Auntie's Quiz O' the Week

Last week we announced that the next quiz topic was “To Be Announced” and that’s exactly what it is. The questions and/or answers below have some connection with the three words “to,” “be,” and “announced.”

To Be (Or Not to Be) Announced

1. “To Althea in Prison,” a poem written in 1649, contains the lines: “Stone walls do not a prison make/Nor iron bars a cage.” Identify the poet.

2. Unable to make a living by renting out his little fishing boat in Key West, Harry Morgan turns to smuggling immigrants and bootleg booze in order to survive and finally comes to the realization that “A man alone ain’t got no . . .chance.” What’s the title of this 1937 novel by Ernest Hemingway and subsequent movie starring Humphrey Bogart?

3. The speaker in a work by Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) expresses frustration over being rebuffed by his teasing girlfriend. Name this poem which contains the immortal lines, “But at my back I always hear/Time’s winged chariot hurrying near.”

4. What is the title of the 1927 stream-of-consciousness work by Virginia Woolf centered around a long-postponed boat excursion?

5. For two recent decades what was the recruitment slogan of the U.S. Army?

6. Name the 20th century American poet who announced “A poem must not mean but be.”

7. In a 1971 satire, a dim-witted gardener only knows what he’s seen on television, but his tersely obtuse statements propel him into fame as a great political philosopher. Name this novel by Jerzy Kosinski, later adapted in a movie starring Peter Sellers.

8. In a 1925 poem, “Shine, Perishing Republic,” the speaker rails against his country’s vulgar and rotting culture. While holding out the seeds of hope that something better could be cultivated by his children, he advises them to keep their distance from the corruption and warns them: “And boys, be in nothing so moderate as love of man.” Name the American poet who wrote this passionate and extremely provocative poem.

9. What is the term for an introduction to a formal document, such as the U.S. Constitution, announcing its purpose and goals?

10. In the broadcasting realm, to what do the letters “PSA” refer?

11. Celebrated on March 25, what is the name of the Christian feast day which commemorates the Angel Gabriel’s message to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of the Messiah?

12. A “letter word” is an informal word that derives from pronouncing the initial letters of the words in a phrase. So what is the letter word that means an announcer,a host of a show, or a toastmaster?

13. And finally, a little musical passage once titled “First Call” or “Assembly of the Buglers” dates back to its military origin circa 1860. Now the ditty is instantly recognizable at the racetrack. What is the title of this tune, which a bugler plays to announce that the horses are about to proceed to the starting gate?


Answers
1. Richard Lovelace
2. To Have and Have Not
3. To His Coy Mistress
4. To The Lighthouse
5. “Be All tht You Can Be”
6. Archibald MacLeish
7. Being There
8. Robinson Jeffers
9. Preamble
10. Public Service Announcement
11. The Feast of the Annunciation
12. “Emcee” (from the letters “m” and “c” in “Master of Ceremonies”)
13. “Call to the Post”

Sources: (add to previously announced sources)
Oxford Companion to the English Language
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1
The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry
and the website of the Louisville Courier-Journal

Well, I knew 3, but could not for the life of me think of the title! This is the worst ever! I got 9 and 12 right,oh, and half of 11 if you count "Feast of..." which I don't. Tough one, Auntie!

Ever hear the expression, “Be careful what you wish for – you might get it?” For the past two and half months, folks living on the right-hand side of the United States complained about the atypically cool and rainy weather. “When’s summer going to get here?” they groused. Well, here it is, with enough the stickiness and soaring temperatures in its carry-on luggage to turn the most humid equatorial jungle green with envy.

The proverbial “Dog Days of August” is a bit of a misnomer. The ancient Romans were the first to use the expression because they believed that the time of Great Heat coincided with the appearance of Alpha Canis Majoris in the morning sky in which the Dog Star, the brightest celestial body in the constellation, contributed to the heat of the rising sun. The only difference is that for the Romans the Dog Days occurred in early to mid-July. I'm totally Sirius.

