Wow! Now that IdeaBlock has been crowned king of the inaugural Triangle Startup Trivia Tournament (sponsored by Hutchison) with a stirring 54-46 victory over StrongKey in the championship game on Friday, May 1, it’s time to look back at an epic tourney. Here’s the final bracket.
The biggest winners, of course, are the three charities to which Hutchison has graciously agreed to donate the full prize pool of $1,000. Here are the final results:
1st Place: IdeaBlock, $500 to the Community Music School of Raleigh
2nd Place: StrongKey, $350 to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies program in Raleigh
3rd Place: Momentum Learning, $150 to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
Now let’s back up to the beginning. We started with eight teams. In alphabetical order, they were:
ArenaCX
Fanalytical
IdeaBlock
InfiniaML
Klearly
Momentum
StrongKey
Vector Textiles
On to the games! And at the bottom, you can find all the questions—and answers. Note that there is plenty of Triangle startup flavor, with questions about Joe Colopy, Jud Bowman, Scot Wingo, Robbie Allen, Monica Wood, Ursula Mead and many more local luminaries. Plus: what my surname means in Gaelic! You probably won’t guess it; nobody else did.
Quarterfinal One: ArenaCX v. Vector Textiles, April 15
Through 24 of 26 questions, Vector clung to a half-point lead at 17.5-17.0 after getting a half-point for sorta naming one of the four startups that Scot Wingo has founded as “Something-Rover.” But ArenaCX pulled ahead with a perfect 5-out-of-5 score on question 25 by correctly naming in order the five largest cities in North Carolina, then tacked on eight more points in the final big-money question by showing superior knowledge of the real names (as opposed to stage names) of singers. That enabled ArenaCX to pull away to a 30-22.5 victory and become the first team to advance to the semis.
Quarterfinal Two: StrongKey v. Klearly, April 17
This contest was nip-and-tuck throughout and ended 37-all, the first tie in tournament history. (On the other hand, it also meant that fully half of all games to that point had finished in a tie.) StrongKey came out on top by winning the made-up-on-the-spot tiebreaker by outscoring Klearly 11-9 on the final question. One bittersweet note: Klearly CEO Alex Krawchick actually conceived the idea for the tournament with Triangle kingpin Robbie Allen, seeing it as a way for his team to bond, and Klearly’s Sam Cibelli has provided (and continues to provide) invaluable organizational heft. So it was sad to see them go one-and-done. On the other hand, Alex has only himself to blame since that it turned out that I had once told him that my last name meant “son of a priest” in Gaelic, but when that question appeared in the game, he lost his nerve and went for a seemingly more logical answer. Always go with your gut, Alex!
Quarterfinal Three: Momentum v. Infinia ML, April 17
In the nightcap of a Friday doubleheader, Momentum used a strong third round (outscoring Infinia 9-4) to take a 25-17 lead into the final question and cruise to a 34-24 victory. Infinia actually had an early lead of 7-6 through 14 questions, but Momentum reeled off 5 of the next 6 questions (worth two points each) to take a lead it would never relinquish. They were also the only one of the eight teams to correctly answer both questions about Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up.” In related news, yes, there really were two questions about “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
Quarterfinal Four: Fanalytical v. IdeaBlock, April 21
Buoyed by a robust 13 points from the final question, IdeaBlock posted the best score of the quarterfinal round in an impressive 43-32 win over Fanalytical. Fanalytical was within a manageable four points (30-26) headed into that final question, but IdeaBlock’s superior knowledge of pop culture helped them pull away. At one point earlier in the game, IdeaBlock nailed seven out of eight questions. Of course, the points are all wiped clean before the next game. Can IdeaBlock keep it up? You’ll have to tune in to find out!
Semifinal One: ArenaCX v. StrongKey, April 23
Facing all-new questions in the semifinal round, StrongKey edged out ahead early and maintained a narrow lead throughout the match—leading by two points after each of the first two rounds, by three points after the third round, and by four points after the final question in a 32-28 victory. ArenaCX held tough throughout but could never quite get over the hump. The teams entered the final question worth 21 points—which asked contestants to identify the collective name for groups of particular animals, i.e. a group of wolves is called a “pack”—with ArenaCX well in range of a comeback, but once more StrongKey held off the charge to advance to the finals.
