Event Summer's Quizzical Quandaries

Summer's Quizzical Quandaries!​

Hello, everyone! Are you ready to flex your mental muscle, show your knowledge, and find out just how fun you might be at parties? Look no further, for this is the event for you. In this event, you'll be given a chance to work with your team to solve a bunch of trivia questions for fun and points! Do be careful, though - this quiz is not for the sporadic guesser; bring your best to the table!

::

How does this work?​

• As with the other events, this event is conducted as a team effort. Make sure you contribute to your team's performance where possible!
• Every weekend in July (except for the first weekend), a set of questions will be posted in this thread. Each set will be a different category, and each question will be worth a certain number of points.
• Questions will go up each Saturday at 00:00 GMT (midnight), and close that Sunday at 23:59 GMT (right before midnight). Therefore, you'll only have 48 hours to work on each set of questions.
• I understand that 48 hours is a rather small window, so, to mitigate that, I will post the category for the questions earlier during that week. (This will give you ample time to find out what's coming up.)
• Your team captain will be the one to submit answers on behalf of your team. I will only accept answers from the team captain, and I will take your first submission of your questions as final - so make sure you have everything just the way you want it before submitting!

Wait, Team Captains? What is this?​

To expedite things a little for this event, discuss amongst yourselves who you'd like to nominate as a team captain. There's nothing special in particular about the captain, but I want to accept the answers all at once, and from one person. You can decide who your team captain is however you want, just so long as you all agree. Please let me know ASAP who your team captain is.

Team Captains: When it comes time to submit your answers each week, submit your answers to me via forum Private Message, and include 'Summer's Quizzical Quandaries' somewhere in the title.

How do we earn points?​

• Each question will be worth a certain number of points, with harder questions being worth more points. The questions are designed to be difficult, but not impossible.
• If you submit an answer and you got it correct, your team will earn the points for that question. If you submit and get it incorrect, however, your team will lose that many points instead!
• If you choose not to answer a question, you will neither gain nor lose points. You don't need to answer all of the questions - just the ones your team is comfortable with.
• Points will be added up across all rounds, and tallied at the end to decide the winning team.

What else do I need to know?​

• Try to use your knowledge whenever possible. Using Google and similar sources isn't prohibited, but it's highly discouraged. You are all on an honour system to use your own knowledge for this event.
• You can communicate with your team members and captain however you'd like - forum PM, Skype, Discord - just so long as you stay connected.
• Don't try and answer every question blindly, because wrong answers penalise you while not answering leaves your score unchanged.
• If you don't think you know stuff, that's fine. Every round will have a different category, so one round may be bad for you while another may be your forte - and someone else on your team may know it better than you, so use your teammates well.
• Instructions for Team Captains: When you submit your answers to me each week, give me a list of the members who contacted you that week (even if they didn't directly contribute). This is to make sure that your team is still invested and paying attention.
  Also, if you don't think you'll be online for any of the rounds, tell me during the week who will be submitting answers for your team instead that weekend. (You may want to appoint a 'co-captain', if you wish.)

And, of course, if you have any questions of your own about this event, or anything about it, feel free to ask.

Round Dates and Times:​

Round 1 :: Saturday 8-July 00:00 BST - Sunday 9-July 23:59 BST
Round 2 :: Saturday 15-July 00:00 BST - Sunday 16-July 23:59 BST
Round 3 :: Saturday 22-July 00:00 BST - Sunday 23-July 23:59 BST
Round 4 :: Saturday 29-July 00:00 BST - Sunday 30-July 23:59 BST

BST is British Summer Time, the time that it is in Britain right now. If you aren't sure what time it is in your time zone by comparison, here are some links to help you.

Now then...shall we begin our little 'trivial' game?​

 

The category for the first week of the summer trivia event will now be revealed: Classic Games

With that phrase in mind, you can discuss amongst yourselves who you think would be the best people to handle this category.
Be sure to keep team discussion about the questions and categories in your respective forums. If you have a question in general about the trivia, feel free to ask me.

Remember!
:: If you don't think you know the answer, don't guess at the question. If you leave it alone your score won't change, but if you guess it and you're wrong, you lose points (and, yes, your team score can go negative).
:: Find out which of your team members would be good at this subject. That way you don't need to be surprised the day the questions go up, and wonder where your team is at.
:: Scores will accumulate over all 4 weeks, so if you did bad one week, don't fret - you can make it up in the next one.
:: You cannot use Google or similar sources to try and look up the answers. If I find out a team has done this, I will treat it as cheating, and punish the team accordingly.
:: The team captains (❀Bloom❀, MarineAurora, and TheIllusionFox) will be the ones to submit their answers on behalf of their respective teams. I will accept answers from them and them alone.
(Captains: If you can't be online over a given weekend, let me know ASAP and we can make a special arrangement - but I need at least 24 hours' notice if you do.)

Good luck!

 

It's that time - the weekend has begun, and with it comes the new influx of questions! As I promised, the category for Week 1 of 4 is Classic Games.

You have 48 hours to get together with your teams and work on these questions, using only your own knowledge. Team Captains, you have until then to submit your team's answers.

Remember, when you submit your answers, give me a list of the names of the people who helped you this week - and be truthful! Don't put everyone's names down, because I can see your team forums and will look to check for accuracy.
(Most everyone should eventually have a chance to participate, so don't worry if you can't contribute in some week.)

Do NOT use Google or anything similar to look up answers. If I find out you have, I will penalise your team accordingly - first offence will dock you 10 points, second offence will disqualify your team from this event entirely.
(This is just for the points for my event - not the overall scoreboard.)

Now, without further ado, here are your questions!


