Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Trivia Q&A: September 1

We had quite the spirited crowd in for Trivia Night on Tuesday, and 23 teams turned out. We had a drop off last week, which I was a little concerned about, but many of the regulars were back in the house, along with my friends from The BLOHARDS, who took in the Red Sox-Rays game and played Trivia as well.

There were some solid numbers from the first three rounds, especially the trivia about the Kennedys and Michael Douglas. It looked like it would be a close round all night and it was. We had the top six teams separated by just four points going into IQ Trivia.

As my voice was getting scratchier from a cold that's hitting me, I got through the round, and one of the teams in fifth place got all five answers correct, but they didn't get the year Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on Super Bowl Sunday (which was a bonus point). Had they gotten it right, we would have had a tie, because the team called Montauk Marauders won by just the one point, and they had also led for almost all of the night. Nice job, guys.

Current Events
1. This award-winning PBS children's series ended its successful run after 26 years as the third-longest running kids show on the network.
2. This country's unemployment rate hit a new all-time high this past July, of 5.7%.
3. Colombia accused this country's president of meddling in its internal affairs, and filed a formal complaint with the OAS.
4. This space shuttle launched on a mission to the International Space Station last week, marking the 25th anniversary of its first flight.
5. 10,000 refugees fled violent clashes in this country's Shan State last week, and went into China.
6. Ehud Olmert, former prime minister of this country, was indicted on corruption charges on Sunday, the first PM in that country ever to be so charged.
7. Variety reported that Warner Bros. is planning to make a movie based on this iconic music TV show that ran from the early 1970s until 2006.

Answers: 1. "Reading Rainbow;" 2. Japan; 3. Venezuela; 4. Discovery; 5. Burma; 6. Israel; 7. "Soul Train."

Kennedy Family Trivia
1. What was the name of the Los Angeles hotel that Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in in June 1968?
2. What position was Joseph Kennedy forced to give up in 1940 after he made some controversial remarks that cost him his dream of running for president?
3. What number president was John F. Kennedy?
4. Ted Kennedy ran for president once and failed to get the Democratic nomination. Who did they nominate instead?
5. What state was Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, RFK's eldest daughter, the lieutenant governor of from 1995-2003?
6. Who succeeded John F. Kennedy as congressman from Massachusetts' 11th District in 1953 and served for 34 years?
7. How many years did Ted Kennedy serve in the US Senate?

Answers: 1. Ambassador Hotel; 2. Ambassador to the UK; 3. thirty-five; 4. Jimmy Carter; 5. Maryland; 6. Tip O'Neill; 7. forty-six.

Michael Douglas Film Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The China Syndrome
2. Witness
3. The Game
4. The American President
5. The Quick and The Dead
6. Black Rain
7. Virtuosity
8. The Star Chamber
9. Hollywood Homicide
10. One Night at McCool's

Answers: 1. yes; 2. no; 3. yes; 4. yes; 5. no; 6. yes; 7. no; 8. yes; 9. no; 10. yes.

General Knowledge
1. In the animated film "WALL-E," WALL-E is a robot who works as a what?
2. "Red Vineyard at Arles" is the only painting sold by what artist during his lifetime?
3. Splenda is a sugar substitute that comes in what color packets?
4. What title was created for King Edward VIII of England when he abdicated the throne in 1936?
5. On the sitcom "The Jeffersons," what type of business did George Jefferson own?
6. What team did baseball Hall of Famer Al Kaline play his entire career with?
7. What is the largest city in Alaska by population?

Answers: 1. garbage collector; 2. Vincent Van Gogh; 3. yellow; 4. Duke of Windsor; 5. dry cleaners; 6. Detroit Tigers; 7. Anchorage.

IQ Trivia
1. Brought back to life in 2009 after being killed in 2007, Steve Rogers is the alter ego of what superhero? ( 4 points)
2. What gloomy nickname was given to the field of economics by Thomas Carlyle? ( 4 points)
3. What group of birds are called a "venue" when the group walks on the ground, and a "kettle" when the group circles in the air? ( 5 points)
4. Cape Wrangell is located on the coast of what US state? ( 4 points)
5. Who is the only US president to be inaugurated on Super Bowl Sunday? ( 3 points, plus 1 for the year)

Answers: 1. Captain America; 2. The Dismal Science; 3. vultures; 4. Alaska; 5. Ronald Reagan (1985).

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