Semifinal Two: IdeaBlock v. Momentum, April 24
IdeaBlock racked up 12 out of a possible 15 points in Round 3 compared to 5 for Momentum to take a commanding 31-18 lead heading into the final question before tacking on another 11 points in a decisive 42-25 victory. The highlight was correctly identifying all of the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois (see below). The victory set up a championship game between IdeaBlock and StrongKey while Momentum will face ArenaCX in the third-place game with one more chance to win money for its charity of choice.
Third-Place Game: ArenaCX v. Momentum, May 1
Momentum outscored ArenaCX 13-9 on the final question to come from behind for a 37-34.5 victory in a seesaw game that saw multiple lead changes. The last six questions—worth 36 of the game’s 66 total points—were all about U.S. states, and that’s where Momentum made its move to erase a 3.5-point deficit to pull away for the win. It did all this without Momentum CEO Jessica Mitsch, who somehow had more important things to do (like maybe running the company?) than play trivia. Fun fact: this game introduced the first toddler and infant sightings of the tournament, as ArenaCX brought one of each to the table. Alas, their trivia knowledge did not appear to be an asset.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: IdeaBlock v. StrongKey, May 1
The two strongest teams throughout the tournament fittingly met in the final. One-man-band Eli Sheets from IdeaBlock—none of his teammates could make it—proved he didn’t need any help in taking down StrongKey in an epic 54-46 struggle, posting by far the best single-game score. In fact IdeaBlock notched the highest score in each of the three rounds. Through two rounds of the final, it was a nail-biter with IdeaBlock leading 24-22. Then Eli nailed a perfect 15-out-of-15 in Round Three (compared to 11 for StrongKey) before putting up another 15 (out of 21 possible points) on the final question to pull away to an impressive win.
OK, here are the questions and answers, by round:
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Quarterfinals — Questions
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. What organization launched the very first website?
A) Stanford
B) MIT
C) CERN
D) IBM
2. What year was it? You’ll get one point if you’re right or within one year.
3. Which of these movies won Best Picture?
A) Citizen Kane
B) Forrest Gump
C) Raging Bull
D) Saving Private Ryan
4. Which is more populous, Cary or Wilmington?
5. Which city was founded first: Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill?
6. What is the smallest country in the world (by landmass)?
7. Which of these events is NOT in the decathlon?
A) Discus
B) Pole Vault
C) 400 meter hurdles
D) 1,500 meters
8. In what month (and year) did the first GrepBeat newsletter go out? I’ll give you credit if you’re within a month either way
9. The first “rickroll” occurred on 4chan’s video game board and was posing as a trailer for what game? The series title is fine.
10. Which of these things is Rick Astley NOT never gonna do in “Never Gonna Give You Up”?
A) Never gonna say goodbye
B) Never gonna make you cry
C) Never gonna tell a lie and desert you
D) Never gonna let you down
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points total)
11. What does HTTP stand for?
12. Who is the only person to win four Oscars for acting?
A) Katherine Hepburn
B) Meryl Streep
C) Daniel Day-Lewis
D) Ingrid Bergman
13. My last name, McEntegart, means what in Gaelic?
A) Son of a fisherman
B) Son of a mason
C) Son of a blacksmith
D) Son of a priest
14. What country won the very first World Cup?
15. Microsoft’s web portal msn used what animal as part of its logo?
16. You might have noticed that Wake Forest University is not in the town of Wake Forest, though it used to be. What was the biggest motivation for moving to Winston-Salem in the 1950s?
17. Where is the largest home in America (in terms of square footage) located?
18. Who are the four main characters in Sex & The City?
19. Of the first six Star Wars films, which is the only one in which Yoda does not appear?
20. What is Yoda’s last name?
Round Three — Five questions with escalating point values (Up to 15 points)
21. Wimbledon was cancelled. What was the last year that Wimbledon was NOT held? (one point)
22. Of the top 10 most-viewed websites in the U.S. last year, only two aren’t dot-coms. What are the two sites? (one point for each)
23. According to the 2019 census estimate, North Carolina ranked in what place among the most populous states? You’ll get 3 points for nailing it, 1 point if within 1 in either direction.
