Ken Jennings trivia challenge

[GenYus234]

I always thought it was "110 coronets close behind". You know, since they'd be marching.

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

The rhyme scheme is more important to the song than the marching lineup.

76 trombones led the big parade
with 110 cornets close at hand.
They were followed by rows and rows
of the finest virtuosos,
the cream of every famous band.

ETA:

Or... wait.
Were there over 1000 reeds, springing up like weeds, in that verse? AAUGH! they run together.

[Simply Madeline]

For #7, don't all those countries "straddle" Europe and Asia?

ETA: Oh, duh. Not Spain and not Egypt.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by Simply Madeline

For #7, don't all those countries "straddle" Europe and Asia?

ETA: Oh, duh. Not Spain and not Egypt.

But do Spain and Egypt straddle Asia and Africa?

Seaboe

[GenYus234]

I don't know of any definition of continents that would have mainland Spain being part of Africa.

ETA: I say "mainland" because I think the definition would have to limit the continent-spanning country to the main body or mainland of the country. Otherwise, the list would get pretty muddled with the various islands that could be part of of different continent.

[Stan The Man]

If it's "Straddling Continents", shouldn't Panama be on the list "depending on your definition"?

[jwilson10]

Originally Posted by GenYus234

I don't know of any definition of continents that would have mainland Spain being part of Africa.

ETA: I say "mainland" because I think the definition would have to limit the continent-spanning country to the main body or mainland of the country. Otherwise, the list would get pretty muddled with the various islands that could be part of of different continent.

I believe the Canary Islands would be classed as being on the African continent.

ETA: Surely Indonesia would be classed as located on both Asia, and Oceana? Unless this is 'depending on your definition'?

[Don Enrico]

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

So maybe the answer is "nations that are part of more than one continent"? That would leave out Denmark, with Greenland geographically being part of North-America, but whether or not Greenland is still part of Denmark is indeed open to definition.

[KirkMcD]

Originally Posted by Don Enrico

So maybe the answer is "nations that are part of more than one continent"?

But there is Spain, where this clearly isn't the case and there are countries next to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan that should be included in the list.

[Don Enrico]

Originally Posted by KirkMcD

But there is Spain, where this clearly isn't the case ...

As jwilson10 pointed out, the Spanish Canary Islands can be considered part of Africa geographically.

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

Spain also has two enclaves on mainland Africa, Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco.

[Don Enrico]

So, we have Egypt being on both the African and the Asian continent, Russia on the European and the Asian continent, Spain on the European and the African continent, and Turkey on the Asian and the European continent, all not including islands.

What about the others?

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by GenYus234

I don't know of any definition of continents that would have mainland Spain being part of Africa.

Thank you for not making a crack about Spain not being in Asia. I didn't proofread my answer sufficiently.

I was thinking of Morocco, btw, but I didn't know if Spain still had a claim there.

Seaboe

[KirkMcD]

But why wouldn't Armenia be on the list?

[Richard W]

Originally Posted by GenYus234

I don't know of any definition of continents that would have mainland Spain being part of Africa.

There are a couple of Spanish enclaves on the North African coast, meaning that it spans Europe and Africa, and Egypt spans Africa and Asia. So yes, I would guess at "countries spanning two continents".

(eta) Without looking at an atlas, I can't see how Kazakhstan would span two continents, though. I thought it was entirely in Asia. The usual line in Russia is the Urals, which go right down into the Caucasus so I guess Georgia could be partly on either side. I didn't realise Kazakhstan stuck out that far, though.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by KirkMcD

But why wouldn't Armenia be on the list?

Because it didn't meet Mr. Jenning's definition. Or he missed it.

Seaboe

[Simply Madeline]

This week's Ken Jennings/Slate News Quiz

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

I got 322 in the Slate quiz, which I think is darn good for someone who makes no attempt to follow current events.

Seaboe

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Well?

Seaboe

[musicgeek]

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS

1. What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"? In Broadway's The Music Man, they come right behind the "76 Trombones" but right ahead of the "rows and rows of the finest virtuosos," whatever they are.

2. Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children. I thought Reagan was probably the easy one, and trivia types might recall that George Washington, despite being the father of his country, never had any biological kids of his own but adopted a few. The other two are Andrew Jackson and (oddly) James Buchanan.

3. What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center? That's the retina: the fovea lets you see sharp detail at the very center of your field of vision.

4. What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings? Griffith was played by the late, great John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

5. In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered? That's Spanish for "Bank of the Isthmus," so the country is Panama.

6. What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart? The two fairy tale-themed hits on network TV now are Grimm and Once Upon a Time. But what about the short-lived 1987 sitcom The Charmings? No love for The Charmings? Anybody?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others? Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey. These are all the nations that span two different continental mainlands (disregarding overseas territories and islands).


Greetings, trivia faithful! I'm typing this week's quiz on a rare 90-something-degree afternoon in Seattle, when it's too hot to even think. I'm impressed that anyone in a warm climate gets even a single Tuesday Trivia question right EVER.

So you'll have to forgive any foggy-minded mistakes on this week's quiz. I'm pre-emptively blaming the heat. But last week, when I claimed the Seoul Olympics were in 1984 rather than the actual date, 1988? The weather that day was just fine, so I have no excuse but early senility.

You know what else is hot? The high scores at http://ken-jennings.com/messageboard...pic.php?t=7148 ! Check them out, these folks are smooth.

You know what else is smooth? Segues!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS

1. Developer Tim Bray has suggested what appropriate number to be the Web's error code for pages "Unavailable for Legal Reasons" like government censorship?

2. What occupation is practiced by the title characters of TV's "Bunheads"?

3. What's the lowest-numbered card in a pinochle deck?

4. What scientist is depicted in bronze, holding a compass and an armillary sphere, in front of the Staszic Palace in Warsaw?

5. Since it was first proposed to Congress in 1983, "New Columbia" has been the name typically suggested for what?

6. The band that has toured (for legal reasons) as Manzarek-Krieger actually performs nothing but hits from what rock group?

7. What unusual distinction is shared by these birds and no others? Dove, eagle, kookaburra, owl, and swallow?