First ASB quiz of the year
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:31 pm
I coach the Academic Super Bowl Science team for my school (think Maddie's Quiz Bowl, but much less intense and political). When I put my team together, we meet every week, and each practice session starts with a five-question quiz over some of the material that might show up in competition. The first one is usually very funny, since they really have no idea of the type of questions I'm going to throw at them, and they probably won't have done much work yet. Anyway, if you want to play for fun, I'll post the questions tonight, then the answers tomorrow sometime. They're not exactly common knowledge, but careful readers might be able to guess them correctly, even if you know nothing about the subject. This year's topic is "Norse culture and the Vikings," which makes preparation for science questions that much more difficult. 
Anyway, here is the first practice quiz:
1. What climatic event, which lasted hundreds of years and only ended in the mid-19th century, probably contributed to the failure of the Norse colonies on Greenland?
A. Medieval Warm Period B. Little Ice Age C. Old Stone Age D. Age of Enlightenment
2. Which of these is the name of a Viking ship discovered in the early 20th century, which has contributed greatly to our knowledge of the culture, since there were many artifacts discovered intact and preserved with the ship?
A. Oseborg ship B. Drakkar ship C. Knarr ship D. Kon-tiki ship
3. Because glue was not very practical for the Vikings to use, a variety of techniques was used to hold boats together. Which of these was NOT a technique commonly used by the Vikings in ship construction?
A. Wooden pegs B. Iron nails C. Iron rivets D. Cold Soldering
4. Which of these chemicals was a valuable preservative for foods and an important source of income for Vikings?
A. Salt B. Baking Soda C. Potash D. Charcoal
5. What is the modern name for the constellation that the Vikings called “the Great Wagon?”
A. Orion B. Sagittarius C. Gemini D. Ursa Major
Anyway, here is the first practice quiz:
1. What climatic event, which lasted hundreds of years and only ended in the mid-19th century, probably contributed to the failure of the Norse colonies on Greenland?
A. Medieval Warm Period B. Little Ice Age C. Old Stone Age D. Age of Enlightenment
2. Which of these is the name of a Viking ship discovered in the early 20th century, which has contributed greatly to our knowledge of the culture, since there were many artifacts discovered intact and preserved with the ship?
A. Oseborg ship B. Drakkar ship C. Knarr ship D. Kon-tiki ship
3. Because glue was not very practical for the Vikings to use, a variety of techniques was used to hold boats together. Which of these was NOT a technique commonly used by the Vikings in ship construction?
A. Wooden pegs B. Iron nails C. Iron rivets D. Cold Soldering
4. Which of these chemicals was a valuable preservative for foods and an important source of income for Vikings?
A. Salt B. Baking Soda C. Potash D. Charcoal
5. What is the modern name for the constellation that the Vikings called “the Great Wagon?”
A. Orion B. Sagittarius C. Gemini D. Ursa Major