24. Scot Wingo has founded or co-founded four startups. What are they? (one point for each)
25. What are the five biggest cities by population in N.C. according to the 2018 census estimate? One point for each in the correct order.
Final question: 21 points available, one for each correct answer
By what names are the following singers best known:
1) Shawn Carter
2) Stefani Germanotta
3) Katheryn Hudson
4) James Todd Smith
5) Kendrick Duckworth
6) George O’Dowd
7) Chancelor Johnathan Bennett
8) Marshall Mathers
9) Robert Zimmerman
10) Onika Maraj
11) Alecia Moore
12) Ben Haggerty
13) Paul Hewson
14) Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor
15) Rakim Mayers
16) Calvin Broadus Jr.
17) Amethyst Amelia Kelly
18) Gordon Sumner
19) Christopher Wallace
20) Belcalis Almanzar
21) Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Quarterfinals — Answer Key
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. What organization launched the very first website?
A) Stanford
B) MIT
C) CERN
D) IBM
CERN, which is the European Organization for Nuclear Research
2. What year was it? You’ll get one point if you’re right or within one year.
Aug. 6, 1991
3. Which of these movies won Best Pictur
A) Citizen Kane
B) Forrest Gump
C) Raging Bull
D) Saving Private Ryan
B) Forrest Gump
4. Which is more populous, Cary or Wilmington?
Cary. Latest 2018 census estimate, 168,160 to 122,607
5. Which city was founded first: Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill?
Raleigh, in 1792. Chapel Hill was founded a year later, in 1793. Durham was founded in 1853.
6. What is the smallest country in the world?
Vatican City
7. Which of these events is NOT in the decathlon?
A) Discus
B) Pole Vault
C) 400 meter hurdles
D) 1,500 meters
C) 400 meter hurdles. They run the 110-meter hurdles and the 400 meters.
8. In what month did the first GrepBeat newsletter go out? I’ll give you credit if you’re within a month either way.
August 7, 2018
9. The first “rickroll” occurred on 4chan’s video game board and was posing as a trailer for what game? The series title is fine.
Grand Theft Auto 4. And a “rickroll” is when you click on a link and unwittingly find a video of Rick Astley’s 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
10. Which of these things is Rick Astley NOT never gonna do in “Never Gonna Give You Up”?
A) Never gonna say goodbye
B) Never gonna make you cry
C) Never gonna tell a lie and desert you
D) Never gonna let you down
C) Never gonna tell a lie and desert you. He’s not gonna “tell a lie and hurt you,” and he’s not gonna “run around and desert you”
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points total)
11. What does HTTP stand for?
HyperText Transfer Protocol.
12. Who is the only person to win four Oscars for acting?
A) Katherine Hepburn
B) Meryl Streep
C) Daniel Day-Lewis
D) Ingrid Bergman
A) Katherine Hepburn. The others have all won three.
13. My last name, McEntegart, means what in Gaelic:
A) Son of a fisherman
B) Son of a mason
C) Son of a blacksmith
D) Son of a priest
D) Son of a priest
14. What country won the very first World Cup?
Uruguay in 1930. Beat Argentina 4-2 in the final in Uruguay
15. Microsoft’s web portal msn used what animal as part of its logo?
A butterfly
16. You might have noticed that Wake Forest University is not in Wake Forest, though it used to be. What was the biggest motivation for moving to Winston-Salem in the 1950s?
The Reynolds Family, of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco fame, donated 350 acres and $350K a year with the condition that the school move to Winston-Salem, where the company is based.
17. Where is the largest home in America (in terms of square footage) located?
Asheville. The Biltmore Estate is 175,856 square feet, which is 61.3% bigger than No. 2 on the list.
18. Who are the four main characters in Sex & The City?
Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte
19. Of the first six Star Wars films, which is the only one in which Yoda does not appear?
A) Star Wars: Epsiode 4—A New Hope (i.e. the original from 1977)
20. What is Yoda’s last name?
He doesn’t have one (I’d also accept that Yoda is his last name. In an early treatment for the original Star Wars, George Lucas called the character Minch Yoda.)
