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RQFTCIWSSSG12 Game 10, Rounds 2-3: banks and ancient histories

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Mark Brader

unread,
Aug 14, 2022, 11:01:48 PM8/14/22
to
These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2012-07-16,
and should be interpreted accordingly. All questions were written
by members of What She Said and/or of Smith & Guessin', but have
been reformatted and may have been retyped and/or edited by me.
I will reveal the correct answers in about 3 days.

For further information, including an explanation of the """
notation that may appear in these rounds, see my 2021-07-20
companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the Canadian
Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".


* Game 10, Round 1 - Current Events (excerpt)

Answer these 2012 questions if you like for fun, but for no points.

1. What specific event at the Calgary Stampede resulted in the
death of three horses last week, raising the ire of animal-rights
activists?

2. Over 400,000 Yahoo passwords were revealed when a server
was hacked last week. What did analysis reveal to be the most
frequently used password?


* Game 10, Round 2 - Canadiana History - Banking

This is the first of *four* Canadiana rounds in this game.
Have fun, eh? (Don't worry, you should be able to get some
answers in at least some of them.)

Canada's banking system has been widely considered the most
efficient and safest in the world for the past 3 years, according
to reports by the World Economic Forum.

1. The Bank Act was originally passed in 1871. The current version
defines three classes of banks in Canada: Schedules 1, 2, and 3.
What do Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 banks have in common?

2. In 1998 Finance Minister Paul Martin blocked two proposed mergers
of Schedule 1 banks. Name *both* banks involved in *either*
plan.

Please answer questions #1-2 before decoding the rot13 for #3-10.

3. Va jung lrne qvq gur Qbzvavba Onax naq gur Onax bs Gbebagb
nznytnzngr gb sbez gur Gbebagb-Qbzvavba Onax, jvguva 2 lrnef?

4. Gur Onax bs Zbagerny jnf gur svefg betnavmngvba va Pnanqn gb
nccyl sbe n onax punegre va 1818, ohg vg jnf abg tenagrq
hagvy 1822. Jung Hccre Pnanqn onax orng vg bhg ol trggvat vgf
punegre va gur zrnagvzr?

5. Jung unccraf vs gur Onax Npg vf abg erivrjrq rirel 5 lrnef?

6. Va Wnahnel bs 1962 gur Onax bs Abin Fpbgvn orpnzr gur svefg va
Pnanqn gb qb jung?

7. Va 2003, gur HF Frphevgvrf naq Rkpunatr Pbzzvffvba svarq gur PVOP
$80,000,000 HF sbe vgf cneg va gur znavchyngvba bs gur svanapvny
fgngrzragf bs jung HF pbzcnal?

8. Gur Eblny Onax bs Pnanqn """unf""" gur uvturfg pncvgnyvmngvba
bs gur znwbe onaxf ng $82,000,000,000. Jvguva 100,000,000, ubj
znal pbzzba funerf bs gur onax ner bhgfgnaqvat nf bs 2012-11-23?
*Abgr*: Lbh znl vafgrnq nafjre nf bs gur 2021 naahny ercbeg,
v.r. nf bs 2021-10-31. Lbh arrq abg fnl juvpu qngr lbh ner
nafjrevat sbe.

9. Va 2011, Oybbzoret Znexrgf enaxrq guvf Dhrorp-onfrq onax gur
fgebatrfg va Abegu Nzrevpn naq gur guveq-fgebatrfg va gur jbeyq.
Anzr vg.

10. Cerfvqrag'f Pubvpr Svanapvny vf n Fpurqhyr 1 onax bcrengrq ol
gur tebprel ergnvyre Yboynjf. Jung bgure Pnanqvna ergnvyre
nyfb bcrengrf n Fpurqhyr 1 onax?


* Game 10, Round 3 - History Literature - Ancient Writings about History

This round straddles literature and history. It is about Greek and
Roman historians whose works have achieved classic literary status
(as you can see from the fact that all of their Penguin editions
"""have""" black spines rather than the blue used for history
books), and have influenced the treatment of ancient culture in
literature and film.

