World Geography
The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States. In which states does it start and end?
What was the profession of Anton Chekhov and Mikhail Bulgakov, before devoting their lives to writing?
Both were doctors.
Who is the only basketball player in NBA history to win the scoring title (he averaged the most points with 33.6 per game) and win Defensive Player of the Year in the same season?
Michael Jordan.
Soups and Stews
a) In New England, they use cream. In Manhattan, they use tomato. In Rhode Island, believe it or not, they use broth. What are all these people cooking?
b) A distinctive feature of this soup popular throughout Russia and the Russian-speaking world is its (cucumber) pickles. What is it?
Answer: solyanka
a) Clam Chowder.
b) Solyanka.
In The Matrix, does Neo take the blue pill or the red pill?
The red pill.
Swaziland.
In The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov likes to play with names. One character is an animal whose name means a different animal. What is the name of the character and what does his name mean?
Begemot is a large black cat. In Russian, his name means Hippopotamus.
In 2014, the Sochi Olympic Torch became the first to do what in the history of the Olympic Games?
It went to outer space.
Famous practitioners
a) This famous American cookbook author and pioneering television chef fell in love with food when she moved to France, where her husband worked at the U.S. Embassy. What is her name?
b) This man invented a salad that is eaten in Russia and all over the Slavic-language speaking world. In many places, it is known as Russian Salad. Here in Russia, it carries his last name. What is this man’s name?
a) Julia Child. (Bonus: Paul Child worked as an exhibits officer for USIA.)
b) Lucien Olivier.
What’s the name of the skyscraper in Die Hard?
Nakatomi Plaza.
Which body of water holds 20% of Earth's fresh surface water?
Lake Baikal.
In War and Peace, the last chapter foreshadows the events to come - The Decembrist uprising in 1925. Per the dialogue, who will be a future Decembrist and who swore to defend the Czar, no matter who he is?
Future Decembrist leader: Count Pierre Besuhof (and count Andrey’s son, Nikolay). Czarist: Nikolay Rostov.
Which country has won the most World Cup championships?
Brazil.
Food as Metaphor:
a) "As American as ______ (which dessert)"?
b) What kind of a coat is the herring under?
a) Apple pie.
b) A fur coat.
Which movie was incorrectly announced as the winner of Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards, during the greatest Oscars flub of all time?
La La Land. (Actual best picture winner: Moonlight.)
There are two countries in the world that are "double landlocked", meaning that they are landlocked entirely by other landlocked countries. Name one of them. (Bonus if you can name both!)
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan.
Mikhail Bulgakov, like many great men and women, struggled with addiction. What was he addicted to?
Morphine.
Which American football team is the only publicly owned franchise in the National Football League (NFL)?
The Green Bay Packers (from Green Bay, Wisconsin).
Famous foods in literature
a) What is the title of the famous American coming-of-age novel that includes the major ingredient of kvass?
b) What does Annushka spill in The Master and Margarita?
a) The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.
b) Sunflower oil.
What 1994 crime film revitalized John Travolta’s career?
Pulp Fiction.
Which South American country's capital is Montevideo?
Uruguay's.
In The Brothers Karamazov, there are four brothers. Please list the names of: the soldier, the intellectual, the priest, and the valet/cook.
Bonus: Who was the brother who committed the act of patricide?
Soldier - Dmitry Karamazov (Mitya); Intellectual- Ivan Karamazov (Vanya); Priest - Aleksei Karamazov (Alyosha); Valet/cook - Pavel Smerdyakov
Smerdyakov, the illegitimate son of Fedor Karamazov, committed the patricide.
In 2004, what major league baseball player surpassed the great Willie Mays by hitting his 661st career home run?
Barry Bonds.
The Five Senses
a) This American breakfast gravy is made from ham drippings and coffee.
b) The name of these Russian dumplings derives from the word for ear.
a) Red-eye gravy.
b) Pelmeni
What is the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time?
Joker.