Warm-up Round (10 Questions, 500 Points each, 14 seconds to answer after posting of Question & 5 Choices; No Clues):1. What exactly is a "Wunderkind"?_____________________
[Choices: Child prodigy, Ancient city, Hybrid fruit, Fabricated story, Brilliant gem ]
2. Which baseball player once hit in 56 consecutive games?_____________________
[Choices: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Joe DiMaggio, Rocky Colavito ]
3. "Shallow" is an award-winning song from this 2018 movie:________________________.
[Choices: Venom, Green Book, A Star is Born, Roma, Bohemian Rhapsody ]
4. What two-time third party candidate for President recently passed away?_________________________
[Choices: Strom Thurmond, Edward Kennedy, Ralph Nader, Hubert Humphrey, Ross Perot ]
5. Oganesson and Seaborgium are chemical elements named after:_________________________.
[Choices: Space probes, People, Places, Flora, Mythical figures ]
6. Warren Buffett is the CEO and Chairman of:_______________________.
[Choices: IBM, Amazon.com, CBS, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft ]
7. Our Sun is best classified as a:________________________.
[Choices: Black hole, Supernova, Yellow dwarf, Quasar, Red giant ]
8. A Polish linguist, Dr. Ludwik Zamenhof, created this language:____________________.
[Choices: Klingon, Elvish, Esperanto, Norwegian, Icelandic ]
9. A Phillies Cigar sign can be seen in which famous painting?______________________
[Choices: Stag at Sharkey's, Nighthawks, Broadway Boogie Woogie, Christina's World, Cardsharps ]
10. Donald Trump recently became the first sitting President to visit:_______________________.
[Choices: Cuba, Iran, India, North Korea, Australia ]
Countdown Round (12 Questions, 1000 Points each, Points decrease rapidly from 4 to 16 seconds, and with 3 Clues): 11. The 1828 Tariff of Abominations was very unpopular in this part of the United States:_______________________.
[Choices: Plains states, New England, Deep South, Southwest, Pacific Northwest ]
12. "Never Really Over" is a hit single this year for:__________________________.
[Choices: Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, Katy Perry, Naomi Campbell, Pink ]
13. A replica of England's Globe Theatre was built in this city in 2003:_____________________.
[Choices: Rotterdam, Rome, Raleigh, Richmond, Reno ]
14. "The Borrowers" is a 1952 children's fantasy novel by this English writer:______________________.
[Choices: Mary Norton, Gordon Brand, Phyllis Bentley, Albert Camus, Penelope Fitzgerald ]
15. By definition, a solivagant is a person who ___________________ alone.
[Choices: Drinks, Travels, Hunts, Eats, Sings ]
16. The Banh Mi is a __________________ style sandwich.
[Choices: Vietnamese, Brazilian, Korean, Mongolian, Chinese ]
17. Amanita phalloides, also called the Death Cap, is a poisonous:______________________.
[Choices: Moss, Plant, Lizard, Snake, Toadstool ]
18. Long a term in furniture and sports, "wingback" now also designates a make of:________________________.
[Choices: Bicycle, Car, Wallet, Phone, Running shoe ]
19. In the history of weaponry, the bombard was an early version of the:______________________.
[Choices: Pike, Galley, Crossbow, Iron Maiden, Cannon ]
20. In medicine, the Hamilton scale measure this condition:____________________.
[Choices: Exhibitionism, Depression, Schizoid tendencies, Rage, Criminal tendencies ]
21. What sort of creature is the White-throated Dipper?_____________________
[Choices: Squirrel, Lizard, Passerine bird, Game fish, Poisonous snake ]
22. Which of these is a "treble clef" instrument?________________________
[Choices: Bassoon, Cello, Timpani, Piccolo, Trombone ]
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) Let's go to Belgium v CURRENT MOVIES: He's one of the stars of the new "Men in Black" movie:_________________________.
[Choices: Chris Cooper, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans ]
24.(a) NFL training camps v NAME THE AUTHOR: Which historical figure had time to write a novel title "Savrola"?____________________
[Choices: Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Nixon, James Cook ]
25.(a) The planet Mars v THIS MEANS WAR!: It was called the First Iraq War, the Persian Gulf War or:______________________________.
