Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Trivia Q&A: April 1

We had 12 teams for Trivia on a busy night at Professor Thom's. We had an early arriving crowd for the game at 10, but still, many of the regulars came in early for Trivia at 8 (and I thank all of you for that). The toughest round of the night was the April 1st Trivia round, as the best score was an 8. But the scores picked up with True or False, as three teams managed to get perfect scores.

Going into the final round, we had just three teams with at least thirty points, and the team in second, Das Van Trapps, ran the table in the final round and got all 25 points and got the win, by ten points. (The scores in the last round were better than I would have thought, as many teams got at least three questions right.) Congratulations to them on their win.

We return to the regular 9 PM start next Tuesday, as the Red Sox have their home opener, when the championship flag goes up the pole, in the afternoon.

Current Events
1. This Middle Eastern airline has said that this year they will permit passengers to make midair cell phone calls and on one route will allow first class passengers to shower.
2. This male pop singer was chosen to be host of the ESPY Awards, ESPN's award show, to be broadcast this July.
3. The Census Bureau last week said that this southern midwest city had the largest population increase between July 2006 and July 2007 of over 162,000 new residents.
4. Dith Pran, a Cambodian photographer whose story inspired a 1984 Oscar-winning film, died of cancer on Sunday at the age of 65.
5. Forbes.com recently predicted that this Asian city will have the highest population of any metropolitan area in 2025, with over 36 million people.
6. The Vatican's newspaper reported on Sunday that for the first time in history there are more followers of this faith than there are Roman Catholics in the world.
7. This US city once again earned the dubious title of "The Most Polluted City in America."
8. This film, with a cast of largely unknowns, raked in over $23 million last weekend to become the number one film at the box office in the US.
9. French liquor group Pernod Ricard is buying Vin & Sprit, the maker of this legendary vodka, for just over $9 billion.
10. Alphonso Jackson, a cabinet secretary with this agency, announced his resignation Monday, effective April 18.

Answers: 1. Emirates Airlines; 2. Justin Timberlake; 3. Dallas; 4. "The Killing Fields;" 5. Tokyo; 6. Islam; 7. Los Angeles; 8. "21;" 9. Absolut; 10. HUD.

April 1st Trivia

1. On this date in 1867, this Asian island nation became a British crown colony, and it eventually became an independent nation in 1965.
2. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower authorized the creation of the US Air Force Academy, located in this state.
3. In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak formed this company in Cupertino, California.
4. This Western European country became the first country to allow same-sex marriages, on this date in 2001.
5. This late 19th Century musician and composer, whose song "The Entertainer" was made famous in the 1973 film "The Sting," died on this date in 1917.
6. This R&B singer got into an argument with his father on this day in 1984 and was shot dead.
7. This actress, best known for her Academy Award-nominated role in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in 1964, turns 76 today.
8. This city's transit system went on strike on this date in 1980, and stayed out for 11 days.
9. This NYC-born 19th Century author and poet published one of his best known books "The Confidence Man," on this day in 1857.
10. This man, who led the infamous "Beer Hall Putsch" coup d-etat, was sentenced to five years in jail on this day in 1924.

Answers: 1. Singapore; 2. Colorado; 3. Apple; 4. Netherlands; 5. Scott Joplin; 6. Marvin Gaye; 7. Debbie Reynolds; 8. New York City; 9. Herman Melville; 10. Adolf Hitler.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")

1. The "c" in the equation E=mc2 represents mass.
2. It takes the Earth one year to make one full orbit around the sun.
3. Sydney is the capital of Australia.
4. A viral epidemic is the subject of the 1979 film "The China Syndrome."
5. "Race car" is an example of a palindrome.
6. Joseph Smith was the first governor of the Utah territory.
7. A cedar tree is not considered a conifer.
8. The Earth's circumference at the equator is just under 25,000 miles.
9. Male US citizens are required to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 21st birthday.
10. The diameter of a circle is found by doubling its radius.

Answers: 1. false, speed of light; 2. true; 3. false, Canberra; 4. false, nuclear plant accident; 5. true; 6. false, Brigham Young; 7. false, it is; 8. true; 9. false, 18th birthday; 10. true.

General Knowledge

1. The 1983 film "National Lampoon's Vacation" featured the Griswold family on their way to what fun park?
2. What is the anatomical term for the breastbone?
3. What classic arcade game featured ghost characters named Inky, Blinky and Clyde?
4. How many US states border California?
5. For what crime was gangster Al Capone sentenced to 11 years in prison?
6. What hybrid animal results when bison are crossbred with cattle?
7. By definition, the study of sound is called what?
8. Regina is the capital of what Canadian province?
9. What magazine shares its name with a 19th Century novel by William Thackeray?
10. Which famed 20th Century British author wrote the books "Childhood's End" and "Islands in the Sky?"

Answers: 1. Wally World; 2. sternum; 3. PacMan; 4. three; 5. tax evasion; 6. beefalo; 7. acoustics; 8. Saskatchewan; 9. Vanity Fair; 10. Arthur C. Clarke.

IQ Trivia

1. What female painter's later works depict the sands and adobes of New Mexico, where she made her home? ( 5 points)
2. What Greek philosopher taught Alexander the Great when he was a teenager? ( 5 points)
3. In what language was Anne Frank's original diary first published? ( 5 points)
4. In exchanged for being released from her movie studio contract, what actress allowed her wedding to be filmed and released? ( 4 points)
5. "Good Morning to All" was the original title of what classic song when it was first written? ( 6 points)

Answers: 1. Georgia O'Keeffe; 2. Aristotle; 3. Dutch; 4. Grace Kelly; 5. "Happy Birthday to You."

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