Making "Cent"s of It All

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1. Here is a World question that gets right to the heart of the quiz. In which of the following languages does the word "CENT" mean "one hundred"? German French Spanish Portuguese

2. Here's one For Children, or for any "Harry Potter" fan. While plotting to brew Polyjuice Potion and investigate the Heir of Slytherin, Hermione Granger managed to get a hair from the robes of MilliCENT Bulstrode, a Slytherin student -- but disaster ensued when the hair turned out to be from Millicent's cat! In which book did this memorable subplot occur? Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3. Think back to one of the most bloodsoaked periods in History -- World War I. This war pitted the Allies against the CENTral Powers for four years and twenty million deaths. Which of these nations was NOT among the Central Powers? Bulgaria Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Italy

4. "Things fall apart; the CENTre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." These famous lines were first published in 1920, in a poem called "The Second Coming." What Irish poet, recipient of a Nobel prize in Literature, wrote them? Samuel Beckett James Joyce William Butler Yeats Seamus Heaney

5. VinCENT van Gogh is one of the more famous People covered on this website. His paintings are justly famous, but many people focus on the more bizarre aspects of his life, such as the fact that he cut off part of his own left earlobe and gave it to a prostitute. At the time of this 1888 event, van Gogh was distraught over the end of his friendship with what other painter, famous for his scenes of Tahiti? Theo van Gogh Paul Gauguin Eugène Boch Pierre-Auguste Renoir

6. Reba MCENTire made her name as a country singer, and her acting success cements her status as a Celebrity. From 2001 to 2007, she starred as a struggling but clever single mother in the television sitcom "Reba". By the time of the show, she had personal experience with divorce -- but had she experienced raising a child on her own? Yes No

7. A CENTurion was an officer of the Roman army, but one particular centurion played an important role in Religion as well as the military. According to the Bible, this devout and upright soldier sought out Simon Peter and became the first Gentile (non-Jew) to convert to Christianity. What was the name of this man? Ananias Stephen Cornelius Paul

8. 50 CENT is an American rapper who burst onto the Music scene in 2003, selling over 850,000 copies of his commercial debut album in only four days. What is the title of this album -- a title shared with a 2005 film about his life? Home of the Brave The Massacre Get Rich or Die Tryin' Before I Self Destruct

9. Let's try a Brain Teaser next. What follows is a fractured word clue: if you read the phrase aloud, it should sound like a well-known word (which, naturally, contains the letters CENT). What word is represented by the following phrase? EGGS END TRICK Answer: (One Word)

10. CENTipedes are justly famous in the Animal kingdom for their segmented bodies and impressive number of legs. Which of these traits do all centipedes have in common? Mating habits which conclude with the decapitation of the male Exactly 100 total legs A pair of poison claws on the first body segment Compound eyes with 100 sections each

11. The world of Sports gives us the phrase "CENTury break," referring to the scoring of 100 points in one turn -- without missing a shot. A player seeking a century break must begin the turn with at least ten red balls on the table, putting them in the pockets in alternation with the colored balls. In what sport can a century break thus be achieved? Three-cushion billiards Eight-ball Snooker Straight billiards

12. Regular Television viewers may recall the thirteenth-season "Simpsons" episode "Half-DeCENT Proposal," in which billionaire bachelor Artie Ziff offers one of Springfield's lovely ladies a million dollars to spend the weekend with him. On which of these femmes fatales does he set his sights? Agnes Skinner Edna Krabappel Marge Simpson Patty Bouvier

13. In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham's book "Seduction of the InnoCENT" caused a sensation in the Entertainment industry. Arguing that comic-book depictions of sex and violence caused delinquent behavior among children, Wertham's testimony led to the establishment of a self-censorship board for comic book publishers. What is the name of this board, whose seal still appears on approved comic books? Comic Content Rating Association Comics Code Authority Office of Graphic Novel Classification Comics Decency Board

14. We'll delve into Movies now, for a look at the 1992 film that won Al Pacino his first Academy Award. "SCENT of a Woman" treats the developing friendship between a retired Army colonel (Pacino) and a poor prep-school student (Chris O'Donnell) during a fraught time in both their lives. With what disability is Pacino's character afflicted? Brain damage Deafness Blindness Loss of a leg

15. When it comes to Mount Everest, most people tend to focus on its altitude (a healthy 8,848 meters or 29,028 feet) -- but its Geography is equally fascinating. Climbers have a choice of asCENTs to the top of the mountain, but the most popular choice is along the southeastern ridge. After a few weeks of acclimatization at a base camp, they traverse the Khumbu icefall and climb the face of Lhotse, a nearby mountain, on their way to the peak. In what country does this ascent begin? China Bhutan India Nepal

16. A quick perusal of the Humanities category reveals that the ancient Greeks told of CENTaurs, beings who consisted of a human head and torso joined to the body of a horse. The most famous of these was Chiron, the gentle and intelligent teacher of innumerable legendary figures. Which of these heroes of the Iliad, the son of the sea nymph Thetis, did Chiron raise? Telemachus Hector Achilles Odysseus

17. Mathematics is the language of Sci/Tech, and data ranging from measurement errors to survey results are presented in the form of perCENTages, or parts per hundred. Which of the following numbers is equivalent to 80%? 8/100 80.0 0.8 4/6

18. Players frequenting the Hobbies category may know that, in addition to their beauty, agave plants of various types can be distilled to produce alcohol. One of these species, the CENTury plant or maguey (Agave americana), is used to make which of these spirits? Mead Mezcal Brandy Gin

19. At the close of the popular "Civilization" Video Games, one of the ways players can win is to launch a spaceship and colonize a star system. Which strategy game, also developed by Sid Meier, follows the fate of the colonization mission? Sid Meier's Centaurs in Space Sid Meier's Central Core Sid Meier's Century Mission Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

20. And now to the General category, home of odds and ends -- including this quiz! In addition to trivia mixtures, General is the place to go for numbers and anniversaries, and that's what we'll wrap up with. We name an anniversary year by taking Latin number words and multiplying them together -- thus bicentennial, bi multiplied by centennial, gives us the word for a 200-year commemoration. With this in mind, how many years does a semisesquicentennial celebrate? 150 75 600 300