[Choices: The War on Terror, Iraqi Freedom Initiative, Operation Desert Storm, Death to the Evil Empire, Enduring Freedom Ploy ]
26.(a) Name the author v LET'S GO TO BELGIUM: One of the biggest events in Belgium, the Fleche Wallonne, is an annual:_____________________.
[Choices: Bicycle race, Tulip festival, Costume parade, Winter arts festival, Regatta ]
27.(a) THIS MEANS WAR! v NFL training camp: In European history, the Hussite Wars of the 15th Century are also called the ________________ Wars.
[Choices: Gallician, Saxon, Prussian, Sicilian, Bohemian ]
28.(a) CURRENT MOVIES v The planet Mars: Which phrase best describes the 2019 movie "Stuber"?__________________
[Choices: Sci-fi fantasy, Action comedy, Folk horror, Animated musical, Romantic drama ]
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. Three actresses play the title character in the jukebox musical "The ______________________ Show".
[Choices: Marilyn Manson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Cher, Whitney Houston ]
30. Which city lies about 35 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio?___________________________
[Choices: Ann Arbor, Allegheny, Cuyahoga Falls, Topeka, Erie ]
31. Who was named Most Valuable Player of this year's NBA Finals?____________________________
[Choices: Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Marc Gasol, Demarcus Cousins, Stephen Curry ]
32. An emollient is a substance that is:________________________.
[Choices: Poisonous, Irritating, Boiling, Shiny, Soothing ]
33. Nayib Bukele became the ______________________ this year.
[Choices: President of El Salvador, U.N. Secretary-General, CEO of Instagram, Commissioner of OPEC, Prime Minister of Syria ]
34. Which network was founded in Connecticut in 1979?________________________
[Choices: Showtime, HBO, FOX, Nickelodeon, ESPN ]
35. The Big Four capitals of the fashion world are London, New York, Paris and:____________________.
[Choices: Brussels, Berlin, Geneva, Milan, Kuala Lumpur ]
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 & 5 Choices = 16 seconds; No Clues): 36. Silvio, Canio and Nedda make up a love triangle in this opera:______________________.
[Choices: The Betrothed, Pagliacci, The Phantom of the Opera, Light in the Piazza, Cavaleria Rusticana ]
37. Which of these countries does *NOT* border Slovakia?_____________________
[Choices: Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia ]
38. Published in 1956, this acclaimed novel is set in New Orleans:__________________________.
[Choices: Up the Down Staircase, God's Little Acre, On the Waterfront, Death Be Not Proud, A Walk on the Wild Side ]
39. Opuntia, a member of the cactus family, is more commonly called:_________________________.
[Choices: Saguaro, Prickly pear, Mango, Gooseberry, Boysenberry ]
40. French philosopher Pierre-Jean Proudhon was the first to call himself by this name:______________________.
[Choices: Atheist, Anarchist, Monarchist, Republican, Freemason ]
Final Jeopardy Question on DISASTERS (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 which region of the Soviet Union did the 1986 Chernobyl incident take place?_______________________
[Choices: Siberia, Moldova, Ukraine, Chechnya, Belarus ]
Answers:1. Child prodigy [see
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wunderkind ; "Wunder"="wonder" and "Kind"="child" in German ]
2. Joe DiMaggio [see the section "1941 hitting streak" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio ]
3. A Star is Born [Our film expert Patrick (MRRED) pre-called this one at Buster's Bar in Ottawa ON (this was the final week at Buster's, which is closing due to sale of the shopping mall); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Star_Is_Born_(2018_film) ]
4. Ross Perot [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot ]
5. People [Jean (LESTER) pre-called this one; see the section "Naming" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oganesson and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaborgium ]
6. Berkshire Hathaway [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Hathaway ]
7. Yellow dwarf [Jean called this one; I (REACH) would not have called our Sun a dwarf star (it's part of the Main Sequence, whereas "dwarf" implies "abnormally small"; OTOH it's just a matter of definition, and if one pushy astronomer gets his way and calls Pluto a "dwarf planet" but not a "planet", then the Sun is not a star if it is a "dwarf star"), but the other Choices were way wrong; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun ]
8. Esperanto [I pre-called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto ]
9. Nighthawks [I split my guesses, going with this as REACH, and with the others with "Cardsharps" as SPRAJO; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks_(painting) - the faint sign is at the top of the painting, which I did not previously know. I suppose the other call for "Cardsharps" came from a guess with "Dogs Playing Poker" by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_Playing_Poker and
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-edi ... -100-years . While typing this, I noted that "Cassius Marcellus" were also the first and middle names of Cassius Marcellus Clay before he changed his name to Muhammad Ali; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali .
