Question 1

Cartoon Villains: Who might foil this supervillain's evil scheme?

Accepted Answer

Earthworm Jim - Professor Monkey-for-a-Head invented Earthwork Jim's supersuit and spent the entire series trying to get it back.

Question 2

Movie Quote: Which movie asked, "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?"

Accepted Answer

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - This memorable line is delivered by "1st Soldier with a Keen Interest in Birds".

Question 3

Weights & Measures: How much does a pint of water weigh in Imperial terms?

Accepted Answer

16 ounces - Simple mnemonic rhyme: "A pint is a pound the world around" is useful in the kitchen but only if you're in the US since pints vary from country to country.

Question 4

Geometry: What do you call a polyhedron with 12 flat faces?

Accepted Answer

Dodecahedron - OH, NO!  A MATH QUESTION!  RUN!

Question 5

English Vocabulary: Which of the following is an onomatopoeia?

Accepted Answer

clink - Onomatopoeia: a word that sounds like its meaning such as crack, pop, or belch.

Question 6

Art: Which Old Master painted "The Sistine Madonna"?

Accepted Answer

Raphael - It's ironic that this masterpiece of Renaissance art is best know to modern audiences by those damned cherubs ("putti") at the bottom.

Question 7

Color Theory: Which of these colors is an analogous color to yellow?

Accepted Answer

green - Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel while complementary colors are opposite in position.

Question 8

Animals: What is this dendrobates tinctorius known for?  (Other than being blue, I mean.)

Accepted Answer

It's highly poisonous - This guy's common name is the blue poison dart frog.

Question 9

Anime: Who is this computer genius?

Accepted Answer

Edward (Cowboy Bebop) - Ed is the youngest member of the Bebop team, though she technically wasn't hired since she leveraged the crew into taking her aboard.

Question 10

Gemstones: Gems are graded using "the Four Cs"... color, cut, clarity, and ???  What is the fourth C?

Accepted Answer

carats - Carats are the basic weight unit used for all gemstones, equal to 1/5 metric gram.

Question 11

Astronomy: The constellation Ursa Major ("the Greater Bear") includes another star grouping known as what in North America?

Accepted Answer

the Big Dipper - The Big Dipper (The Plough in the UK) helps navigators by pointing the way to Polaris, the North Star.

Question 12

Age of Exploration: Why does Brazil speak Portuguese while the rest of South America speaks Spanish?

Accepted Answer

The Pope drew a line on a map - Pope Alexander VI brokered the agreement known as the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), giving everything over 370 miles west of Cape Verde Islands to Spain.

Question 13

Cuisine: Which of the following items is NOT made from pork?

Accepted Answer

bresaola - Bresaola is properly a cured cut of beef eye of round that is dry aged until thin slices are translucent.

Question 14

Drink: Bacardi rum takes its name from what?

Accepted Answer

the founder's family name - Don Facundo Bacardí Masó, born in Spain, emigrated to Cuba in 1828 and eventually created the largest family-held distilling company in existance.

Question 15

Cooking Ingredients: Which spice is from the seed of the cilantro plant?

Accepted Answer

coriander - Cilantro and coriander are just different botanical parts of the same plant.

Question 16

Cartoons: What was the name of the home town of Rocky and Bullwinkle?

Accepted Answer

Frostbite Falls - Frostbite Falls was a fictional town in Minnesota created by Jay Ward Productions as a backdrop for the animated parody comedy.

Question 17

Marvel: What is the alter ego of the Marvel character called Storm?

Accepted Answer

Ororo Munro - Ororo Munro was born in Kenya but raised in Harlem (New York, not Netherlands) and Cairo (Egypt, not Illinois) and a major figure in the X-Men universe.

Question 18

Classical Music: Which famous Czech composer created the "From the New World Symphony" (formally Symphony #9)?

Accepted Answer

Antonin Dvorak - Appropriately, the New World Symphony was written by Dvorak while he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music in NYC.

Question 19

Star Trek: What comic expressed interest in being on Star Trek: the Next Generation but studio executives thought it was a joke?

Accepted Answer

Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg went on to play Guinan, the proprietor of Ten Forward, for 28 episodes of The Next Generation.

Question 20

Mythology: Narcissus was so in love with his own reflection, he took root and became a flower.  But what was the name of the nymph who fell in love with him?

Accepted Answer

Echo - Echo gave her name to the audio phenomenon because she was cursed by Hera to only speak by repeating the last words spoken to her.

Question 21

Pixar: In "Finding Nemo", who is the singing teacher of the fish school?

Accepted Answer

Mr Ray - "Oh, knowledge exploring is oh so lyrical... When you think thoughts that are empirical."

Question 22

Star Wars: What are the small scavenger species that capture R2-D2 and C-3PO in A New Hope?

Accepted Answer

Jawas - Jawas aren't a big part of the Star Wars universe, but they are a handy plot point.

Question 23

Geography: Which of the following nations is the furthest south?

Accepted Answer

New Zealand - New Zealanders are further south than just a few places on the planet.

Question 24

Rock and Roll: What classic rock group recorded "Wild Thing"?

