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: AMERICANA (e.g., What was the profession of Johnny Mack Brown? Answer: Movie cowboy.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Who reputedly assassinated President John F. Kennedy? 2. What is a “double sawbuck”? 3. Which state is the “Yellowhammer State”? 4. Which two novels by Henry Miller have the word “Tropic” in the title? 5. Unofficial theme song of the Great Depression: “Brother, Can You ...?”

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. Which president was nicknamed “The Railsplitter”? 7. For what do the letters stand in the trade agreement TPP? 8. What is a “Saturday night special”? 9. Which singer/dancer of the 1940s was called “The Brazilian Bombshell”? 10. What arsenal was seized by abolitionist John Brown?

PHD LEVEL

11. What Supreme Court case struck down segregation in the schools of Kansas? 12. What was the stage name of comedian Leonard Schneider? 13. What play was Abraham Lincoln attending when he was assassinated? 14. What scandal produced the quotation “Say it ain’t so, Joe”? 15. For which film did Rod Steiger win the Best Actor Oscar?

ANSWERS FOR FRI, APR 28:

1. Albany, New York. 2. Hartford, Connecticut. 3. Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Baton Rouge, Louisiana; or Saint Paul, Minnesota. 5. Atlanta, Georgia. 6. Bismarck, North Dakota; or Jefferson City; Missouri; or Pierre, South Dakota. 7. Dover, Delaware. 8. Austin, Texas. 9. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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?