So, I know you guys have had a blast bashing on New Jersey all week, but as I said earlier, it's definitely growing on me. (It might help that they've supported my higher education aspirations a considerable amount...) Regardless, I'm going to take a moderately unbiased stance on Jersey for my quiz this week. I'm not obsessed with this state yet, so I can't write some glowing recommendation for everyone to pick-up and move here (you probably shouldn't anyway, this state has the highest density of any state). I'm also not disgusted by it, there are plenty of pretty parts, which all of you who only know it by the Turnpike haven't seen. Here's your chance to learn all about the Garden State!
1. I've already alluded to the fact that the first college football game ever was played in New Jersey (Rutgers vs. Princeton, Rutgers won 6-4), but what sport was first played professionally in the Garden State?
a. tiddly winks
b. water polo
c. baseball
d. fencing
c. The first professional baseball game was played at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. (It was between the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and the New York Baseball Club. Quite original with team names there. And also neither team was actually from Jersey. Damn.)
2. Which of these towns has the longest boardwalk in the world?
a. Seaside Heights, NJ
b. Belmar, NJ
c. Cape May, NJ
d. Atlantic City, NJ
d. Atlantic City. The other towns are also Jersey Shore beaches.
3. New Jersey has more ________________ per capita than any other state.
a. Horses
b. Car dealerships
c. Pizza shops
d. Mobsters
a. Is the official true answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if b, c, and d are correct too. And from a horse's perspective, there are fewer humans per horse than any other state.
4. Recently surpassed by the great state of Maryland, New Jersey used to have the highest median ______________ in the country.
a. Proportion of beach houses to sand grains
b. Household income
c. Sorority prevalence
d. SAT scores
b. Maryland now has the highest median household income in the country at $57,352, but until like a month ago, it was New Jersey (which is now at $56,772). I'm guessing it's because I left Maryland for New Jersey. This also means that if Maryland (or New Jersey) seceded from the U.S. and became it's own separate nation it would be the wealthiest nation in the world. Crazy.
5. In addition to having more diners than any other place in the world, New Jersey also has the most _______________ within a 25 mile radius.
a. Pizza shops
b. IKEAs
c. Strip clubs
d. Shopping malls
d. There are 7 major malls in a 25 mile radius. I also read that there are more shopping malls per square foot than any other state. But I believe Mall of America, King of Prussia and Tysons Corner qualify the more square footage rule, but compose one "mall," so they would not meet the same standards. So this is a stupid question.
6. New Jersey has an official state _______________.
a. Song
b. Dinosaur
c. Diner
d. Beer
b. New Jersey does not have an official state song, but does have an official state dinosaur! The first nearly complete skeleton of a dinosaur was found in Haddonfield, NJ in 1858. The Hadrosaurus is the official state dinosaur.
7. When Rutgers University and the University of Maryland face off on September 29 of this year, I will be wearing
a. My Rutgers t-shirt
b. My Maryland hat
c. My Maryland sweatshirt
d. My Maryland t-shirt
I WILL be decked out in Maryland gear. I might be wearing some Rutgers gear. But more importantly, I've got a ticket to the game!!!!
Emiy's Trivia Quiz runs Fridays at 9:00 a.m. It should get better once Dell decides to ship her laptop to her and she doesn't have to save weird pictures on computer labs. P.S. Song lyric thanks to the oh-so-poetic Chamillionaire.
Did you know DC also has an official state dinosaur? It was found in the DC area, and it is called, I'm not kidding, the Capitalsaurus. Pretty coincidental then that a dinosaur with such a name would live in an area that later became the capital of the U.S!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalsaurus
Posted by: Jerome | September 14, 2007 at 10:35 AM
Great blog today! I actually laughed out loud at one point. But I see that your heart still is in Maryland and of this I am glad.
Posted by: Harriet | September 14, 2007 at 11:15 AM