Tossups by MIT TOSSUP 1 This phrase was translated into Hungarian to mean "A is forbidden", and into German to mean "Entrance V". It became "Transitus VE" in the only book in Latin ever to make the New York Times bestsellers list. Supposedly it is the short form of the name of an ancestor of a certain Very Small Animal. For ten points give this phrase that appears in an A.A. Milne work on a sign outside Piglet's house. Answer: _TRESPASSERS W_ [Notes: Hungarian, "Tilos az A"; German, "Betreten V".] TOSSUP 2 In 1947, Eero Saarinen's design was chosen from among 172 entries to become the nation's tallest man-made monument, completed 30 years ago today. For ten points, what is the more common name of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial located in St. Louis? Answer: _GATEWAY ARCH_ (Prompt on "Jefferson National Expansion Memorial") TOSSUP 3 While a prisoner of war in Russia in 1916, he was introduced to Bolshevik tactics. Returning home after the war, he seized control of his country when strikes toppled the previous regime, but his rule lasted less than six months in 1919. For ten points, who was this founder of the Communist Party of Hungary? ANSWER: Bela _KUN_ TOSSUP 4 Scientists have called it a gigantic hoax, while some politicians see it as a nationalist plot. The devout are convinced it was an unprecedented miracle and on September 21, 1995, millions flocked to the temples to give offerings of milk to statues of this popular deity, which for one day seemed to be accepting these offerings through its trunk. For 10 points, name this popular elephant-headed Hindu god of prosperity. ANSWER: Lord _GANESHA_ TOSSUP 5 The first two female U.S. generals were appointed, "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask)" appeared, as well as Alvin Toffler's "Future Shock". Doonesbury debuted, and the Chicago 7 were found innocent. For ten points, all of these events took place in what year that saw the first Earth Day? ANSWER: _1970_ TOSSUP 6 His lifetime batting average was .243 while playing professional baseball for 19 years. He was reputed to speak a dozen languages and "couldn't hit in any of them." FTP, name this baseball player who was also a decorated member of the OSS during WWII and is the subject of the recent book, "The Catcher Was a Spy." Answer: Moe _BERG_ TOSSUP 7 As Halloween is just around the corner, perhaps this symphony is a proper listening choice. Its fifth movement is entitled "A Witch's Sabbath." For ten points, name this composition by Hector Berlioz. Answer: _SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE_ TOSSUP 8 When she was 17, she went to New York City to study music at Columbia University. However, she is known for her stories which depct the inner lives of lonely people. She was paralyzed at age 29, and spent her last years in a wheelchair. FTP, name this author of "Reflections in a Golden Eye", "A Member of the Wedding", "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe", and "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". Answer: _CARSON MCCULLERS_ (her husband was a writer too) TOSSUP 9 This word means "writing material used two or three times after earlier writing has been erased." The movie "The Name of the Rose" declared itself on of these as it differed from the book. FTP, name this 10-letter word derived from Greek. Answer: _PALIMPSEST_ TOSSUP 10 You will recall how Nick Leeson and Robert Citron used the calculus of derivatives to demonstrate that every financial institution has its limits. For this achievement, which cannot or should not be reproduced, they shared this year's economics prize awarded by the Annals of Improbable Research. FTP what are these prizes, supposedly named after the co-inventor of soda pop? ANSWER: the _IG NOBEL_ prizes TOSSUP 11 Thought to be a runaway slave, little is known about the 20 years between his escape and March 5, 1770, when he was shot and killed by British soldiers taunted by American colonists. For ten points, who was this first man to die in the Boston Massacre? ANSWER: Crispus _ATTUCKS_ TOSSUP 12 In 1948, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski ["KOR-zak seal-COW-ski"] began a carving of this man astride his horse. When completed, the carving will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long, with the head alone almost 9 stories tall. The subject of this South Dakota mountain carving is, for ten points, what famous 19th-century Oglala Sioux chief? Answer: _CRAZY HORSE_ or _TA-SUNKO-WITKO_ TOSSUP 13 Benford's Law is a phenomenon of nature that you may have observed if, like many of us at MIT, you've stared at a lot of tables of numbers in reference handbooks of chemistry and physics. Looking at the _first_ digit of these numbers, a 1 is actually more likely