TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

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opusthepenguin
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TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

THINK DIFFERENT 145
Presidential Groundhog Day


Have you ever looked over a new Think Different quiz and decided not to play? Sometimes there are just too many questions where you can't even think of a single plausible answer. I mentioned this problem to my wife the other day. And she said, "Hey, Merv, why don't you do a quiz where you tell them the answers?"

I said, "First of all, did you just call me 'Merv'? And second, that's brilliant! I wonder why no one's ever thought of it before."

I really think there's money in this concept. I should look into it. Just remember, I was first. In the meantime, here's a Think Different where I'm giving you the answers.

The answers are as follows: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, George Washington. (If you're not sure what the common bond is, you might want to sit this one out.)

Each of those answers will work for each of the 13 categories. Here's SAMPLE CATEGORY 0 to show you how:

0. PRESIDENTIAL NAMES
  1. This president's first name was John
  2. This president's first name was James
  3. This president's last name was Adams
  4. This president's first name was George
  5. This president's first name was William
  6. This president's first name was Thomas
  7. This president's first name was Martin
  8. This president's last name started with "J"
Note that all of the provided answers can be used at least once. And some letters have more than one correct answer. A correct answer to category 0 would include a letter and a name from the list, e.g. "A. John Quincy Adams". For scoring against other contestants, that answer is distinct from the following equally correct answers: "A. John Adams" and "C. John Quincy Adams". (This becomes particularly important in category 13 which has only three letters to choose from, but more than 20 correct answers.)

Naturally, you want to avoid the sheep. But, pay attention here, you also want to avoid the GROUNDHOG. The GROUNDHOG is the number of times you have used your current answer (NOT including the letter) so far. Again, an example will help.

SAMPLE REPLIES FOR FIRST THREE CATEGORIES:

1. A. John Quincy Adams [Your GROUNDHOG for this category is 1, even if you use John Quincy Adams again]
2. A. Andrew Jackson [Your GROUNDHOG for this category is 1 even if you use Andrew Jackson again]
3. G. John Quincy Adams [Your GROUNDHOG for this category is 2 since this is the second time you have used John Quincy Adams as an answer. Note well that in this case the initial letter is irrelevant. Only the president being used matters.]

Your score on each category will be the number of people who gave the same answer (including the letter) MULTIPLIED by your GROUNDHOG for that category. That will encourage you not to give the same reply over and over and over.

There are three SPECIAL RESPONSES detailed below, making 13 different responses available. Since there are only 13 categories, it is possible to avoid the GROUNDHOG entirely.


THE RULES


1. DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS IN THIS THREAD! Send them to me by private message.

2. Deadline for submissions is 11:59:59 PM CST on Wednesday, February 8.

3. Please respond to each category with a letter and one of the following names: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, George Washington; or make one of the following SPECIAL RESPONSES:
  1. You may respond to ONE category by picking a letter and answering "TRICKY DICK". It is important that you pick a letter. Your score for that category will be the highest score received by a contestant who selected the same letter in that category and gave a correct answer. E.g. suppose you pick "D. TRICKY DICK" for a category. And suppose four contestants gave a correct answer for D, three of them saying "D. John Tyler" and one saying "D. Martin Van Buren". Of the three who said "D. John Tyler", one of them has already used John Tyler on a previous category, resulting in a GROUNDHOG of 2. That contestant will receive a score of 6 (3 people giving the same answer times his GROUNDHOG). So 6 is your score as well for choosing "D. TRICKY DICK". If you use TRICKY DICK on a letter that has no correct answers, you will earn a score of zero (0). So this could work out in your favor, if you're tricky enough. Otherwise, the exposure will bring you down.
  2. You may respond to ONE category with "SLICK WILLIE". There is no need to pick a letter. Your score will be the number of people including you who used SLICK WILLIE on that category. Are you slick enough to turn this to your advantage?
  3. You may respond to ONE category with "HONEST ABE". There is no need to pick a letter. This is equivalent to a DROP and receives a score of zero (0). HONEST ABE is the best policy.
4. The object is to get the lowest cumulative score.
  1. Your score on a category equals the number of people including you who gave your answer (including the letter) MULTIPLIED by your GROUNDHOG (defined above) for that category.
  2. Incorrect answers receive the "sheep" score (highest number of contestants giving the same correct response) plus 5, with that sum MULTIPLIED by your GROUNDHOG (defined above) for that category.
5. Answers must be provided out of the wealth of information that exists in your brain. No research! However, if, in the course of your normal activities, you happen to learn something useful between the time you read the questions and the time you submit your answers, that new knowledge is fair game. So you may find it advantageous to delay your submission. On the other hand...

6. In the event of a tie, the earlier entry gets priority. (Hat tip to Paucle for that no muss solution.)

7. If you have questions or comments, send them to me via private message unless you are sure that what you say will not reveal answers, offer hints, steer players away from negbait, or in any other way spoil the fun.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

Here are the 13 categories.

