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How would you have fared on 21? Try these authenic questions

posted 21 years ago by owlpostgirl
32 replies | jump to latest

Would you have beat your opponents on Twenty-One? Here's a copy of actual quiz questions asked contestant Charles Van Doren. Test yourself and see how you would have fared. (Answers are at the bottom). If you remember the movie well, a couple questions may look familiar.

Here it is....remember now....no cheating....

Question: 1 of 12
Subject: World War II

Lake Ladoga played a large part in a particular phase of World War II. Name the two countries whose troops opposed each other at Lake Ladoga.

~Finland and Russia
~Germany and England
~Italy and the United States
~Norway and Germany

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Question: 2 of 12
Subject: Medicine

The necessity for cleanliness and sterilization was not realized until the middle of the nineteenth century. What is the name of the surgeon who introduced sterilization to the operating room?

~Louis Bisio
~Andrew Harmond
~Joseph Lister
~Stephen James

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Question: 3 of 12
Subject: Fashion

What synthetic fiber has almost completely replaced silk in women's stockings?

~Rayon
~Nylon
~Acetate
~Banlon

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Question: 4 of 12
Subject: Founding Fathers

One of the first American statesmen to protest taxation by the British was a man from Massachusetts who said, "Taxation without representation is tyranny." Name him.

~John Adams
~Josiah Quincy
~Everett Hale
~James Otis

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Question: 5 of 12
Subject: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill wrote a series of six brilliant books chronicling the events leading up to and including World War II. Name three of them.

~"The Gathering Storm, Triumph and Tragedy, The Grand Alliance"
~"Defence and Honor, Their Finest Hour, A Call to Arms"
~"The Hinge of Fate, The Cauldron of Fire, Comfort and Sacrifice"
~"Battle and Betrayal, The Final Contest, Closing the Ring"

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Question: 6 of 12
Subject: Queens

The wife of King Ahab was a cruel and willful woman; she favored the idolatrous worship of Baal and persecuted the prophets of Jehovah. What was her name and what country did she rule?

~Bathsheba ruled Sodom
~Esther ruled Capernaum
~Vashti ruled Judea
~Jezebel ruled Palestine

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Question: 7 of 12
Subject: The Civil War

Because of a disagreement with his commanding general, Ulysses Grant was virtually placed under arrest for a brief time early in 1862. Who was the commanding general of the Union army at that time?

~Halleck
~Hooker
~McClellan
~Burnside

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Question: 8 of 12
Subject: Boxing

Name the three heavyweight champions immediately preceding Joe Louis.

~James J. Braddock, Max Baer, Primo Carnera
~Sugar Ray Robinson, Max Baer, Max Schmeling
~Max Schmeling, John Sullivan, Jersey Joe Walcott
~Primo Carnera, John Sullivan, Max Baer

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Question: 9 of 12
Subject: Movies and Movie Stars

In 1954, the Oscars for the best supporting actress, best director, and best story screenplay writer all went to people who worked on the film "On the Waterfront." Name those people.

~John Ford, director; Harold Loessen, writer; Celeste Holme, supporting actress
~Elia Kazan, director; Budd Schulberg, writer; Eva Marie Saint, supporting actress
~John Huston, director; Dennis Brookings, writer; Vivien Leigh, supporting actress
~Joseph L. Mankiewicz, director; Kenneth Ryan, writer; Eleanor Parker, supporting actress

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Question: 10 of 12
Subject: Explorers

Pizzaro was an early Spanish explorer who discovered and conquered an advanced civilization. Tell us the civilization he discovered, the country this civilization was in, and the leader of the civilization at the time of the conquest.

~The Aztecs of Mexico were led by Montezuma
~The Toltec of Brazil were led by Balahancha
~The Incas of Peru were led by Atahualpa
~The Mayas of Guatemala were led by Chahanitza

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Question: 11 of 12
Subject: Newspapers

The grandsons of Joseph Medill, two of the most successful journalists in the county from 1914 on, were the owners and managers of the "Chicago Tribune" and the "New York Daily News." Who were they?

~Robert R. McCormick and Joseph Patterson
~Edward Johnston and William W. Bennett
~James Edward O'Brien and Tyrone Root
~Phillip T. Blanchard and Robert David Leary

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Question: 12 of 12
Subject: Kings

It's well known that some of Henry the VIII's six wives fared better than others. He divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and married his sixth, Catherine Parr, just a few years before he died. Name the second, third, fourth and fifth wives of Henry VIII and describe their fates.

