Solution:
Kakorrhaphiophobia
Written by Eric Berlin
and Andrew Kantor
Hunters were invited four
at a time to a play a game show ("Fear of Failure") in which a correct
answer earned one point, and a wrong answer lost one point (although no player
could ever go below zero).
Whenever any player reached
three points, whoever had the lowest score was eliminated; if there was a tie
for lowest score, all players with the lowest score were eliminated. This was
repeated, if necessary, until only one player remained, who won the round. Eventually,
the four players who took the least number of questions to win their round were
invited back for a final round, the winner of which took home The Pop-Up
Book of Phobias. (Congrats to Dan Katz of SETEC Astronomy, our grand prize
winner!)
To solve the puzzle, though,
solvers had to take the first and last letters of every trivia answer in order,
which revealed a list of Marilyn Monroe movies, and the answer to the puzzle
was Marilyn Monroe.
- What companys founder
invented the safety razor? Gillette
- What famous play includes
the line "Hell is other people"? No Exit
- What canine character
first appeared in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight? Lassie
- What New York City thoroughfare
is known as the Advertising Capital of the World? Madison Avenue
- What is the name given
to an alcoholic drink taken at the very end of the day? Nightcap
- What 1998 Tony-winning
musical was based on a book by E.L. Doctorow? Ragtime
- What is the name of the
most recent Kevin Costner movie to deal with the subject of baseball? For
Love of the Game
- What celery-like vegetable
can also be a word meaning "heated controversy"? Rhubarb
- What musical direction
means to play in a smooth, connected manner? Legato
- What is the scientific
term for one billionth of a second? Nanosecond
- The real name of the
hospital on St. Elsewhere was St. what? Eligius
- What repeated demand
did Moses make of the Pharaoh of Egypt? Let My People Go
- What trademarked name
has come to be synonymous with "petroleum jelly"? Vaseline
- What is the chemical
name for laughing gas? Nitrous oxide
- When he died in 1989,
it was found his heart was two and a half times larger than that of the average
horse. Who? Secretariat
- What 1951 George Pal
movie featured astral companions Bellus and Zyra? When Worlds Collide
- Who played the title
character of "Dr T." in the 2000 movie Dr. T and the Women?
Richard Gere
- Who is said to have "fiddled
while Rome burned"? Nero
- According to the nursery
rhyme, who was the Pipers Son? Tom Tom
- Who, with 73 electoral
votes, tied with Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 presidential election, in a
race that was ultimately decided by Congress? Aaron Burr
- The first attempt at
adapting a cinematic Lord of the Rings was directed by the same person
who brought you Fritz the Cat, the first X-rated cartoon. Who was he?
Ralph Bakshi
- What present-day television
series takes place in Stuckeyville, Ohio? Ed
- When hes not hurling
racial epithets, John Rocker hurls for what baseball team? Atlanta Braves
- What Web site shares
its name with a race of beings from Gullivers Travels? Yahoo
- What is the name of Diana
Rosss last solo #1 hit, which topped the charts in 1980? Upside Down
- According to the song,
what hometown does The Music Mans Professor Harold Hill claim
as his own? Gary, Indiana
- What modern-day storytellers
monologues have been turned into films like Swimming to Cambodia and
Monster in a Box? Spalding Gray
- On which Hawaiian island
is Pearl Harbor located? Oahu
- What 1964 Sidney Lumet
film ended with the atomic bombing of New York City by the US Air Force? Fail-Safe
- Henry Sullivan was the
fourth man, but the first American, to swim what body of water? English
Channel
- In Bill & Teds
Excellent Adventure, the two main characters bounced around time in a
time machine that looked like what? Telephone booth
- What is the one-word
stage name of Cassandra Peterson? Elvira
- When keeping track of
baseball players in a scorecard, what fielder is designated with the number
6? Shortstop
- What actor and regular
on The Simpsons is about to be divorced from actress Helen Hunt? Hank
Azaria
- What is the British term
for elevator? Lift
- What city is the capital
of Alaska? Juneau
- Billy Preston has had
two #1 hit singles in his career. The first was "Will it Go Round in
Circles." Whats the second? Nothing from Nothing
- What Nabisco product
is also the name of a novel by R.D. Blackmore? Lorna Doone
- Who is the creator of
both NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues? Steven Bochco
- What gas do cows emit
in large amounts, possibly contributing to global warming? Methane
- Which John Steinbeck
novel focuses on the Joad family? The Grapes of Wrath
- Who directed Bill Murray
in Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters? Ivan Reitman
- What type of orbit, first
suggested by Arthur C. Clarke, keeps a satellite over the same spot on the
earths surface? Geosynchronous
- What NASA spacecraft
was sent to Jupiter in 1989, where it has been in orbit since 1995? Galileo
- "Or What You Will"
is the subtitle of what play by William Shakespeare? Twelfth Night
- What maximum security
prison, formerly known as "Sing-Sing," is located about 35 miles
north of New York City? Ossining
- What was Anton Chekhovs
first full-length drama? Ivanov
- What young actor co-starred
with a homicidal Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son? Elijah Wood
- On The Odd Couple,
who was Felix Ungers roommate? Oscar Madison
- Charles Sherwood Stratton
became better known as what General? Tom Thumb
- In what movie did Marlon
Brando star as an ex-boxer named Terry Malloy? On the Waterfront
- Who wrote the novel Billy
Budd? Herman Melville
- Whats the British
word for traffic circle? Roundabout
- What German military
man inspired the nickname "The Iron Chancellor"? Otto von Bismarck
- The spoken language of
what Indian tribe was used as a code by the US government in World War II?
