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Famous False Alarms Trivia Quiz

Alarms serve to warn of potential dangers, and can protect us and save us from harm. Unfortunately, sometimes the enthusiasm with which an alarm is sounded is not matched by its accuracy. This quiz explores some famous false alarms over the years.

A multiple-choice quiz by gargleblaster. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
gargleblaster

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
328,466

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
559

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who wrote the original false alarm tale, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf?" Hint

Hans Christian Andersen

Dr. Seuss

Aesop

The Brothers Grimm

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Question 2 of 10

2. Immediately following the arrest of Faisal Shahzad in May 2010 for planting a bomb in an SUV (sport utility vehicle) near Times Square, many of New York's residents were understandably a little jumpy. Which of the following objects was responsible for a false alarm, leading to a temporary evacuation of Times Square on May 7? Hint

A Tickle Me Elmo doll

A ticking briefcase

A lunchbox cooler

A cell phone

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who wrote the book, "False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear"? Hint

Ian McEwan

Emma Richards

Susan Jacobson

Marc Siegel

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Question 4 of 10

4. False fire and burglar alarms can waste time, money, and neighbors' goodwill. How can false alarms be minimized? Hint

Have a trained security professional install the alarm

Don't tell your alarm company when you add a pet to the family

Ensure only one person in the house knows how to use the alarm

Cross your fingers and hope

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Question 5 of 10

5. In 1849, a panic caused by a false fire alarm led to the death of 65 people at the Dunlop Street Theatre in which Scottish city?
Hint

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Dundee

Aberdeen

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Question 6 of 10

6. In statistics, a Type ____ error is known as a "false positive."
Hint

III

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Question 7 of 10

7. In February 2010, which South American country experienced an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale, leading to a tsunami false alarm and mass evacuations in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands? Hint

Peru

Brazil

Argentina

Chile

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which musician wrote the song "False Alarm", which begins, "I'm trying to put this thing to bed/I've drugged it in its sleep"? Hint

KT Tunstall

Usher

Bob Dylan

Alicia Keys

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which U.S. general said, in response to a question about chemical weapons, "With a chemical alarm, you're going to build one that is oversensitive because you would rather the alarm go off and give you a false alarm than to err on the other side"? Hint

David Petraeus

Colin Powell

Omar Bradley

Norman Schwarzkopf

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Question 10 of 10

10. One of the best known false alarms in history was a 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells's novel "War of the Worlds," which describes an alien invasion of Earth. Parts of the broadcast were presented in the form of news bulletins, leading some listeners to believe that the earth actually was being invaded. Who narrated this famous broadcast? Hint

H.G. Wells

Orson Welles

Anthony Welles

Deep Wells

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who wrote the original false alarm tale, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf?"

Answer: Aesop

Aesop was a story-teller who lived in Greece in the 5th and 6th century BCE. He wrote many fables that are still told today, including "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs," and "The Lion and the Mouse."

Answer: A lunchbox cooler

The soft-sided cooler contained several bottles of water. A second false alarm led to another evacuation only four days later. The "suspicious package" this time: a paper bag.

3. Who wrote the book, "False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear"?

Answer: Marc Siegel

Siegel argues that Americans' general fear levels have increased substantially since 9/11.

4. False fire and burglar alarms can waste time, money, and neighbors' goodwill. How can false alarms be minimized?

Answer: Have a trained security professional install the alarm

Many police departments in the US charge consumers and businesses for false alarms. For example, the city of Minneapolis, MN, charges alarm owners a $100 penalty for a second false alarm and a $200 penalty for a third false alarm.

5. In 1849, a panic caused by a false fire alarm led to the death of 65 people at the Dunlop Street Theatre in which Scottish city?

Answer: Glasgow

It seems that the people of Glasgow had good reason to panic. A previous incarnation of the building had been destroyed by fire in 1829 and subsequently rebuilt. It was again destroyed by fire in 1865.

6. In statistics, a Type ____ error is known as a "false positive."

Answer: I

A Type I error occurs when a null hypothesis (the assumption of a particular default state of nature) is incorrectly rejected when it is actually true. For example, a Type I error occurs if a pregnancy test indicates that a woman is pregnant when this is not actually the case.

Answer: Chile

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, based in Honolulu, sends information to 26 countries in the Pacific. Since it was set up in 1965, it is estimated that approximately 75% of warnings have been false alarms.

8. Which musician wrote the song "False Alarm", which begins, "I'm trying to put this thing to bed/I've drugged it in its sleep"?

Answer: KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall's debut album, "Eye to the Telescope," was released in the U.K. in 2004 and has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S.

Answer: Norman Schwarzkopf

General Herbert "Stormin'" Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. commanded the Coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

Answer: Orson Welles

Orson Welles was only 23 at the time of the broadcast, which made him internationally famous. Welles later produced and directed "Citizen Kane," voted by some critics as the best film ever made.

Source: Author gargleblaster

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