Round Three — Five questions with escalating point values (Up to 15 points)
21. Wimbledon was cancelled. What was the last year that Wimbledon was NOT held?
1945. It was cancelled from 1939-1945 due to WWII, then resumed in 1946.
22. Of the top 10 most-viewed websites in the U.S. in 2019, only two aren’t dot-coms. What are the two sites?
Wikipedia.org and craigslist.org.
23. According to the 2019 census estimate, North Carolina ranked in what place among the largest states? You’ll get 3 points for nailing it, 1 point if within 1 in either direction.
9th, one place behind Georgia and one ahead of Michigan
24. Scot Wingo has founded or co-founded four startups. What are they? (one point for each)
Spiffy, ChannelAdvisor, AuctionRover.com, Stingray Software
25. What are the five biggest cities by population in N.C. according to the 2018 census estimate? One point for each in the correct order:
1) Charlotte 2) Raleigh 3) Greensboro 4) Durham 5) Winston-Salem
Final question: 21 points available, one for each correct answer
By what names are the following singers better known:
1) Shawn Carter—Jay-Z
2) Stefani Germanotta—Lady Gaga
3) Katheryn Hudson—Katy Perry
4) James Todd Smith—LL Cool J
5) Kendrick Duckworth—Kendrick Lamar (Lamar is his middle name)
6) George O’Dowd—Boy George
7) Chancelor Johnathan Bennett—Chance The Rapper
8) Marshall Mathers—Eminem
9) Robert Zimmerman—Bob Dylan
10) Onika Maraj—Niki Minaj
11) Alecia Moore—P!nk
12) Ben Haggerty—Macklemore
13) Paul Hewson—Bono
14) Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor—Lorde
15) Rakim Mayers—A$AP Rocky
16) Calvin Broadus Jr.—Snoop Dogg
17) Amethyst Amelia Kelly—Iggy Azaela
18) Gordon Sumner—Sting
19) Christopher Wallace—Biggie Smalls/The Notorious B.I.G.
20) Belcalis Almanzar—Cardi B
21) Ashley Nicolette Frangipane—Halsey
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Semifinals — Questions
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. Which of these founders is NOT considered part of the Paypal Mafia?
A) Peter Thiel
B) Reid Hoffman
C) Pierre Omidyar
D) Elon Musk
2. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is in the news a lot these days. Who was the president when the SBA was founded?
A) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
B) Dwight Eisenhower
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Ronald Reagan
3. Which of these actors have NOT played a football coach in a movie?
A) Goldie Hawn
B) Al Pacino
C) Denzel Washington
D) Whoopi Goldberg
4. From 1972-‘74, the nickname of the Memphis team in the old American Basketball Association (ABA) was the “Tams.” Why?
5. What is the name of the first sequel in the Raiders of the Lost Ark series?
6. There were eight seasons of the Game of Thrones TV show. How many books are there in The Song of Fire and Ice series on which the show is based? (We’re only counting books that have been published)
7. When was the last book of the series released? You get a point if you’re within one year.
8. Who has the most bylined stories alltime on GrepBeat.com?
A) Brooks Malone
B) Pete McEntegart
C) Suzanne Blake
D) Joe Colopy
9. What long-running TV show titled each of its episodes after the pilot with some variation of “The One…” i.e. “The One With So-and-So…” “The One In [Blank],” “The One Where…”
10. There was only one exception on the aforementioned show to that nomenclature. “One” was still in the title, it just wasn’t the second word. What was the name of that episode? (technically, it was a two-part episode)
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points)
11. What are the two main international benchmark prices of oil? (one point for each)
12. Virginia is the birth state of the most Presidents in U.S. history with 8, but its glory days are way, way in the past. Of all the Presidents elected from the start of the 20th Century, which state has produced the most?
13. You might have heard of Joe Exotic, the self-proclaimed Tiger King. We’re not going to talk about him. But please name the only U.S. university with a live tiger mascot, AND the name of the Tiger. (one point for each)
14. Who played Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook Co-Founder infamously forced out by his (former) friend and roommate Mark Zuckerberg, in the movie The Social Network?
