01/02/2002

American History Quiz

NBA Quiz: Who had the higher career scoring average with
each pairing? At least 2.0 points per game separates them and it
only includes NBA stats (no ABA). [Also, average entering
2001-02 season for active players.]

Karl Malone or Moses Malone?
Dominique Wilkins or Julius Erving?
Jerry West or Adrian Dantley?
Larry Bird or Elgin Baylor?
Pete Maravich or George Gervin?
David Robinson or Bob Lanier?
Clyde Drexler or Bernard King?

Bonus question: Who is the only player with an under 15 ppg
career average who also scored at least 20,000 points? Answers
below.

American History Quiz

I first ran this in July 2000, but with all the recent talk about
Lynne Cheney''s American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a
nonprofit group that promotes liberal-arts study, I thought it was
important to repeat it. [Plus, I have a ton of new readers who
didn''t see it the first time.] The point is that a survey was
administered to 556 seniors at 55 leading colleges and
universities, including Harvard and Princeton. The results
(which I list below the answers to the NBA Quiz) are pitiful.
Hopefully, you do better than most of the students did.

1. When was the Civil War?
a. 1750-1800
b. 1800-1850
c. 1850-1900
d. 1900-1950
e. after 1950

2. Who said "Give me liberty or give me death?"
a. John Hancock
b. James Madison
c. Patrick Henry
d. Samuel Adams

3. What is the Magna Carta?
a. The foundation of the British parliamentary system
b. The Great Seal of the monarchs of England
c. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man
d. The charter signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower

4. The term Reconstruction refers to:
a. Payment of European countries'' debts to the United
States after the First World War
b. Repairing of the physical damage caused by the Civil
War
c. Readmission of the Confederate states and the protection
of the rights of black citizens
d. Rebuilding of the transcontinental railroad and the canal
system

5. Are Beavis and Butthead.
a. A radio show
b. Television cartoon characters
c. A musical group
d. Fictional soldiers

6. The Scopes trial was about:
a. Freedom of the press
b. Teaching evolution in the schools
c. Prayer in the schools
d. Education in private schools

7. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln stated that:
a. Slaves were free in areas of the Confederate states not
held by the Union
b. The slave trade was illegal
c. Slaves who fled to Canada would be protected
d. Slavery was abolished in the Union

8. The purpose of the authors of the Federalist Papers was to:
a. Establish a strong, free press in the colonies
b. Confirm George Washington''s election as the first
president
c. Win foreign approval for the Revolutionary War
d. Gain ratification of the U.S. Constitution

9. Sputnik was the name given to the first:
a. Telecommunications system
b. Animal to travel into space
c. Hydrogen bomb
d. Man-made satellite

10. The Missouri Compromise was the act that:
a. Funded the Lewis and Clark expedition on the upper
Missouri River
b. Granted statehood to Missouri but denied the admission
of any other states
c. Settled the boundary dispute between Missouri and
Kansas
d. Admitted Maine into the Union as a free state and
Missouri as a slave state

11. Which document established the division of powers between
the states and the federal government?
a. The Marshall Plan
b. The Constitution
c. The Declaration of Independence
d. The Articles of Confederation

12. When was Thomas Jefferson president?
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880

13. What was the lowest point in American fortunes in the
Revolutionary War?
a. Saratoga
b. Bunker Hill
c. Valley Forge
d. Fort Ticonderoga

14. In his farewell address, President George Washington warned
against the danger of:
a. Expanding into territories beyond the Appalachian
Mountains
b. Having war with Spain over Mexico
c. Entering into permanent alliances with foreign
governments
d. Building a standing army and strong navy

15. The Monroe Doctrine declared that:
a. The American blockade of Cuba was in accord with
international law
b. Europe should not acquire new territories in Western
Hemisphere
c. Trade with China should be open to all Western nations
d. The annexation of the Philippines was legitimate

16. Who was the European who traveled in the United States and
wrote down perceptive comments about what he saw in
"Democracy in America?"
a. Lafayette
b. Tocqueville
c. Crevecoeur
d. Napoleon

17. Identify Snoop Doggy Dog
a. A rap singer
b. Cartoon by Charles Schultz
c. A mystery series
d. A jazz pianist

18. Abraham Lincoln was president between:
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880

19. Who was the American general at Yorktown?
a. William T. Sherman
b. Ulysses S. Grant
c. Douglas MacArthur
d. George Washington

20. John Marshall was the author of:
a. Roe v. Wade
b. Dred Scott v. Kansas
c. Marbury v. Madison
d. Brown v. Board of Education

21. Who was the "Father of the Constitution?"
a. George Washington
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. James Madison

22. Who said, "I regret that I have only one life to give for my
country?"
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Benedict Arnold
c. John Brown
d. Nathan Hale

23. What was the source of the following: "Government of the
people, by the people, for the people?"
a. The speech: "I Have A Dream"
b. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address

24. Who was the second president of the U.S.?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. John Adams
d. Benjamin Franklin

25. Who was the president when the U.S. purchased the Panama
Canal?
a. Theodore Roosevelt
b. Jimmy Carter
c. Franklin D. Roosevelt
d. Woodrow Wilson

26. Who was the leading advocate for the U.S. entry into the
League of Nations?
a. George C. Marshall
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Henry Cabot Lodge
d. Eleanor Roosevelt

27. Who said, "Speak softly but carry a big stick?"
a. William T. Sherman
b. Sitting Bull
c. John D. Rockefeller
d. Theodore Roosevelt

28. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:
a. The Vietnam War
b. World War II
c. World War I
d. The Civil War

29. Which of the following was a prominent leader of the
Abolitionist Movement?
a. Malcolm X
b. Martin Luther King Jr.
c. W.E.B. Du Bois
d. Frederick Douglass