1. Suetonius's work "The Twelve Caesars" consists of biographies
of Julius Caesar and his first 11 successors. It is thanks to
his gossipy approach that we know that Julius Caesar combed over
his bald spot and Caligula wanted to make his horse a senator.
What 20th-century author translated "The Twelve Caesars" for
Penguin Books and drew on it for his own novels "I, Claudius"
and "Claudius the God"?

2. Which ancient Greek historian is the main source for the
story of the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, subject
of a graphic novel by Frank Miller and movies in 1962 and 2007?
Born on the Aegean coast of Turkey, this historian has been
called the "Father of History" -- and sometimes also the
"Father of Lies".

3. Though writing hundreds of years after the events they describe,
historians Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus are the main
surviving sources for the life of which military leader of the
ancient world?

4. This author's work "Ab Urbe Condita Libri" ("Books from the
Foundation of the City") comprised 142 books, of which only
#1-10 and #21-45 survive. Shakespeare drew on this author to
depict Coriolanus and the rape of Lucretia. Name this historian.

5. The earliest Roman historian whose works survive was a supporter
of Julius Caesar, who sponsored him politically and rescued him
when he was charged with corruption as governor of Africa Nova.
His surviving works include "The Cataline Conspiracy" and
"The Jugurthine War". Who was he?

6. Soldier, philosopher, and friend of Socrates, this historian is
remembered today as the author of the "Anabasis", the story of
how he and 10,000 Greek mercenaries in Persia made their way
through hostile territory to the Black Sea. His story inspired
the 1979 cult movie "The Warriors" by director Walter Hill.
What was the name of this historian?

7. Thucydides was the author of 8 books of an incomplete work
known as "History of the War". Which war? Either give its
name or identify both sides.

8. When the Romans conquered Britain, it was with such devastation
that they made a desert and called it peace, according to a
speech in a work called "Agricola". Other works by the author of
"Agricola" include "Germania", "The Histories", and "The Annals".
What was the name of this Roman historian?

9. The last major historian of the ancient world is generally held
to be Procopius, whose works include "The Wars of Justinian" and
"The Buildings of Justinian". However, he is most famous for a
later history: one in which he exposes his disillusionment with
the Emperor Justinian, the Empress Theodora, their scandalous
sex lives, and their complete vulgarity. What, in English,
is the title of this titillating expose?

10. What ancient historian wrote a work known as "Parallel Lives",
a series of paired biographies of noteworthy Greeks and Romans
in which Alexander the Great is followed by Julius Caesar?
Shakespeare drew on this author quite extensively in "Anthony
and Cleopatra".

--
Mark Brader | "/dev/null institutionalizes a regrettable loss of bits
Toronto | that could have been transmitted to mailing lists and
m...@vex.net | netnews. Our grandchildren will miss them." --Ritchie

My text in this article is in the public domain.

Joshua Kreitzer

unread,
Aug 16, 2022, 12:56:11 AM8/16/22
to
On Sunday, August 14, 2022 at 10:01:48 PM UTC-5, Mark Brader wrote:

> * Game 10, Round 2 - Canadiana History - Banking
>
> 6. Va Wnahnel bs 1962 gur Onax bs Abin Fpbgvn orpnzr gur svefg va
> Pnanqn gb qb jung?

open a branch outside its home province

> 7. Va 2003, gur HF Frphevgvrf naq Rkpunatr Pbzzvffvba svarq gur PVOP
> $80,000,000 HF sbe vgf cneg va gur znavchyngvba bs gur svanapvny
> fgngrzragf bs jung HF pbzcnal?

Enron

> 8. Gur Eblny Onax bs Pnanqn """unf""" gur uvturfg pncvgnyvmngvba
> bs gur znwbe onaxf ng $82,000,000,000. Jvguva 100,000,000, ubj
> znal pbzzba funerf bs gur onax ner bhgfgnaqvat nf bs 2012-11-23?
> *Abgr*: Lbh znl vafgrnq nafjre nf bs gur 2021 naahny ercbeg,
> v.r. nf bs 2021-10-31. Lbh arrq abg fnl juvpu qngr lbh ner
> nafjrevat sbe.

