Bad Trivia Questions

[mjldvlks]

I've seen some people get really worked up about the correct answer for trivia. It doesn't seem worth it for something as trivial as a keychain. I feel sorry for the poor person running the contest.

I absolutely agree with this -- particularly the sympathy for the person in charge. On our Independence TA, the young woman in charge of progressive trivia was given unmitigated grief by one team in particular to the point they reported her to her supervisor -- not because she counted their answers wrong but because she was being too generous in giving credit to other teams than they thought appropriate [example -- she gave credit for "clock" when they thought only "alarm clock" should have been accepted]. She really tried to bend over backward to get the answers correct -- allowing teams 24 hours to bring her proof of an answer and frequently adjusting scores based on further research. I was never more happy to win -- with or without any trinkets. I felt even more sorry for her when we ran into her after disembarking in Southampton and found out she had been suffering from severe sinusitis and was leaving the ship temporarily for surgery. Must have been a miserable trip for her.

 

I greatly appreciate the policy of the CD on Radiance who spelled it out clearly in advance -- he was the final authority but would be amenable to correction, as long as the correction was confirmed by a specific source announced in advance [Wikipedia as I recall (LOL)].

[poncho1973]

Not RC (sorry, but trivia-heads will love it), but at a trendy tourist bar with a $50 bar tab on the line.

 

Song and artist are each worth one point each.

 

Me: "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung

Them: "Wang Chung Tonight" by Wang Chung

 

Basically, everyone wrote their answer and gained a point on me.

 

Me: "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive

Them: "Like a Record" by Boy George (WAT????????)

 

They didn't give me points for either, despite having (like a record) after the real title.

 

Me: "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling

Them: "Major Tom" by David Bowie

 

Um... no. The character Major Tom is in a few different David Bowie songs... but this was definitely the "4,3,2,1... Earth below us..." song.

 

Since $50 was on the line, I asked the dude to Google the answers to verify. The DJ said "dude, I've been spinning music for 20 years, I'm a rock god!"

 

RIGHT! The sad part is that I still only lost by 1 point. Mysteriously, to a barely legal girl with barely any clothes on. Admittedly, that was probably much better for business. As a music trivia buff, it was annoying to me.

[reney313]

There are 2 major pet peeves:

 

1. Returning cruisers who have had the exact same questions previously playing for the "money" prizes (OK, keychains, umbrellas, etc). On our last cruise, I have to say that I had not previously heard any of the trivia questions before....except for the Classic Rock Music Trivia. I really wish they would get new songs. I purposely missed three points (1 song and artist and 1 artist) so I would not win to give others a chance. I'm not sure if the perfect score was someone new or who had been before given they were easy (we scored perfect the very first time with the same songs 7 years ago!).

 

2. Those who grade so strict. Just because you might have the exact answer in perfect form, does not mean everyone should. Really? It's a friendly game. I am lenient. If I can tell the answer was close, they get the point. Isn't that what it's about anyway? I'm not saying I'll give them 1968 for an answer that was 1969. But I will give them "Bra" for "Brassiere" or even "Shook Me All Night Long" in music for "You Shook Me All Night Long". They knew the song, that's the spirit of the game.

 

As for the blatantly wrong answers. Most of the time, the hosts are beat up when it happens. I generally will make a note on the back of my sheet and go up to them after the game and say something like "just an fyi...you might want to correct this for the next sailing." And I only do that if I feel strongly about it. It is difficult to write questions/answers because you may not always realize there could be more than one correct answer and interpretations of questions can be different to different people due to their experiences. I would never get bent out of shape over these problems. I like to win, I am competitive at trivia, but in the end, it's about having fun.

 

All that said, I did enjoy reading some of the right/wrong answers others have noted. I'm happy to say I have not heard of any of those questions or answers in previous trivia matches onboard RCI, which means they do change them out often enough and do not carry over from different cruise ships (except for the Classic Rock Music Trivia--have I mentioned that already? LOL).

[SteveH2508]

I knew there was a reason why we only ever do trivia in the afternoon and only with a drink (or two) in our hands. Some people really do need to get out more!:rolleyes: (I know they are on a cruise but...)

 

Our trivia team name is 'The Martini Monsters' BTW!

[StaBla]

Sometimes the answers themselves are questionable. On Oasis back in November, I was participating in music trivia.

 

One of the songs played was "What a Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke. And that's what my team put on our sheet. However, the cruise staffer said the correct answer was "Don't Know Much" and any other answer would not be accepted. I know he was just reading it off a sheet, but still! So no team got that one right, d'oh!

 

Wow...the SAME EXACT thing happened on that cruise to my husband and myself...and the team we were on.

[Katie H]

Sometimes the answers themselves are questionable. On Oasis back in November, I was participating in music trivia.

