A Trivial Post

As a board game connoisseur, I have been acquainted with Trivial Pursuit throughout my life. Since my home had the original genus edition with questions from 1982, at a young age I was not especially a fan seeing as I could only correctly answer about 4% of the questions. Over time, however, I learned plenty of useless knowledge and came to appreciate the game for what it is.

Even though the game has led me to feel stupid hundreds of times, I don't think it's ever made me feel as inferior as the last time I played a month ago. Reading the title on the box, I, for the first time in my life, noticed the wordplay in the double meaning of the word "trivial." It struck me as so clever that I actually chuckled aloud. When I voiced the observation to my friends, they responded with words that amounted to "duh." Great. I feel smart. Who wants to be on my team?

I like when eateries provide Trivial Pursuit cards at their tables. I suppose it could be interpreted as insulting, since the establishment does not seem confident in its patrons abilities to maintain their own conversations. Still, as someone who has relied upon those cards on multiple occasions, I am thankful.

While playing at a cafe once, I realized that the answer on the card is taken as gospel. You'll trust what's printed by the "authority," discarding the answer you previously believed was absolutely true. I've re-confronted these issues recently when dealing with the teachers' edition to text books. There are times I'll look at what's written and say, "That can't possibly be right" and ultimately doubt my answer so much I usually just go with what the "experts" said. What do I know, you know? Anyway, during this particular informal game, I decided that if I gave someone a fairly simple question and read the answer confidently, I could probably convince my friends of anything.

Q: What was Amelia Earhart attempting to do when she disappeared in 1937?

Someone (I picture Alice most vividly, but I can't recall whether ey was duped or just laughed the hardest when the real answer was revealed,) gave the correct answer about attempting to fly around the world. I shook my head, expressed surprise at the actual answer with a shrug, and pretended to read off the back of the car that Amelia Earhart had been trying to find a husband. I don't think everyone bought it, but someone did, and was shocked to learn this new piece of information.

Today, I found a few cards in my pocket that I recall setting aside because they had some pretty funny questions. Unfortunately, like most things I store in my pocket, they went through the washing machine and were destroyed. Since I cannot integrate them back into the deck, I figure I'd reprint the barely legible text as an irreverent pop quiz. They're not actually that difficult to answer if you keep in mind that they're stupid. Highlight beneath each question with your mouse to read the answer.

1. What 1993 book saw its central premise refuted when Danish researchers announced that sharks "do" get cancer?

Sharks Don't Get Cancer

2. Who's the first Nike employee of Thai descent to make "more than 11 cents an hour," according to Jay Leno?

Tiger Woods

3. What did Stan, the first Spanish dog ever fitted with contact lenses, fail to see the day after his fitting?

The car that killed him.

How many did you guess correctly?