Classic Games

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: In poker, what is the highest possible hand that can be acquired, if no Jokers are present?
:: In a 52-card set of standard playing cards, what is the term used in many card games to describe a suit that is superior to the other suits?
:: In the game Sorry!, what number(s) between 1 and 12 is it never possible to move forward exactly that many spaces, disregarding slides?
:: What was the name of the first computer to defeat a chess grandmaster, under chess tournament conditions?
:: How many double-word tiles are on a Scrabble board?


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: How many pips (in total) are in a set of double-9 dominoes?
:: How many spaces on a standard Trivial Pursuit board?
:: How many territories exist in a classic game of RISK?
:: In pinochle, if you use 2 decks to play instead of just 1, what number(s) is/are removed from the deck?
:: In a standard game of Hearts, if you acquire all of the point-scoring cards in 1 round, how many points will you gain that round?


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: In a game of Monopoly, how much money will you need to spend in all, from start to finish, in order to build a hotel onto Pacific Avenue?
:: In Yahtzee, what are the odds of rolling a full house on the first throw? You can express your answer as a fraction or a percentage, but a fraction is preferred.


Remember, if you answer a question wrong you lose points, but if you don't answer a question your score stays the same. If you genuinely don't know, don't answer.

The same general tips apply, so don't forget the advice I shared before.

Deadline for Week 1: Sunday 9 July, 23:59 BST​

Good luck!

 

Less than 10 hours left before the first round is over. Team Captains, make sure that you send me your answers (and your teams' participants for this week) before that time, via forum private message.

Remember, it's okay if you don't have answers to questions, or if you're not totally sure. It's better to not answer than to blindly guess.

 

The deadline is now passed! I have received submissions from all three teams, and am tallying up the points.

I'll be posting the answer key for this week, as well as the scores and explanations, shortly - so you can see how you all did with each question, in comparison to the other teams.

 

As a bit of an experiment, I wanted one of my good friends to participate in this trivia as well, as a short experiment. My friend, who isn't on LV, was subject to the exact same conditions as all of you, and thus will have the same resources (and restrictions) available. Said friend (let's call her L) isn't in it for any prizes, obviously, but I wanted to see how well she would do at trivia.

This could be an inspiration to do better, a re-assurance that you're doing well, or perhaps something different altogether.
Now, without further ado:

Round 1 answers!

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: In poker, what is the highest possible hand that can be acquired, if no Jokers are present?
A royal flush.
Acuity, Valor, and L all got this question correct. Verity got it incorrect.
(This hand consists of a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit.)

:: In a 52-card set of standard playing cards, what is the term used in many card games to describe a suit that is superior to the other suits?
The trump (suit).
Valor and Verity got this question correct; Acuity and L got it incorrect.
(The terminology of 'trump' is common in many card games in which one suit is uniformly advantageous, such as Spades and Pinochle.)

:: In the game Sorry!, what number(s) between 1 and 12 is it never possible to move forward exactly that many spaces, disregarding slides?
9 only.
Valor and L got this question correct; Acuity and Verity got it incorrect.
(A Sorry! deck contains most numbers from 1 through 12, except there are no 6 and 9, and the 4 card makes you move backwards instead. However, the 7 card lets you split a forward move between 2 pawns, so you can split it into 4-3, 5-2, or 6-1 in this way. This leaves only 9 unable to have a forward move.)

:: What was the name of the first computer to defeat a chess grandmaster, under chess tournament conditions?
Deep Blue.
Acuity and Verity got this question correct, L got it incorrect, and Valor opted not to answer.
(Deep Blue was a chess computer developed by IBM with the purpose of seeing if computers could defeat humans at chess. In 1996 it defeated grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a single game, but it wasn't until 1997 that it defeated Kasparov in a tournament match.)

:: How many double-word tiles are on a Scrabble board?
17.
Verity got this question correct, Acuity and Valor got it wrong, and L opted not to answer.
(There are 4 double-word squares in each 'quadrant' of the board, leading in a diagonal, plus the centre square is a double-word square as well. 4*4 +1 = 17.)


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: How many pips (in total) are in a set of double-9 dominoes?
495.
Acuity and Verity got this question correct, Valor got it incorrect, and L opted not to answer.
(You could count it manually, like I did, or you can count with a quick multiplication - there's 55 dominoes in a double-9 set, and due to the perfectly bell-shaped distribution of pips, the average number of pips per domino is exactly 9; 55*9 = 495.)

:: How many spaces on a standard Trivial Pursuit board?
73.
Only Valor got this correct; the other three got it incorrect.
(The Trivial Pursuit board is set up as a wheel. There are 6 spokes to the wheel, each of which has 6 spaces. On the wheel's circumference, there are 6 spaces in between each spoke, and there are 6 such in-between segments. Finally, the wheel's hub is 1 space. 6*6 + 6*6 + 1 = 73.)

:: How many territories exist in a classic game of RISK?
42.
Acuity and L got this correct; Valor and Verity opted not to answer.
(This will require you to get out a RISK board and manually count everything, but thankfully the counting is not too strenuous.)

:: In pinochle, if you use 2 decks to play instead of just 1, what number(s) is/are removed from the deck?
Only the 9s.
Acuity got this question incorrect. The other three teams opted not to answer.
(A pinochle deck normally consists of 48 cards - two regular decks with only the 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces retained, and thus there are 2 copies of every card, so two 10s of Spades, two Kings of Hearts, and so on. If you play pinochle with 2 decks instead of 1 - which is called 'double pinochle' - the 9s are removed, which brings you down to 80 cards, since there are eight 9s in each deck.)

