# Jeopardy Online Qualifying Test **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335 "2006-03-29T01:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/61 "2006-03-30T02:21:08Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Missed the playful sculptor and about all the bible related ones. Which Sicilian volcano was that which keeps erupting, Etna or Vesuvius? So many mistakes… Etna (Vesuvius is Italian). ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/62 "2006-03-30T02:22:59Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Aw, that’s my favorite- what was the clue? Caliban and Ariel are characters in this late play. Calder, Ted Williams and Clemente are answers I don’t feel bad about not getting because I flatly didn’t know them and therefore couldn’t have guessed. “Chronic” I’ll probably say on my death bed in relation to this. 😉 Of course I’ve passed the test three times (the last time 4 years ago) and have never been called, so c’est la vie. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/63 "2006-03-30T02:23:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Aw, that’s my favorite- what was the clue? Late Shakespeare play with Ariel and Caliban. Was it really Ted Williams for the Red Sox? I guessed him so yay for ignorant luck! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/64 "2006-03-30T02:24:54Z")
I guessed “Mary” for the popular 19th century biblical name. It could have been Ann or Elizabeth or Ruth or Keturah-Na’amah. Anybody know for sure? ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/65 "2006-03-30T02:26:33Z")
Could the disease be cancer, or is that too generic? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/66 "2006-03-30T02:27:24Z")
Was the Neil Simon play “Barefoot in the Park”? I only manged to get in “Barefoot in” I hope that counts. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/67 "2006-03-30T02:30:13Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > Was the Neil Simon play “Barefoot in the Park”? > > I only manged to get in “Barefoot in” I hope that counts. Yes. And I think they’ll count Barefoot in since “the Park” was part of the clue. I misspelled Etna as Aetna (like the insurance company). I hope they count that. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/68 "2006-03-30T02:33:22Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I guessed “Mary” for the popular 19th century biblical name. It could have been Ann or Elizabeth or Ruth or Keturah-Na’amah. Anybody know for sure? Wikipedia page for [most popular names](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_popular_names), with links for various decades, confirms Mary. I, naturally, wrote Sarah. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/69 "2006-03-30T02:38:59Z")
Does anybody know if the Mekong was the right river? I blanked on Fishburne for a good 10 seconds, but I got it in _just_ under the wire. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/70 "2006-03-30T02:44:00Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does anybody know if the Mekong was the right river? I hope so! Okay, just looked at Google Earth, and it’s confirmed. I wonder if the combined memories of the Jeopardy Dopers can come up with all 50 questions? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/71 "2006-03-30T02:46:19Z")
I also said Marquez for the author (full name Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez, minus the doohickeys). I hope they count that. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/72 "2006-03-30T03:51:20Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’m sure I got the 40 necessary at least. Where did you see that you need 40 to qualify? I don’t remember hearing that, but I think I got at least 40 so I hope you’re right… The CST questions sound a bit tougher than the East coast ones…I don’t think I could have come up with the sculptor question, or chronic, or the baseball ones. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/73 "2006-03-30T03:52:48Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I also said Marquez for the author (full name Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez, minus the doohickeys). I hope they count that. The rules said that for the purposes of this exam just last names would be fan. But everyone did remember to phrase the answers in the form of a question, right? Just kidding. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/74 "2006-03-30T04:02:02Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Just took it. The ones I know I didn’t: > > “Playful” inventor of the mobile- anybody know? > > “Puerto Rican Hall of Famer who died in a 1972 plane crash” (Roberto Clemente- I looked it up) > > Category: C to C- a type of disease that recurs and goes into remission (as well as I remember the question). I have a feeling I’ll feel stupid when I learn this one. > > I’m sure I got the 40 necessary at least. I put Calder for the inventor of the mobile. I got Clemente. I answered Chronic for the disease. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/75 "2006-03-30T04:05:07Z")
And forgot this was a two page thread so did not preview before posting. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/76 "2006-03-30T08:24:45Z")