 

One of the songs played was "What a Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke. And that's what my team put on our sheet. However, the cruise staffer said the correct answer was "Don't Know Much" and any other answer would not be accepted. I know he was just reading it off a sheet, but still! So no team got that one right, d'oh!

 

They were using this same song with the same wrong answer about 2 or 3 years ago. DH really knows his music from that era. He answered "Wonderful World"which is the title but staffer would only accept "Don't Know Much". DH actually had 20 out of 20 right, but was told he only had 19. The person with the incorrect answer had the other 19 correct as well, so was the winner. DH does not care about the prize - we usually give them away. It is the satisfaction of getting them all correct and frustrating when the staff has the wrong answer. To make it worse, DH asked another staffer who was hanging around what the correct title was and he said it was "Wonderful World" and then added, "Everyone knows we have it wrong on the paper". Then why not correct it after all these years?

[keagle]

Here's another one...

 

Q: What year was the first Super Bowl?

Cruiseline Answer: 1967

Discussion: The '67 and '68 games were titled "AFL-NFL Championship Game". The '69 game was the first to be billed as the "Super Bowl".

Now, this question is one of an inquiring mind.

If this years Superbowl is number 48, how come the answer was not 1965?

I am confused now. :confused: :o

[jbond]

Now, this question is one of an inquiring mind.

If this years Superbowl is number 48, how come the answer was not 1965?

I am confused now. :confused: :o

Because 1967 was #1. 47 years on from 1967 comes to 2014. So an additional 47 games will make this years Super Bowl #48.

[vacation luvver]

Two random trivia questions that I remember:

 

Who was the first man to sail around the world?

My answer: I don't know. Magellan died before the voyage ended, so it wasn't him. It was one of his men, but I don't know any of their names, and I don't know how it would be determined which one was first.

Cruise line answer: Magellan

 

In what part of the body is the femur located?

My answer: The thigh.

Cruise line answer: The leg. (The thigh was deemed incorrect.)

 

I generally will make a note on the back of my sheet and go up to them after the game and say something like "just an fyi...you might want to correct this for the next sailing." And I only do that if I feel strongly about it. It is difficult to write questions/answers because you may not always realize there could be more than one correct answer and interpretations of questions can be different to different people due to their experiences.

It doesn't always work. That's what I tried to do when I ran into the host who told me that the answer "the thigh" was wrong, and he just got hostile and asked if the thigh was part of the leg. When I said yes, he then insisted that he was right about the body part being the leg (and not the thigh).

 

I also don't like it when the host/hostess changes the rules during the game. Like telling us before the contest starts that there aren't to be any teams, that we are all supposed to take the test as individuals, and then awarding first prize to a married couple who took the test together and giving each one a prize. Or telling us that we have to exchange papers before grading them, and then allowing someone to keep and grade his own paper (and he wrote down the correct answers after the hostess provided them).

[reney313]

 

In what part of the body is the femur located?

My answer: The thigh.

Cruise line answer: The leg. (The thigh was deemed incorrect.)

 

 

If I were "grading" your paper, I would have counted "thigh" correct. :)

[ladylawyer]

If I were "grading" your paper, I would have counted "thigh" correct. :)

 

Me too ... because, well, it IS correct! :rolleyes: :D

[ladylawyer]

And to the annoying member of the CD staff on the Monarch, when she was still in LA (the good old days :p), the movie is called "Raiders of the Lost Ark," not "Indiana Jones" (not that I'm bitter ... ;) ).

[roverlibr]

There was a history question and the answer the host had was "The Seven Years War" but it's known in the States as the French & Indian War. I guess there were more Brits and Canadians there that day since my husband and I were the only ones trying to make the point, and it fell on deaf ears.

 

The host had no idea that both answers were correct, and it's not that we want to win a key chain, but when the contest isn't fair and accurate it makes us not want to do trivia again :(

[BeagleOne]

 

And the worst I have seen? About 5 years ago, a cruise staff member from Britain (no language barrier) had made her own trivia to avoid repeats (that was nice of her) and asked how many planes were involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

How odd to use one of the worst terrorist attacks in history as a trivia question! Especially when it didn't happen that long ago.

 

 

 

In what part of the body is the femur located?

My answer: The thigh.

Cruise line answer: The leg. (The thigh was deemed incorrect.)

 

 

It doesn't always work. That's what I tried to do when I ran into the host who told me that the answer "the thigh" was wrong, and he just got hostile and asked if the thigh was part of the leg. When I said yes, he then insisted that he was right about the body part being the leg (and not the thigh).

 

That is just bizarre. Either "thigh" or "leg" would be correct. I've sometimes seen "leg" used to mean just the part between the knee and the foot, but "thigh" is certainly correct no matter what. I wonder where the cruise host thought the thigh is located?