1,500,000,000

> * Game 10, Round 3 - History Literature - Ancient Writings about History
>
> 1. Suetonius's work "The Twelve Caesars" consists of biographies
> of Julius Caesar and his first 11 successors. It is thanks to
> his gossipy approach that we know that Julius Caesar combed over
> his bald spot and Caligula wanted to make his horse a senator.
> What 20th-century author translated "The Twelve Caesars" for
> Penguin Books and drew on it for his own novels "I, Claudius"
> and "Claudius the God"?

Graves

> 2. Which ancient Greek historian is the main source for the
> story of the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, subject
> of a graphic novel by Frank Miller and movies in 1962 and 2007?
> Born on the Aegean coast of Turkey, this historian has been
> called the "Father of History" -- and sometimes also the
> "Father of Lies".

Herodotus

> 3. Though writing hundreds of years after the events they describe,
> historians Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus are the main
> surviving sources for the life of which military leader of the
> ancient world?

Alexander the Great

> 4. This author's work "Ab Urbe Condita Libri" ("Books from the
> Foundation of the City") comprised 142 books, of which only
> #1-10 and #21-45 survive. Shakespeare drew on this author to
> depict Coriolanus and the rape of Lucretia. Name this historian.

Livy

> 6. Soldier, philosopher, and friend of Socrates, this historian is
> remembered today as the author of the "Anabasis", the story of
> how he and 10,000 Greek mercenaries in Persia made their way
> through hostile territory to the Black Sea. His story inspired
> the 1979 cult movie "The Warriors" by director Walter Hill.
> What was the name of this historian?

Xenophon

> 7. Thucydides was the author of 8 books of an incomplete work
> known as "History of the War". Which war? Either give its
> name or identify both sides.

Athens and Sparta

> 9. The last major historian of the ancient world is generally held
> to be Procopius, whose works include "The Wars of Justinian" and
> "The Buildings of Justinian". However, he is most famous for a
> later history: one in which he exposes his disillusionment with
> the Emperor Justinian, the Empress Theodora, their scandalous
> sex lives, and their complete vulgarity. What, in English,
> is the title of this titillating expose?

"Secret History"

--
Joshua Kreitzer
grom...@hotmail.com

Dan Tilque

unread,
Aug 16, 2022, 2:43:09 AM8/16/22
to
Expand to the US

>
> 7. Va 2003, gur HF Frphevgvrf naq Rkpunatr Pbzzvffvba svarq gur PVOP
> $80,000,000 HF sbe vgf cneg va gur znavchyngvba bs gur svanapvny
> fgngrzragf bs jung HF pbzcnal?
>
> 8. Gur Eblny Onax bs Pnanqn """unf""" gur uvturfg pncvgnyvmngvba
> bs gur znwbe onaxf ng $82,000,000,000. Jvguva 100,000,000, ubj
> znal pbzzba funerf bs gur onax ner bhgfgnaqvat nf bs 2012-11-23?
> *Abgr*: Lbh znl vafgrnq nafjre nf bs gur 2021 naahny ercbeg,
> v.r. nf bs 2021-10-31. Lbh arrq abg fnl juvpu qngr lbh ner
> nafjrevat sbe.
>
> 9. Va 2011, Oybbzoret Znexrgf enaxrq guvf Dhrorp-onfrq onax gur
> fgebatrfg va Abegu Nzrevpn naq gur guveq-fgebatrfg va gur jbeyq.
> Anzr vg.
>
> 10. Cerfvqrag'f Pubvpr Svanapvny vf n Fpurqhyr 1 onax bcrengrq ol
> gur tebprel ergnvyre Yboynjf. Jung bgure Pnanqvna ergnvyre
> nyfb bcrengrf n Fpurqhyr 1 onax?

