Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Thursday Quiz LXXIX

The Thursday Quiz!

The Thursday Quiz is a twelve item is-it-or-isn't-it test of your knowledge, reasoning, stamina, and moxie!

Remember always the Fundamental Rules of the Thursday Quiz:

1. The Thursday Quiz is a POP quiz. No research, Googling, Wikiing, or use of reference books. Violators will never be able to look at themselves in the mirror again.

2. Don't get all stressed out about it! It's supposed to be fun!

Boardgames!

We've got some true facts about boardgames, and some much less true facts. Which is which?

1. New York Avenue, Tennessee Avenue, and St. James Place are the green-colored properties in Monopoly.

2. Although many players of Monopoly customarily pay all fees and fines into a special fund that is collected by any player who lands on the “Free Parking” space, this practice is not actually found in the official rules.

3. Although Chutes and Ladders is often played “naively” by children, there is a community of adult players who apply complex strategic thinking to the game.

4. Outside of North America, the game Clue is called Cluedo and the character of “Mr. Green” is called “Reverend Green.”

5. In the classic version of Clue, it would be possible for the murderer to have “killed Miss Scarlet, in the Library, with a Wrench.”

6. In this position in the game of Chess, is it possible for white to move once and cause a checkmate.


7. And in THIS position, it is possible for white to move once and cause a checkmate.


8. Because they can jump over other pieces, Knights are generally considered more powerful chess pieces than Bishops or Rooks.

9. Territories on the classic Risk board include Madagascar, Yakutsk, Ural, and Ukraine.

10. The highest scoring letters in Scrabble are Q, X, and J.

11. If the first word played in a Scrabble game was “aioli,” it could be worth either 10 or 12 points.

12. The rules of Life – the board game by Milton Bradley – have been modified several times in the last twenty years to make the game more “realistic” and to instill more positive values in children.


State your answers in the comments.

21 comments:

Elizabeth said...

1. No.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. Yes.
6. No.
7. Yes.
8. No?
9. Yes.
10. No.
11. No.
12. Yes.

Les jeux sont fait!

gus said...

1 false
2 true
3 true
4 false
5 true
6 false
7 false
8 false
9 true
10 false
11 true
12 true

LegalMist said...

1 False
2 True
3 False
4 False
5 False
6 False
7 True
8 False
9 False
10 False
11 False
12 True

Elaine said...

1. False; orange!
2. True, but it's fun.
3. This is too weird to be false, probably, but I SO hope that it is! the moves are governed by chance, so there is no way to apply strategy.
4. Hmm. False, I hope.
5. False.
6. False.
7. False. Probably obvious I am not a chess player....
8. True
9. False.
10. False
11. True (ten)
12. Sigh. Probably True. (never played this.)

Hmm, no Parcheesi questions! And you call this a boardgame quiz? thank you for excluding CandyLand.

PB said...

1. Nope
2. Affirmative; also, by the real rules any property that is landed on but not purchased is auctioned off to the highest bidder.
3. I do believe so
4. True 'dat
5. Negative
6. Not if it's white's turn; if it's black's turn and s/he makes the colossally stupid decision to move the king one space right, then white can check-mate by moving the queen to the top of the board.
7. No, no, a thousand times no.
8. Lies! They are generally considered as valuable as bishops and less so than rooks.
9. True, I think... though I'm not positive on the Ukraine.
10. True
11. True - I think you could reach the first double letter score if you were so inclined.
12. Hmm... survey says... true?

Unknown said...

1. false
2. true
3. true
4. true
5. true
6. false
7. false
8. true
9. true
10. true
11. true
12. true

d said...

1n / 2y(i have never played this way) / 3y / 4 sure why not / 5y / 6n / 7y / 8y / 9y / 10n / 11n / 12y

DrSchnell said...

1. Nope. Them's orange
2. True
3. Not true. The only strategy involved would be if you cheated on your spin. There is no strategy in the game at all. The only game that is more tedious to play with young children is Hi-Ho Cherry-O
4. True
5. True
6. False.
7. False
8. Not more powerful than rooks. By some accounts, they're given equal billing with bishops (3 pts, vs. 5 pts. for rooks).
9. True
10. No. Z is 10 pts.

Nichim said...

1. No
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. I don't think so, but that's often my problem with chess
7. No (but see above)
8. No
9. Yes
10. No
11. Yes
12. I'd believe that, yes

Sandy said...

