Totally Random Trivia: 2022

Questions for Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. There is a bee in a jar. The jar is on the scale. The bee is flying around, but there are no air holes in the lid, so eventually it dies and falls to the bottom of the jar. (Take better care of your pet insects!) When this happens, what is the impact on the number on the scale?

2. Speakers of the most-spoken Native American language north of the U.S.-Mexico border call that language “Diné bizaad.” What do most non-speakers call it?

3. Though it formally renounced its right to declare war in 1947, what country still commands the world’s ninth-largest military budget?

4. What story, first published in 1843, ends with the protagonist shouting, among other things, “I admit the deed! Tear up the planks!”

5. The majority of a dog’s sweat glands are located on what part of its body?

3. Japan?

4. The Telltale Heart

1:  Nothing

2: Navajo

5. Paw pads

1. Guessing the weight of the bee, due to gravitational pull? I dunno, I suck at science.

Answers to Wednesday, July 27, 2022
1. There is a bee in a jar. The jar is on the scale. The bee is flying around, but there are no air holes in the lid, so eventually it dies and falls to the bottom of the jar. (Take better care of your pet insects!) When this happens, what is the impact on the number on the scale?

Stays the same
(the bee’s wings apply force to the ground as it flies)

2. Speakers of the most-spoken Native American language north of the U.S.-Mexico border call that language “Diné bizaad.” What do most non-speakers call it?

Navajo

3. Though it formally renounced its right to declare war in 1947, what country still commands the world’s ninth-largest military budget?

Japan

4. What story, first published in 1843, ends with the protagonist shouting, among other things, “I admit the deed! Tear up the planks!”

“The Tell-Tale Heart”

5. The majority of a dog’s sweat glands are located on what part of its body?

Paws

Questions for Theme Thursday, July 28, 2022

TV Characters by Job: Each question will list three TV characters with the same job. You identify what they all do. Some characters have more than one job—gig economy, am I right?—so tell me the one they share. Example: from the list, “Perry Mason, Ally McBeal, and Ben Matlock,” you’d answer, “Lawyer.”

Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. Monica Geller, Sookie St. James, and Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto.

2. Leo Spaceman, Miranda Bailey, and Michaela Quinn.

3. Dana Scully, Dale Cooper, and Alex Parrish.

4. Charlotte York, Joyce Summers, and Bette Porter.

5. Jane Villanueva, Jessica Fletcher, and Arabella Essiedu.

1. Chef

3. FBI Agent

Those are somewhat guesses as I've not heard of any of these characters besides Monica and Dana including all 5 groupings.

2. Doctor

5. Author/Writer

Slap Shot wrote...

1. Chef

3. FBI Agent

Those are somewhat guesses as I’ve not heard of any of these characters besides Monica and Dana including all 5 groupings.

With the exception of #4 I’ve heard of at least one in each question.  I looked up #4 answers and have never seen any of the shows that those characters are on.

4. Is Art Dealer the correct term? Art stuff. 🙂

Answers to Thursday, July 28, 2022
What job do they share?

1. Monica Geller, Sookie St. James, and Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto.

Chef
(“Friends,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Bear”)

2. Leo Spaceman, Miranda Bailey, and Michaela Quinn.

Doctor
(“30 Rock,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”)

3. Dana Scully, Dale Cooper, and Alex Parrish.

FBI Agent
(“The X-Files,” “Twin Peaks,” “Quantico”)

4. Charlotte York, Joyce Summers, and Bette Porter.

Art gallery manager/owner
(“Sex and the City,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The L Word”)

5. Jane Villanueva, Jessica Fletcher, and Arabella Essiedu.

Writers/novelists
(“Jane the Virgin,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “I May Destroy You”)

Questions for Friday, July 29, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email.

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are six living languages that are considered “Celtic languages.” Name as many of them as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

2. Two zodiac astrology signs are present in the month of July. Name both.

3. Theobroma oil is an edible vegetable fat popular in the pharmaceutical and toiletry industries because its melting point is just below skin temperature. It is more commonly known by what delicious-sounding name?

4. What berry is known regionally as an “alligator pear” or “butter fruit”?

5. Today is July 29. On this day in 1905, the star of “Mantrap,” “Wings,” and “Hoop-La” was born. Name that famous flapper, known as “The It Girl.”

5.  Clara Bow

1. Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton, ???

2. Cancer & Leo

3.  Cocoa butter

4: Avocado

Answers to Friday, July 29, 2022
1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are six living languages that are considered “Celtic languages.” Name as many of them as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Welsh, (Scottish) Gaelic (and NOT Scots; Scots is Germanic)

2. Two zodiac astrology signs are present in the month of July. Name both.

Cancer, Leo

3. Theobroma oil is an edible vegetable fat popular in the pharmaceutical and toiletry industries because its melting point is just below skin temperature. It is more commonly known by what delicious-sounding name?

