Scientific approach nets Caboto cookbook for trivia contest winner

Laura McLean, secretary to the dean of science, is in a distinct minority. She was one of just two respondents to get every answer correct in Wednesday’s trivia quiz marking the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year.

Since hers was the name that came out of the hat, McLean received a copy of Cooking with Giovanni Caboto, courtesy of the University Bookstore.

One question in particular tripped up the majority of contestants—the final gift in The 12 Days of Christmas. In her e-mail response, McLean called it a “trick question.”

“On the 12th day the singer received the 12 drummers drumming, but also received all the other gifts, so the final gift is the partridge (I hope)!” she wrote.

Quizmaster Kevin Johnson says he wasn’t trying to mislead anyone.

“I thought the partridge was the obvious answer; all you have to do is sing the song,” he admits. “I intended the trick question to be the one about 12 Angry Men—I had assumed everyone would guess Henry Fonda.”

Only one question was answered correctly by every player: Twelfth Night falls on Epiphany eve. For those readers playing along at home, here are the 12 correct answers to the quiz:

  1. The polyhedron with 12 edges is a) a cube. A dodecahedron has 12 sides.
  2. A baker’s dozen has d) 13 items, a tradition dating from efforts of the medieval bakers guild to avoid serious sanctions for shortchanging customers.
  3. A dozen dozens, 144, is c) a gross.
  4. On the periodic table, b) magnesium has an atomic number of 12.
  5. King Eurystheus released Heracles from his labours when confronted with d) Cerberus, the guardian of Hades.
  6. Of the 12 tribes of Israel, c) Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons, Jacob’s grandsons.
  7. Twelfth Night falls on the eve of a) Epiphany.
  8. The final gift received by the singer of The 12 Days of Christmas is d) a partridge in a pear tree—after 12 drummers drumming, etc.
  9. The foreman of the jury in the 1957 film 12 Angry Men was played by a) Martin Balsam.
  10. There are 12 players per side in c) Canadian football.
  11. Chinese new year in 2013 will usher in the year of b) the snake.
  12. The Schoolhouse Rock episode multiplying by 12 starred d) Little Twelvetoes, a space alien with six fingers on each hand.

If you didn’t win, take heart—DailyNews will run another quiz with an entirely different set of questions in Monday’s edition.

Reminder: Bookstore employee discount sale today

Today, the Bookstore is offering UWindsor faculty and staff a 10 per cent discount on almost everything in stock at both of its campus locations—its temporary home in Vanier Hall as well as the kiosk in the CAW Student Centre.