:: In a standard game of Hearts, if you acquire all of the point-scoring cards in 1 round, how many points will you gain that round?
Zero.
Acuity and Verity got this question correct; Valor and L opted not to answer.
(In a regular game of Hearts, each of the Hearts-suit cards is 1 point, and the Queen of Spades is 13 points, for a total of 26 - and in Hearts, you DON'T want to gain points. However, a caveat exists in that if you manage to get all 14 point-scoring cards, you don't gain any points, and - based on the variant you play - either everybody else gets 26 points, or you lose 26 points. Either way, you don't gain any points when this happens.)


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: In a game of Monopoly, how much money will you need to spend in all, from start to finish, in order to build a hotel onto Pacific Avenue?
$3520.
Acuity and L got this question incorrect; Valor and Verity opted not to answer.
(The math is a little complicated, so I'll explain it as follows.
First, in order to build at all, you will need all three of the green properties, which costs $920.
After that, when you build houses, you have to build evenly, so to get to the hotel step, each of the green properties needs 4 houses on it. That's 12 houses, and at 200$ per house, that comes to $2400.
Finally, only Pacific Avenue needs the hotel, so you just spend $200 more for that hotel.
920 + 2400 + 200 = 3520)

:: In Yahtzee, what are the odds of rolling a full house on the first throw? You can express your answer as a fraction or a percentage, but a fraction is preferred.
300 / 7776, or 50 / 1296, or 25 / 648, or ~3.858%. (Equivalent fractions are acceptable.)
Valor got this correct, Acuity and L got it incorrect, and Verity opted not to answer.
(I had to double-check my math multiple times on this, because every time I tried probability trees I got a different answer. In the end I just brute-forced it instead.
There are many ways to go about this, but the method I used was recognising triplets:
If your first 3 dice are the same, then there are 5 possibilities for a full house after that. There are 6 such triplets (111, 222, etc.).
If two of the first 3 dice are the same, and one's different, then there are 3 possibilities for a full house after that. There are 90 such triplets (112, 113, 114...you get the idea).
5*6 + 90*3 = 300
And there are 7776 possible combinations of rolling 5 dice, since the order does not matter. This gives 300 / 7776 as the final answer.

::::

With all that said, here are the scores for each team after the first week:

Acuity: -5
Valor: +5
Verity: +3
L: -6

For being a team based on knowledge, Acuity is not doing well at all. Interestingly, they were also the only team that attempted to answer every question - which did not pay off as well as expected. L did something similar, and the biggest blow to both of them is that they attempted both of the 3-pointers and got them both wrong.

Valor seems to be in the best shape right now as they're being cautious with their answers, but Verity is doing pretty much the same thing, and is only slightly behind. Valor tried (and succeeded) at 1 of the 3-pointers, while Verity left them alone.

There are still three weeks left to go, so it's anybody's game at this point, but it's interesting to see that the 3-pointers are noticeable game-changers. Keep this information in mind as you discuss your strategies for the next week, seeing what worked and what didn't - and don't get complacent; it's very easy for the scores in this game to radically change!

 

The category for the second week of the summer trivia event will now be revealed: Science

With that phrase in mind, you can discuss amongst yourselves who you think would be the best people to handle this category.
Be sure to keep team discussion about the questions and categories in your respective forums. If you have a question in general about the trivia, feel free to ask me.

Remember!
:: If you don't think you know the answer, don't guess at the question. If you leave it alone your score won't change, but if you guess it and you're wrong, you lose points (and, yes, your team score can go negative).
:: Find out which of your team members would be good at this subject. That way you don't need to be surprised the day the questions go up, and wonder where your team is at.
:: Your team scores will roll over from each week, so if you did bad one week, don't fret - you can make it up in the next one.
:: You cannot use Google or similar sources to try and look up the answers. If I find out a team has done this, I will treat it as cheating, and punish the team accordingly.
:: The team captains (❀Bloom❀, MarineAurora, and TheIllusionFox) will be the ones to submit their answers on behalf of their respective teams. I will accept answers from them and them alone.
(Captains: If you can't be online over a given weekend, let me know ASAP and we can make a special arrangement - but I need at least 24 hours' notice if you do.)

Now, go forth, for science!

 

I know there's still a day or so left before the questions go up, but I realised just now there was something I forgot to mention.

For the rest of this event, each set of questions will have a single Bonus Opportunity question. This will allow teams to gain a few more points in this event with little risk.
Here's how it works:

:: The Bonus Opportunity will be 'attached' to an existing question. It's basically a follow-up to that question.
:: The Bonus Opportunity will have its score listed next to it. Each Bonus question will vary in score, and there will only be 1 per week.
:: If you get the Bonus question wrong, you do not lose points for it - essentially a freebie. However...
:: In order to make a guess at the Bonus question, you have to submit a guess for the question it's attached to.
:: As with all of the other questions, answering the Bonus is optional. You don't lose points for getting it wrong, though, so it's at least worth a guess.

As an example, let's use one of the questions from last week: "How many territories exist in a classic game of RISK?" The answer was 42, and it was worth 2 points.
So let's say I put a Bonus Opportunity with it, worth 1 point: "Of those territories, how many of them are connected to at least 1 other territory via a water route?" To save you the counting, the answer here is 23.

For various situations and scoring, it would work like this:

If you have any other questions, let me know. Good luck!

 

Week 2's post!

We have come around once more, and a new set of questions is now coming your way! As stated before, the category for this round is Science.

As I also mentioned before, there will be a 'Bonus Opportunity' question for each week until the end of this trivia.
Each bonus question is 'attached' to another question. In order to attempt a guess for the bonus question, you must also submit an answer for the question it's attached to. However, if you get the bonus question wrong, you don't lose points. Therein lies the trade-off. (You can read more about Bonus Opportunities in my previous post here.)