Navajo
- What snack food was invented
in 1893 by Louis and F.W. Ruckheim? Cracker Jack
- What was Union General
William Shermans middle name? Tecumseh
- What drink is traditionally
made from seltzer, milk, and chocolate syrup? Egg cream
- Who is the Egyptian goddess
of nature? Isis
- What foreign moviemakers
final film was La Voce della luna, or the Voice of the Moon? (Frederico)
Fellini
- Who were the losers of
the most recent Super Bowl? Tennessee Titans
- In a classic series of
murder mystery novels by Harry Kemelman, what occupation does lead character
David Small have? Rabbi
- What Biblical character
stood six cubits and a span tall-over 9 feet high by todays measurement?
Goliath
- Which movie took home
the Best Picture Oscar at the 1998 Academy Awards? Titanic
- What Italian dish is
traditionally made with Arborio rice? Risotto
- Which baseball team plays
in Pac Bell Park? San Franciso Giants
- In 1958, Vince DeDomenico
of San Francisco created what ubiquitous boxed side dish? Rice-a-Roni
- V-E day occurred on May
8, 1945. What does V-E stand for? Victory in Europe
- What Oscar winner for
West Side Story also starred in the 1970s children show, The Electric
Company? Rita Moreno
- What Issac Asimov novel
introduced Hari Seldon, psychohistory, and the successor to the Galactic Empire?
Foundation
- What philosophical theory
states that the simplest explanation is generally the correct one? Occam's
Razor
- How many planets are
currently inside the orbit of Pluto? Eight
- A person with O-negative
blood - who can therefore give blood to any recipient - is called a what?
Universal donor
- Whose predictions were
made while staring into a bowl of water, and consist of sections call quatrains?
Nostradamus
- What is the term for
a unit of electrical resistance? Ohm
- Who started his daredevil
career by charging $500 to jump over two cars on his motorcycle? Evel Knievel
- On a Risk board, what
territory is due north of Mongolia? Irkutsk
- What physicist is credited
with creating the first atomic pile, at the University of Chicago? Enrico
Fermi
- What is the name of filmmaker
Michael Moores cable TV show? The Awful Truth
- In Hebrew its the
Tanakh, but Christians call it the what? Old Testament
- Who was nominated for
a Best Supporting Actor award for his work in Forrest Gump? Gary
Sinise
- "Three Musketeers"
candy bars consist of chocolate coating over what sweet stuff? Nougat
- While the command module
orbited the moon, the Apollo astronauts went to the surface in the LEM. What
does LEM stand for? Lunar excursion module
- On The Simpsons,
what is the first name of Barts blue-haired best friend? Milhouse
- On Usenet, alt.toys.lego
is an example of what kind of online discussion area? Newsgroup
- What unit of currency
can be divided up into 100 kopecks? Ruble
- What famous 1972 childrens
book and album was produced by Marlo Thomas? Free to Be, You and Me
- What underground cartoonists
oeuvre includes the "Keep on Truckin Man"? R. Crumb
- What country is completely
surrounded by South Africa? Lesotho
- The first line to what
Beatles song is "I once had a girl, or should I say she once had me?"
Norwegian Wood
- What Greek playwright
wrote Medea? Euripides
- What word meaning "a
seducer of women" comes from a fictional character in a 1703 play? Lothario
- Who had a voiceover on
Michael Jacksons hit single, "Thriller"? Vincent Price
- What university does
"the Fighting Irish" fight for? Notre Dame
- On the television show
Roseanne, who played daughter Darlene? Sara Gilbert
- What musical question
was the biggest hit for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers? Why Do Fools Fall
in Love?
- The Beverly Hills Hotel
and the Beverly Wilshire are on either end of what famous street? Rodeo
Drive
- If you walked southeast
from the famous "Four Corners" junction, what state would you be
in? New Mexico
- What term is given to
a wrestling match where two wrestlers take turns in the ring? Tag team
- What 1977 war movie featured
Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, and Ryan ONeal? A Bridge Too Far
- What famous fictional
mongoose was created by Rudyard Kipling? Rikki Tikki Tavi
- Vincent Price guest-starred
on the 60s series "Batman" as what villian? Egghead
- Whose musical "project"
had its biggest hit in 1982, with "Eye in the Sky?" Alan Parsons
- What product, in a recent
television ad campaign, warned consumers: "Buy any other beverage and
you could be making a terrible mistake"? Yoo-Hoo
- What 1997 Oliver Stone
movie starred Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez? U-Turn
- What chocolate company
was founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps? Godiva
- What duet between Paul
McCartney and Michael Jackson went to #1 in 1983? Say Say Say
- What hit song by the
Platters later went on to be the title of a 1994 movie starring Marisa Tomei?
