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Not What You Would Expect

Choose the correct answer, not the seemingly obvious one.
Quiz by joez
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Last updated: April 2, 2021
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First submittedMarch 9, 2020
Times taken29,761
Average score73.3%
Rating4.44
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1. What is the color of an airplane's Black Box?
Black
White
Orange
2. Which island is 80% covered with ice sheets?
Iceland
Madagascar
Greenland
3. What is the geometric shape of New York's Times Square?
Circle
Bowtie (Two Triangles)
Square
4. What kind of wood is Howard Hughes" airplane, the Spruce Goose, made of?
Spruce
Mahogany
Birch
5. What is a silverfish?
Insect
Fish
Bird
6. Who Invented the Phillips Screwdriver?
John P. Thompson
Henry F. Phillips
Elon Musk
Phillips bought the rights from actual inventor Thompson.
7. Where were the earliest form of Arabic Numerals developed?
India
Greece
Arabian Peninsula
8. What type of musical instrument is the English Horn?
Horn
Percussion
Woodwind
It is a large oboe. Also it originated in Silesia, not England. So, double misnomer!
9. What element is pencil lead made of?
Lead
Carbon
Uranium
Made of Graphite, a form of Carbon.
10. What is a peanut?
Berry
Legume
Nut
11. Who do the Swiss Guard protect?
Roger Federer
Pope
President of the Swiss Confederation
12. Which state has its capital city on the Delaware River?
New Jersey
Delaware
Pennsylvania
Trenton is located on the Delaware River. Dover and Harrisburg are not.
13. How many dances are mentioned in the lyrics of the Wilson Pickett song "Land of 1000 Dances"?
1000
6
50
Pony, Mashed Potato, Alligator, Watusi, Twist, Jerk.
14. What is a flying fox?
Hummingbird
Fox
Bat
15. What body part is affected by heartburn?
Esophagus / Stomach
Liver
Heart
+22
Level 72
Apr 4, 2020
I got 100%. I wonder if the quiz title wasn't such a major hint, if I'd have gotten them all. Very interesting and original quiz idea!
+37
Level 70
Apr 4, 2020
umm...the Spanish Inquisition?
+13
Level 89
Mar 30, 2021
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
+11
Level 79
Apr 4, 2020
You used a quotation mark instead of an apostrophe in #4.
+3
Level 71
Jan 24, 2022
Almost two years later, and the quotation mark is still there.
+1
Level 62
Dec 13, 2023
Almost two years after that, and the quotation mark is still there.
+2
Level 82
Apr 6, 2020
I also got 100%. Pretty easy.
+9
Level 43
May 19, 2021
Maybe for you. I always see your snobby ass bragging on every quiz. Not everyone can be all-knowing like the great kalbahamut.
+3
Level 62
Jun 1, 2021
Neither can anyone be as all-knowing as the wise and knowledgeable Bdubz.
+3
Level 77
Jul 2, 2021
YES! I've got my popcorn ready for this snark fest that is about to happen.
+1
Level 70
Nov 1, 2022
never happened :|
+3
Level 62
Mar 30, 2021
More on question number 7 - The numerals known in the west as "Arabic Numerals" were actually invented in India, derived from the Brahmani numerals. This knowledge was shared by ancient Indians with the Arabs, who then introduced it to the west, which called Arabic Numerals.
+4
Level 84
Mar 30, 2021
Back when I was in school, we were taught to call our numerals "Hindu-Arabic numerals." I understand that term has fallen out of favor nowadays, but it was helpful in this case!
+2
Level 82
Mar 30, 2021
In school Hindu-Arabic was the term that was taught when I was there, here in Australia. I've only recently encountered people referring to the numbers as simply Arabic, which seems less accurate. Admittedly the numerals we use in the West are significantly different from the Hindu originals or modern Devanagari and bear closer resemblance to their Arabic counterparts, but they certainly originated in India and not in any Arab lands.
+1
Level 78
Mar 30, 2021
Question 15: What body part IS affected by heartburn - I suppose, I'm no native speaker.
+1
Level ∞
Mar 30, 2021
Fixed
+5
Level 55
Mar 30, 2021
I'm sure almost everyone who is an avid follower of tennis would want the answer for Question 12 to be Federer.
+1
Level 76
Mar 31, 2021
Besides, he needs more protection now that he's an "ambassador".
+3
Level 76
Mar 30, 2021
Wow, I wasn’t expecting that!
+1
Level 62
Dec 13, 2023
Of course. A Black Box is orange. What else would it be?
+2
Level 76
Mar 30, 2021
Fun! Looking forward to #2, complete with French Fries and Devonshire Tea.
+1
Level 65
Mar 30, 2021
And "Chinese" food! (Obviously choose an American made one and say it is popular Chinese food)
+2
Level 82
Mar 30, 2021
Fortune cookies
+3
Level 75
Mar 30, 2021
Literally the other day I opened a fortune cookie and there was a blank strip of paper like 2mm wide. Now I'm really worried that nothing fortunate will ever happen to me again.
+1
Level 65
Mar 31, 2021
Yesterday was my birthday, and coincidentally I ended up getting Panda Express!
+1
Level 76
Mar 30, 2021
Probably the best example of this is the Holy Roman Empire.
+1
Level 65
Mar 31, 2021
No, I think not. 1. Its territory is extremely well known. 2. The Holy Roman Empire's first king was Charlemagne of the Franks, who was crowned by the Pope, a big influence to Rome. That in combination with holding much of the Western Roman territory was why it was named the Holy Roman Empire.
+3
Level 79
Mar 30, 2021
I believe the number of dances in Land of 1000 Dances is actually 5, because "Twistin' with Lucy" is a reference to the Twist dance style.
+1
Level 90
Mar 31, 2021
Agreed. In order Pony, Mashed Potato, Alligator, Watusi and Twist
+2
Level 59
Mar 31, 2021
It's actually 6, as the "jerk" is mentioned in the song as well.
+1
Level 72
Apr 3, 2021
Corrected. Thanks!
+1
Level 77
May 16, 2021
The original version (by Chris Kenner, not Wilson Pickett ) had 16 dances: The Pony, Mashed Potato, Alligator, Twist, Watusi, The Yo-Yo, Sweet Pea, Fly, Hand Jive, Slop, Chicken, Bop, Fish, Slow Twist, Tango, and the Popeye.

