Trivia Pursuit

In the spirit of April Fools, Orwellian News is offering a Trivia Challenge. Email your answers to orwellianspin@gmail.com.

The answer key is given at the bottom of the page. Until we get our provincial government grant, all we can offer the winner is an official email from Winston Smith certified with a happy face.

1. Who did Williams not quote directly in his September 2008 speech to the Board of Trade, in which he said Harper was a fraud?
A) Katherine Hepburn
B) Benjamin Disraeli
C) Stephen Harper
D) Bachman Turner Overdrive
E) The federal Natural Resources Minister
F) The Tory candidate for St. John's East

2. What have Williams and/or members of his cabinet not claimed to be masters of?
A) House
B) Domain
C) Destiny
D) Government

3. What did Williams say to the Telegram in 2007?
A) We're really the centre of Atlantic Canada
C) We're really the centre of Canada
D) We're really the centre of North America
E) We're really the centre of the planet
F) We’re really the centre of the universe

4. In a media scrum in February 2009, Williams said "ya know" how many times?
A) 7
B) 55
C) 18
D) 10
E) 37
F) 21

5. In his post-budget news conference in March 2009, Jerome Kennedy said that he did not need to convince the NL public because:
A) He knew in his heart that he was pursuing the right course of action
B) Williams told him so
C) The budget offered a sober, nonpartisan economic projection
D) Poll numbers
E) He carefully took the Opposition's views into account
F) He has always treated the nurses union with deep respect

6. Who used the word "conspiracy" when talking about the Cameron Report?
A) Blogger
B) Liberal Opposition
C) Danny Williams
D) Cancer Patient
E) Journalist
F) Justice Cameron

7. What did Joan Burke say when asked about the situation at MUN in February 2009?
A) I'm attempting to mitigate the effects of my erroneous decisions
B) And you know, it's certainly a lot of people employed there at the university, and the leadership, I think, certainly see us through
C) I made a mistake in my handling of the presidential appointment process, and I'm sorry
D) I did nothing wrong

8. The proposed transmission line and tunnel linking Labrador with Newfoundland will be built using technology from which country?
A) Iceland
B) Ireland
C) Mexico
D) Canada
E) United States

9. True or False? Danny Williams has stated publicly, “You know what I like the most is Barack Obama is listening to what we're doing here."

10. In the Throne Speech, the Williams government made which claim?
A) Newfoundlanders are worried about their future during this time of global recession
B) Newfoundlanders are realistic and skeptical about grandiose rhetoric
C) Nefoundlanders don't like to give their premiers a blank cheque
D) Newfoundlanders are more optimistic than any other region in the western world
E) Newfoundlanders are not as supportive of the government as the polls indicate

11. What response did Williams get when he made the sick joke, "Instead of making money, I'm just turning grey and trying to stay away from getting sick because I'll have to face the doctors and the nurses if I end up going to hospital"?
A) Silence
B) Boos
C) Quiet applause
D) Loud applause
E) Someone in the audience shouted back: "that's an inappropriate thing to say!"

12. What happened to the Federal Tories in the space of a few weeks this winter?
A) Their popular support dipped
B) The media ate them for lunch
C) The Science Minister was forced to say he believes in evolution
D) The Industry Minister was forced to say that his research and development includes the humanities
E) All of the above

13. What secret weapon is the Harper regime developing?
A) Mind-control device
B) Giant snowball
C) Media pepper-spray
D) AT-AT Election Walkers
E) Stink bomb

14. Which lawn weed has infested St. John's?
A) Digitaria cruciata
B) Gomphus clavatus
C) Trifolium repens
D) Ranunculus sceleratus
E) Taraxacum officinale
F) All of the above


Below is the answer key. If you'd like to submit a question for the next edition of Orwellian Trivia Pursuit, please email orwellianspin@gmail.com
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1. Answer C. http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/speeches/2008/Premier_Board_of_Trade_September_10.htm

2. Answer D. If you can find an instance where they claimed to be masters of government, email me.

3. Answer F. http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=93275&sc=79

4. Answer B. http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2009/02/verbal-tics-3.html

5. Answer D. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-cra-buys.html

6. Answer C. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/conspiracy-theories.html

7. Answer B. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/02/mun-follies-ii.html

8. Answer E. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/american-technology-to-build-nl-tunnel.html

9. True. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081209.wwilliams1209/BNStory/politics/home

10. Answer D. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/optimistic-correctness.html

11. Answer D. http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=217282&sc=82

12. Answer E. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/he-blinded-me-with-science.html

13. Answer D. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/national-non-news-news.html

14. Answer F. http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/political-biology.html