Please remember that all responses should:
  • include the category number, the letter of the question being answered, and your answer: e.g. "1. F. Alfred E. Neuman".
  • come from the following list: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, George Washington
  • or be one of the SPECIAL RESPONSES which can be made one time each
    1. TRICKY DICK - Remember to pick a letter. Gives you the highest contestant score for that category and letter.
    2. SLICK WILLIE - No need to pick a letter. Score equals number of contestants, including you, who chose that response for the category
    3. HONEST ABE - No need to pick a letter. Score equals zero (0). (Equivalent to a DROP)
1. ORDER! ORDER! - Name the following president of the United States
  1. First
  2. Second
  3. Third
  4. Fourth
  5. Fifth
  6. Sixth
  7. Seventh
  8. Eighth
  9. Ninth
  10. Tenth
2. CAN WE CALL YOU "DUCKBREATH"? - Name the president who had the following nickname
  1. His Accidency
  2. Old Hickory
  3. Old Kinderhook
  4. Old Sink or Swim
  5. Old Tippecanoe
  6. The Abolitionist
  7. The Father of His Country
  8. The Father of the Constitution
  9. The Last of the Crooked Hats
  10. The Little Magician
  11. The Mistletoe Politician
  12. The Pen of the Revolution
  13. The Colossus of Independence
3. HOME SWEET HOME - Name the president with a family estate of the following name
  1. Ash Lawn-Highland
  2. Berkeley Plantation
  3. Grouseland
  4. Lindenwald
  5. Monticello
  6. Montpelier
  7. Mount Vernon
  8. Oak Hill
  9. Sherwood Forest
  10. The Hermitage
  11. The Old House at Peacefield
4. 9 CHOICES, 10 PRESIDENTS, 11 WIVES, 12 WEDDINGS - Name a president from the list who married a woman with the following name
  1. Abigail
  2. Anna
  3. Dolley
  4. Elizabeth
  5. Hannah
  6. Letitia, then another named Julia
  7. Louisa
  8. Martha
  9. Rachel (married her twice, actually)
5. THE LOYAL OPPOSITION - Name someone from the list who won a presidential election against one of the following. (The loser must have received at least one electoral vote in that election.)
  1. Andrew Jackson
  2. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
  3. DeWitt Clinton
  4. Henry Clay
  5. John Adams
  6. John Quincy Adams
  7. Martin Van Buren
  8. Rufus King
  9. Thomas Jefferson
  10. William Henry Harrison
  11. (never won a presidential election)
  12. (ran unopposed)
6. A BUCKET OF WARM ... SPIT - Name a president from the list who had a vice president with the following name
  1. Aaron Burr
  2. Daniel D. Tompkins
  3. Elbridge Gerry
  4. George Clinton
  5. John Adams
  6. John C. Calhoun
  7. John Tyler
  8. Martin Van Buren
  9. Richard M. Johnson
  10. Thomas Jefferson
7. BEFORE - Before he became president, he...
  1. Defeated Tecumseh at Tippecanoe
  2. Earned the Seminole nickname "Sharp Knife"
  3. Formulated plans to invade Canada
  4. Got him a bar when he was only 19. (Admitted to Virginia state bar at that age, contrary to regulations.)
  5. Helped write the Federalist Papers
  6. Led his forces to victory at New Orleans
  7. Provided legal defense for British soldiers in the "Boston Massacre" trial
  8. Opposed Clinton's plan for the Erie Canal
  9. Represented Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Burgesses
  10. Signed the Declaration of Independence
  11. Was a surveyor
  12. Was governor of Virginia
  13. Was the main author of what later came to be known as "The Monroe Doctrine"
8. DURING - While he was president, this man...
  1. Appointed Daniel Webster Secretary of State
  2. Bought the Louisiana Territory
  3. Commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition
  4. Dealt with "The Whiskey Rebellion"
  5. Got officially expelled from his political party
  6. Presided over an "Era of Good Feelings" followed by a "Panic"
  7. Saw Louisiana admitted to the Union
  8. Sided with Spain in the "Amistad" case
  9. Signed into law the Tariff of 1828
  10. Signed the Alien and Sedition Acts
  11. Was known for his "Kitchen Cabinet"
9. AND AFTER - After this man's presidency was over...
  1. He became a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville
  2. He completed, but did not publish, a revised edition of the four Gospels with the miracles and other mistakes removed
  3. He did not attend his succesor's inauguration
  4. He moved to New York City to live with his daughter
  5. He served as Senior Officer of the United States Army
  6. He spent much time modifying letters and other documents in order to "straighten out" his legacy.
  7. He unsuccessfully ran for president as a "Free Soil Party" candidate
  8. He was elected to the House of Representatives
  9. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Confederate Congress
  10. His grandson became president
10. THE PLUMAGE DON'T ENTER INTO IT - Name a president who died on the following date
  1. December 14, 1799
  2. July 4, 1826
  3. July 4, 1831
  4. June 28, 1836
  5. April 4, 1841
  6. June 8, 1845
  7. February 23, 1848
  8. January 18, 1862
  9. July 24, 1862
11. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE - Name the only president on our list of which the following can be said
  1. First (and only) president who did not speak English as his first language
  2. First president born after July 4, 1776
  3. First president inaugurated in Washington D.C.
  4. First president to have a middle name
  5. First president to have been a senator prior to his presidency
  6. First president to live in the Executive Mansion (later called The White House)
  7. First sitting president to have his photograph taken
  8. First president to have impeachment proceedings begun against him
  9. Only president to win with fewer electoral votes than his opponent
  10. Gave the longest inaugural address in US history (cough)
  11. Held record as longest-living president until the 21st century
  12. Only president elected unanimously by the electoral college
  13. Only president to pay off national debt
  14. Shortest president at 5'4"
12. FUN FACTS - Name a president from our list of whom the following is true
  1. His face is on Mount Rushmore
  2. He and his hometown are involved in a popular etymology of the word "ok"
  3. He's the one holding the flag in Emanuel Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware
  4. If you had a bill with this president's face on the front, you could buy a new Apple MacBook. Or two or three. (Note: We're talking face value of the bill here. Don't bug me with rare collector's items that fetch enormous sums.)
  5. He's named in the "Mediocre Presidents" song at Springfield Elementary's Presidents Day pageant
  6. He never went to college
  7. There's a statue of him in New Orleans
  8. He was supposedly affected by a Twenty-Year Curse that lasted until Ronald Reagan exited the presidency on his own steam
  9. Used (and possibly invented) a pedometer to measure how far he went on his walks
  10. He was both nth pres and nth VP (where n is the same number)
  11. He earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Harvard
13. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - Pick a president from our list who shares at least one name with one of the following. (Note: The name doesn't have to occupy the same position. E.g. the writer Henry James shares at least one name with William Henry Harrison, James Madison, and James Monroe. Also, the name doesn't have to be part of the name this person is commonly known by. If the person goes by a nickname, but their birth name fits the category, that's fine. If the person's middle name fits the category, that's fine even if their billing never includes that name. Basically, if the name is on their birth certificate or is part of their IMDB listing, it's fair game.)
  1. One of the Beatles
  2. A Saturday Night Live Cast Member (Repertory players only, please. "Featured" players and guest hosts and such need not apply.)
  3. Someone who has been named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive"
BONUS: I'll knock 3 points off your score if you tell me which Beatle, SNL player, or Sexiest Man your answer refers to and no one else names the same person.
Last edited by opusthepenguin on Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:36 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by Volante »

