Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Wednesday Quiz Sure Does Get Around

It's:


The new weekly game of knowledge, intuition, inductive reasoning, and willingness to risk public embarrassment in a friendly and moderately supportive environment!!

Answers come out Fridayish.

1. Well known by name, but seldom staged, this play is set in Harry Hope's saloon and rooming house in 1912. The characters are self-deluding alcoholics, and the central event of the story is a visit of the salesman Theodore "Hickey" Hickman. What's the play?

2. What is being demonstrated about these lines of poetry?



3. It's the study of matter at the molecular level -- except for carbon-based compounds!  Name that discipline!

4. It supported some of the civilizations of ancient times that, although they were among the most populous, are probably the least well known and understood today. These days, it supports modern Pakistan. What geographical feature are we talking about here?

5. Where's this?


6. What language is being used here?
Tír i Meiriceá Thuaidh is ea Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, atá suite idir an tAigéan Atlantach agus an tAigéan Ciúin. Is í an ceathrú tír is mó achar agus an tríú tír is mó daonra ar fud an domhain. Tá caoga stát ann ar fad. Is é Alasca an ceann is mó achar acu, agus California ar an gceann is líonmhaire daonra.
7. It was created by a union of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Duchy of Modena, and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, among others.

8. Who's the little guy?



9. The world's fourth most populous country is also the country with the greatest number of Muslims (well ahead of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, which are numbers 2, 3, and 4). What's this country's name?

10. What do you call a three-sided figure, if two of the sides are the same length?


----

The tie-breaker: What are two adjectives beginning with this week's letter that it would please you to learn that people were applying to you behind your back?  And what are two that wouldn't be so good?

Put your answers in the comments, chop chop!  

22 comments:

Elaine said...

Oh, dear.

1. I have no clue
2. iambic pentameter
3. itsy-bitsy ions
4. Indus River valley?
5. Iceland
6. Irish Gaelic
7. Italy
8. Io, a moon of ?Jupiter
9. India
10. isosceles (it took me 4 tries to spell that correctly, for Pete's sake)

OH, 'intelligent' springs instantly to mind, does it not? (Alas, so does 'idiotic.') 'Itchy' would be bad, but 'intimidating' isn't always, especially if you want your classes to behave. Ignorant, ignoble, ill-met, inane, irritating--goodness, so many undesirable adjectives! Illustrious, that would be a good one! But modesty requires that I admit it's unlikely of use.

gS49 said...

1. The Iceman Cometh
2. iambic pentameter
3. inorganic chemistry
4. Indus River
5. Iceland
6. Irish
7. Italy
8. Io (and it's a girl)
9. Indonesia
10. Isosceles triangle

gS49 said...

Oops, forgot the tie-breaker

Pro: Intelligent, interesting, infallible, intense, impressive, ithyphallic (well, maybe not)

Con: Idiotic, imperceptible, inflammable, infuriating, id-driven, imbecilic, insane (depending on context), illiterate, illegal (heh), ill-featured, insulting

That'll do, I guess. I seem to know more insults than compliments.

lamanyana said...

1) The Imaginary Invalid (the only play I can think of starting with "I")
2) Iambic Pentameter
3) Inorganic Chemistry
4) The Indus River (or the fertile river basin thereof)
5) Iceland
6) Irish (aka Gaelic)
7) Some version of Italy, presumably.
8) Io (such a great name!)
9) India? (though I thought it was higher than 4th in total population. I could say Indonesia, I guess, but I thought India had more Muslims than Pakistan - or at least I was told so back in 1987 when I visited them both.)
10) an Isosceles triangle

tie breaker:
would please me:
- illin'
- inspiring

not so good:
- icky
- irascible

mrs.5000 said...

1 The Iceman Cometh
2 iambic pentameter
3 inorganic chemistry!
4 um, uh...the Iriwaddy delta?
5 Iceland
6 Irish
7 Italy
8 Io. Everybody's second-favorite moon!
9 Indonesia
10 an isosceles triangle
ideal and intellectual, good
icky and irritating, not so good

Mm mud said...

