• QFTCICR25 Game 2, Rounds 7-8: seas and dipolomacy

    From msb@msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) to rec.games.trivia on Mon Mar 30 08:33:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2025-09-22,
    and should be interpreted accordingly.

    On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give
    both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.
    Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,
    based only on your own knowledge. (In your answer posting, quote
    the questions and place your answer below each one.) I will reveal
    the correct answers in about 3 days.

    All questions were written by members of the Cellar Rats, and are
    used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have
    been retyped and/or edited by me. The posting and tabulation of
    current-events questions is independent of the concurrent posting
    of other rounds. For further information please see my 2026-03-10
    companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition
    (QFTCI*)".


    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    All the correct answers are bodies of water whose common English
    name includes the word "Sea".

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    3. In what sea was Ernest Shackleton forced to abandon his ship,
    the Endurance, when he and his crew could no longer endure
    being trapped in ice?

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    8. After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, his body was flown
    to the aircraft carrier USS Vinson, where it was washed and
    buried at sea. In what sea?

    9. What is the world's *shallowest* sea, both by average depth
    and by its maximum depth?

    10. What sea has the greatest maximum depth?


    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    1. What term is used to refer to the embassies between two
    Commonwealth countries?

    2. Name the Canadian ambassador in Tehran at the time of the
    Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, when US diplomats were held
    hostage by Iranian revolutionaries.

    3. In 1984 London Metropolitan Police officer Evonne Fletcher was
    fatally wounded by shots fired from an embassy in St. James Sq.,
    London. What country's embassy was the gunman in?

    4. In terms of land area, what is the largest embassy in the world?
    (You must name both the country owning the embassy and the city
    where it's located.)

    5. In possibly not one of his better days, the prime minister
    of this neutral country expressed his sympathy to the then
    German Ambassador on hearing the news of Adolf Hitler's death.
    Later this prime minister would become president of his country.
    Name him.

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    7. In 2019, a group known as Free Joseon attacked a North Korean
    embassy. This group, which opposed the current North Korean
    government, attacked and raided the embassy. In which city
    was this North Korean embassy located?

    8. In 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a
    consulate. Which one? Again, name both the country owning
    the consulate and the city where it's located.

    9. Arabistan, or Khuzestan, is a region in the Middle East.
    In 1979 members of a group who were seeking autonomy for
    Arabistan attacked an embassy of the country which ruled
    the region. Name the country's embassy and the city in which
    this occurred.

    10. Jozsef Mindszenty was an archbishop of Hungary who was
    imprisoned by both the Nazis and the Communists. In 1956 he
    sought asylum in which country's embassy, staying there for
    15 years?
    --
    Mark Brader | "I have right of way, but the jeep has right of weight:
    Toronto | it feels like the classic irresistible force, but I am msb@vex.net | hardly an immovable object." -- Chris Torek

    My text in this article is in the public domain.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Dan Tilque@dtilque@frontier.com to rec.games.trivia on Mon Mar 30 17:36:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    On 3/30/26 01:33, Mark Brader wrote:


    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    All the correct answers are bodies of water whose common English
    name includes the word "Sea".

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    Caspian Sea


    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    Caribbean Sea


    3. In what sea was Ernest Shackleton forced to abandon his ship,
    the Endurance, when he and his crew could no longer endure
    being trapped in ice?

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    Irish Sea


    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    Sargasso Sea


    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    Sea of Japan


    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    Bering Sea


    8. After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, his body was flown
    to the aircraft carrier USS Vinson, where it was washed and
    buried at sea. In what sea?

    Arabian Sea


    9. What is the world's *shallowest* sea, both by average depth
    and by its maximum depth?

    Dead Sea


    10. What sea has the greatest maximum depth?


    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    1. What term is used to refer to the embassies between two
    Commonwealth countries?

    2. Name the Canadian ambassador in Tehran at the time of the
    Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, when US diplomats were held
    hostage by Iranian revolutionaries.

    3. In 1984 London Metropolitan Police officer Evonne Fletcher was
    fatally wounded by shots fired from an embassy in St. James Sq.,
    London. What country's embassy was the gunman in?

    4. In terms of land area, what is the largest embassy in the world?
    (You must name both the country owning the embassy and the city
    where it's located.)

    US embassy in Baghdad


    5. In possibly not one of his better days, the prime minister
    of this neutral country expressed his sympathy to the then
    German Ambassador on hearing the news of Adolf Hitler's death.
    Later this prime minister would become president of his country.
    Name him.

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    Ecuador


    7. In 2019, a group known as Free Joseon attacked a North Korean
    embassy. This group, which opposed the current North Korean
    government, attacked and raided the embassy. In which city
    was this North Korean embassy located?

