The Ultimate "Sims 1" Quiz

Answer: Maxis

Maxis is a division of Electronic Arts, the producer of "The Sims", "Sim City", and many popular sports games. "The Sims" was released in 2000.

Answer: Gnomes

This is somewhat of a trick question; flamingoes and windmills can be put in your Sims' yards, but only gnomes can actually be crafted by the Sims themselves. With "Livin Large" you get a workbench that allows your Sim to earn mechanical points by crafting ugly little gnomes for the yard; he can even sell them for a profit!

Answer: Livin Large

"Livin Large", or "Livin it Up", the Sims' first expansion pack, was released in late 2000. It included new neighborhoods; new toys such as the Chemistry Set, Guinea Pig, Crystal Ball, and Magic Lamp; new career tracks; and new types of interior decorations.

Answer: Sex

The Sims discuss a variety of topics with each other; however, sex is not one of them. You can tell which topic they're discussing by the pictures in the bubbles that appear over their heads when they talk. In the new "Unleashed" expansion pack, they also have the option of talking about cats and dogs. "Hot Date" gave them the option to gossip.

When they do this, a picture of the subject of their gossip appears above their heads (it's especially funny when this is a cat or dog!)

Answer: True

When you create a character, you are allotted so many points that you can assign to different aspects of his/her personality: neat, nice, active, etc. Where, then, do those perfect Sims with all of these slots filled come from? This way: When you create a character, leave all of the personality slots empty.

Then buy the Chemistry Set (available with the "Livin Large" expansion pack) and have your Sims make potions until they get a yellow one. The yellow potion reverses personality; thus, a Sim with no personality who drinks the potion will suddenly become the perfect Sim! The chemistry set is fun; along with the personality reversal potion, you can make potions that refresh, make someone fall in love with your Sim, or even turn your Sim into a monster!

Answer: Hat

The "Hot Date" expansion pack, released in late 2001, gave us the option of taking our Sims Downtown. Downtown is a separate play area reached by taxi that your Sims can explore alone or with a companion. The Sims can shop for many things Downtown, including flowers, chocolates, magazines, teddy bears, and even a copy of "The Sims"! The "Unleashed" expansion pack gives you new things to buy, such as seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables, candles, and decorative masks.

Answer: The name of the Sim in whose residence the proposal occurs

Yes, your Sims can and do get married! After you have properly wooed a Sim and plied him/her with some bribes- er, gifts- the "Propose" option will come up. The "active" Sim, the one in whose residence you are playing, is the one who does the proposing. If the intended says yes, the Sims spin into wedding attire and a quickie wedding is held. If there are other Sims or pets in the house, they'll come to watch the big event.

Afterward, they'll spin back into regular clothes and go about their business.

The new family member will now appear in that household with that surname; all of his/her money and friends are also added to the family pot.

Answer: Those who are very outgoing

Believe it or not, Sims will get into the hot tub naked under the right conditions! If a Sim is high on the outgoing scale, he/she will skinny dip; if he/she is the first one in the hot tub, the others will follow suit. The result looks like a scene from the Playboy Mansion!

Answer: Shooting

Yes, Sims can die, either accidentally or by your own evil hand. The most popular method of Sim euthanasia is by drowning; if you have a Sim (or two, or three...) that you want to dispose of, have them get into the swimming pool, then remove the ladders. Eventually they'll get tired and drown.

A more time-consuming method is to somehow keep the Sim from food and starve him/her to death; this usually entails walling the victim up in a sort of prison so that he can't get to food. Sims can be electrocuted if they attempt to repair an electric appliance, such as an espresso machine, without the proper mechanical skills.

They can also die by fire, which can be prevented by getting smoke detectors and making sure that only Sims who can cook use the stove (just like real life!)

Answer: Ants

As if it weren't enough to deal with bills and appliance breakdowns, as of "Livin Large" your Sims now have to deal with vermin infestations. These take the form of either a circle of cockroaches scooting around on the floor or a swarm of flies making its way through the house.

In "Unleashed", you get little white mice, which at least are cute. The easiest way to get rid of these pests is to go into cheat mode (control shift c) and type "move_objects on"; then go into Buy mode and simply dispose of the offenders (sometimes you even get money for them!)

