Ken Jennings trivia challenge

[MacLloyd]

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS

1. Luckiest Man and Iron Horse are the title of two biographies of what athlete? Lou Gehrig, the self-proclaimed "luckiest man on the face of the earth."

2. The world's only four countries without an airport are all located on which continent? When you think about it, a country has to be very small indeed to do without an airport--and the four airport-free countries are where you'd expect to find tiny little made-up countries: Europe. (The four nations are Vatican City, Monaco, Andorra, and Liechtenstein.)

3. If you believe his nickname, the blues musician who made the song "Midnight Special" famous had a belly made of what? Huddie William Ledbetter was nicknamed "Lead Belly."

4. What title character of a 2007 movie gets called "the cautionary whale" by her classmates at Dancing Elk High School? I'm sorry, I can't answer this question, I'm on my hamburger phone. This is Juno MacGuff, the pregnant title character of Juno.

5. What layer, lying below the stratosphere, is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere? We all live in the troposphere.

6. Hagiography is the study of what kind of people? Hagiography means "writing of the holy" and is used to refer to the lives of the saints.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Avatar, The Freshman, Hud, In the Cut, Mildred Pierce, Monkeybone, No Country for Old Men, The Specialist, That's My Boy. A toughie: these are movies that had two stars with the same initials. For the record: Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver, Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, Paul Newman and Patricia Neal, Joan Crawford and Jack Carson, Brendan Fraser and Bridget Fonda, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.

[MacLloyd]

Per Ken Jennings' request, the trivia challenge discussed on this message board has the number seven question delayed by one week. This is to avoid easy googling of the question which is designed to foil those who would "cheat". If you know the current number seven question, please do not discuss it here.

The Rules of the Thread
1. If you use the thread to help you get answers, do not submit those answers to the official game.
2. No googling until Sunday. No looking anything up anywhere (and posting it) before Sunday. No checking an article in a magazine you read last week. No checking some old notebook from college. No wikipedia. Not even snopes.com. No checking anything, anywhere - until Sunday. Only information that is stored in your brain, or in the brains of your non-snopester friends and family. But you can't use your family members as a work-around to looking up the information yourself.
3. If you google, don't post that information to the thread until Sunday. Not even as confirmation of the guesses of other posters. Someone else might still know the information on their own.
4. No guess is stupid, throw it out there.
5. No Hinting. If you have a guess or a reasonable belief that you have the right answer, post it. If you are attempting to use hinting as a work-around to the no posting googled answers rule, don't.

And remember, this is an exhibition, not a competition, so please... no wagering.
For the first time since Tuesday Trivia started, I'm now writing TWO weekly quizzes--this one, and my new quiz for Slate.com, a fast-paced, tongue-slightly-in-cheek, multiple-choice look at the events of the past week. Go see how you do on the first quiz right now at http://slate.me/Q9jzDQ and look for future installlments every Friday at slate.com.

But enough with the sales pitch--on to the quiz. If you're looking for the scoreboard, it lives at http://ken-jennings.com/messageboard...pic.php?t=7148 . If you're looking for seven annoyingly hard trivia questions, read on.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.

[MacLloyd]

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?

Ready Player One

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?

Move faster than light

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?

South Korea

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?

The Hatfield-McCoy Feud

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?

ABBA

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500?

I am going to assume that Mr. Jennings meant "company" not "country" as I do not think there is a Fortune 500 list of countries (or 500 countries for that matter). Anyway, the answer would therefore be Yahoo

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.

Base on Bamm-Bamm, Dexter, Lindsay, Locke, Rachel, Rose, Sylar and Worf (wow, that is most of them... I watch too much television!) I would have to say that they are all adopted

Wow, I think that is the first time I have known the answer to all the questions, including question 7!

Mac"its gotta be a fluke!"Lloyd

[bluestocking]

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games? I should know this, but I'm drawing a blank.

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability? On Star Trek, tachyon particles are always associated with temporal anomalies, so I'm going to guess "exist in more than one time."

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country? South Korea?

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict? The Hatfield/McCoy family feud

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band? No idea

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500? Yahoo

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek. They are all adopted.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by MacLloyd

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?

Insert two quarters

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?

it's sticky

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?

Korea

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?

the Spanish-American war

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?

ABBA (does anyone not know what the letters stand for?)

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500?

Germany

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.

Really wrinkled foreheads.

Seaboe

[chillas]

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?

Ready Player One. A copy is sitting about a foot from my right elbow at the moment. A fantastic read.

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?

Fix any emergency aboard a Starfleet vessel. Okay, it can travel faster than light.

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?

I believe that is South Korea.

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?

WAG: The Hatfields and McCoys?

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?

ABBA.

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500?

As far as I know, it's the US with Marissa Mayer, the new Yahoo! CEO.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.

No guess.

