Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: If your device is approved by the FCC, what organization authorized it?

First Clear Committee
Federal Communications Commission
Free Cellular Company
For Consumer Consumption

Correct Answer: Federal Communications Commission

So why is this answer correct? : Mobile phones, earbuds, television stations, and other communication devices operate on radio frequencies. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission checks to make sure these devices can function with no harmful interference. The FCC also ensures a device won’t overexpose users to radiofrequency (RF) energy, which is a type of electromagnetic radiation.

Trivia: What is the “M” in A.M. and P.M.?

Meridiem
Middle
Midday
Moderate

Correct Answer: Meridiem

So why is this answer correct? : A.M. is an abbreviation for the Latin term “ante meridiem,” signifying “before noon.” P.M. denotes “post meridiem,” Latin for “after noon.” According to the Physical Measurement Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, “12 a.m. and 12 p.m. are ambiguous and should not be used.” They recommend opting for the terms “noon” and “midnight” instead.

Trivia: PET on plastic bottles means it’s made of what?

Plastic elements
Phosphorus titanium
Platinum erbium
Polyethylene terephthalate

Correct Answer: Polyethylene terephthalate

So why is this answer correct? : You can find the letters “PET” on many plastic bottles, including most of the ones that hold beverages. PET is an acronym for the plastic “polyethylene terephthalate,” which is part of the polyester family of polymers. Above the word “PET” on these bottles, you’ll also usually see a 1 in a triangle made up of arrows. This is a recycling code. PET bottles can successfully be recycled, so make sure to do this instead of throwing yours away.

Trivia: What does the W at the start of a radio station’s call sign indicate?

East of the Mississippi
West of the Mississippi
A rock station
A military station

Correct Answer: East of the Mississippi

So why is this answer correct? : Most radio stations in the U.S. have a call sign that starts with either K or W. These acronyms date back to 1912 when an international conference agreed that certain letters should be assigned to different countries for radio and TV signal identification. The letters assigned to the United States were W, K, N, and A. N and A are used to identify military stations. Meanwhile, radio and TV stations east of the Mississippi were assigned W, and those west of the Mississippi were assigned K.

Trivia: What does HTML stand for?

Hotmail
High turnout mailer
Hypertext markup language
Huge technical megabyte lesson

Correct Answer: Hypertext markup language

So why is this answer correct? : While it might look like a shorthand version of the word Hotmail, HTML is an acronym for hypertext markup language. Created by Tim Berners-Lee, HTML is a code that allows users to produce web documents and enables web developers to customize text, images, and more on a website. HTML comes in two forms: physical and logical. Physical HTML is used for displaying web pages. Logical HTML tells the site how an element should function.

Trivia: IQ is the abbreviation for what?

Intelligence quotient
Intelligence quota
Intelligence questions
Intelligence quora

Correct Answer: Intelligence quotient

So why is this answer correct? : Your IQ, or intelligence quotient, is just one of many ways that psychologists attempt to define someone’s mental abilities. IQ tests often involve questions that try to determine your vocabulary skills, memory and more. The average IQ score is between 85 and 115. While there was no way to measure his IQ in the early 1900s, it is believed that Einstein had an IQ of around 160.

Trivia: What does the acronym for the sports organization PGA stand for?

Personal Golfing Assembly
Professional Gopher Alliance
Princeton Golfing Advocates
Professional Golfers’ Association

Correct Answer: Professional Golfers’ Association

So why is this answer correct? : In January 1916, a group of professional and amateur golfers convened at the Taplow Club in New York City at the invitation of Rodman Wanamaker, the son of the founder of Wanamaker’s department stores (now Macy’s). Wanamaker believed that golf needed a more formal organization to help the sport gain popularity. After a series of several meetings, the Professional Golfers’ Association was officially established on April 10, 1916.

Trivia: What is the full-name for your LCD TV screen?

Light-creating diodes
Laser-created digitialiation
Liquid crystal display
Liquid clarity devices

Correct Answer: Liquid crystal display

So why is this answer correct? : An LCD or liquid crystal display is a flat panel display most often used in digital devices like clocks, computers, and televisions. Liquid crystals are chemicals whose molecules align when subjected to electrical fields. Light is then passed through the liquid crystal to create words and images. While the liquid crystal display was invented in the ’60s, LCD screens didn’t go mainstream until the 1990s.

Trivia: Which acronym pronunciation was debated in a “New York Times” column?

LOL
NBD
GIF
AFAIK

Correct Answer: GIF

So why is this answer correct? : People are so divided about how to pronounce GIF — a type of image file which stands for Graphics Interchange Format — that some have even called the controversy “the great schism of the 21st century.” Is it “gif” or “jif”? The inventor of the GIF, Steve Wilhite, settled the controversy once and for all: It’s pronounced “jif.”

Trivia: The company nickname is “Big Blue,” but what does IBM stand for?

Ideal Business Management
International Business Machines
International Better Management
Internet Bureau Management

Correct Answer: International Business Machines

So why is this answer correct? : In 1911, three small companies that made punch-card tabulators and various office products joined forces to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. In 1914, Thomas Watson became the general manager and gained full control of the company by 1924, the same year it changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation. Today, we simply call the organization IBM.