15. The first time that UNC’s Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, in 1994, he left the Chicago Bulls to play pro baseball for the Chicago White Sox organization. Why the White Sox?
16. The Summer Olympics scheduled for this summer in Japan have been postponed until 2021. The Olympics missed two full Games cycles during World War II. Which city hosted the last Summer Olympics before World War II? And what American won four gold medals at those Games? (1 pt for each)
17. “Google” got its name as the intentional misspelling of “googol,” which is a mathematical term for:
A) 10 to the 10th power
B) 10 to the 100th power
C) 10 to the 1000th power
D) Infinity
18. How did the Spanish flu from 1918-19 get its name?
19. What was the full name of the Leonardo DiCaprio character in Titanic?
20. Who played Joey Potter in the TV show Dawson’s Creek?
Round Three — 5 Questions, escalating point values
21. Which state is larger in terms of square mileage: New York or North Carolina?
22. Tell me the animals that the following kinds of meat come from: mutton and squab
23. Three people have played Steve Jobs in movies (made for the screen or TV). Name them:
24. While the Triangle is undoubtedly impressive for having three cities, it’s one-upped by the Quad Cities that bridge Iowa and Illinois. Name the four cities. (And it turns out there are technically five cities in the Quad Cities MSA, so I’ll accept any of those five.)
25. Please name the CEOs of the following five Triangle tech startups: Adzerk, Bee Downtown, InHerSight, Myxx and RewardStock
Final Question (21 possible points)
26. What is the collective name for a grouping of the following animals? (1 point for each
1) Apes
2) Bats
3) Bees
4) Camels
5) Elephants
6) Ferrets
7) Fish
8) Flamingos
9) Frogs
10) Geese
11) Giraffes
12) Hyenas
13) Kangaroos
14) Lemurs
15) Lions
16) Mules
17) Owls
18) Ravens
19) Rhinoceroses
20) Skunk
21) Snakes
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Semifinals — Answer Key
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. Which of these founders is NOT considered part of the Paypal Mafia?
A) Peter Thiel
B) Reid Hoffman
C) Pierre Omidyar
D) Elon Musk
C) Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay.
2. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is in the news a lot these days. Who was the president when the SBA was founded?
A) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
B) Dwight Eisenhower
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Ronald Reagan
B) Dwight Eisenhower; it was created as part of the Small Business Administration Act of July 30, 1953.
3. Which have these actors have NOT played a football coach in a movie?
A) Goldie Hawn
B) Al Pacino
C) Denzel Washington
D) Whoopi Goldberg
D) Whoopi Goldberg. She instead played the coach of the Knicks in “Eddie.”
4. From 1972-‘74, the nickname of the Memphis team in the old American Basketball Association (ABA) was the “Tams.” Why?
“T-A-M” is an acronym for Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, the three states that Memphis abuts.
5. What is the name of the first sequel in the Raiders of the Lost Ark series?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1984
6. There were eight seasons of the Game of Thrones TV show. How many books are there in The Song of Fire and Ice series on which the show is based? (We’re only counting books that have been published)
Five books (of a planned seven) by George R.R. Martin.
7. When was the last book of the series released? You get a point if you’re within one year.
2011, A Dance of Dragons. That took him six years to write. He’s been working on the sixth book ever since, called The Winds of Winter. He has a seventh book planned called A Dream of Spring, but really, who does he think he’s kidding at this point?
8. Who has the most bylined stories alltime on GrepBeat.com?
A) Brooks Malone
B) Pete McEntegart
C) Suzanne Blake
D) Joe Colopy
C) Suzanne Blake, by a lot
9. What long-running TV show titled each of its episodes after the pilot with some variation of “The One…” i.e. “The One With So-and-So…” “The One In [Blank],” “The One Where…”
Friends (236 episodes)
10. There was only one exception on the aforementioned show to that nomenclature. One” was still in the title, it just wasn’t the second word. What was the name of that episode? (technically, it was a two-part episode)
The Last One (the series finale)
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points)
11. What are the two main international benchmark prices of oil? (one point for each)
West Texas International (WTI) and Brent Crude.
12. Virginia is the birth state of the most Presidents in U.S. history with 8, but its glory days are way, way in the past. Of all the Presidents elected from the start of the 20th Century, which state produced has the most?
