New Scaratings

Warm-up Round (10 Questions, 500 Points each, 14 seconds to answer after posting of Question & 5 Choices; No Clues):

1. Yosemite Falls in _______________ is the highest North American waterfall.
[Choices: Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon, California ]

2. Which word is closest in meaning to "exorbitant"?____________________
[Choices: Expressive, Excessive, Expelled, Exlucid, Extorted ]

3. Which country invaded Poland in 1939 to start World War II?___________________
[Choices: Bosnia, Denmark, The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany ]

4. These small passenger boats are a form of public transportation in Venice, Italy:___________________.
[Choices: Locandas, Vaporettos, Chiostros, Gigliettos, Podestas ]

5. ________________ is a keyboard design for Latin-script alphabets.
[Choices: SWOT, DAEMON, AWOL, ASAP, QWERTY ]

6. Playa del Carmen is a very popular resort town in this country:_______________.
[Choices: Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Portugal, Mexico, Morocco ]

7. "The Wolfman and Other Cases" is a book by this famed psychoanalyst:___________________.
[Choices: Carl Sagan, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm ]

8. In which country was the famous prognosticator Nostradamus born in 1503?___________________
[Choices: Spain, Poland, Bohemia, France, Russia ]

9. Which "Backwoodsman of Kentucky" was celebrated by the poet Lord Byron in "Don Juan"?__________________
[Choices: Cochise, Mike Fink, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Paul Bunyan ]

10. Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren is a Senator from:_____________________.
[Choices: Minnesota, Montana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Maryland ]




Countdown Round (12 Questions, 1000 Points each, Points decrease rapidly from 4 to 16 seconds, and with 3 Clues):

11. Its many uses are as an active ingredient in nail polish remover and paint thinner:_________________.
[Choices: Pentasulfide, Acetone, Kaopectate, Glycogen, Aqua regia ]

12. Composer Johannes Brahms lived during the ________ Century.
[Choices: 18th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 16th ]

13. "Arctic", a movie released in the U.S. this year, is a survival film starring:____________________.
[Choices: David Schwimmer, Cuba Gooding Jr., Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Neeson, Justin Timberlake ]

14. What type of dog is a Bichon frise?_____________________
[Choices: Herding terrier, Working retriever, Toy spaniel, Sporting poodle, Hunting hound ]

15. The largest cities on Lake Superior are Thunder Bay and:________________________.
[Choices: Milwaukee, Green Bay, Duluth, Madison, Eau Claire ]

16. Benny Gantz is a major player in ___________________ politics.
[Choices: German, Dutch, Polish, Israeli, Syrian ]

17. Where would one find a donjon?_____________________
[Choices: Castle, Fingernail, Baked Alaska, Ocean's floor, Clock ]

18. In which classic text do you find a land called Beulah?_____________________
[Choices: The Death of Arthur, Odyssey, The Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Book of Isaiah ]

19. Which word is closest in meaning to "querulous"?_________________
[Choices: Melancholic, Inquisitive, Condescending, Complaining, Illiterate ]

20. In what sport do players compete for the Sudirman Cup?____________________
[Choices: Sled dog racing, Gymnastics, Badminton, Hockey, Canoeing ]

21. Fugu, the most dangerous piece of sushi, contains what type of fish?______________________
[Choices: Octopus, Sea urchin, Puffer fish, Sea cucumber, Great white shark ]

22. A total of ________ states seceded from the Union in 1860 and 1861.
[Choices: 16, 25, 11, 31, 21 ]




Category Round (6 Questions, 1000 Points each, Points decrease from 4 to 20 seconds, and with 3 Clues; Category chosen by majority vote at each Site):

23.(a) World flags v STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: The Boston Bruins are playing the ______________________ in this year's Eastern Conference Finals.
[Choices: Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders ]

24.(a) Writers v ANIMALS: The hogchoker is a type of small:____________________.
[Choices: Rodent, Fish, Salamander, Wading bird, Lizard ]

25.(a) SCIENTISTS v Greek mythology: Thomas Young helped decode the Rosetta Stone and also revived the:_____________________.
[Choices: Aether theory, Cold fusion theory, Wave theory of light, Quantum theory, Blank Slate theory ]

26.(a) ANIMALS v World flags: Sarasa Comets are not heavenly bodies but are actually:______________________.
[Choices: Lizards, Goldfish, Salamanders, Blackbirds, Spiders ]

