Latest news with #trivia
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Did you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Earlier today I set you five 'Kennections', a puzzle devised by legendary US quiz show contestant and host Ken Jennings. Each challenge consists of five trivia questions, whose answers share a common theme. Here they are again. Immediately below each Kennection I have put the answers to the trivia questions. To find the common theme, however, you need to scroll all the way down to the bottom. Hopefully, this gives you the fun of trying to find the theme if the questions left you scratching your heads. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers: 1. Golf 2. November 3. Tango 4. Zulu 5. Charlie QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? ANSWERS: 1. The Mad Hatter 2. Scarecrow 3. Poison Ivy 4. Penguin 5. Joker QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile metal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? ANSWERS 1. Sword 2. Gold 3. Juno 4. Utah 5. Omaha QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers: 1. Bay 2. Rosemary 3. Dill 4. Basil 5. Mint QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers 1. Sydney 2. Marley 3. Pip, 4. Tiny Tim 5. David Copperfield KENNECTIONS: D-Day beaches; Batman villains; Letters in the phonetic radio alphabet; Herbs; Dickens characters. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles, which is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
CBC
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How well do you know Mark Connolly?
After 12 years hosting Edmonton AM — and 37 years working at CBC — Mark Connolly has decided to retire at the end of July. To celebrate his time at CBC, we've put together a trivia contest for his loyal fans to see who knows him best. Take the quiz for a chance to win a CBC prize pack.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ken you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Jeopardy! is the long-running US quiz show where contestants are given an answer and must respond with a question for that answer. 'Ken Jennings', for example, is the correct answer to the following question: Who holds the record for most Jeopardy! wins in a row – 74 episodes in 2004 – and since 2023 has been its sole presenter? And it is also the answer to this question: Which US TV personality is the author of the Kennection, a pleasurable conundrum that mixes trivia and problem solving and which appears in this column today? Below are five Kennections. Each one consists of five questions, whose answers share a common theme. Can you find it? You don't need to answer all the questions correctly, but it helps. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile medal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? I'll be back at 5pm UK with the answers. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Instead kentribute your own similar kenundrums. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections, which has one thousand of them. His knowledge of trivia is unparalleled, but what I loved more is his ingenuity and wit in choosing the themes. The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ken you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Jeopardy! is the long-running US quiz show where contestants are given an answer and must respond with a question for that answer. 'Ken Jennings', for example, is the correct answer to the following question: Who holds the record for most Jeopardy! wins in a row – 74 episodes in 2004 – and since 2023 has been its sole presenter? And it is also the answer to this question: Which US TV personality is the author of the Kennection, a pleasurable conundrum that mixes trivia and problem solving and which appears in this column today? Below are five Kennections. Each one consists of five questions, whose answers share a common theme. Can you find it? You don't need to answer all the questions correctly, but it helps. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile medal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? I'll be back at 5pm UK with the answers. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Instead kentribute your own similar kenundrums. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections, which has one thousand of them. His knowledge of trivia is unparalleled, but what I loved more is his ingenuity and wit in choosing the themes. The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘One last nervous wee and bam!': what it's like winning Mastermind Australia
'Sure, happy to help' is probably my most frequent utterance and is responsible for a lot of good trouble in my life. It's how I met my wife, landed my dream job and ended up as this season's champion of Australia's toughest quizshow, Mastermind. I've been fortunate enough to work at AFTRS, the Australian Film Television and Radio School, for the last seven years. One of my former students, Beatrice, emailed to ask if I'd share a casting call for Mastermind Australia with everyone at work. But when I did, I was surprised to see the smartest and most eloquent people I know respond with a flicker of panic – as though they were already in the chair – followed by a polite 'no'. As a recovering people-pleaser, I put in an application myself. And a few weeks later, after a trivia test where I scored a paltry six out of 10, I got the call. I was in. For those unfamiliar with Mastermind Australia, four contenders each face a two-minute round of questions on a specialist subject of their choosing, then 90 seconds of general knowledge. The winner progresses to the weekly final, where they face a two-minute general knowledge round, then a round called the Slow Burn, during which the contenders are given 10 clues to identify something in a specific category, such as books, food, landmarks, inventions; the fewer clues you need, the more points you get for a correct answer. The winner of that weekly final then progresses to a semi-final with new specialist subject and general knowledge rounds. The four semi-final winners then compete in the grand final with a third specialist subject, a Slow Burn round and a general knowledge round. Across 85 episodes, that's 240 contestants competing for one trophy. My top picks for my specialist subjects – Golden Age Simpsons (seasons four to 10, fight me) and the Game of Thrones novels – were too