You have 48 hours to get together with your teams and work on these questions, using only your own knowledge. Team Captains, you have until then to submit your team's answers.

Remember, when you submit your answers, give me a list of the names of the people who helped you this week - and be truthful! Don't put everyone's names down, because I can see your team forums and will look to check for accuracy.
(Most everyone should eventually have a chance to participate, so don't worry if you can't contribute in some week.)

Do NOT use Google or anything similar to look up answers. If I find out you have, I will penalise your team accordingly - first offence will dock you 10 points, second offence will disqualify your team from this event entirely.
(This is just for the points for my event - not the overall scoreboard.)

Now, without further ado, here are your questions!


Science

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: How many teeth are present in a normal human adult, assuming no missing or extra teeth?
:: What is the only vein in the human body that transports oxygenated blood?
:: Name the 4 Galilean moons in order of size, from smallest to largest.
:: Name the major taxonomic ranks used in biology/taxonomy, from smallest to largest.
:: What is the 7-letter word that describes an atom (of an element) that has 7 electrons in its outermost shell when uncharged?
:::: Bonus Opportunity (1 point): Name all such elements that fit that term.


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: What is the general name for the specialised sub-structures inside cells of living creatures?
:: What unit of measurement is shown as the reciprocal of a second?
:: In laboratories, what's the most common concentration of ethanol used, when ethanol is used as a solvent?
:: Name the stages of incomplete metamorphosis, in chronological order.
:: What is the lightest element that has no stable isotopes at all?


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: Which animal has the longest known migration (distance) out of any animal that doesn't fly?
:: What 7-letter word, used most often in science, means 'an indivisibly small amount'?


Remember, if you answer a question wrong you lose points, but if you don't answer a question your score stays the same. If you genuinely don't know, don't answer.

The same general tips apply, so don't forget the advice I shared before.

Deadline for Week 2: Sunday 16 July, 23:59 BST​

Good luck!

 

I have everyone's answers in now! Give me a while to sort out the scores and write up my post, and I will report the results for this week.

 

So Week 2 was the Science round. It seems to have come as less of a surprise than the Classic Games category, though to be fair, that category was exactly what I said it would be.

In any case, here are the scores for each team (as well as L) carrying over from last week:

Acuity: -5
Valor: +5
Verity: +3
L: -6

Let's hope Acuity can catch up to their two competitors, eh? Now, for the point breakdown!

::::

Round 2 answers!

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: How many teeth are present in a normal human adult, assuming no missing or extra teeth?
32.
Everybody got this question correct.
(The 4 potential wisdom teeth are also counted in that 32 - because the question specified no missing teeth.)

:: What is the only vein in the human body that transports oxygenated blood?
The pulmonary vein.
Everybody got this question correct.
(The reason for this is that it's the vein that brings blood back from the lungs; the now re-oxygenated blood is returned to the heart to re-circulate in the body.)

:: Name the 4 Galilean moons in order of size, from smallest to largest.
Europa, Io, Calisto, and Ganymede.
Valor and Verity got this question correct; Acuity and L opted not to answer.
(The Galilean moons are the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter, and the first moons of said planet to be discovered. Ganymede, its largest, is nearly on the order of a small planet.)

:: Name the major taxonomic ranks used in biology/taxonomy, from smallest to largest.
Species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, and domain.
Acuity, Valor, and L got this question correct; Verity got it incorrect.
(These are the 8 major taxonomic rankings used. There are sub-levels and super-levels within each one, though that's only if more specificity is needed, and those are not universally used.)

:: What is the 7-letter word that describes an atom (of an element) that has 7 electrons in its outermost shell when uncharged?
Halogen.
Acuity, Verity, and L got this question correct; Valor opted not to answer.
(The Group 7 elements are colloquially referred to as halogens. There are a few other terms for them as well, though I specifically asked for the term with 7 letters.)

:::: Bonus: Name all such elements that fit that term.
Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
Acuity, Verity, and L all attempted the bonus, and got it correct. Valor could not.
(Those are the five elements known for sure to be halogens, and illustrate the properties of such. It isn't known if tennessine is a halogen or not, so if you said tennessine, it has no effect on your answer.)


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: :: What is the general name for the specialised sub-structures inside cells of living creatures?
Organelles.
Everybody got this question correct.
(Honestly, I thought someone might have taken a pass on this question. I guess it was easier than I thought.)

:: What unit of measurement is shown as the reciprocal of a second?
The hertz.
Verity and L got this correct, Acuity got it incorrect, and Valor opted not to answer.
(The reciprocal of a second would be 1/s, or s^(-1). The unit of measurement defined this way is the hertz, formerly known as a 'cycle per second', though 'cycle' is a unitless term, so that part has fallen out of use.)

:: In laboratories, what's the most common concentration of ethanol used, when ethanol is used as a solvent?
95%.
Only L got this correct, Acuity and Verity got it incorrect, and Valor opted not to answer.
(When it's required to use ethanol as a solvent, 95% is the concentration used, with the other 5% being water. There are certain reactions that require 100% ethanol - sometimes called 'anhydrous ethanol' - but it takes a lot of special preparation to make it, and is only used for highly specific purposes.)

:: Name the stages of incomplete metamorphosis, in chronological order.
Egg, nymph, and adult.
Acuity and Verity got this question correct; Valor and L opted not to answer.
(Incomplete metamorphosis happens in insect species - plus a few others - that continually grow while in the child/nymph stage. The dragonfly is the most common example. If the nymph lives underwater, it's also called a naiad.)

