. The dormouse. Final wrong answer.

7. What distinction is shared by these ten U.S. states and no others? Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.
They’re all part of the New York City metro area. Ha.

If it’s Friday, I must be getting around to taking a stab at this week’s Tuesday Trivia.

1. What happened to Bolivia in 1884, Austria in 1920, and Ethiopia in 1993?
Good question. Guess: part of their territory seceded.

2. Dolbear’s Law states the relationship between air temperature and the speed of what?
Guess: sound.

3. What hip hop artist is the son of Senegalese drummer Mor Thiam?
I’m pretty sure it’s M.I.A.

4. According to the annual Quigley poll, who was the top movie box office draw of 1973, again in 1983, and yet again in 1993?
Had to think about this for a bit, but I’m pretty sure it’s Clint Eastwood. Dirty Harry in ’73, Sudden Impact and maybe something else in ’83, In the Line of Fire and Unforgiven in ’93.

5. What did the ‘C’ stand for in military C-rations?
I know I’ve heard this, but I can’t remember.

6. What #1-ranked tennis player of the 1990s was named for a #1-ranked player of the 1980s?
Sports questions are my kryptonite.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV shows? Chico and the Man, Family Affair, Fantasy Island, Make Room for Daddy, St. Elsewhere, and Suddenly Susan.
Ooh! Ooh! I’m pretty sure they’ve all had a lead actor commit suicide, though not during the run of the show. Freddie Prinze, Brian Keith, Herve Villachaize, ?, Ed Flanders, and ? It may be more specific — I know at least a couple of these guys shot themselves, so that may be the common thread.

Apparently I’m good at the morbid questions. More morbid, less sports, please!

I’ve been intending to do this for a while. Sign up for his Tuesday Trivia list (left column, under the Brainiac ad) and Ken Jennings sends out 7 trivia questions every week — usually late Monday evening, ironically enough, but maybe he’s operating on Eastern time even though he lives near Seattle.

I read the quiz every week. Jennings, unsurprisingly, writes good questions. I do not participate in the quiz every week, in the sense of actually sending back an email with my guesses.

Why? Because I’ll blow the curve. Downward.

But why not humiliate myself in public when I’m unwilling to do so in private? Someone might be amused. At the very least, people will quickly realize that just because I’m good at writing trivia questions doesn’t mean I’m good at answering them.

So here’s Tuesday Trivia LII. Jennings wrote the questions, I’m supplying the answers. I’m not googling, consulting other reference works, or otherwise trying to get answers from anywhere other than my brain.

1. What award-winning 1975 novel begins with a quote from Scott Joplin: “Do not play this piece too fast”?
I strongly suspect E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime.

2. The celiac ganglia is the center of what nerve cluster between your stomach and diaphragm?
Um…vagal? Note to self: when you’re done reading the atlas, read Grey’s Anatomy.

3. What TV show has produced episodes called “…And Found” and “…In Translation”?
Lost is the only show that makes sense, though I like the idea of “Veronica Mars In Translation.”

4. What product sponsors the annual award to baseball’s best relief pitcher?
Aagh! A sports question. Seth would know. My guess: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. [ETA: Seth did know. And it ain’t cornflakes.]

5. What are the only two neighboring European nations whose names start with the same letter?
This is a great question. I may steal it for the pub. Off the top of my head: Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. (Oooh, that’s wrong. Yes, I wikied. But I’m being forthright.)

Second guess: Romania and Russia. Also wrong! I know it’s not Finland and France… Oh, I figured out the answer. With a map. Suffice to say, I wouldn’t have gotten this correct in a pub without some help from my teammates.

6. How many enemy planes must a pilot shoot down to be called an ace?
Guess: 20.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Lauren Ambrose, Erskine Caldwell, Werner Herzog, Jessica Lange, Paul McCartney, Arthur Miller, Georgia O’Keeffe, Kurt Vonnegut
I’ll get back to you.

So far, if I’m lucky: 3 for 7. Very possibly 2 for 7. Yeeks.