Trivia: Castoffs Out-Point Hinges

It was a nice, cool evening outside on the patio. Two girls arrived wearing capes. Joel, Will, MC, Kevin, Haley, Michael, and Joel’s friend comprised the young DoorHinges. That left David, Margaret, Emily, and me to fend for ourselves.   

  1. Who sailed the ocean blue in 1492? When reading the question, Erin said “1942.” David and I corrected her. I should’ve said “McArthur.” It was Christopher Columbus, of course. Five points.

2. What is the common name for a butterfly larva? Caterpillar. Three points.

3. What type drum has vibrating wires running across its underside? David and I knew: Snare. One point.

4. What city is the country music capital of the US? Another joke opportunity, but we stuck with Nashville. Five points.

5. What legendary boxer lit the caldron at the Atlanta Olympics? Emily: “We were one year old!” Marciano? Max Weber? No. Muhammad Ali. Three points.

6. In 2004 who became the first billionaire from writing books? Emily had to help me with the spelling: J.K. Rowling. One point.

7. What is the ginkgo the world’s oldest example of? I immediately wrote down TREE. David had one in front of his house off Collier Road. Good thing we wagered five points, because we went on to miss the next two questions.

8. What language joins Chinese, English, Russian, French, and Spanish as the six official languages of the United Nations? I listed several possibilities. David must’ve zoned out when we were trying to determine India’s language. It was Arabic. A one point miss, but the DoorHinges got it right.

9. Which country owns the Canary Islands? I knew where they’re located, and wondered if they were owned by a nearby country. They are: Spain. A three point miss.

10. Name the compliment/opposite for the following colors: The girls went to work, and got two correct…four points.

…red…green

…orange…blue

…yellow…purple

…purple…yellow

…blue…orange.

At the half the DoorHinges were one behind the leaders. We were six back…ninth out of twelve teams.

11. In which movie did Michael J Fox utter the phrase “So my mother has the hots for me?” David knew: Back to the Future. Six points.

12. In pocket billiards, how many balls are placed in the triangular rack? I counted them out…15. Four points.

13. In which state has the highest wind speed been recorded? Tough one: New Hampshire. Only a two point miss.

14. What actor was the first to receive a Golden Globe nomination for lending his voice to an animated movie? David knew: Robin Williams. I bravely wagered six points, and David gave me a fist bump. I think the Hinges got this wrong, making this the difference in the game.

15. Who was the first president to be born in the 20th century? I knew: JFK. Four points.

16. What fruit crop is grown in more countries than any other? Chris and Kim Maiocco made an appearance, diverting attention from the game. I listed several fruits. Chris said that in his travels around the world he’d seen plenty of tomatoes, but not many bananas. Emily though grapes were more popular than bananas: “you know…wine!” It was bananas…a two point miss. Later David said he might’ve answered bananas.  

17. What state opened America’s first free public school? My guess was correct: Massachusetts. Two points. Wish I’d wagered more.

18. What does a coleopterist study? Huh? One team got it right: Beetles.

19. What is Cuba’s most common mammal? I joked “Well I know it isn’t BEETLES!” We considered mice or rats, and answered monkeys. It was Bats. No team got it right. Going into the final question we were third, twelve points behind the leaders…and one point ahead of the Hinges.

20. Spell these most commonly misspelled words…I asked if there was a bonus for arranging them in alphabetical order.

…What hotels provide (starts with an “a”)…Accommodations. We left out the extra M.

…Where people are buried (does not start with a “g”)…Cemetery…three points.

…Comes after Eleventh…Twelfth…three points.

…Army rank…Gomer Pyle’s was named Carter…Sergeant…three points.

…Takes precedence over (starts with an “S”)…Supersede…I had a C in there.

Missing accommodate rankled David. Only two teams spelled four words correctly. The Hinges only got two. We finished one point out of second, but four points ahead of the Hinges.

Erin’s musical theme was “bangelala”…whimsical folksy tunes like “way down upon the swamp.” David requested the theme from the movie Deliverance, and she played it.