Cocoa butter

4. What berry is known regionally as an “alligator pear” or “butter fruit”?

Avocado

5. Today is July 29. On this day in 1905, the star of “Mantrap,” “Wings,” and “Hoop-La” was born. Name that famous flapper, known as “The It Girl.”

Clara Bow

Questions for Monday, August 1, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. In the course of completing his famous 12 labors, Hercules kills a giant crab. What was that crab’s name?

2. What slang term for rumor or gossip derives from an old sailing term for a cask with a hole drilled in it… essentially an early version of a water cooler?

3. What court is presided over by Judge Marilyn Milian, in a seat previously held by Jerry Sheindlin, Ed Koch, and Joseph Wapner?

4. A sweet red gin is often made from the blackthorn fruit, which is a smaller relative of the plum. The fruit of the blackthorn is more commonly known by what four-letter name?

5. What 2000 movie did Cameron Crowe base on his own experiences as a teenage reporter for “Rolling Stone” magazine?

4 - Sloe

2. Scuttlebutt

3. The People's Court

5. Almost Famous

5.  Almost Famous

1. Karkinos

Answers to Monday, August 1, 2022
1. In the course of completing his famous 12 labors, Hercules kills a giant crab. What was that crab’s name?

Cancer
(or Karkinos)

2. What slang term for rumor or gossip derives from an old sailing term for a cask with a hole drilled in it… essentially an early version of a water cooler?

Scuttlebutt
(a cask was called a “butt,” and putting a hole in something, like a barrel or a boat, is called “scuttling.” So the sailors would drill a hole in a cask, fill it with water, and call it the “scuttled butt.”)

3. What court is presided over by Judge Marilyn Milian, in a seat previously held by Jerry Sheindlin, Ed Koch, and Joseph Wapner?

The People’s Court

4. A sweet red gin is often made from the blackthorn fruit, which is a smaller relative of the plum. The fruit of the blackthorn is more commonly known by what four-letter name?

Sloe

5. What 2000 movie did Cameron Crowe base on his own experiences as a teenage reporter for “Rolling Stone” magazine?

“Almost Famous”

Questions for Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. “Jane” is the middle name of the woman who is, according to Billboard, the most successful female R&B artist of the past quarter century. Who is she?

2. In 2002, ESPN estimated that you are 40 percent more likely to become an NFL player if you are from—or are descended from—what Pacific island nation?

3. Which character from “The Office” was named after an economics professor from Dartmouth College?

4. What snack—roughly equivalent to a British digestive biscuit—gets its name from a 19th-century teetotaler who believed that a diet free of pleasure or stimulation was how God wanted people to eat?

5. Jim Carrey starred in two of the five top-grossing movies of 1995. They were both sequels, one in which he played the hero and one in which he played the villain. Name either of them.

4.  Graham crackers

5. Batman Forever. Ace Ventura: When nature calls

1. Mary J. Blige?

3. Andy Bernard.

Makes me laugh as that character went to (and is obsessed with) Cornell.

2:  Samoa

Answers to Tuesday, August 2, 2022
1. “Jane” is the middle name of the woman who is, according to Billboard, the most successful female R&B artist of the past quarter century. Who is she?

Mary J. Blige

2. In 2002, ESPN estimated that you are 40 percent more likely to become an NFL player if you are from—or are descended from—what Pacific island nation?

Samoa

3. Which character from “The Office” was named after an economics professor from Dartmouth College?

Andy Bernard

4. What snack—roughly equivalent to a British digestive biscuit—gets its name from a 19th-century teetotaler who believed that a diet free of pleasure or stimulation was how God wanted people to eat?

Graham crackers

5. Jim Carrey starred in two of the five top-grossing movies of 1995. They were both sequels, one in which he played the hero and one in which he played the villain. Name either of them.

“Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” “Batman Forever”

Questions for Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. The first primarily suburban area in the United States was Westchester County, located just north of what major U.S. city?

2. The president of Rolls-Royce once told an interviewer that he blames a TV commercial from the 1980s for the fact that people don’t consider their cars “cool.” It wasn’t even a Rolls-Royce ad. What was the commercial advertising?

3. In 2008, which South American country misspelled its own name on its 50-peso coins, with a second “I” where there should have been an “L”?

4. By mass, oxygen is the third-most-abundant element in the known universe. Name the two elements that are more abundant than oxygen.

