Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What was Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” an extended metaphor for?

World War I
The death of Abraham Lincoln
The sinking of the Titanic
Whitman’s time in the Navy

Correct Answer: The death of Abraham Lincoln

So why is this answer correct? : “O Captain! My Captain!” was published as part of Walt Whitman’s 1865 “Sequel to Drum-Taps,” a collection of poems inspired by the Civil War in America. It is probably his most famous poem, combining the triumph of winning the war with the loss of the Captain, President Abraham Lincoln. It captured the hearts of Americans and became a well-loved tribute to the assassinated President.

Trivia: “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered,” how?

Quiet and query
Old and eerie
Long and leery
Weak and weary

Correct Answer: Weak and weary

So why is this answer correct? : Writer of poems and short stories, Edgar Allan Poe has captured the minds of readers for nearly two centuries. One of his most famous works, “The Raven,” was published in 1845. The raven is notable for his repetition of the word “Nevermore,” but the poem opens with the lines, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary.”

Trivia: In Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18,” what is the beloved compared to?

A summer’s day
A blooming rose
A puppy
A singing bird

Correct Answer: A summer’s day

So why is this answer correct? : William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, but “Sonnet 18,”published in 1609, has one of the most recognizable opening lines in history. The speaker goes on to explain that the object of affection in the poem has admirable qualities that exceed a summer’s day. The famous opening goes as follows, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate…”

Trivia: Who wrote the famous line “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose”?

Alexander Pope
Gertrude Stein
Emily Dickinson
William Ernest Henley

Correct Answer: Gertrude Stein

So why is this answer correct? : Gertrude Stein included this famous line in her poem “Sacred Emily,” which was first published in 1922 in her book “Geography and Plays.” When asked about the line, Stein said she was inspired by earlier poets like Homer and Chaucer, who “could use the name of the thing and the thing was really there.” She said, “I think in that line the rose is red for the first time in English poetry for a hundred years.” She used this signature line in a few of her other poems as well.

Trivia: While walking in the woods, which poet “took the road less traveled by”?

Emily Dickinson
Dr. Seuss
Robert Frost
Walt Whitman

Correct Answer: Robert Frost

So why is this answer correct? : “…And that has made all the difference.” One of the best-known poems in history, Robert Frost describes a choice in “The Road Not Taken.” The options: two different paths diverged from the main road in the woods, and he must decide which to take. His final stanza has become an inspirational masterpiece for greeting cards and graduation speeches. In these lines, the author proclaims that he took the road less traveled, and it seemed to him that it made a big impact on his life.

Trivia: What civil rights activist wrote the poetry collection “And Still I Rise”?

Ida B. Wells
Coretta Scott King
Booker T. Washington
Maya Angelou

Correct Answer: Maya Angelou

So why is this answer correct? : “And Still I Rise” is a 1978 poetry collection from author and activist Maya Angelou, whose words inspired countless individuals through the civil rights movement. The collection includes the poem “Still I Rise,” which uses a call-and-response technique to invoke emotion. The poem was famously recited by Nelson Mandela during his inauguration in 1994.

What man served, from 1947-49, as the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Force?

Dan Halutz
Yaakov Dori
Moshe Dayan
Ehud Barak
Yitzhak Rabin

Correct Answer: Yaakov Dori

In the Israeli Defense Forces, the rank of “Alúf ” is the equivalent of what rank?

Private
Corporal
Sergeant Major
Captain
Major General

Correct Answer: Major General

In which one of the following wars/conflicts did women in Israel’s armed forces first see combat duty?

1948 Arab-Israeli War
1956 Suez War
Six-Day War (1967)
Yom Kippur War (1973)
The First Intifada (1987-93)

Correct Answer: 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Trivia: What musical duo opened for the Beatles on their 1964 U.S. tour?

Shirley & Lee
Marvin & Johnny
The Brothers Johnson
The Righteous Brothers

Correct Answer: The Righteous Brothers

So why is this answer correct? : The Righteous Brothers — composed of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield — are a legendary musical duo in their own right. But in 1964, they served as the opening act to the Beatles on the band’s groundbreaking U.S. tour. However, the Righteous Brothers left the tour halfway through to appear on the TV show “Shindig.”