Trivia Q&A: April 10

We had 17 teams competing in the final Tuesday Night Trivia contest, as it will be moving to Monday beginning next week. I made the announcement of the switch before we got going, and there were some noticeable groans in the bar. There was a good crowd in the bar. I spent almost the entire day at Professor Thom's, as I spent the afternoon watching the Red Sox 14-3 mauling of the Seattle Mariners on Fenway's Opening Day. We had another fine night of Trivia, with the team known as Don Imus Fan Club pulling out a two-point victory.

The scores were a little higher than usual this week, as most teams seemed to do very well in The Q Train and General Knowledge (I guess I'll have to make them harder next week). Most teams got two of the five IQ Trivia questions right, and only one got "The Rubaiyat" question correct.

It was good seeing many of the regulars last night, but others were noticeably absent. I hope many of you can make it on Mondays from now until September (when Trivia Night will go back to Tuesday). I did hear from a few people that Monday isn't good for them, but with the Red Sox playing just about every Tuesday night, and the big crowds that they draw to Professor Thom's, a switch to Monday was inevitable.

Current Events
1. This prominent Republican said on Fox News Sunday this past weekend that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign over the firings of the US attorneys.
2. Radio talk show host Don Imus made controversial comments about this group last week, causing his two week suspension by CBS Radio on Monday.
3. This film was number one for the second straight week, taking in $23 million last week.
4. Johnny Hart, creator of this classic comic strip, died at his upstate New York home last Saturday.
5. Zach Johnson defeated Tiger Woods by two strokes to win this major golf tournament last Sunday.
6. Researchers say that tai chi may actually help prevent this painful skin condition in older people.
7. A nurse was arrested on Monday, accused of setting a fire that killed three people in a high-rise building in this city on March 28.
8. Four consecutive days of cold and snow wiped out an entire series of baseball games in this midwestern city over the weekend.
9. A cruise ship sank last week off the coast of this country, and two people are missing and presumed drowned.
10. A teenager and her mother were arrested in Illinois, accused of running an escort service through using an ad on this popular web site.

Answers: 1. Newt Gingrich; 2. Rutgers women's basketball team; 3. "Blades of Glory;" 4. B.C.; 5. The Masters; 6. shingles; 7. Houston; 8. Cleveland; 9. Greece; 10. Craigslist.

Quantity 1-10 Trivia
1. This amendment to the US Constitution is used to protect witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves.
2. As of 2006, in our solar system, this is the number of bodies orbiting the Sun considered to be planets.
3. This number subway train in NYC runs from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to South Ferry in Manhattan.
4. This number was worn by baseball Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig and Earl Weaver.
5. In the Bible, this number day is the day God rested on after creating the world.
6. Julie Andrews starred in a 1979 film with just this number in the title.
7. Thomas Jefferson's portrait is on this numbered papered US bill.
8. This is the number of strings on a standard guitar.
9. This is the number of Beethoven's last completed symphony.
10. In astrology, Gemini is this number sign of the zodiac.

Answers: 1. five; 2. eight; 3. one; 4. four; 5. seven; 6. ten; 7. two; 8. six; 9. nine; 10. three.

True Or False ("The Q Train")
1. Rex is the Latin name for king.
2. Formica is made from plastic.
3. Miles Davis wrote the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.
4. Socrates, the Greek philosopher, never wrote anything down.
5. Antarctica contains 70% of the world's fresh water.
6. Jazz musician William Basie was better known as "Duke."
7. The singer Prince's real first name is Harold.
8. The capital of Alaska is Anchorage.
9. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president.
10. The Loop is an historical center of downtown Los Angeles.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, it was Wynton Marsalis; 4. true; 5. true; 6. false, it was "Count," 7. false, his real first name is Prince; 8. false, it's Juneau; 9. true; 10, false, it's in Chicago.

General Knowledge
1. What was the title of the biggest hit song by the 1980s group The Weather Girls?
2. What crop is harvested by a thresher?
3. What is the only film released with an X rating to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?
4. In February 1999, what group acquitted President Clinton on all charges in his impeachment trial?
5. The Bay of Pigs invasion was designed to overthrow which political leader?
6. What city became the capital of Germany after the country's reunification in 1990?
7. Whose newborn son was featured on the 1953 premiere issue of TV Guide?
8. In 1976, Saigon was renamed in honor of which Asian world leader?
9. The Montagues and the Capulets are two feuding families in which Shakespeare play?
10. CAFTA, modeled after NAFTA, is an international agreement regarding what topic?

Answers: 1. "It's Raining Men;" 2. wheat; 3."Midnight Cowboy;" 4. US Senate; 5. Fidel Castro; 6. Berlin; 7. Lucille Ball; 8. Ho Chi Minh; 9. Romeo and Juliet; 10. free trade.

IQ Trivia
1. The region known as Patagonia is primarily located in which South American country? (5 points)
2. What classic poem features the line, "A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread and Thou?" (6 points)
3. During the US Civil War, what was the westernmost state in the Confederacy? (4 points)
4. Who sang the Oscar-winning song, "Things Have Changed" from the 2000 film, "Wonder Boys?" (5 points)
5. Felipe Calderon was elected president in a hotly contested election in which country in 2006? (5 points)

Answers: 1. Argentina; 2. "The Rubaiyat;" 3. Texas; 4. Bob Dylan; 5. Mexico.