English 102 Reference Section Scavenger Hunt Questions
1. When we can't explain something, but it seems like it should be real, we call in parapsychology. Some of these phenomena, if true, would be very useful in current society. Like psychic dentistry. If you were the patient of such a pain free practitioner, who should you thank for urging Willard Fuller to pursue such a career?
2. Synaethesia has been in the vocabulary of aestheticssince Aristotle. But synethestiqueis much more recent. What did Aristotle mean by synaethesia? Who first coined synethetique and what does it mean?
3. One of the more familiar love consorts of the Hindu god Krishna is Radha. What was the nature of their love? and Why does she challenge western religious notions of what constitutes a goddess?
4. Like it or not, much of the spiritual/mythological sphere is driven by women or the female force. One such force was the goddess Maat. What was her symbol? what did it mean? and how was it manifest?
5. Abraham is the patriarchal fount of nearly everyone in the Bible. Based on the number of languages in which a variant of his name apears, this genealogy may be true. Give me 7 different variations of Abraham as they appear in 7 different languages.
6. One of the tres chic fashion designers of the early 70s was the Cuban born Adolpho. According to a least one biography, what accessory was the secret of his success? And for whom did he primarily design?
7. Women's lives have not always been domestic, and long before now. Some have performed amazing feats in this man’s worlds. What are a few of the accomplishments of Jadwiga, the 14th c. queen of Poland?
8. The author of the first detective story is generally considered to be Wilkie Collins for his novel Moonstone. WithErnest Hemingway as a model here in American we have come to think of writers as mirror images of their works. But if we check the biographies of Collins we find a surprise. What did Collins actually look like according to Rudolph Lehmann?
9.The English are a tidy lot. As a result every action must have a law attached to it, and every action must be documented. So it's not surprising that every ruler has decreed no small number of laws and everyone after him has written them down. King Ine had laws on what should happen to thieves during his rule in the 7th c.But he distinguished between thieves whose families didn't know they were stealing and those whose families did know. What was the difference in punishments?
10.Islamic history is largely religious and largely male. However, in the modem era a few women are trying to change at least part of that equation. Fatima Mernissi has worked harder than most in a field that bears directly on the male question. What is her field and what is her major tenet?
11.My guess is that Americans could name several American presidents, a few generals and most of the Ninja Turtles. But ask them to name a major historical African leader and they would probably answer Tut. Well, Mataka Nyambi was one such leader. What was his claim to fame? And what famous historical British explorer did he meet on his own turf?
12.Some think Joseph Brant may have been one of the most remarkable men in American history? Quite a statement when you consider he was a Mohawk. What did he accomplish that was so significant? And what was his Mohawk name?
13.In the history of North America, nothing is more shrouded in mystery than the medical practices of its original citizens. The Seminole used a sokapofkiki. How did it work? and what other tribes used a similar device?
14.In American cultural history, ideas come and go. What women's lib movement started in the 20s but stalled 50 years later in the 70s?
15. Many ethnic Americans are striving to reconnect with their roots. If you were Portuguese and could speak both Portuguese and English, what newspapers would be available to you? And what radio station would you listen to if you wanted the most hours per week of programming in Portuguese?
16.Everyone has heard of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. A traveling carnival of Western Indians and trick riders showing Easterners how life in the West really was. Another such show was the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. What made this particular Westernshow just a little bit unique?
17.The history of Latin America is an amalgam of Indian, European, and African elements far more blended and mystical than they are in North America. Vimbindinque, a Haitian secret society exemplifies this cultural ambiguity. What was its distinctive qualities?
18.Geographically speaking,conservation is everywhere: the air, the forest, the water. One of the most fragile eco-systems on the planet is the Coral Reef – most are at risk. What is the risk rate of the coral reefs of Costa Rica? And what is the nature of the diversity of their coral that is at risk?
19. Anthropology tells us that the social beliefs of any ethnic group are to be found in their Rites of Passage. For example Hopi children at age 8 must join one of two religious affiliations. What are they? And what does each develop in the child who belongs to it?
20. Bowling is as leisurely a recreation as there is. However it is no less driven by physics and math as the rest of life. What are the 3 ways to measure spin rate of a bowling ball?
21. We all wear jeans. They're America's clothes. First made by Levi Strauss for miners in the California Gold Rush, they kept on going after the gold ran out. Today the company is the largest brand name apparel manufacturer in the industry. The founder died in 1902, exactly 20 years before the company made what small but significant change to their jeans?
22. Marriage, family, sexual alternatives– scary stuff for most Americans. And contrary to closet mentalities, allhave been greatly and openly celebrated. One such celebrant of sexual alternatives was the Jewel Box Revue, a troupe of female impersonators that played American throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s. What (else) was unique about this troupe? And of what interest is it to us in Seattle?
23.We often forget that what is right or wrong, good or bad is not so much absolute as directly related to prevailing social conditions – and those change continually. Homosexuality for instance. How were sexual relations among males in mediveal Europe structured? Of what significance is the year 1700 regarding the sexual practices of European males?
24. Congresss, the great political institution of the US. What DO they do? It is important to check in once in a while. The 103rd Congress in 1993 took a number of key votes. What were they on Gays in the Military? Handguns? and NAFTA?
25. America is a land of laws. