I'll Take Penguins in Peril for 500, Alex. (a quiz)

Inkfish
By Elizabeth Preston
Jan 15, 2011 6:11 AMNov 5, 2019 10:10 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Which of this week's science news stories did you catch? I know Watson would ace this quiz.

1. Distressingly, a long-term study has shown that king penguins with tracking bands attached their flippers are more likely to:

a. die

b. develop infections

c. become obese

d. abandon their young

2. Testing anxiety can cause students to underperform on exams. But researchers at the University of Chicago showed that in a high-stakes test environment, both high-school and college students did better on exams when they:a. studied lessb. wrote about their feelings for 10 minutes before the testc. ate chocolate before the testd. watched a film about Stephen Hawking before test

3. Daily Double!! What is this?

a. a colony of bioluminescent bacteriab. the surface of an exoplanetc. a picture of the universed. part of Fermilab's particle accelerator, which will be shut down this year

4. At a 6,000-year-old site in an Armenian cave, researchers discovered the world's oldest:

a. zoob. flower gardenc. bakeryd. winery

5. In February, you'll be able to watch a Jeopardy match on TV between Watson, IBM's Jeopardy-playing robot, and two humans. Who won this week's demonstration match?

a. Human champion Ken Jennings, who won 74 games in a row in 2004b. Human champion Brad Rutter, biggest all-time money winner on Jeopardyc. The computerd. No one, because the match was suspended when Watson froze just before Double Jeopardy

Answers are in the comments.

Image: M. Blanton and the SDSS-III

1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group