Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2023-11-06,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information
> please see my 2023-05-24 companion posting on "Questions from the
> Canadian Inquisition (QFTCI*)".
Game 7 is over and STEPHEN PERRY has won handily. Hearty
congratulations, sir!
> I wrote most of one of these rounds.
Challenge round pairs A through E.
> ** Game 7, Round 9 - Science - Meteorology
> This round is based on the "Weather and Meteorology Glossary"
> on the Government of Canada web site.
> 1. What is the 0-to-12-point scale used to estimate the force of
> marine wind?
Beaufort scale. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen,
and Joshua.
> 2. What is a wind with a speed of 34 to 47 knots inclusive, or
> <answer 1> force 8 or 9, named?
Gale force. 4 for Stephen and Joshua.
> 3. What is a tornado that occurs over water called?
Waterspout. 4 for Pete, Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, Stephen, and Joshua.
> 4. If the forces of the atmosphere, such as air pressure or wind,
> cause the observed sea level to be different from the predicted
> tide, what is this difference called? It may be positive or
> negative. This phenomenon is often associated with hurricanes.
Storm surge. 4 for Dan Tilque and Stephen.
> 5. What term describes a relatively flat piece of sea ice that is
> anywhere from 20 meters across up to 10 km or more?
Floe. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, and Stephen.
> 6. What does the 5-point Saffir-Simpson scale measure?
Strength of a hurricane. 4 for Erland and Stephen.
> 7. What is the internationally recognized unit used by Environment
> and Climate Change Canada's Meteorological Service for measuring
> atmospheric pressure?
Kilopascal. 4 for Dan Tilque.
> 8. What term refers to the breaking away of a mass of ice from an
> ice wall, ice front, or iceberg?
Calving. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, and Erland.
> 9. When mountain ranges are exposed to strong prevailing crosswinds,
> this may cause clouds and precipitation on the windward side.
> Conversely, warm and dry winds may result on the leeward or
> sheltered side of the mountains -- what is the term used in
> Canada for those winds?
Chinook. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, and Stephen.
> 10. What term refers to an elongated atmospheric area of relatively
> high pressure, extending from the center of a high-pressure
> region? It is the opposite of a trough.
Ridge. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, and Stephen.
> ** Game 7, Round 10 - Challenge Round
> * A. Science: The Cat
> A1. How many claws does a typical house cat have?
18. 4 for Dan Tilque and Stephen.
5 on each front foot, 4 on each hind foot. The extra front claw
is in a thumblike, though non-opposable, structure and is called
the dewclaw.
> A2. Calico cats are the ones with three colors of fur in patches:
> white, black, and orange. Almost all calico cats have what
> other characteristic in common?
They are female. 4 for Dan Tilque, Dan Blum, Stephen, and Joshua.
A single gene on the X chromosome selects black or orange fur.
For both colors to be expressed on one cat, either it has some
sort of chromosomal abnormality or else it has two X chromosomes,
i.e. it's female. A separate gene on another chromosome produces
the white patches.
> * B. Sports: The Big Train
> B1. This Canadian hockey, football, and lacrosse player -- and
> politician -- lived 1900-54, and was nicknamed "the Big
> Train". Name him.
Lionel Conacher. 4 for Pete and Stephen.
Played for the Leafs and the Argos; Liberal MPP for Bracondale
and MP for Trinity, both ridings in Toronto.
> B2. This American baseball player and manager -- and politician
> -- lived 1887-1946, and was nicknamed "the Big Train".
> Name him.
Walter Johnson. 4 for Pete, Dan Blum, Stephen, and Joshua.
Played for the Washington Senators; Republican county commissioner
and candidate for Congress, both in Maryland.
> * C. Geography: The Big Island
> "Biggest island" means largest in area.
> C1. What is the biggest island in Canada?
Baffin I., Nunavut. 4 for everyone -- Pete, Dan Tilque, Dan Blum,
Erland, Stephen, and Joshua.
The next three are Victoria I., NWT; Ellesmere I., Nunavut; and
Newfoundland.
> C2. What is the biggest island in the 50 states of the US?
Hawaii I., Hawaii -- also called, yes, the Big Island. 4 for
Dan Tilque and Stephen. 3 for Dan Blum. 2 for Joshua.
I didn't require the word "Island" or "I.", so if after reading
the rot13 you left the answer "Hawaii" unchanged, that was correct.
"Big Island" was also acceptable.
Long I., NY, ranks 10th. The rest of the top 10 are all in Alaska,
headed by Kodiak I., Prince of Wales, and Chichagof I.
> * D. Canadiana History: 1837
> D1. Who was the leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837?
William Lyon Mackenzie. 4 for Stephen.
> D2. Who was the leader of the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837?
Louis-Joseph Papineau.
> * E. Miscellaneous: Acronymic Businesses
> E1. The brand name TASER for an electroshock weapon originated
> as an acronym inspired by the title of a science-fiction
> novel from 1911. Either give the title of the novel or
> else the expansion of TASER.
"Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle", Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle.
(Anything with the four key words was accceptable.) 4 for Dan Tilque
and Stephen.
> E2. The brand name FIAT for cars is an acronym in Italian.
> Tell what it stands for either in Italian, or in English,
> where the letters would come out in the order TIAF or IAFT.
Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, Turin Italian Automobile
Factory (anything with the four words was accceptable). 4 for
Dan Blum and Erland.
> * F. History: The Lifetime of the Bad Guy
> At least, these two are often thought of as bad guys. Not everyone
> agrees.
> F1. Name any year when Ivan the Terrible was alive.
1530-84. 4 for Erland and Stephen.
> F2. Name any year when the emperor Nero was alive.
37-68. 4 for Dan Blum, Erland, Stephen, and Joshua.
Scores, if there are no errors:
GAME 7 ROUNDS-> 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 BEST
TOPICS-> Spo Can Ent Lit Geo His Sci Cha SIX
Stephen Perry 32 36 36 32 40 0 32 40 216
Joshua Kreitzer 0 28 28 23 40 40 12 18 177
Dan Blum 9 15 18 23 36 36 24 23 160
Dan Tilque 0 8 8 4 40 28 32 20 136
Pete Gayde 14 8 -- -- 40 36 4 12 114
Erland Sommarskog 4 23 -- -- 40 8 12 16 103
--
Mark Brader And as in nerdish thought he stood,
Toronto the Jargontalk, with awk and grep,
m...@vex.net Came geeking through the Cobol wood,
and edlin as it schlepped.
--Larry Colen (after Lewis Carroll)