~Anne Boyleyn, divorced; Jane Seymour, died in childbirth; Anne of Cleves, beheaded; Catherine Howard, beheaded
~Anne Boyleyn, died in childbirth; Jane Seymour, beheaded; Anne of Cleves, divorced; Catherine Howard, beheaded
~Anne Boyleyn, beheaded; Jane Seymour, died in childbirth; Anne of Cleves, divorced; Catherine Howard, beheaded
~Anne Boyleyn, beheaded; Jane Seymour, beheaded; Anne of Cleves, died in childbirth; Catherine Howard, divorced

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Answers:
1. Finland and Russia
2. Joseph Lister
3. Nylon
4. James Otis
5. "The Gathering Storm, Triumph and Tragedy, The Grand Alliance"
6. Jezebel ruled Palestine
7. Halleck
8. James J. Braddock, Max Baer, Primo Carnera
9. Elia Kazan, director; Budd Schulberg, writer; Eva Marie Saint, supporting actress
10. The Incas of Peru were led by Atahualpa
11. Robert R. McCormick and Joseph Patterson
12. Anne Boyleyn, beheaded; Jane Seymour, died in childbirth; Anne of Cleves, divorced; Catherine Howard, beheaded

Quiz source: http://home.sandiego.edu/~racheles/week12.html

[–] 21 years ago

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[–] khajan-amul 21 years ago

I got two wrong. #8 and #11. =(

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Work for pay, and pay for freedom.

[–] somemoviesilike 21 years ago

3 wrong - 1,4 and 10. id conjecture getting only 2 right though, if i didnt have the multple choice.

[–] tigertom97 10 years ago

Got 3 And 9 Right

Damn

[–] skydiversmusic 21 years ago

nice touch with the "on the waterfront" reference...
let's not get into how many i got right or wrong.../embarrassed cough
oh, look at the time...gotta go :-)

[–] rdpepper 20 years ago

How to remember the wives of Henry VIII

In order just remember: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Doesn't help with the names though but it makes the order easy to remember!

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] andrewsk8s 20 years ago

Scored 7, but would have gotten 5 without the multiple choice answers.

On question 1, I got thrown off because I met a Russian survivor of the horrendous siege of Leningrad who mentioned the Germans specifically (and hatefully). Perhaps she was confused as to their true nationality.

Was question 8 answered by Ralph Fiennes in the movie?

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] torreydeluca 20 years ago

But in real-life Charles van Doren got that one wrong. Obviously he got it wrong on purpose to add to the drama. I believe he and Stempel tied each other two or three times before Herbie was told to blow it on the Oscar winner for Best Picture from 1954.
I'm recalling this from interviews with Stempel I've seen, as well as from books I read on the quiz hows scandals back in college. Charles van Doren comes out a little bit better in the film than in real-life, and the opposite for Stempel.
Herbie really did have an unhealthy obsession over van Doren becoming more famous than he had become, but he wasn't that much of a stereotypical nebbish in real-life. Also, his wife knew all along that he was getting the answers. But I guess it made for a more interesting character.
Back to the questions - I'd have gotten them all right if I were given the answers ahead of time, just like on the show!!! But with the multiple choice I was able to get 11 of them right.

[–] driver_8 20 years ago

Today we have, for $1 million, who is Jessica Simpson married to?

Christ, we have become pretty dumb as a country.

"If I throw a dog a bone, I don't want to know if it tastes good or not."

[–] marlie1013 20 years ago

That's a broad assumption, how about people have a lot more to do now and by the time they get to watching tv they don't want to use their brains, they want mind numbing crap so they don't have to think about what they are watching. It's all about ratings-not about how dumb everyone has gotten.

[–] torreydeluca 20 years ago

People aren't considerably smarter or dumber since the late 1950s. It's just that now-adays we have much more media concentrated on celebrity "news".
Also, when TV first came along so-called intellectuals chided it as "the idiot box" and "the boob tube". They'd also regularly brag about how they didn't own a TV because they knew how to read books and newspapers. One of my freshman year roommates was always acting that way, saying he didn't own a TV with a tone of moral/intellectual superiority. Of course he used to listen to reggae all day long, so...
Anyway, back in the late 1950s TV networks tried to win over people into believing that they could produce intellgient programming. That's a major reason why they went after van Doren to be on the show and why the questions were so hard.
Today with networks like PBS, Discovery Channel, and The History Channel, there is enough knowledgeable programming out there that it is no longer necessary to do such things.

[–] chickenblood 18 years ago

Also, when TV first came along so-called intellectuals chided it as "the idiot box" and "the boob tube". They'd also regularly brag about how they didn't own a TV because they knew how to read books and newspapers. One of my freshman year roommates was always acting that way, saying he didn't own a TV with a tone of moral/intellectual superiority. Of course he used to listen to reggae all day long, so...

...so what?

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] torreydeluca 18 years ago

Nice try.

[–] chickenblood 18 years ago

Nice try at what?

