These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2023-05-08,
and should be interpreted accordingly.
On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give
both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.
Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,
based only on your own knowledge. (In your answer posting, quote
the questions and place your answer below each one.) I will reveal
the correct answers in about 3 days.
All questions were written by members of Bloor St. Irregulars and
are used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have
been retyped and/or edited by me. For further information please
see my recent companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian
Inquisition (QFTCI*)".
* Game 1, Round 7 - Science - Amino Acids
Amino acids are the molecules that serve as building blocks for
proteins. This set of questions will focus on the 20 standard
amino acids that make up the proteins of the human body. Where
we ask for the name of an amino acid, we need the full name and
not an abbreviation.
1. Amino acids consist of a central carbon atom bonded to four
chemical species, two of which give them their name. An amino
group is a functional group consisting of hydrogen and which
other element?
2. All amino acids belong to which class of acids, due to the
presence of a namesake COOH group? This class of acids also
includes acetic acid, the constituent acid of vinegar.
3. The other two species in an amino acid are a hydrogen atom and
a side chain that defines which acid it is. Name the simplest
amino acid, symbolized G, whose side chain is also just a
hydrogen atom.
4. 19 of the 20 amino acids can exist as "left-" and "right-handed"
isomers that are mirror images of each other. The exception is
glycine, because of its two identical hydrogen groups. What is
the chemical term for handedness in a molecular structure?
5. This amino acid, symbolized W, is a precursor to compounds like
serotonin and melatonin. But it is probably *not* the main
reason why turkey makes you sleepy. Name it.
6. Which amino acid, symbolized E, is a precursor to GABA and
names a class of biochemical receptors for compounds like NMDA?
You probably know it better for its sodium salt, a popular
flavor enhancer.
7. Tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine are aromatic amino
acids: they contain a functional group, which is what the
"phenyl" in phenylalanine refers to, that's related to a
ring-shaped molecule with formula C6H6. Name that molecule.
8. The Delta F508 mutation, a phenylalanine deletion, is the most
common cause for what genetic disorder? This disorder is
diagnosed by measuring chloride levels in a patient's sweat.
9. Phenylalanine and tryptophan are two of the nine amino acids
described by what adjective? These amino acids are not
sufficiently synthesized by the body, meaning that you must
ingest them from food.
10. Another <answer 9> amino acid is this one symbolized H. It is
a precursor to a hormone whose receptors are blocked by drugs
like Allegra or Reactine. Name *either* the amino acid or the
hormone.
* Game 1, Round 8 - Canadiana - Entertainment - Canadian Directors
Name them.
1. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he directed more than 311
movies over the course of his career, including multiple shorts
featuring the Keystone Kops or his namesake "Bathing Beauties".
2. Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, in 1954, this director is
responsible for three of the four highest-grossing movies of
all time -- as well as "Piranha II: The Spawning".
3. Born in Toronto in 1926, this director founded the Canadian Film
Centre and was nominated for the Best Director Oscar in 1967 for
"In the Heat of the Night", in 1971 for "Fiddler on the Roof",
and again in 1987 for "Moonstruck".
4. Born in Toronto in 1979, this recent Oscar winner's feature-film
directorial debut "Away from Her" was released in 2006.
The director was 27 at the time, and had already spent over
20 years in show business.
5. Another recent Oscar winner, this Toronto-raised director
immigrated from China in 1991, when she was 2 years old.
She was the first woman to solo-direct a Pixar feature film,
which was released in 2022. Name her *or* that 2022 Pixar movie,
which was set in Toronto in 2002.
6. Born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1959, this director made his
name with an unofficial trilogy of rock-and-roll road movies --
"Roadkill" (1989), "Highway 61" (1991), and "Hard Core Logo"
(1996).
7. Born in 1932, this member of the Abenaki Nation began her career
as a singer before becoming a documentary filmmaker focused on
the lives of First-Nation Canadians. Her best-known work is the
1993 documentary "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance", about
the 1990 Oka crisis. It's not *ironic* at all that she shares
her first name with another Canadian singer from the 1990s.
8. Born in India in 1950 and emigrating to Canada in 1973, this
director is best known for her Elements trilogy: "Fire" (1996),
"Earth" (1998), and "Water" (2005).
9. Born in Toronto in 1980, this director has taken his place
in the family business and achieved critical acclaim for the
science-fiction horror movies "Antiviral (2012)", "Possessor"
(2020), and "Infinity Pool" (2023).
10. Born in Montreal in 1963, this director had a successful
start in Quebec with "Black List" (1995) and "C.R.A.Z.Y."
(2005). This allowed him to move over to Hollywood, where he
directed Matthew MacConaughey and Jared Leto to acting Oscars in
"Dallas Buyers Club" (2013). He also directed the HBO miniseries
"Big Little Lies" (2017), for which he won an Emmy.
--
Mark Brader | We don't have "m"s in Florida. If it can't be measured
Toronto | in inches and feet, we don't measure it.
m...@vex.net | --Tony Cooper
My text in this article is in the public domain.