Canadian Tire; Tim Horton's

>
>
> * Game 10, Round 3 - History Literature - Ancient Writings about History
>
> This round straddles literature and history. It is about Greek and
> Roman historians whose works have achieved classic literary status
> (as you can see from the fact that all of their Penguin editions
> """have""" black spines rather than the blue used for history
> books), and have influenced the treatment of ancient culture in
> literature and film.
>
> 1. Suetonius's work "The Twelve Caesars" consists of biographies
> of Julius Caesar and his first 11 successors. It is thanks to
> his gossipy approach that we know that Julius Caesar combed over
> his bald spot and Caligula wanted to make his horse a senator.
> What 20th-century author translated "The Twelve Caesars" for
> Penguin Books and drew on it for his own novels "I, Claudius"
> and "Claudius the God"?
>
> 2. Which ancient Greek historian is the main source for the
> story of the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, subject
> of a graphic novel by Frank Miller and movies in 1962 and 2007?
> Born on the Aegean coast of Turkey, this historian has been
> called the "Father of History" -- and sometimes also the
> "Father of Lies".

Herodotus

>
> 3. Though writing hundreds of years after the events they describe,
> historians Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus are the main
> surviving sources for the life of which military leader of the
> ancient world?
>
> 4. This author's work "Ab Urbe Condita Libri" ("Books from the
> Foundation of the City") comprised 142 books, of which only
> #1-10 and #21-45 survive. Shakespeare drew on this author to
> depict Coriolanus and the rape of Lucretia. Name this historian.

Livy

>
> 5. The earliest Roman historian whose works survive was a supporter
> of Julius Caesar, who sponsored him politically and rescued him
> when he was charged with corruption as governor of Africa Nova.
> His surviving works include "The Cataline Conspiracy" and
> "The Jugurthine War". Who was he?
>
> 6. Soldier, philosopher, and friend of Socrates, this historian is
> remembered today as the author of the "Anabasis", the story of
> how he and 10,000 Greek mercenaries in Persia made their way
> through hostile territory to the Black Sea. His story inspired
> the 1979 cult movie "The Warriors" by director Walter Hill.
> What was the name of this historian?
>
> 7. Thucydides was the author of 8 books of an incomplete work
> known as "History of the War". Which war? Either give its
> name or identify both sides.

Persian Empire vs Greek city-states

>
> 8. When the Romans conquered Britain, it was with such devastation
> that they made a desert and called it peace, according to a
> speech in a work called "Agricola". Other works by the author of
> "Agricola" include "Germania", "The Histories", and "The Annals".
> What was the name of this Roman historian?
>
> 9. The last major historian of the ancient world is generally held
> to be Procopius, whose works include "The Wars of Justinian" and
> "The Buildings of Justinian". However, he is most famous for a
> later history: one in which he exposes his disillusionment with
> the Emperor Justinian, the Empress Theodora, their scandalous
> sex lives, and their complete vulgarity. What, in English,
> is the title of this titillating expose?
>
> 10. What ancient historian wrote a work known as "Parallel Lives",
> a series of paired biographies of noteworthy Greeks and Romans
> in which Alexander the Great is followed by Julius Caesar?
> Shakespeare drew on this author quite extensively in "Anthony
> and Cleopatra".
>

--
Dan Tilque

Mark Brader

unread,
Aug 18, 2022, 12:25:00 AM8/18/22
to
Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2012-07-16,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information...
> see my 2021-07-20 companion posting on "Reposted Questions from
> the Canadian Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".


> * Game 10, Round 1 - Current Events (excerpt)

> Answer these 2012 questions if you like for fun, but for no points.

> 1. What specific event at the Calgary Stampede resulted in the
> death of three horses last week, raising the ire of animal-rights
> activists?

Chuckwagon race. Not accepting "chariot race"!

> 2. Over 400,000 Yahoo passwords were revealed when a server
> was hacked last week. What did analysis reveal to be the most
> frequently used password?

