Trivia Q&A: March 27

We had 15 teams take part in Trivia last night, and we had a close match come down to the final questions. A team called Who Is Your Daddy and What Does He Do emerged victorious. They won by a mere two points, and what spurred them to victory was getting a special five-point bonus question in the General Knowledge section correct, about the population of the five NYC boroughs. They were the only team who got the answer right.

I also stumped everyone with one of the IQ Trivia questions for the first time. It was about the nation that in 1985 changed their time zone to be 15 minutes ahead of India. Just about everyone said Pakistan, as they are India's most known enemy. Turns out it's another of India's detractors: Nepal.

I guess I made the "This Day In History: March 27" Q&A a little too hard, as the average team only got about 5 or 6 correct. Hopefully teams will do a little better next week, as the special category will be on Baseball Trivia, to celebrate the start of the 2007 season.

Current Events
1. This megasuperstar singer signed last week to have his next album released in conjunction with Starbucks, beginning in June.
2. A registered 6.9 earthquake rattled this Asian country on Sunday, sparking fears of tsunamis.
3. This team, which qualified for basketball's Final Four, tied the record for total Final Four apprearances with 17 this past weekend.
4. Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday on Sunday night with a huge concert at this famed venue.
5. The nation of Iran arrested 15 sailors from this country's navy on Friday and is still holding them captive.
6. This film, just released this past Friday, upended "300" as the number film in America last week.
7. The Broward County medical examiner announced that Anna Nicole Smith's death was attributed to this cause.
8. Investigators looking into the 2003 death of this war hero found no criminal negligence involved in his friendly-fire death.
9. The wife of this rock star was arrested outside their California home for torching his clothes in the street on Saturday night.
10. A new power-sharing deal was announced by both opposing sides in this long-troubled land yesterday.

Answers: 1. Paul McCartney; 2. Japan; 3. UCLA; 4. Madison Square Garden; 5. United Kingdom; 6. "TMNT;" 7. Accidental overdose of sleeping medication; 8. Pat Tillman; 9. Scott Weiland; 10. Northern Ireland.

This Day in History: March 27
1. This state was struck by an earthquake on this day in 1964, resulting in 125 deaths. Was it: a. California; b. Hawaii; c. Alaska; d. Washington.
2. Miller Huggins, Hall of Fame baseball manager, was born on this day in 1879. Which team did he manage to the World Series title? a. Boston Red Sox; b. New York Yankees; c. Detroit Tigers; d. Cincinnati Reds.
3. In 1854 on this day, the UK declared war on which country, starting the Crimean War? a. Russia, b. France; c. Germany, d. Austria.
4. In 1981 on this day, Moldova and Bessarabia became part of which eastern European country? a. Hungary; b. Ukraine; c. Yugoslavia; d. Romania.
5. On this day in 1958, who became Premier of the Soviet Union? a. Leonid Brezhnev; b. Nikita Khruschev; c. Joseph Stalin; d. Yuri Andropov.
6. In 1917, Cyrus Vance was born on this day. Under which president was he the Secretary of State? a. Gerald Ford; b. Richard Nixon; c. Jimmy Carter; d. Ronald Reagan.
7. Quentin Tarantino turns 44 today. Which Oliver Stone movie did he originally write the script for but later would disavow? a. Natural Born Killers; b. Wall Street; c. Any Given Sunday; d. Alexander.
8. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin died on this day in 1968. In which year was he the first man ever in space? a. 1959; b. 1960; c. 1961; d. 1962.
9. Mariah Carey turns 37 today. What was her first Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 single? a. Vision of Love; b. I Don't Wanna Cry; c. Emotions; d. Dreamlover.
10. On this date in 1977, the worst air crash in history took place when two jumbo jets collided on the island of Tenerife, killing 577 people. Which country does Tenerife belong to? a. Portugal; b. France; c. Spain; d. UK.

Answers: 1. c; 2. b; 3. a; 4. d; 5. b; 6. c; 7. a; 8. c; 9. a; 10. c.

True Or False ("The Q Train")
1. Tincture is a solution made of medicine dissolved in alcohol.
2. In the US there is a popular belief that shark cartilege can cure cancer.
3. Westminster Abbey has been both an English royal residence and a prison.
4. The standard measure of the size of a TV screen is taken diagonally.
5. Retinol is another name for Vitamin A.
6. The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the most World Series after the Yankees, with 10.
7. The Chinese language has over 50,000 characters in written form but no alphabet.
8. Under FDA regulations, a food labeled "low fat" may contain a maximum of 1 gram of total fat per serving.
9. "All's Well That Ends Well" was the original title for Tolstoy's "War and Peace."
10. "The Museum Mile" is a stretch of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan that contains numerous museums.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, The Tower of London was both; 4. true; 5. true; 6. false, the St. Louis Cardinals are second; 7. true; 8. false, 3 grams are the limit; 9. true; 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. Who was the last US president without a college degree?
2. Which 1960s TV show was made into a 1998 movie and featured the character Emma Peel?
3. In a popular 1977 song, Fleetwood Mac sang, "Don't Stop Thinking About" what?
4. On a typical house, where are the eaves located?
5. What two countries are seperated by The Bering Strait?
6. The comic book heroine "Queen of the Jungle" goes by which first name?
7. The caiman is most closely associated with which animal?
8. The 1980 Gdansk Accords were spearheaded by striking workers in which country?
9. What is the name of the Greek God of wine?
10. Name in correct order the five boroughs of NYC by population. (5 point bonus)

Answers: 1. Harry Truman; 2. The Avengers; 3. Tomorrow; 4. roof; 5. USA and Russia; 6. Sheena; 7. alligator; 8. Poland; 9. Dionysis; 10. Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island.

IQ Trivia
1. The group of barrier islands known as The Outer Banks are found along the coast of which US state? (5 points)
2. What popular recitation includes the final line, "and the wisdom to know the difference?" (5 points)
3. In 1985, which country changed its time zone so it would be 15 minutes ahead of India? (6 points)
4. Which former president wrote the popular bestseller, "An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood?" (5 points)
5. In which part of the human body will you find the hammer and stirrup bones? (4 points)

Answers: 1. North Carolina; 2. The Serenity Prayer; 3. Nepal; 4. Jimmy Carter; 5. ear.