Bricker Challenge 2004 Edition #3

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Following, please find the questions for the Bricker Challenge 2004, #3.

The rules, as always, are simple: I have posted a list of … stuff. You, the contest participant, must identify each item and/or answer each question. For example, if one item were: “Is the quality of mercy strained?” you might answer, “No. It falleth as gentle rains from the heavens,” which would show you recognize the classic speech from Portia in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

“What is NaCl?” Your answer might be, “The chemical symbols for sodium chloride, common table salt.”

Any answer that shows you get the reference is fine. If it’s a joke, explain the joke. Leave no stone unturned. Be the party know-it-all that explains why the malaprop is funny, and what the speaker MEANT to say. Some questions may contain deliberate errors of spelling, or of meaning. Correct the misapprehension or the mistake. Explain that “Bedtime for Bongo” isn’t about putting small drums to sleep, but likely a misunderstanding of the famous Reagan film title.

I’m phrasing questions ambiguously in an effort to cut down on the help that search engines can provide, although there’s no getting around it … many will be answerable by search engine anyway. There is no rule against using search engines (or any other reference) although I would appreciate if, just for curiosity’s sake, you note that you got the answer by search engine as opposed to simply knowing it.

I am awarding a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com as the prize to the winner. In addition, if the winner is not a subscribed member and wishes to become so, I am awarding a one-year paid subscription to the SDMB. A winner who is already subscribed may donate his subscription to another person of his choosing, but must identify the recipient within a reasonable period of time.

The winner is the person that answers the most questions correctly by post here dated on or before Monday, March March 29th, at 11:00 PM EST, or the first person to answer all questions correctly before that time. I reserve the right to substitute another prize of comparable value for any reason. My decisions are final as to the accuracy of all answers. I may, or may not, provide intermediate feedback as to the number of correct answers each entrant has, but if I make any errors in doing so, it’s your tough luck. I won’t score posts with less than ten correct answers. Only the single post with the most correct answers by the deadline qualifies you as a winner. In the unlikely event of a tie, which would occur if two or more posts have the same date/time stamp and both have the highest number of correct answers, the prize will be split amongst each tied contestant.

The next post has the questions. Good luck!

  • Rick
2

  1. Do you suppose Rose of Sharon was a member of the La Leche League?

  2. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?

  3. I need trepaning like I need a ho…. well, you get the idea.

  4. I’m against blame-the-victim mentality as much as the next guy, but let’s face it: Mayella was not at all reluctant.

  5. This question refers to Image A, found here. Who is this man?

  6. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?

  7. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?

  8. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?

  9. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.

  10. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?

  11. What note do you need to add to C, E, and Bb (the only flat in the key signature) to achieve a dominant 7th chord?

  12. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?

  13. Not to be politically incorrect, but name the fairy that gains a seat in Parliament, at least according to Gilbert & Sullivan.

  14. Name the Three Furies. Note: one of them is NOT a 1958 Plymouth bought from Roland LeBay. Explain the note.

  15. This question refers to Image B, found here. Name the artist.

  16. I’m wealthy, disenchanted, too selfish to admit (at least at first) that I’m in love with Tatyana, and too dense to refuse the duel with her husband Lensky.

  17. Shylock is to The Merchant of Venice as Aufidius is to … ?

  18. Give an example of an odd composite number k that evenly divides the denominator of the (k - 1)th Bernoulli number.

  19. A Knight of Columbus is wearing a green cape and chapeau, and carrying a white-handled sword. What can you tell me about him?

  20. Walk, trot, gallop. What’s missing?

  21. Actually, we’re not a 501©(3) - we’re a 501©(7). As you can imagine, we’re quite socialable.

  22. In the Gygax AD&D world, paladins and rangers were both examples of what general class of characters? And what restrictions applied to them? Discuss.

  23. I was a petty criminal and con man until I came to the attention of William and Randolph, after being falsely accused of trying to steal the company payroll. They not only bail me out, but give me a high-paying job at their company, much to the chagrin of the previous job holder. He and I ultimately reconcile our differences over a common interest in orange juice. Who am I?