New York, with 3 (the two Roosevelts and Trump). Ohio, Texas and Massachusetts are each tied for 2nd with 2.
13. You might have heard of Joe Exotic, the self-proclaimed Tiger King. We’re not going to talk about him. But please name the only U.S. college with a live tiger mascot, AND the name of the Tiger. (one point for each)
Mike The Tiger at LSU.
14. Who played Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook Co-Founder infamously forced out by his (former) friend and roommate Mark Zuckerberg, in the movie The Social Network?
Andrew Garfield
15. The first time that UNC’s Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, in 1994, he left the Chicago Bulls to play pro baseball for the Chicago White Sox organization. Why the White Sox?
Because the Bulls and White Sox were both owned by Jerry Reinsdorf.
16. The Summer Olympics scheduled for this summer in Japan have been postponed until 2021. The Olympics missed two full Games cycles during World War II. Which city hosted the last Summer Olympics before World War II? And what American won four gold medals at those Games? (1 pt for each)
Berlin, in 1936. Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals for the 100, the 200, the long jump, and the 4×100, a feat later matched by Carl Lewis in 1984 in Los Angeles.
17. “Google” got its name as the intentional misspelling of “googol,” which is a mathematical term for:
A) 10 to the 10th power
B) 10 to the 100th power
C) 10 to the 1000th power
D) Infinity
B) 10 to the 100th power
18. How did the Spanish flu from 1918-19 get its name?
Spain wasn’t involved in WWI so its media wasn’t as censored as that of most major countries who wanted to keep morale up, so it was the first Western nation to heavily cover the pandemic
19. What was the full name of the Leonardo DiCaprio character in Titanic?
Jack Dawson
20. Who played Joey Potter in the TV show Dawson’s Creek?
Katie Holmes
Round Three — 5 Questions, escalating point values
21. Which state is bigger in terms of square mileage: New York or North Carolina?
New York is slightly bigger; NY is the 27th largest state in square mileage, NC is 28th
22. Tell me the animals that the following kinds of meat come from: mutton and squab
Mutton: Sheep (technically not a lamb because it’s over two years old); Squab: Pigeon.
23. Three people have played Steve Jobs in movies (made for the screen or TV). Name them:
Michael Fassbender, Ashton Kutcher, Noah Wyle (in 1999’s made-for-TV “Pirates of Silicon Valley”)
24. While the Triangle is undoubtedly impressive for having three cities, it’s one-upped by the Quad Cities that bridge Iowa and Illinois. Name the four cities. (And it turns out there are technically five cities in the Quad Cities MSA, so I’ll accept any of those five.)
Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, Ill.
25. Please name the CEOs of the following five Triangle tech startups: Adzerk, Bee Downtown, InHerSight, Myxx and RewardStock
Adzerk—James Avery; Bee Downtown—Kathryn Leigh Bonner; InHerSight—Ursula Mead; Myxx—Monica Wood; RewardStock—Jon Hayes
Final Question (21 possible points)
What is the collective name for a grouping of the following animals? (1 point for each)
1) Apes: a shrewdness
2) Bats: a colony, cloud or camp
3) Bees: a swarm
4) Camels: a caravan
5) Elephants: a parade or herd
6) Ferrets: a business
7) Fish: a school
8) Flamingos: a stand or flamboyance
9) Frogs: an army
10) Geese: a gaggle
11) Giraffes: a tower
12) Hyenas: a cackle
13) Kangaroos: a troop or mob
14) Lemurs: a conspiracy
15) Lions: a pride
16) Mules: a pack
17) Owls: a parliament
18) Ravens: an unkindness
19) Rhinoceroses: a crash
20) Skunk: a stench
21) Snakes: a nest
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Final Round — Questions
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. The main characters in the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” are minor characters in what Shakespeare play?
A) Othello
B) Hamlet
C) King Lear
D) The Merchant of Venice
2. Which of these TV shows is NOT a spinoff of another show?
A) Xena: Warrior Princess
B) Frasier
C) The Simpsons
D) Buffy The Vampire Slayer
3. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fiancée, Carrie Symonds, gave birth to a baby boy this week. Of course Boris only had so much to do with it. More impressive: in 2018 this woman became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. Name her.
