Category: Brain Teasers

In addition to their service in the British and Indian Armies, the Gurkha are also recruited for service in what Asian city’s police force?

Tokyo
Kuala Lumpur
Seoul
Singapore
Shanghai

The correct answer is Singapore

What was the name of the treaty that ended the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16 and allowed the British to recruit Gurkha soldiers into its army?

Sugauli Treaty
Shimoda Treaty
Rapallo Treaty
Bakt Treaty
Taastrup Treaty

The correct answer is Sugauli Treaty

Soldiers in the Gurkha Brigade — which is comprised of Nepalese citizens serving in the British Army — traditionally carry what kind of heavy curved knife?

Nontron
Tanto
Boline
Kukri
Dirk

The correct answer is Kukri

Trivia: The Roosevelts were distantly related to what college namesake?

James McGill
Brigham Young
Henry Rutgers
John Purdue

The correct answer is Henry Rutgers

So why is this answer correct? : Born in New York in 1795, Henry Rutgers was a Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist. His paternal grandmother was the granddaughter of Claes Martenszen van Rosenvelt. His namesake New Jersey university was founded by Dutch colonists, including Rutgers, in 1766. Originally called Queens College, the university was renamed “Rutgers” in 1825.

Trivia: Julian Kean Roosevelt was a gold medalist in what Olympic sport?

Boxing
Diving
Wrestling
Yachting

The correct answer is Yachting

So why is this answer correct? : Grand nephew to Theodore Roosevelt, Julian Roosevelt was a member of the U.S. Olympic sailing team at the 1948 and 1952 Games, where he won the gold medal for the five-man, 6-meter boat race. He also served as manager of the team in 1956, 1960, and 1964. Julian later served on the International Olympic Committee for more than a decade, and argued that the Games should be free of politics, a wild notion at the time.

Trivia: Cornelius Roosevelt was a charter member of what now-defunct bank?

Signature Bank
Allied Bank
Western Union
Chemical Bank

The correct answer is Chemical Bank

So why is this answer correct? : Chemical Bank was originally chartered as a subsidiary of the New York Chemical Manufacturing Company in 1824. Twenty years later, in 1844, it was reconstituted as a state bank. Cornelius Roosevelt, Theodore’s grandfather, was one of the first directors of the bank, which is now part of the Chase Manhattan Corporation.

Trivia: Both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt attended what college?

Harvard
Cambridge
Oxford
New York University

The correct answer is Harvard

So why is this answer correct? : Theodore Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1880, and Franklin D. Roosevelt graduated 23 years later in 1903. Both were top students in their class. Teddy sent all four of his sons to Harvard, making the Oyster Bay Roosevelts a dynasty at the school. Harvard, however, hasn’t had a Roosevelt attend in 30 years.

Trivia: James Roosevelt was given what position when his father became President?

Chief of staff
Senior adviser
Attorney general
Secretary to the President

The correct answer is Secretary to the President

So why is this answer correct? : Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second son, James, served as his father’s unofficial assistant during FDR’s presidential campaign in 1932. After his father’s reelection in 1936, James served as secretary to the President until 1938. He was not well liked by staffers and was forced out of the position due to the outcries of nepotism. Afterward, James served on the Democratic National Committee.

Trivia: One branch of the Roosevelts lived in what upstate New York town?

Hyde Park
Albany
Buffalo
Yonkers

The correct answer is Hyde Park

So why is this answer correct? : Home to Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, Hyde Park was originally built in 1800 and later purchased by James Roosevelt Sr. in 1866. Consisting of 15 rooms, the family home is where FDR was born in 1882. In 1943, the building and land were donated to the American public by Franklin.

Trivia: What filmmaker released “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History” in 2014?

Ken Burns
Michael Moore
Spike Lee
Werner Herzog

The correct answer is Ken Burns

So why is this answer correct? : In 2014, Ken Burns released his miniseries “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.” Weaving together the lives of the Roosevelts, the seven-part docuseries begins with the life of Theodore in 1858 and ends with the death of Eleanor in 1962. The documentary was nominated for three Primetime Emmys.