WORDS GONE WILD
What is the opposite of “generous”?
Stingy / selfish.
Which country is shaped roughly like a long, narrow strip along the western coast of South America?
Chile.
Which fictional character lives at 221B Baker Street?
Sherlock Holmes.
What part of the human body contains the smallest bones?
The ear.
If you overtake the person who is in second place in a race, what position are you in?
Second place.
If someone is described as “witty,” what does it usually mean?
They are clever and funny with words.
Which city is famous for its canals and gondolas?
Venice.
Which movie features the fictional kingdom of Wakanda?
Black Panther.
What is the hardest natural substance/material on Earth?
Diamond.
A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many sheep are left?
Nine.
What does the idiom “to be on the same page” mean?
To have the same understanding or opinion.
Which famous physicist developed the theory of relativity?
Albert Einstein.
Which actor played both Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands?
Johnny Depp.
What gas makes up most of Earth's atmosphere: oxygen or nitrogen?
Nitrogen.
You have one match and enter a dark room containing a candle, an oil lamp, and a fireplace. What do you light first?
The match.
What is the difference between “historic” and “historical”?
Historic means important or significant in history; historical means related to history.
Which country has the cities of Auckland and Wellington?
New Zealand.
Which TV series follows a chemistry teacher who becomes involved in the illegal drug trade?
Breaking Bad.
Why do astronauts appear to float inside the International Space Station?
They are experiencing microgravity / continuous free fall around Earth.
A man shaves several times a day, but still has a beard. Who is he?
A barber.
The English word “salary” has an ancient connection to something that was once extremely valuable and sometimes given to Roman soldiers. What was it?
The word salary is historically connected to Latin salarium, associated with payments related to salt.
Which famous composer continued composing music even after becoming largely deaf?
Ludwig van Beethoven.
Which movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020 and became the first non-English-language film to win the award?
Parasite.
Why can you see lightning before you hear thunder?
Light travels much faster than sound.
You are given three boxes. One contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both. All three labels are wrong. You can take one fruit from one box without looking inside. How can you correctly label all three boxes?
Take one fruit from the box labeled “Apples & Oranges.” Since all labels are wrong, that box cannot contain both. If you pull out an apple, that box must be Apples. Then the box labeled Oranges cannot be oranges, so it must be Apples & Oranges, leaving the last box as Oranges. The same logic works if you pull an orange.