The other Choices were obviously wrong; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stag_at_Sharkey's ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Boogie_Woogie , and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina's_World for the paintings by George Bellows, Piet Mondrian, and Andrew Wyeth. ]
10. North Korea [see
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48821790 ]
11. Deep South [we correctly guessed this was an understandable grievance of the Deep South (the Canadian Prairie provinces see Ontario/Quebec the same way); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_of_Abominations ]
12. Katy Perry [Sue (SWIFT) called this, but most of us did not hear her, but guessed it anyway; see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEb5gNsmGJ8 ]
13. Rome [we mostly missed this one; see
https://www.likealocalguide.com/rome/globe-theatre ]
14. Mary Norton [Sue called this one, and we listened this time; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Borrowers ]
15. Travels [Chris (CEEZED, KAYZED) called this one; see
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solivagant ]
16. Vietnamese [Sue correctly described the sandwich; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banh_Mi ]
17. Toadstool [I pre-called "Mushroom"; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides ]
18. Wallet [We missed this one; see
https://wingback.co.uk/collection/cash-wallet ]
19. Cannon [My pre-call; see
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bombard ]
20. Depression [I split my two tablets between this and "Schizoid tendencies"; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_ ... Depression , with depression resulting from my split]
21. Passerine bird [my pre-call; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-throated_dipper ]
22. Piccolo [Sue called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clef and
https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Piccolo/Notation ]
23.(a) Chris Hemsworth [Patrick called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_in_Bl ... ernational ]
24.(a) Winston Churchill [we missed most of the Points on this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savrola ]
25.(a) Operation Desert Storm [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War ]
26.(a) Bicycle race [we missed most of the Points on this one, trying to decipher "Fleche"="Arrow" until I got this as SPRAJO for 347 Points; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fleche_Wallonne ]
27.(a) Bohemian [I pre-called "[Jan] Hus was a Czech..."; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussite_Wars ]
28.(a) Action comedy [Patrick called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuber_(film) ]
29. Cher [most of the 6 of us went with this; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cher_Show_(musical) ]
30. Cuyahoga Falls [the ringers at Red Fox Sports Pub and Grille must have enjoyed this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyahoga_Falls,_Ohio and the map at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akron_metropolitan_area ]
31. Kawhi Leonard [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawhi_Leonard ]
32. Soothing [see
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/emollient ]
33. El Salvador [we went with a wrong call for Syria (the name seemed Middle Eastern or North African); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayib_Bukele and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imad_Khamis (Prime Minister of Syria from July 2016) ]
34. ESPN [Patrick called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN ]
35. Milan [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_capital ; I forget who pre-called this one.]
36. Pagliacci [I called this one, so most of us got the Points; unfortunately, I read further down, and noticed Cavaleria Rusticana and stupidly switched my answers (the two short operas are often played back-to-back, and I couldn't remember which names fit which opera). See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagliacci and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalleria_rusticana .]
37. Serbia [Sue called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia ]
38. A Walk on the Wild Side [Eliminating the other Choices, I split my answers between this one and "Death Be Not Proud"; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_on_the_Wild_Side and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Be_Not_Proud_(book) ]
39. Prickly pear [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia ]
40. Anarchist [Sue got this one, but the others went with a wrong call for "Atheist"; see the section "History, Classical anarchism" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Joseph_Proudhon ]
41. Ukraine [Chris pre-called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster ]