The Brackets!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Decathlon Event #9 / The Thursday Quiz LXXXII


Deadline for Event #7: Friday 5/8, 6 pm PDT.
Deadline for Event #8: Thursday 5/7, 6 pm PDT.
Deadline for Event #9: Friday 5/6, Noon PST.

This Thursday Quiz -- the penultimate event of the M5K Decathlon 2009 -- is one of them literary ones:

Great Russian Novels

The Thursday Quiz is, as always, a closed-book Is It or Isn't It Quiz. For each of the following: is it, or isn't it, a Russian novel that is credited to the correct author?

For Thursday Quiz scoring, the usual rules are in place.

For Decathlon scoring, each correct answer is worth two Decathlon points; however, note also the second section of the Quiz, below.

Answers must be in by Noon Pacific Daylight time, Friday, May 8.

Is it or ain't it a great Russian novel, credited to the correct author?

1. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

2. The Brothers Karamazov, Leo Tolstoy

3. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

4. Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol

5. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak

6. An Emptyness in the Kremlin, Constantin Chernenko

7. Eugene Onegin, Alexander Pushkin

8. The Great Table, Dmitri Mendeleev

9. Lieutenant Kije, Leo Tolstoy

10. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov

11. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn

12. War and Peace, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

For Decathlon scoring only: One point apiece, up to a maximum of twenty-five points for the event, will be awarded for identifying the country represented by each of the following sets of novels.

1. The Tin Drum; Death in Venice; Siddhartha

2. Blindness; Fado Alexandrino; The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

3. The Woman in the Dunes; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; Snow Country

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Faceless Killers; Pippi Longstocking

5. The Palm-Wine Drinkard; The Famished Road; Things Fall Apart

---
Submit your answers either in the comments or at M5KDecathlon@gmail.com.

32 comments:

  1. So Bunny and Bobby have been planning this big trip through Russia after they visit Vietnam. They've been bringing Russian novels to the beach trying to get in the mood. I've been studiously ignoring the giant tomes and flipping blissfully through Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets. I should have known. =/

    1 isn't
    2 is
    3 isn't
    4 no idea... is
    5 no idea... isn't
    6 no idea... isn't
    7 no idea... is
    8 no idea... isn't (wasn't he the geneticist?)
    9 no idea... is
    10 all I know is that you liked this one - is?
    11. no idea... is
    12 isn't - I think you switched up Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky for these two.

    1. France
    2. Italy
    3. Estonia
    4. Denmark
    5. Afganistan


    I am sooooo out of medal contention at this point. I'm so sad. =(

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. is
    2. isn't
    3. is
    4. is
    5. is
    6. isn't
    7. is
    8. isn't
    9. is
    10. isn't
    11. is
    12. isn't

    bonus

    1. Germany

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. yes
    2. no
    3. yes
    4. yes
    5. yes
    6. never heard of it - no
    7. yes
    8. never heard of it - no
    9. never heard of it - no
    10. yes
    11. yes
    12. no

    1. Germany
    2. Italy
    3. Japan
    4. Scandinavia ... Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1. Is
    2. Isn't
    3. Is
    4. Is
    5. Is
    6. Isn't
    7. Is
    8. Isn't
    9. Isn't
    10. Is
    11. Is
    12. Isn't

    new theory for answering - do the ones you know & then alternate between is & isn't for the rest...

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. Is
    2. IS NOT
    3. Is
    4. Is? (how would I know?)
    5. Is
    6. Uh...Isn't?
    7. Hmm...I know the opera, not the book. Oops. Isn't?
    8. Is? (like I would know)
    9. Isn't
    10. Uh. Nevah heard of it.
    11. IS
    12. NO, ISN'T. But I see the mean way you think to mix us up in this puzzle. Russian novels...ugh.
    ? Extra credit...I assume this means, the authors' countries of origin?
    1. Germany
    2. Burkina Faso
    3. Montenegro
    4. Sweden
    5. Brazil
    (May as well make interesting guesses, as I only knew the one.)

    Gad.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. is
    2. isn't
    3. is
    4. is
    5. is
    6. isn't
    7. isn't
    8. isn't
    9. isn't
    10. is
    11. is
    12. isn't

    Bonus!
    1. Germany
    2. Spain
    3. Japan
    4. Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. Da.
    2. Nyet.
    3. Da.
    4. Da. At least it sounds like Gogol.
    4. Nyet?
    5. Da.
    6. Da.
    7. Nyet.
    8. Da.
    9. Nyet. Lieutenant Kije Suite rings a bell though - Prokofiev? Tchaikovsky? Should have done a Russian composer quiz and maybe fewer of these would be guesses.
    10. Da. Or I hope so, or you won't believe I also read your book reviews. I just have a terrible time remembering author names.
    11. Da.
    12. Nyet.



