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THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249     www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street     Portland, Maine  04103
43.6667° N                   70.2667° W
Altitude:   10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian date:  2458642.5
              "Now I go cleanin' windows to earn an honest bob
               For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job
               Now it's a job that just suits me
               A window cleaner you would be
               If you can see what I can see
               When I'm cleanin' windows.."
                                         -George Formby



*To my adamant Libertarian Big Brother, Richard, who thinks we've never
left 1984; and also in the memory of my uncle, Richard, who, after having
watched 20 seconds of an MTV video in the actual year 1984, muttered,
"Orwell was an optimist."  *


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, June 14, 2019
Quiz XXI:   "1984" and 1984

This year we celebrate the ____th anniversary of the publication of the
quintessential dystopian novel, "1984." (We inserted the blank so as to
make the first question slightly more challenging.)  George Orwell's
masterwork of political fiction envisaged a modern world of constant camera
surveillance, appalling privacy infringements, crumbling infrastructure,
and a ceaseless preparation for war.    Ha ha ha, what an imagination!

Today's approved quiz focuses on the cheery, feel good novel that either
coined or at least popularized common terms such as "big brother," "group
think," and "thought crime."  To give the quiz a bit of added zest, we'll
include questions about the real year, 1984, which, horrifyingly, is now
more than three decades in the past.

PART I:   THE BOOK  "1984"

1. In what year was "1984" published?
a. 1919
b. 1929
c. 1939
d. 1949

2. What was George Orwell's real name?
a. George Orwell
b. Samuel Clemens
c. Eric Blair
d. Harper Lee

3. In what city did Winston Smith, the main character, live?
a.  London
b.  New York
c.  Paris
d.  Lagos, Nigeria

4.  What was the last sentence in "1984?"
a. "He loved Big Brother."
b. "Big Brother had stopped breathing."
c. "Help, I'm in a zoo!"
d. "The party never sang."

5.  Which of the following statement(s) about "1984" is/are true?
a.  It sold only 50 copies the first year it was published
b.  It was George Orwell's last book
c.  The actual phrase "Big Brother is watching you" never appears in the
book. (It was only used by the publishers when they marketed the book.)
d.  It was published six months after George Orwell died

6.  Who wrote the book, "1985," which was intended as a tribute to Orwell?
a.  PG Wodehouse
b.  Anthony Burgess
c.  Sidney Sheldon
d.  Salman Rushdie

7.   Who was Winston Smith's love interest?
a.  Julia
b.  Portia
c.  Marianne
d.  Lilith

8.  One of the fun activities in which the citizens participate is referred
to as the Two Minutes ___________
a.  Hate
b.  Rage
c.  Hug
d.  Frenzy

9.   What is the name of Winston Smith's chief tormentor/interrogator?
a.  Syme
b. Goldstein
c.  O'Brien
d.  Goldfinger

10. What are the first words Big Brother speaks to Winston?
a.  "You have less frontal development than I should have expected."
b.  "I have been enjoying your diary."
c.  "Smith, touch your toes."
d.   Big Brother is not an actual interactive character in 1984.  It is
likely an imaginary figurehead crafted by the party.


PART II:  THE YEAR 1984

11. Ok, can't avoid it any longer.  What is 1984 in Roman Numerals?
a. MCMLXXXIV
b. MCMLXXIV
c  MCMDCIXX
d. MCMLXXXVI

12.  In the 1984 US Presidential Election, Ronald Reagan defeated which
Democratic Nominee?
a.  Michael Dukakis
b.  Jimmy Carter
c.  Walter Mondale
d.  Joe Biden

13. What was the highest grossing movie in 1984?
a.   "Ghostbusters"
b.  "Beverly Hills Cop"
c.  "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"
d. "The Karate Kid"
e. "Rocky  MCMLXXXIV"

14.  Which one of the following celebrities did not die in 1984?
a.  Johnny Weissmuller
b.  Truman Capote
c.  Bette Davis
d.  Richard Burton

15.  The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in________________
a.  Los Angeles
b.  Berlin
c.   Sydney
d.  There were no Summer Olympics in 1984 due to a Soviet boycott

16. In 1984, Robert Bruce Merrifield won__________
a. the MVP in the 1984 World Series
b. the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
c. $10,000,056 in a lottery (the first person whose winnings exceeded $10
million; $367,000 after taxes)
d.  the most gold medals in the Summer Olympics

17. In 1984, astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart became
the first astronauts to_____________
a.  go on an untethered space walk
b. fly the Space Shuttle
c. have their names printed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
d. be assigned to walk on the moon since final moon landing in 1972.  (They
were assigned to command a proposed moon landing mission which was
cancelled later that year due to abrupt funding cancellation.)

18.  Which team won the 1984 Super Bowl
a.  Los Angeles Raiders
b.  Chicago Bears
c.  Pittsburgh Steelers
d.  New England Patriots

19. On May 11, 1984, what rare celestial event occurred?
a.   a transit of Venus (Venus moved across the Sun)
b.   a transit of Earth from Mars
c.   a lunar eclipse with a totality lasting 2 hours, 3 minutes
d.   all five visible planets were within a five degree circle in the
western evening sky.

20.  Which one of the following events did not occur in 1984?
a.  Brunei becomes an independent state
b. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, is assassinated
c.  The Vatican forgives Galileo for its condemnation 368 years earlier
d.  Mikhail Gorbachov becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Communist
Party

BONUS QUESTION:
21.  Which actor portrayed Dr. Who during the first part of 1984?
a. Tom Baker
b. Peter Davison
c.  Colin Baker
d. Jon Pertwee


PART I:  THE BOOK "1984"
ANSWERS

1. d. 1949

2.  c. Eric Blair

3.  a.  London

4. a. "He loved Big Brother."

5. b.  It was George Orwell's last book

6. b.  Anthony Burgess
[Yes, the "A Clockwork Orange" guy]

7.  a.  Julia
[Many critics assert that she was a member of the thought police.]

8. a.  Hate

9. c.  O'Brien

10.  d.   Big Brother is not an actual interactive character in 1984.  It
is likely an imaginary figurehead crafted by the party.

PART II:  THE YEAR 1984
ANSWERS

11.  a. MCMLXXXIV

12.  c.  Walter Mondale

13. b.  "Beverly Hills Cop"
[Although when revenue generated by its 1985 re-release is included,
Ghostbusters made more money.   However, with a domestic take slightly
exceeding $234 million, Beverly Hills Cop was the year's highest grossing
film.]

14.  c.  Bette Davis
[Bette Davis moved on in 1989.]

15. a.  Los Angeles

16. b. the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

17. a.  go on an untethered space walk

18.  a.  Los Angeles Raiders
[Quick historical note:    The New England Patriots ended up 8-8 in the
1983 regular season. Remember those glory days?]

19. b.   a transit of Earth from Mars
[The  next transit of Earth from Mars is scheduled for 2084.  Note: the
longest possible duration for a total lunar eclipse is 1 hour and 47
minutes]

20. d.  Mikhail Gorbachov becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Communist
Party
That event happened on March 11, 1985

BONUS ANSWERS
21. b. Peter Davison
The best of all possible doctors was replaced (damnit!) by Colin Baker in
March 1984.