Some Misconceptions Trivia Quiz

Answer: Capable of burning rapidly.

What a language we have when "inflammable" means the same thing as "flammable." Some things are flammable when they are exposed to water. Sodium is an example, so pure sodium is kept in kerosene.

Answer: I lie on my bed now. The bed is in the bedroom.

Lie means to place oneself in a horizontal position. Lay means to put or to place (for example, lay the book on the table). The choices ending in "at" are incorrect because you should not end a sentence with preposition ("of", "in", and "to" are other examples of prepositions).

Another example of a misused preposition: "Where is the concert at?" In general a preposition must have an object that is a noun (for example, "at the store"). The prepositional phrase (in this case "at the store") shows a connection between the noun in the phrase and some other noun in the sentence (for example, "John is at the store.").

Answer: The temperature is measured in the shade.

For purposes of this discussion, let's assume we are taking the air temperature with a glass thermometer. When the thermometer is placed in the air, the air heats (or cools) the glass bulb to a certain temperature. That causes the liquid in the thermometer (commonly mercury) to expand or contract and "move up" (or down) along the scale to indicate the temperature. If the thermometer is placed in direct sunlight, the sunlight can cause the glass to be heated to a higher temperature than the air around it.

The liquid in the thermometer therefore measures the temperature of the glass bulb, not the temperature of the air. To protect the thermometer from direct sunlight and the elements (such as rain), the thermometer is placed in a "Stevenson screen," which is named after the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Answer: Aspirin

The bark of the willow tree contains salicin (a chemically close relative of Aspirin). Native Americans chewed willow bark to alleviate pain. Aspirin is an analgesic, meaning it dulls pain. In addition to its pain relieving properties Aspirin is also an anticoagulant, meaning that it "thins" blood. Tylenol is also an analgesic, but it contains the medication acetaminophen.

Answer: Allentown

Until recently Erie was the third largest city in Pennsylvania. The 2000 Census revealed that Allentown is now larger. The 2000 Census numbers were 103,717 for Erie and 106,632 for Allentown. The rather common misconception is that Pennsylvania is an urban state. With the exceptions of Philadelphia (2000 Census population of 1,517,550) and Pittsburgh (2000 Census population of 334,563) and their surrounding metro areas, Pennsylvania is a very rural commonwealth. Scranton had a 2000 Census population of 76,415, and Harrisburg, the state capital has a 2000 Census population of 48,950.

Answer: 2 kilograms

Mass is a measurement of how much matter an object contains. The metric unit for mass is the kilogram. The English unit (in the US we use the English system) for mass is little-used slug. Assuming there is no change in the book, it will have the same mass on the earth, on the moon, on Jupiter, and on the sun (although there might not be very much of the book left if it is on the sun!). If you know the mass of an object on earth, you know its mass virtually anywhere in the universe.

When an object gets in the vicinity of another object (such as a planet), the gravitational attraction between the two objects gets large enough that a measurable force forms. That force is called weight.

The metric unit for weight is the Newton. The English unit for weight is the pound. Weight is dependent on the mass of both objects. On earth, there is an equivalency, that the weight of an object (in Newtons) is equal to the mass of the object (in kilograms) multiplied by 9.8.

A book that has a mass of 2 kilograms has a weight on earth of 19.6 Newtons. Because the sun has a greater mass than the earth, the book would have a greater weight on the sun. Since the moon's mass is less than the earth's mass, the book would have a lesser weight on the moon.

The force caused by gravity is also dependent on the distance squared between the two objects. The gravitational pull by the earth on an object very distant from the earth is not zero, but since the distance between the two objects is great, and the square of the distance between the earth and the object is great, the force is infinitesimal. Since astronauts in space actually do experience some "pull" from earth they are not weightless; they are experiencing "microgravity."

Answer: A seasonal change in wind direction.

Yes, a monsoon is simply a seasonal change is wind direction. In southeast Asia (including India) the winds blow in from the land in winter, and they bring very dry weather. In the summer the winds blow off the Indian Ocean, and they bring very wet weather.

Answer: Alaska and Hawaii

For the following discussion, all temperatures are in Fahrenheit. Alaska is a no-brainer. The highest ever recorded temperature in the state was 100 degrees in 1915 at Fort Yukon (north of Fairbanks). The highest ever temperature in Hawaii was 100 degrees in 1931 at Pahala (on the Big Island).

The common misconception is that it is uncomfortably hot in Hawaii. In reality, it is quite comfortable in Hawaii. The wind comes off the ocean, preventing the temperature from getting unbearably high.

The average high in Honolulu in July is 87.5 degrees. In Anchorage, the average high in July is 65.2 degrees. Winter is a different story in Alaska. The average high for January in Anchorage is 21.4 degrees (the average high for Honolulu in January is 80.1 degrees).

The record high in Minnesota is 114 degrees in 1936 in the town of Moorhead. The record high for North Dakota is 121 degrees in 1936 (actually the same day as the high in Minnesota, July 6) in Steele. The record high in Louisiana is 114 degrees on August 10, 1936 in Plain Dealing.

The record high for all of the United States is 134 degrees in Death Valley, California.

Answer: Chief Justice of the United States

Yes, the official title is "Chief Justice of the United States." Warren was named Chief Justice by President Eisenhower. He served on the Court from 1953 to 1969, and the Brown versus Board of Education case was decided during his tenure as Chief Justice. Before being on the Court, Warren was Governor of California.

Answer: Sacramento is the capital.

"Capital" refers to a city that is the seat of government. "Capitol" refers to the legislative building. Los Angeles is California's largest city. City is an official term. A given area can also be a township, a borough, etc. I do not know what California's smallest "official" city is. If you happen to know, let me know.