Table Quizzin’ in the USA…nswers

I’d like to thank Kevin Dillon for that great article on his experiences quizzing in Washington, DC.  Let’s hope his team have a good run in the upcoming eight-week tournament.  We’ll keep you up-to-date here on his progress.

While his post didn’t include a slew of questions, I think you’ll agree that they were quite hard.  No shame in missing them, at all.  For my own part, I only knew (i.e. guessed) the answer to one of them, #1.

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Table Quizzin’ in the USA

Here’s a guest blog from Kevin Dillon, an Irishman living in the USA, who emailed this week.

Last September I fled, for a while, from the harsh economic winds assailing Ireland, to Washington DC where I was quick to find the tradition of table quizzes (referred to as Trivia Night or Pub Quiz over here) alive and well in Irish pubs across the District.

However, there are some notable differences in quizzes on the American side of the pond. They tend to be shorter. Our regular haunt in James Hoban’s, DuPont Circle, on a Wednesday night is only 30 questions spread over four rounds with double points in the last two rounds. Insert American attention span joke here. The first two rounds cover general knowledge, the third round is music where you listen to a piece and answer the song and the band while the last round is film where a topic is chosen, such as Ridley Scott films, a quote read out and you have to answer what the movie is. I am quite enjoying this quiz although I would like an extra general knowledge round thrown in to lengthen it out just a bit.

This week’s quiz had some interesting general knowledge questions which we failed to get:

1. What is the only country whose capital is an anagram of its former capital?
2. Which band released the song Radio Active Man*? (Admittedly as young, hip professionals we should have got this)
3. What Mr. Potato Head piece was removed in 1987?

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US Presidents answers

Here are the answers to the questions I posed in the US Presidents post.

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US Presidents

In honour of the day that’s in it, here’s a small quiz on the office of President of the United States of America.

No matter what you heard on QI, the official list of Presidents of the United States begins with George Washington, as he was the first president sworn into office following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1789.

With that baseline fact declared, let’s begin.

1. In percentage terms, how many Electoral College votes did George Washington receive when elected  in 1789?
2. The playing of which song accompanies the President at almost every public appearance?
3. The 2nd President, John Adams, and the 6th President, John Quincy Adams, were related. How?
4. Quincy is one of only two presidents to remain in politics after their term. The other not only served in the Senate but is also one of only two presidents who have been impeached and is the most recent president who represented a party other than the Democrats or Republicans.  Name him.
5. After Abraham Lincoln, one other president was assassinated in the 19th Century.  Who?
6. Before John F. Kennedy, one other president was assassinated in the 20th Century.  Who?
7. Who entered professional politics for the first time, becoming Governor of New Jersey, just two years before being elected president?
8. How many times was Franklin D. Roosevelt elected president?
9. Who is the most recent president to have served for a time without a Vice-President?
10. Barack Obama’s is the 44th Presidency but how many men have actually been President?

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