  24. This question refers to Image C, found here. What is the title of this piece?

  25. I heard that back in the early 20th century, the Chicago Cubs played a game against some bush-league Midwestern team that lasted for days and thousands of innings before the tie was broken. Is this true?

  26. What name was given to the 1862 Union Army effort to capture the confederate capital, dashed by President Lincoln’s reluctance to use McDowell’s forces in Northern Virginia?

  27. I like to talk with my classmates during music class, but I won’t get in trouble - my music teacher keeps glaring at me but he seems to think my name is Sato Vochie.

  28. The debate over whether Aristotle was in favor of or against laughter may seen dry and academic, but for one blind monk, it was apparently a matter of life and death, and definitely NOT dry.

  29. We all know the story of “DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN,” but how about how Dewey beat the Spanish at Manila, huh?

  30. Considering all the West Virginia jokes, it’s amazing that Turin Turambar didn’t hail from there.

  31. I was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and my life was chronicled by Bob Woodward in “Frazzled.” I was accused of using a relationship with former UN Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick to sell secrets to Russia, and I briefly served as a televangelist and presidential candidate. I also sang lead for “Deathtongue,” and gossip columns linked me to Socks, the Clinton White House cat. An alum of the Betty Ford clinic, I’m best known for sputtering inarticulate noises and being perpetually unkempt. Who am I?

  32. What’s the final score of a Quidditch match in which both teams play perfect defense?

  33. This question refers to Image D, found here. What title is given to the chief executive of the local organization whose symbol appears here?

  34. The only sane inhabitant on Pianosa?

  35. That guy in Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls wrote that book about a Wheel of Time, right?

  36. What musical couple’s relationship is threatened by a Swedish nightingale but strengthened because they like each others’ style?

  37. In “Our Town,” who does Emily marry?

  38. What’s Kerak’s Major Odal’s secret for actual, as opposed to merely virtual, killing?

  39. The medieval church ritual involving a bell, a book, and a candle was… ?

  40. In comedian Eddie Izzard’s version, to whom is Dr. Heimlich is married?

  41. This question refers to Image E, found here. Who is the artist?

  42. Name John Galt’s associate, who used his dashing playboy image to destroy the world copper market.

  43. Who starred in, and directed, the original film version of “Man Getting Hit By Football,” a role later reprised by George C. Scott?

  44. Explain the mathematics theorem that has the modern Major General teeming with a lotta news.

  45. From which blind supplicant do Estragon and Vladimir earn two hundred francs?

  46. This question refers to Image F, found here. What’s the Broadway musical?

  47. Before and After answer: name the singer who re-wrote “Candle In The Wind” in honor of his million-dollar winnings on Regis Philbin’s game show.

  48. Seven years after we parted company, I was called upon to introduce my former partner to the world of the occult – despite his skepticism, I was neither an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, or a fragment of an underdone potato.

  49. What was the capital of East Jersey?

  50. What was the name of the hunter that stalked Gilligan, in homage to “The Most Dangerous Game?”

3

1. Do you suppose Rose of Sharon was a member of the La Leche League?
Grapes of Wrath.

2. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?
Pascal’s Wager posits that belief in God is better than not, because if there is no God, then belief or lack of it is meaningless, but if there is a God, then lack of belief is the only losing proposition. Or we can be traditional and go with belief in a Trinity.

3. I need trepaning like I need a ho–. well, you get the idea.
Trepanation involves drilling a hole in your head.

4. I’m against blame-the-victim mentality as much as the next guy, but let’s face it: Mayella was not at all reluctant.
E’well, she had it coming. Nah, I can’t make a pun on that. Mayella Ewell, To Kill A Mockingbird.

5. This question refers to Image A, found here. Who is this man?
Josef Stalin.

6. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?
Samuel’s just not Charming enough. (And how much UPN and WB do you watch?)

7. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?
Ode to the West Wing.

8. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?
Hawthorne’s.

9. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.
As it does, Lucky Starr.

10. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?
Rampart.

