testo=Presented below, a sampling of ten typical Big Quiz Thing questions, all of which were used to much acclaim in the past. How smart (or how much of a smart-ass) are you?
Q: Where are you from if you’re Manx?
A: The Isle of Man
A island between England and Ireland, part of the U.K. If you didn’t know that, turn back now!
Q: According to a famous song, what has been the ruin of many a poor boy, and God, I know, I’m one?
A: The House of the Rising Sun
These kinds of questions are fun. We also once asked, “Who’s gonna get a ticket now sooner or later ’cause she can’t keep her foot of the accelerator?”
Q: What was the name of the unseen bully who terrorized Arnold on Diff’rent Strokes?
A: The Gooch
Some folks claimed that he was played by Andrew Dice Clay, but that was the bully who terrorized Willis.
Q: A test of your everyday powers of observation: What words are printed on your standard Greek design bodega coffee cup?
A: “We are happy to serve you”
There are variations on this. But no one complained when we asked it, so here it is again.
Q: What African nonhuman mammal is responsible for the most human deaths?
A: Hippopotamus
Notice “nonhuman.” And notice “mammal” – otherwise, it’s the mosquito.
Q: What classic movie included performances by Schlitze the pinhead, Prince Randian the Human Caterpillar, and Koo Koo the bird girl?
A: Freaks
Lots of correct answers on this. Shows what kind of people turn out for the Big Quiz Thing.
Q: What musical instrument, invented in 1919, is played without being touched?
A: The theremin
Some interesting wrong answers on this. “Player piano.” “Wind chimes.” “Nose flute.”
Q: What 1939 novel featured a character named Homer Simpson?
A: Day of the Locust
Bonus question for absolutely no credit: Who played Homer in the 1975 movie of the book?
Q: Who hailed from Grenoble in the French Alps, weighing 525 pounds, and was the Eighth Wonder of the World?
A: André the Giant
A question about the greatest form of entertainment in the history of civilization: professional wrestling.
Q: What word, meaning “disappointed,” is taken from the so-called sport of cockfighting?
A: “Crestfallen”
Noah’s favorite kind of question. No one knows this immediately off the top of their head, but a table of smart people can usually puzzle it out after a minute or two.