Tickling the Ivories
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Presidential Resumés
Mind Over Matter
A Rose By Any Other Name...
200

The phrase "tickling the ivories" comes from the fact that piano keys used to be made out of ivory, which was made from this part of an elephant.

What is the tusk?

200

If you've ever been to "The Big Apple", you've been to this city, which shares its name with its state.

What is New York City?

200

The third president of the United States; before that he was a fierce rival of his fellow cabinet member Hamilton.

Who is Thomas Jefferson?

200

Scientists believe that this event created all the matter in the universe.

What is the Big Bang?

200

If you've ever tried to pick a rose, you might have been pricked by this.

What is a thorn?

400

Meaning "soft-loud", this is the full name of the piano.

What is the pianoforte?

400

This holiday is celebrated on January 1st, and it usually involves staying up until midnight.

What is New Year's Day?

400

The forty-fourth president of the United States; he was the first African-American president of our country.

Who is Barack Obama?

400

There are four states of matter; solid, liquid, gas, and this state of matter, where the matter is separated into ions and electrons.

What is plasma?

400

Rose is the central character of this Styne and Sondheim musical.

What is Gypsy?

600

There are traditionally three pedals on the piano; the soft pedal, the sostenuto pedal, and this pedal that keeps the notes held after you let go.

What is the sustain pedal?

600

This Broadway musical taking place in NYC features Jeremy Jordan as the lead in the original Broadway cast.

What is Newsies?

600

The thirty-seventh president of the United States; he resigned from office so he wouldn't be impeached.

Who is Richard Nixon?

600
An area with no matter in it could be called this; or you could use it to clean your rug.

What is a vacuum?

600

It's a part of your body, but it's also a part of a rose often used to make tea.

What is a rose hip?

800

In a grand piano, the strings are placed horizontally; in this more compact piano, the strings are placed vertically, giving it it's name.

What is an upright piano?

800

This American actor founded a salad dressing company that bears his name.

Who is Paul Newman?

800

The sixteenth president of the United States; he was the first president to be assassinated.

Who is Abraham Lincoln?

800

This word, meaning "indivisible" in Greek, was coined by the ancient Greeks as the final, indivisible unit of matter.

What is an atom?

800

The hit single Kiss From a Rose was released by this artist in July of 1994.

Who is Seal?

1000

While a piano is categorized as a percussion instrument, this closely related instrument is categorized as a string instrument because the strings are plucked instead of hit.

What is the harpsichord?

1000

Talking Heads and Tears for Fears were two of the bands that were part of this 1980's music movement.

What is new wave?

1000

The twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States; he was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Who is Grover Cleveland?

1000

This is the only substance for which if you take the solid form and you place it in the liquid form, it will float.

What is water?

1000

"A rose by any other name..." begins this iconic Romeo and Juliet quote.

What is "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"?