Playwrights by Plays
French, in English
D.C. Metro
The Obama Years
Inventors
100

"Pygmalion"; "Arms and the Man"; "Major Barbara"

Who is George Bernard Shaw?

100

This phrase for a social slip-up comes from the French for "false step."

What is faux pas?

100

King Street and Braddock Road are the only two stations to have this roof style, named for the municipality they both lie in.

What is Alexandria Peak?

100

After Hillary Clinton departed her job as Secretary of State, this man helped put together the Iran nuclear deal.

Who is John Kerry?

100

He's better known for developing a "spotty" means of communication, but he also worked with Sir Charles Wheatstone to develop the telegraph.

Who is Samuel Finley Breese Morse?

200

"Lady Windermere's Fan"; "An Ideal Husband"; "The Importance of Being Earnest"

Who is Oscard Wilde?

200

Originally French for "left", this word means unsophisticated and socially clumsy in English.

What is gauche?

200

Pentagon and this station are the only two on the whole network to feature split-level designs; that is, where the same lines run on different levels to avoid an at-grade crossing.

What is Rosslyn?

200

While we mostly know it as Obamacare, the full and complete name of that law is a bit longer.

What is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

200

We're familiar with today's Jenners, but let's take a moment to remember Edward Jenner, who created the first vaccine combatting this disease.

What is smallpox?

300

"The Cherry Orchard"; "Uncle Vanya"; "Three Sisters"

Who is Anton Chekhov?

300

The phrase "pret-a-porter" is a great one for anyone who's into fast fashion, as it means the clothes are this.

What is "ready to wear"?

300

There's a great deal of fanfare around the Silver Line, but many are also excited about this station, which will soon open on the Blue and Yellow lines between Braddock Road and National Airport.

What is Potomac Yard?

300

At a memorial service after the Charleston, South Carolina church shooting, Obama famously sang this hymn.

What is "Amazing Grace"?

300

Let's sail up the Mississippi or to the Erie Canal in the steamboat, invented by this man in 1786.

Who is John Fitch?

400

(Daily Double)

"Ghosts"; "Peer Gynt"; "A Doll's House"

Who is Henrik Ibsen?

400

If you're meeting up with some friends, you might be having one of these; so are Rochambeau and the Continental Army, according to "Hamilton".

What is rendezvous?

400

"Rush" service, denoted by a dashed line on the map, used to be common and on almost every line; today, it's only on this one.

What is the Yellow Line?
400

One of Obama's most famous legacy points is his reopening of diplomatic talks with this Caribbean nation, famous for their cigars.

What is Cuba?

400

You'll have to look deep down at the details to find this object, invented by Zacharias Janssen in 1590.

What is a compound microscope?

500

"Agamemnon"; "Seven Against Thebes"; "The Persians"

Who is Aeschylus?

500

We understand RSVP as an order to confirm your attendance at an event, but it is originally a French acronym standing for this.

What is "répondez s'il vous plaît"?

500

This Red Line station tried to ban outdoor smoking; I guess that's what you get when you have such a buddy-buddy name.

What is Friendship Heights?

500

Obama promised to protect this service program by funding it adequately; he gave thanks to its NCCC and VISTA sub-programs often.

What is AmeriCorps?

500

(Daily Double)


Though he was mainly interested in surveying, this Massachusetts-born soldier also invented the typewriter.

Who is William Burt?