Clearly, the next TD is going to require four special responses. :lol:

Also: I do not envy your spreadsheet.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

Volante wrote:Clearly, the next TD is going to require four special responses. :lol:

Also: I do not envy your spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet is half the fun.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by dhkendall »

So, if George Washington sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of valentines?

(I hate February ... )
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by TenPoundHammer »

dhkendall wrote:So, if George Washington sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of valentines?

(I hate February ... )
February's the shortest month, so it gets all the pointless holidays.
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Volante
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by Volante »

TenPoundHammer wrote:
dhkendall wrote:So, if George Washington sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of valentines?

(I hate February ... )
February's the shortest month, so it gets all the pointless holidays.
Columbus Day...
The best thing that Neil Armstrong ever did, was to let us all imagine we were him.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by TenPoundHammer »

Volante wrote:Columbus Day...
Hey, you gotta admire someone who lies about distance to get permission to go somewhere. I used to do that all the time to trick mom into taking me on trips. :D
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

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amorris525
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by amorris525 »

For the last question, is it current SNL cast members or all time SNL cast members?
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by Vanya »

When I cut and paste (which is how I do these), the letters are not included. I can figure out what they should be, but it would be easier if they were included. Just sayin'.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

amorris525 wrote:For the last question, is it current SNL cast members or all time SNL cast members?
All time. Just as long as the person received billing with the regular cast (ofen aka The Not Ready for Prime Time Players). If the person always received separate billing, e.g. as tonight's host, or "and featuring" or whatever, that's out. Al Franken was probably the most used "featured" player who never became part of the regular cast. And his name doesn't fit the category anyway. The name of his frequent co-conspirator, Tom Davis, does fit the category; but Davis also never joined the regular cast.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

Here's the final contestant list:

1 Rackme32
2 Peggles
3 MarkBarrett
4 Vanya
5 ayeembored
6 gamawire
7 immaf
8 econgator
9 amorris525
10 DadofTwins
11 goforthetie
12 Woof
13 xxaaaxx
14 Paucle
15 plasticene
16 debramc
17 Bamaman
18 barandall800
19 jeff6286
20 cheezguyty
21 mitchparov

I'll reveal the score for the first category in a bit.
Last edited by opusthepenguin on Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by barandall800 »

opusthepenguin wrote:Hmmm... So far I have five entrants.

