AS I SEE IT
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
It’s been another one of those weeks when the days have gone by a whole lot faster than I dreamed possible. As if things haven’t been busy enough, when you throw in my spending three days at the State Class B Girls Basketball Tournament, I’ve gotten so far behind at work that writing another weekly column seemed more than I could possibly undertake.
So this week, I’m dipping back into my files and coming up with another trivia column. As most of you know, I love trivia, so hopefully you will enjoy trying to come up with the right answer.
1. There’s one “sport” in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it?
Answer: Boxing.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
Answer: Niagra Falls, since it is worn down by nearly 2.5 feet per year by the rushing water.
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the two perennial vegetables?
Answer: Asparagus and rhubarb.
4. Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball.
Answer: Baseball and softball.
5. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
Answer: Strawberries.
6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn’t been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
Answer: A bottle is placed over a pear bud on a tree. The bottle and bud are secured with a wire to hold them in place for the entire growing season. When the pear is ripe it is cut at the stem.
7. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters “dw.” They are all common. Name two of them.
Answer: Dwarf, dwell, dwindle.
8. There are at least 18 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them?
Answer: Comma, period, semi-colon, colon, question mark, exclamation point, hyphen, apostrophe, single quote, double quote, one-en dash, one-em dash, open and closed parentheses, open and closed brackets, and open and closed braces.
9. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the “Los Angeles Lakers?”
Answer: The team was originally named after the glacial lakes of Minnesota when it was the Minneapolis Lakers. (Minnesota’s slogan is “The land of 10,000 lakes.”) When the team moved to LA it kept the name.
10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls - a walk - is one way. Name the other six.
Answer: Hit by a pitch, error, catcher interferes with the base runner, catcher drops the third strike, fielder’s choice, and being a designated runner.
11. It’s the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it?
Answer: Lettuce.
12. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter “S.”
Answer: Sandals, snow shoes, shoes, slippers, sneakers, skis, stockings, sabots.