Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Trivia Q&A: July 28

We had another big crowd in for Trivia Night on Tuesday, as 23 teams took part, and I was really curious to see what the reaction to the "Shakespeare Trivia" would be once I first announced it.

It was met with a mixture of applause and groans, but the applause was actually louder. And the numbers on Shakespeare Trivia was actually good across the board. But it balanced the Q Train trivia numbers. They were harder this week, with the highest score anyone got was a 7 out of 10.

I also tossed a question from Current Events, the one about the new telescope on La Palma. Turns out it is also the coast of Morocco (as well as Spain), so to be fair, I threw it out and awarded everyone a point. I was in a generous mood on Tuesday.

The scores were close going into IQ Trivia, and it was a tougher round. No team got more than three questions right out of five, but the team of Picaddilly Line to Cockfosters, who were tied for second going into the round, got a high of 13 points of 20 to capture the title by one point.

Nice job guys, and congratulations on your win.

Current Events
1. This English rock singer was named an honorary captain of the New England Patriots when they play the Tampa Bay Bucs in an NFL game in London this October.
2. In a recent online poll by Time magazine, this man was actually selected as "The Most Trusted Newsman in America," garnering 44% of the vote.
3. An amateur astronomer in Australia last week discovered a black spot on this planet, and it most likely had been struck by a comet or asteroid.
4. Gidget, a dog featured in this fast-food restaurant's ads from 1997-2000, died from a stroke last week at age of 15.
5. The four major American sports leagues and the NCAA filed a lawsuit against this state to prevent them from implementing legal sports betting.
6. The world's largest single-mirror optical telescope, Gran Telescopio Canarias, was officially opened last week on the island of La Palma, off the coast of this country.
7. Harry Patch, the last surviving British veteran of this war, died last week at the age of 111.

Answers: 1. Elton John; 2. Jon Stewart; 3. Jupiter; 4. Taco Bell; 5. Delaware; 6. Spain and Morocco (question was removed and everyone awarded a point); 7. World War I.

Shakespeare Trivia
1. What is Shakespeare's shortest play? a. Hamlet; b. The Comedy of Errors; c. Julius Caesar; d. Othello.
2. Which Shakespeare character utters the line, "Come, you Spirits. Unsex me here!" a. Lady Macbeth; b. Ophelia; c. Puck; d. King Lear.
3. The feuding lovers Beatrice and Benedick are characters in which play? a. As You Like It; b. Much Ado About Nothing; c. The Comedy of Errors; d. Twelfth Night.
4. Shylock is the villain in which play? a. Cariolanus; b. Measure For Measure; c. Timon of Athens; d. The Merchant of Venice.
5. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" is from which play? a. Othello; b. Twelfth Night; c. Romeo and Juliet; d. Henry V.
6. In what century was Shakespeare born? a. 14; b. 15; c.16; d. 17.
7. What is Shakespeare's longest play? a. Othello; b. Richard III; c. Macbeth; d. Hamlet.

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

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. English is the second most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin.
2. The Bible is the most shoplifted book in the world.
3. The human head has just 15 bones.
4. The island of Gibraltar was named after a former slave.
5. Napoleon Bonaparte died while having sex.
6. About 1 in 10 people in the world live on an island.
7. Apples are the world's most popular fruit.
8. The UN flag is the only flag that may fly above a US flag on an American flagpole.
9. Westminster Cathedral in London is actually a Roman Catholic church.
10. Thomas Edison invented the paperclip.

Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. false, 22; 4. true; 5. false, he died from poisoning; 6. true; 7. false, tomatoes; 8. true; 9. true; 10. false, it was invented by William Middlebrook.

General Knowledge
1. Who was left off the fan-voted All-Star MLB roster this year, ending his streak of 11 consecutive All-Star games?
2. What's the only inanimate object to get a verse in "The Farmer In The Dell?"
3. What gas are the bubbles in soda filled with?
4. Duncan Jones, director of the film "Moon," is the son of what famous rock star?
5. What beer was advertised in the famous "Whassup" TV ad campaign of 1999?
6. What do you call a rhombus whose angles are all right angles?
7. Bulldogging and barrel racing are competitions in what sport?

Answers: 1. Manny Ramirez; 2. the cheese; 3. carbon dioxide; 4. David Bowie; 5. Budweiser; 6. square; 7. rodeo.

IQ Trivia
1. Liechtenstein lies between Switzerland and what other country? ( 3 points)
2. What Caribbean island did President James Buchanan attempt to buy in the 1850s, but Congress refused because they thought he'd take the money and flee there himself? ( 4 points)
3. Which Hall of Fame baseball player is the only man to have his number retired by three different teams? ( 4 points)
4. "Wild Bill" Donovan is known as "the father" of what US governmental agency? ( 5 points)
5. What area of Brooklyn, NY is named for the rabbits that had overrun it in the 17th century when the Dutch first landed there? ( 4 points)

Answers: 1. Austria; 2. Cuba; 3. Nolan Ryan (Angels, Astros and Rangers); 4. CIA; 5. Coney Island.

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