Answer: Drew Carey

With the addition of "House Party", your Sims may have parties in which the entire neighborhood comes and a good time is had by all. To have a party, simply pick up the phone and choose "Throw a party". The caterer will soon appear, followed by the neighbors. Somehow, the game rates the success of the party; the formula is based on the number of guests, their mood, and the mood of the hosts. If these levels are high enough, a Sim of Drew Carey will pull up in a limo and join the party! It's actually Drew's voice you'll hear, babbling in Simlish. You can't click on him to interact with him; you can only watch in awe as he makes his way through the crowd, partaking of the refreshments and chatting on his cell phone.

Answer: Mime

The same way that Drew Carey will appear at a real happenin bash, a mime will show up (uninvited, of course) at a dull gathering. He goes around annoying people with his antics until the party disperses or you use the "move objects" cheat to dispose of him.

Answer: Guinea Pig

There are several paintings you can buy to hang in your Sims' home, and each painting has a name. The portrait of a guinea pig on a blue background also doubles as a cure for the dreaded "guinea pig disease". Your Sim can contact guineapigosis by handling the guinea pig, which was provided with "Livin Large", or any pet cloned from the guinea pig. Symptoms are extreme exhaustion and all red need levels; the cure is either plenty of bedrest or perusal of the guinea pig painting.

Answer: Miss Crumplebottom

Miss Crumplebottom, aka The Old Prude, is a little old hunched-over woman who you'll see walking about Downtown. You can't interact with her; the only way she'll interact with your Sims is by hitting them with her purse if they get too amorous!

Answer: Wake up and throw a temper tantrum

It's funny to watch Sims throw temper tantrums; they stomp their feet, grimace, and shake their fists. They'll do this when they're awakened before they're ready to get up (I do that too!) or if all of the food is taken before they've gotten their share.

Answer: Wine

Some Sims have good manners and bring a gift when then visit; it may be a box of candy, a fruitcake, or a vase of flowers. The candy and cake may be served and eaten by everyone in the house.

Answer: Maid

If you click on the Maid when she's in your house, you can tell her to get lost; the options available are "fire" and "dismiss".

Answer: Spot

"Unleashed" comes with stray dogs and cats that make their way around the neighborhood, and even into your Sims' houses! They walk right in like they own the place, and will partake of your own pets' food and sleep in their beds (unless you shoo them, but who would want to do that?) You can interact with them like you would your own pet, and even adopt them. Spork is a black cat, Aristotle is a cute furry brown cat, and Cher is a grey dog.

Answer: True

Sad, but true. If your Sim consistently goes to work in a foul mood, s/he may get demoted a step. Make sure your Sim gets up early enough to be properly cleaned, fed, and entertained before leaving for work.

Answer: Sims will be annoyed if the wallpaper and floor don't match

One of the best part of playing "The Sims" is decorating- you get to choose wallpaper, floor, windows, furniture, even roofs! One of the Sims' needs scores is the room score; it refers to the environment or atmosphere that the Sim is in. Things that will bring the room score down are few windows and lights, dirty dishes, flies or roaches, flood or fire (obviously), and broken things. Sims do like to have wallpaper and flooring in their houses, but they are oblivious as to the type or pattern.

Answer: Reading

Sims can develop their logic skills by playing chess (alone or with a partner), stargazing with the telescope, or making potions with the chemistry set. Reading in "The Sims" is strictly for pleasure, unless you click on the bookcase and choose "Study Cooking" or "Study Mechanical".

Answer: Theme park

With the release of the "Vacation" expansion pack in spring 2002, your Sims can now pack up and go to Vactaion Island. You can download, swap, and create your own vacation lots, themed in either beach, campground, or ski resort.

Answer: True

True! The ghost of a departed Sim may appear in the middle of the night and scare the beejesus out of surviving family members. The easiest way to bust ghosts is to sell the urn or tombstone; this will also stop the other Sims from mourning and let them get on with their lives.

Answer: All of these

Just as in real life, no one likes a stinky Sim. Sims who are Downtown get stinky quickly, so your Sim must keep his hygiene up if he wants to make friends. Hygiene boosters are the tub or shower, sink or fountain, and mirror (brush teeth). Even your Sim's spouse won't hug him if he stinks badly enough!

Answer: Body

I didn't make this up; I got it from "The Sims" website. Body points, which are gained by using the exercise machine, swimming, or playing basketball, are the most difficult for the Sim to earn, as he/she gets tired quickly. This is why it's harder to progress in careers that require a lot of body points, such as Athlete and X-treme.