1 VISUAL: From 1849 to 1851, during the time of the gold rush, Sacramento was not the capital of California. Which city was at that time, and in fact became the state’s first capital, when California became a state in 1850?
2 This sea animal usually has five arms (it can have up to 40 arms), with eyes at the end of each arm. What is it?
3 What television award show that celebrates television first aired in 1949?
4 VISUAL: Which island nation in the Caribbean Sea lies closest to the South American mainland, only about seven miles from what South American country?
5 The Academy-Award-winning Best Pictures in 2022, 2021 and 2020 all had one-word titles. What movies were they?
6 English grammar: A verb which ends in -ing and operates as a noun (such as… “running with the bulls”) is called a … what?
7 Can you name four sports whose names begin with the letter B, but don’t involve a ball?
8 VISUAL: Founded around 250 B.C., this city of Asia Minor was originally named Philadelphia. Today, it’s a capital city with a five-letter name, in a Middle East country with a six-letter name. What is it?
9 The years 1665 and 1666 were not good years for the inhabitants of London. What two different unfortunate events took place in those consecutive years?
10 What numerical quantity is a measure of the effects of the Earth’s gravity on each person?
ANSWERS:
1 San Jose
2 Starfish
3 Emmy Awards
4 Trinidad lies about seven miles off the coast of Venezuela.
5 2022: CODA, 2021: Nomadland, 2020: Parasite
6 Gerund
7 Boxing, badminton, bobsled, bicycle racing, bullfighting … more?
8 Amman, Jordan
9 1665: Great Plague, which killed almost 70,000 people; 1666: Great Fire, which burned for four days and four nights
10 Your weight. Thanks for the question to Rishi Schweig from West Marin.
