Guild-y As Sin: Greed Trivia Quiz

Answer: Farmer

The father tells the sons that he has hidden his treasure in a particular field. After digging up the field and finding no treasure, it occurs to the sons that the field is ready for them to sow crops. After making money selling those crops, they think that maybe they missed the treasure, so they have another try with the same result. Eventually they understand their father's legacy.

This question asked was provided by Guild member Patricck. His greed has often resulted in digging himself into a hole.

Answer: Gordon Gekko in 'Wall Street'

In a scene in which Gekko (Michael Douglas) made a speech in the 1987 movie, he told the listeners: "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -for lack of a better word - is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge - has marked the upward surge of mankind."

Douglas won an Oscar for playing Gekko, but considering the 2008 financial crisis many people might disagree.

This question was asked by Guild member darksplash, whose prolific quiz writing is aimed at cornering the Fun Trivia market.

Answer: Terminator

This game show was like a cross between "Survivor" and "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". However, it didn't achieve sufficient popularity and it was discontinued in July 2000. The potential top prize was two million dollars.

This question was asked by Guild member cdhjba, whose greedy hoarding of the high point scoring tiles at Scrabble has often led to unplayable racks.

Answer: Yes

Actually, we have historical records of several leaders named Midas from ancient Anatolia (Turkey). The Midas who could have formed the basis for the Greek myth was a powerful ruler of the late 8th century B.C. Assyrian records give a detailed picture of his political and military actions, but the only fact which impressed the Greeks enough to become enshrined in their myths was Midas' great wealth.

This question was asked by Guild member pu2-ke-qi-ri, who has greedily hoarded the secret of her unusual name. It is a puzzle that will irk 2 pique your interest.

Answer: In the re-release of the movie, the scene was changed so that Greedo fired his weapon first.

"Star Wars" (later subtitled "Episode IV: A New Hope") was first released in theaters in 1977. Han Solo, the lovable rogue pilot of the starship Millennium Falcon, was one of the film's most popular characters. Yet in the scene in which he was introduced -- the confrontation with Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina -- he did not exactly make an impression as a good role model. Greedo pulled a blaster on Solo and then described how he was going to enjoy collecting the bounty on his head from Jabba the Hutt. Over the course of the conversation, Solo managed to draw his own weapon and shot Greedo dead. Greedo never fired a shot.

Over the ensuing decades, this morally ambiguous act apparently weighed heavily on director George Lucas' mind. When the movie (along with Episodes V and VI) was digitally remastered and re-released in theaters in 1997, the scene had accordingly been changed. In the new version, Greedo fired on Solo first and missed (despite being a professional bounty hunter and at very close range), making Solo's shot an unquestionable act of self-defense. Fans reacted in outrage and an enduring "Star Wars" controversy was born.

This question was asked by Guild member CellarDoor. What greedy secret is hidden behind that door? Is it a complete replica of the bridge from the Starship Enterprise?

Answer: Erich von Stroheim

The film was based on the novel "McTeague" by Frank Norris, a story of a simple dentist whose girlfriend Trina wins a substantial amount of money on the lottery. After they marry, the money becomes a divisive issue between the couple and leads to a slide into poverty, separation, murder and theft.

'Greed' was the third adaptation of the novel to hit the silver screen. Erich von Stroheim's version was, typically of the man, a very thorough re-telling of the tale. Being a man who refused to compromise his artistic vision despite studio demands, he insisted on using the real locations for each scene regardless of cost. The final bill for the production was allegedly over $500,000, which is believed to be a record for a film of that time.

The studio was contractually obliged to publicly show the full length version once but immediately withdrew it from distribution and demanded von Stroheim reduce the film to four hours. The director obliged, but then found the film taken away from him and reduced further to just over two hours, destroying the narrative structure in the process. The excised footage from the film was believed to have been incinerated in a clear-out of studio vaults.

Despite the production issues, a survey of critics and directors at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 placed it at number six in the list of most artistically fulfilled films.

This question was asked by Guild member Snowman, who is the Guild's most concerned activist on preventing Global Warming.

Answer: rapaciousness

The elements listed together are RA-P-AC-I-O-U-SN-ES-S

Greed is certainly a word that all cultures are familiar with. This is easily demonstrated by how many synonyms there are and how few words there are for the opposite of greed. An example is that one online thesaurus offered 25 different possibilities for synonyms of the word (and that didn't seem to be a comprehensive list as I could think of a few more myself). On the other hand, the only two words offered as being antonyms (the opposite) of greed were benevolence and generosity.

Answer: Liberty X

Also known as 'Flopstars', Liberty X were actually more successful than the winners of the UK 2001 series 'Popstars', Hear'Say. Whilst Hear'Say disbanded the following year, Liberty X lasted until 2007. In 2002, the series (later named 'Popstars, The Rivals') spawned 'Girls Aloud' and 'One True Voice' (disbanded in 2003). The idea of the stars of one of these shows singing about greed is somewhat ironic.

Questions 7 and 8 in "Guild-y As Sin: Greed" were asked by Quiz_Beagle the leader of the pack at Quizmakers' Guild. When she sings, the whole team listens.

Answer: Bill Murray

In "Scrooged", a 1988 remake of the "A Christmas Carol" classic, Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a TV exec who must face three ghosts (the traditional Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future).

John Forsythe plays his deceased (rotting) boss, Lew Hayward. Just as the ghost of Jacob Marley does in the classic, Hayward gets the ball (err, ghosts?) rolling for Cross's night of travels.

Carol Kane is fabulously sparkling as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and David Johansen is the Ghost of Christmas Past (and the worst cabbie ever!).

Answer: The door of Gringotts Bank

Gringotts Wizarding Bank can be found at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. It is run primarily by Goblins and, as the poem hints, there is "more than treasure there" if you are thinking of trying to steal something from one of their underground vaults. The highest security vaults are in the lowest part of the bank, and are guarded by Dragons.

"Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there."

~ Door of Gringotts, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Questions 9 and 10 in "Guild-y As Sin: Greed" were asked by SilverMoonSong. Watch out for the SilverMoonSong/Quiz_Beagle duet in the next Popstars.