    D1. Germany.
    D2. Brazil.
    D3. Japan.
    D4. Sweden.
    D5. No, this is Brazil. D2 is Egypt, what the hell.

    Bibliobumbling along here ...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Missed a couple of events. Stamina needs building.

    1. y
    2. no
    3. y
    4. n
    5. y
    6. y
    7.n
    8. y
    9. n
    10. n
    11. y
    12. n

    1. Austria
    2.
    3. Australia
    4. Sweden
    5. Kenya.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1 da / 2 nyet / 3 da / 4 da / 5 da / 6 nyet? / 7 da? / 8 da / 9 nyet / 10 nyet / 11 da / 12 nyet

    ec: germany / spain / new zealand / sweden / ethiopia

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1 yes
    2 no, that's Dostoyevsky
    3 yes
    4 uh, yes
    5 yes
    6 crazy talk! no
    7 uh, yes
    8 uh, no
    9 hey, I've heard this on the classical station. no
    10 yes
    11 yes
    12 no, that's Tolstoy

    1 Germany
    2 Portugal
    3 Japan
    4 Sweden
    5 Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  12. 50/50 shot, right? (and i ain't talkin' about a shot of stoli!)

    1. yes
    2. no
    3. yes
    4. yes
    5. yes
    6. no (idea)!
    7. no (idea)!
    8. no?
    9. yes
    10. yes
    11. yes
    12. no

    1. Germany
    2. Egypt .. no wait. That's the last pharoh book. NO idea.
    3. No clue.... Scotland
    4. Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  13. 1. is
    2. isn't
    3. is
    4. is
    5. isn't
    6. isn't
    7. is
    8. isn't
    9. isn't
    10. is
    11. is
    12. isn't

    1. Germany
    2. Italy
    3. Japan
    4. Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1. Is
    2. Isn't
    3. Is
    4. Is
    5. Is
    6. Isn't
    7. Is
    8. Isn't
    9. Isn't
    10. Is
    11. Is
    12. Isn't

    Geez, ok
    1. Germany
    2. Oh crap. Palestine? (Side note: Lamb is a great book!)
    3. Japan
    4. Sweden, no?
    5. Egypt?

    ReplyDelete
  15. 1. Is
    2. Isn't
    3. Is
    4. Is
    5. Is
    6. Isn't
    7. Is
    8. Isn't
    9. Isn't
    10. Is
    11. Is
    12. Is

    Extra, just for the fun of guessing:
    1. Germany
    2. Portugal
    3. Albania
    4. Sweden
    5. South Africa

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ahhh!

    1. is
    2. isn't
    3. is
    4. isn't
    5. isn't
    6. isn't
    7. is
    8. isn't
    9. isn't
    10. is
    11. is
    12. isn't

    1. India
    2. Portugal
    3. Japan
    4. Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    ReplyDelete
  17. Belatedly--- thinking that the titles of the "Drop Dead, Contestants" extra-credit questions might be related, not to author groupings, but to some kind of ?setting/allusion/allegorical? reference that centers around a geographical nexus (i.e., swirling drain)... I see absolutely no relation amongst the various answers (visited once I had responded and come back home from a quick errand to view flood damage....)
    Well, luckily it is not a "right minus wrong" test.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 1. Y
    2. N
    3. Y
    4. N
    5. N
    6. N
    7. Y
    8. N
    9. N
    10. N
    11. N
    12. N

    2. Greece
    3. Japan
    4. Sweden--Villa Villekula, baby!

    (I haven't read other the comments, of course, but I hope I'm not the only person to feel that asking us whether the novels are "great" has some wiggle room in it. :-) )

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kadonkadonk, I thought of Lamb when I saw that clue too! Have you read Fool? I think it's Moore's best so far.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Some of these I've even heard of! Hopefully the value judgement of whether it is or isn't a "great" novel doesn't play here.

    1. da
    2. da
    3. da
    4. nyet
    5. nyet
    6. da
    7. nyet
    8. da
    9. da
    10. nyet
    11. nyet
    12. nyet
    _________________

    Haven't read ANY of these.
    1. India
    2. Italy
    3. Iceland
    4. Ireland
    5. Indonesia

    When all else fails, pretend there's a theme.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I thought of Lamb, too. Christopher Moore is amazing. Island of the Sequined Love Nun is another best of Moore....