Edited January 28, 2014 by BeagleOne

[RollieUK]

I wish they would ask questions that are not country specific but are equally likely to be known by all (English speaking) passengers.

 

For example - no Superbowl questions. No English football (soccer questions). No questions on national TV programmes.

 

I am sure RCI could come up with some 'international' trivia questions.

[vacation luvver]

I wonder where the cruise host thought the thigh is located?

Oh, he knew that the thigh is located in the leg. That's why he insisted that "the leg" was the correct answer. And I guess he thought that there couldn't be two correct answers. Or else he had to go by what was said on his answer sheet.

 

How odd to use one of the worst terrorist attacks in history as a trivia question!

Did you hear about the "fun fact' about Michael J. Fox that was tweeted during an awards show?

 

when the contest isn't fair and accurate it makes us not want to do trivia again

That's how I feel. And I still don't know who the first man to sail around the world was.

 

Thank you to those of you who would have given me credit for my answer "the thigh"!

[mjldvlks]

And to the annoying member of the CD staff on the Monarch, when she was still in LA (the good old days :p), the movie is called "Raiders of the Lost Ark," not "Indiana Jones" (not that I'm bitter ... ;) ).

You know what really irritates me is when someone wins because they know the state fish of Hawaii because they were on previous RCI cruises.

[Tucker in Texas]

There was a history question and the answer the host had was "The Seven Years War" but it's known in the States as the French & Indian War. I guess there were more Brits and Canadians there that day since my husband and I were the only ones trying to make the point, and it fell on deaf ears.

 

The host had no idea that both answers were correct, and it's not that we want to win a key chain, but when the contest isn't fair and accurate it makes us not want to do trivia again :(

 

Wonder how they would handle some War Between the States battle sites. One side used the towns to identify them, the other side the geographical location (Antitam/Sharpstown) (Manassas/Bull Run).

 

Tucker in Texas

[Merion_Mom]

And to the annoying member of the CD staff on the Monarch, when she was still in LA (the good old days :p), the movie is called "Raiders of the Lost Ark," not "Indiana Jones" (not that I'm bitter ... ;) ).

 

[Merion_Mom]

You know what really irritates me is when someone wins because they know the state fish of Hawaii because they were on previous RCI cruises.

 

[deltahog]

2. Those who grade so strict. Just because you might have the exact answer in perfect form, does not mean everyone should. Really? It's a friendly game. I am lenient. If I can tell the answer was close, they get the point. Isn't that what it's about anyway? I'm not saying I'll give them 1968 for an answer that was 1969. But I will give them "Bra" for "Brassiere" or even "Shook Me All Night Long" in music for "You Shook Me All Night Long". They knew the song, that's the spirit of the game.

 

In this vein....many years ago, playing Trivial Pursuit with friends, the question called for the answer "Sea water" on the card. I don't remember the exact question; it was in the Science category, something about corrosiveness to metal.

 

I gave the answer "salt water" and my friends would not count it. I understand that "sea water" and "salt water" are technically different, but still......

 

My experience with trivia hosts has been, if there is a popular uprising they will be responsive and and either throw the question out or credit the true answer. If only one or two participants complain, the hosts seem more wary and won't do anything (regardless of the merit of the complaint). Those that get their backs up.....do so out of ignorance, I think we all realize.

[TBone2K]

Sometimes, they just need to check www.snopes.com.

 

Back during our Alaska cruise we were really enjoying trivia because we had met up with some other trivia buffs. Most of us were from Canada and the question happened to be "What flag is on the House of Parliament on the Canadian $10 bill?". Figuring there was a trick, instead of Canadian we said the Red Ensign (old Canadian flag). The RC answer was "American".

 

http://www.snopes.com/business/money/redensign.asp

[mjldvlks]

Except of course when she is on my team.

[cruisegirl1]

We joined a group that (unfortunately) was SO competitive that we all had a piece of paper to write our answer to then show to our group. We were “not allowed” to SAY the correct answer to our group in case the other players hear our discussion. Oh brother!

 

Sad, because the trivia can be fun. When we join a group, we meet lots of nice people and we find that for many questions that someone has that bit of knowledge.

 

M

[CruiseScrooge]

not on rccl but an italian line

 

what's the world's best selling record? huge argument. is 'record' a single song or entire album? host didn't understand any of the arguments and opinions of the players. no fists were thrown but tables were pushed over on purpose.

 

carnival

the world series question. the baseball hall of fame's official answer is the mlb world series is not named after the new york newpaper called the world

 

a vague question about the oldest still occupied settlement in america

 

ncl

the cruise director or asst was a young gal from oregon iirc. 90% of the questions every contest were about her home state and the school she went to. it was amusing the first time.