Middle Ground Trivia Quiz

Answer: Warren

Earl Warren (1891-1974) was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States. He was appointed by Dwight Eisenhower and served from 1953-1969. It was during his tenure that the Warren Commission was formed to investigate JFK's murder.

Just as in this quiz, Warren Burger (1907-1990) succeeded Earl Warren as the 15th Chief Justice of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1986. He was appointed by Richard Nixon.

Answer: Jackson

Jesse Jackson is a Baptist minister, civil rights activist and politician.

Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was an American painter who was influential in the abstract expressionist movement. He was nicknamed "Jack the Dripper".

Answer: Anderson

Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959) was an American author, playwright and poet. Among his novels were "Winterset" in 1935 and "Key Largo" in 1939.

Anderson Cooper is a journalist, CNN anchor and TV personality. His mother was the famed "Poor Little Rich Girl", Gloria Vanderbilt.

Answer: Lowell

Amy Lowell (1874-1925) was a poet of "the imagist school" and was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1926.

Lowell Thomas (1892-1981) was a writer and broadcaster whose work made Lawrence of Arabia famous. He won a Peabody Award and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Answer: Blake

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet of the Romantic Age. His poems include "The Tyger" which was published in 1794 as part of the collection "Songs of Innocence and Experience".

Blake Shelton is a country music singer, one of the judges on the TV show "The Voice", and was previously married to Miranda Lambert. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin".

Answer: Truman

Harry S Truman (1884-1972) was Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt. When Roosevelt died in 1945, Truman became the 33rd President of the United States.

Truman Burbank was an unsuspecting star on "The Truman Show", a fictional reality show where his actions were telecast globally. The movie was released in 1998 and starred Jim Carrey as the title character.

Answer: Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was an English Romantic poet; in 1818, he wrote the famous poem "Ozymandias". Additionally, his second wife was Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of "Frankenstein" (1818).

Shelley Duvall is an actress who appeared in several Robert Altman films in the 1970s, including "Nashville" in 1975. She also had a lead part in the 1980 movie "The Shining" as Jack Torrance's hapless wife, Wendy.

Answer: Julia

Raul Julia (1940-1994) was in "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" (1985) as political prisoner Valentin Arregui who was a cellmate of Luis Molina, a trans individual played by William Hurt. He also played Gomez Addams in two films.

Julia Child (1912-2004) was a chef and author who was responsible for bringing French cuisine to the American public, and she hosted the TV show "The French Chef". During WW II, she found she was too tall to be a WAC or a WAVE so she joined the OSS (Office of Strategic Services).

Answer: Louis

Joe Louis (1914-1981) was a professional boxer known as "The Brown Bomber". He was the World Heavyweight Champion from 1937 to 1949.

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong (1901-1971) was a composer, trumpeter and singer, and was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. He said to himself "What a Wonderful World".

Answer: Wilson

Owen Wilson is an actor and part of the group of comedy actors known as "The Frat Pack", along with Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. He has been in films such as "Zoolander" (2001) and "The Wedding Crashers" (2005).

Wilson Pickett (1941-2006) was a major figure in the development of 'soul music'. He hit both the R&B charts and the Billboard Hot 100 with songs like "Land of 1,000 Dances", "Mustang Sally" and "In the Midnight Hour".