Any Questions?

Friday at 6:25 p.m. on Northeast Report Late Edition

WAMC's Friday quiz segment, Any Questions?, puts news director Ian Pickus in the hot seat, as he and listeners field questions from resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel. Nothnagel is Associate Professor of mathematics at The Culinary Institute of America, and a crossword constructor for the New York Times and Games Magazine, among other venues. 

Last week's challenge

Think of a famous comedian and a famous athlete each with the initials "L.A." Say aloud the first name of the comedian and the last name of the athlete and you'll get the name of a famous musician. Who are the three people?

Answer:  The comedian is LOUIE ANDERSON and the athlete is LANCE ARMSTRONG. Following the directions, you get LOUIS ARMSTRONG.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: BANNED AND CHALLENGED BOOKS

On-air questions:   On June 14, 1966, Pope Paul VI formally abolished the Catholic Church's Index Of Prohibited Books, a list of publications deemed immoral or thought to contain theological errors. So this week, our quiz is about banned and challenged books.

1. Three series that have frequently been banned in recent years are the Harry Potter books, the hunger games trilogy, and what four-book series by Stephenie Meyer about teenage vampires?
2. What Dan Brown novel, adapted into a 2006 movie starring Tom Hanks, was banned in Egypt that same year because, as the culture minister told Parliament, "We ban any book that insults any religion"?
3. On the American Library Association's list of the most frequently challenged books of the 1990s are Forever, Tiger Eyes, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., three young adult books by what author?
4. Challenged in 2004, Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich is a semi-fictionalized account of a team of students who learn to count cards while playing blackjack. What university did these students attend?
5. In 2010, a California school district pulled what book from its library after a parent complained when a student came across an explicit term in the book, presumably in proper alphabetical order?

Extra Credit

1. On the list of the most challenged books of 2010 is And Tango Makes Three, a children's book based on a true story. The book recounts how an egg is hatched by two male members of what species?
2. Challenged in Pennsylvania but not banned, despite a parent's concern that it promotes "economic fallacies," what Barbara Ehrenreich book was also flagged in New Hampshire for its alleged "biased portrayal of capitalism"?

This week's challenge
Start with the name HARRY POTTER. Change one letter to a C and you can rearrange the result to spell a six-letter word for a type of award and a five-letter word that names a person who might receive that award. What is the award and who is the person?

About Any Questions?

WAMC's Friday quiz segment, Any Questions?, puts news director Ian Pickus in the hot seat, as he and listeners field questions from resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel. Nothnagel is Associate Professor of mathematics at The Culinary Institute of America, and a crossword constructor for the New York Times and Games Magazine, among other venues. Often, Mike and Ian switch seats or feature guest answers, such as Will Shortz, Liane Hansen, John Flansburgh and Mike Doughty.

Any Questions? airs Friday during Northeast Report Late Edition on WAMC. 

Local Host(s): 
Mike Nothnagel and Ian Pickus
Genre: 

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Any Questions?
4:33 am
Fri January 13, 2012

Any Questions? #20

Credit Britannica
Will Shortz

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel welcome a special guest to play this week's show: NPR puzzlemaster and New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, appropriately the first guest solver in Any Questions? history.

Last week's challenge

Begin with the word RESOLUTION. Add a letter, then rearrange the result to spell a two-word phrase (3 letters in the first word, 8 letters in the second) that names things someone might want to break free from in the new year. What are these things?

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Any Questions?
8:07 am
Fri January 6, 2012

Any Questions? #19

The \"new\" year is here

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel celebrate the arrival of 2012 with a quiz about all things new.

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Any Questions?
7:41 am
Thu December 29, 2011

Any Questions? #18

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel offer an Any Questions? clearance sale.

Last week's challenge
A customer pays for $13.59 worth of groceries with a $50 bill. The cashier counts out the change, then remarks, "Huh, that's interesting." The customer, upon receiving the change, replies, "You're right. That is interesting." So, what's so interesting?

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Any Questions?
7:29 am
Fri December 23, 2011

Any Questions? #17

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel are all about the Benjamins on this week's currency show.

Last week's challenge

Take the last name of a famous cartoon family. If you change the first letter to a W, you can rearrange the result to spell one of the nicknames for a place where many cartoons have been produced. What is the last name and what is the nickname?

Answer: The family's last name is FLINTSTONE, and the nickname is TINSELTOWN.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: U.S. CURRENCY

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Any Questions?
7:13 am
Fri December 16, 2011

Any Questions? #16

Milhouse will kick your butt...at Nintendo. Or Any Questions?, maybe.

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel get serious about cartoons.

Last week's challenge

Start with the phrase APPLE STORE. Rearrange these ten letters to spell two names you might see in a supermarket checkout line. What are they?

Answer: The names are STAR and PEOPLE.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: CARTOONS

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Any Questions?
2:38 pm
Fri December 9, 2011

Any Questions? #15

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel undertake a very un-P.C. quiz.

Last week's challenge
Take a seven-letter language term ending in M. Drop that M, then rearrange the remaining letters to spell something to write with. What is the term and what is the thing?

Answer: The term is ACRONYM, and the thing is a CRAYON.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: I'M A "MAC"

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Any Questions?
7:38 am
Fri December 2, 2011

Any Questions? #14

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel open the book on a literary quiz.

Last week's challenge

Start with the six-letter name of a national corporation. The name begins with an A, and if you drop that A, you can rearrange the remaining letters to spell the name of a national store chain. What names are these?

Answer: The corporation is AMTRAK and the store chain is KMART.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: LITERATURE

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Any Questions?
7:02 am
Fri November 25, 2011

Any Questions? #13

Albany, NY – WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel mark Black Friday with a quiz about business.

Last week's challenge
The Gila monster is a venomous lizard found in the Southwest. Rearrange the letters in Gila monster to come up with a two-word phrase that describes Any Questions?'s audience. The first word has five letters. The second has six.
Answer: The phrase is SMART LEGION.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: BUSINESS

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Any Questions?
8:34 am
Fri November 18, 2011

Any Questions? #12

Albany, NY – Resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel and WAMC's Ian Pickus switch seats for a quiz about New Mexico.

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Any Questions?
7:02 am
Fri November 18, 2011

Any Questions? #12

Albany, NY – Resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel and WAMC's Ian Pickus switch seats for a quiz about New Mexico.

Last week's challenge

Begin with the four-letter name of a drink. Add the consecutive letters XI (as in the Roman numeral for eleven) somewhere in that name, and you'll get an adjective describing something that might make you want a drink. What is the drink and what is the adjective?

Answer: The drink is TANG, and the adjective is TAXING.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: New Mexico

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