I’m typing them in from an audio transcription recorded while I took the test – all typos and wrong answers mine, though these are my best guesses or quick lookups while Wikipedia’s still up.
1: Science Fiction: His first short story collection, “I, Robot”, was published in 1950. Asimov
2: Emmy-Winning Musicals: “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is a song from this Tony-winning musical. Jersey Boys
3: Earth Science: From the Latin “to gnaw”, it’s the process where material is worn away from the Earth’s surface. Jrosion
4: World Capitals: This capital of Turkey lies south of the Black Sea. Ankara
5: On the Money: His face adorns the front of the American 50 dollar bill. Grant
6: War of 1812: In 1814 the battle of this US city was fought even though the Treaty of Ghent had ended the war. New Orleans
7: Mythology: When Oedipus answered this creature’s riddle, it committed suicide. Sphynx
8: Food: This often burger-sized mushroom is the mature form of the Crimino. Portobello
9: Artsts: In 1634 this Baroque artist married Saskia and used her as a model. Rembrandt
10: Business and Industry: In 2011 Motorola released a Droid version of this phone with a thin, sharp name. Razr
11: First Name’s in the Dictionary: This nickname for Henry can also mean a coil or a looped bundle of thread. Hank
12: American Rivers: This stately river forms the border between Indiana and Kentucky. Ohio
13: Actresses on TV: Emmy-nominated Sofia Vergara plays Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on this comedy. Modern Family
14: Non-Fiction: Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen have written a series of books called this “Dish for the Soul”. Chicken Soup
15: Historic Structures: This Roman’s wall was known to protect Britain from barbarian’s invasions. Hadrian
It’s very nice of you to do this, but just so you know, the full questions and answers will eventually be posted on the Jeopardy online forums. So you don’t have to do this for all 50 questions. And I got 13 out of the first 15 - I missed #2 and #9.
Thanks, Marley. I do this partly to score myself, but mostly for the amusement value of listening to all the swearing when I can’t remember an answer. :smack: Here are the rest in case anyone’s curious, impatient, or both:
16: Science Guys: This Scottish engineer coined the term “horsepower” – the unit of power is named after him. Watt
17: Flowers: It’s scientific name is Helianthus Annuus. Sunflower
18: US Senators: No joke! In 2009 this funny man became a senator from Minnesota. Franken
19: Rhyme Time: The jargon of an Australian wild dog. Dingo lingo
20: 20th Century Novels: The title of this novel about the Spanish Civil War comes from John Donne’s Meditation XVII. For Whom The Bell Tolls
21: European History: Title of the rulers of the Venetian Republic, the last of whom was deposed in 1797. Doge
22: Organizations: For its work on behalf of prisoners of conscience, this organization won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize. Amnesty International
23: Shakespearian Characters: This title guy dies of a broken heart as he kneels over his daughter’s body. King Lear
24: Architecture: They are the slender towers or turrets of a mosque from which Muslims are called to prayer. Minarets
25: Deserts: This desert covers parts of South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Kalahari
26: Singers: In 2009, she “Dreamed a Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent and became a worldwide sensation. Boyle
27: Best-Selling Authors: Many of his books including 2010’s “Safe Haven” and 2009’s “The Last Song” are set in North Carolina, where he lives. Sparks
28: The Solar System: Nereid and Naiad are moons of this planet. Neptune
29: USA: This state capital is home to the US Naval Academy. Annapolis
30: Exploration: In 1500, Pedro Cabral sailed to this country and claimed it for Portugal. Brazil
31: Composers: With only two movements, his Symphony Number 8 in Bm was “unfinished”. Schubert
32: French Phrases: This French phrase means “ahead of one’s time”, often describing modern artists. Avant-garde?