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] torreydeluca 18 years ago

I'm not interested in your bait methods. Don't try and turn this message board into what everything is on IMDB.

[–] chickenblood 18 years ago

Wow calm down. I'm not trying to bait anyone, just asked a simple question

I was just wondering how the fact that a man listens to reggae, means that his opinion on something completely unrelated is invalidated.

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] torreydeluca 18 years ago

[–] chickenblood 18 years ago

I don't need to "calm down". I'm just making the rational choice to avoid a stupid, immature fan-boy war on these boards.
If you don't have an agenda as you claim (which I don't believe based on your smart-ass posting regarding what W.A.S.P. stands for) then I will answer your question:

Since you want to drag a completely unrelated post into this one, I'll say this: It is not fanboyism to simply make a JOKE. Also - look it up. W.A.S.P is also the name of a band and We Are Sexually Perverted is what the initials stand for. So it had nothing to do with being a smartass, just offering a valid alternative interpretation in a lighthearted way. Don't jump to conclusions. You will often be wrong.

My freshman roommate categorically derided everything that was on television as being idiotic, and everyone who owned a television as being an uncultured moron. Yet he found no hypocrisy in the fact that he'd skip class and sit in the room listening to music with lyrics that incessantly repeated, "no woman, no cry". He even blasted me for watching a documentary on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge on PBS while he listened to the homphobic rantings of Shabba Ranks.

The vast majority of songs have repetitive lyrics (I'm sure some that you listen to too). You may however be right about Shabba Ranks homophobic rantings, but either way, your point is a non-sequiter - you cannot judge someone's disdain for television on the basis of their taste in music. It sounds like your roommate was simlarly small minded if he really did think that all television was idiotic. Only 90% of it is :-)

Do you see the relation now?

Yeah, you don't like reggae.

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] torreydeluca 18 years ago

"Don't jump to conclusions. You will often be wrong."

- And what do you know of the music I listen to? How perfectly wonderful it must be to know everything...

All I know is that you love reggae like a fanboy and therefore can't tolerate any criticism of it, as my post was obviously a light-hearted joke that no one else felt it necessary to take personal offense to.

If you want to keep your little statements going on then please send to them to me directly and don't ruin this message board.

[–] chickenblood 18 years ago

I don't know anything of the music you listen to and I never said that I did. My claim was that in general lyrical music has repetitive parts (regardless of the genre).

As for your assertion that I "love reggae like a fanboy" (whatever that means), you are completely wrong and I see no reason why you could reach that conclusion from what I said.

I wasn't offended by what you said, just pointing out a logical fallacy. It seems that I have upset you though, so I apologise for that.

"Your mother's in here with us."

[–] iPadCary 12 years ago

I'll admit it was pretty surprising to see that
"Glass-Looking-Outside-To-Crowd" thing on the "Today" show was done in the 50s.
I thought that was a new thing the morning shows started.

Anyway, to say that people aren't dumber now than in the 50s is rediculous.
I've seen FAR too many cases of people in high school legitamately saying
Viet Nam was one of the countries we fought in World War II, not knowing who the Beatles are,
and sophomores in *beep* college never hearing of George Washington ....

No, my friend: in 1989, a concerted effort was started to destroy people from the inside out --
the whole grunge thing, the Clinton administration, wierd camera-angles in TV & movies,
reverse-cadenced, deliberately-made annoying "music", unfiltered sunlight h
[notice how pale & white, and not golden warm, sunlight's been since the 90s?], tattoos,
heroin chic, school mass shootings [guns were just as freely available before the 90s
as they are now, but we never had insane things like a Columbine not only not happen before,
but happen on a fairly regular basis ....], the adding of who-knows-what into school food
make kids develop faster but be far, far stupider, etc., etc. -- and the not knowing of people of
basic common facts is just a single manifestation of that effort.

And to the quiz itself, I got 12 outta 12 right.
What do I win?

B .... I .... L-L-T .... E-T-L-E-YYYYYYY Bill Tetley!

[–] frog-34 20 years ago

I got four of them wrong: 4, 8, 11, and 12.

And I think on the whole we *are* getting dumber as a country. Ten and twenty years ago on "Jeopardy" you'd see categories like "The American Revolution," "The Old Testament," "World Literature," "Word Origins," and so forth. I watched "Jeopardy" every day when I was a kid back in the '80s knowing that I would learn *something*. Today you get categories such as "Teens in the News," "2005 Cinema," and "If Shakespeare Wrote for the WB" (read, of course, by The Clue Crew).

Remember those "Celebrity Jeopardy" pieces they had on SNL a few years back with categories like "Things That Rhyme With the Letter S"? Not too far off the mark were they?

"[M]y fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended."--George W. Bush, 1 May 2003

[–] 20 years ago

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