Potpourri For 200, Alex Quiz | Mixed

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This American Vice-President resigned under the presidency of Richard Nixon when he was accused of charges of bribery and tax evasion when coming up in Towson, MD politics, as well as when he was Governor of Maryland and Vice-President. Who was he?

Answer: Spiro Agnew

Spiro Agnew was Vice-President under Richard Nixon when he resigned. After Agnew's resignation, Gerald Ford was appointed to Vice-President. The head of an engineering firm, Lester Matz, was served with a subpoena for records and other files implying his dealing with Agnew in a corrupt and dishonorable manner. His attorney and counsel tried to seek immunity in exchange for working with them in the investigation.

Agnew and Matz had worked out the following scheme: Matz got the jobs while Agnew got the kick-backs. Agnew was to receive five percent kickback of the value of contracts received because of his influence. First they worked on county contracts during Agnew's term in Towson, and later on state contracts while Agnew was governor. This lasted into Agnew's Vice-Presidency too.

2. The name of which country's administrative capital city contains the greatest number of vowels of all of the world's capitals?

Answer: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has an official administrative capital named "Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte". For apparent reasons, it is more often referred to as "Kotte" by the people there. Interesting enough is it sits within the urban area of Sri Lanka's commercial capital, Colombo. The city's name has ten vowels.

3. Helium (He) is the second most abundant element in the universe but is actually quite rare on Earth.

Answer: True

Do you want to know why someone's voice gets high pitched and squeaky when they breathe helium? Well it's because the speed of sound in helium is just about three times the speed of sound in the air. The science shows us that at 20 degrees Celsius, sound travels at 927 meters a second through helium, but only at 344 meters a second through air. Try it!

4. This artist's song and composition, "Chase the Clouds Away", is from the album of the same name. It was used at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. The album also had the wonderful musical piece, "Echano". What is the name of the artist associated with this music?

Answer: Chuck Mangione

Chuck Manigione also wrote "Children of Sanchez", "Feels So Good", and "Land of Make Believe". "Echano" is also on the album, "Chase the Clouds Away." It was the tenth album from Manigione. The word "echano" is derived from the Basque word etxano, that when translated it means "to house or home", indicating a connection to a specific dwelling or location.

5. Which statesman, known for wearing his many hats, and seemingly always with a cigar, did "TIME" magazine proclaim as the "Man of the Half Century" in 1950?

Answer: Winston Churchill

He was also named the "Man of the Year" for 1940 by "TIME". "TIME" magazine said that "Winston Churchill is described as the 'savior of his country.'"

This comes from Churchill, as quoted when he wrote in "The Strand Magazine": "One of the most necessary features of a public man's equipment is some distinctive mark which everyone learns to look for and to recognize."

6. Which American city, that hosted the Pan American Exposition in 1901, was President William McKinley assassinated in?

Answer: Buffalo

McKinley was assassinated in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. by anarchist Leon Czolgosz who was arrested in connection with the attack. Shortly later, McKinley died of complications from his bullet wounds.

The tallest mountain in North America is named after him; it's Mt. McKinley in Alaska, also known as Denali. Another interest fact is that Mt. McKinley was named "Densmore Mountain" or "Densmore Peak" before being renamed for the president.

7. "Make Me Lose Control" was co-written by Eric Carmen and Dean Pitchford and sung by Carmen. In the song, what is the name of the woman singing "Stand By Me", "who knows every word by heart"?

Answer: Jennifer

Carmen and Pitchford also wrote another major hit in 1984 called "Almost Paradise" sung by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno. "Make Me Lose Control" is sometimes remembered as "Turn The Radio Up". On the B-side of "Make Me Lose Control", Carmen performed "That's Rock 'n' Roll" which was a big hit in 1977 for teen-idol, Shaun Cassidy.

8. "Timeline" is a science fiction novel and film that tells the story of a group of history students who travel to France in the year 1357 to rescue their missing professor. "Timeline" was the twelfth novel under the author's own name and the author's twenty-second overall. Who is the writer?

Answer: Michael Crichton

"Timeline" was published in November of 1999 by Michael Crichton. Many of Crichton's books involve multiverse and quantum theory. There has been a film created after the book in 2003. The film starred Paul Walker.

"Timeline" is a book about several friends who travel back in time to the Medieval Ages in order to save their professor. The setting is in the Dordogne region of southwest France, in the towns of Castlegard and La Roque where Professor Edward Johnston leads a group of archaeologists and historians.

9. Which of the following computer games is NOT an expansion to a preexisting game?

Answer: Roller Coaster Tycoon 2

"The Sims: Livin' Large" that was released in Europe as "The Sims: Livin' It Up", IS a 2000 expansion to "The Sims".

"Ruins of Kunark" is an expansion to "Everquest". "EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark" is actually the first expansion to "EverQuest", and was released on April 14, 2000.

"Rise of Rome" is an expansion to "Age of Empires". "Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome" is a 1998 expansion pack release for the 1997 real-time strategy video game "Age of Empires".

"Roller Coaster Tycoon" is very similar to "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2", but they are independent and "RCT2" is not an expansion of "RCT". "Roller Coaster Tycoon 2" does have two official expansion packs, though. They are "Wacky Worlds" and "Time Twister". They were both released in 2003.

10. This well-known fan of lightning was a prominent American citizen, as well as being one of the first American diplomats to address the British Parliament (House of Commons), that being in the year 1766. He gave essential testimony in regards to the Stamp Act. Who was this person?

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

To put it in better perspective, Franklin went to London to represent the colonies by testifying before the House of Commons concerning the colonies' resistance to the Stamp Act. Its significance started with him giving a detailed response to 174 questions which helped convince their Parliament to repeal the Act.

It marked a vastly important moment for American voices to be heard in a British political setting.

Source: Author BullsGold

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Potpourri For 200, Alex Trivia Quiz

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