1 Rackme32
2 Peggles
3 MarkBarrett
4 Vanya
5 ayeembored


The deadline is just over 48 hours away. I can feel failure engulfing me.
I'll get my entry in as soon as I can. This game looks fun, but when you're busy running a board quiz yourself, time can kind of run away from you... :) I haven't looked at the questions too much yet (that's my policy, until I can sit down and answer them), but this looks like quite a fine TD. Certainly not failure material! :)
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

barandall800 wrote:
opusthepenguin wrote:Hmmm... So far I have five entrants.

1 Rackme32
2 Peggles
3 MarkBarrett
4 Vanya
5 ayeembored


The deadline is just over 48 hours away. I can feel failure engulfing me.
I'll get my entry in as soon as I can. This game looks fun, but when you're busy running a board quiz yourself, time can kind of run away from you... :) I haven't looked at the questions too much yet (that's my policy, until I can sit down and answer them), but this looks like quite a fine TD. Certainly not failure material! :)
Yeah, we should've staggered our deadlines or something.

I've got my entry for yours all prepared. There just this one name that I know perfectly well only it's stuck in the back of my head somewhere. I'm hoping it'll come to me after a night or two of sleep.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by Bamaman »

Just to be clear, each one of the given presidents is a correct answer to every question, correct?
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

Bamaman wrote:Just to be clear, each one of the given presidents is a correct answer to every question, correct?
Make that "is a correct answer to at least one of the letters in each of the 13 categories", just to make sure we're not talking past each other. So, for instance, you could make a correct submission by answering "[_]. Andrew Jackson" all 13 times, as long as you know what letter to put in the blank each time. And there's nothing special about Andrew Jackson. I could have used any of the 10 as an example.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by Bamaman »

Yes, that is what I was asking.
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by opusthepenguin »

THE BIG REVEAL - CATEGORY 1

1. ORDER! ORDER! - Name the following president of the United States
  1. First
  2. Second
  3. Third
  4. Fourth
  5. Fifth
  6. Sixth
  7. Seventh
  8. Eighth
  9. Ninth
  10. Tenth
I'm sure everyone knew several answers to this one. The question was, what would everyone else pick?

E. James Monroe - Fifth President (4)
Peggles
immaf
Woof
debramc

Hmmm. Is this as far as you get before you're not sure who comes next? ;)

H. Martin Van Buren - Eighth President (3)
Paucle
jeff6286
cheezguyty

You guys watch a lot of Seinfeld?

F. John Quincy Adams - Sixth President (3)
MarkBarrett
amorris525
xxaaaxx

G. Andrew Jackson - Seventh President (2)
gamawire
econgator

C. Thomas Jefferson - Third President (2)
ayeembored
goforthetie

J. John Tyler - Tenth President (1)
mitchparov

D. James Madison - Fourth President(1)
barandall800

A. George Washington - First President (1)
Rackme32

D. TRICKY DICK (1)
Bamaman

A. TRICKY DICK (1)
DadofTwins

Pretty tricky. I'm sure DadofTwins knew the answer to A (first president) and Bamaman knew the answer to D (fourth president). But if they'd actually given those answers, then George Washington and James Madison would have scored 2 points apiece. By invoking TRICKY DICK, they each saved themselves a point. Also, as Bamaman pointed out in a delightful annotation to his entry, nobody's built up a GROUNDHOG on the first question. So there's no risk of getting stuck with anything worse than the sheep score.

SLICK WILLIE(1)
Vanya

Pretty slick, Vanya. You got away with it because everyone else was afraid of getting caught.

INCORRECT ANSWERS (9)
E. James Madison - plasticene

This marks the first instance of Madison and Monroe getting confused. It won't be the last.

UNUSED ANSWERS
B. John Adams - Second President
I. William Henry Harrison - Ninth President
HONEST ABE


STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1
Rackme32 1
Vanya 1
DadofTwins 1
Bamaman 1
barandall800 1
mitchparov 1
ayeembored 2
gamawire 2
econgator 2
goforthetie 2
MarkBarrett 3
amorris525 3
xxaaaxx 3
Paucle 3
jeff6286 3
cheezguyty 3
Peggles 4
immaf 4
Woof 4
debramc 4
plasticene 9
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Re: TD 145: Presidential Groundhog Day

Post by plasticene »

Crap! I have no idea how I I managed to screw that up! I'm going to be privately subtracting 7 from my score and adding 1 to barandall's for the remainder of the game.
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