I hope you all had a good weekend. This one's theme is Mother's Day, where we honor our mothers and those who have acted as such in our lives. Please enjoy.
Rules/Notes:
- Lowest point total wins; your score for each question is equal to the total number of players submitting that same answer.
- Pay attention to the first sentence in each question - it tells you what is required in your answer. Make sure you put all required information in your answer!
- Roosevelt Rule - In general, when your answer is a person's name, last name will be sufficient unless specifically mentioned, or when more information is required to distinguish your answer.
- You may use one DROP and take zero points for that question.
- You may use one SHEEP to take the sheep answer for that question.
- There will be a BONUS of (-4) for anyone who gives correct answers to all 10 questions, utilizing neither their drop nor their sheep options.
- There are four other opportunities for bonuses. Use questions 11-14 for those.
- Wrong responses (on Q1-Q10) are the higher of either +10 points or the "sheep" answer +3
- All answers are due by 10 AM ET on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018.
- Only the first submission per person is accepted; submit entries by PM or with this google form.
- No outside research or help is allowed. Only your brain and pen and paper if necessary.
1. Letter and first and last name (if they have a last name) required. Select one of the real, fictional, or mythological figures pictured below and name their MOTHER.
2. Letter and answer required. Answer one of the following about Mother’s Day.
- Who is widely considered to be the founder of the American Mother’s Day holiday, after holding a memorial to honor her own mother in 1908?
- Before the memorial service in 1908, a poet and activist named Julia Ward Howe suggested, in 1872, a “Mother’s Day for Peace,” to be celebrated on June 2. She is, however, probably better known for writing the lyrics to what song in 1861, using the same tune as “John Brown’s Body?”
- Before 1872, we had the ancient Greeks, who paid homage to what mother of the gods with honey cake, flowers, and drinks at dawn?
- The memorial service mentioned in (a) was held in the town of Grafton in what U.S. state?
- What type of flower is traditionally worn as a symbol of Mother’s Day? Originally, white ones were used to represent the purity of a mother’s love, but today, a red one is often worn to honor a living mother, while a white one often symbolizes that one’s mother has died.
- In the United States (and many other countries), Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. On the other hand, many Asian and Eastern European (and two African) nations celebrate Mother’s Day on the same day as International Women’s Day. In what month is International Women’s Day celebrated?
- In France, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May, unless that day coincides with what Christian holiday (in which case, Mother’s Day is moved to the first Sunday of June)?
- Mother’s Day was designated as a national holiday in 1914. What President signed the proclamation designating Mother’s Day as a national holiday?
- According to a survey by AT&T, 68% of people called their mothers on Mother’s Day. Of those people, 3% called their mothers in what way? Incidentally, more such calls are made on Father’s Day than any other day of the year.
- A French-American artist, chess player, and writer known for his work "Nude Descending a Staircase"
- One of only two girls to play in the 2014 Little League World Series, and the first girl in Little League World Series history to pitch a shutout and earn a win.
- A group of diseases, the most common of which is the Duchenne type, with symptoms including spasms, limited range of movement, and progressive inability to walk.
- You might do this act at the end of your own successful speech or performance.
- An inner-ear disorder characterized by vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
- An Academy Award nominee for her role as Skylar in "Good Will Hunting"
- CEO and chairman of his namesake information technology company based in Round Rock, Texas. They are known for, among other things, the virtualization technology known as VMWare.
- Jazz musician known for "Kind of Blue."
- The number represented by the Roman numerals MD
- A division of competition in, among other sports, tennis and curling, where teams are composed of one man and one woman.
Bonus: I said that letter A on this question has 3 children. However, in one particular episode, she has four children because one of her children had a conjoined twin that was kept in the attic. What was the name of the twin that only appeared in that one episode?
5. Name a valid word (according to the SOWPODS Scrabble dictionary) with exactly 4 or 5 letters that can be made using the letters of the word MOTHER. You may only use each letter once.
6. Letter and answer required. In the former Yugoslavia, a peculiar Mother’s Day tradition involved tying the mother up in bed until she gave the children gifts upon waking up. Answer one of the following about ties, things that are tied, and the like.
- One of “My Favorite Things” that fits the category (be thorough on this one).