:: What is the lightest element that has no stable isotopes at all?
Technetium.
Acuity and Verity got this question correct, L got it incorrect, and Valor opted not to answer.
(Technetium's atomic number is 43, long before most of the more known radioactive materials appear. A stable isotope for technetium has yet to be found, for some odd reason.)


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: Which animal has the longest known migration (distance) out of any animal that doesn't fly?
The gray whale.
All 3 teams got this question incorrect; L opted not to answer.
(The gray whale currently holds the record for this title, at 22500 kilometres. It stole this title from the previous record-holder, the humpback whale - a shade under 19000 kilometres - in early 2015.)


:: What 7-letter word, used most often in science, means 'an indivisibly small amount'?
Quantum.
Verity and L got this correct; Acuity and Valor opted not to answer.
(A quantum is the smallest unit of energy possible in a chemical reaction. It's akin to an atom, in that an atom is the smallest amount of an element possible. The term 'quantum' has been generalised to mean 'an infinitesimally, indivisibly small amount'.)

::::

So now let's see where the teams stand.

Acuity: -2 (up 3 points from last week)
Valor: +8 (up 3 points from last week)
Verity: +12 (up 9 points from last week)
L: +5 (up 11 points from last week)

I noticed a few interesting things this week, particularly in the number of questions answered. Verity attempted all 12 questions this week, Acuity attempted 10 (L attempted 9), and Valor only attempted 6. I believe the reason for this is either Valor didn't manage to drum up enough activity on the quiz this week, OR they didn't have enough science know-how compared to the other teams - most likely the latter, or so I think.

I am most surprised at Verity, who managed to nab a lot of points and is now solidly in the lead. Acuity made a noble effort, at least, though tripped up on a few things. Interestingly, the only question Valor got wrong was Question #11, and everyone got that wrong (except L), so as far as this competition is concerned, it was a no-harm-no-foul question. However, Verity is now definitely the team to beat, but at least no one is worse off.

There were a lot of points flying around this week, much more than I expected - I wasn't aware people were so comfortable with science! That works out decently well, at least - the 'easy' categories are now out of the way, and now that the month is half over, you can expect some heavy challenges to come up.

 

The category for the third week of the summer trivia event will now be revealed: Mythos

With that phrase in mind, you can discuss amongst yourselves who you think would be the best people to handle this category.
Be sure to keep team discussion about the questions and categories in your respective forums. If you have a question in general about the trivia, feel free to ask me.

The same general hints and advice for the trivia still apply - your scores will roll over, don't answer questions you're unsure of, and so on.
And, yes, there will be a Bonus Opportunity question this week too - you won't lose points if you get it wrong, but you have to guess at the question it's originally attached to. See above in the thread for more details.

Team Captains (❀Bloom❀, MarineAurora, and TheIllusionFox). you know the drill. Prepare your teams for the last two weeks - we're almost done.
(Captains: If you can't be online over a given weekend, let me know ASAP and we can make a special arrangement - but I need at least 24 hours' notice if you do.)

This week is going to be legendary.

 

Oh boy oh boy, here we go again! Like I mentioned earlier in the week, the category this time around is Mythos.

Just like last week, there is also a 'Bonus Opportunity' question on this set of questions.
Each bonus question is 'attached' to another question. In order to attempt a guess for the bonus question, you must also submit an answer for the question it's attached to. However, if you get the bonus question wrong, you don't lose points. Therein lies the trade-off. (You can read more about Bonus Opportunities in my previous post here.)

You have 48 hours to get together with your teams and work on these questions, using only your own knowledge. Team Captains, you have until then to submit your team's answers.

Remember, when you submit your answers, give me a list of the names of the people who helped you this week - and be truthful! Don't put everyone's names down, because I can see your team forums and will look to check for accuracy.
(Most everyone should eventually have a chance to participate, so don't worry if you can't contribute in some week.)

Do NOT use Google or anything similar to look up answers. If I find out you have, I will penalise your team accordingly - first offence will dock you 10 points, second offence will disqualify your team from this event entirely.
(This is just for the points for my event - not the overall scoreboard.)

Now, without further ado, here are your questions!

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: (Chinese) What individual is most well-known for its rebellion against the gods, and having a staff as its signature weapon?
:: (French) What is the name of Roland's signature sword?
:: (Japanese) What was the name of the sword that was found inside Orochi's tail?
:: (Hindu) How many arms are Hindu deities most commonly depicted with?
:: (Aztec) The Aztec god of sunset is most closely associated with what animal?


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: (Greek) What was the name of the deity who decided how and when a person's life would end?
:: (Roman) What is the collective name for the group of the most important Roman deities?
:: (Persian) What mythical creature in Persian mythology can be seen as a counterpart to the phoenix?
:: (Arthurian) Which character survives a beheading, and promises to return the favour in a year's time?
:: (Egyptian) In the afterlife, to determine if a person's soul can enter paradise, it is weighed against an object owned by which deity?
:::: Bonus Opportunity (1 point): Name the object in question.


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: (Norse) What occurrence starts off a chain of events that ultimately is responsible for leading to the end of the world?
(For clarification, I want the name of the event that started the chain off.)
:: (Inca) When Spanish Christians priests visited the Incas, which of the Inca deities did they speak of to compare to the Devil?


Remember, if you answer a question wrong you lose points, but if you don't answer a question your score stays the same. If you genuinely don't know, don't answer.

The same general tips apply, so don't forget the advice I shared before.

Deadline for Week 3: Sunday 23 July, 23:59 BST​

Good luck!

 

I've received everyone's answers! A little early this time, but that's okay. Just give me a while to tally up the answers and count the scores. Hope everyone did well!
(As of this post I haven't actually counted the new scores yet, so I'll be just as surprised as you.)

