New Scaratings

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

1. A large building would most likely be called an:______________________.
[Choices: Olfactory, Ultramontane, Atheroma, Idioblast, Edifice ]

2. Which mountain is part of the Western Alps?_________________________
[Choices: Logan, Vesuvius, Atlas, Blanc, Parnassus ]

3. Bass legend John Paul Jones was a founding member of this rock band formed in 1968:________________________.
[Choices: AC/DC, Bad Company, Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, U2 ]

4. When on a trip to Mexico, what should you do with a serape?_______________________
[Choices: Wear it, Drink it, Ride it, Pet it, Eat it ]

5. A window made of adjustable slats that regulate the flow of light is called a:_______________________.
[Choices: Baffle, Pelmet, Ofuro, Lacunar, Jalousie ]

6. To visit the Seward Peninsula, you must make a trip to:________________________.
[Choices: Alaska, California, Kentucky, Maine, Florida ]

7. Which career sports milestone did Frank Gore reach this year?_______________________
[Choices: 15000 yards, 600 goals, 400 home runs, 200 touchdowns, 20000 points ]

8. Something easily perceived would best be described as:_____________________.
[Choices: Palpable, Dystopian, Castigated, Frangible, Sentient ]

9. Which of these is a style of hat?_________________________
[Choices: Calumet, Stovepipe, Dromedary, Beau Geste, Balaklava ]

10. It's a city of some 100,000 people in the Canadian province of Alberta:_____________________.
[Choices: Yellow Elk, Green Buffalo, White Dove, Blue Turtle, Red Deer ]




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

11. S.R. Nathan became the President of ___________________________ in 1999.
[Choices: Singapore, Senegal, Slovakia, South Sudan, Suriname ]

12. The Crosshatch _____________________ is capable of swimming backwards.
[Choices: Clownfish, Betta fish, Tuna, Triggerfish, Opah ]

13. The Karolinska Institute is a prestigious medical university in:______________________.
[Choices: Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Japan ]

14. A science expert would probably know that an alliinase is an:____________________.
[Choices: Eject, Electrolyte, Embryo, Enzyme, Epicycle ]

15. "Doula" is a newer term for this old-fashioned function:_______________________.
[Choices: Midwife, Dental assistant, Babysitter, Office assistant, Experimental object ]

16. In what year did Roman leader Julius Caesar make his famous crossing of the Rubicon River?_______________________
[Choices: 36 A.D., 49 B.C., 17 B.C., 88 B.C., 73 A.D. ]

17. The Green Book in the 2018 movie "Green Book" refers to a:___________________________.
[Choices: Phone book, Travel guide, Comic book, Photo album, Cookbook ]

18. Most Halloween customs come from pre-Christian traditions that commemorated the:______________________.
[Choices: Moon goddess, Vernal equinox, End of summer, Fall of man, Year's marriages ]

19. Which of these is an acclaimed novel by Chilean writer Isabelle Allende?______________________________
[Choices: Daughter of Fortune, Mother of God, Brother of Sincerity, Father of Gold, Son of Charity ]

20. Which rare four-letter word is a term used in mathematics?______________________
[Choices: Jeel, Surd, Zyme, Ilea, Akee ]

21. The Gulf of Sidra Incident took place off the ____________________ coast in 1981.
[Choices: Korean, Greek, Syrian, Scottish, Libyan ]

22. Popular in Mediterranean cuisine, aoili is a sauce made of olive oil and:___________________.
[Choices: Rosemary, Garlic, Ouzo, Salami, Prosciutto ]




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) NBA preview v ANCIENT HISTORY: Which man became King of Italy in 476?_____________________________
[Choices: Thoth, Gunderic, Hannibal, Xerxes, Odoacer ]

24.(a) EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHY v Halloween events: Exactly how many European countries make up the "Alpine" countries?___________________
[Choices: Eight, Sixteen, Twelve, Fourteen, Ten ]

25.(a) Delaware v DIFFICULT VOCABULARY: "Of or relating to the grant of permission or privilege". What is the word?_____________________
[Choices: Factitious, Fructuous, Furribund, Fanfaron, Facultative ]

