# Topics you would study before going on Jeopardy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000 "2008-05-20T18:24:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/1 "2008-05-20T18:24:41Z")
Certain categories come up time and time again… Shakespeare Canadian provinces US Presidents Operas Royal Families ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/2 "2008-05-20T18:40:51Z")
State Capitals Space Missions World War II Nobel Prizes ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/3 "2008-05-20T18:43:04Z")
Blu-Ray 😃 Although, I’m only partially kidding. The last show before the college tournament featured an HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray and yesterday’s show (the first one after the college tournament) did too. Of course, Sony owns both Jeopardy and Blu-Ray. EDIT with serious answers now: Oscar-winning movies Presidents Rivers Sports, especially baseball and football ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/4 "2008-05-20T19:07:36Z")
potent potables ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/5 "2008-05-20T19:15:03Z")
Last night Potent Potables was renamed Booze-apalooza. I wonder if it’s permanent. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/6 "2008-05-20T19:37:33Z")
Before I went on I studied most of those - though I knew the presidents pretty well anyhow. What I should have studied was TV Guide for current shows, since an obscure TV question was the Final Jeopardy one. I also should have studied current music (current 11 years ago) but I lucked out on that one. They aren’t nearly as highbrow as they used to be. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/7 "2008-05-20T20:04:59Z")
The Oscars are a frequent category, seems to especially turn up in Final Jeopardy! a lot. I almost invariably miss these questions and then feel stupid when I hear the answer. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/8 "2008-05-20T20:15:44Z")
The World Almanac (I tried to use this when I was on) Mountain Ranges Movie Directors Ships in Books (they got me on the pronunciation of Pequod) ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/9 "2008-05-20T20:17:56Z")
Canadian-born Game Show Host Deep Dark Secrets ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/10 "2008-05-20T20:29:04Z")
Those Darn Etruscans, anyone? I do often miss the Oscars ones and then feel stupid. Also, geography, specifically place names like bays and mountain ranges and such. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/11 "2008-05-20T20:38:13Z")
Geography Classical music/opera U.S. Presidents/politicians Sports Those are th categories that stump me the most. Otherwsie I do quite well playing along at home. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/12 "2008-05-20T20:40:44Z")
Therapists The Pen Is Mightier… Colors that end in “urple”. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/13 "2008-05-20T20:41:44Z")
Months that end in "-ebruary.’ ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/14 "2008-05-20T21:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Months that end in "-ebruary.’ [/QUOTE] “Febtober?” ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/15 "2008-05-20T21:37:47Z")
Poets & Poetry \ ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/16 "2008-05-20T21:57:07Z")
[ul] [li]Books of the bible[/li][li]U.S. Presidents[/li][li]U.S. Vice Presidents[/li][li]U.S. state capitals[/li][li]World capitals[/li][li]Names of South American countries[/li][li]Names of African countries[/li][li]Read the wikipedia entry for “opera”[/li][li]If the question has anything to do with Norwegian playwrights, ring in and say “Who is Ibsen?” 🙂 [/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/17 "2008-05-20T21:59:59Z")
Dupe- sorry ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/18 "2008-05-20T22:02:33Z")
Not having read the thread yet, I apologize for any repetitions: Recent movies Grammy Award Winners (my knowledge of pop music is really out of date) The geography of Eastern Europe and of Africa (these come up a lot) World leaders (especially of “in the news a lot” countries) ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/19 "2008-05-20T23:27:04Z")
Famous Mothers ---
**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:** [May 20, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000/20 "2008-05-20T23:35:17Z")
Celibacy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topics-you-would-study-before-going-on-jeopardy/450000.md?page=2)