    ReplyDelete
  22. @Serendipity: No wiggle room on the question of "Great." I consulted multiple independant assessments of the canon of "Great Russian Novels" in the production of this Quiz. So it is of course untouchable.

    @Ben: Awesome theme concept for the bonus question. I wish ~I~ had thought of that. As, no doubt, do you...

    Also, it seems a conversation about a book I've never heard of has broken out in my Decathlon, like a fight an online hockey game. Suppose I better investigate...

    ReplyDelete
  23. OK, at first the only book I could find called "Lamb" was published by Time-Life Books in 1971. It was part of The Good Cook series. I don't think it is the one you were talking about.

    After further research, I found a more likely candidate, and have an audiobook version on hold at the MCL.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Would your new candidate be by the author of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove? I like that one too.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh, and I didn't think you'd really let me challenge you on the "great" Russian novels. I just like to voice my questions. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I am trying to think if I need to call 911 for you guys..... but surely Mrs. M5000 is on the job.

    ReplyDelete
  27. 1.is
    2. isn't
    3. is
    4. is
    5. is
    6. isn't
    7. is
    8. isn't
    9. is
    10. isn't
    11. isn't
    12. isn't

    1. U.S.
    2. Brazil
    3. China
    4. Sweden
    5. Nigeria

    (my vote for next time is famous british authors, or better yet, just Dickens, then I might stand a chance)

    ReplyDelete
  28. russian authors! that's even better than harry potter! ya lublyoo paruski knigi!

    1. yes!
    2. no, doestoyevsky
    3. yes
    4. yes. though i've never read it.
    5. yes!
    6. um. no? i don't recognize the name at all.
    7. yes
    8. um. no?
    9. no
    10. i hope this is the one i'm thinking of. didn't you write about it? it sounded interesting! yes.
    11. no?
    12. no, this was tolstoy

    bonus:
    1. um. india?
    2. um. italy?
    3. um. united states?
    4. sweden! every girl with red hair loves pippi.
    5. um. spain?

    ReplyDelete
  29. 1. Is
    2. Isn't
    3. Is
    4. Is
    5. Is
    6. Isn't
    7. Isn't
    8. Isn't (ha!)
    9. Isn't
    10. Is
    11. Isn't
    12. Isn't

    1. Italy
    2. Greece?
    3. Dunes, Birds, and Snow... an interesting combination... Turkey.
    4. Norway
    5. Aargh. I taught Things Fall Apart for the first time a month or two ago. Does Iboland count? If not, I'll go with Kenya.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Oh yeah! Answers!

    1. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy -- YES

    2. The Brothers Karamazov, Leo Tolstoy -- NO, Dostoyevsky

    3. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- YES

    4. Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol -- YES

    5. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak -- YES

    6. An Emptyness in the Kremlin, Constantin Chernenko -- NO. Chernenko was the penultumate ruler of the Soviet Union, and his short term of office was marked by a rapid decline of health from marginally functional to barely functional to, well, dead.

    7. Eugene Onegin, Alexander Pushkin -- YES

    8. The Great Table, Dmitri Mendeleev -- NO. Mendeleev was the clever chemist who noticed that if you arranged the known elements on a chart, there were some interesting patterns and predictive possibilities. And so was the periodic table born.

    9. Lieutenant Kije, Leo Tolstoy -- NO. That was Yuri Tynyanov, a bit of a one-hit wonder I believe.

    10. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov -- YES.

    11. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn -- YES.

    12. War and Peace, Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- YES.

    With several perfect scores, the TQ LXXXII Gold Star went to Quiz Legend Rex Parker! The Silver went to The Calico Cat, the Blue to la gringissima, and Greens to Mrs.5000, Missy, Kadonkadonk, and MJ.

    ReplyDelete
  31. The Decathlon Extras are:

    1. The Tin Drum; Death in Venice; Siddhartha -- all GERMAN

    2. Blindness; Fado Alexandrino; The Gospel According to Jesus Christ -- all PORTUGUESE

    3. The Woman in the Dunes; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; Snow Country -- all JAPANESE

    4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Faceless Killers; Pippi Longstocking -- all SWEDISH

    5. The Palm-Wine Drinkard; The Famished Road; Things Fall Apart -- all NIGERIAN

    Kudos to Mrs.5000, who IDed them all, and to Rex, la gringa, Missy, and Eversaved, who IDed 4/5.

    ReplyDelete
  32. You'd almost think that Mrs.5000 was sleeping with someone....
    or at least had a really, really close look at the bookshelves.

    ReplyDelete

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