Accepted Answer

The Troggs - Though The Troggs aren't the first band that jump to mind when most people think of '60s rock, they hit #1 in the US with this classic.

Question 25

Medieval Literature: Which of the following isn't part of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"?

Accepted Answer

The Bishop's Tale - If there was a bishop along on their pilgrimage, Chaucer didn't mention them.

Question 26

Video Games: What is the name of this classic video arcade game?

Accepted Answer

Frogger - Frogger was released by Sega in 1981 and is still considered one of the greatest video games of all time.

Question 27

Movies: What famous song plays a role in the 1942 flim classic Casablanca?

Accepted Answer

As Time Goes By - Ironically, the quote everyone remembers from Casablanca ("Play it again, Sam,") never happened.  The quote is "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'"  Just FYI.

Question 28

Literature: "Remembrance of Things Past" is often considered the greatest novel ever written.  Who was the author?

Accepted Answer

Marcel Proust - The work is actually in 7 volumes, so if judged on size, it has a big advantage.

Question 29

Television: What holds the record as the longest running Western series on television?

Accepted Answer

Gunsmoke - Gunsmoke had the distinction of running for 20 seasons, far longer than any other cowboy series.

Question 30

Science: Light is fast but not instantaneous.  How long does it take light from the Sun to reach the Earth?

Accepted Answer

8 minutes - At 93 million miles away, it takes light 8 minutes to get here, compared to the 4.3 YEARS it takes light from the next nearest star to get to us.

Question 31

Medicine: Essential to metabolizing food into energy, which organ produces insulin, the hormone that accomplishes this?

Accepted Answer

Pancreas - The disorders of the pancreas are often the cause of humans developing diabetes.

Question 32

DC: Starfire/Koriand'r is an alien who joined the Teen Titans.  What species is Starfire?

Accepted Answer

Tamaranean - Introduced to the DC Universe in 1980, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran has become a mainstay of the Teen Titan franchise.

Question 33

Spanish Language: What is the Spanish word for "winter?

Accepted Answer

invierno - What?  You expect some witty comment about the Spanish?  A joke that works in BOTH languages?  Yeah... riiiiight...

Question 34

Geology: Which of the following is NOT an igneous rock?

Accepted Answer

slate - Slate is sedimentary while the other three rocks are all volcanic in origin.

Question 35

Fractions & Decimals: What is the decimal equivalent of 3/8?

Accepted Answer

0.375 - Simple math.  If 1/2 is 0.5, and 1/4 is half that or 0.25, and 1/8 is half that or 0.125, then 3/8 is 3 x 0.125 or (drumroll, please) 0.375.

Question 36

Politics: Which US president brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel?

Accepted Answer

Jimmy Carter - This was one of the treaties few ever believed could be ratified, but the "Georgia peanut farmer" somehow managed.

Question 37

Acronyms: An important acronym in the computer world is USB.  What does USB stand for?

Accepted Answer

Universal Serial Bus - The easiest way to remember this is it's "universal" because it's used so often.

Question 38

1980s Trivia: What was the top-grossing movie of the 1980s?

Accepted Answer

ET: the Extra-Terrestrial - ET grossed $399 million, a full $100 million MORE than any other movie that year.

Question 39

Ancient History: One of ancient history's great stories is Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants.  Which war was this part of?

Accepted Answer

The Punic Wars - Carthage and Rome were the combatants, the term "Punic" comes from the Latin "Punicus" meaning Phoenician, Carthage being the last great stronghold of Phoenician culture.

Question 40

Automobiles: The US is known for its car culture.  Which company as the first major auto maker in the US?

Accepted Answer

Oldsmobile - Everyone knows Ford as the first assembly line car manufacturer... except Oldsmobile was producing assembly line cars for 7 years before Ford.  Ford simply improved on it.

Question 41

Elements: There are only two elements that are liquid at room temperature... mercury and what?

Accepted Answer

bromine - At room temperature, chlorine is a gas while iodine and gallium are both solid.

Question 42

Medieval History: Who was the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire?

Accepted Answer

Charlemagne - Charlemagne was King of the Franks, then added King of the Lombards, and finally Carolingian Emperor, leading to the formation of the Holy Roman Empire of western Europe.

Question 43

Dark Horse Comics: The third largest comic house behind DC & Marvel, which of these titles began life as a Dark Horse publication?

Accepted Answer

Hellboy - Hellboy started with Dark Horse BEFORE the movie while both Buffy & Star Wars started as movies and then went to comics.  Gen 13 began as an Image Comic.

Question 44

Harry Potter: Which Hogwarts student is not good at flying on brooms?

Accepted Answer

Hermione Granger - Yes, Hogwarts' number one over-achiever is not a great broom jockey while the other three were all quiddich players.

Question 45

Computers: Computers have employed a number of different computer languages since PCs hit the market.  Which of these is NOT a computer language?

Accepted Answer

Fortis - The computer language is Fortran, not Fortis.  I think Fortis is health insurance or something...

Question 46

Lord of the Rings: What is the name of the forest that is ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn in Middle Earth?

Accepted Answer

Lothlorien - While these are all forests from the LotR, Lothlorien is the home of Galadriel and her husband.