123456. I scored "1234" as almost correct.

http://web.archive.org/web/20120724195857/http://blog.eset.se/statistics-about-yahoo-leak-of-450-000-plain-text-accounts/
says the top 10 were:

123456 1,666 (0.38%)
password 780 (0.18%)
welcome 436 (0.10%)
ninja 333 (0.08%)
abc123 250 (0.06%)
123456789 222 (0.05%)
12345678 208 (0.05%)
sunshine 205 (0.05%)
princess 202 (0.05%)
qwerty 172 (0.04%)


> * Game 10, Round 2 - Canadiana History - Banking

> This is the first of *four* Canadiana rounds in this game.
> Have fun, eh? (Don't worry, you should be able to get some
> answers in at least some of them.)

> Canada's banking system has been widely considered the most
> efficient and safest in the world for the past 3 years, according
> to reports by the World Economic Forum.

> 1. The Bank Act was originally passed in 1871. The current version
> defines three classes of banks in Canada: Schedules 1, 2, and 3.
> What do Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 banks have in common?

They are foreign-owned.

In 2013 Bruce Bowler tried answering that they aren't Schedule 1
banks -- "at least I hope not :-)".

> 2. In 1998 Finance Minister Paul Martin blocked two proposed mergers
> of Schedule 1 banks. Name *both* banks involved in *either*
> plan.

The Royal Bank and the Bank of Montreal; the Canadian Imperial Bank
of Commerce and the Toronto-Dominion Bank.

That's the same Paul Martin who was later Prime Minister, 2003-06.

For some reason the original author of this question wanted only
the proposed CIBC-TD merger. When this came up during the original
game, I just assumed that the year 1998 was wrong for the proposed
Royal-Montreal merger -- until I checked it out later. In fact Martin
announced the decisions rejecting both mergers *simultaneously* in
1998, so obviously either pair of banks should be a correct answer,
and I've edited the question accordingly.

> Please answer questions #1-2 before decoding the rot13 for #3-10.

> 3. In what year did the Dominion Bank and the Bank of Toronto
> amalgamate to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, within 2 years?

1955 (accepting 1953-57).

> 4. The Bank of Montreal was the first organization in Canada to
> apply for a bank charter in 1818, but it was not granted
> until 1822. What Upper Canada bank beat it out by getting its
> charter in the meantime?

Bank of Kingston (1819 name) or -- yes! -- Bank of Upper Canada
(1821 name).

> 5. What happens if the Bank Act is not reviewed every 5 years?

Every bank charter expires along with the Act.

> 6. In January of 1962 the Bank of Nova Scotia became the first in
> Canada to do what?

Appoint a female branch manager.

> 7. In 2003, the US Securities and Exchange Commission fined the CIBC
> $80,000,000 US for its part in the manipulation of the financial
> statements of what US company?

Enron. 4 for Joshua.

> 8. The Royal Bank of Canada """has""" the highest capitalization
> of the major banks at $82,000,000,000. Within 100,000,000, how
> many common shares of the bank are outstanding as of 2012-11-23?
> *Note*: You may instead answer as of the 2021 annual report,
> i.e. as of 2021-10-31. You need not say which date you are
> answering for.

2012 answer: 1,445,335,492. 2021 answer: 1,424,525,000. (Accepting
1,324,525,000-1,545,335,492.) 4 for Joshua.

As of the 2021 annual report, their capitalization is now
$183,507,000,000.

> 9. In 2011, Bloomberg Markets ranked this Quebec-based bank the
> strongest in North America and the third-strongest in the world.
> Name it.

National Bank of Canada.

For those who may be confused: both the National Bank of Canada and
the Royal Bank of Canada, despite their names that might suggest
special status, are just ordinary banks. Canada's central bank,
as you can see from any Canadian paper (or now plastic) money,
is the Bank of Canada without an adjective.

> 10. President's Choice Financial is a Schedule 1 bank operated by
> the grocery retailer Loblaws. What other Canadian retailer
> also operates a Schedule 1 bank?

Canadian Tire. 3 for Dan.