4

  1. Isn’t trepanning drilling a hole in the skull to let out evil spirits.

  2. Stalin

  3. Rampart

  4. The note refers to Stephen King’s Christine Roland is the old codger who sells teh antagonist the 1958 Plymouth Fury.

  5. Eddie Murphy character in in Trading Places.

  6. I’m pretty sure you’re spelling Quiet wrong.

  7. Spanish/American war in the Phillipines.

  8. About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news,
    With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

5

lno: 7

6

Tougher than I thought.

1. Do you suppose Rose of Sharon was a member of the La Leche League?
Rose of Sharon breastfed a man at the end of The Grapes of Wrath.

2. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?
Pascal’s Wager posits that belief in God is better than not, because if there is no God, then belief or lack of it is meaningless, but if there is a God, then lack of belief is the only losing proposition. Or we can be traditional and go with belief in a Trinity.

3. I need trepaning like I need a ho–. well, you get the idea.
Trepanation involves drilling a hole in your head.

7

lno: 2

Broke my own rules.

I’m going to stick to that from here on out.

8

  1. Didn’t the Rose of Sharon die of drought, in the scriptures? At least Para Handy thought so.

  2. Stephen Maturin would be glad to help you out, with his improved Lavoisier’s trephine. Just don’t do it yourself, with a hammer and chisel.

  3. Good old Joe Dzhugashvili, Man-O-Steel. Whatever happened to him, anyway?

  4. Rampart! Always takes me back to “Emergency” TV show: “Rampart, we have a woman trapped in a vehicle…”

  5. IIRC, Admiral Crunch and Arch-Duke Chocula.

  6. Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. I’m guessing Stephen King’s “Christine”?

  7. He’s a total gimboid. That, and he is a Catholic.

  8. Canter?

  9. Am I a bigger loser for having played a Ranger back in the early 80s, or having forgotten so much? I believe I was restricted to “Lawful Good” alignment or somesuch…and I couldn’t use magic (though magic weapons were allowed). 'Scuse me, I have to lie down and wait til the wave of geekiness passes off.

  10. In addition to being Agent Orange (who served at Slam Bang), you are Valentine, played by Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places.” Beef Jerky Time!

  11. “Nighthawks” by Hopper.

  12. Hmmm…do you mean McClellan’s whole “Peninsula Campaign” of 1862 or the “Seven Day’s Battle” specifically? Both were part of the attempt to take Richmond and so end the war in 1862.

  13. Sotto Voche means quietly or “under the breath,” right? A notation on the musical score.

  14. Admiral Dewey utterly destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay at no cost in US lives (although he took quite a risk exposing his ships to shore batteries–and he was very low on ammunition). May 1, 1898. “You may fire when ready, Gridley!”

  15. “Hilda,” wasn’t it?

  16. Damned Maxfield Parrish. Bloody Moody Blues.

  17. Hans Moleman!

  18. Pythagoras’ Theorem of the “Hypota-news”

  19. Lucky?

  20. Ebenezer Scrooge. (Marley was dread, mon.)

  21. St. Helier?

9

Do we only answer ones not previously answered? If so…

  1. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?
    Admiral Crunch and Archduke Chocula. One of the many examples of how 80s-90s pop culture “evolved” in Futurama.

  2. This question refers to Image B, found here. Name the artist.
    I am not positive, but it looks a lot like a Vermeer.

  3. Walk, trot, gallop. What’s missing?
    Canter, one of the steps you get your horsey to do.

  4. I was a petty criminal and con man until I came to the attention of William and Randolph, after being falsely accused of trying to steal the company payroll. They not only bail me out, but give me a high-paying job at their company, much to the chagrin of the previous job holder. He and I ultimately reconcile our differences over a common interest in orange juice. Who am I?
    The name wasn’t given in a previous response, though the movie was. It’s Billy Valentine, played by Eddie Murphey. The previous job holder is Louis Winthorpe, played by Dan Akroyd.

  5. I like to talk with my classmates during music class, but I won’t get in trouble - my music teacher keeps glaring at me but he seems to think my name is Sato Vochie.
    Sotto Voce, roughly Italian for “I shouldn’t really hear you, you punkass kid.”

