True-or-False Spectacular II Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

LSU, which lost to evenutal national champion Indiana in one national semifinal contest, fell to Virginia, which lost to ACC rival North Carolina in the other national semifinal, 78-74 in the last consolation game to be played in the Final Four. It took place in the 1981 Final Four at Philadelphia.

Answer: False

One of the best-selling American cars of all time, the durable Taurus had a police variant available from model year 1990 to model year 1995. Though the Taurus proved to be every bit as capable as rear-wheel, full-size models like the Crown Victoria and the Caprice, it never gained the popularity of its rivals. Most notable was the use of the Taurus in a fictional law enforcement setting, in the classic action movie "RoboCop". (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database, AMT Ertl and the website http://members.fortunecity.com/copcarsite/taurus.html for additional information.)

Answer: True

A native of Dallas, Jill Marie Jones spent two years as a Cowboys cheerleader and one year as a dancer for the Dallas Mavericks. She was also part of USO entertainment tours to several countries. On "Girlfriends", she plays the materialistic Toni Childs, as part of an ensemble cast that also includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks and Persia White. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and UPN.com for additional information.)

Answer: False

The North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949, in Washington, DC, by twelve countries committed to each other's defense. The original member nations of NATO include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Paris was the original headquarters city of NATO, but when France withdrew from the military command structure, the organization reseated in Brussels. (Thanks to NATO's website, http://www.nato.int, and Wikipedia for additional information.)

Answer: False

The tangent of an angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side. The multiplicative inverse of the tangent is known as the cotangent. (Thanks to Wikipedia for additional information.)

Answer: True

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater set off a panic in the United States when they dramatized H.G. Wells's classic alien-invasion story on the radio. But a decade later, on February 12, 1949, a Quito radio station did the same thing, with a dramatization that involved aliens descending upon Ecuador's capital. Panic gave way to outright anger; the building the radio station was housed in was burned to the ground. Fifteen people died in the fire. (Thanks to "What Were They Thinking?" by Bruce Felton for additional information.)

Answer: False

Created in 1982 in an effort to split the rising costs of motion-picture production, TriStar Pictures was formed by Columbia Pictures, HBO and CBS. The company's first movie was the blockbuster baseball drama, "The Natural", starring Robert Redford, released in the US in 1983.

The Coca-Cola Company, at that time Columbia's parent company, eventually bought out HBO and CBS and made TriStar a second motion-picture arm. Both Columbia and TriStar are now owned by Sony, which bought all of Coca-Cola's entertainment assets in 1990. (Thanks to Wikipedia for additional information.)

Answer: True

Authorized by an act of Congress on July 2, 1926, the Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to members of the US Armed Forces who distinguish themselves in single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement in flight. It ranks between the Silver Star and the Bronze Star on the Pyramid of Honor, the system which determines the order of precedents of military medals and decorations.

At the time of his historic flight, Lindbergh was a captain in the US Army Air Corps Reserves. (Thanks to Wikipedia and PBS.com for additional information.)

Answer: True

The Harlem-born Williams is not only a versatile actor, but also an accomplished artist whose work has been displayed and sold for handsome sums. Williams's body of film work includes "Lady Sings The Blues", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Batman". (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database and http://www.famousfolk.com for additional information.)

Answer: False

The book of Acts--officially, Acts of the Apostles--is the first book following the Gospels. Romans follows immmediately after Acts.

Answer: True

Designated as one of ten Civil Engineering Monuments of the Millenium by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Kansai International Airport serves the major cities of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto from its offshore position. The island on which the airport sits is 4 km (2.5 mi) long and 1 km (0.62 mi) wide, and is connected to Honshu Island by a 3 km (1.9 mi) bridge. The four-story main terminal building is the world's longest building, covering 1.7 km (1.05 mi).

During construction, between 1989 and 1991, the island sank 8 meters (26 feet), putting the project at risk. Engineers were able to compensate for the sinking by building the main terminal on adjustable columns. (Thanks to Wikipedia, the Kansai International Airport website, and convertit.com for additional information.)

Answer: False

A number of famous people cut their teeth hosting game shows, including longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace and venerable play-by-play man Dick Enberg. Johnny Carson was no exception, taking over for Edgar Bergen as host of "Who Do You Trust?" in 1957, at the beginning of the show's second season, and staying until 1962, the next-to-last season. One of the show's announcers was Ed McMahon, who went on to become Carson's sidekick on "The Tonight Show". (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for additional information.)

Answer: True

Venus has an incredibly low rotational velocity--6.52 kph (4.05 mph) at its equator--a brisk walking speed on our planet. That means that one Venusian day is equivalent to 243 Earth days. A Venusian year lasts only 225 Earth days. So a Venusian day is longer than a Venusian year.

By contrast, Earth has a rotational velocity of 1,674 kph (1040 mph) to cover our 24-hour day, and takes 365 days to go around the Sun. Jupiter, the largest of the nine planets, has a rotational velocity of 45,300 kph (28,148 mph), meaning it makes a complete rotation every nine Earth hours. That's 11,560 day/night cycles during its nearly 12-Earth-year journey around the Sun. (Thanks to Wikipedia and convertit.com for additonal information.)

Answer: False

An assassination attempt on Miles's father, Aral Vorkosigan, with soltoxin gas causes great damage to the unborn Miles. As a result, his stunted growth and brittle bones make him a target of taunts and threats from others who believe he is a genetic mutant. Novels in the Vorkosigan Saga featuring the diminuitive hero include "The Warrior's Apprentice", "Mirror Dance", "Komarr" and "Diplomatic Immunity".

Answer: True

The six teams of NFL Europe League play American football with some slightly different rules. In addition to four-point field goals, defenses can score on conversion attempts, and each team gets the ball at least once in overtime. The developmental league allows young NFL players to gain valuable game experience they likely wouldn't get during a regular NFL campaign. (Thanks to NFL.com for additional information.)