27.(a) GREEK MYTHOLOGY v Writers: In Greek mythology, she is the sister of Orestes and a priestess of Artemis:_____________________.
[Choices: Cassandra, Iphigeneia, Freyja, Hermione, Hecuba ]

28.(a) STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS v Scientists: Who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in a controversial series last month?________________________
[Choices: Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens ]




Lightning Round (7 Questions: 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 Points, but time to read & answer decreases from 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5 to 4 seconds):

29. NASA recently released the first photographs of a:____________________.
[Choices: Bow shock, Black hole, Comet tail, Jovian moon, Space station ]

30. "Heaven's Door" is the name of this celebrity's new line of whiskey:___________________.
[Choices: Bob Dylan, Tom Brady, Alec Baldwin, Stephen King, LeBron James ]

31. The human heart has exactly __________ chambers.
[Choices: Five, Six, Three, Four, Two ]

32. The Kermode Bear is the official provincial mammal of Canada's:___________________.
[Choices: Quebec, Yukon Territory, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia ]

33. Endogamy is the practice of marriage:______________________.
[Choices: To social inferiors, To foreigners, To older partners, Within a given group, To younger partners ]

34. Which character has been played on screen by Matt Damon, John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper?________________________
[Choices: Tom Ripley, Count Dracula, Sauron, Inspector Javert, Bill Sikes ]

35. What city serves as the capital of Denmark?______________________
[Choices: Brussels, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gdansk ]




Dreaded Pyramid Round (5 Questions: 12000, 7000, 4000, 2000, 1000 Points for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Right out of 5; Time from post of Question & Choices = 16 seconds; No Clues):

36. Curcumin is a ________________ chemical produced by the turmeric plant.
[Choices: Violet, Bright yellow, Red, Black, Green ]

37. Which game was immortalized in "The Old Curiosity Shop" by Charles Dickens?___________________
[Choices: Cribbage, Bridge, Solitaire, Marbles, Hide and seek ]

38. The northern and eastern part of the Sahara Desert is called the _______________ Desert.
[Choices: Negev, Kalahari, Libyan, Arabian, Ethiopian ]

39. Which Queen was only six days old when she officially became a monarch?____________________
[Choices: Marie Antoinette, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, Katherine of Aragon, Lady Jane Grey ]

40. "It's a Fine Life" is a song from this musical that premiered in 1960:___________________.
[Choices: Oliver!, South Pacific, Cats, Rent, The Fantasticks ]




Final Jeopardy Question on PHYSICS (50% Bonus if Right Immediately; Points decrease rapidly from 4 to 20 seconds, and with 3 Clues; 50% Deduction if Final Choice is Wrong):

41. In physics, the main types of waves are longitudinal and:_____________________.
[Choices: Titanic, Tubular, Telescopic, Telemetric, Transverse ]






Answers:

1. California [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Falls ]

2. Excessive [see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/exorbitant ]

3. Germany [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland ]

4. Vaporettos [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporetto ]

5. QWERTY [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY ]

6. Mexico [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playa_del_Carmen ]

7. Sigmund Freud [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Pankejeff ]

8. France [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostradamus ]

9. Daniel Boone [see http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Boone/byron.html , from Canto the Eighth at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Juan_(poem) . See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Boone ]

10. Massachusetts [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren ]




11. Acetone [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone ]

12. 19th [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms ]

13. Mads Mikkelsen [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_(film) and the section "2011-present" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mads_Mikkelsen ]

14. Toy spaniel [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bichon_frise ]

15. Duluth [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duluth,_Minnesota ]

16. Israeli [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Gantz ]

17. Castle [see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/donjon ]

18. Book of Isaiah [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beulah_Land ]

19. Complaining [see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/querulous ]

20. Badminton [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudirman_Cup ]

21. Puffer fish [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu ]

22. 11 [see the section "History" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confedera ... of_America ]




23.(a) Carolina Hurricanes [see https://www.nhl.com/stanley-cup-playoffs ]

24.(a) Fish [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogchoker ]

25.(a) Wave theory of light [see the section "Research - wave theory of light" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Young_(scientist) , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment , and the section "Single-slit diffraction" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffraction . The wave theory of sound explains why we can hear around corners (the sound waves diffract - are created at each point on the corner's edge, forming cylindrical waves which move outward, part of which spread into the geometric "shadow"). Because the wavelength of visible light is much smaller than that of audible sound waves, diffraction around corners is normally not noticeable. However, try clenching the four fingers of each hand, and bring your thumbs parallel to each other, forming a gap of a millimetre (mm) or so. With the background a bright white light source (such as the white areas of your computer monitor screen), look up close at the gap with one eye, and slowly move your thumbs parallel together until almost touching. You should see a number of parallel dark lines separated by lighter areas, an interference pattern. If you now slowly move your parallel thumbs apart, you may notice a couple dark lines near the geometric "edge" of each thumb, a diffraction pattern. The same effect may be observed using opaque cardboard (e.g. playing cards), showing that the thickness of your thumbs is not responsible for these effects. ]

