Thursday, October 16, 2008

Trivia Q&A: October 15

For the second consecutive week, we had Trivia Night on the same night as a presidential debate, and once again it affected the number of Trivia players. Many of the regulars were away again, many of whom were watching the debate undoubtedly. Just up until 9 PM, I wasn't sure if we'd have the contest, as the bar had mostly folks watching the Phillies-Dodgers NLCS game. (And the above Loft was filled with people watching the debate.)

There was an even split of Phillies and Dodgers fans, and some of the Dodgers fans were from LA. Coincidentally, we had a category called "California Trivia." (The scores were generally pretty good in that round.)

Fortunately most of the bar patrons decided to play Trivia, and we wound up having 12 teams. The scores in Spell the Word Trivia were on the lighter side (no one knew how to spell "tchotchke" correct, by the way), but we had one team that did outstanding the entire night: Did You See The Perfect Storm Goat?. They held the lead throughout and wound up winning by a staggering total of 17 points, which is the largest win ever over a second-place team. My congratulations to them on their historic triumph.

Keep in mind that we return to our regular night of Trivia next Tuesday, October 21st, at 9PM.

Current Events
1. This 42-year-old, Academy Award-winning actress was recently selected "The Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire magazine.
2. This Hollywood actor's Malibu house caught fire and suffered extensive damage as he used a garden hose to try to douse the flames.
3. The National Debt reached this number recently, and a new digit has to be added to the clock in Times Square that tracks it.
4. Jean-Marie Gustave LeClezio won the Nobel Prize in the area last week and became the first Frenchman to do so since 1985.
5. This actor slammed Saturday Night Live in a recent interview after the show did a recent parody of him discussing life with a mule.
6. Officials voted on Friday to hang stainless steel nets from this famous bridge to stop people from jumping to their deaths, which 1200 have done in the bridge's history.
7. This legendary rock musician posted a video message on his web site this week imploring his fans not to send him any more gifts or fan mail, as they will be tossed away because he's too busy.

Answers: 1. Halle Berry; 2. Nick Nolte; 3. $10 trillion; 4. literature; 5. Mark Wahlberg; 6. Golden Gate Bridge; 7. Ringo Starr.

California Trivia
1. What number state did California enter the union as in 1850? a. 25; b. 31; c. 34; d. 37.
2. What percentage of the US population currently lives in California? a. 7; b. 10; c. 12; d. 18.
3. Which California mountain is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states? a. Whitney; b. Shasta; c. McKinley; d. Lassen.
4. Who was the first US president born in California? a. Ronald Reagan; b. Herbert Hoover; c. Calvin Coolidge; d. Richard Nixon.
5. What year did the California Gold Rush begin? a. 1845; b. 1848; c. 1851; d. 1856.
6. What is the second largest city in California by population as of 2005? a. San Francisco; b. San Jose; c. San Diego; d. Anaheim.
7. Who succeeded Gray Davis as California's governor? a. Arnold Schwarzenegger; b. Ronald Reagan; c. Jerry Brown; d. Pete Wilson.

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

Spell the Word Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. AFICIONADO (noun): an enthusiastic admirer; a fan.
2. ACQUIESCE (verb): to accept without objection.
3. DILETTANTE (noun): an admirer or lover of fine arts.
4. PANACEA (noun): a remedy for all diseases; a cure-all.
5. CATARACT (noun): a clouding of the lens of the eye which obstructs the passage of light.
6. JUNTA (noun): a government council, especially one that rules after a revolution.
7. PROSELYTIZE (verb): to induce someone to join one's cause.
8. ABATTOIR (noun): a slaughterhouse.
9. TCHOTCHKE (noun): a trinket or knicknack.
10. RESPITE (noun): an interval of rest or relief.

General Knowledge
1. What branch of science includes the study of dominant and recessive traits?
2. At age 90, what Biblical figure gives birth to her first and only child Isaac?
3. Donald Fagen was the lead singer of what rock group?
4. How many sheets of paper make up a standard ream?
5. What poet wrote the famous 1807 poem "I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud?"
6. In 2004, which donut company was found to have financial discrepancies by the SEC?
7. The songwriting trio of Holland, Dozier and Holland wrote 25 Top 10 hits for what record label?

Answers: 1. genetics; 2. Sarah; 3. Steely Dan; 4. five hundred; 5. William Wordsworth; 6. Krispy Kreme; 7. Motown.

IQ Trivia
1. Harry Longabaugh was the real name of what Wild West outlaw? ( 4 points)
2. In chemistry, Avogadro's Law deals specifically with what state of matter? ( 4 points)
3. What English author first coined the term "utopia?" ( 5 points)
4. What African peak is said to be the highest point in the world with cell phone reception? ( 3 points)
5. What is the term for a person paid to smuggle illegal aliens into the US from Mexico? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. The Sundance Kid; 2. gas; 3. Sir Thomas More; 4. Kilimanjaro; 5. coyote.

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