4. According to market research firm inMarket, which beer brand has seen its sales grow by the largest percentage during the pandemic?
A) Busch Light
B) Miller Lite
C) Michelob Ultra
D) Natural Light
5. The captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier was recently stripped of his command after his pleas to do more for his crew amidst a Covid-19 outbreak onboard became public. What is the name of the ship?
6. What company is the majority owner of Durham’s Bronto Software, the startup that GrepBeat Godfather Joe Colopy co-founded and led as CEO?
7. This sequel is the highest-grossing movie of 2020 so far (both domestic and worldwide):
8. This popular beverage was created in Bradham’s Drug Store in New Bern, N.C., in 1893 as “Brad’s Drink.” What is it known as today?
9. Which of these songs holds the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100?
A) “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston
B) “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
C) “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, featuring Justin Bieber
D) “Candle In The Wind 1997,” Elton John
10. What is Harry Potter’s patronus?
A) An otter
B) A phoenix
C) A horse
D) A stag
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points)
11. After Antarctica, what is the most sparsely populated continent?
12. What are the names of the second two books in the Hunger Games trilogy? (one point for each)
13. In accounting, what do “LIFO” and “FIFO” stand for? (one point for each)
14. The candlestick, the revolver, the knife and the wrench are four of the six weapons in the game Clue. What are the other two? (one point for each)
15. Which two planets in our solar system don’t have moons? (one point for each)
16. What blood type qualifies as a universal donor?
A) O negative
B) O positive
C) AB positive
D) A negative
17. What was the name of the startup that Jud Bowman launched when he was a senior at the North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics?
18. What does a Scoville unit measure?
A) Volume
B) Spiciness
C) Pressure
D) Intensity of color
19. Robbie Allen—the current founder of Start-o-Matic, former CEO of Infinia ML and former Founder/CEO of Automated Insights—was the youngest person ever to achieve the rank of “Distinguished Engineer” at what tech company?
A) IBM
B) Cisco
C) Oracle
D) Apple
20. What is the name of the Twitter bird?
Round Three — 5 Questions, escalating point values (1-5)
21. What state has parishes instead of counties?
22. Which two states border the most other states, with eight each? (one point for each)
23. Which three states have the lowest population according to 2019 census estimates? (one point for each)
24. What four states call themselves commonwealths? (one point for each)
25. What are the five smallest states by land area? (one point for each)
Final Question (21 possible points)
26. What is the official state nickname for each of the following states? Hint: it usually has “state” in it, i.e. the “[Blank] State” (1 point for each)
1) Alabama
2) Alaska
3) Delaware
4) Georgia
5) Hawaii
6) Idaho
7) Kansas
8) Kentucky
9) Massachusetts
10) Mississippi
11) Nevada
12 New Hampshire
13) New Jersey
14) New Mexico
15) Pennsylvania
16) Rhode Island
17) South Carolina
18) Tennessee
19) Utah
20) Vermont
21) Virginia
Triangle Trivia Tournament — Final Round — Answer Key
Round One — 10 questions, 1 point each (10 points total)
1. The main characters in the play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” are minor characters in what Shakespeare play?
A) Othello
B) Hamlet
C) King Lear
D) The Merchant of Venice
B) Hamlet
2. Which of these TV shows is NOT a spinoff of another show?
A) Xena: Warrior Princess
B) Frasier
C) The Simpsons
D) Buffy The Vampire Slayer
D) Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It was first a movie, but the TV show was not a spinoff—though it did inspire one (Angel).
3. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fiancée, Carrie Symonds, gave birth to a baby boy this week. Of course Boris only had so much to do with it. More impressive: in 2018 this woman became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office. Name her.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
4. According to market research firm inMarket, which beer brand has seen its sales grow by the largest percentage during the pandemic?
A) Busch Light
B) Miller Lite
C) Michelob Ultra
D) Natural Light
A) Busch Light, which has seen its sales surge 44% from March 1-April 17 compared to February. The other three are next in line with increases of 14-17%. The winning combo seems to be cheap + fewer calories.
