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"This American Life" 2 Trivia Quiz

This is the second in my series of quizzes based on the program "This American Life," distributed by Public Radio International and available online at http://www.thislife.org . Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by aislina. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
aislina

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
184,115

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
233

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Contributor Davy Rothbart collects things that have been abandoned by their original owners; notes, photos, and letters. What is the name of the journal he publishes to document his collection? Hint

Flotsam

Lost

Found

Detritus

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Question 2 of 10

2. Regular contributor David Sedaris took the host of 'TAL' on an offbeat tour of Paris. Which of the following places did they NOT visit in their travels? Hint

The Louvre

A store selling only frozen food

Deyrolles

A hardware store

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Josh Lovell felt that he wasn't special enough to fit in with all of the worldly, accomplished freshmen as he began his first year at an Ivy League university. What persona did he take on, and maintain, in order to stand out? Hint

A Briton

A vegetarian

A blind man

A former child star

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Question 4 of 10

4. Senior Producer Julie Snyder fought a debilitating and frustrating battle with her phone company for almost a year. Which phone company, publicly disclosed in the course of the show, was responsible for all of the drama? Hint

MCI

Northeast Bell

Sprint

Verizon

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Question 5 of 10

5. Ten-year old Sarah York had a very unusual pen-pal. Though she was from a small town in Michigan, her correspondence with this person gained national attention. Who was he? Hint

Jimmy Carter

Manuel Noriega

Mohandas Gandhi

Pope John Paul

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Question 6 of 10

6. During the production of a show about the effects and myths behind testosterone, the staff decided to have their levels of this hormone tested to see if the hard scientific data correlated with their perceptions of each other's aggressive and leadership behaviour. Who was the surprising winner of this "contest," beating out the second place contender by twice the score? Hint

David Ratkoff

Sarah Vowell

Ira Glass

Julie Snyder

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Former Prime Minister of France Francois Mitterand decided what his last meal would be; unfortunately for him, it had been a protected species in France since 1999. What was this animal? Hint

A small bird

A long-haired fox

A wild boar

A silver-blue fish

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Contributor Kitty Felde had a relative who owned a conversation-piece of a weapon - one he made himself, and which was engineered on a relatively large scale. What sort of weapon had the man created? Hint

A Civil War Flintlock

A Potato Cannon

A Roman Catapult

A Multiple Crossbow

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Question 9 of 10

9. Rebecca grew up quickly on the day she discovered who the Tooth Fairy really was. She confronted her mother in the family kitchen and revealed that the cat was out of the bag. The Tooth Fairy was, in fact, someone the family was well acquainted with. Who was he? Hint

Her schoolfriend's father

The meter reader

The principal of her school

The mailman

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Contributor David Sedaris, and the rest of his French class tried to explain holiday customs to a Moroccan woman who did not understand the concept of "Easter." They were not only hampered by their utter lack of appropriate French vocabulary; in France, something besides a rabbit brings children their chocolate. What is it? Hint

A fox

A flower

A chariot

A bell

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Found

The magazine (and website) is a sometimes startling, often touching glimpse into the things people write for a smaller audience, and the things they leave behind. You can check out some of the collection at http://www.foundmagazine.com/ . (From the program "Lost in America", produced in 2003.)

2. Regular contributor David Sedaris took the host of 'TAL' on an offbeat tour of Paris. Which of the following places did they NOT visit in their travels?

Answer: The Louvre

Mr. Sedaris had a goal to never set foot in the Louvre, despite living only a few blocks from it. Deyrolles is a store which specializes in the sale and rental of taxidermied animals. The hardware store was his favorite, as the owner remembered Mr. Sedaris from visit to visit, and was kind and patient with his broken French. (From the program "Americans in Paris", produced in 2000.)

Answer: A vegetarian

He thought that the only way to make his rural upbringing exciting to the others was to paint his parents as leftists who had dropped out of society in the 60s and gone back to the land. In point of fact, his meat-loving family took full advantage of Arby's Roast Beef sandwich sales and froze dozens of them at a time in order to have them around for easy snacks. (From the program "Hoaxing Yourself", produced in 2000.)

Answer: MCI

The issue was finally resolved after the power of the media was unleashed upon the telephone company. A poor misguided VP, after handling the situation for her, gave out his personal extension on the air and was subequently flooded with calls from dissatisfied customers. (From the program "The Middle of Nowhere", produced in 2003.)

5. Ten-year old Sarah York had a very unusual pen-pal. Though she was from a small town in Michigan, her correspondence with this person gained national attention. Who was he?

Answer: Manuel Noriega

The whole affair began after her father admired the hat Mr. Noriega was wearing on TV. Sarah wrote to ask about it, and the correspondence blossomed. Sarah and her mother were invited to spend a few weeks as his guests in Panama, and they went, to the disgust of the United States Government. (From the program "My Pen Pal", produced in 2003.)

Answer: David Ratkoff

One of the other male staffers was devastated to have come in last, as the openly gay David Rakoff came in first and "doesn't even know what Sports Center is"! Amazingly, Senior Producer Julie Snyder tested the highest among all of the women even though she was eight months pregnant at the time of the test. (from the program "Testosterone", produced in 2002.)

7. Former Prime Minister of France Francois Mitterand decided what his last meal would be; unfortunately for him, it had been a protected species in France since 1999. What was this animal?

Answer: A small bird

The good man decided the his last meal would be tiny songbirds called "ortolans" - traditionally eaten in their entirety (except the beaks) with a cloth over one's head to capture the smell (and some say, to hide your deed from the eyes of God.) You can see a picture of ortolan eaters at http://www.offbeat-paris.org/3arr.htm . (From the program "Poultry Slam '98", produced in - you guessed it - 1998.)

Answer: A Potato Cannon

The allure of this spud gun was so great that police called to investigate the sound of its firing invariably asked the shooter to make them one! This cannon is propelled by a humble can of Aqua-Net hairspray. (From the program "Lessons", produced in 1996).

Answer: Her schoolfriend's father

Mr. Loeberfeld had been caught slipping money under his daughter's pillow. The two girls then came to the conclusion that, while masquerading as an accountant, Ronnie Loeberfeld had a whole secret life. (From the program "Kid Logic", produced in 2001.) if you listen to no other shows, listen to this one! It is by far my favorite episode!)

Answer: A bell

The class had a hard time comprehending how a bell (which, incidentally, flies in from Rome) could bring anyone ANYTHING. And Mr. Sedaris expressed his doubts that the French bells would allow some Italian bell to come in and take their jobs, anyway. (From the program "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Suit", produced in 1999.)

Source: Author aislina

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor linkan before going online.
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