  6. We all know the story of “DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN,” but how about how Dewey beat the Spanish at Manila, huh?
    Well, we all know “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Thomas Dewey. Half a century earlier, Commodore George Dewey fought the famous battle of Manila Bay.

  7. What’s the final score of a Quidditch match in which both teams play perfect defense?
    150 pts, the amount earned for catching the Golden Snitch. There are two ways to earn points in Quiddich. The first is to throw the Quaffle through three rings (kinda like soccer) for ten points a pop. The other is to end the game catching the Snitch, worth 150. A perfect defensive game would allow no goals, hence only the 150 would be points.

  8. That guy in Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls wrote that book about a Wheel of Time, right?
    “Robert Jordon” was both, but hardly the same man.

  9. Who starred in, and directed, the original film version of “Man Getting Hit By Football,” a role later reprised by George C. Scott?
    Hans Moleman, a brilliant entry into the Springfield Film Festival on the Simpsons, hosted by a cross-marketing-gimmick Jay Sherman of The Critic.

If we’re allowed others, then I second a number of the answers already given.

10

Whoops. Sorry about that - teaches me to read rather than skim the fine print. Let’s try this.

2. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?
Pascal’s Wager posits that belief in God is better than not, because if there is no God, then belief or lack of it is meaningless, but if there is a God, then lack of belief is the only losing proposition. Or we can be traditional and go with belief in a Trinity.

3. I need trepaning like I need a ho–. well, you get the idea.
Trepanation involves drilling a hole in your head.

4. I’m against blame-the-victim mentality as much as the next guy, but let’s face it: Mayella was not at all reluctant.
E’well, she had it coming. Nah, I can’t make a pun on that. Mayella Ewell, To Kill A Mockingbird.

5. This question refers to Image A, found here. Who is this man?
Josef Stalin.

7. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?
Ode to the West Wing.

8. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?
Hawthorne’s.

9. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.
As it does, Lucky Starr.

10. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?
Rampart.

11. What note do you need to add to C, E, and Bb (the only flat in the key signature) to achieve a dominant 7th chord?
The dominant of F major is C, therefore the dominant seventh is based on the dominant triad of F major, therefore you’re missing the G.

12. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?
Admiral Crunch and Archduke Chocula.

11

Yes. To win the $25 Amazon prize, you post fifty correct answers in one post first, or more than anyone else by cut-off time. You are absolutely permitted to repost others’ answers, if you believe them correct. I don’t think anyone’s ever won this contest as a first poster – that is, being the first person to post any answers and having them all be correct.

Rodd Hill: 16

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[QUOTE=Bricker]

  1. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?
    Pascal’s Wager was an attempt to express belief or non-belief in God as a game, where belief in God gained one infinite reward if true and lost little if false, but nonbelief was infinitely punished if God existed, and only mildly rewarded if God didn’t.

  2. I need trepaning like I need a ho…. well, you get the idea.
    Trepanation is the practice of drilling a hole in the skull. This is a funny little quip because it would be finished with ‘hole in the head’.

  3. This question refers to Image A, found here. Who is this man?
    Unlce Joe! AKA Josef Stalin. Former Communist Dictator of the Soviet Union.

  4. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?
    Phoebe, Piper, and Paige are the Halliwell sisters on the WB series Charmed. To the best of my limited knowledge, they did not.

  5. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?
    Rampart.

  6. Name the Three Furies. Note: one of them is NOT a 1958 Plymouth bought from Roland LeBay. Explain the note.
    Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone were their most common names.

  7. Walk, trot, gallop. What’s missing?
    Canter.

  8. In the Gygax AD&D world, paladins and rangers were both examples of what general class of characters? And what restrictions applied to them? Discuss.
    Warriors. Rangers were required to be good-aligned, and own no more than they could carry. Paladins were required to be both Lawful and Good, and to tithe, and to never knowingly associate with persons of an evil nature.

