Pop Quiz!
It’s that time again — time to see how much you remember of all the fun stuff we’ve been learning. The answers to today’s Pop Quiz will be posted at the end of tomorrow’s message and on “Speak Out” (www.earlytorise.com).
Part I: Show Off Your New Language Skills. What do the following “Words to the Wise” mean? (Challenge yourself for extra credit by using each one in a sentence.)
1. dreadnought (Message #521):
(a) a mathematical genius;
(b) a person who is fearless;
(c) a horrible storm
2. ineffable (Message #522):
(a) confusing;
(b) flawless;
(c) inexpressible
3. diffident (Message #523):
(a) bored and disinterested;
(b) shy and lacking in self-confidence;
(c) brazen and rebellious
4. salacious (Message #525):
(a) lecherous;
(b) delicious;
(c) salty
5. extirpate (Message #527):
(a) root out;
(b) blackmail;
(c) improvise
6. ineluctable (Message #531):
(a) inedible;
(b) unavoidable;
(c) unprofitable
7. equivocate (Message #535):
(a) arbitrate;
(b) control;
(c) beat around the bush
8. runnel (Message #540):
(a) a long, narrow airstrip;
(b) a small stream;
(c) a guerrilla warfare strategy
9. inscrutable (Message #542):
(a) impossible to figure out;
(b) distrustful;
(c) meticulous
10. truculent (Message #546):
(a) faithful;
(b) aggressive;
(c) childish
Part II: How Good Are You at “Faking It”?
1. Are Alsace wines
(a) French,
(b) made from Riesling and Gewurtztraminer grapes,
(c) dry, as opposed to sweet, or
(d) all the above? (Message #520)
2. What is the best way to seal wine? With
(a) corks, supposedly invented by Dom Perignon and still unsurpassed, or
(b) screwcaps, snubbed by wine lovers but actually best for the purpose? (Message #531)
3. Is origami
(a) a grain, similar to rice, that was cultivated in ancient Egypt,
(b) the Japanese art of folding paper into shapes and figures, or
(c) a card game? (Message #532)
4. If you want a fairly short cigar, would you buy
(a) a Churchill or
(b) a Robusto? (Message ##535)
5. You swirl wine in your glass in order to
(a) expose it to more light so you can get a better appreciation of its color or
(b) expose it to more air to allow your nose to pick up more of its aroma? (Message #540)
Part III: How Much Do You Know About These Things That “It’s Good to Know”?
1. According to Dr. William Campbell Douglas, editor of “Real Health” newsletter (Agora Publishing, Baltimore, MD), is vigorous exercise
(a) the best way to lose weight,
(b) the best way to improve longevity, or
(c) unhealthy? (Message #526)
2. The montage, a film technique that uses the quick overlapping of images to create a meaning or message, was first used in the film
(a) “Birth of a Nation,”
(b) “The Battleship Potemkin,” or
(c) “Citizen Kane”? (Message #528)
3. Which one of the following is NOT one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
(a) Conquest,
(b) Slaughter,
(c) Revenge,
(d) Famine, or
(e) Death? (Message #542)
4. The postal system was invented by
(a) a British man named Rowland Hill or
(b) Benjamin Franklin? (Message #547)
5. A fathom is a unit used when measuring
(a) a vertical distance in water or
(b) a horizontal distance at sea? (Message #550)
[Ed. Note. Mark Morgan Ford was the creator of Early To Rise. In 2011, Mark retired from ETR and now writes the Palm Beach Letter. His advice, in our opinion, continues to get better and better with every essay, particularly in the controversial ones we have shared today. We encourage you to read everything you can that has been written by Mark.]