26.(a) HALLOWEEN EVENTS v NBA preview: "Howl-O-Scream" is an annual Halloween event at this Florida theme park:_________________________.
[Choices: Knott's Berry Farm, Epcot, Busch Gardens, Coral Castle, Kings Island ]

27.(a) Difficult vocabulary v EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHY: Which country is *NOT* on the Balkan peninsula?_____________________
[Choices: Kosovo, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia, Montenegro ]

28.(a) ANCIENT HISTORY v Delaware: Historians divide Ancient Egyptian Royal Government into ____________ Dynasties.
[Choices: 75, 25, 50, 30, 35 ]




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. What U.S. clothing retailer filed for bankruptcy last month?________________________
[Choices: Kipling, American Eagle, Five Guys, Forever 21, Best Buy ]

30. Harry Potter first appeared in the 1997 book "Harry Potter and The ________________________."
[Choices: Half-Blood Prince, Philosopher's Stone, Cask of Amontillado, Temple of Doom, Goblet of Fire ]

31. Who was President of the United States during the War of 1812?___________________________
[Choices: Millard Fillmore, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Franklin Pierce ]

32. "Ad libitum" is a musical direction that translates to:_______________________.
[Choices: With reverence, As one pleases, Slow down, Light and frolicky, To the finish ]

33. The American _____________________ became the National Mammal of the United States in 2016.
[Choices: Mule deer, Bison, Wolverine, Armadillo, Mustang ]

34. The cactus plant produces low calorie vegetables called:___________________________.
[Choices: Anisettes, Goletas, Nopales, Conundrums, Serapes ]

35. Where is the original "Nathan's Famous" Hot Dog Restaurant located?________________________
[Choices: Coney Island, Atlantic City, Rocky Point, Fort Lauderdale, Palisades Park ]




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. This plant that is native to North America belongs to the Heath Family:__________________________.
[Choices: Carrot, Jonquil, Blueberry, Leafy spurge, Maize ]

37. The Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 effectively ended his career as a playwright:______________________________.
[Choices: Oscar Wilde, Henry Fielding, Richard Sheridan, George Bernard Shaw, Christopher Marlowe ]

38. Which shared border is the longest?___________________________
[Choices: Russia-China, Argentina-Chile, China-Mongolia, Bangladesh-India, Canada-United States ]

39. Of these chemical elements, which has the highest melting point?_____________________
[Choices: Argon, Californium, Manganese, Cerium, Antimony ]

40. Who composed the "Radetsky March" in 1848?__________________________
[Choices: Franz Schubert, Frederic Chopin, Johann Strauss Sr., Antonin Dvorak, John Philip Sousa ]




Final Jeopardy Question on BONES (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. Which of these bones is found in the human hand?____________________________
[Choices: Fabella, Cuboid, Hyoid, Trapezium, Talus ]






Answers:

1. Edifice [Andrew (GRYFON) at Whispers Pub in Ottawa ON pre-called this one (it had to start with a vowel); see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/edifice ]

2. Blanc [another pre-call by Andrew; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc ]

3. Led Zeppelin [a pre-call by me (REACH); see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin ]

4. Wear it [another pre-call by Andrew; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serape ]

5. Jalousie [Dai (BLADOR) called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalousie_window to see how "Jalousie"="Jealousy" is involved ]

6. Alaska [Myfanwy (SPRAJO) pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward_Peninsula ]

7. 15,000 rushing yards [Dave (YELDOR) called this one (rather than 200 touchdowns); see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gore ]

8. Palpable [I called this one first; see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/palpable ]

9. Stovepipe [Myfanwy called this first; see the section "History, 19th century" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_hat ]

10. Red Deer [I called this one first; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Deer,_Alberta . Perhaps easier for Canadian Sites.]




11. Singapore [Myfanwy guessed this, along with BGRETR in another of 4 groups at Whispers; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.R._Nathan . The S.R. suggested to me a South Asian name (see, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V.S._Naipaul ), but the "Nathan" didn't seem South Asian (the name is actually Sellapan Ramanathan). ]

12. Triggerfish [Myfanwy guessed this for 751 Points, BGRETR & ITS2 for 1000 Points each, and TTHEB for 902 Points in two other groups. See https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/10/fish ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opah and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish (for betta) .]