[NobodyAtAll]

1. ?
2. Exceeds speed of light
3. S.Korea
4. Hatfield& McCoy
5. ABBA
6. country? US company? Yahoo
7. Adoptees

This my first time trying this because I didn't know how to 'white out.' I usually just lurk. (that's me in diguise.)

[Simply Madeline]

The Slate News Quiz, “London 2012” Edition

[NobodyAtAll]

Thanks, Simply Madeline, that was fun. 309 for me. *shrugs* I liked the quotes that came with the answers, too.

[Don Enrico]

299 points - that's amazingly high for me considering the quiz was all sports questions!

[MacLloyd]

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS

1. What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games? This novel--a must-read for '80s refugees, and now in development at Warner Bros.--is called Ready Player One.

2. A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability? It can sing a killer karaoke version of "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey. It can also travel faster than the speed of light.

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country? South Korea, hosting its first Olympic Games since the 1984 games in Seoul.

4. An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict? A hog's ear helped ignite the Hatfield-McCoy feud, as History Channel viewers may be aware.

5. BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band? Benny Andersson was one of the two guys in ABBA (the beard, not the mullet).

6. What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500? Google's Marissa Mayer, hired this month by Yahoo!, will also become a mom in early October.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters? Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek. All were adopted. Not by the same family, sadly--that would have been an awesome series.

[MacLloyd]

Per Ken Jennings' request, the trivia challenge discussed on this message board has the number seven question delayed by one week. This is to avoid easy googling of the question which is designed to foil those who would "cheat". If you know the current number seven question, please do not discuss it here.

The Rules of the Thread
1. If you use the thread to help you get answers, do not submit those answers to the official game.
2. No googling until Sunday. No looking anything up anywhere (and posting it) before Sunday. No checking an article in a magazine you read last week. No checking some old notebook from college. No wikipedia. Not even snopes.com. No checking anything, anywhere - until Sunday. Only information that is stored in your brain, or in the brains of your non-snopester friends and family. But you can't use your family members as a work-around to looking up the information yourself.
3. If you google, don't post that information to the thread until Sunday. Not even as confirmation of the guesses of other posters. Someone else might still know the information on their own.
4. No guess is stupid, throw it out there.
5. No Hinting. If you have a guess or a reasonable belief that you have the right answer, post it. If you are attempting to use hinting as a work-around to the no posting googled answers rule, don't.

And remember, this is an exhibition, not a competition, so please... no wagering.

Ken Jennings's Tuesday Trivia--now with cheese baked right into the crust! That's a first in the trivia world, by the way. Truly we are innovators of the art form.

Our ace grader Lilly keeps the scores up-to-date at http://ken-jennings.com/messageboard...pic.php?t=7148, if you want to see how you stack up against the trivia "upper crust." LOL pizza jokes.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

[MacLloyd]

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

76 Trombones (Led the Big Parade, with...)

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

The only one I can think of is Ronald Reagan

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

no idea

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

IIRC, that would be Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (played by the late, great John Candy)

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

WAG - Panama

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

Grimm and Once Upon a Time

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

No idea

Mac"yep, last week was a fluke"Lloyd

[Don Enrico]

For number 5, I would guess Panama, but that's about it for this week.

[erwins]

Originally Posted by MacLloyd

South Korea, hosting its first Olympic Games since the 1984 games in Seoul.

Do I get some sort of bonus points for pointing out that this is wrong? The 1984 games were in Los Angeles, and the Seoul games were in 1988.

The only ones I know this week:

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles


6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

Grimm and Once Upon a Time

Tough one this week.

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

1. 76 Trombones! Love that movie!

2. Reagan

3. I'm just going to guess the eye.

4. Pretty sure it's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

5. Panama?

6. No idea. Is one of them Once Upon a Time?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

Hmmm. Some parts of the former Soviet Union, and some Arab & Islamic countries. And Spain, with its Moorish history. But it's probably something to do with the olympics.

[UEL]

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

The Sharelles

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

Taft

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

Brain

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

Panama

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

No clue. I don't watch enough television

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

All have a violent separatist ethnic minority.

[chillas]

Wow, tough ones this week...

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

75 Trombones lead the big parade in "The Music Man".

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

Andrew Jackson is the only one I can think of off hand.

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

The eye.

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

not sure

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

no idea

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

no guess

[Mateus]

3. The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country? South Korea, hosting its first Olympic Games since the 1984 games in Seoul.

That'd be 1988, bro.

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

76 Trombones

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

Reagan

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

Tooth?

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

Panama

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by MacLloyd

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?

Title group? Didn't know the band was actually called Seventy-Six Trombones

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.

George Washington

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?

Gall bladder

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?

Death of a Salesman

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?

Panama

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?

I know one of the series by reputation, but never saw it and don't have a clue about the title.

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

That whatever happened, happened in alphabetical order.

ETA: looks like we've got three of the four Presidents (depending on the definition of "adoption")

Seaboe