Crank Up the 'AC'! Trivia Quiz

Answer: China

First cited as a practice thousands of years ago in Ancient China, acupuncture involves the precise placement of needles into a patient's flesh to target specific pressure points and cure the punctured person of pain, nausea, and other ailments. Although not the preferred option for those who are afraid of sharp, pointy things, many opt for this treatment due to its extensive use in history and its surprising effectiveness.

There is much evidence, however, both for and against the validity and effectiveness of acupuncture under certain circumstances and as such, this form of treatment is not completely backed by modern science and the medical community.

Answer: No

Accordions contain bellows, which compress and expand in order to let wind in and out, and a series of keys on the one side in order to create melodies using the air that passes through a series of reeds. Percussion would imply that something is being struck or hit to make a sound, but that's not what's happening with this unique instrument.

The accordion has been around for generations, and while it's not typically used in mainstream music, it is commonly heard in folk, polka, and certain forms of classical music.

Many often refer to the accordion as a squeezebox instrument because of the motions made while holding and playing it.

Answer: Uranium (U)

Uranium, element 92, is one of only fifteen elements found amongst the Actinide group of elements. While many of the elements in this category (at the bottom of the depicted table) are synthetic, Thorium (#90) and Uranium are also naturally found (though they're hardly abundant). Actinides are metallic in physical nature, but they are also radioactive. They are also, despite their physical consistency, quite soft. Americium (#95) is commonly used in smoke detectors while certain isotopes of Plutonium (#94) are used in nuclear reactors.

Hydrogen is the first element on the table while Boron (at #5) is a Metalloid, and Phosphorus (at #15) is a non-metal. The Actinides are found on the table below the Lanthanide group.

Answer: Maine, U.S.

Located near Bar Harbor, Maine, Acadia National Park is found on Mount Desert Island, and while it's not the northern-most state or national park in the contiguous states, it's quite close to the Canadian border. Travelers can often catch a ferry to the nearby province of Nova Scotia where many French settlers arrived in Acadia. Acadia National Park is filled with forests and low mountains. After the British raided Acadian land during their settlement many centuries ago, many of the Acadians resettled in Louisiana becoming the Cajun people. Acadia National Park was the first to be established in the eastern U.S. Fourteen national parks had been established before it dating back to 1872.

Answer: Oscar

The Oscars, or the Academy Awards, have been given out to the creators and prestigious members of the film industry since 1929. For decades, hundreds of actors, actresses, directors, cast and crew members, films and filmmakers have received Oscar statuettes to commemorate the roles they played or held behind the scenes in the industry's best films.

Held in California, the Academy Awards is often regarded as one of the most important cinema honours (along with the Cannes Palme d'Or and the Golden Globes amongst others).

The Academy Awards are often one of the most-watched annually-televised events in the United States.

Answer: Athens

The Acropolis overlooks the city of Athens, Greece and has for millennia. The most famous building atop this hill is probably the Parthenon which finished construction in 432 BC. This structure is one of the most defining landmarks of Greece and in the late seventeenth century it (partially) fell into ruin in the war against the Venetians. Considerable efforts have been made to restore as much of the structures at the Acropolis as possible with marble.

Many artifacts from this area can be found in Athens' museums as well as in Paris, London, and other major cities.

Answer: Roadrunner

Of course, any fan of the exploits of a certain Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner would remember that Acme Co., although branded with a name which one would expect to refer to the top-of-the-line of products, sold the poor coyote defective goods which would usually result in destruction, pain, and little umbrellas being use to shield the character from rockslides and the like.

The Roadrunner (beep-beep) would always escape unscathed and, on occasion, rewarded for doing very little. Roadrunners don't look like the cartoon version in real life, though. Acme is a fairly generic brand name and is also seen in the "Carmen Sandiego" video game series.

Answer: Ghana

Ghana is a small African nation situated on the west of Africa with its southern coastline resting on the Atlantic Ocean. Ghana is quite the warm place and it's slightly south of the Sahara Desert. Accra is on the ocean and it the country's major port.

The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, a notable landmark in the center of the city, was built in the city to commemorate Ghana's first Prime Minister who would later be their first President. Ghana was once a part of the British Empire but it became an independent nation in the late 1950s and has since contained a flourishing economy.

Answer: Raspberry

Raspberries, like most other berries, have a natural acidity which makes them taste tart. Similarly, citrus fruits like limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits have a higher degree of acidity and sourness than others. On the other side of the scale, many fruits are also quite low in acidity.

These include dates, figs, melons, bananas, a number of grapes, and apricots. The riper some fruits like apples and apricots tend to get, the less acidic they will taste while those in the citrus family will usually remain quite sour to the taste buds.

Answer: 11

In a standard deck, there are four ace cards and depending on the game, it can go high or low. In Blackjack, the general rule is that the ace card represents either a value of 1 or 11. In other words, a player who draws an ace with a 10 or a face card will automatically have the highest value in the game without going over: 21. Likewise, the ace is usually quite valuable in poker. When the rules involve aces being high, a pair of pocket aces is the best possible hand to be dealt.

The word ace also has roots in other games. A hole in one in golf is also an ace.