 

Now I shall announce the results of the Mythos round. This weekend went by pretty slowly with the planning, and all of the teams (and L) sent in their answers with only an hour left before the deadline. Collaboration may have been tricky.

Unfortunately, in the process, I found out that one of the members on Team Verity cheated, by consulting an Internet resource. I have therefore had to penalise the team's score accordingly. It was just one person, rather than the actual team doing this, so based on how things pan out next week, there may be a change.

So, going into this week, here are the current team scores:

Acuity: -2
Valor: +8
Verity: +2 (instead of +12)
L: +5

Now I'm sure you're dying to hear the answers, so here we go.

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: (Chinese) What individual is most well-known for its rebellion against the gods, and having a staff as its signature weapon?
Sun Wukong.
Acuity, Valor, and L got this correct; Verity opted not to answer.
(Otherwise known as the Monkey King, this trickster is one of the most well-known characters in Chinese folklore, appearing in several other media besides.)

:: (French) What is the name of Roland's signature sword?
Durandal (or Durendal).
Acuity, Valor, and Verity got this correct; L opted not to answer.
(I'll be honest and say, right now, this is the only thing I know about Roland, and only because I played Fire Emblem 7. Roland's saga is something I'd like to read one day.)

:: (Japanese) What was the name of the sword that was found inside Orochi's tail?
Murakumo (or Kusanagi).
Acuity and Valor got this correct; Verity and L opted not to answer.
(The 'sword of the gathering clouds', this sword was extracted from Orochi's tail when Susa-no-o chopped it off after killing said serpent. Similar to Sun Wukong above, the Orochi story is very well-known even outside Japanese folklore.)

:: (Hindu) How many arms are Hindu deities most commonly depicted with?
Four.
Acuity, Valor, and Verity got this correct; L got it incorrect.
(Hindu deities have been depicted with many arms in multiples of 2, but more often than not they're depicted with exactly 4.)

:: (Aztec) The Aztec god of sunset is most closely associated with what animal?
A dog.
Acuity got this incorrect. Everyone else opted not to answer.
Xolotl, the god of sunset, is represented by dogs, and owns a chariot pulled by said dogs. He is the counterpart to Quetzalcoatl, the god of sunrise, and Xolotl escorts the sun through the underworld before it comes to rise again the next day.


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: (Greek) What was the name of the deity who decided how and when a person's life would end?
Atropos.
Acuity, Valor, and Verity got this correct; L got it incorrect.
(Atropos was one of the three Fates, who oversaw the lives of mortals. Each one had a different duty: either weaving a thread of a person's life, measuring its length, or cutting it off. Of those, the one who cut the thread is Atropos.)

:: (Roman) What is the collective name for the group of the most important Roman deities?
Dei Consentes (or Dii Consentes).
Valor got this correct, Acuity and L got it incorrect, and Verity opted not to answer.
(Dei Consentes is the name given by the Romans to the 12 principal gods of their pantheon. It translates roughly to 'Council of Gods'.)

:: (Persian) What mythical creature in Persian mythology can be seen as a counterpart to the phoenix?
The simurgh.
Acuity and Valor got this correct; Verity and L opted not to answer.
(Similar to the Western phoenix and the Eastern fenghuang - or houou, if you prefer the Japanese - the simurgh is a bird-like creature with phenomenal powers and rebirth motifs, sometimes - but not always - associated with fire.)

:: (Arthurian) Which character survives a beheading, and promises to return the favour in a year's time?
The Green Knight.
Acuity and Valor got this correct; Verity and L opted not to answer.
(Around Christmastime, the Green Knight asks for a quick game in which he invites one of Arthur's knights to take a single blow at him, under the condition that he repays the blow after a full year. Sir Gawain leaps to the challenge and takes an axe, beheading the Green Knight instantly - who merely picks up and re-attaches his head, reminds Gawain of his promise, and leaves. I'll let you read the rest of the story on your own time.)

:: (Egyptian) In the afterlife, to determine if a person's soul can enter paradise, it is weighed against an object owned by which deity?
Ma'at.
Acuity, Valor, and Verity got this correct; L got it incorrect.
(The goddess Ma'at is the one who lies at the gates of paradise, deciding whether a pharaoh is worthy enough to enter. Anubis is the one who guides the pharaoh's soul towards the gate, but that's all his role is.)

:::: Bonus Opportunity (1 point): Name the object in question.
A feather.
All teams and L attempted this bonus, and got it correct.
(The pharaoh's soul is weighed against a single feather, plucked from Ma'at's headdress.)


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: (Norse) What occurrence starts off a chain of events that ultimately is responsible for leading to the end of the world?
The death of Baldr.
Valor got this correct, Verity and L got it incorrect, and Acuity opted not to answer.
(A lot of things happen before the world ends as purported in the Norse mythos, with Ragnarok being the very last thing to happen. However, the actual event that urges all the others to kick off is when Baldr's death - orchestrated by Loki - occurs. At this point Loki is regarded as a full enemy rather than an uneasy ally, causing both sides of good and evil to ready themselves for the world's end.)

:: (Inca) When Spanish Christians priests visited the Incas, which of the Inca deities did they speak of to compare to the Devil?
Supay.
Acuity got this correct; everyone else opted not to answer.
(Supay's monstrous visage, large horns, and acts of terror upon humans gave a nice parallel for priests to give to the Incas about the Devil - though since Incas would readily try to appease Supay to not harm them, this parallel may not have gone as well as expected.)