Now that the dust has settled until Thursday evening, I have a couple of thoughts: 1. > [@Cliffy](#): > > Oh, I logged on well in advance, and then steadily for about 40 minutes until 10 after. > > Again I say, cocksuckers. > > –Cliffy **Cliffy** , your SDMB profile has the e-mail disabled, so I can’t contact you directly. I hope that you – or anyone else who previously tried to log on but couldn’t – get to read this before 8pm PST Thursday night… [list=a] [li]The _ **Jeopardy!** _ site mentioned that the test _might_ work on the Mac, and _might_ work with PC browsers other than MS Internet Explorer. The lack of certainty led me to think that the _ **Jeopardy!** _ web programmers don’t give a flying fig about platform/browser compatability, so I made sure that I used a recent build of IE (with a flash plug-in installed) to log on, even though I’m usually a Firefox user. Did you use IE \>= v5.0 on a PC, with Flash enabled? If not, perhaps that’s why you couldn’t log in. Sucks, but it’s not the first time I’ve run into stupid browser requirements.[/li][li]As I mentioned in [post #50](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7247030&postcount=50) upthread, I’m in California but played Wednesday evening (“Central/Mountain” day). Even though I had signed up Tuesday, giving my California address and my preference for San Francisco as a “brick-and-mortar” test-taking location, they let me log on and take Wednesday’s test. This suggests to me that, assuming you were never logged in by _ **Jeopardy!** _’s servers on Tuesday evening, you ought to be able to log in (PC/IE5/Flash-enabled) on Thursday for the 8pm PST / 11pm EST test. Perhaps it’s worth _trying_, at least![/li][li]For all I know, they’ll reject me outright as a PST resident taking the test on Wednesday. However, they explicitly say (both on the Web site and on the TV ads) that “you can only take the test once, so sign up now!”. If they were **really** going to insist that _one can only take the test on the day that matches the time zone of the submitted zip code_, then they should have been more explicit. I took the test a day early because I’m having dinner with friends on the “Pacific” test day; those of you who have missed the test so far have nothing to lose by trying to log in on Thursday around 7:30pm PST for an 8:03pm PST test.[/li][/list] 2) There’s one thing about the timing of the test that surprised me. You have a _maximum_ of 15 seconds per question, but you can enter an answer (or _ **skip** _) during the 15-second countdown, and the next question appears almost immediately. I was consistently entering answers after about 5 seconds or so for questions for which I was **sure** of the answer (I figured that it would waste brain-bandwidth to overthink an answer, and it was better to strike up a rhythm, aceing an answer and moving on, rather than waiting the full 15 seconds in order to possibly correct a wrong answer). That opens up a possible “gaming” of the system: in addition to the previously-mentioned options of having many friends available (similar to “phone-a-friend”, i.e. many brains are better than one), it also allows the possibility that a group of friends (e.g. in a student dorm) can all sign up to help just one of them get selected. The “sacrificial lambs” can fast-forward through early questions, then Google the later questions. If it’s arranged so that the fast-forwarders take different staggered clues, the “designated _ **Jeopardy!** _ contestant” (who is plugging through the questions 15 seconds at a time) can have all of the later questions already Googled by his/her friends by the time he/she gets to them. This of course assumes good teamwork, and clearly one would want to designate the best _ **Jeopardy!** _ player as the one that is to be helped, because it’s only going to get them through to the next selection round (plus, the first few questions can’t be gamed this way). I’m just surprised that the _ **Jeopardy!** _ site programmers didn’t sidestep this possibility by making all questions be served out at exactly 15 seconds apart. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/77 "2006-03-30T14:09:02Z")
> [@easy e](#): > > Could the disease be cancer, or is that too generic? The category was “C to C”, so the answer would have to both begin and end with C. Also, the phrasing of the clue suggested a response consisting of an adjective (as opposed to a noun). _Chronic_ fits the requirements. To nitpick **Sampiro** ’s volcano post: Vesuvius is _mainland_ Italian (it’s the volcano that destroyed Pompeii). Etna is on the island of Sicily, which is included in the nation of Italy. I’ve missed the first two nights of testing, so I may try a “reverse **Antonius Block** ” tonight and claim I’m a Californian who’s on temporary assignment in Indiana. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/78 "2006-03-30T16:30:03Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > The _ **Jeopardy!** _ site mentioned that the test _might_ work on the Mac, and _might_ work with PC browsers other than MS Internet Explorer. The lack of certainty led me to think that the _ **Jeopardy!** _ web programmers don’t give a flying fig about platform/browser compatability, so I made sure that I used a recent build of IE (with a flash plug-in installed) to log on, even though I’m usually a Firefox user. For what it’s worth, I took the test in Firefox (on a PC) with no trouble. And I think you’re right about the possibility of a group “fast-forwarding” some of the questions so they could Google the later answers for their pals; nice creative thinking. Then again, as others have pointed out, all this would get you would be a (possible) chance to do an interview and embarrass yourself in person; there will be in-person interviews before anyone gets on the show. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/79 "2006-03-31T04:33:07Z")
I thought it was all right. And, I even used Firefox (not to be contrary or anything, but I couldn’t get IE to work properly). Anyway, I knew a lot of the answers. The ones that I didn’t know, I _really_ didn’t know. I used my full 15 second allotment to ponder however, and managed to work out a couple that I struggled with: franking - which I remembered the name of at the last second, and danish. Danish. I swear I typed that in at the last available second they gave us. Thoughts? Comments? The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335/80 "2006-03-31T05:06:27Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > Anyway, I knew a lot of the answers. The ones that I didn’t know, I _really_ didn’t know. I used my full 15 second allotment to ponder however, and managed to work out a couple that I struggled with: franking - which I remembered the name of at the last second, and danish. Danish. I swear I typed that in at the last available second they gave us. What were the clues for these two questions? Do you remember any others? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-online-qualifying-test/350335.md?page=5)