Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Trivia Q&A: June 3

We returned to another large crowd for Trivia on Tuesday night, as 21 teams took part. It certainly was an interesting night. The scores on Current Events were pretty strong, but they slid down slightly with June 3rd Trivia.

I had kept the change in The Q Train a secret from all the Trivia players, and I was very curious to see how they would react to the Spell The Word category. I took the words directly from the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals, which had just concluded last week. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive response, and many people said to me after the contest they rather enjoyed it and would like to see it return (and it will in the future). The numbers also were pretty strong.

We had an incredibly close contest going into IQ Trivia, with five teams tied for first place, and six other teams withing four points. We had two teams run the table in IQ Trivia, and they were two of the teams that were tied going into the round. So we had a tie-breaker question to get a winner: "How many Billboard Number One hit singles did the Beatles have in the US?" The answer was 20, and Mr. Joe Bangles, Dance had the closest guess and were awarded the victory.

My congratulations to them on their win.

Please do keep in mind that we will be having Trivia Night next week on Wednesday, June 11th at 8:30 PM, due to the Celtics playoff game next Tuesday.

Current Events
1. This Hollywood actress last week suggested that China's "bad karma" over its treatment of Tibet maybe responsible for the May 12 earthquake may get her films there banned in the future.
2. This small Asian country declared itself a republic last week by its newly elected government, as the last king ended his reign in the 240-year-old monarchy.
3. This controversial Hollywood actress declared in a recent interview that she would consider moving to Canada should John McCain be elected president in November.
4. An earthquake in this South American country last Saturday killed 11 and injured 54.
5. Sameer Mishra won this yearly competition last Friday, in Washington, DC.
6. This legendary rock and blues artist passed away yesterday in Florida at the age of 79.
7. A suicide bomb exploded outside this country's embassy in Pakistan on Monday.

Answers: 1. Sharon Stone; 2. Nepal; 3. Susan Sarandon; 4. Colombia; 5. National Spelling Bee; 6. Bo Diddley; 7. Denmark.

June 3rd Trivia

1. Ian Hunter, who was the lead singer and guitarist of this legendary 1970s rock band, turns 69 today.
2. This US president couldn't take up residence in the White House in 1800 on this date because it wasn't completed, so he moved into a Washington DC tavern instead.
3. Hernando de Soto claimed this current US state for Spain on this date in 1539.
4. Astronaut Edward White became the man in history to do this on this date in 1965.
5. This two-time Oscar winner, best known for his roles in "Zorba the Greek" and "Lawrence of Arabia," and was immortalized in the title of a Bob Dylan song, died on this date in 2001.
6. This legendary bandleader, who had a classic TV show featuring his wife and sons in the 1950s, died on this day in 1975.
7. Larry McMurtry, who wrote this Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 novel about ex-Texas Rangers driving their cattle from the Rio Grande to Montana, turns 72 today.

Answers: 1. Mott the Hoople; 2. John Adams; 3. Florida; 4. walk in space; 5. Anthony Quinn; 6. Ozzie Nelson; 7. "Lonesome Dove."

Spell That Word ("The Q Train")

1. STALAGMITE (noun): a deposit former on the floor of a cave by the dripping of percolating water
2. CRITERION (noun): a standard of judgment or criticism.
3. RAMBUNCTIOUS (adj): difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous.
4. ELUCIDATE (verb): to make lucid or clear; throw light upon.
5. VAUDEVILLIAN (noun): a person who writes for or performs in vaudeville.
6. CASSOCK (noun): a long garment worn by members of the clergy or others participating in church services.
7. SEDER (noun): a ceremonial dinner held on the first night of Passover.
8. SKEDADDLE (verb): to run away hurriedly; flee.
9. LARYNGITIS (noun): inflammation of the larynx with accompanying sore throat and loss of voice.
10. PHILISTINE (noun): a person who is lacking in or indifferent to cultural values.

General Knowledge
1. What rock band reported Ticketmaster to the Justice Department in 1994 for monopolizing the ticket industry?
2. What type of clothing is a mukluk?
3. James Bond author Ian Fleming wrote what famous children's book?
4. The Swingline company is most famous for making what product?
5. What is the main ingredient in the Italian dish risotto?
6. In the Batman comic book series, what character's real name is Edward Nygma?
7. "We answer to a higher authority" is the trademarked slogan of what company?

Answers: 1. Pearl Jam; 2. boot; 3. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang;" 4. staplers; 5. rice; 6. The Riddler; 7. Hebrew National.

IQ Trivia
1. The official song of what US state is "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away?" ( 4 points)
2. What female singer, in 1999, became the oldest woman, at the age of 52, to have the Billboard Hot 100 Number One single? ( 4 points)
3. Frank Borman, Walter Cunningham and Harrison Schmitt have all held what job? ( 3 points)
4. "Aurora australis" is the scientific name for what atmospheric phenomena? ( 4 points)
5. In what 1980s movie does a character quiz his fiancee on the Baltimore Colts before agreeing to marry her? ( 5 points)

Answers: 1. Indiana; 2. Cher; 3. astronaut; 4. Southern Lights; 5. "Diner."

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