Unless you have a birthday this month, August is probably not your favorite – no holidays! But most folks are softies when it comes to Man’s Best Friend. To illustrate, the famous Random House publisher, Bennett Cerf once noted that books about Abraham Lincoln, doctors, and dogs never failed to do well, so a sure-fire best-seller would be a book titled Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog. (Except, I hasten to add, amongst readers who happen to be cats.)

Hence comes today’s topic, in which the questions and/or answers have some connection with the words "August" and “dog.” So before all of you throw me to the dogs, I'd better quit doggin’ around, and high-tail it to the quiz:

The Dog-gone Days of August

1. Name the seminal historical work by Barbara Tuchman about military operations in Europe during a single month in the year 1914.

2. Since he publicly hated the feminist theme inA Doll’s House, he might be called “the anti-Ibsen. Who was the Swedish playwright (1849-1912) who had a misogynous view and the strident voice of the war between the sexes in such works as Miss Julie?

3. In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, who was the constable who traded malapropisms with his partner, Verges?

4. In post WW II, American forces occupying Okinawa expect the two civilizations to clash, but instead begin to embrace the Japanese customs with open arms. Name this play by John Patrick, also a 1956 movie with the same title and starring Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando.

5.By what honorific name was the first Roman emperor (27-14 BC) known?

6. Name the acclaimed 1975 film about a bank heist executed by two lovers in order to finance a highly unusual surgical operation for one of the duo. (You might recall the most famous line in the movie was one word, “Attica!” shouted by the star Al Pacino.)

7. The conqueror introduced himself to a philosopher by saying, “I am Alexander, surnamed the Great,” to which the philosopher replied, “I am Diogenes, surnamed the Dog.” Name the school of philosophy to which Diogenes belonged, a one-word term that means “dogs” in classical Greek.

8. Who was the Doctor of the Church (354-430) whose youthful indiscretions and subsequent redemption inspired him to write the work called Confessions? One of this saint’s most famous lines was “Give me chastity and continency – but not yet!”

9. Winning several Best Picture awards, what is the 2008 film set in contemporary India about a poverty-stricken youth who becomes a contestant on a television quiz show?

10. To what was British poet Lord Byron referring in this line: “(?) ending in July/To recommence in August.” (Hint: it wasn't upstate New York.)

11. In World War II, G.I.’s wore these metal items for identification. What were they called?

12. The era of classical literature written in England between the reigns of Queen Anne and George I, encompassing works from Dryden through Johnson is known as what “Age”?

13. And finally, this was once a complimentary term for loose and irregular comic verse, but now it’s a put-down for poorly-executed, bad “poetry.” (Of course none of us have ever written anything like that!) But what’s it called?


Answers:
1. The Guns of August
2. August Strindberg
3. Dogberry
4. The Teahouse of the August Moon
5. (Caesar) Augustus
6. Dog Day Afternoon
7. Cynics
8. St. Augustine (of Hippo)
9. Slumdog Millionaire
10. “The English winter”
11. dog tags
12. Augustan Age
13. doggerel

Sources: Same as previous quizzes.

In your "to be" quiz, I got eight: 2,3,4,5,9.11,12. Only thing I could think of for PSA was the prostate test. :D.

I got seven in your August quiz: 2,5,6,8,11,12,13.

I got 8 right this time. Yippee! 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 13.

Thanks for the quiz, Auntie, and for the time you spend in putting these together. I'm sure it's not all that easy.

I only got 1, 5, 6, 9, and 11 right, but that's still a lot better than I did on the TBA quiz last week.

Thank you Quissimung, Virgil, and DickZ for giving these quizzes a try -- it makes the time spent on 'em worthwhile, though they are fun to compile!

By the bye, here's a question from the Dog Daze
quiz that was inadvertently omitted, due to absent-mindedness:

A city in eastern Georgia known for its luxuriant golf course shares its name with the capital of the
state of Maine. What is it?




answer: Augusta

It’s called “The Sport of Kings,” but thoroughbred horse racing may be one of our most democratic of spectator sports. Fans of the fast runners cut across all economic levels: from millionaire horse-owners in their private clubhouse suites and high-rolling, cigar-chomping bettors lining the rail, down to families and tourists lugging their coolers to the picnic area. The excitement is not only infectious, it’s “parimutuel!” Racing fans come in all shapes and sizes, young and old – but mostly old. Whenever the thought of my rapidly-advancing years gets me down, I head to the Off-Track Betting parlor where I'm sure to be the youngest person in the joint.

