Friday, July 30, 2010

Lewis and Clark Quiz with Omnifile

Summer is a time for exploration, discovery, and travel. We continue this theme with this week's Friday quiz by delving into some articles in Omnifile about Lewis and Clark's landmark "Expedition of North Western Discovery".

1) What were Lewis and Clark's first names?

a) Thomas Jefferson and Alexander
b) Meriweather and William
c) George Washington and James


2) Which member of the expedition team is depicted in 23 statues nationwide?

a) Toussaint Charbonneau
b) The Shoshone guide, Toby
c) Sacagawea


3) From which city did the Expedition of North Western Discovery set off?

a) St. Louis
b) Philadelphia
c) Springfield

4) Representative of which Native American tribe guided the expedition down the Snake River to the Columbia?

a) Nez Percé
b) Shoshone
c) Blackfoot

5) The most arduous stretch of Lewis and Clark's expedition took them through which mountain range?
a) The Salish Range
b) The Columbia Range
c) The Bitterroot Range

You'll find all the answers to these questions in one of the many articles about Lewis and Clark to be found in Omnifile, or you can read them in the answer tweet we'll be sending out later today. The picture--"Floyd's Grave, Where Lewis and Clark Buried Sergeant Floyd in 1804", courtesy of the Smithsonian--comes from Art Museum Image Gallery.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Moon landing quiz with Omnifile

The 41st anniversary of the Moon landings may not seem like a particularly special occasion, but in the year that the Obama administration decided to cut funding for any more manned space flight (at least in the near future), the anniversary of one of the world's greatest technological achievements takes on more poignancy.

Our Friday quiz features questions about the Moon landing. You can find the answers in Omnifile by searching for moon landing, or you can follow us on Twitter, where we'll be giving out the answers toward the end of Friday, July 23.

1. Why did NASA seat the Apollo 11 takeoff spectators three and a half miles from the launch pad?

a) They didn't want anyone to take photos of the takeoff
b) In case of protesters
c) In case the Saturn rockets exploded on takeoff

2. The airtight lining of the space suits and the ship's computer ROM chips were made...

a) By hand
b) In Germany
c) Of gold

3. The command pilot was Neil Armstrong, the lunar module pilot was Buzz Aldrin, and the command module pilot was...

a) Charlie Duke
b) Michael Collins
c) Bruce McCandless II

4. What job did the "simsup" do?

a) Lead simulation supervisor
b) Lead symmetry superintendent
c) Lead simplification supervisor

5. Who served as Neil Armstrong's backup for Apollo 11?

a) Buzz Aldrin
b) Jim Lovell
c) Charlie Duke

All the answers are in Omnifile Full Text. The picture of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon is from Art Museum Image Gallery.

Friday, July 9, 2010

"World Leaders" is the Topic of the Month on Biography Reference Bank

Fresh from the G20 summit in Toronto in June 2010, we are profiling world leaders on the Advanced Search screen of Biography Reference Bank. Why not take this quick quiz and see how good your knowledge is?

All the answers can be easily found within the profiles.

1) Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy is primarily known for his interests in what business?

2) Mexico's President Felipe Calderon first entered politics at what age and in what capacity?

3) Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is president of which South American country?
 
4) Who became the first directly elected president in the history of Indonesia in 2004?
a) Megawati Sukarnoputri
b) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
c) Mohamed Suharto

5) Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was mayor of which city before becoming president?


You'll also find profiles of people Born on This Date, as well as other suggested key profiles on the Advanced Search screen, if you or your library patrons are looking for interesting or inspiring life stories.