# DON'T Stump the Teenage Girl with Not-So-Average Knowledge **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233 "2014-01-08T02:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Purin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Purin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/41 "2014-01-08T05:16:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As an example, pretend you were trying to get three liters of water. You would go like this: > > 1. Fill up the five liter bottle. > 2. Pour the five liter bottle into the seven liter bottle. You now have five liters in the seven liter bottle. > 3. Fill the five liter bottle up again. > 4. Carefully pour the water from the five liter bottle into the seven liter bottle. Stop as soon as the seven liter bottle is full. > 5. You had five liters in the seven liter bottle so you were able to pour two more liters in. If you poured two liters out from the five liter bottle, you now have three liters left in the five liter bottle. …You completely lost me. I can’t stop apologizing! Science-y stuff was never my strong point. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Are we permitted to give you the answers to the ones you don’t know? I don’t care about points, just edjumacating you. 😃 Yes, absolutely! I want to know the answers, explain away! > [@Kenm](#): > > I’m of the opinion that dials were a step backward from simply speaking the number or name to the “hello girl” at Central. > > Y’know, Hello Central, Get Me No Man’s Land. > > It was nearly 100 years ahead of its time; couldn’t do it again until cell phones. > > **Question for Purin血:** > > Why is a typical typing keyboard “qwerty”? I think the answer to that is because they wanted to keep the most common keys separated. Either just so that your fingers would have more breathing room, and I heard it solved the typewriter’s problems for jammed keys. I dunno, it’s something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/42 "2014-01-08T05:23:33Z")
> [@Purin](#): > > . . . and I heard it solved the typewriter’s problems for jammed keys. I dunno, it’s something like that. [**Right**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwerty). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/43 "2014-01-08T05:23:43Z")
What was the subject of the Scopes Monkey Trial? How old is the earth? What country is known as the Cradle of Civilization? ---
**Author:** ![Purin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Purin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/44 "2014-01-08T05:27:59Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > What was the subject of the Scopes Monkey Trial? > > How old is the earth? > > What country is known as the Cradle of Civilization? 1. I don’t know! 2. …Old. 3. I’m not even sure anymore. I’m just taking a wild guess, and saying it’s China. 😕 I don’t even know if that makes much sense as it does in my head to you! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/45 "2014-01-08T05:28:48Z")
What is the name of the current Vice President? The Attorney General’s name? Bonus: What are the President’s daughters names? This should be easier for a teenager than an adult. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/46 "2014-01-08T05:37:26Z")
Here’s one. Which famous comedian from radio and television had a servant named Rochester, a girlfriend named Mary Livingstone, had a reputation for being cheap, vain, and a bad violinist, and claimed to be perpetually 39 years old? ---
**Author:** ![Purin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Purin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/47 "2014-01-08T05:37:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > What is the name of the current Vice President? The Attorney General’s name? > > Bonus: What are the President’s daughters names? This should be easier for a teenager than an adult. …I should know the VP’s name. :smack: And surprise, it’s not easier at all. Um… I have no idea. Isn’t their dog named Bo or something though? …I know their dog’s name (I think)… but not the President’s daughter’s names. Well. ---
**Author:** ![Purin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Purin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/48 "2014-01-08T05:39:02Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Here’s one. Which famous comedian from radio and television had a servant named Rochester, a girlfriend named Mary Livingstone, had a reputation for being cheap, vain, and a bad violinist, and claimed to be perpetually 39 years old? No idea. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/49 "2014-01-08T05:40:51Z")
> [@Purin](#): > > 1. Tough one… I’ll go with A. But C is tempting… > > 2. …Pythagoras Theorem… I know the name, but I don’t know what it is exactly. > > 3. God damn it. Same as 2. > > 4. five lines to start it > seven lines fill it in more > five lines to end it > > …I’m a haiku master. Best poetry, man. 1. Actually, the South seceded because of what they perceived as the federal government usurping state’s rights, in this case, their right to be slave holding states. Lincoln and many in the North thought slavery should be restricted (and later abolished), but the war wasn’t fought over that in the beginning. 2. The Pythagoras Theorem is a formula used to solve the length of any side of a right triangle if one knows the lengths of the other two sides. 3. Correct! You seem to know poetry. Who wrote: He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/50 "2014-01-08T05:42:59Z")
