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Quiz about Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald   Washed Up
Quiz about Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald   Washed Up

"Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" - Washed Up Quiz


This quiz covers all aspects of the gloomy song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. The first 13 questions are lyric oriented, and the last 7 require a deeper knowledge of the song's origin. Good luck! Don't worry, it's easy.

A multiple-choice quiz by greg9570. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
greg9570
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
144,220
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
15 / 20
Plays
2931
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 20
1. As the opening lines go, "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, Of the big lake they called _____________." Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. The lyrics give up the month in which the freighter sank. As follows, this is in "the skies of _______ turned gloomy" and "the Gales of _______ came early." What month do these snippets refer to? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. Straightforward lyric completion: "The ship was the pride of the American side, coming back from some mill in _________." Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. The phrase "Gales of November" appears numerous times in the song. Which of the following snippets does NOT follow the phrase in some part of the song? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. Even though she "never gives up her dead", the lake "Edmund Fitzgerald" sank on is truly majestic. What is the name of this lake? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Literature can find its way into music. "Superior sings" implies personification. Which phrase completes the personification in the lyrics? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. As the song explains, studies show that circumstances were completely against the crew, led by Captain McSorley. So, in accordance with the lyrics, "the searchers all say they they'd have made _______ Bay." What is the missing word? Please combine the two words, into one, as the official lyrics go.

Answer: (One Word)
Question 8 of 20
8. According to the song, why didn't the cook feed the crew on the fateful night? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. Is the following lyric entirely accurate?- "The church bell chimed till it rang thirty-nine times, for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald"?


Question 10 of 20
10. A "main hatchway caved in" at what time, according to the lyrics? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Gordon Lightfoot believed that the cook and captain of the ship were well what? Official lyrics: "With a crew and good captain well______." Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. What was the name of the location in Detroit in which the rememberance ceremony was held? lyrics: "In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the ...." Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Complete the lyric: "Superior, they said, never gives up her ____________."

Answer: (One Word- (Our Dear Departed))
Question 14 of 20
14. Here begins the pre-mentioned deeper knowledge. The Chippewa Indians called Lake Superior "Kitchi-gummi", obviously not the modern spelling. What does this translate to in English? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. Though never directly mentioned in the song, in what year did the "Edmund Fitzgerald" sink? Sorry if it seems like a history question, but it's necessary. Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. An allusion in the lyrics is made to the ship's bell. Officially, in what year was the ship's bell recovered from the wreckage? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. A necessary question- Who wrote the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"?

Answer: (Two Words- (First and last name))
Question 18 of 20
18. The song explains how the ship sank to the icy bottom of Lake Superior. Approximately how many feet of water did it sink in? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. In 1976, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was written by Lightfoot to honor the ship. Was it written more than a decade after the sinking?


Question 20 of 20
20. The music to the song was primarily played on what instrument? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 23 2024 : firemike1016: 19/20
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. As the opening lines go, "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down, Of the big lake they called _____________."

Answer: Gitche Gumee

Of course, "Gitche Gumee" is a native name for Lake Superior, the lake on which the "Edmund Fitzgerald" sank.
2. The lyrics give up the month in which the freighter sank. As follows, this is in "the skies of _______ turned gloomy" and "the Gales of _______ came early." What month do these snippets refer to?

Answer: November

November, in the Great Lakes, is notorious for wind gales. A mix of wind and rain presumably sank the ship. Of course, no one is exactly sure of the cause.
3. Straightforward lyric completion: "The ship was the pride of the American side, coming back from some mill in _________."

Answer: Wisconsin

"Wisconsin" is the only logical answer, due to the beat of the song. Beat is a lyrical term referring to a constant pattern in a song.
4. The phrase "Gales of November" appears numerous times in the song. Which of the following snippets does NOT follow the phrase in some part of the song?

Answer: "came on"

"Came early" and "Come early" are highly similar; however, the second is intentionally used in the present tense.
5. Even though she "never gives up her dead", the lake "Edmund Fitzgerald" sank on is truly majestic. What is the name of this lake?

Answer: Lake Superior

Surprisingly, the actual word "Superior" is used directly less than five times in the song's body.
6. Literature can find its way into music. "Superior sings" implies personification. Which phrase completes the personification in the lyrics?

Answer: "Superior sings, in the rooms of her ice-water mansion"

Ice-water mansion implies the bottom of Lake Superior. Geographically, because of its location, Superior tends to have cold, choppy waters. "Tends"- more personification. :)
7. As the song explains, studies show that circumstances were completely against the crew, led by Captain McSorley. So, in accordance with the lyrics, "the searchers all say they they'd have made _______ Bay." What is the missing word? Please combine the two words, into one, as the official lyrics go.

Answer: Whitefish

Again, geographically speaking, Whitefish Bay is an inlet of Lake Superior.
8. According to the song, why didn't the cook feed the crew on the fateful night?

Answer: Because the waters were too rough

Think about it. If the crew had eaten the dinner, the plates would have fallen off the boat due to the rocking back and forth. All this would happen, even though the coal liner was nearly 730 feet long.
9. Is the following lyric entirely accurate?- "The church bell chimed till it rang thirty-nine times, for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald"?

Answer: No

Actually, and with historical relevance, during the rememberance ceremony, the bell only chimed twenty-nine times. This was because of exactly twenty-nine crew members.
10. A "main hatchway caved in" at what time, according to the lyrics?

Answer: Seven P.M.

The ship sank in the evening, in the region of nine P.M.
11. Gordon Lightfoot believed that the cook and captain of the ship were well what? Official lyrics: "With a crew and good captain well______."

Answer: Seasoned

Seasoned is a term normally used in cooking. Strange how it is applied to a crew, but the term would imply "squared away."
12. What was the name of the location in Detroit in which the rememberance ceremony was held? lyrics: "In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the ...."

Answer: Maritime Sailors' Cathedral

This ceremony actually occured, and was shown on live television. After a mentioning of a departed soul, a person would chime the bell once.
13. Complete the lyric: "Superior, they said, never gives up her ____________."

Answer: dead

The following phrase, and last line of the song, is "When the Gales of November come early."
14. Here begins the pre-mentioned deeper knowledge. The Chippewa Indians called Lake Superior "Kitchi-gummi", obviously not the modern spelling. What does this translate to in English?

Answer: "great-water"

"Great Water" would lead to the name "Lake Superior", because of the "Superior" size.
15. Though never directly mentioned in the song, in what year did the "Edmund Fitzgerald" sink? Sorry if it seems like a history question, but it's necessary.

Answer: 1975

Yep, it was 1975. Oh, the ship was built in the 1950's, and launched for the first time on June 7, 1958.
16. An allusion in the lyrics is made to the ship's bell. Officially, in what year was the ship's bell recovered from the wreckage?

Answer: 1995

The bell was found by a submarine. Unfortunately, none of the sailors' bodies were ever recovered.
17. A necessary question- Who wrote the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"?

Answer: Gordon Lightfoot

Well, the name was mentioned in the quiz's Introduction. Lightfoot personally sang and recorded the song.
18. The song explains how the ship sank to the icy bottom of Lake Superior. Approximately how many feet of water did it sink in?

Answer: 530 feet

Deep water. Lake Superior is not only the largest, but the deepest of the Great Lakes.
19. In 1976, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was written by Lightfoot to honor the ship. Was it written more than a decade after the sinking?

Answer: No

1976 is one year after the ship sank, in 1975. So, it obviously wasn't more than a decade.
20. The music to the song was primarily played on what instrument?

Answer: Guitar

Listen to the beat of the music, which resembles guitar strokes.
Source: Author greg9570

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
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