to occur than anything else. For 10 points, within one per cent, what is the probability of a 1 as first digit in a measurement of a random quantity in nature? Answer: common (or base 10) _LOG_arithm of _2_ [exact] Accept numbers in range 0.29103 to 0.31103 or 29.103% to 31.103% TOSSUP 14 Its first headquarters was room 786 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Other early headquarters included Hunter College (in the Bronx), a boardroom at 630 5th Avenue, and a dumpy hotel on West 57th Street. Finally, it moved into its own building along the East River. FTP, name this 50-year-old organization. Answer: _U_nited _N_ations Organization TOSSUP 15 You might be surprised to see this character in the sequel, since he is dead dead at the end of the preceding novel. On the other hand, in the movie based on that preceding novel, he survives. FTP, identify this fictional mathematician, proponent of chaos theory, and creation of Michael Crichton Answer: Ian _MALCOLM_ TOSSUP 16 First appearing in 1952, he is about to embark on an acting career. He was the recipient of a presidiential sports award in 1992, partly because of giving his pipe to the Surgeon General in 1987. His movie, "Toy Story," will star the voice of Don Rickles. FTP, name this toy which required an actual tuber until replaced by a plastic body in 1962. Answer: _MR. POTATO HEAD_ TOSSUP 17 Allen Ginsberg is best known for "Howl", his first published book. Almost equally famous is his long poem published in 1961 which mourns his mother Naomi who was confined to a mental hospital for years. FTP name this poem whose name is also a Jewish prayer recited by mourners at public services after the death of a close relative. Answer: _KADDISH_ TOSSUP 18 Bowing to pressure from Orthodox Jews, Jerusalem's Mayor Ehud [eh-HOOD] Olmert turned down the initial offer of a three-thousandth birthday present from the city of Florence. The mayor accepted Florence's second offer, a replica of a work by an earlier artist that depicted the same figure wearing more than just a birthday suit. FTP name the founder of Jerusalem who was the subject of these famous statues by Verrochio and Michelangelo. Answer: King _DAVID_ TOSSUP 19 It is the home province of Pakistan's Bhutto family, and its capital is Karachi. In 1843 it was conquered by the British under General Charles Napier, who after the battle of Miani is reputed to have sent a dispatch consisting of a single Latin word that is usually used as a confession of guilt. For 10 points, name this Pakistani province whose name occurs in the English translation of the word "PECCAVI". Answer: _SIND_ (or _SINDH_) (Note: Peccavi means "I have sinned") TOSSUP 20 One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, he was the brother of James the Less and the author of the last epistle in the New Testament. His feast day is today, and if your team is down 200 points, you may find it useful to seek his help. For 10 points, name this patron saint of hopeless causes. ANSWER: Saint _JUDE_ (also accept _JUDAS_ or _THADDAEUS_ or _LEBBAEUS_) TOSSUP 21 Allegedly, a linguist mentioned to his class that, while English is full of double negatives, he knew of no example of a double positive that meant a negative. One of his students proved him wrong with two words. What, FTP, did that student say? ANSWER: _YEAH, RIGHT_ or _YEAH, YEAH_ or equivalent TOSSUP 22 _Ontogeny and Phylogeny_, _An Urchin in a Storm_, _Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes_, and _Wonderful Life_ are all books by this man. FTP, name this author of _The Panda's Thumb_ ANSWER: Stephen Jay _GOULD_ TOSSUP 23 All writers have a tendency to go to extremes, but FTP what early twentieth century writer reputed to have known some 17 languages came close to constructing a language of his own in the stream of consciousness classic "Finegan's Wake" after having his earlier work "Ulysses" banned in several English speaking countries for some of the more polluted parts in its stream of consciousness? Answer: James _JOYCE_. TOSSUP 24 Although some of his contemporaries likened his oratory style to the Platte River (a mile wide but only a foot deep), it was enough to secure him Democratic nominations for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908 without having previously secured delegates to any of the conventions. FTP, name this secretary of state under Wilson and prosecutor in the infamous Scopes Trial. William Jennings _BRYAN_ TOSSUP 25 Quentin Tarantino has optioned four of this man's stories to make them into movies. The first, "Kill Shot," should be out next year. His Hollywood lineage goes all the way back to "3:10 to Yuma" in the Forties. FTP, name this author whose newest book-to-film voyage is "Get Shorty." ANSWER: Elmore _LEONARD_