33: Famous Pairs: In 2011, they were voted Las Vegas “Magicians of the Year” for the sixth time. Penn and Teller
34: Biblical People: Absalom was killed during a revolt against this man, his father. David
35: Books and Authors: Truman Capote described this 1966 book as a “non-fiction novel”. In Cold Blood
36: Islands: It’s name suggests that this island in the Indian Ocean might be perfect for a family get-together. Reunion Island
37: Classic Rock Bands: In 2007, surviving members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page of this band reunited in London. Led Zeppelin
38: Timepieces: This watch band with a Greek letter name says it made the world’s first diver’s watch. Omega
39: Biology: Of the hormones made in the pancreas, glucogon has the opposite effect of this one. Insulin
40: Sculpture: This 20th century English sculptor is known for several reclining figure works. Henry Moore
41: Five-Letter Words: It precedes “shrimp” in the name of a shrimp species that lives in the Great Salt Lake. Brine
42: Bodies of Water: Arms of this sea include the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ligurian Sea. Mediterranean Sea
43: Annual Events: Pearl Harbor Day is observed on this date. December 7
44: Ancient History: In 337 AD this first Christian Roman Emporor abolished crucifixion as a form of execution. Constantine I
45: Literary Title Places: The two title cities in Dickens’s “The Tale of Two Cities” are London and this one. Paris
46: Whales: The scientific name of this tusked whale is Monodon Monoceros. Narwhal
47: Home Equipment: This format that is replacing traditional DVDs is named partly for the color of laser used to read it. Blu-ray
48: Classic Movies: Wheelchair-bound Jimmy Stewart watches his neighbors across a courtyard in this 1954 Hitchcock classic. Rear Window
49: Poetry: A Keats’s ode to this bird, “light-winged dryad of the trees”. Nightingale
50: Before and After: Bonus work in school that nets you a visa. Extra credit card
Agh, I can’t believe I fucked up #19. I didn’t see that it was “rhyme time” and didn’t complete the rhyme. I gave away a point there. And I think I got #31 only because it was the subject of a very old Simpsons joke. I think my total score was 41/50.
I got 29. I’ve taken the online test every year it’s been available and I’ve never been able to push past 30. Next year I’m going to cram like I’ve never crammed before.
I contend question #6 is faulty. The Battle of New Orleans wasn’t fought until 1815, and the Battle of Baltimore was fought prior to the Treaty of Ghent. I’ve let Jeopardy know, but am not holding my breath.
I completely blanked on Constantine; my mind got stuck on Charlemagne and I couldn’t think straight. Also goofed on Ankara (I was thinking Istanbul). I was happy to get Reunion Island (purely based on the clue, I’ve never heard of the place), the Ohio River, and Rear Window (never saw the movie).
And doge, purely because of having played Medieval 2: Total War.
I’d have gone to play even if there hadn’t been any money on the line. Heck, I’d have paid out of pocket to go play. That said, I ain’t sendin’ any of my winnings back
The first thing you do as part of the in-person audition (step 2 in the process) is take another fifty question quiz on paper.
One of the things I asked the contestant coordinators at my audition last year had to do with exactly this. It’s not the players with the best scores that get called for the in-person audition, but rather a random sample of all the players that did well enough on the quiz. Someone who goes 49/50 has an equal chance of being picked from the hat as someone who gets 37/50.
100,000 people took the online test in 2011. Only 2,500 were invited to the in-person audition, and of them only 400 got The Call. The numbers are daunting, but persistence pays.
I got both #4 and #42 correct based on my experience playing the boardgame Diplomacy. I think the Jeopardy writers must use that board as their map of Europe for geography questions–I distinctly recall startling my wife once while watching the show when I responded to Alex’s “This body of water separates Sweden and Finland” with an instant “What is the Gulf of Bothnia?” “How the hell did you know that?”
Ha, that’s EXACTLY why I got #42 right! The only negative from knowing things like that was once having to explain why I knew there was a place in France called ‘Brest’.
Success on Jeopardy! is indicative of knowledge and memory. While I’m sure that most of the contestants are fairly intelligent, appearing on the show and succeeding doesn’t necessarily make that true. I submit this as proof.