1. Inebriated??
2. I can't sing- what's being demonstrated!
3. Inorganic chemistry
4. Indus valley- they haven't been able to decode their script yet!
5. Iceland
6. I've not a good idea
7. Italy
8. Io
9. Indonesia
10. Isoscles

Incorrigible
Interesting

Same as above.

Elizabeth said...

1. I don't know.
2. Iambic pentameter
3. Isometrics is the only word that comes to mind. Too bad it's completely wrong.
4. Indus River?
5. Iceland
6. Irish (Gaelic)
7. Italy
8. Io, and therefore a little girl.
9. Indonesia?
10. Isosceles triangle.

Intelligent and interesting, good.
Incontinent and inexcusable, bad.

Ben said...

1. Unfortunately, "Death of a Salesman" doesn't seem to fit with this week's letter (as you can tell, I've never seen/read that one either).
2. Iambic Pentameter
3. inorganic chemistry?
4. Indian subcontinent
5. Iceland
6. Inuit
7. Italy
8. Io
9. Indonesia
10. Isosceles triangle

Aviatrix said...

1. Death of a Salesman - I thought it was set in a man's home with his family, but it's the only guess I got. And now I've got to the end and realized there's a letter and it doesn't start with that. How about Inmates.

2. iambic pentameter

3. inorganic chemistry

4. I started with "the southern foothills of the Himmelayas" which is especially bad because I can't spell Himylayas, so now that I know that it starts with I we can do something with the "Indian continental fold."

5. Iceland

6. On first glance it appears to be Irish Gaelic, but it's not quite weird enough. It's almost English, but the subject matter forces it to be not more than a couple of hundred years old. Is it some kind of pidgin of English with an indigeonous American language? Something made up by a New Age cult?

I've just realized that Irish Gaelic fits this week's letter, so I'll go with that.

7. Italy

8. Io

9. Indonesia

10. isosceles triangle

Aviatrix said...

Oh and the adjectives:
Good: intelligent and industrious
Bad: impulsive and incompetent

Aviatrix said...

It's really bothering me not knowing what the text says, so I'm going to translate it and be done with it. I expect extra points if I'm right.

The continent of North America has the United States of America, which is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The nation has acquired land through purchase, treaty and conquest. The original states signed a treaty. Alaska was purchased, and California was a spoil of war.

Anonymous said...

1. The Iceman Cometh
2. Iambics
3. Irockology
4. Indus river
5. Iceland
6. Irish
7. Italy
8. Ios
9. Indonesia
10.Isosceles triangle

Irresistible
Iconic

Irritable
Incontinent

PB said...

Just in time with my answers, I hope.

1. I.... have no idea
2. iambic pentameter
3. inorganic chemistry?
4. Indus River
5. Iceland
6. Irish?
7. Italy
8. Io - probably should be a "little gal," given that it's named after one of the women Juppiter/Zeus slept with.
9. Indonesia
10. Isosceles triangle

PB said...

And forgot the bonus:
Innovative
Intuitive

Irresponsible
Inarticulate

Michael5000 said...

I'm cutting and pasting from gS49, who nailed it:

1. The Iceman Cometh
2. iambic pentameter
3. inorganic chemistry
4. Indus River
5. Iceland
6. Irish
7. Italy
8. Io (and it's a girl) [well, it's a moon, really, but point taken]
9. Indonesia
10. Isosceles triangle

Michael5000 said...

Eight points for Aviatrix, plus a moral bonus for her go at Irish Gaelic. The text was the first paragraph of the Irish Wikipedia's -- the 96th most-developed Wiki, for those of you keeping score -- article on the United States.

Michael5000 said...

And I was going to have to call a tie on the tiebreakers, until I saw what Mm mud did there, which was pretty good.

Aviatrix said...

But I'm out of luck for knowing what it actually says?

Michael5000 said...

Oh, I'm thinking you did fine.

Aviatrix said...

Alright! I speak Irish Gaelic now.

Aviatrix said...

Google can translate from Irish to English. Their version was "North American country is the USA, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific. It is the fourth largest country area and the third most populated country in the world. There are all fifty states. Alaska is the largest area, and California being the largest population."

Mine wins, because it conforms more closely to the norms of English grammar, and because it's more interesting.

Michael5000 said...

I confirm the win.