5. The captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier was recently stripped of his command after his pleas to do more for his crew amidst a coronavirus outbreak onboard became public. What is the name of the ship?
The USS Theodore Roosevelt
6. What company is the majority owner of Durham’s Bronto Software, the startup that GrepBeat Godfather Joe Colopy co-founded and led as CEO?
Oracle; the official company name is now Oracle Bronto. Bronto was actually acquired by NetSuite in 2015, but Oracle bought NetSuite the following year.
7. This sequel is the highest-grossing movie of 2020 so far (both domestic and worldwide):
Bad Boys Forever
8. This popular beverage was created in Bradham’s Drug Store in New Bern, N.C., in 1893 as “Brad’s Drink.” What is it known as today?
Pepsi-Cola
9. Which of these songs holds the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100?
A) “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston
B) “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
C) “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, featuring Justin Bieber
D) “Candle In The Wind 1997,” Elton John
B) “Old Town Road” at 19 weeks. Despacito is tied for 2nd at 16 weeks with One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men). The other two are among 7 songs tied for 4th at 14 weeks.
10. What is Harry Potter’s patronus?
A) An otter
B) A phoenix
C) A horse
D) A stag
D) A stag. An otter is Hermione’s, Ginny Weasley’s is a horse, and Dumbledore’s is a phoenix
Round Two — 10 Questions, 2 points each (20 points)
11. After Antarctica, what is the most sparsely populated continent?
Australia
12. What are the names of the second two books in the Hunger Games trilogy? (one point for each)
Catching Fire and Mockingjay
13. In accounting, what do “LIFO” and “FIFO” stand for? (one point for each)
LIFO: Last in, first out; FIFO: First in, first out
14. The candlestick, the revolver, the knife and the wrench are four of the six weapons in the game Clue. What are the other two? (one point for each)
Lead pipe and rope
15. Which two planets in our solar system don’t have moons? (one point for each)
Mercury and Venus
16. What blood type qualifies as a universal donor?
A) O negative
B) O positive
C) AB positive
D) A negative
A) O negative
17. What was the name of the startup that Jud Bowman launched when he was a senior at the North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics?
Motricity, a platform that delivered games and ringtones to mobile phones
18. What does a Scoville unit measure?
A) Volume
B) Spiciness
C) Pressure
D) Intensity of color
B) Spiciness. Also known as a “Scoville Heat Unit”
19. Robbie Allen—the current founder of Start-o-Matic, former CEO of Infinia ML and former Founder/CEO of Automated Insights—was the youngest person ever to achieve the rank of “Distinguished Engineer” at what tech company?
A) IBM
B) Cisco
C) Oracle
D) Apple
B) Cisco
20. What is the name of the Twitter bird?
Larry. A Boston Celtics fan, perhaps?
Round Three — 5 Questions, escalating point values
21. What state has parishes instead of counties?
Louisiana
22. Which two states border the most other states, with eight each? (one point for each)
Missouri and Tennessee
23. Which three states have the lowest population according to 2019 census estimates? (one point for each)
Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska (North Dakota moved up since 2010 thanks to the fracking boom)
24. What four states call themselves commonwealths? (one point for each)
Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia
25. What are the five smallest states by land area? (one point for each)
Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey
Final Question (21 possible points)
26. What is the official nickname for each of the following states? Hint: it usually has “state” in it, i.e. the “[Blank] State” (1 point for each)
1) Alabama—Yellowhammer State
2) Alaska—The Last Frontier
3) Delaware—The First State
4) Georgia—Peach State
5) Hawaii—Aloha State
6) Idaho—Gem State
7) Kansas—Sunflower State
8) Kentucky—Bluegrass State
9) Massachusetts—The Bay State
10) Mississippi—Magnolia State
11) Nevada—Silver State
12 New Hampshire—Granite State
13) New Jersey—Garden State
14) New Mexico—Land of Enchantment
15) Pennsylvania—Keystone State
16) Rhode Island—Ocean State
17) South Carolina—Palmetto State
18) Tennessee—Volunteer State
19) Utah—Beehive State
20) Vermont—Green Mountain State
21) Virginia—The Old Dominion State
