# The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Million Dollar Question Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 2, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414 "2008-06-02T00:43:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/1 "2008-06-02T00:43:34Z")
Hiya, all. As a fan of game shows, and someone who’s fascinated by what writers consider to be “million dollar questions,” I’ve started this thread. I’m armed with million dollar questions from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire editions from around the world, derived from both personal viewership knowledge and the wonders of YouTube. All questions I’ll present in this OP, and later on in follow-up posts, were answered successfully for the top prize unless mentioned otherwise. Join me in both a little discussion of the nature of trivia, a culture’s and location’s effect on common knowledge bases, and trying to answer some tough trivia (without Google!). First of all, we all know that some questions are easy only if you’re part of the culture from which it derives. (Feel free to skip answering these, natch; just demonstrating the point.) > [@UK WWTBAM](#): > > Which of these is not one of the American Triple Crown horse races? > > A) Arlington Millions > B) Belmont Stakes > C) Kentucky Derby > D) Preakness Stakes > [@Austrian WWTBAM](#): > > Which of these U.S. Presidents was not also Vice President? > > A) Lyndon Johnson > B) Jimmy Carter > C) Gerald Ford > D) George Bush Sr. To take it from the other side, as tough as a question like this might be for a European, it would probably be nigh-impossible for the average American: > [@Austria WWTBAM](#): > > Which of these men did not serve on the European Commission? > > A) Loyola de Palacio > B) Neil Kinnock > C) Gustav Hagglund > D) Gunter Verheugen However, I’ve found that this can extend even beyond questions about a specific culture or nation. For example, Ecuador’s first millionaire answered a question I thought would be further down the ladder in America or the UK: > [@Ecuador WWTBAM](#): > > Italian trader Marco Polo was a diplomat to the court of what ruler? > > A) Ivan the Terrible > B) Kublai Kahn > C) Tamerlane > D) Saladin Sure, you could argue that a South American probably wouldn’t know much about northern hemisphere history, even an important figure as that; the opposite would probably be true. But then I looked at Austria, where a series of clips of past millionaires showed that, on one hand, they were not expected to know much about Greek mythology, even parts that many other Westerners (even Americans) might be expected to know… > [@Austrian WWTBAM](#): > > What was the name of the Greek muse of lyric poetry? > > A) Euterpe > B) Musica > C) Lyria > D) Viola > > What Greek hero is known for killing Medusa? > > A) Hercules > B) Jason > C) Perseus > D) Achilles On the other hand, they are also comfortable with questions that would be right at home in America… > [@Austrian WWTBAM](#): > > What actor’s birth name was Bernard Schwartz? > > A) Tony Curtis > B) Walter Matthau > C) James Garner > D) Jack Lemmon This is the kind of consideration I find really interesting. It’s one reason why I enjoy watching foreign game shows, especially ones also done in the U.S. It’s a fascinating comparison of values and expectations. More million dollar madness later! ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/2 "2008-06-03T13:51:52Z")
I’m only confident of my answer to the penultimate question you list, because we studied it in junior school. For the others I would make the following guesses - on none of them would I gamble ~£500k: B, B, A, C, A, C (the one I know) D. I think most Britons would struggle with the 3rd question - we don’t take much interest in the EC. I don’t know whether or not this is different in mainland Europe. I would also agree with your opinion on the Marco Polo question - though it’s not easy, it’s probably more £250k level in Europe than the one mil. I think the questions you have highlighted as being easier for Americans are still fair game for use in Europe, as they are still “General Knowledge”, just more difficult if you are not American. For example, I would say it was fair to have a question such as “Who was the first signatory to the US Constitution?” in Europe, but not “Which of the following is illegal under California state law?”. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/3 "2008-06-09T11:58:26Z")
Bump, partly to see if anyone else is interested, but mainly because I want the answers! By the way, I’m changing my first answer to A, having glanced at some of the recent threads on Big Brown! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/4 "2008-06-10T02:47:08Z")
Canadian, here. Which of these is not one of the American Triple Crown horse races? A) Arlington Millions Which of these U.S. Presidents was not also Vice President? B) Jimmy Carter Which of these men did not serve on the European Commission? This is where I’d burn my lifelines and still have to guess Italian trader Marco Polo was a diplomat to the court of what ruler? B) Kublai Kahn What was the name of the Greek muse of lyric poetry? After using lifelines, I’d guess A) Euterpe What Greek hero is known for killing Medusa? B) Jason What actor’s birth name was Bernard Schwartz? A) Tony Curtis So I’m confident on 5 out of 7, half-confident of the sixth, no clue on the seventh. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/5 "2008-06-10T02:52:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] What Greek hero is known for killing Medusa? B) Jason [/QUOTE] You sure? I was certain it’s Perseus ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/6 "2008-06-10T03:11:29Z")
Perseus, unless _Clash Of The Titans_ lied to me ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/7 "2008-06-10T07:00:25Z")