    8. In 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a
    consulate. Which one? Again, name both the country owning
    the consulate and the city where it's located.

    Saudi Arabian consulate in Istambul


    9. Arabistan, or Khuzestan, is a region in the Middle East.
    In 1979 members of a group who were seeking autonomy for
    Arabistan attacked an embassy of the country which ruled
    the region. Name the country's embassy and the city in which
    this occurred.

    10. Jozsef Mindszenty was an archbishop of Hungary who was
    imprisoned by both the Nazis and the Communists. In 1956 he
    sought asylum in which country's embassy, staying there for
    15 years?

    --
    Dan Tilque
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Erland Sommarskog@esquel@sommarskog.se to rec.games.trivia on Tue Mar 31 03:49:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    Mark Brader (msb@vex.net) writes:
    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    The Mediterrean Sea

    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    The Mediterrenan Sea

    3. In what sea was Ernest Shackleton forced to abandon his ship,
    the Endurance, when he and his crew could no longer endure
    being trapped in ice?

    The Bering Sea

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    The Irish Sea

    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    The Sargasso Sea

    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    The South China Sea

    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    The Bering Sea

    8. After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, his body was flown
    to the aircraft carrier USS Vinson, where it was washed and
    buried at sea. In what sea?

    Sea of Arabia

    9. What is the world's *shallowest* sea, both by average depth
    and by its maximum depth?

    Sea of Azov

    10. What sea has the greatest maximum depth?

    The South China Sea

    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    4. In terms of land area, what is the largest embassy in the world?
    (You must name both the country owning the embassy and the city
    where it's located.)

    US Embassy in Moscow

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    Ecuador

    8. In 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a
    consulate. Which one? Again, name both the country owning
    the consulate and the city where it's located.

    Saudi-Arabian consulate in Istanbul


    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From tool@tool@panix.com (Dan Blum) to rec.games.trivia on Tue Mar 31 02:55:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    Mark Brader <msb@vex.net> wrote:

    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    Caribbean Sea; South China Sea

    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    Caribbean Sea

    3. In what sea was Ernest Shackleton forced to abandon his ship,
    the Endurance, when he and his crew could no longer endure
    being trapped in ice?

    Barents Sea

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    North Sea

    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    Sargasso Sea

    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    Java Sea

    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    Bering Sea

    9. What is the world's *shallowest* sea, both by average depth
    and by its maximum depth?

    Dead Sea

    10. What sea has the greatest maximum depth?

    North Sea; Sea of Japan

    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    1. What term is used to refer to the embassies between two
    Commonwealth countries?

    mission

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    Ecuador

    8. In 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a
    consulate. Which one? Again, name both the country owning
    the consulate and the city where it's located.

    Saudi Arabian consulate in New York City
    --
    _______________________________________________________________________
    Dan Blum tool@panix.com
    "I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't just made it up."
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Joshua Kreitzer@gromit82@hotmail.com to rec.games.trivia on Mon Mar 30 22:56:55 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    On 3/30/2026 3:33 AM, Mark Brader wrote:

    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    All the correct answers are bodies of water whose common English
    name includes the word "Sea".

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    Caspian Sea

    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    Mediterranean Sea

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    North Sea; Irish Sea

    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    Sargasso Sea

    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    South China Sea

    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    Bering Sea

    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    1. What term is used to refer to the embassies between two
    Commonwealth countries?

    High Commissions

    3. In 1984 London Metropolitan Police officer Evonne Fletcher was
    fatally wounded by shots fired from an embassy in St. James Sq.,
    London. What country's embassy was the gunman in?

    Iran; Saudi Arabia

    5. In possibly not one of his better days, the prime minister
    of this neutral country expressed his sympathy to the then
    German Ambassador on hearing the news of Adolf Hitler's death.
    Later this prime minister would become president of his country.
    Name him.

    Eamonn de Valera

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    Ecuador

    10. Jozsef Mindszenty was an archbishop of Hungary who was
    imprisoned by both the Nazis and the Communists. In 1956 he
    sought asylum in which country's embassy, staying there for
    15 years?

    United States

    --
    Joshua Kreitzer
    gromit82@hotmail.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From msb@msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) to rec.games.trivia on Thu Apr 2 18:02:30 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.trivia

    Mark Brader:
    These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2025-09-22,
    and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information
    please see my 2026-03-10 companion posting on "Questions from the
    Canadian Inquisition (QFTCI*)".


    * Game 2, Round 7 - Geography - Seas

    All the correct answers are bodies of water whose common English
    name includes the word "Sea".