13. Sweden [Dai called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karolinska_Institute ]

14. Enzyme [Andrew and I called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliinase ]

15. Midwife [Myfanwy and Deb (GRZLDA) pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doula ]

16. 49 B.C. [I called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Rubicon ]

17. Travel guide [Myfanwy pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Book_(film) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro ... Green_Book ]

18. End of summer [I called this first; see the section "History, Gaelic and Welsh influence" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween ]

19. Daughter of Fortune [I called this as a guess; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughter_of_Fortune ]

20. Surd [I called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nth_root ]

21. Libyan [Andrew pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_S ... dent_(1981) ]

22. Garlic [Pre-called by Dai and Myfanwy; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aioli (note spelling) ]

Round Winner: ITS2





23.(a) Odoacer [I eliminated the other Choices, and Dai called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoacer ]

24.(a) Eight [Dai called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_states ]

25.(a) Facultative [my guess, called by Dai and Andrew; see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/facultative ]

26.(a) Busch Gardens [Myfanwy called this one over Epcot, and I mentioned that "Howl-O-Scream" didn't sound like a Disney name; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl-O-Scream ]

27.(a) Slovakia [Dave (YELDOR) called this one; see the map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia ]

28.(a) 30 [we went with a wrong guess of "25", losing most of the Points on this Question; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... _dynasties and http://mstecker.com/pages/egyptdyn_fp.htm ]

Round Winner: Dai (BLADOR)




29. Forever 21 [Myfanwy pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_21 ]

30. Philosopher's Stone [Pre-called by Dai and Andrew; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Pot ... er's_Stone ]

31. James Madison [I pre-called this one; see the 3rd paragraph re "Mr. Madison's War" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812 ]

32. As one pleases [Pre-called by Andrew; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_libitum ]

33. Bison [Pre-called by Myfanwy as a guess; see http://www.nationalmammal.org/ ]

34. Nopales [Myfanwy, Dai & others guessed this; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nopal ]

35. Coney Island [I pre-called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan's_ ... ng_Contest ]




36. Blueberry [Myfanwy and Dai called this one; see https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/P ... caceae.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericaceae ]

37. Henry Fielding [I first guessed this from the date, but then changed along with others with a call for Richard Sheridan because Fielding was a novelist (author of "Tom Jones"). But see the section "Dramatist and novelist" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fielding (1707-1754). Sheridan was a playwright, but his career was not ended by a 1737 Law; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Brinsley_Sheridan (1751-1816) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rivals (1775). D'oh!]

38. Canada-US [pre-called by Myfanwy; see https://www.quora.com/which-two-countri ... each-other and the section "Superlatives" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... nd_borders ]

39. Manganese [I wrongly called "Cerium" (m.p. 1068 K, 795 Celsius, 1463 Fahrenheit) because the oxide is used in the gas mantles for lanterns; see the section "Applications" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerium , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_mantle , and the section "Catalysis and surface activity" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerium(IV)_oxide (m.p. 2670 K, 2400 Celsius, 4350 Fahrenheit). I wrongly assumed the oxide was formed on first lighting of the mantle containing metallic cerium which could not be allowed to melt (instead, a fabric is soaked in cerium nitrate to make the mantle). See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese (m.p. 1519 K, 1246 Celsius, 2275 Fahrenheit), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium (m.p. 1173 K, 900 Celsius, 1652 Fahrenheit), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimony (m.p. 904 K, 631 Celsius, 1167 Fahrenheit), and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argon (m.p. 84 K, -189 Celsius, -309 Fahrenheit ). ]

40. Johann Strauss Sr. [I called this one; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radetzky_March and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eab_eFtTKFs ]




41. Trapezium [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezium_(bone) . ORNOIR got his full 50% Bonus, for a total Score of 52,080 Points, BGRETR finished with 48,911, and ITS2 47,801 at the other table in the room. Our group's top 6 Player scores were Dai (BLADOR) with 45,645 Points, Patrick (MRRED) with 38,562, Richard (ACE2) with 37,872, Myfanwy (SPRAJO) with 36,137, Chris (CEEZED) with 35,657, and Sue (SWIFT) with 35,569 Points.