::::

With that said, here are the final scores for this week:

Acuity: +10 (up 12 points from last week)
Valor: +25 (up 17 points from last week)
Verity: +5 (up 3 - or down 7 - points from last week)
L: -4 (down 9 points from last week)

So this...is an actual surprise to me. Even without the unfortunate cheating incident, Valor has now gone back to dominating the scoreboard, passing on only two of the questions and getting all of the others correct. Acuity got a few incorrect (but most correct) and they've managed to surge up ahead and recuperate their loss almost completely. Verity hasn't garnered many points, though that is partly because they didn't answer many of the questions.

Unbeknownst to me, Verity probably didn't have very many mythology buffs (they passed on half the questions), and the other two teams did (they passed on only 1 or 2); the 10-point penalty hasn't made much of a difference in this week's results. (L is apparently terrible at mythology, but that's neither here nor there.)

There's only one week left now, and unless a major upset happens, Week 4 will be a fight for second place. Valor now boasts a huge margin over both the other teams, and given how I designed both this week and the next to be difficult (with the last being the hardest of all), I'm hoping something interesting happens next week just to shake up the scoreboard a little.

The subject for the final week will go up at roughly the same time as it has every week, so until then, I encourage all of you to gather all your members, put your brainpower together, and prepare yourself for what will be the final round of the Quizzical Quandaries.

 

The category for the fourth and final week will be revealed...

...or will it?

So, to explain, this last week's set of questions doesn't really have a set category per se. The questions for the last week come from all kinds of various categories and bites of knowledge - not unlike a potpourri of questions. However, the questions for the last week were not randomly thrown together; there will be a specific theme in mind playing behind all of the last week's questions. As I've mentioned a few times before, I wrote and planned all of the questions and categories before the event even began, and Week 4 is no exception.

I'll reveal the theme and questions when they actually go up, but for now, just be aware that all sorts of questions could be thrown your way, so be ready for anything in this final week.

Good luck, and may the voice of love take you higher.

 

It's come around already? The final week? And so soon? I can't believe our time together is already coming to an end!
I promised that I would reveal the theme of the questions when they actually went up, and so I shall. The category for this week is 1999.

Just like last week, there is also a 'Bonus Opportunity' question on this set of questions.
Each bonus question is 'attached' to another question. In order to attempt a guess for the bonus question, you must also submit an answer for the question it's attached to. However, if you get the bonus question wrong, you don't lose points. Therein lies the trade-off. (You can read more about Bonus Opportunities in my previous post here.)

You have 48 hours to get together with your teams and work on these questions, using only your own knowledge. Team Captains, you have until then to submit your team's answers.

Remember, when you submit your answers, give me a list of the names of the people who helped you this week - and be truthful! Don't put everyone's names down, because I can see your team forums and will look to check for accuracy.
(Most everyone should eventually have a chance to participate, so don't worry if you can't contribute in some week.)

Do NOT use Google or anything similar to look up answers - this includes any Internet resource. If I find out you have, I will penalise your team accordingly - first offence will dock you 10 points, second offence will disqualify your team from this event entirely.
(This is just for the points for my event - not the overall scoreboard.)

Now, without further ado, here are your questions!

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: Which well-known trading card game was first released (in its current incarnation) in 1999?
:: Which film, released in 1999, had Ewan McGregor cast as a supporting, but not main, protagonist?
:: Which famous circular structure was first opened in 1999?
:: What non-current animated cartoon first aired on the TV station Nickelodeon in 1999?
:: What world-famous music festival, which meets annually, had its initial appearance in 1999?


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: Which Sonic the Hedgehog game was first released in 1999?
:: Break down the number '1999' into its prime factors.
:: Which two companies merged in 1999, to form what was at the time the world's largest corporation?
:: Which American football team won the Super Bowl that took place in 1999?
:: What famous phrase, said in 1999 on television, was originally spoken by Penn & Teller?


Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: What famous person, who retired in 1999, is also associated with the number '99'?
:: A certain duo asked "Where have you gone?" to a certain baseball player. This question was asked long ago, but the baseball player later died in 1999. To gain credit for this question, name either the duo OR the baseball player.
:::: Bonus Opportunity (2 points): For the bonus, name both the duo AND the baseball player.


Remember, if you answer a question wrong you lose points, but if you don't answer a question your score stays the same. If you genuinely don't know, don't answer.

The same general tips apply, so don't forget the advice I shared before.

Deadline for Week 4: Sunday 30 July, 23:59 BST​

Good luck, and may the joy of love give you an answer!

 

I've received all of the answers. Time to grade everything, pass judgment, and see how everyone did.

Now imagine the most dramatic drumroll possible playing in your head.

 

And now the trivia is about to come to a close. In this year's "twenty-seventeen bizarre summer", the Scramble is winding down, and we are now here to see the results of the 1999 category.

Before I do, there are a few important things I need to note before I begin.

First of all, in regards to Verity's cheating last week, I found out that the person in question didn't contribute at all to the questions this week. In light of that, I am going to lessen the penalty on Verity from -10 points to -7.

Second, I also realised that I had set up my spreadsheet incorrectly, and it wasn't recording the scores that any team got from the Bonus questions - which is not what I had intended! It didn't affect any team's standings over the past weeks, but it did mean that a few crucial points were missing.

So before I announce the results, here are the scores from all parties before Week 4's questions are recorded:

Acuity: +12
Valor: +26
Verity: +10
L: -2

Now, I'm sure a few people are wondering why I picked 1999 as the category for this week. I got a lot of people thinking that it was when most of LV was either not born yet or extremely young, so questions from that point in time wouldn't be easy for those kinds of people.

Well...

