Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Trivia Q&A: March 11

We had another terrific night of Trivia on Tuesday night, with a theme running through a few teams names: none other than the now-disgraced Eliot Spitzer. Before the contest I wondered how many teams would have a name referenced to the soon-to-be ex-governor of New York, and it turned out to be six. ( A couple of which I really wouldn't write here, as good taste would not allow me.)

19 teams took part, and we had some pretty good scores in Irish Trivia, and some very good ones in True or False. General Knowledge had some tough questions, but the scores were very respectable. Going into IQ Trivia, we had eight teams within four points of the lead.

But a team called Screw You It's All About U ran the table in the round, got 25 points, and jumped from 13th place and into a tie for first with another team, We're Smarter Than Our Significant Others & Rachael. So, we had a tie-breaker question: "At what age was Ronald Reagan when he was first elected president in 1980?" Screw You was closest when they guessed "71" (the answer was 69), and thus became the champion. It was the second straight week that a team has come back from the pack in the final round to gain the victory. My congratulations to them.

Current Events
1. This American billionaire replaced Bill Gates for the title of "World's Richest Man," according to Forbes Magazine.
2. This foreign city replaced New York as the home of the most billionaires in the world, with 74, according to Forbes.
3. The governor of this US state announced last week that she is pregnant and expecting her 5th child this May.
4. A bomb caused minor damage to the door of this building in Times Square last week.
5. A letter written by this US president to a group of schoolchildren maybe worth as much as $5 million when it is auctioned off by Sotheby's next month.
6. China says they will tighten controls over foreign singers when this female singer yelled "Tibet! Tibet!" at a concert in Shanghai last week.
7. A Queens teenager was convicted on hate crimes charges last Friday after he did this to a 15-year-old Sikh boy at a Queens high school last June.
8. An airliner carrying the prime minister of this European country had to be diverted at JFK Airport on Sunday due to an anonymous bomb threat.
9. A lawmaker in this US state wants to make Budweiser the "official beer" of his state.
10. The war in Iraq will cost the US this many billions of dollars per month this year, a leading economist said this week.

Answers: 1. Warren Buffett; 2. Moscow; 3. Alaska; 4. US Military Recruiting Center; 5. Abraham Lincoln; 6. Bjork; 7. Took off his turban and cut his hair; 8. Poland; 9. Missouri; 10. fifteen.

Irish Trivia
1. An Irish pub in midtown Manhattan announced last week it would not play a certain Irish standard song because the owner was "sick of it" and it was "overrated." Was it: a. "Danny Boy;" b. "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling;" c. "Whiskey in the Jar;" d. "Toora Loora Looral."
2. Which Irish actor played the title role in the 1996 film "Michael Collins," about the Irish freedom fighter? a. Daniel Day-Lewis; b. Liam Neeson; c. Aidan Quinn; d. Pierce Brosnan.
3. In what year did the "Easter Uprising" occur in Ireland? a. 1922; b. 1920; c. 1913; d. 1916.
4. Which Irish saint is said to have discovered America 1000 years before Columbus? a. St. Patrick; b. St. Brendan; c. St. Francis; d. St. James.
5. Which city in Ireland gets its name from the Gaelic meaning "dark pool?" a. Dublin; b. Cork; c. Tipperary; d. Shannon.
6. Which Irish rock band featured the late Phil Lynott on lead vocals and guitar? a. The Saw Doctors; b. The Cranberries; c. The Pogues; d. Thin Lizzy.
7. What century did the Irish Potato Famine occur in? a. 17; b. 18; c. 19; d. 20.
8. What is the official Emblem of Ireland? a. the harp; b. the shamrock; c. the high cross; d. the claddagh ring.
9. What city hosted the first St. Patrick Day's Parade? a. Boston; b. Dublin; c. New York; d. Philadelphia.
10. True or false: The first president of the Irish Republic, Eamon De Valera, was actually born in New York City.

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

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Beijing is the largest city in China by population.
2. In the 1989 film "The Fabulous Baker Boys," the boys make their living by playing football.
3. The father of Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf headed the Lindbergh baby kidnapping investigation for the NJ State Police.
4. The DeBeers Corporation is most associated with crude oil.
5. Sonar uses sound waves to locate underwater objects.
6. In 1994, Dan Jansen won an Olympic gold medal in ski jumping.
7. A clam is an example of a bivalve.
8. Ragout is an example of stew.
9. A mainframe is a type of camera.
10. Caligula was the Emperor of Rome during the disasterous fire of 64 AD.

Answers: 1. false, Shanghai is; 2. false, they played piano; 3. true; 4. false, diamonds; 5. true; 6. he won in speed skating; 7. true; 8. true; 9. false, it is a computer; 10. false, it was Nero.

General Knowledge
1. A lawsuit in which one plaintiff represents a large group with a common complaint is called what?
2. In Grimm's fairy tale "Cinderella," how many stepsisters does Cinderella have?
3. A colony of penguins is called what?
4. What Japanese word, literally translated, means "empty hand?"
5. In 1989, what author was forced into hiding after receiving a death sentence from Ayatollah Khomeini?
6. What part of the vanilla plant is used to make the vanilla spice?
7. What southern US city was founded in 1841 on the banks of the Trinity River?
8. In the "Blondie" comic strip, who is Dagwood's boss?
9. From the Spanish for table, what is the term for a flat-topped elevation common to the Southwest?
10. A business that sells goods in mass quantities to other stores for resale is known as what?

Answers: 1. class action; 2. two; 3. rookery; 4. karate; 5. Salman Rushdie; 6. bean; 7. Dallas; 8. Mr. Dithers; 9. mesa; 10. wholesaler.

IQ Trivia
1. In what movie does Lauren Bacall say to Humphrey Bogart, "Just put your lips together and blow"? ( 5 points)
2. What European country passed a law in 2000 reducing the official national workweek to 35 hours? ( 5 points)
3. In music, what is another name for a "paradiddle?" ( 4 points)
4. In Winston Churchill's famous quote, "Never was so much owed by so many to so few," who are "the few?" ( 6 points)
5. William Tell is a legendary hero of what country? ( 5 points)

Answers: 1. "To Have and Have Not;" 2. France; 3. drumroll; 4. Royal Air Force; 5. Switzerland.

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