The Top 6 Player scores at Whispers produced a Site score of 45,145 Points average, good enough for a third-straight #1 Site result. That is, unless some or many Sites could not log onto the game in time to compete fairly for all 41 Questions [Paul, the great owner of Whispers, made frantic phone calls to Buzztime in order for the full SHOWDOWN Game to appear at the last minute.] I'd be interested to find out if any strong teams, particularly in the Sandbag Tournament, were robbed of a fair chance to compete on all 41 Questions (send any complaints to Buzztime, not me).

If the scores of ORNOIR, BGRETR and ITS2 are not counted, our next 6 Player scores give a Site average of 38,240 Points, which sucks big time, but is still good enough for a #1 Site ranking (unless updated scores drastically improve other Site standings). Three of the 4 groups at Whispers used to play separately at Paul's New Edinburgh Pub in Ottawa ON until the building was sold and developed. Our group became fragmented, with 4 or 5 of us playing at Moose McGuire's until the nearby 130 dB Karaoke group made it difficult to hear; we then moved to Buster's Bar, where every other week a tablet or two would freeze mid-game or have the battery run out (losing 1000 Points on a gimme Question in the BRAINBUSTER Game can wreck your standing). ]

In the Answer to Q37, one of the links should have read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Brinsley_Sheridan (1751-1816).

Oh, we got the whole game. We just had an unfortunate call on the last question and did not recover from it promptly. Congrats to Whispers for the three-peat--Your team has been on fire!

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

We also had the full opportunity to incorrectly answer questions.

Yes, the date for the Subject should have read Tue. October 22, 2019 (a date that most Sites would prefer to forget).

You can edit your own posts. This gives you the ability to fix your link typos in their original post locations. More significantly, you can fix the subject line of the entire thread by editing the subject line of the first post in the thread. Then the date will be forever correct in the archives.

To whales: Thanks for the info that I can edit "Subject" and posts! As I am a very literal-minded person when it comes to computers, please text me exact keystrokes/Clicks I need to use to accomplish this (I bought my first computer after I retired, and after 2 years of use I was informed by a former student that there is such a thing as a "Right Click").

Sure!

1) First thing is to log in with your username and password. You wouldn't be able to edit anything if you are visiting scaratings as a guest.

2) Open up the thread that you need to make your fixes to. You will see that your own posts in the the thread have an "edit" box next to the "quote" box. Other people's posts in the thread have only a "quote" box.

3) Click the "edit" box for the post you want to fix. This opens up the typing field in the same manner as when you originally wrote it. Place the cursor at the text you want to fix and make the edit (this is modern conventional word processing at this point - backspace, left arrow, click and drag, delete, etc.). If you erase more than you intended to erase, look for the Cancel box and try again.

4) For the subject line of the entire thread, you will want to click the "edit" box for the first post in the thread. Then you want to look for the small typing field above and separated from the big typing field where your post is. The subject line is there, and can be edited in the same manner. The subject line of the first post in the thread is automatically linked to the subject line of the entire thread as it appears on the front pages of the forum. Since you are the creator of the thread, and the creator of the first post, only you have the ability to change this line. (but notice how I was able to change the subject line of my two posts, which now say October 22 instead of September 24).

5) Click the "submit" box in the same manner as when you originally wrote it. If it still doesn't look right, you can edit it again as many times as necessary.

To whales: Thanks for the precise instructions on how to edit my posts! I'm no good at figuring out how these new-fangled computers work (I learned how to use computers in the days when you first went to the keypunch room, punched out each line of your FORTRAN IV program on a punch card, submitted your entire deck of punch cards to the operator of the mainframe computer, and went back in a couple hours to see if your program had been run, and to pick up your deck of cards and the printout of your results). Most people can learn the ropes by talking to others in the office, but I am generally a retired recluse except for playing ntn Trivia with friends on Tuesday evenings.

Paraphrasing the 2 Delaware questions:

The three counties of Delaware are New Castle, Sussex, and __________________.
Answer: Kent

The first European settlement in Delaware, Zwaanendael, was colonized by ______________ settlers.
Answer: Dutch.
(Buzztime did have Swedish as an option, and the Swedes DID have the first PERMANENT European settlement in Delaware, at Fort Christina (near present day Wilmington), as the settlers at Zwaanendael were killed by native Americans within months of their arrival)