Only You
- On the periodic table
of elements, what is the symbol for iron? Fe
- What is the Spanish word
for Spanish? Español
- Comedy Central is presently
running a game show entitled Dont Forget Your
what? Toothbrush
- What six-letter word
is the motto of California? Eureka
- What word, when taken
as a noun, is a kind of seafood, and when taken as a verb means to bake in
a sauce and cover in bread crumbs? Scallop
- What musical instrument
is associated with jazz musician Toots Thielman? Harmonica
- Fred Durst is a member
of what rock band? Limp Bizkit
- Whose organization makes
use of the vessels Calypso, Calypso II, and Alcyon? Jacques Cousteau
- When he went solo, Bruce
Waynes sidekick Dick Grayson dumped the name "Robin" and became
who? Nightwing
- Who played actor Richard
Hatchs father on Battlestar Galactica? Lorne Greene
- What word can mean either
a drink made with Kahlua and cream, or a large hat? Sombrero
- What golden oldie singer
had a voice that earned him the nickname, "The Velvet Fog"? Mel
Tormé
- What Benjamin Hoff book
connected Asian philosophy to a certain childrens literary character?
The Tao of Pooh
- Who is actress Isabella
Rosellinis mother? Ingrid Bergman
- What clothing companys
logo consists of a question mark inside a triangle? Guess (Jeans)
- What interjection was
first used during parachute jumps at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1940? Geronimo
- What 1999 animated film
was loosely based on a 1968 childrens science fiction novel by Ted Hughes?
The Iron Giant
- What word can mean either
"remarkable" or "unresolved"? Outstanding
- In Roman numerals, what
is C minus XCVI? IV
- What boxer did Mike Tyson
famously bite in 1997? Evander Holyfield
- What hunter appears in
the northeastern American sky in fall and winter? Orion
- What turn-of-the-century
baseball player was nicknamed "The Georgia Peach"? Ty Cobb
- What do you call a follower
of radical capitalist Ayn Rands philosophy? Objectivist
- What is the common measure
for the decay or transmutation of a radioactive element? Half-life
- In the science of sleep,
what does REM stand for? Rapid eye movement
- What 1995 movie had Dustin
Hoffman attempting to contain the fictional "Mutaba" virus? Outbreak
- What Japanese video-game
giant started its life in 1889 making playing cards? Nintendo
- What literary genre is
William Gibsons Neuromancer often credited with ushering in?
Cyberpunk
- What car company made
the Gloria, the Spitfire, the Dolomite, and the TR7? Triumph
- Whats the Latin
phrase meaning "of many, one"? E pluribus unum
- What state borders Wisconsin,
Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Iowa? Illinois
- What car company makes
the Testerossa? Ferrari
- Together, Minneapolis
and St. Paul are known as the what? Twin Cities
- The boxed game is called
Othello, but whats the generic name for the "game of dramatic reversals"?
Reversi
- According to the Bible,
what is Sodoms sister city? Gomorrah
- What movie, in theaters
now, has the tag line "No one gets away clean"? Traffic
- What was the name of
the character played by Desi Arnez on "I Love Lucy"? Ricky Ricardo
- What sign follows Scorpio
on the zodiac chart? Sagittarius
- What childrens
singers albums include "Evergreen Everblue," "Bananaphone,"
and "Everything Grows"? Raffi
- What French writer is
quoted as saying, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent
him"? Voltaire
- Who played Joe Pescis
cousin, who stands accused of murder, in My Cousin Vinny? Ralph
Macchio
- In Fahrenheit 451,
what was the occupation of Guy Montag? Fireman
- Although it took place
in November, thanks to their use of the old style Julian calendar, in what
month do Russians celebrate the Bolshevik revolution? October
- What country is on the
northeastern tip of the African continent? Egypt
- What constellations
name translates to "the great bear"? Ursa Major
- In Greek mythology, who
fell in love with his own reflection? Narcissus
- In IBMs OS/2, what
does the "OS" stand for? Operating system
- What kind of alcohol
is added to gasoline to create "gasohol"? Ethynol or ethyl alcohol
- Whether she actually
used it or not, what murder weapon was under Sharon Stones bed at the
end of Basic Instinct? Icepick
- In a 1969 hit for Three
Dog Night, who is "coming"? Eli
- What Norton Juster novel
featured Rhyme, Reason, Milo, Tock, and the kingdoms of Dictionopolis and
Digitopolis? The Phantom Tollbooth
- What Elmore Leonard
novel was turned into a 1998 movie starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez?
Out of Sight