  9. I was a petty criminal and con man until I came to the attention of William and Randolph, after being falsely accused of trying to steal the company payroll. They not only bail me out, but give me a high-paying job at their company, much to the chagrin of the previous job holder. He and I ultimately reconcile our differences over a common interest in orange juice. Who am I?

Billy Ray Valentine, played by Eddie Murphy, in Trading Places

  1. I like to talk with my classmates during music class, but I won’t get in trouble - my music teacher keeps glaring at me but he seems to think my name is Sato Vochie.

The teacher is saying ‘sotto voce’, which comes from the Italian for ‘quiet voice’. He wants you to quiet down.

  1. We all know the story of “DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN,” but how about how Dewey beat the Spanish at Manila, huh?

Admiral George Dewey captured Manila Bay from Spanish forces during the Spanish-American war.

  1. Considering all the West Virginia jokes, it’s amazing that Turin Turambar didn’t hail from there.

Turin’s tale is told in Tolkien’s Silmarillion, and if I recall correctly, he sired a child with his sister. West Virginia is often assailed with jokes of inbreeding.

  1. The medieval church ritual involving a bell, a book, and a candle was… ?
    Exorcism.
13

CandidGamera: 10
lno: less than 10

14

7. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?
Ode to the West Wing.

8. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?
Hawthorne’s.

9. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.
As it does, Lucky Starr.

10. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?
Rampart.

11. What note do you need to add to C, E, and Bb (the only flat in the key signature) to achieve a dominant 7th chord?
The dominant of F major is C, therefore the dominant seventh is based on the dominant triad of F major, therefore you’re missing the G.

12. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?
Admiral Crunch and Archduke Chocula.

13. Not to be politically incorrect, but name the fairy that gains a seat in Parliament, at least according to Gilbert & Sullivan.
Strephon.

14. Name the Three Furies. Note: one of them is NOT a 1958 Plymouth bought from Roland LeBay. Explain the note.
Megaera, Tisiphone and Alecto. Christine was the '58 Plymouth that tormented people as a modern-day version of a Fury.

15. This question refers to Image B, found here. Name the artist.
Jan Vermeer.

16. I’m wealthy, disenchanted, too selfish to admit (at least at first) that I’m in love with Tatyana, and too dense to refuse the duel with her husband Lensky.
Onegin.

17. Shylock is to The Merchant of Venice as Aufidius is to … ?
Coriolanus. Huh huh huh. You made me say anus.

15

lno: 11

16
  1. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?

I bet they’ve never even been to Endor.

17

6. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?
Phoebe, Piper and Paige are witches from the television show Charmed. The prophet Samuel was summoned by the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. Given that the three ladies seem relatively young, I’m gonna say that no, Saul didn’t ask for their services.

7. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?
Ode to the West Wing.

8. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?
Hawthorne’s.

9. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.
As it does, Lucky Starr.

10. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?
Rampart.

11. What note do you need to add to C, E, and Bb (the only flat in the key signature) to achieve a dominant 7th chord?
The dominant of F major is C, therefore the dominant seventh is based on the dominant triad of F major, therefore you’re missing the G.

12. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?
Admiral Crunch and Archduke Chocula.

13. Not to be politically incorrect, but name the fairy that gains a seat in Parliament, at least according to Gilbert & Sullivan.
Strephon.

14. Name the Three Furies. Note: one of them is NOT a 1958 Plymouth bought from Roland LeBay. Explain the note.
Megaera, Tisiphone and Alecto. Christine was the '58 Plymouth that tormented people as a modern-day version of a Fury.

15. This question refers to Image B, found here. Name the artist.
Jan Vermeer.

16. I’m wealthy, disenchanted, too selfish to admit (at least at first) that I’m in love with Tatyana, and too dense to refuse the duel with her husband Lensky.
Onegin.

17. Shylock is to The Merchant of Venice as Aufidius is to … ?
Coriolanus. Huh huh huh. You made me say anus.

18
  1. I can never remember Pascal’s triangle - isn’t that something about betting how you’re better off believing in God?

Pascal’s Wager was an attempt to express belief or non-belief in God as a game, where belief in God gained one infinite reward if true and lost little if false, but nonbelief was infinitely punished if God existed, and only mildly rewarded if God didn’t. It has nothing to do with Pascal’s Triangle, which was a mathematical concept.

