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Quiz about 15 Malcolm in the Middle  Malcolm Babysits
Quiz about 15 Malcolm in the Middle  Malcolm Babysits

1.5 "Malcolm in the Middle" - "Malcolm Babysits" Quiz


This quiz is about the fifth episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" titled "Malcolm Babysits". It first aired on February 13, 2000. Good luck!
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author Statsman

A multiple-choice quiz by Lpez. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
Lpez
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
9,644
Updated
Oct 08 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
78
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. With which video game console are the Wilkerson brothers playing at the beginning of the episode? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. When Hal claims that "robots are evil", which of the following options is the only one that he does NOT mention? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. After using Malcolm's toothbrush, what does Reese do with the toothbrush that causes a fight between the brothers? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Malcolm is initially happy with the family he is babysitting for since they have a nice house. What name, which may remind you of a fictional purple dinosaur, does the family's emperor angelfish have? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The family is forced to sleep outside because their house is infested with pests. What does Dewey think is happening in their home after seeing it being covered with a colorful tent? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. While Malcolm is out babysitting, the Wilkerson family starts getting cranky over how hot the weather is. Hal and Lois then start a fight that includes Hal criticizing which of the following beef-based foods cooked by Lois? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. While watching television, what unsettling discovery does Malcolm make at the house where he is babysitting, prompting him to quit later in the episode? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which festive date does Malcolm suggest his employers never use as part of their digital passwords? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Throughout the entire episode, we also see a simultaneous storyline of Francis exploring hidden corners of his military school after getting a master key. How did Francis get his hands on this key? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Do Hal and Lois reconcile at the end of the episode after all their fighting?



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. With which video game console are the Wilkerson brothers playing at the beginning of the episode?

Answer: Nintendo 64

The episode starts with Malcolm and Reese playing a video game as Dewey watches from the couch. The boys seem to be getting along nicely, complimenting each other and sharing their chips. Their mother Lois interrupts them and turns off the video game, claiming it is too violent. She switches the TV to a program that is playing the song "Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)" by They Might Be Giants. Lois's actions have the opposite effect of what she intended since the boys immediately start fighting.

The Nintendo 64 console was first released in 1996 and was revolutionary for its time. Created by the Japanese company Nintendo, the console was characterized by its unique controller with an analog stick in the center and colorful buttons on the right side of the controller.
2. When Hal claims that "robots are evil", which of the following options is the only one that he does NOT mention?

Answer: Black Mirror

Malcolm is unsuccessfully trying to convince his parents to buy him an expensive robotics kit. His mom objects because it is too expensive and it will not teach him how to pick up his socks, while his dad believes robots are evil. Hal explains cites 'Westworld,' 'Terminator,' and "the creepy maid from 'The Jetsons'" as scientific proof that robots are bad. Lois tells Malcolm to save the money he gets from his new job as a babysitter and then use it to buy the kit. Lois also tells Malcolm that he will get paid what all jobs pay: "less than you're worth and just enough to keep you crawling back for more".

"Black Mirror" is a television series created by English producer and screenwriter Charlie Brooker. The show premiered in 2011 and has featured episodes about the intersection between science and technology. Some of "Black Mirror"'s themes and storylines are rather dystopian and offer interesting societal critiques.
3. After using Malcolm's toothbrush, what does Reese do with the toothbrush that causes a fight between the brothers?

Answer: He throws the toothbrush into the toilet

As the three Wilkerson brothers prepare for bed, a fight ensues in their bathroom. Malcolm notices Reese is using his toothbrush and complains, but Reese doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. Instead, Reese suggests that Malcolm use his toothbrush. Reese then throws Malcolm's toothbrush into the toilet, which provokes Malcolm into splattering Reese's shirt with toothpaste. This leads to the two boys fighting with each other.

Hal and Lois are trying to have a romantic evening but it is interrupted by the fight. The noise coming from the boys' room prompts Lois to go in and separate her children.
4. Malcolm is initially happy with the family he is babysitting for since they have a nice house. What name, which may remind you of a fictional purple dinosaur, does the family's emperor angelfish have?

Answer: Barney

Malcolm's job as a babysitter seems to start off well for him. The house is the "biggest and nicest" he has ever seen. The family prepares Malcolm a platter of roast beef and turkey and their very well-behaved children go to bed by themselves. Malcolm is surprised that he is being paid to sit and watch television for three hours, and is even confused by feeling happy.

They even have an emperor angelfish (referred to in the show by its scientific name of Pomacanthus imperator) called Barney. The emperor angelfish belongs to the Pomacanthidae family. Like many fish of this species, Barney has stripes and is yellow and purple in color. They are a common fish to have in houses as pets.

Barney is also the name of a fictional dinosaur that was the star of the popular children's show "Barney & Friends". Barney was a purple t-rex who sang and danced with his friends Baby Bop and BJ.
5. The family is forced to sleep outside because their house is infested with pests. What does Dewey think is happening in their home after seeing it being covered with a colorful tent?