Question 47

Oceanography: An area that is at the center of a circular current is called the equivalent of a desert in the middle of the ocean.  What is this phenomenon called?

Accepted Answer

Gyre - The North Pacific Gyre creates circumstances that have led to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated to be the size of Iran (1.6m sq kilometers), the 17th largest nation on Earth.  OY!

Question 48

Science Fiction: Which of the following is NOT a character from a Jules Verne story?

Accepted Answer

Doctor Moreau - "The Island of Dr Moreau" is actually a book by HG Wells.  Nemo and Aronnax are from "20000 Leagues Under the Sea", and Fogg is from "Around the World in 80 Days".

Question 49

Wonders of the World: Which of the following words was coined as a result of one of the Wonders of the Ancient World?

Accepted Answer

mausoleum - While burial constructions are as old as burials, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was the first "mausoleum" to have the name.

Question 50

Japanese Language: Japanese culture has provided many loan-words to English.  Which of these is the distinctive gate of the Shinto religion?

Accepted Answer

torii - Torii gates are one of the most iconic visual images of Japanese culture, marking the entrance of Shinto shrines.

General Trivia: 50 Questions, 50 Topics!

2) Movie Quote: Which movie asked, "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?"

3) Weights & Measures: How much does a pint of water weigh in Imperial terms?

4) Geometry: What do you call a polyhedron with 12 flat faces?

5) English Vocabulary: Which of the following is an onomatopoeia?

6) Art: Which Old Master painted "The Sistine Madonna"?

7) Color Theory: Which of these colors is an analogous color to yellow?

8) Animals: What is this dendrobates tinctorius known for? (Other than being blue, I mean.)

9) Anime: Who is this computer genius?

10) Gemstones: Gems are graded using "the Four Cs"... color, cut, clarity, and ??? What is the fourth C?

11) Astronomy: The constellation Ursa Major ("the Greater Bear") includes another star grouping known as what in North America?

12) Age of Exploration: Why does Brazil speak Portuguese while the rest of South America speaks Spanish?

13) Cuisine: Which of the following items is NOT made from pork?

14) Drink: Bacardi rum takes its name from what?

15) Cooking Ingredients: Which spice is from the seed of the cilantro plant?

16) Cartoons: What was the name of the home town of Rocky and Bullwinkle?

17) Marvel: What is the alter ego of the Marvel character called Storm?

18) Classical Music: Which famous Czech composer created the "From the New World Symphony" (formally Symphony #9)?

19) Star Trek: What comic expressed interest in being on Star Trek: the Next Generation but studio executives thought it was a joke?

20) Mythology: Narcissus was so in love with his own reflection, he took root and became a flower. But what was the name of the nymph who fell in love with him?

21) Pixar: In "Finding Nemo", who is the singing teacher of the fish school?

22) Star Wars: What are the small scavenger species that capture R2-D2 and C-3PO in A New Hope?

23) Geography: Which of the following nations is the furthest south?

24) Rock and Roll: What classic rock group recorded "Wild Thing"?

25) Medieval Literature: Which of the following isn't part of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"?

26) Video Games: What is the name of this classic video arcade game?

27) Movies: What famous song plays a role in the 1942 flim classic Casablanca?

28) Literature: "Remembrance of Things Past" is often considered the greatest novel ever written. Who was the author?

29) Television: What holds the record as the longest running Western series on television?

30) Science: Light is fast but not instantaneous. How long does it take light from the Sun to reach the Earth?

31) Medicine: Essential to metabolizing food into energy, which organ produces insulin, the hormone that accomplishes this?

32) DC: Starfire/Koriand'r is an alien who joined the Teen Titans. What species is Starfire?

33) Spanish Language: What is the Spanish word for "winter?

34) Geology: Which of the following is NOT an igneous rock?

35) Fractions & Decimals: What is the decimal equivalent of 3/8?

36) Politics: Which US president brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel?

37) Acronyms: An important acronym in the computer world is USB. What does USB stand for?

38) 1980s Trivia: What was the top-grossing movie of the 1980s?

39) Ancient History: One of ancient history's great stories is Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants. Which war was this part of?

40) Automobiles: The US is known for its car culture. Which company as the first major auto maker in the US?

41) Elements: There are only two elements that are liquid at room temperature... mercury and what?

42) Medieval History: Who was the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire?

43) Dark Horse Comics: The third largest comic house behind DC & Marvel, which of these titles began life as a Dark Horse publication?

44) Harry Potter: Which Hogwarts student is not good at flying on brooms?

45) Computers: Computers have employed a number of different computer languages since PCs hit the market. Which of these is NOT a computer language?

46) Lord of the Rings: What is the name of the forest that is ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn in Middle Earth?

47) Oceanography: An area that is at the center of a circular current is called the equivalent of a desert in the middle of the ocean. What is this phenomenon called?

48) Science Fiction: Which of the following is NOT a character from a Jules Verne story?

49) Wonders of the World: Which of the following words was coined as a result of one of the Wonders of the Ancient World?

50) Japanese Language: Japanese culture has provided many loan-words to English. Which of these is the distinctive gate of the Shinto religion?