Speaking of age, the thoroughbred track at Saratoga Springs, NY can claim a history that goes all the way back to the 1860s. The larger-than-life gambler Diamond Jim Brady was a fixture at that track. In his youth Saratoga native writer Frank Sullivan (1892-1976) worked as a “pump boy” at the betting ring and once served a cup of water to legendary actress Lillian Russell. Sullivan went on to fame as a world-class humorist and writer at the New Yorker. (By the bye, when another New Yorker writer, Dorothy Parker, was asked to use the word “horticulture” in a sentence, she quipped “You can lead a hor to culture, but you can't make her think.”)

By now you can probably bet that this week’s questions and/or answers have some connection with our four-legged friends. I guess I'd better head to the starting gate before I get scratched. It is now – - Post Time!


You Can Lead a Horse to Culture

1. The opening number contains this lyric by Frank Loesser: “I got the horse right here/His name is Paul Revere.” What is this frequently-revived Broadway musical based on Damon Runyon’s colorful tales set in Manhattan?

2. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” a young boy has a mysterious way of bringing money to his financially-strapped and emotionally-bankrupt family. Name the prominent and occasionally controversial British novelist (1885-1930) who wrote this ultimately tragic short story.

3. A trilogy by Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) includes Noon Wine and Old Mortality. What is the name of the opening novella?

4. The young man famous for his movie portrayal of a boy wizard stretched his acting skills in a stage play about a psychiatrist’s patient afflicted with a bizarre fixation upon horses. What is this award-winning drama by Peter Shaffer?

5. He was the subject of a highly-respected non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand which sired an award-winning 2003 movie starring Tobey Maguire. Who was this plucky little thoroughbred who helped lift the spirits of Americans during the Great Depression?

6. “I put my money on the bobtail nag/Somebody bet on the bay” in a popular nineteenth-century American song by Stephen Foster. I'll wager you won't have to spend all the “doo-dah” day to answer this: What’s the title of the ditty?

7. Irish-born modern British author of humorous novels Joyce Cary (1888-1957) created outrageous artist Gulley Jimpson, played in the movie version by Sir Alec Guinness. What’s the title of this book and 1958 film? (Hint: if a stable-owner gives you a free animal, where should you never look?)

8. Speaking of gifts, in which two ancient works, one Greek and the other Latin, can one read the episode of the Trojan Horse?

9. In which classic Marx Brothers movie do the boys wreak their customary chaos at a track that could be Santa Anita in 1937? (Not that I was around in 1937 – I'm old, but not that old!)

10. Not long ago his likeness formed the ubiquitous logo of a gasoline company, but his origins are ancient, not modern. Who is the winged horse of Greek mythology?

11. Owned by a British prince who named him after the rare astronomical phenomenon which coincided with his birth, this horse won so many races in his life (1764-1789) that eventually no other connections wanted to compete against him. In retirement, he was so successfully at siring champions that to this day 80 to 90% of modern thoroughbreds can claim him way back in their pedigree. Who was this unique horse, for whom the annual award for the most outstanding horse in America is named?

12. Rocinante was the beloved steed of which character in a ground-breaking work of Spanish literature, appearing circa 1615?

13. And finally, in Let It Ride, a 1989 movie that enjoys cult status among racing fans, a character proclaims “There’s a fine line between winning and losing.” How does Richard Dreyfuss’s character reply? “Yeah, it’s the _________.”

Answers
1. Guys and Dolls
2. D.H. Lawrence
3. Pale Horse, Pale Rider
4. Equus
5. Seabiscuit
6. “Camptown Races”
7. The Horse’s Mouth
8. Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid
9. A Day at the Races
10. Pegasus
11. Eclipse
12. Don Quixote
13. Finish Line!

Thanks for the quiz, Auntie. The week just doesn't seem right until your quiz comes out.

I got numbers 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10.

