mighty fine trivia by James Callan

Tag: mexico

Trivia quiz: Best pub quiz round … ever!

Round 6 at the Old Pequliar on May 5, 2009

Superlatives! Some of these contain a superlative in the question, some in the answer.

1) Many journalists writing about bad news in April call it “the cruellest month,” a literary cliche lifted from what poem?

2) “With Burt and Dolly, this much fun just couldn’t be legal” is the tagline for what musical?

3) Some people call them The Veterans, some call them the G.I. Generation, but Tom Brokaw calls them what?

4) The Netherlands’ De Afvallers, Mexico’s ¿Cuánto quieres perder? and Israel’s Laredet Begadol are versions of what US series?

5) U2’s “The Sweetest Thing” was the B-side to what single from The Joshua Tree, later covered by Pet Shop Boys?

6) What fumble-fingered actor was The Shakiest Gun in the West?

7) “They’re giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? If anything, you owe them.” Comic Book Guy responds with what three-word phrase?

8) The 1962 film The Longest Day gathered “42 international stars” to tell the story of what event?

9) Paddington Bear arrived at London’s Paddington station after emigrating from?

10) According to Life.com’s count of popular tags, what European capital is the most-photographed city on Flickr?

ANSWERS (no peeking!)

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Anatomy of a great trivia question

One of the questions in Ken Jennings‘ Tuesday Trivia CXII (Sept. 2):

Despite its diminutive name, what is, by area, the largest state in Mexico?

I think it’s just about a perfect geography question. Why?

1) It’s short. Thirteen words contain the basic question, and add a hint.

2) It’s unambiguous. Myself, I almost always assume “largest” in geography means area. But not everyone does — maybe it could be population. He’s got the “by area” clarification in there. And the question ends with what he’s asking for: The name of a Mexican state.

3) There’s a hint. “What’s the largest state in Mexico?” is a valid trivia question, but a dull one. Either you know it or you don’t. (I didn’t.) Throw in the info that it’s got a “diminutive name,” though, and you’ve got a bit of a lifeline.

4) But the hint doesn’t give it away. Sometimes at trivia you’ve figured out the answer to the question the host is asking — then they add another piece of information that means everyone has figured out the answer. A deflating moment. Jennings’ hint rewards lateral thinking. You could be literal and think of a Mexican state with a short name — Baja? — but that’s not where it’s going.

Because the answer (which I guessed, but looked up to be sure) is Chihuahua, a word most commonly used in US English to describe a diminutive dog, not El Estado Grande.

This caliber of question isn’t unusual for Jennings — he’s been doing this for a while, and studying the masters who write for Jeopardy! for longer — but this is one of the pithiest examples I’ve seen for a while.

(And if you don’t subscribe to Tuesday Trivia, you really should.)

Quiz: Geography

Round 1 at the Old Pequliar on June 3, 2008
Average score: 3.38/10 (16 teams)

So, yeah, this round’s a little too difficult.

1) None of the United Nations member states start with the letter X — or what other letter?
2) What’s the most populous country in the world where Spanish is a national language?
3) Name one of the two largest islands in Washington’s Island County.
4) 37 towns share the most popular place name in the US. Which founding father inspired most of them?
5) After the breakup of the Soviet Union, what country became the world’s leading producer of potatoes?
6) Put these three places in order of total area, from smallest to largest: the city of Juneau, Alaska; King County, Washington; and the state of Rhode Island
7) Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto, and Mérida are cities in what South American country?
8) Which US city contains the world’s largest population of Iranians outside of Iran?
9) Birthplace of Goethe, Bach and Nietzsche, what was the second-most-populous city in East Germany?
10) After the 1861 unification of Italy, two cities were capitals before Rome. Name one of them.