popular. Instead, the producers seized on my third choice: the Jack Parlabane novels by Scottish crime author Christopher Brookmyre. For a show where Welsh narrow-gauge railways was once a subject, my fears this choice was too niche were unfounded. Rereading the nine Parlabane novels was a joy, but this time I was on the lookout for anything that might make an interesting trivia question. For example, a major reveal in Country of the Blind involves the song Arena; I had a hunch it might come up, but couldn't recall the band (Skids). Sure enough, it did – but thankfully it was the song title they were after. To memorise publication dates, I linked each book to where I was in life when I read it. For example, Dead Girl Walking came out in 2015, when I was in a long-distance relationship and working a job I hated. Contestants are given a source material list to prepare from, but it's still unnerving to publicly declare yourself an expert in something, only to have a professional quiz writer say, 'Oh really? Hold my beer.' Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Trivia is one of the few socially acceptable ways to be an insufferable know-it-all, and I've always been blessed with a good memory, so I didn't overly prepare for general knowledge; I played a few Identify This Flag-type quiz games and looked up who's on the $50 note. I focused instead on what I could control: my specialist subject. When filming day arrived, I was more nervous about letting Beatrice down than anything else. I had a very pleasant chat with the other contenders in the green room, though I could sense the crew had been directed not to make any sudden movements, lest they rattle some already rattled people. One last nervous wee and bam! I'm under the lights and first up. Turns out that someone writing quiz questions just for me is my love language. I hit what I imagine is flow state (possibly dissociation) before … Beep-beep-beep. No passes. All correct. Fourteen points. I needed five correct answers in general knowledge to win the episode and managed six, taking me straight to the weekly final. Until I saw the episode weeks later, I couldn't tell you a single one of the questions. I was thrilled to come back as a finalist and, when I did, I was more shocked than anyone to nail my general knowledge round, scoring 14 before we even got to the Slow Burn. Correctly identifying 'cringe' as both a genre of comedy and a word that you can remove a letter from to become an anagram of 'nicer' won me a slot in the semi-final. Now I needed to pick (and study simultaneously) two new specialist subjects. The semi-final was surprisingly the most nerve-racking, as my motivation wasn't 'win a quizshow', but 'please let me play one more time'. If I didn't nail the movies of Kevin Smith, one of my new subjects, I'd never get to the Preacher comics of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, my grand final specialist subject. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Sixteen points was my reward for a gloriously misspent youth behind the counter at Video Ezy in Crows Nest. To say Kevin Smith was influential on my life is akin to saying Quentin Tarantino likes feet – correct, but woefully understated. Revisiting his films took me back to what made me want to make movies in the first place. I only got one answer wrong, which felt like a fitting tribute to one of my heroes. I held my nerve – again, I have no memory of the questions asked – and earned enough points in my general knowledge round to advance to the grand final. They sat my family directly behind the host Marc Fennell. No pressure. For the grand final, I'd taken care to study issue titles, forewords and publication dates, not just plot and character, which was vindicated mightily when I was asked, 'What kind of animal is Charlie?' Answer: he is Ennis's (fictional) pet mongoose. Beep-beep-beep. A perfect round and another 16 points. My fellow finalist Laura crushed it with 14 correct answers about the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice and Simone nailed her round on the movies of Matthew McConaughey with 14 points. Steve didn't do as well on the speeches of JFK – but everything can change with Slow Burn. I had the last choice and ended up with 'Franchise' as my Slow Burn category. The answer is invariably something you have at least heard of; however, the clues to get you there start very obscure. Consequently, I needed six clues to get Star Wars, putting me equal to Simone and Laura with 20 points each going into the final general knowledge round. Laura pulled off impressive nine correct answers, so the pressure was on. I know at least one answer was Florence, as my father barely resisted heckling when I got it wrong, but otherwise it was a total blur. Once I returned to Earth, I learned that I was two points ahead with 11 correct answers. Marc asked me how I felt about Simone going next and I said, 'well, she's very impressive'. Someone in the audience laughed. My wife told me later that it had sounded like I had arrogantly said 'that's very impressive' of my own score. Trash talk is definitively not my style and certainly not very Mastermind. I distinctly remember thinking, 'you might have this' for the first time in the whole competition, but I was terrified of getting ahead of myself. Within seconds of meeting in the green room, Simone, Laura, Steve and I had bonded over this very unique shared experience we were all having. All of us said that by now we really didn't care who won. As I watched Simone's score grow, I couldn't concentrate enough to count her correct answers as I was cheering her on in my head. Beep-beep-beep. Nine points for Simone. Tears sprang to my eyes and my ears started ringing. In a daze I stood up as confetti cannon went off and I was handed the bowl I had seen on TV for years. There are fewer Mastermind Australia winners in the world than people who have walked on the moon – which, come to think of it, is a great trivia question. My win hasn't really sunk in yet, I think due to a combination of impostor syndrome and sheer disbelief that I even ended up on a quizshow. The whole experience has reinforced for me how important it is to be curious and to love things. My fellow grand finalists had such generosity of spirit and an infectious enthusiasm – they seem like people who say 'sure, happy to help' a lot too. Mastermind Australia is on SBS and SBS OnDemand