But Wilson Pickett's cover is probably canonical. No need to alert the Quizmaster. :)

+1
Level 76
Mar 31, 2021
Joez managed to fool me with the ice sheet question. Why? Because Greenland being the right answer was totally what I expected. But with that quiz title I thought, well, it can't be that, then. So I went for the next-best option.
+2
Level 82
Mar 31, 2021
I came expecting the unexpected
+2
Level 77
Mar 31, 2021
Roger Federer is my favorite wrong answer on any quiz in a long time!
+2
Level 51
Mar 31, 2021
Same! Gave me a good chuckle.
+1
Level 67
May 16, 2021
The lake bordering Chicago, Illinois shares its name with that of which US state?

The US Midwest is located primarily in which geographical quadrant of the contiguous United States?

The highest mountain in the contiguous United States is located in the state with which of the following nicknames?

The highest amount of gold is mined in the US state with which of the following nicknames?

+1
Level 67
May 16, 2021
Only missed the Times Square question; I was thinking if it was a bowtie then the people in the back half would have a very limited view of the ball drop so I went with circle
+1
Level 66
May 16, 2021
Daaaaamn

Thought there was a trap on the ice sheet question and answered "Madagascar" even though I knew Greenland was covered with ice

+1
Level 71
May 16, 2021
Come on, 9/15 correct should be worth more than 1/5 points.
+1
Level 45
May 16, 2021
One could be: Where is Kansas City? Because it isn't at Kansas, it is at Missouri xD
+2
Level 76
May 16, 2021
That's a tricky one, because there actually IS a Kansas City in Kansas, right across the border from the one in Missouri. It's not nearly as big or well known, but it's still the third-largest city in Kansas.
+1
Level 52
May 16, 2021
Is it coincidental, ironic, or intentional that right after taking this quiz I got an interesting fact saying that the Spruce Goose was made of birch?
+1
Level 18
May 16, 2021
aw fooie, I forgot Philadelphia isn't the capital.
+1
Level 59
May 16, 2021
SAME thats why i picked PA ...i knew about Trenton
+1
Level 64
May 16, 2021
Minor quibble - it's pretty standard nomenclature in bands and orchestras to call all wind instruments "horns" whether they are brass or woodwinds. I would call the English Horn both a woodwind and a horn. You might think about changing that "horn" option to "brass".
+1
Level 90
May 17, 2021
The word horn has been messed around with quite a bit.

The origin of calling certain instrument horns comes from the fact that they were (made from) animal horns.

Also, one of the main characteristics of a horn is that it has a continuously increasing bore - like the French horn and cornet.

Trumpets are technically not horns because they have a constant bore diameter through the mouth pipe and valves and only the final tubing from the valves to the bell increases in bore.

+2
Level 69
May 17, 2021
I laughed at the "Roger Federer" option for question 11. :D
+1
Level 28
May 18, 2021
Nothing remotely funny about the the national treasure of Switzerland (!)
+1
Level 58
May 17, 2021
thought #3 was a double trick question because of how specific "bowtie (two triangles)" is
+2
Level 67
May 18, 2021
Having the Swiss Guards protect Roger Federer is a lovely idea.
+1
Level 41
Jul 12, 2021
This was easier than I expected. I got 14/15 by getting rid of the super obvious and super obscure options, leaving me to choose the other answer. Nice quiz! :D
+1
Level 54
Nov 24, 2021
Got 100% for some reason
+1
Level 57
May 4, 2022
93% on first attempt
+1
Level 62
Dec 13, 2023
Thompson *invents screwdriver*

Phillips *buys rights to screwdriver*

Musk *acquires majority of stock in screwdriver and becomes the new owner*

+1
Level 18
Mar 13, 2024
Very Interesting quiz! I did not do so well though.