    1. What is the world's largest sea, by area?

    Philippine(s).

    2. What sea borders the most countries?

    The expected answer was the Mediterranean, but the Caribbean is a bit
    less clearly defined and has a similar number of countries. I have
    decided to accept either, so it's 4 for everybody -- Dan_Tilque,
    Erland, Dan_Blum, and Joshua.

    3. In what sea was Ernest Shackleton forced to abandon his ship,
    the Endurance, when he and his crew could no longer endure
    being trapped in ice?

    Weddell.

    It's in the antarctic, not the arctic.

    4. In what sea was the Lusitania sunk by a German U-boat in 1917?

    Celtic.

    Not the Irish Sea, which is east of Ireland. The Celtic Sea is
    south of Ireland.

    5. Which sea, consistently named on maps since the 1400s, has
    no shoreline?

    Sargasso. 4 for everyone.

    6. The specific bodies of water that form the "Seven Seas" vary from
    culture to culture. An Arabic text from the 9th century lists
    the Arabic version of the Seven Seas that are encountered as
    they sailed from the Arabian Peninsula to their trading partners
    to the East. What is the easternmost of the Arabic Seven Seas?

    South China. (Or the medieval Arab names, Sanji or Kanjli.)
    4 for Erland and Joshua.

    7. Which sea is named after a Danish-born Russian navigator, who,
    in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it?

    Bering. 4 for everyone.

    8. After Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, his body was flown
    to the aircraft carrier USS Vinson, where it was washed and
    buried at sea. In what sea?

    Arabian. (It borders Pakistan.) 4 for Dan Tilque and Erland.

    9. What is the world's *shallowest* sea, both by average depth
    and by its maximum depth?

    Sea of Azov. 4 for Erland.

    10. What sea has the greatest maximum depth?

    Caribbean.

    7,686 m (25,216 feet), in the Cayman Trench between Jamaica and Cuba.


    * Game 2, Round 8 - History - Embassies and Diplomatic Incidents

    1. What term is used to refer to the embassies between two
    Commonwealth countries?

    High Commission. 4 for Joshua.

    2. Name the Canadian ambassador in Tehran at the time of the
    Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, when US diplomats were held
    hostage by Iranian revolutionaries.

    Ken Taylor.

    3. In 1984 London Metropolitan Police officer Evonne Fletcher was
    fatally wounded by shots fired from an embassy in St. James Sq.,
    London. What country's embassy was the gunman in?

    Libya.

    4. In terms of land area, what is the largest embassy in the world?
    (You must name both the country owning the embassy and the city
    where it's located.)

    US embassy in Baghdad (Iraq). 4 for Dan Tilque.

    5. In possibly not one of his better days, the prime minister
    of this neutral country expressed his sympathy to the then
    German Ambassador on hearing the news of Adolf Hitler's death.
    Later this prime minister would become president of his country.
    Name him.

    Eamon De Valera (Ireland). 4 for Joshua.

    6. Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, sought refuge in what
    country's London embassy in order to avoid extradition to Sweden?

    Ecuador. 4 for everyone.

    7. In 2019, a group known as Free Joseon attacked a North Korean
    embassy. This group, which opposed the current North Korean
    government, attacked and raided the embassy. In which city
    was this North Korean embassy located?

    Madrid.

    8. In 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a
    consulate. Which one? Again, name both the country owning
    the consulate and the city where it's located.

    Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul (Turkey). 4 for Dan Tilque
    and Erland.

    9. Arabistan, or Khuzestan, is a region in the Middle East.
    In 1979 members of a group who were seeking autonomy for
    Arabistan attacked an embassy of the country which ruled
    the region. Name the country's embassy and the city in which
    this occurred.

    Iran's embassy in London (UK).

    10. Jozsef Mindszenty was an archbishop of Hungary who was
    imprisoned by both the Nazis and the Communists. In 1956 he
    sought asylum in which country's embassy, staying there for
    15 years?

    USA. 4 for Joshua.


    Scores, if there are no errors:

    GAME 2 ROUNDS-> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BEST
    TOPICS-> Sci Spo Mis Aud Can Geo His FIVE
    Joshua Kreitzer 36 32 16 28 28 16 16 140
    Dan Blum 32 40 24 0 4 12 4 112
    Dan Tilque 40 32 8 4 0 16 12 108
    Erland Sommarskog 32 16 7 8 4 24 8 88
    Pete Gayde 22 32 -- -- -- -- -- 54
    --
    Mark Brader, Toronto | "Abel was I ere I saw non-Abelian groups"
    msb@vex.net | --Roland Hutchinson

    My text in this article is in the public domain.
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2