Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Trivia Q&A: April 20

We had 17 teams in for Trivia Night, and a nice crowd in to watch the Celtics playoff game and the Red Sox-Rangers game. We got going just after the scheduled time, and the scores in the first categories were rather strong, especially in "Lexigraphic Trivia." I guess most folks know their lexigraphy. (And the bar was hopping at the Celtics blowout win, and even more when the Sox came from behind and won.)

We had just six teams get all five points in All or Nothing Trivia, and after some good scores in General Knowledge, it was close heading into IQ Trivia. But the team of Suck It, Bjork ran the table in that round and pulled out a two-point win. It was only just the second time in our Trivia Night's history that a team who missed the first round won it all in just four rounds. Nice job to Matt and his friends.

And a tip of the cap to the team of Bob Eyjajallajokull's Law Blog for helping me pronounce that name. I was calling it "That Volcano in Iceland" until they wrote the correct pronounciation for me, and that gave everyone a good laugh. And I rewarded them by giving them the prize for Best Team Name (which was a pitcher of beer).

Current Events
1. This TV personality filed for divorce from his wife of 13 years last week, and it will be his eighth overall divorce.
2. Volcanic ash from an eruption of a volcano on this island nation disrupted air traffic across northern and western Europe this week.
3. First Lady Michelle Obama made her first overseas visit without the president last week. Name 1 of the 2 countries she visited.
4. This prestigious American newspaper was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes last week, the most any newspaper received for its work in 2009.
5. Conan O'Brien announced his return to television recently, and it will be with this network beginning this coming November.
6. This state selected "an official microbe" last week, Lactococcus Lactis, which is bacterium used to make cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack cheese.
7. Ubaldo Jimenez, a pitcher on this NL team, threw the first no-hitter in the team's history, a 4-0 whitewash over the Atlanta Braves last Saturday night.

Answers: 1. Larry King; 2. Iceland; 3. Haiti and Mexico; 4. Washington Post; 5. TBS; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Colorado Rockies.

Lexigraphic Trivia
1. At Symbol
2. Caret
3. Asterisk
4. Pound Key
5. Ampersand
6. Semi Colon
7. Tilde
8. Copyright Symbol
9. Backslash
10. Elipses

Answers: 1. @; 2. ^; 3. *; 4. #; 5. &; 6. ;; 7. ~; 8. (c inside of a circle); 9. \; 10. ...

All or Nothing Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This is the largest continent in the world in area.
2. CNN was launched in 1980 by what man?
3. What is America's longest river?
4. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in 1863 in what state?
5. The Hundred Years War was actually more than 100 years long. True or false?
6. What state is known as the Hoosier state?
7. What Shakespeare play begins with the line, "Who's there?"
8. Gingivitis affects what part of the body?
9. The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in what state?
10. Adam West portrayed what superhero on TV in the 1960s?

Answers: 1. Asia; 2. Ted Turner; 3. Mississippi; 4. Pennsylvania; 5. true (116 years); 6. Indiana; 7. "Hamlet;" 8. gums; 9. New York; 10. Batman.

General Knowledge
1. In which century did George Washington begin his first term as president? ( 1 pt)
2. How man US states contain the word "new" in them? ( 1 pt)
3. What one-time Michigan-based record label recently celebrated its 50th anniversary? ( 1 pt)
4. Name 1 of Canada's 2 national sports. ( 2 pt)
5. What current US state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on US soil? ( 2 pt)
6. "Meerschaum" and "corncob" are two popular types of what? ( 2 pt)
7. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? ( 3 pt)

Answers: 1. 18th century; 2. four (NY, NJ, NM, NH); 3. Motown; 4. hockey and lacrosse; 5. Alaska; 6. pipes; 7. raspberry.

IQ Trivia
1. Which US state was its own republic from 1777-1791? ( 3 points)
2. The Hemlock Society, an American right-to-die organization, took its name to honor what philosopher? ( 5 points)
3. What comedian did rocker Iggy Pop phone in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? ( 4 points)
4. Who's last book, "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium" was a posthumous bestseller in 1997? ( 4 points)
5. Who was the only filmmaker to win two Best Director Oscars during the 1980s? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Vermont; 2. Socrates; 3. Moe Howard; 4. Carl Sagan; 5. Oliver Stone.

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