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Geography

1) What U.S. city shares a border with Tijuana, Mexico?
2) Six states make up New England. Name five of them.
3) What German city, home of BMW, was selected as the most livable in the world by Monocle magazine?
4) The area known as Kurdistan includes small parts of Syria and Armenia, plus large parts of three other countries. Name two of those countries.
5) What US state first applied for admission to the union in 1849 under the name Deseret?
6) Sure, Patagonia is a clothing company, but it’s also a region of South America covering parts of two countries. Name one of them.
7) The Erie Canal connects Lake Erie to what river in New York?
8) The world’s largest producers of silver are Mexico and what South American country, which has produced silver for European consumption since the 1500s?
9) There’s a Moxy Fruvous song that claims the US’s lowest highest point is in Delaware, but they’re wrong. Which state actually has that distinction, peaking at a mere 345 feet above sea level?
10) The Golden Shield Project is a government-sponsored effort to control all Internet traffic into and out of what country?

Average score, 17 teams: 7.47

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Quiz: Filthy Stinking Rich

1) John D. Rockefeller, by most measures the richest man in American history, earned his money in what industry?
2) What slang term based on sound effects from dental commercials was popularized in the late 1990s by hip-hop artists like the Cash Money Millionaires, Lil Wayne, and B.G.?
3) Who’s been the only African American listed on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans every year since 1995?
4) According to Forbes magazine, who is the wealthiest: the richest person in Canada, Japan, Mexico, or Russia?
5) What fictional character’s wealth was once calculated as “one multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred twenty-three dollars and sixty-two cents”?
6) What 1987 movie paraphrases a speech made by Ivan Boesky before he was jailed for insider trading?
7) At the end of every episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Robin Leach wished the viewer “champagne wishes” and what kind of dreams?
8) In 2004, Bill Rancic became the first person to win what television show?
9) Republican pollster Fred Luntz popularized what alternate name for the estate tax?
10) According to Forbes magazine, what British archaeologist is the wealthiest fictional woman in the world?

Average score: 8.4

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Quiz: Geography

1) According to RandMcnally.com, the driving distance from Seattle to Portland is closest to the driving distance between Chicago and which city: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, or St. Louis?
2) What city is the SuperMall in?
3) What’s the most populous city in the US named after a person who was alive when it was founded?
4) The city of Oslo, Norway, is closest in population to which US city: Albuquerque, Charlotte, Detroit, or Las Vegas?
5) New Zealand is named after the province of Zeeland in what country?
6) What country is the world’s leading producer of avocados?
7) What’s the longest river in the U.S. that doesn’t share its name with a state?
8) On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh declared its independence from what country?
9) The mouth of the Cedar River, where it flows into Lake Washington, is located in what city?
10) When the Denny Party landed at Alki Point in 1851, the site was part of what U.S. territory?

Average score, out of 17 teams: 5.06. Low score 2, high score 8. Continue reading

Quiz: Geography

From the Old Pequliar on Jan. 23, 2007

1) What’s the most populous city on I-5 between Seattle and Portland?
2) As of 2006, according to the Economist Intelligence Group, what Scandinavian city is the most expensive in the world?
3) The total land area of Japan is closest to the total land area of which state: California, Michigan, Montana, or Oregon?
4) What river forms part of the border between Ontario and New York?
5) Which California city is the most populous city in the US that doesn’t contain at least 1,000,000 people?
6) Name one of the two Central American countries that borders Mexico.
7) Land’s End, the westernmost point in England, is located in which county?
8) Measured by total passenger traffic, which airport is the busiest on the European continent?
9) Name one of the two countries in the world that borders 14 other countries.
10) Seattle’s Empire Way was officially renamed in 1982. What’s it known as today?

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Geography

Used Jan 9, 2007, at the Old Pequliar.

  1. What’s the tallest peak in the Olympic Mountains?
  2. What strait connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean?
  3. What country is Mount Kilimanjaro in?
  4. What word meaning “mapmaking” combines the Greek words for “map” and “write”?
  5. Colorado has the highest average elevation in the US. What state has the highest average elevation east of the Mississippi?
  6. Name one of the two Mexican states that borders Arizona.
  7. Name two of the three US states that contain parts of Yellowstone National Park.
  8. What’s the largest city by population in the UTC -6 time zone, a.k.a. Central Time?
  9. In 2005, what Asian city surpassed Singapore as the busiest port in the world, measured by total shipping tonnage? (shipping tonnage = total mass of cargo transported though the port)
  10. Within Seattle city limits, Washington State Route 522 is known as what street?

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