Just joining us? Check out the full info and first set of questions in our Glorious Wombat File 2005/2006 Quiztacular -- our second December-Januaryish battle royale of nearly-nonsensical questions with factual answers.
I want to begin by thanking those brave enough to submit a raft of pre-clue round 1 answers. You people are the real Wombats -- all of you! Any answers you revise at this point are submitted for half-credit. You are free to let stand some and revise others -- full credit will remain for any answer you gave before now.
If, on the other hand, you're just waking up from a bender that began in a Red Hook dive at 8:43 PM on December 31, and is now just finishing up in, say, Harbin, China, I assure you -- there's still time to play! Send your post-clue answers before tomorrow at midnight to get in on Round 1. At this this stage of the game, each is worth a possible 20 points.
And remember, folks, this is the first of FOUR rounds -- so, there's plenty of time to get in the game if you didn't feel fantastic about this set of questions.
Enough palaver from the host -- on to the clues (again, the original questions are here):
1. The "chain" is virtual -- a product of measurements -- and its purpose was scientific.
2. One of these -- Starfish Prime -- directly influenced Hawaii's power system, albeit briefly.
3. He performed the Oscar-winner for Best Song in 1963, "Days of Wine and Roses." The previous year he had also sung the winner of best song, and with the same composers. That song became his signature hit.
4. To date, only four individuals have lost their lives in this sport at the facility Coats speaks of here, in the Engadine valley. Before novices can first use it, they must attend the infamous "death talk", at which they are shown x-rays of injuries sustained by some of those who have gone before.
5. The novel was the author's first foray into "science fiction," and its two sequels were his last. He is best known first for his work in a related genre of fiction, and secondly for his extensive publication of nonfiction.
6. You can by this product at many supermarkets, and in fact the Wombat has some in his house. The gentian extract provides both aroma and flavor.
7. The defeat of this individual's forces was celebrated in the political slogan "Tippecanoe, and Tyler Too!", which was used by the victorious leader in a later electoral campaign.
8. The substance in question is regulated in the United States of America, and is derived from the nightshade family of flowering plants.
9. Two of the answers are South American countries, and three are European -- although the European-ness of one of those three is perhaps a matter of perspective.
10. Sample dialogue from two well-known characters:
Character 1: "Fearless Leader, here?"
Character 2 "He's doing a guest shot in this episode." (A gunshot noise is heard) "There goes a guest now."
There. Those should clear up any lingering difficulties.
Remember, all answers should be submitted to bt AT wombatfile DOT com (with "quiz" in the subject line) by 12:01 AM EST on Friday. I'll post a tally of current scores as early on Friday as I can possibly get to it.
Posted by BT at January 05, 2006 12:07 AM