Thursday 26 May 2016

The NHL's Stanley Cup is not flat, but in fact, very tall

Your target this week:

1+ out of 7: Well done, you beat us and we'd have won with you on our team!

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor
3) The secret German
4) The metallurgist
5) The rich-person otherkin
6) The sports guy

The ones that got away
Question 3
1) What is the most spoken language in South America?
2) In 1993, which New York borough held a referendum on whether to secede from the city of New York?
3) Pictured is part of an Internet meme. In this context, what 3 words most typically follow 'here come dat boi!'?
4) In grams, how much does a bee hummingbird weigh? Your answer will be the number 2, followed by a number of zeros.
5) In May 1877, an 8.8 magnitude Earthquake occurred off the coast of which country? If you get the country you get 2 points. If you get one of its neighbours you get 1 point.
6) This question will require some explanation. On the night this was a '5 or 0' question: you either get 5 points or 0 points. Since you only need 1 point to help us win it'll be a 1 point question here. Name as many NHL players who have won the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 21st Century as you have members on your team. (So for most of you playing at home, this will probably be just 1.)

The answers


The doctor's excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us and helped us win (1 or more point)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


Our alternative questions
1) Only 4 countries with populations of over 10 million have Portugese as their official language. 2 of them are Brazil and (spoilers) Portugal. For 1 point each, name the other 2. As a hint, the two countries both border Zambia, which is the only neighbour they have in common.
2) Staten Island derives its name from what language?
3) Speaking of inexplicably viral frogs, Crazy Frog evolved from a 1997 recording of a 17-year-old Swede trying to impersonate what?
4) Speaking of Swedes (and hummingbirds), Måns Zelmerlöw sang the lyrics 'Go sing it like a hummingbird / The greatest anthem ever heard' in the process of winning what competition in May 2015?
5) In Greek mythology, which god was thought to cause earthquakes?
6) To most fans North America's major hockey league is known as the National Hockey League, or simply NHL. In French-speaking regions (most notably Quebec), the league is abbreviated to the same three letters, but in a different order - what order?

The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!

Thursday 19 May 2016

No post this week - ill :(

Sorry! On the plus side, we won the grand final of the six-month season at our regular quiz. (Admittedly this isn't particularly good news if all you care about is my quiz questions, but it won us a beer party so we're pretty pleased.)

Thursday 12 May 2016

You can make 'diamond leggings' in Minecraft

Your targets this week:

1+ out of 6: Well done, you beat us!
3+ out of 6: We'd have won with you on our team!

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor

The ones that got away
1) In beer, what does IBU stand for, or measure?
2) Arrange these from weakest to strongest: Bock, Doppelbock, Hellesbock, Eisbock.
3) Identify the company from one of its slogans: "A diamond is forever".
4) Identify the product from its slogan: "Do you eat the red ones last?"
5) Whose logo is pictured?
6) Whose logo is pictured?
Questions 5 (left) and 6 (right)

The answers


The doctor's excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us (1 or more point)? Would you have helped us win (3 or more points)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


Our alternative questions
1) A solid red triangle was the first ever trademark registered in the UK. To which brand/brewery does it belong?
2) Let's keep this beer logo train going. What brand of beer - notable for its spawning of the "Most Interesting Man in the World" Internet meme - derives its Spanish name from a commemoration of the arrival of the 20th Century?
3) De Beers was founded by Cecil Rhodes, whose British South Africa company founded a territory that is now modern-day Zambia and which other country?
4) Purple Skittles are grape flavoured in most locations, but what flavour (from the shrub with taxonomical classification Ribes nigrum) are they in the UK?
5) The US TV network (and acronym) OWN is named after which TV star?
6) Letters from 4 logos have been expertly edited and used to make up the abbreviation OTGA. For 1 point, name all 4. Hint: the products are all of a similar type.

Question 7


The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!

Thursday 5 May 2016

The Toronto Raptors' mascot is called The Raptor

Your targets this week:

1+ out of 7: Well done, you beat us!
3+ out of 7: We'd have won with you on our team!

The attendees
1) The statistician
2) The doctor

The ones that got away
Question 2
1) What is the only food which in a natural/unprocessed state does not spoil?
2) What does this symbol mean? Hint: it's on virtually every car, except maybe hire/rental cars.
3) Who said/wrote: "Art has no influence upon action. It annihilates the desire to act. It is superbly sterile. The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame."?
4) Who said/wrote: "I meant what I said and I said what I meant."?
5) Who said/wrote: "You had me at hello."?
6) Who said/wrote: "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."?
7) Who said/wrote: "It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart."?

The answers


The doctor's excuses


How did you do? Would you have beaten us (1 or more point)? Would you have helped us win (3 or more points)? Let the world know with the poll below, then read on for my alternative questions (loosely) inspired by this week's Ones That Got Away!


Our alternative questions
Question 5
1) What name is shared by the bee mascot of Honey Nut Cheerios and a character from a major animated movie franchise which began in 1995?
2) What phrase, which in an everyday sense can mean (via Webster's) "something very powerful, strong, or effective", derives from a measure of the performance of an engine or aviation fuel?
3) Wilde's downfall began with an accusation of sodomy by the father of Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas, one of his lovers. Lord Douglas' father, however, is arguably better known for lending his name to the (basis of the) rules of what sport?
4) Theodor Seuss Geisel began using various pen names (including 'Seuss') after he was banned from extracurricular activities while an undergraduate at Dartmouth. What activity resulted in this punishment? Now a (very) common activity for students, it was illegal at the time.
5) Tom Cruise's Jerry Maguire co-star, Cuba Gooding, Jr., has seen his career dwindle to mainly direct-to-DVD affairs. One exception was a 2009 television film (pictured) where he plays what (real-life) neurosurgeon and Presidential candidate?
6) Angelou's remarkably varied career included the role of Clara in a production of Porgy and Bess. This character performs the opening song of the musical, a lullaby to her baby, which has since become a jazz standard. What song?
7) Prior to becoming stateless in 1941, what was Anne Frank's nationality?

The answers


How did you do on my alternative questions? Have another poll!