Trivia Q&A: July 30

We had 10 teams in for Trivia on Monday night, which was a rather clammy night with no Red Sox game on, as they were idle. But we had a decent crowd, and a few were happy to see the return of Movie Quotes Trivia.

I really didn't think the quotes were terribly difficult, but a few teams had trouble with them. Most teams got about 6 correct or fewer. The scores were better in True or False and General Knowledge.

We had a close match going into IQ Trivia, with the top five teams separated by just three points. But the team called Canonzalone and Friends ran the table on the final round, and wound up winning by eight points. Yes, the long national nightmare ended for my friend Mariangela, as she and her team won for the very first time, after countless second place finishes, including losing the heartbreaking tiebreaker last week.

My congratulations to her and her team. "The Curse" is finally over. See you all next week when you defend your title for the first time.

Current Events
1. Pratibha Patil was sworn in recently as this country's 13th president and first woman ever to occupy the office.
2. Alberto Contador of Spain was crowned the winner of this competition yesterday.
3. This country defeated Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win its first ever Asian Cup in soccer.
4. Seven crew members were killed in a crash of a cargo plane at Domodedovo Airport on Sunday in this city.
5. This comedian was selected to replace Bob Barker as the new host of "The Price Is Right" starting this fall.
6. "The Simpsons Movie" was the number one film in the US this past weekend. How much did it take in in the US (within $5 million)?
7. In which major city did two helicopters crash in midair last week, killing four people?
8. This famous movie star, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of his birth, was honored with a bronze statue at the National Cowboy Museum last week.
9. This TV show host revealed last Thursday he broke his left wrist before taping his show last month.
10. This comic actor recently revealed he'll be starring in the movie remake of the classic TV series, "Get Smart," as Agent Maxwell Smart.

Answers: 1. India; 2. 2007 Tour de France; 3. Iraq; 4. Moscow; 5. Drew Carey; 6. $71.9 million; 7. Phoenix; 8. John Wayne; 9. Stephen Colbert; 10. Steve Carell.

Movie Quotes
1. "To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States."
2. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it."
3. "A man in my position cannot afford to be made to look ridiculous."
4. "Wanna make 14 dollars, the hard way?"
5. "It's good to be The King."
6. "Round up the usual suspects."
7. "Hey rookie. You were good."
8. "That's a horse of a different color."
9. "Man's got to know his limitations."
10. "I'll see you in hell, William Munney."

Answers: 1. "Goodfellas;" 2. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off;" 3. "The Godfather;" 4. "Caddyshack;" 5. "History of the World, Part I;" 6. "Casablanca;" 7. "Field of Dreams;" 8. "The Wizard of Oz;" 9. "Magnum Force;" 10. "Unforgiven."

True or False ("The Q Train")
1. In horticulture, cactus is considered a succulent.
2. According to the UN, India has the largest population in the world.
3. The manned US space shuttle launches take place from the Johnson Space Center.
4. Giorgio Armani uses his real name when designing clothes.
5. Kenny was the name of the character who dies in almost "South Park" episode.
6. Johannesburg is not one of South Africa's three national capitals.
7. On the TV show, "The Brady Bunch," the character of father Mike Brady was a lawyer.
8. The Millenium Dome is located in Australia.
9. The Statue of Liberty has six separate points on its crown.
10. The human "windpipe" is known medically as the trachea.

Answers: 1. true; 2. false, it's China; 3. false, it's the Kennedy Space Center; 4. true; 5. true; 6. true; 7. false, he was an architect; 8. false, it's in England; 9. false, it has seven; 10. true.

General Knowledge
1. By what other name was the television host Don Herbert known as?
2. What is a Geiger counter used to detect?
3. The African tsetse fly is famous for carrying the disease known as what?
4. How many legs does a spider have?
5. Which late TV personality, in 1998, co-authored a best-selling book called "The Century?"
6. The flag of which nation consists of a white cross centered against a field of red?
7. During which war was the TV drama "China Beach" set?
8. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is an example of which type of bridge structure?
9. According to Greek mythology, what vain youth spurned the love of the nymph Echo?
10. In 1997, the Soufriere Hills volcano caused many residents to leave which Caribbean island?

Answers: 1. Mr. Wizard; 2. radiation; 3. sleeping sickness; 4. eight; 5. Peter Jennings; 6. Switzerland; 7. Vietnam War; 8. suspension; 9. Narcissus; 10. Montserrat.

IQ Trivia
1. What was the second state to be officially admitted to the Union? (5 points)
2. What nation changed its name officially to Myanmar in 1989? (5 points)
3. In which city was the signing of the treaty that ended the American Revolution? (4 points)
4. What famous French artist decided to spend his last years of his life in the South Pacific? (5 points)
5. What ancient people created the earliest known examples of a writing system known as cuneiform? (6 points)

Answers: 1. Pennsylvania; 2. Burma; 3. Paris; 4. Paul Gauguin; 5. Sumerians.