Who was the first man to walk on the moon? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/51 "2014-01-08T05:44:09Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Here’s one. Which famous comedian from radio and television had a servant named Rochester, a girlfriend named Mary Livingstone, had a reputation for being cheap, vain, and a bad violinist, and claimed to be perpetually 39 years old? > [@Purin](#): > > No idea. That’s OK. He was quite a bit before your time. Jack Benny. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/52 "2014-01-08T05:49:29Z")
Whih TV show character could get a juke box to play by hitting it? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/53 "2014-01-08T05:49:41Z")
This might be easier for you. 2014 is the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. Cobain was the lead singer of which grunge rock group? Hint: They are on of this year’s inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/54 "2014-01-08T05:53:18Z")
VP Biden will be in the news a lot if he runs for President in 2015. Sasha and Malia are the kids. I can’t recall which is the older one. You’re right. the family dog is Bo. > [@Purin](#): > > …I should know the VP’s name. :smack: > And surprise, it’s not easier at all. Um… I have no idea. Isn’t their dog named Bo or something though? > …I know their dog’s name (I think)… but not the President’s daughter’s names. Well. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/55 "2014-01-08T06:02:04Z")
What’s the first element of the periodic table and why is it the first? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/56 "2014-01-08T06:09:35Z")
1. Over 90% of your body is hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Where did each element mostly come from? 2. Other than the Milky Way, what’s the closest spiral galaxy? 3. What’s so special about a black hole? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/57 "2014-01-08T06:12:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > 1. Actually, the South seceded because of what they perceived as the federal government usurping state’s rights, in this case, their right to be slave holding states. Lincoln and many in the North thought slavery should be restricted (and later abolished), but the war wasn’t fought over that in the beginning. Without starting a debate, let’s put this down as a theory some people hold and not define it as a historical fact. ---
**Author:** ![Purin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Purin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/58 "2014-01-08T06:17:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > 1. Actually, the South seceded because of what they perceived as the federal government usurping state’s rights, in this case, their right to be slave holding states. Lincoln and many in the North thought slavery should be restricted (and later abolished), but the war wasn’t fought over that in the beginning. > > 2. The Pythagoras Theorem is a formula used to solve the length of any side of a right triangle if one knows the lengths of the other two sides. > > 3. Correct! > > You seem to know poetry. Who wrote: > He was my North, my South, my East and West, > My working week and my Sunday rest > My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; > I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong. Hah, I may know some, but I can’t recognize this one. e. e. cummings is the only one who comes to mind based on the style. (I love e. e. cummings. Not just because he has a funny name, but I really adore his poetry. 😃 ) > [@Leaffan](#): > > Who was the first man to walk on the moon? …Neil Armstrong?? I can’t science. It hurt brain. Brain hurt. ---
**Author:** ![citizenzen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@citizenzen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/citizenzen)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/59 "2014-01-08T06:19:10Z")
What is color space? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233/60 "2014-01-08T06:22:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > 1. Actually, the South seceded because of what they perceived as the federal government usurping state’s rights, in this case, their right to be slave holding states. Lincoln and many in the North thought slavery should be restricted (and later abolished), but the war wasn’t fought over that in the beginning. I’d give her the point. [spoiler]As noted, the Southern states were concerned about Northern states eventually ending slavery and consequently broke away. Lincoln fought to keep them from doing so, and eventually freed the slaves. However, it’s been popular the last few years to claim that it was about states’ rights when the only “right” which the Southern states gave a damn about was slavery.[/spoiler] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-stump-the-teenage-girl-with-not-so-average-knowledge/678233.md?page=4)