Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Trivia Q&A: March 25

We had 18 teams for Trivia Night on Tuesday night. It was an extremely long day due to the Red Sox game being on so early that morning, but I found a way to muddle through. The Current Events numbers were pretty low, and I got some comments that the questions were rather difficult. The numbers for Red Sox Trivia were of course a bit high, as I did not make the questions all that difficult, and there were a good number of Red Sox fans on hand. True or False had the best numbers on the night, and a couple of players afterwards told me they were a bit too easy. You know what I'll do with that next week.

The IQ Trivia round saw the numbers generally on the lighter side, and a team called This Mic.. got four the five questions right and got 20 points to move from third place and win the night by eight points. It is the second win in three weeks for them, and I offer my congratulations to them on their victory. (Update: We did have some controversy regarding two of the IQ questions. Turns out Roberto Benigni did direct himself and won the Oscar for Best Actor for "Life is Beautiful." I did write "first" in the question here, but did not in the quiz. My apologies. Also, the Coast Guard is now under the Department of Homeland Security, since 2003. Thanks to those Trivia players who pointed these facts out to me. Yep, the Trivia Maven slips up every so often.)

Current Events
1. Forbes magazine recently revealed that this western US state is the worst state in the country to own a carin, in terms of overall costs.
2. A nine-month stalemate in this European country finally ended last week, with a new government formed by Yves Leterme sworn in as the new prime minister.
3. This daytime drama (aka soap opera) on ABC celebrated its 45th anniversary last week.
4. This classic rock group's lawyers sued last week to prevent a company from releasing recordings made by the group in the early 1960s before they became famous.
5. The wardrobe worn by this female pop singer's appearance on a TV sitcom will be sold at auction soon to benefit an environmental organization.
6. This Hollywood actress, who will turn 50 this year, will pose topless for the cover of AARP magazine in its May-June issue.
7. Protestors in this European country gathered to protest a movie made by a filmmaker from that country that they perceived to be anti-Islamic.
8. 18 sailors from this Eastern European country were trapped underwater on Sunday in their capsized tugboat when it collied with a cargo ship off Hong Kong.
9. The mayor of this US city was charged with perjury and other charges after his sworn denials of an affair were contradicted by sexually explicit text messages.
10. This American auto giant will later this year become the first to offer in-car Internet access in the United States.

Answers: 1. Hawaii; 2. Belgium; 3. "General Hospital;" 4. The Beatles; 5. Britney Spears; 6. Jamie Lee Curtis; 7. Netherlands; 8. Ukraine; 9. Detroit; 10. Chrysler.

Red Sox Trivia

1. Which Red Sox pitcher threw a no-hitter in 2007? a. Josh Beckett; b. Curt Schilling; c. Clay Buchholz; d. Jon Lester.
2. Which Red Sox player was the MVP of the 2007 World Series? a. David Ortiz; b. Josh Beckett; c. Dustin Pedroia; d. Mike Lowell.
3. Which former Red Sox player is currently not in the Baseball Hall of Fame? a. Jim Rice; b. Carl Yastrzemski; c. Wade Boggs; d. Carlton Fisk.
4. With their title in 2007, how many World Series have the Red Sox now won in total? a. 5; b. 6; c. 7; d. 8.
5. Which National League team traded Curt Schilling to the Red Sox in late 2003? a. Arizona; b. Philadelphia; c. Houston; d. Los Angeles.
6. What team did Manny Ramirez play for before coming to the Red Sox as a free agent in 2001? a. Minnesota Twins; b. Cleveland Indians; c. Detroit Tigers; d. New York Yankees.
7. Who was the last Red Sox pitcher to win a Cy Young Award? a. Roger Clemens; b. Josh Beckett; c. Curt Schilling; d. Pedro Martinez.
8. What current MLB player was a teammate of Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan? a. Hideki Matsui; b. Daisuke Matsuzaka; c. Ichiro Suzuki; d. Kaz Matsui.
9. Who was the MVP of the Red Sox 2004 World Series win? a. David Ortiz; b. Keith Foulke; c. Manny Ramirez; d. Curt Schilling.
10. Which baseball film was partially filmed in Fenway Park? a. "Bull Durham;" b. "Field of Dreams;" c. "Major League;" d. "Eight Men Out."

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

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")

1. Alaskan King and Dungeness are both types of crabs.
2. Yosemite National Park is located in the state of Idaho.
3. The TV show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" is based on a character from the Archie comic book series.
4. Andromeda is the only other galaxy besides the Milky Way that is visible to the naked eye.
5. The Great Sphinx is found in the Gobi desert.
6. Xanadu was a home for the legendary Kublai Khan.
7. Feminist Gloria Steinem once wrote about her experiences as a Playboy Bunny.
8. Carotene gives plants its green color.
9. Richard Nixon's daughter Julie is related by marriage to Dwight D. Eisenhower.
10. The Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl in 1967 against the Oakland Raiders.

Answers: 1. true; 2. false, it is in California; 3. true; 4. true; 5. false, it is the Sahara; 6. true; 7. true; 8. false, chlorophyll; 9. true; 10. false, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.

General Knowledge

1. In which European country would you find the Matterhorn?
2. What did scientists James Watson and Francis Crick discover in 1953?
3. What architectural term describes a projecting beam that is supported at only one end?
4. According to the opening credits of the classic TV series "The X-Files," where is "the truth?"
5. What sport is played with a shuttlecock?
6. Before joining the boy band 'N Sync, two members were regulars on what children's TV show?
7. Under what name was the city of St. Petersburg, Russia once known as?
8. What letter in the Braille alphabet is represented by a single raised dot?
9. What animated character famously danced with Gene Kelly in the film "Anchors Aweigh?"
10. In 218 BC, Hannibal crossed the Alps intent on capturing what European city?

Answers: 1. Switzerland; 2. 3-D Structure of DNA; 3. cantilever; 4. out there; 5. badminton; 6. "The Mickey Mouse Club;" 7. Leningrad; 8. A; 9. Jerry; 10. Rome.

IQ Trivia

1. Which actor first won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a feature film that he directed? ( 6 points)
2. What band's video was the very first to be played on MTV in 1981? ( 4 points)
3. During times of peace, the Coast Guard operates under what government agency's jurisdiction? ( 5 points)
4. During what war did nurse Florence Nightingale achieve notoriety? ( 5 points)
5. What painter is credited with designing the uniforms worn by the Vatican's Swiss Guards? ( 5 points)

Answers: 1. Laurence Olivier; 2. The Buggles; 3. Department of Transportation; 4. Crimean War; 5. Michelangelo.

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