5. The most awarded female rapper by the Grammys, with eight wins, has only released one solo album. Who is she?

2.  Grey Poupon

1 - NYC

4. Hydrogen and Nitrogen

4.  Hydrogen and Helium

3. Chile

5. Lauryn Hill

Karlsson wrote...

 

5. Lauryn Hill

in regards to yesterday and today, I can’t name one song by Mary J. Blige or Lauryn Hill.

Zwak wrote...

Karlsson wrote…

 

5. Lauryn Hill

in regards to yesterday and today, I can’t name one song by Mary J. Blige or Lauryn Hill.

Zwak wrote...

Karlsson wrote…

 

5. Lauryn Hill

in regards to yesterday and today, I can’t name one song by Mary J. Blige or Lauryn Hill.

I can't name the exact titles, but I know their songs. Distinct voices, both of them. Also, there are remixes out there of both of them, I believe. I know I have one of 50 Cent's "In Da Club" that's about 9 minutes long and has verses by Beyonce and Mary J added in.

Answers to Wednesday, August 3, 2022
1. The first primarily suburban area in the United States was Westchester County, located just north of what major U.S. city?

New York

2. The president of Rolls-Royce once told an interviewer that he blames a TV commercial from the 1980s for the fact that people don’t consider their cars “cool.” It wasn’t even a Rolls-Royce ad. What was the commercial advertising?

Mustard
(Grey Poupon)

3. In 2008, which South American country misspelled its own name on its 50-peso coins, with a second “I” where there should have been an “L”?

Chile
(it took 10 months before someone noticed!)

4. By mass, oxygen is the third-most-abundant element in the known universe. Name the two elements that are more abundant than oxygen.

Hydrogen, Helium

5. The most awarded female rapper by the Grammys, with eight wins, has only released one solo album. Who is she?

Lauryn Hill

Questions for

Theme Thursday, August 4, 2022

State Demonyms: A demonym is what you call someone who comes from some place. For example, the demonym of “Minnesota” is “Minnesotan.” Here are five questions about the demonyms of other states.

Answers in tomorrow’s email.

1. The official demonym of Nebraska is “Nebraskan.” But most Nebraskans identify with what unofficial demonym, which doubles as a college mascot?

2. There are only four states whose official demonyms are the same number of letters as the name of the state. Please name two of them.

3. Which New England state’s residents inexplicably call themselves “Nutmeggers”?

4. The official demonym is “BLANK residents,” but they also sometimes call themselves “Islanders.” Which state am I talking about?

5. Most state demonyms end with the letter “N.” Six end in “R.” And three end in “E.” Name two of those three “E” states.

1.  Husker (more specifically a Cornhusker)

4 Hawaii

3.  Connecticut

5. Wyoming, Wisconsin, ??

2:  Kansas, Texas

Steve MN wrote...

2:  Kansas, Texas

Arkansas, Indiana (Hoosier)

MNNavy wrote...

5. Wyoming, Wisconsin, ??

New Hampshire

Answers to Thursday, August 4, 2022
1. The official demonym of Nebraska is “Nebraskan.” But most Nebraskans identify with what unofficial demonym, which doubles as a college mascot?

Cornhusker

2. There are only four states whose official demonyms are the same number of letters as the name of the state. Please name two of them.

Arkansas (Arkansan), Indiana (Hoosier), Kansas (Kansan), Texas (Texan)

3. Which New England state’s residents inexplicably call themselves “Nutmeggers”?

Connecticut

4. The official demonym is “BLANK residents,” but they also sometimes call themselves “Islanders.” Which state am I talking about?

Hawai’i
(“Hawaiian” only refers to a person of Native Hawaiian descent, not someone who happens to live in Hawai’i)

5. Most state demonyms end with the letter “N.” Six end in “R.” And three end in “E.” Name two of those three “E” states.

New Hampshire (New Hampshirite), Wisconsin (Wisconsinite), Wyoming (Wyomingite)

Questions for Friday, August 5, 2022

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email.

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: On the RIAA’s list of the 100 best-selling albums of all time, there are five albums whose titles are, in total, a number (not something like “Led Zeppelin IV,” which contains, but isn’t entirely, a number). Name as many of those albums as you can for one point each. Zero total if you get any wrong.

2. On what TV show did Zooey Deschanel's older sister Emily play a forensic anthropologist?

3. What breed of toy dogs, also known as “chrysanthemum dogs,” get their most common name from the Chinese for “lion son dog”?

4. Charles Edward Stuart was the grandson of King James VII of Scotland, which is why his popular nickname included what Scottish term, meaning “pretty” or “healthy”?

5. Today is August 5. On this day in 1960, Upper Volta gained independence from France. The country would later change its name to a bilingual phrase that loosely translates to “land of the upright people.” What is that name?