  1. I need trepaning like I need a ho…. well, you get the idea.

Trepanation is the practice of drilling a hole in the skull. This is a funny little quip because it would be finished with ‘hole in the head’.

  1. I’m against blame-the-victim mentality as much as the next guy, but let’s face it: Mayella was not at all reluctant.

Mayella Ewell is a character in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird who accused a black man, Tom Robinson, of rape.

  1. This question refers to Image A, found here. Who is this man?

Uncle Joe! AKA Josef Stalin. Former Communist Dictator of the Soviet Union.

  1. Sure, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige have their moments - but did they ever talk to the spirit of the prophet Samuel?

Phoebe, Piper, and Paige are the Halliwell sisters on the WB series Charmed, all witches.
The prophet Samuel was summoned by the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28.
lno’s right, they couldn’t possibly be old enough.

  1. “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind? And if Spring is here, then C.J. and Toby will work together to help the Bartlett administration!” If the Shelley poem ended that way, what might the title be?

Ode to the West Wing.

  1. Any change we make SEEMS to have a positive effect, because the workers work harder when they’re being studied. Whose effect is this?

Hawthorne’s. It arose from a study on productivity in the 1920’s - researchers were trying to discover if increased lighting or wages helped productivity, only to discover the very act of observation made the workers more productive.

  1. I averted a Sirian attack on the Earth by pretending to be a traitor to the Council of Science. Everything worked out well, perhaps because I was fortunate, as befits my name.

You are Lucky Starr, from Isaac Asimov’s Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn.

  1. What Atari arcade castle-building game shares a name with an LA police scandal?

Rampart.

  1. What note do you need to add to C, E, and Bb (the only flat in the key signature) to achieve a dominant 7th chord?

The dominant of F major is C, therefore the dominant seventh is based on the dominant triad of F major, therefore you’re missing the G. (Thanks, lno)

  1. What promotions was Fry surprised to see earned by Captain Crunch and Count Chocula?
    Admiral Crunch and Archduke Chocula.

  2. Not to be politically incorrect, but name the fairy that gains a seat in Parliament, at least according to Gilbert & Sullivan.

The half-fairy Strephon is sent to Parliament in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe.

  1. Name the Three Furies. Note: one of them is NOT a 1958 Plymouth bought from Roland LeBay. Explain the note.

Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone.
In Stephen King’s Christine - Roland sells the antagonist the 1958 Plymouth Fury.

  1. This question refers to Image B, found here. Name the artist.
    Jan Vermeer.
  2. I’m wealthy, disenchanted, too selfish to admit (at least at first) that I’m in love with Tatyana, and too dense to refuse the duel with her husband Lensky.

Onegin.

  1. Shylock is to The Merchant of Venice as Aufidius is to … ?

Coriolanus

19

I kind of gave up on competing myself in these things. I can’t get them all from memory(since you started making them devilishly hard to defeat googlers) and I don’t have time to google a bunch. So these days I’ll just throw hints at those who are competing.

First hint. Pascal’s wager you’ve got, but you probably need to say a word or two about Pascal’s Triangle the mathematical construct.

Second hint. It was pretty fitting that Christine was a Plymoth Fury considering she was a total bitch. If that bastard LeBay hadn’t sold her to Arnold Cunningham then a bunch of people might not have been murdered.

Third hint. “About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot of news. Lot of news…” [pause while struggling to come up with a rhyme] “With many cheerful facts about the square on the hypotenuse”

And a hintpick. D’Anconia didn’t destroy the world’s copper market. He destroyed his own family’s business so the leeches couldn’t feed off of it. Of course since his family business was a huge industry presence in the copper market it had a disruptive effect on the whole market, but his real goal was to destroy the business, not the market. There were other copper suppliers but they were unreliable and tended to deliver shoddy goods. This was not due to anything D’Anconia did, but their own incompetence.

Enjoy,
Steven

20

lno: 12
CandidGamera: 15