Canthook

This is a test of sixth-grade knowledge given to the panel of "I've Got A Secret" in 1965 by Sam Levenson. How many answers do you know? Important: it's a 1965 quiz, so use 1965 answers.

1. Geography What is the longest river in the world?

2. Grammar Big/Large is an example of synonyms - words that mean the same thing. Hot/Cold is an example of antonyms - words that are opposites of each other. Wood/Would is a combination of words that sound alike. What do you call such a combination?

3. and 4. Geography According to Sam, there are four oceans in the world. Two of them are the Atlantic and the Pacific. Name the other two.

5. History Of the following states, which one was not one of the original 13 colonies: Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Georgia?

6. Arithmetic Add 1 gallon, 2 quarts, and 4 pints.

7. and 8. Climate The tropic zone is separated from the temperate zones by two imaginary lines, called the "Tropic of _____". For 7, provide the name of the line in the northern hemisphere, and for 8, provide the name of the line in the southern hemisphere.

9. and 10. Geology An igneous rock, such as pumice, is formed by the cooling of magma. There are two other kinds of rocks. Name them.

Answers:

1. The longest river in the world is the Nile.

2. Wood and would are homonyms.

3. 4. In 1965, there were considered to be four oceans in the world, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. These days, there are considered to be five oceans, including the Southern Ocean. This is a 1965 test, with 1965 answers, and if you answered Southern, mark that answer wrong. If you answered Ann Sothern, you earn a wink, but it's still wrong.

5. Maine was not one of the original 13 colonies. Some say it doesn't act much like the rest of the US yet. A-yep. For years, politicians said, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation". Then came the election of 1936, and suddenly it was, "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont," for Alf Landon won 2 states, and FDR won 46, including Kansas, where Alf Landon had been a popular governor. Maine had originally been part of Massachusetts, but it gained independence in 1820 when it became the 23rd state.

6. If you add 1 gallon, 2 quarts and 4 pints, you get two gallons, but the store will charge you more.

7. 8. The Tropic of Cancer is in the northern hemisphere, and the Tropic of Capricorn is in the Southern Hemisphere. Tropic of Cancer is ranked #10,168 in the best-selling books at Amazon. That's pretty good for a book first published in 1934. Amazon says it may be the most honest book ever written; it was banned for 27 years, so perhaps that's true. I wouldn't know, as I haven't read it. I guess that needs to go on my bucket list.

9. 10. The other two types of rocks are balboa and graziano. No, wait, those are rockys, not rocks. And we forgot Noah Beery, Junior, who played James Garner's dad in Rockford. The other two types of rocks are sedimentary (like shale) and metamorphic (like white marble.)

For what it's worth, nobody on the panel got them all right, either.

However, your efforts win you a poem by Sam Levenson:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."
--Sam Levinson

Other Bloggers On These Subjects:
- Ann Sothern - Noah Beery, Jr. - colonies - gallon - Alf Landon - Sam Levenson