Answer: A circus

Earlier in the episode, Hal and Lois found a lot of bugs around the house, particularly inside the boys' bedroom. An exterminator later comes into the house and attributes the problem to the large number of candy wrappers that were stuffed inside the walls. The family is then forced to sleep in a makeshift temporary home outside of their house while the issue is addressed (a trailer that Lois's coworker Carl lent them). Dewey thinks the circus is in their home because of the red and blue tent that pest control uses to cover the infested home.

When Malcolm asks why they can't stay at a nice hotel instead, Lois responds the exterminators are getting all their money so "they" can stay in nice hotels.
6. While Malcolm is out babysitting, the Wilkerson family starts getting cranky over how hot the weather is. Hal and Lois then start a fight that includes Hal criticizing which of the following beef-based foods cooked by Lois?

Answer: Taco casserole

Hal can't decide if it feels cooler inside or outside the trailer. Lois gets annoyed by that and harshly asks him to make up his mind. The two parents then continue to exchange words and Lois brings up how Hal used up all the liquid in the chemical toilet. Hal responds that such a thing wouldn't have been necessary if not for Lois's taco casserole. Lois asks Reese and Dewey to leave, after which she continues to fight with Hal.

Malcolm gets a ride back home from his babysitting job but when he arrives, he finds Hal and Lois still fighting while the whole neighborhood watches. Embarrassed, Malcolm lies and says that he lives further down the street.

A common way of preparing a taco casserole is placing seasoned beef, tortilla chips, cheese, beans, and sour cream in a baking dish and bake for about half an hour. Many other ingredients can be added depending on one's taste.
7. While watching television, what unsettling discovery does Malcolm make at the house where he is babysitting, prompting him to quit later in the episode?

Answer: He was being recorded on video

Unlike the rest of his family, Malcolm is seen having a great time. While his family struggles to find TV signal, has to eat poorly-cooked beans, and shares a tiny inflatable pool, Malcolm is enjoying a flat-screen TV, a sumptuous dinner, and a giant private pool where he babysits. All this fun quickly comes to an end after Malcolm discovers something shocking.

While watching wrestling on TV, Malcolm accidentally changes the channel and has trouble changing back to where he was. After pushing the remote's buttons a few times, he is surprised to see a live feed of himself on the screen. Malcolm then discovers a camera and follows a cable that leads him to a "Nanny Cam" device hidden in the home. He also finds films labeled with his name and descriptions like "used our bathroom", "curious scratching", and "not using coaster".
8. Which festive date does Malcolm suggest his employers never use as part of their digital passwords?

Answer: Birthday

The parents for whom Malcolm babysits arrive at their home and pour some wine as they prepare to watch a recording of Malcolm. Unexpectedly, Malcolm brings a blender into the living room and then places the fish, Barney, in the appliance. The two parents are shocked, though Malcolm quickly clarifies that he would never hurt Barney. Then, they realize that they have been caught. Malcolm, through the recording, tells them that he found sensitive information in their computers and recommends not to use their birthday as their password (that's probably how Malcolm got their documents!).

Malcolm also uncovers a fake salt can that had a note from a certain "Melissa" with a kiss-shaped lipstick stain. In another twist, the man of the family asks his wife: "who's Melissa?"
9. Throughout the entire episode, we also see a simultaneous storyline of Francis exploring hidden corners of his military school after getting a master key. How did Francis get his hands on this key?

Answer: He stole it from Commandant Spangler

At the beginning of the episode, Francis is bragging about having "swiped" the master key from Commandant Spangler. He decides to explore the military academy and look around since he can go anywhere he wants. He and his friend then find an old room with a skeleton in it. Though he is slightly scared at first, Francis then decides to learn more about who this person once was. He discovers his name was Lester and he was a janitor. He was holding a newspaper dated May of 1985 and had several bottles of alcohol around him. The cadets call Lester "one of us" because they assume he hated the military academy just as much as they do.

The cadets party around the dead body and place a beer hat on his head. Francis then attempts to take off a fake mustache, but then finds out that it was real because the skeleton's head comes off. Francis even asks Malcolm if he knows a way to reattach a head to a dead body, but apparently gets no help. At the end of the episode, the cadets place Lester on a wagon and set it on fire as a makeshift send-off. Unfortunately for them, one of the cadets put too much gasoline on the wagon, which causes a big explosion in the academy's boathouse. We last see the cadets running away, but they surely got into a lot of trouble!
10. Do Hal and Lois reconcile at the end of the episode after all their fighting?

Answer: Yes

Despite saying at one point that he was making more money per hour than his mom, Malcolm is relieved to be back with his family. He says that at least his family are not phonies and are always willing to help when there is a problem. Malcolm briefly contemplates the idea of sharing the money he earned with his family but then decides against doing so.

In a moment of clarity, Hal figures out that his wife and he have been continuously fighting because they have not had sex yet, which usually solved any issues between them. Hal and Lois know they can't do anything in the trailer with the children, so they decide to wear gas masks and go into their gas-filled house. The episode ends as "La-La (Means I Love You)" by The Delfonics plays in the background.
Source: Author Lpez

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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