Spoiler

That's completely wrong, actually. The only reason I picked 1999 as a category was so I could make a Jojo reference.
In fact, for anyone who knew this song, they would have been able to spot a subtle nod to it when I didn't reveal the category earlier in the week.

​

Now, to business! Are you ready? I am.

Easy Questions (worth 1 point each):
:: Which well-known trading card game was first released (in its current incarnation) in 1999?
Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Acuity and L got this question correct. Valor and Verity opted not to answer.
(While a Yu-Gi-Oh! card game did exist before then - like the Bandai version - the Official Card Game as we know it now had its first set, Vol.1, released in February of 1999.)

:: Which film, released in 1999, had Ewan McGregor cast as a supporting, but not main, protagonist?
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
L opted not to answer; all 3 teams got this correct.
(Ewan McGregor had been in 3 films in 1999, but in the other 2 he was the main protagonist. Very few people - including me - have even heard of the other two either.)

:: Which famous circular structure was first opened in 1999?
The London Eye.
Acuity and Verity got this correct, L got it incorrect, and Valor opted not to answer.
(While it wasn't open to the general public until a few months later, the London Eye first opened on 31 December 1999. Ha!)

:: What non-current animated cartoon first aired on the TV station Nickelodeon in 1999?
Rocket Power.
Only Verity got this correct. The others opted not to answer.
(Nickelodeon started airing two animated cartoon series in 1999, but the other one was Spongebob Squarepants, which is still current.)

:: What world-famous music festival, which meets annually, had its initial appearance in 1999?
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Verity and L got this correct; Acuity and Valor opted not to answer.
(Said festival still meets year after year without fail, located in the Coachella Valley in California - though not in the actual city of Coachella.)


Average Questions (worth 2 points each):
:: Which Sonic the Hedgehog game was first released in 1999?
Sonic Pocket Adventure.
Acuity got this correct, L got this incorrect, and Valor and Verity opted not to answer.
(This was the only trick question in this set - and in this entire trivia. While people are more familiar with Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast, its initial release - in Japan - was in December of 1998.)

:: Break down the number '1999' into its prime factors.
1999 is already a prime number.
Everybody got this question correct.
(I didn't even think about what the answer was when I wrote this. I wrote the question and then went to go figure out the answer myself. I didn't expect it to be prime, so that was a very funny coincidence.)

:: Which two companies merged in 1999, to form what was at the time the world's largest corporation?
Exxon and Mobil.
Nobody attempted this question.
(Mobil and Exxon were both large oil companies that merged to form ExxonMobil - which still exists to this day. The company still uses both of its brand names, based on where its gas stations are geographically located.)

:: Which American football team won the Super Bowl that took place in 1999?
The Denver Broncos.
L opted not to answer; all 3 teams got this correct.
(I knew someone would be nerd enough to know this question. I certainly didn't, but apparently the Super Bowl is a big deal to people.)

:: What famous phrase, said in 1999 on television, was originally spoken by Penn & Teller?
"You fool!"
Nobody attempted this question.
(This phrase was first spoken on an episode of a game show called Hollywood Squares, in response to a contestant being deceived by a wrong answer. Gilbert Gottfried, also on that episode, picked it up and popularised it by saying the phrase multiple times in a row.)

It's something that's both extremely hilarious and must be seen to be believed, so here's a video of the episode for your personal amusement later:

​

Challenging Questions (worth 3 points each):
:: What famous person, who retired in 1999, is also associated with the number '99'?
Wayne Gretzky.
Acuity got this correct; everyone else opted not to answer.
(Gretzky was an ice hockey player with an extremely prolific career, and even after his retirement as a player in 1999, he still continues to be active in the ice hockey realm. His jersey number, 99, was also retired league-wide in his honour.)

:: A certain duo asked "Where have you gone?" to a certain baseball player. This question was asked long ago, but the baseball player later died in 1999. To gain credit for this question, name either the duo OR the baseball player.
:::: Bonus Opportunity (2 points): For the bonus, name both the duo AND the baseball player.
The duo: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
The baseball player: Joe DiMaggio.
L opted not to answer. All 3 teams tried both the question and the bonus, and got both right.
(This was spoken as one of the last lines in the song 'Mrs. Robinson', written and sung by the musical duo Simon & Garfunkel.)

::::

I was rather surprised - and pleased - but mostly surprised - with how this week turned out. I had intended the 3-pointer + bonus to be the hardest question in the whole trivia, but apparently a lot of people, like me, have listened to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel in the past. By contrast, other questions this week I thought would be a little easier, like the Rocket Power and ExxonMobil ones, were passed over entirely.

All teams played very well, and I can now see their progress steadily improving. No teams got any answers incorrect - either they were correct or they just passed. Even just going from Week 1 to Week 4 I see less and less minuses on my spreadsheet. (L's performance was pretty consistent with pluses and minuses throughout, though. Unfortunately.)

In addition, with all said, all the teams are basically even on participation points as well, which was definitely my plan. I am glad that at least some people were able to contribute to the quiz, since some questions are easy and others a bit trickier. Thank you all for sticking around to the end of my little game.

But I'm sure you'd like to know the final tally, wouldn't you? Very well, here it is:

Spoiler

Acuity: +29 (up 17 points from last week)
Valor: +36 (up 10 points from last week)
Verity: +23 (up 13 points from last week)
L: -1 (up 1 point from last week)

Nice try @karatekid770 but you can't even get the lowest score here either.

Very very close game at the end! There aren't large point gaps between the team placings at the end, and I'm very glad of that since it generally means the game did well.
Valor manages to nab the 1st prize, while Acuity finished close behind them at 2nd and Verity brought up the rear with 3rd.

You've been a wonderful audience. Thank you.

​