Let's Hear It for the Bean Counter! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "If my father had hugged me even once, I'd be an accountant right now." Everybody should love accountants. This person is an actor whom everybody loves already. Which of the following, each with their own eponymous shows, studied accountancy?

Answer: Ray Romano

Romano majored in accountancy at Queen's College, New York. As a stand-up comedian, he had input into the David Letterman show before "Everybody Loves Raymond" launched in 1996. His real-life big brother works for the NYPD just as in the series.

2. "I have a mansion, forget the price. Ain't never been there, they tell me it's nice. I live in hotels, tear out the walls. I have accountants pay for it all." Where would rock stars be without accountants? Which would-be President and "Eagle" was flying high in the 1978 charts with "Life's Been Good"?

Answer: Joe Walsh

Walsh joined the Eagles after Bernie Leadon left the group in 1975. "Life's Been Good" was taken from the album, "But Seriously Folks...". It reached Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978 and Number 14 in the UK. The unsuccessful presidential campaign came in 1980 off the back of "Life's Been Good". Walsh also ran for vice president in 1992.

3. Need a little something cooked up for you? Then look no further than your ever obliging accountant and his creative thinking. Which of these screen inventors began life as an accountant in Wales before becoming an actor?

Answer: Desmond Llewelyn (Q in the Bond movies)

Llewelyn played in 17 of the Bond films, beginning with "From Russia with Love" (1963) and ending with "The World Is Not Enough" (1999). He had first thought about a career in church ministry and then intended to be a chartered accountant in the UK but didn't get beyond being an articled clerk. He was later quoted as saying: "I'd tried the Church and that failed. I was too dim for accountancy, too short-sighted for the police force and an insufficient liar to make a good politician. What else was left but to become an actor?"
(Source : UK "Independent" newspaper 21st December 1999)
Llewelyn died in 1999 at the age of 85.

4. The ability to work "creatively" on accounts can bring all sorts of benefits. In which classic prison movie is the accounting work of the main character a key element?

Answer: The Shawshank Redemption

Beware: This summary contains spoilers!
Andy Dufresne is a banker, wrongly convicted of his wife's murder. The film chronicles his years in prison and ultimate escape. Due to his financial background, he is used in preparing the prison's accounts and to administer a money laundering scheme for the governor's benefit. Ultimately, it is Andy that benefits from this money and his final act, whilst on the "inside", is to shop the governor by making the scheme public.

5. This rock star appreciated the value of his bean counters whilst he was with us. Who famously said that he had "no use for bodyguards, but I have very specific use for two highly trained certified public accountants."

Answer: Elvis Presley

I repeat the question posed above. Where would rock stars be without their accountants? With lifetime earnings estimated to exceed $4 billion, you can see why Elvis thought they were important. The other three probably used accountants but were too "rock 'n' roll" to ever sing their praises in public.

6. Accountants are very versatile and can be put to many uses. Which of these singers trained as an accountant before embarking on an illustrious career in rock music? Was "Paint It Black" an invitation to massage the figures in order to achieve a bottom line profit?

Answer: Mick Jagger

Clearly, an accounting background comes in handy if you and your band are going to become tax exiles. In 1961, Jagger received a scholarship to the London School of Economics where he studied accounting and finance. He dropped out of his course the following year, allegedly after driving a motorcycle through the library.
(Source : UK "Independent" newspaper 26th July 2008)

7. From an accountant who dreamed of becoming a singer to a singer who maybe dreams of becoming an accountant. Which member of the Jackson family was quoted as saying, "If I wasn`t singing, I`d probably be, probably an accountant." If this person had been an accountant they might have been better able to conceal their assets!

Answer: Janet Jackson

The assets in question were exposed to public scrutiny during the half-time entertainment at the 2004 Super Bowl. Hers was a figure that needed a little more dressing!

8. Singing, acting, comedy, inventing - is there anything to which the accountant can't turn their hand? Now you can add writing to that list. Which of these novelists trained as an accountant, before training as a lawyer, before becoming a phenomenally successful author whose books are regularly turned into blockbuster films?

Answer: John Grisham

Most people know that Grisham studied law and was a successful lawyer What is less well-known is that his first degree, from Mississippi State University, was in accounting. Among the many movies to be made from his novels are, "The Firm", "The Pelican Brief", "The Client", "The Rainmaker" and "Runaway Jury".

The other three have all written books out of which movies have been made but, sadly for them, without the accounting background. Dan Brown is responsible for "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons". Nick Hornby has given us "Fever Pitch" (and the related film, "The Perfect Catch"), "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy". Michael Crichton provides a long list that includes "The Andromeda Strain", "Jurassic Park" and "Disclosure".

9. The poor accountant is used to being on the receiving end of public antipathy. This was literally played out in the Milgram experiment, a 1961 science experiment, designed to test people's willingness to obey authority by inflicting pain on a third party (who happened to be an accountant). Participants were told to punish the victim by applying increasing levels of what?

Answer: Electric shock

This experiment was established in the light of the Nazi attrocities of the Second World War, and was designed to test how far people would go in following orders when this ran contrary to their moral scruples.

At the outset, two participants would draw lots to determine wheter they were the "teacher" or the "learner". What was not revealed was that this draw was rigged and that volunteers were always given a slip marked "teacher". The "learner" (played by an accountant in his late-40s) was part of the experiment. Participants were aware that the "learner" was in an adjoining room and connected to them by electrical equipment. He also informed them that he had a heart condition. The "teacher" was required to guide the "learner" through specific tasks and to administer increasingly heavy electrical shocks whenever these tasks were failed. What they did not know was that this was a complete pretence. No shocks were being applied and the "learner"'s screams came via a tape. The results showed that most participants asked to stop at some stage but continued at the urging of the co-ordinator who assured them that they would not be held personally responsible.

The experiment was repeated in a 2006 UK TV special featuring the British magician and mentalist, Derren Brown. Brown re-enacted the experiment as part of his TV show, "The Heist". The results paralleled those of the original.

10. "My father was fond of saying you need three things in life - a good doctor, a forgiving priest, and a clever accountant. The first two, I've never had much use for." This is a quote from which Oscar winning movie about a war hero whose accountant helped him save hundreds?

Answer: Schindler's List

In "Schindler's List", Oskar Schindler is played by Liam Neeson whilst Ben Kingsley portrays his Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern. Stern was responsible for managing Schindler's factory and forging work documents so that Jews were provided with jobs deemed essential. In total, more than 1200 lives were saved in this way.

Source: Author glendathecat

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Let's Hear It for the Bean Counter! Quiz

Few people would readily associate the humble accountant with the world of celebrity but there are very many links as this quiz demonstrates. It's dedicated to any FunTrivia members who, right now, are faithfully counting beans!

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