I can't play, because outside of the US Monopoly has Liverpool St Station and Regents St, Chutes and Ladders is called Snakes and Ladders, Life doesn't exist, etc. I could try to get a few other questions, but hey, a body in training needs a rest day. Although all of next week may be a rest, because we will be out of the country.

Kritkrat said...

1. False
2. True
3. True?
4. False?
5. True
6. False? I can't even tell which piece is supposed to be the king.
7. False? Why hasn't the black team taken the horse yet?
8. True? Knights are the horses, right?
9. True?
10. False, I'm pretty sure J is only worth 8.
11. True, what dumbass wouldn't use the double letter spot on the first play?!
12. True. Effing Milton Bradley.

Ben said...

1. False
2. I've played it both ways, so I can believe this one: Sure.
3. False. You go where the spinner tells you.
4. I can see no logic to this statement, so I'm saying it's false.
5. True
6. False
7. True. A smothered checkmate (I was just reading about those last night, so beware...).
8. That seems to be a matter of opinion--I protest! They're worth less points than a rook, but they also have the advantage of jumping pieces. I'm gonna have to go with False on this one.
9. No idea. False.
10. Not sure (don't tell Kate and Elizabeth). False.
11. Sure, depending on whether you covered that double letter space.
12. I haven't played that game in far more than 20 years, but I can believe it: True.

mrs.5000 said...

1 no, decidedly orange
2 true (though the even more egregious two $500 bills rule dominated our New Jersey neighborhood)
3 no, I don't think there's any strategy possible
4 yes
5 I think not
6 no
7 yes, you move the knight in front of the queen's pawn
8 no
9 yes
10 no, you left out Z
11 no, I think it's just 10
12 how could it possibly be more realistic than the 70's version? I'll say no

Morgan said...

1. No, they're orange.
2. Yes
3. No, you can not have any strategic thinking in Chutes and Ladders.
4. Yes, thank you for my Mafia friends in New Zealand for telling me this. The party/forum game Mafia, not the actual Mafia.
5. No, it is Miss Scarlet who would kill Mr. Boddy.
6. No Senor
7. Yes, Nd6#
8. No. As you can checkmate someone with just a king and a rook, but not a king and a knight or a king and a bishop, the rook is generally considered the most powerful of the three.
9. Yes. Like I would know.
10. No, the highest scoring are Q and Z.
11. No. That was a guess.
12. Yes. That was a guess too.

Michael5000 said...

Here goes:
1. Green-colored properties? NO. Orange.

2. "Free Parking" Bonus? YES. It is not in the official rules.

3. Chutes and Ladders? NO. There may be adult players, but you would have to wonder about their sanity. Strategy can not be applied to this game.

4. Cluedo? YES. Now that you know, you'll notice it in British writing.

5. "Killed Miss Scarlet"? NO. It would be possible for Miss Scarlet to kill, but not to be killed. [I honestly don't remember if this was an intentionally tricky question or a typo, but it has a definite correct answer as written.]

6. NO.

7. YES, Knight to d6 and checkmate.

8. Powerful Knights? NO. Knights certainly have their advantages, but they and bishops are almost universally reckoned as worth 3 pawns, while rooks are worth 5.

9. Risk Territories: YES.

10. Highest Scoring Letters: NO, not quite. The Q and Z are 10 each, the X and J are 8.

11. "aioli." YES. It would be worth 12 points with the first or last letter on a double letter space, 10 without.

12. Life as educational tool. YES, it has been revised several times now.

Michael5000 said...

The TQLXXIX Gold Star goes to Morgan, who was the last across the line but who took top honors with 11/12 correct. It is his second Gold, his third Star overall.

Nichim grabs the Silver, her eighth Star. Mrs.5000 breaks the tie at the top of the leaderboard with her 28th Star -- but only her second BLUE Star.

Thanks to all comers. You all got game.

Elaine said...

Why would not the black bishop take the white knight, erasing the check along with the knight?

Morgan said...

Because it is pinned there by the rook.

DrSchnell said...

You'se are a tricksy one with the Miz Scarlet question! Well done!

DrSchnell said...

And that's the second time I've only answered the first ten questions on one of these pesky quizzes. My brain seems to think that 10 is a nice round number and neglects to look down further!

Elaine said...

Thanks, Morgan. So, your tip for the day would be: Look at the whole board, Elaine.
You can see that I am more of the Parcheesi/Trivial Pursuit/Monopoly sort of game-player.