Solution to the Multiple Choice Quiz

Question 1:

In a world where Leap Year falls on Christmas, Abigail Adams was born on New Year’s Day. Gerard Depardieu was born on Independence Day. Immanuel Kant was born on Veteran’s Day.

Ethan Allen was born on:

1. Thanksgiving
2. MLK Day
3. May Day
4. Easter

Solution:  Abigail Adams was born on New Year’s Day.  A.A. born on 1/1.  Gerard Depardieu was born on Independence Day. G. D. born on 7/4.  Immanuel Kant was born on 9/11. I. K. born on 9/11.  People are born on the date equivalent to their initials. Ethan Allen was born on 5/1. (Leap Year, L. Y. falls on Christmas 12/25.)

Question 2:

Author’s Blurb, Cabbie’s Ford, Eskimo’s Scarf…

1. Goalie’s Catch
2. Brother’s Lunch
3. Mechanic’s Idea
4. General’s Junk

Solution:  Author’s Blurb, Cabbie’s Ford, Eskimo’s Scarf…

Question 3:

Morty Sims loves huge helpings of food, loose women, and watching TV all day. And yet…

1. He’s friendly to everyone
2. He doesn’t want to pay for anything
3. He’s a multimillionaire
4. He hates bullies

Solution: “Morty Sims” suggests “mortal sins,” of which three are listed: gluttony, lechery, and sloth. Only choice two is another sin, avarice.

Question 4: Charleston, Indianapolis, Toledo, Ithaca, Evansville, ...

1. Northampton
2. East Hampton
3. Southampton
4. West Hampton

Solution: Charleston, Indianapolis, Toledo, Ithaca, Evansville, ...Southampton finishes the word CITIES.

Question 5:

Overheard, Doubted, Indicted, Acknowledged, ...

1. Convicted
2. Exonerated
3. Imprisoned
4. Beheaded

Solution: Overheard has an unpronounced A, Doubted has an unpronounced B, Indicted has an unpronounced C, Acknowledged has an unpronounced D, ... only Imprisoned has the necessary unpronounced E.

Question 6:

Batman is useless, powerless, and insane; Iron Man is phony, depressing, and dark; Spider Man is sweeter but even darker; Superman is ...

1. Dark in the latest version.
2. Dark and deep, like a basement.
3. Dark as the night is long.
4. Pitch black.

Solution:  First and las names rhyme with first and last syllables in the description. BRUCE WAYNE is USEless, powerless, and inSANE; TONY STARK is PHONY, depressing, and DARK; PETER PARKER is SWEETER but even DARKER; CLARK KENT is ...

Question 7:

The opposite of the mnemonic "Charlie Tried Prune Juice For His Cough," is ...

1. Thirty days hath September...
2. Mother Very Easily Made a Jam Sandwich...
3. Monday's child is fair of face...
4. GAS PILE

Solution: Choice 1 is a mnemonic for the days in each month.  It can’t really have an opposite, per se. Neither can the planets or the graces of children. GAS PILE is a mnemonic for the seven deadly sins, which are opposed by the cardinal virtues: Courage, Temperance, Prudence, Justice, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Question 8: 

 I am away for the entire summer: July, June, and August. I will eat lunch, dinner, and breakfast on the deck. Dinner is usually a salad, followed by an entree, dessert, and then an appetizer. I am busy weekdays, Friday through Saturday, but you can join me on the weekend, ...

1. Tuesday and Wednesday
2. Monday and Sunday
3. Thursday and Wednesday
4. Sunday and Thursday

Solution: Each list (July, June, August; lunch, dinner, breakfast; salad, entrée, dessert, appetizer) is ordered by word length, shortest to longest, with ties in alphabetical order. Ordering the days of the week in this way gives you a ‘weekend’ of Thursday and Wednesday.

Question 9:

Donald and Hillary argued in the kitchen: it was a draw.

Donald and Hillary battled in the dining room: she won.

Donald and Hillary debated on the stairs: he won.

Donald and Hillary face off at noon...   

1. She'll win.
2. He'll win
3. It'll be a draw.
4. I never vote; it only encourages them.

Solution: Donald wins when the same letter appears at the beginning and the end of a word, as in Donald, debated, and stairs. Hillary wins on double letters, as in Hillary, battled, and dining room. Argued and kitchen have neither of these, so it’s a draw. Face off and noon have both, so again it’s a draw.

Question 10:

One man goes swimming, two go waterskiing, and four go diving.

Five and six go....

1. Swimming
2. Waterskiing
3. Diving
4. None of the above

Solution: Roman numerals for each number appear in the corresponding activity. One man goes swimming, two go waterskiing, and four go diving. Diving also contains five (v) and six (vi).

Question 11: 

St. Francis: “I’ll have fries with that, please.”

St. Bernard: “Make them very well done, please.”

St. Matthew: “How much change will I get back from $2.00?”

St. Nicholas:

1. "None."
2. "5 cents."
3. "10 cents."
4. "25 cents."  

Solution: The saints’ names begin with France, Burn, Math, and Nickle. France wants fries, Burn wants them well done, Math asks about subtraction, and Nickle replies, 5 cents.

Question 12:

Old MacDonald had a monstrous cow, a glow-in-the-dark pig, an unbalanced sheep, twenty-eight horses, and…

1. A waterproof dog.
2. A psychoanalytic cat.
3. An emphatic mouse.
4. A migraine headache.

Solution: Animal sounds.  Old MacDonald had a monstrous cow, a glow-in-the-dark pig, an unbalanced sheep, twenty-eight horses, and… a waterproof dog