Walmart has also operated a bank in Canada, but Walmart is not
Canadian and so the bank was not Schedule 1.


> * Game 10, Round 3 - History Literature - Ancient Writings about History

> This round straddles literature and history. It is about Greek and
> Roman historians whose works have achieved classic literary status
> (as you can see from the fact that all of their Penguin editions
> """have""" black spines rather than the blue used for history
> books), and have influenced the treatment of ancient culture in
> literature and film.

> 1. Suetonius's work "The Twelve Caesars" consists of biographies
> of Julius Caesar and his first 11 successors. It is thanks to
> his gossipy approach that we know that Julius Caesar combed over
> his bald spot and Caligula wanted to make his horse a senator.
> What 20th-century author translated "The Twelve Caesars" for
> Penguin Books and drew on it for his own novels "I, Claudius"
> and "Claudius the God"?

Robert Graves. 4 for Joshua.

> 2. Which ancient Greek historian is the main source for the
> story of the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, subject
> of a graphic novel by Frank Miller and movies in 1962 and 2007?
> Born on the Aegean coast of Turkey, this historian has been
> called the "Father of History" -- and sometimes also the
> "Father of Lies".

Herodotus. 4 for Joshua and Dan.

> 3. Though writing hundreds of years after the events they describe,
> historians Arrian and Quintus Curtius Rufus are the main
> surviving sources for the life of which military leader of the
> ancient world?

Alexander the Great. 4 for Joshua.

> 4. This author's work "Ab Urbe Condita Libri" ("Books from the
> Foundation of the City") comprised 142 books, of which only
> #1-10 and #21-45 survive. Shakespeare drew on this author to
> depict Coriolanus and the rape of Lucretia. Name this historian.

Livy. 4 for Joshua and Dan.

> 5. The earliest Roman historian whose works survive was a supporter
> of Julius Caesar, who sponsored him politically and rescued him
> when he was charged with corruption as governor of Africa Nova.
> His surviving works include "The Cataline Conspiracy" and
> "The Jugurthine War". Who was he?

Sallust.

> 6. Soldier, philosopher, and friend of Socrates, this historian is
> remembered today as the author of the "Anabasis", the story of
> how he and 10,000 Greek mercenaries in Persia made their way
> through hostile territory to the Black Sea. His story inspired
> the 1979 cult movie "The Warriors" by director Walter Hill.
> What was the name of this historian?

Xenophon. 4 for Joshua.

> 7. Thucydides was the author of 8 books of an incomplete work
> known as "History of the War". Which war? Either give its
> name or identify both sides.

(Second) Peloponnesian War, Athens vs. Sparta. 4 for Joshua.

> 8. When the Romans conquered Britain, it was with such devastation
> that they made a desert and called it peace, according to a
> speech in a work called "Agricola". Other works by the author of
> "Agricola" include "Germania", "The Histories", and "The Annals".
> What was the name of this Roman historian?

Tacitus.

> 9. The last major historian of the ancient world is generally held
> to be Procopius, whose works include "The Wars of Justinian" and
> "The Buildings of Justinian". However, he is most famous for a
> later history: one in which he exposes his disillusionment with
> the Emperor Justinian, the Empress Theodora, their scandalous
> sex lives, and their complete vulgarity. What, in English,
> is the title of this titillating expose?

"The Secret History". 4 for Joshua.

> 10. What ancient historian wrote a work known as "Parallel Lives",
> a series of paired biographies of noteworthy Greeks and Romans
> in which Alexander the Great is followed by Julius Caesar?
> Shakespeare drew on this author quite extensively in "Anthony
> and Cleopatra".

Plutarch.


Scores, if there are no errors:

GAME 10 ROUNDS-> 2 3 TOTALS
TOPICS-> Can Lit
Joshua Kreitzer 8 28 36
Dan Tilque 3 8 11

--
Mark Brader | "What ever happened to the concept of 'less is more'?"
Toronto | "Ah, but if less is more, then just think how much
m...@vex.net | more more would be." -- Frasier (David Lloyd)
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