Some states are officially `nutty'

1. Which of these is NOT a tree nut?

A) Brazil nut B) Peanut C) Pecan D) Pistachio

2. Which song was a duet hit for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty in 1981?

A) “Gold Dust Woman” B) “Landslide” C) “Rhiannon” D) “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around”

3. Which of these things do George Washington and James Monroe have in common?

A) Never lived in the White House

B) No middle name C) Practiced medicine D) Wives named Martha

4. Replicants cause problems for Harrison Ford's character in which film?

A) “Blade Runner”

B) “Clear and Present Danger”

C) “The Empire Strikes Back”

D) “Frantic”

5. Which princess from Greek mythology married the only man who could defeat her in a footrace?

A) Atalanta

B) Callisto

C) Danae

D) Tyro

6. The New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets and which other team moved from the WHA to the NHL in 1979?

A) Calgary Flames B) Edmonton Oilers C) Kansas City Scouts D) New York Islanders

Answers

1) Peanuts are not tree nuts; they're legumes.

2) “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around” was a duet hit for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty in 1981.

3) Neither George Washington nor James Monroe had a middle name.

4) Replicants cause problems for Harrison Ford's character in “Blade Runner.” 5) The mythological princess Atalanta married the only man who defeated her in a footrace.

6) The Edmonton Oilers were a WHA team that joined the NHL in 1979.

FACTS OF THE DAY

• Official state bird, tree, song ... these we expect. Official state nut? Well, yes. Some states do have one. Passion for pralines and pie led to the pecan becoming the official state nut of Alabama and Arkansas. Pecans are the “official state health nut” of Texas as well. For Missouri, the official state nut is the eastern black walnut. For Oregon, it's the hazelnut, since Oregon grows about 98% of all the hazelnuts produced in the United States.

• Tambourines originated in the ancient Middle East and were played mainly by women, especially during religious ceremonies. In Ottoman Turkey, the tambourine's perfect circle shape became associated with the sun. In medieval Europe, angels playing tambourines were depicted in paintings. Yet even an object so seemingly flawless can be improved. In the 1970s, percussionist Richard Taninbaum devised a headless, crescent-shaped tambourine with an ergonomic grip to prevent muscle fatigue. His design for the Rhythm Tech tambourine is now in the collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.