ISAAC ASIMOV’S SUPER QUIZ

Take this Super Quiz to a PhD. Score one point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, two points on the Graduate Level and three points on the PhD Level.

SUBJECT: CULTURAL LITERACY

(e.g., What was the profession of character Elmer Gantry? Answer: Preacher.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Complete the phrase: “Far from the ___ crowd”? 2. Who was the youngest of King Lear’s daughters? 3. For what does NASA stand? 4. In which year was the Declaration of Independence written? 5. Translate “Veni, vidi, vici.”

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. Complete the poetic opening line: “Come live with me and ____.” 7. Translate “Cogito, ergo sum.” 8. Eleven-letter term for a minor crime usually punishable by a fine. 9. What is the name of the barber in the opera The Barber of Seville. 10. Complete the lyrics: “Jimmy crack corn, and ______.”

PHD LEVEL

11. Author of The Feminine Mystique. 12. Author of Civil Disobedience, who spent a night in jail. 13. Name a Persian king who tried to conquer Greece in the 5th century. 14. According to tradition, he put the apostles Peter and Paul to death. 15. In which play is the phrase “star-crossed lovers”?

ANSWERS FOR FRI, DEC 15:

1. Lake Superior. 2. Lake Ontario. 3. Lake Erie. 4. Lake Huron. 5. Lake Champlain. 6. Lake of the Woods. 7. Lake St. Clair. 8. Vermont. 9. Rainy Lake.

SCORING:

24 to 30 points – congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points – honours graduate; 13 to 17 points – you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points – you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 4 points – enrol in remedial courses immediately; 0 points – who reads the questions to you?