- In what year (will accept within 1 year as correct; all “correct” answers will be graded together on this one) did the MLB All Star Game last end in a tie, leading to the announcement that the game’s result in the future would determine home field advantage in the World Series (a policy which has also since been abandoned)?
- In the game of chess, what is the term for a position where, on a player’s turn, that player is not in “check,” but has no legal moves? This situation results in a drawn (tied) game, and is more common among younger, inexperienced players because they do it by accident.
- The act of using twine to tie up the legs and wings of a turkey or chicken before roasting, said to promote even cooking, is commonly referred to as what?
- Speaking of having your limbs tied up, who wrote “Fifty Shades of Grey?”
- What liquor is normally used to make a Mai Tai?
- In Thai cuisine, what is the common English name for the dish known as “pad kee mao?” The origins of the name are debated, but theories include the use of rice wine in the preparation of this dish, and the possibility that someone devised this dish after a night of debauchery.
- In an ad campaign during the 2018 Super Bowl (played in February of 2018), what actor was shown in a series of parody commercials for, among other things, cars, beer, jewelry, and insurance, before it was revealed that it was, in fact, a Tide ad?
- What is the name for this knot?
https://i.imgur.com/87XkYiQ.png - Tai Chi is a martial art from what country?
7. Letter and answer required. The founder of Mother’s Day (see 2A) lamented the fact that the holiday had become so commercialized. Of course, Hallmark is a well-known company with a crown in its logo. Select a letter and identify the brand (company, product, team, etc.) represented by the logo with a crown.
8. Letter and answer required. If you can’t think of something more creative, you could give your mother a box of chocolates for Mother’s Day. If you’re a TD host and can’t think of anything more creative, you make up a question about chocolate. Answer one of the following about chocolate and candy.
- Hershey, home to the namesake chocolate company and its accompanying theme park, is located in what U.S. state?
- Since 1969, what Hershey’s product, which also comes in pumpkin, egg, and other shapes, has been the #1-selling candy brand in the United States?
- One individual rectangle in a standard Hershey’s bar is known as a “pip.” How many pips are in a standard, 1.55 oz Hershey’s bar?
- You might remember the Beanie Baby fad back in the 1990s. One of the nine original Beanie Babies was named Chocolate. What kind of animal was Chocolate?
- Chocolate sometimes comes in a heart-shaped box. I would be forever in debt to your priceless advice if you could tell me, what band sang the 1993 song “Heart-Shaped Box?”
- Sharing a name with a process used to treat steel, what process involving heating, cooling, and reheating chocolate reestablishes the cocoa butter crystals in it and gives it a sheen and prevents it from separating?
- Also making other consumer electronics and household appliances, what company is responsible for the VX8500 slider phone, also known as the “Chocolate?”
- What singer, who moves away from the mic to breathe, is responsible for the viral music video “Chocolate Rain?”
- The logo of what well-known chocolatier depicts a nude woman riding a horse?
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s tallest chocolate fountain is on display at the Jean Philippe Pâtisserie at what hotel (appropriately enough)?
9. Mothering Sunday is celebrated in Europe as a day to attend your “mother” church, and also to honor your mother. Simnal cake is traditionally associated with this celebration. Name another edible item with the word “cake” in it (“cake” alone will not be counted as correct here).
10. Letter and answer required. Name one of these other observances in the month of May.
- A Canadian celebration on the last Monday before May 25th (the 21st this year), honoring the birthday of a certain Queen.
- Observed on May 1st, it is a northern hemisphere spring festival. One of its traditions is leaving small baskets of flowers and sweets anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps.
- On what day is Star Wars day normally observed?
- What leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing is run on the first Saturday of May?
- What leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing is run on the third Saturday of May?
- Cinco de Mayo, observed, of course, on May 5th, is not Mexican Independence Day (but you all knew that). Rather, it commemorates an 1862 Mexican victory over the French in what battle?
- Since 1945, what holiday has been celebrated on May 8th in Western Europe (and May 9th in Eastern Europe)?
- The Tuesday of the first full week is observed in the United States as a day to appreciate what profession?
- Currently, on what day in May do we observe Memorial Day (we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday – your answer should look similar to that)?
Bonus: For -3 points, say something nice about your mother, stepmother, grandmother, or other figure (not restricted to females or even blood relatives) in your life who has taken on such a role. I will not publish your words during the reveal.