"Grand" Central Trivia Quiz

Answer: Italian Grand Prix

On September 4, 1921, the first Italian Grand Prix auto racing championship took place near Montichiari, on a 10.7-mile racing circuit. That location was the same place where the Gordon Bennett races took place in the first decade of the 20th century.
The Australian Grand Prix was first held on March 31, 1928 on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The first Hungarian Grand Prix was run on June 21, 1936 in a Budapest park called Népliget. The D1 Grand Prix was first held in Fukushima, Japan, in October 2000. Forty cars were competing and it drew a crowd of 3,000.

Answer: an increase

Aggrandizement refers to the act of making something larger or greater. Self-aggrandizement has a bit of a negative connotation in that it signifies someone making themselves seem better or more important, perhaps in a not necessarily completely honest way.

The first time "aggrandizement" popped up in written English was in the 1650s and it had the meaning of "the act of increasing one's wealth, power, or status." It comes from the French word "agrandir" which meant "to make bigger." And agrandir is derived from the Latin grandis, meaning "great".

Answer: The Parlour Grand Piano

The size of a piano's soundboard and the length of the strings affect the tonal quality. Larger soundboards and longer strings produce greater volume and resonance of tone.

The soundboard of the Parlour Grand Piano is 6'8", larger than those other Grand Pianos. The Drawing Room Grand is 6'4" The Professional Grand Piano is 6'. and the Baby Grand Piano is 5' to 5'5".

Answer: AV Grand Prix

Formerly called the AV Open, the AV Grand Prix were discontinued in 2009, and then when it re-emerged it was once again called the AV Open. The purpose of the awards were to improve public relations and perception of the Japanese adult film industry.
The Jordan Grand Prix team was named after its founder Eddie Jordan; this Formula One team Jordan and his team competed from 1991 to 2005. ART Grand Prix was a French racing team found in 1991, and the Hitech Grand Prix is a British auto racing team founded in 2002.

Answer: a style of stand-up comedy involving comedy duos made up of a straight man (tsukomi) and a funny man (boke)

Manzai, a form of stand-up comedy, has been compared to the comedic stylings of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis for instance. Generally, the Boke, of the more comedic of the duo, is dumber and more confused. During the routine, the Tsukomi straight man spends his time straightening out the Boke, fixing his mistakes and correcting his misunderstandings. Usually there is a slapstick element as well, in which the Tsukomi smacks the Boke, a la Abbott & Costello.

Answer: MGM Grand Detroit

The MGM Grand Garden Arena, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park are all in the state of Nevada, in Las Vegas for the first two cases, and Paradise, Nevada for the Theme Park. The MGM Grand Detroit, located at 1777 3rd Ave. in Detroit, is about 1,749 miles east of those MGM Grand hotels. The MGM Grand Detroit is a four-star hotel with over 400 guest rooms.

Answer: Australian rules football

The Australian Football League holds this annual event on the final Saturday in September in Melbourne, Australia, the birthplace of the sport itself, back in 1958. Whereas football (or what Americans call soccer) is played with a round ball covered with black pentagons and white hexagons on the surface, American football and Australian rules football are both played with a more elliptical-shaped leather ball.

There are many differences between American and Australian football, such as a kick between the goal posts being worth 6 points in Australian football but only 3 points in American (well, if it's a field goal; 1 point if a PAT). Australian football is broken into four 20-minute quarters, whereas American football's quarters are 15 minutes.

The list of differences goes on...

Answer: The Nine Years' War

The Nine Years' War, fought from 1688 to 1697, was also called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg. It was fought between France and a coalition of European nations including the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, England, Spain, Savoy and Portugal.

The war was the third one under the reign of King Louis XIV, an attempt this time to expand France's territory. At that point in history, France did have the strongest army in Europe and a navy larger than even England's. France's chances deteriorated upon the death of their great general the duke de Luxembourg. Treaties in 1697 brought an end to the conflict.

Answer: American Motors company

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is Jeep's largest SUV (sports utility vehicle). Its reputation has been that it is a very competent off-road SUV. The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee has included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and automatic high headlight beams.

Answer: The Grand Budapest Hotel

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" won four Oscars (Best Achievement in Costume Design; Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling; Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score; Best Achievement in Production Design) and was nominated for five others including Best Picture. The movie tells the story of a famous hotel concierge, played by Ralph Fiennes, at the Grand Budapest Hotel in a fictitious European country, and the bellhop who becomes his trusted friend.

"Grand Prix" (not "The Grand Prix") won three Oscars, "La Grande Illusion" won one Oscar, and "Grand Hotel" (not "The Grand Hotel") won just one Oscar also, but it was the big one--Best Picture.