26.(a) Goldfish [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_(goldfish) ]

27.(a) Iphigenia [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphigenia ]

28.(a) San Jose Sharks [see https://www.nhl.com/stanley-cup-playoffs ]




29. Black hole [see https://www.space.com/first-black-hole- ... scope.html ]

30. Bob Dylan [see http://www.heavensdoor.com/whiskey ]

31. 4 [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart ]

32. British Columbia [for USAsians who might think this Question unfair, be assured that we at Buster's Bar, Ottawa ON wrongly guessed "Yukon territory"; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear ]

33. Within a given group [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamy ]

34. Tom Ripley [see the section "Adaptations" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ripley ]

35. Copenhagen [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen ]




36. Bright Yellow [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin ]

37. Cribbage [see http://www.stanwardine.com/HistoryOfGame.htm ]

38. Libyan [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Desert ]

39. Mary Queen of Scots [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots ]

40. Oliver! [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver! and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTUtOTYEb0 . It was between Oliver! which was made into a 1968 Oscar-winning movie, and The Fantasticks (with its most famous song "Try to Remember") which was also from 1960 (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantasticks ). "South Pacific" was from 1949, "Cats" from 1981, and "Rent" from 1993 - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pacific_(musical) , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_(musical) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical) .]




41.Transverse [see https://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/ ... otion.html ]

Be forewarned: I didn't take notes on this quiz.

24. (b) WRITERS vs. Animals: The Author of 'Civil Disobedience' also wrote 'A Week on the ____ & ____ Rivers': CONCORD-MERRIMACK. Or so I imagine.

Several of us playing at the Mall of America, where used-syringe depositories are in all the restrooms, were perfect through this Thoreau question. When Q:25, Scientists vs. GREEK MYTHOLOGY turned up, and our two best players both requested Mythology, what better option did we have?

25. (b) MYTHOLOGY: In Greek mythology, 'Pistis' is the personification of what attribute? {Cowardice, Lust, Trust, Anger, Wisdom}. TRUST.

My best guess was that 'Pistis' lent her name to 'Epistemology', the study of knowledge, and she might very well have. The philology is too deep, and my speculation remains unmerited. I took Wisdom. To which many of you might object that Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, and that the Pauline epistles embody trust or faith.

Things tend to change over time. When Athena found Poseidon raping Medusa in her temple, the goddess turned Medusa's hair into snakes. And that was, in our more enlightened age, somehow wise? Talk about shaming the victim! There are so many instances where trust, faith, insight, witness, observation, experiment, and confirmation intersect, and the interpretation of those virtues has changed over time, that it's no longer possible to describe any of the ancient Gods as particularly trustworthy.

Which is exactly the way those Gods would have it.

All the more reason that Pistis personifies a virtue which no family in the English speaking world has ever employed in naming any one of its daughters. It may be worth noting, in this same paragraph, that Emmanuel Aranda, the psycho-sociopathic 24 year old who recently threw a 5 year old stranger off the third story balcony at the Mall of America, just to see how the kid would bounce, has pled guilty to attempted murder, and been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

No NASCAR questions. (AGAIN!!!)

Don't try to cheer me up. Don't even try. It won't work.

Ray,

Last night (Wed) there was a Six matching question to match the driver to the number: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer.

_________________
Merkin

May we cherish the hope to learn the other four alternative categories?

Sorry I missed it.
18, 48, 22, 14, of course.

The first "Flags" question asked for the country whose flag has eight stars (VENEZUELA).

_________________
Anon
"He may seem like Mr. Rogers but a dark spirit lies beneath."

And this is a Showdown thread. When it comes to breaking glass, MERKIN and RAY J are way out of my league.

Can't you guys bond over Buzztime Sports?

I mis-identified the first Literature question from the Pick-Your-Poison Round. The question I posted was from Brainbuster. My apologies.

24. writers. arthur conan doyle was born in this country in 1858. scotland

26. flags. green, white, and blue stripes are on this flag. sierra leone

27. writers. ward just, christopher buckley, and thomas mallon are known for novels about what? washington politics