First order of business: answers - A, B, C, B (oops, it was from the _Columbian_ Millionaire), A (the fact that none of the other choices were actual Muse names was key in my ponderings on how Austrian writers view the common citizen’s knowledge of Greek myth), C, A Keep in mind, by the way, that unless I mention otherwise, all of these questions were answered correctly for millions of dollars/euros/whatever! Anyway, considering my musings: what makes for a good million dollar question? Some say that this next one, which was not answered, epitomized the “just right” question in terms of difficulty: > [@US syndicated WWTBAM](#): > > Kruschev’s famous 1960 “shoe-banging” outburst at the UN was in response to a delegate from what nation? > > A) Australia > B) The Netherlands > C) The Phillipines > D) Turkey It certainly makes the grade for interest. Everyone knows about it, and everyone just assumes that it was because of the U.S., so we’re immediately interested to see it’s not the case. Then there are some that skirt the edge of “too hard,” yet somehow people answer right… > [@Australian WWTBAM](#): > > Which of these popular '60’s TV shows premiered first? > > A) Bewitched > B) Get Smart > C) Hogan’s Heroes > D) I Dream of Jeannie As it turns out, the margin of time being talked about here is extremely slim (although that itself might be a reason some might remember enough to get the right answer). Yet the fact that it was answered, and by an Australian, makes me wonder if that’s enough. Then there are questions that I personally wonder whether it might be too easy - but then I realize that I don’t know enough about how widespread that particular bit of knowledge is… > [@US syndicated WWTBAM](#): > > Who did artist Grant Wood use as the model for the farmer in his classic painting “American Gothic”? > > A) Traveling salesman > B) Local sheriff > C) His dentist > D) His butcher I believe I ran across it in my readings, but how likely is anyone else to? Am I that more well-read? What about subjects where a little personal observation of life should tell you the answer, but most people simply don’t bother with? Does that make a question “too easy”? > [@US WWTBAM](#): > > What letter must appear at the beginning of the registration number of all non-military aircraft in the United States? > > A) N > B) A > C) U > D) L Then there are the cultural-specific questions, the ones that you’d expect to only be asked in a particular country, because only someone there would have even the slightest hope of answering: > [@Dutch WWTBAM](#): > > Who designed both the Dutch gulden coin as well as the Dutch Euro coin? > > A) Luk Luycks > B) Bruno N. van Eyben > C) Jaap Drupsteen > D) R.D.E. Oxenaar Yet, as I show above, America-specific questions have been asked in foreign countries all the time! Is this a symbol or indicator of our cultural reach? Still got at least two more updates worth of questions. Answers and discussions of the issues presented here or in the OP more than welcome! ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/8 "2008-06-10T07:07:24Z")
I don’t have much constructive to add other than my gratitude for showing us this, **Leaper**. Cool stuff that I hadn’t even though of - although now I’m sure I’ll be cursed with constantly noticing it! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/9 "2008-06-10T22:18:26Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] Perseus, unless _Clash Of The Titans_ lied to me [/QUOTE] It didn’t. Jason, of course, killed campers. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/10 "2008-06-12T13:59:29Z")
On the second set, guessing for all of them, I’d go C, D, A, C, A. I think all of these are perfectly reasonable questions, consistent with the show’s question types but at an appropriate level of difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/11 "2008-07-08T05:11:07Z")
Sorry for the late update! First, answers! C, A [it premiered a year before the others, which all premiered in the same year - what I meant by the reason someone might remember, what with three well-known and popular shows all starting in the same year], C, A, B Continuing my thoughts on the million dollar questions I’ve seen so far, I see that science is a popular category in general. It is, after all, universal; everyone uses Latin for scientific names, and the rules of physics and such work the same here as they do in Europe. Plus, now that I think about it, I feel like science and its history is expected to be a universal point of knowledge as well. It’s as though all of humanity shares an interest (as in self-interest, not “eagerness to know more”) in this particular subject. I guess that makes sense, since science determines how and why EVERYTHING works… > [@German WWTBAM](#): > > What chemical element constitutes half the mass of a human body? > > A) Carbon > B) Calcium > C) Oxygen > D) Iron > [@UK WWTBAM](#): > > If you planted the seeds of “Quercus robur,” what would grow? > > A) Trees > B) Flowers > C) Vegetables > D) Grain > [@Italian WWTBAM](#): > > What scientist collaborated with Kant in devising a theory on the formation of the solar system? > > A) Laplace > B) Lavoisier > C) Faraday > D) Gauss Of course, that still doesn’t keep some such questions from being, as I noted before, harder or easier depending on nationality… > [@German WWTBAM](#): > > Who is the last man to have left footprints on the moon? [Contestant walked away instead of answering] > > A) Frank Borman > B) Alan Shepard > C) Michael Collins > D) Eugene Cernan Speaking of that “it’s only easy because you live there” quality, it’s interesting to note that even then, that’s not always the case. The following was a one million pound question even though it was about British history, specifically royalty, the one part of it you’d think would be generally common knowledge. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult, not having that British perspective. OTOH, it _was_ the first top question answered correctly… > [@UK WWTBAM](#): > > Which king was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine? > > A) Henry I > B) Henry II > C) Richard I > D) Henry V More questions and related thoughts later! (Though I’m running out of unifying themes, so the commentary may have to be specific. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-million-dollar-question-thread/451414/12 "2008-07-08T07:31:11Z")
[Gets pencil and paper for first question]Hmm, well, it’s certainly not calcium - wait, bones and teeth are heavy! Damn, probably not Iron then, it’s heavy but I don’t think we have _loads_ of it (I know it’s in the blood, but hey), we’re two-thirds water, which contains oxygen, which has atomic mass 16, but on the other hand we’re carbon-based life-forms, right? I’m gonna go with C. I’m pretty sure A is the answer to the second one as it is the (common?) oak this one and the previous one I might actually go for if I were on the show, though I’m much more confident on the second than the first. The third I have no real clue except I don’t think it’s C, I thought his time was a bit before Kant’s but I may be mistaken. I have a feeling it’s A but I wouldn’t go for it for real. The fourth one again I have no idea except I don’t think it’s C, I’m going to guess B. The last one I remember the answer is B again I doubt I would have known before the question was “made famous” - bear in mind all those kings lived before 1500, some may have had more than one wife (and probably several mistresses), so it’s not exactly common knowledge - you would have to have studied English history to degree-level at least to be confident as the period in question is not covered in most schools.