30. Who was the president of the United States at the beginning
of the Korean War?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Harry Truman

31. When the United States entered World War II, which two
major nations were allied with Germany?
a. Italy and Japan
b. Italy and Poland
c. Italy and Russia
d. Russia and Japan

32. Social legislation passed under President Lyndon B.
Johnson''s Great Society program included:
a. The Sherman Antitrust Act
b. The Voting Rights Act
c. The Tennessee Valley Authority
d. The Civilian Conservation Corps

33. Who was "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his
countrymen?"
a. George Washington
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Abraham Lincoln

34. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United
States entered World War II?
a. Peter Ustinov
b. Nikita Khruschchev
c. Marshall Tito
d. Joseph Stalin

*The Snoop Doggy Dog and Beavis questions were legit. The
Council felt they had to give the kids something they could get
right! Answers below.

Lots of Stuff

--In 2001 the Teaneck, NJ municipal building received a strange
package that caused a bit of a panic and led to its evacuation.
The package contained 4,400 pennies that were sent by a man
paying his parking ticket. [Neil Genzlinger / NY Times]

--Best-Named Suspect of the Year: Police in Minneapolis found
4,200 images of child pornography on a professor''s computer at
the Univ. of Minnesota and arrested the 58-year-old classics
professor: Richard Pervo. (He later pled guilty). [Chuck
Shepherd / Washington Post]

--Steve Rushin had a piece in Sports Illustrated filled with
quirky, real life stuff, among which was:

Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie was asked on "The
Weakest Link," "Which Roosevelt was elected president as a
Republican?" She replied, "JFK."

On the same program, Charlotte Hornets guard Baron Davis was
asked in what Maryland city the U.S. Naval Academy is located.
His reply? "Maryland."

Rushin also honored "The worldwide leader in horribly
inappropriate bumper music".A Father''s Day feature on ESPN
with footage of famous athletes with their dads or children, set to
Marvin Gaye''s rendition of "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By
You." Gaye was murdered by his father.

--A Days Inn in Hicksville, New York (Long Island) was
recently fined $9,500 by the State of New York for gouging
guests following the Twin Towers attack. An investigation
found that some rooms that normally went for $139 a night
jumped to as much as $399. The assistant general manager said
it was an "oversight."

--O.K., just so I have it for the archives. Buffalo had 82" of
snow in 5 days, including 35" in one 24-hour period, the second
worst ever. The 83+" for the month of December made it by far
the snowiest month in Buffalo history. And, you''ll recall, that
the city had just had its first snowless November and only 1.2"
up to December 23rd.

--Well, sorry baseball fans, but New York is going to
monopolize the coverage once again this year. Between the Mets
and Yankees you have new additions like Jason Giambi, Mo
Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, and David Wells. And then you have
a very pissed off Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo,
who thought he had signed Wells, before George Steinbrenner
stole him back. Airport security better do a good job frisking
Colangelo if he ventures to New York anytime soon.

--New Orleans Saints wide receiver Albert Connell surrendered
to police after arrest warrants were issued accusing him of
stealing $4,000 from teammate Deuce McAllister (two separate
incidents; one from the locker, another from McAllister''s car).

--Hey, how about Butler? 13-0, including a win over Indiana.
Of course us Demon Deacon fans are still stinging (and will be
for 40 years) over Butler''s 43-10 first half dismantling of Wake
Forest in the NCAA''s last year.

--For the record, when Michael Jordan scored just 6 points the
other night, it broke an 866-game streak of 10 or more. He then
scored 51 the next night. Guess I was wrong in thinking he''d
retire, again, before the season ended.

--U2 led all bands last year with 2001 concert tour receipts of
$109 mm. ''N Sync was next at $87 mm, but only 9 of 43 shows
were sold out. The Backstreet Boys were third with $82 mm. [I
can never get those last two groups straight, not that I care, mind
you.]

--Harry K. passed along a story about raccoons that have been
breaking into homes in Fort Myers, FL. But these are no
ordinary raids, the varmints are going specifically after bread and
beer. Harry wonders if they are bringing their own openers,
seeing as they mastered pop-top cans years ago, along with every
garbage-can closure device known to man.

Top 3 songs for the week of 12/31/60: #1 "Are You Lonesome
Tonight?" (Elvis) #2 "Wonderland By Night" (Bert Kaempfert)
#3 "Last Date" (Floyd Cramer)

NBA Quiz Answers: Higher scoring average -
Karl Malone 25.9 / Moses Malone 20.6
Dominique Wilkins 24.8 / Julius Erving 22.0
Jerry West 27.0 / Adrian Dantley 24.3
Elgin Baylor 27.4 / Larry Bird 24.3
George Gervin 26.2 / Pete Maravich 24.2
David Robinson 22.8 / Bob Lanier 20.1
Bernard King 22.5 / Clyde Drexler 20.4

Bonus Question: Robert Parish had over 20,000 career points,
but only a 14.5 avg. The next lowest on the 20,000+ list is Tom
Chambers at 18.1.

American History Quiz Answers:
*The number next to the correct answer is the percentage of the
556 students who got it right.

1) C/60 2) C/66 3) A/56 4) C/29 5) B/99 6) B/61 7) A/26 8)
D/53 9) D/89 10) D/52 11) B/60 12) B/45 13) C/38 14)
C/52 15) B/62 16) B/49 17) A/98 18) E/44 19) D/34 20) C/33
21) D/23 22) D/40 23) D/22 24) C/73 25) A/53 26) B/69 27)
D/70 28) B/37 29) D/73 30) D/35 31) A/67 32) B/30 33) A/42
34) D/72


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