Darn I should have gotten Seabiscuit. I enjoyed the movie, but it just wouldn't come to me. Overall I got six: 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12.

Thank you, DickZ and Virg. In general, I try to keep a semblance of a "literary" connection in each q. and a., but nonetheless I wish I'd had room to have included the following:

National Velvet
Black Beauty (by Anna Sewell)
The Sting (1973) starring Robert Redford and the late, great Paul Newman and . . . .
Bucephalus!
(Maybe they'll all gallop in some future quiz.)

Gee, Auntie - while I remember a great carousel in The Sting, which is a fantastic movie, I don't recall too many horses. Unless of course, you're referring to the racetracks that were never actually shown in the film.

Rock ‘n’ Roll pioneers Bill Haley and the Comets famously opened Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” with the line “Get out in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans!” Today, August 26, Women’s Equality Day, reminds us that we can, if we so desire, unchain ourselves from the stove. Besides, it’s too hot to cook. Nonetheless, the questions and/or answers in the quiz this time contain some form of the words “pot” or “pan.”

1. “All is the for the best in this best of all possible worlds,” said the ever-upbeat, sometimes grating mentor to Candide. (But hey, who couldn't use a supersized helping of optimism these days?) Name this character created by Voltaire 250 years ago.

2. In ancient Greece, he was the god of so much of creation –fields, meadows, forests, flocks - that his name literally meant “everything.” Who was this mythological deity, depicted as half-man, half-goat and often tootling on a pipe?

3. What’s the term for a piece of work done for no other purpose than for money, merely to keep food cooking on the stove? (It usually refers to a writer cranking out something to produce a quick sale, to keep him going to pursue loftier literary goals.)

4. With an upper case “p” it is the name Milton gave to the capital city of Hell; with a lower case initial letter, the word refers to a scene of general disruption, mayhem or chaos. What is this word, which incidentally appears in a lyric of Johnny Mercer’s “Accentuate the Positive?”

5. What was the elusive substance sought by alchemists as a literal “cure-all”?

6. Required viewing for students of the cinema, Eisenstein’s 1925 work set in Odessa about a 1905 rebellion against the Czar forever changed the art of film-making. What was the title of this silent movie, which contains the iconic and often-parodied exterior shot of a wayward baby carriage hurtling down a staircase?

7. Pantagruel was a monumental creature, son of the equally-impressive Gargantua, both designed as satirical characters to point out foibles and abuses of the status quo, circa 1532. Who was the French philosopher and writer who dreamed up these fantastic giants?

8. Who was the self-educated illustrator and artist (1866-1943) who created children’s classics such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit?

9. Her curiosity allegedly prompted her to open a container, inadvertently releasing every evil into the world (with some accounts adding that Hope remained behind.) Who was this Greek counterpart to the Biblical Eve, whose name literally means, “all-gifted?”

10. What is the term for the style of silent acting relying on gestures rather than words, once highly popular in 18th century England and with the Commedia Dell’arte? (Now it's a frequent target in stand-up monologues and cartoons, maybe because it was once called "dumb show.")

11. This figure from works about the Trojan War was once a “hero-god,” but his reputation over the centuries has deteriorated so much that a modern word derived from his name is synonymous with a salacious procurer. We can find him in the works of Boccaccio, Chaucer, and in Troilus and Cressida, the inexplicably-neglected tragedy by Shakespeare. What is his name?

12. What was the perennial 1946 movie by Frank Capra in which “Mr. Potter,” the crusty, avaricious nemesis of George Bailey, appears?

13. And finally, you won't find it at the end of this quiz, but folklore says you just might find it at the end of the rainbow. What is this elusive treasure?



Answers
1. Dr. Pangloss
2. Pan
3. Pot-boiler
4. Pandemonium
5. Panacea
6. (The Battleship) Potemkin
7. Rabelais
8. Beatrix Potter
9. Pandora
10. Pantomime
11. Pandarus
12. It’s a Wonderful Life
13. The Pot of Gold

I got 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 correct. I probably should have known 7, but c'est la vie.

Thanks, Auntie. I got 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13. So I did much better on this one than I did on the previous one.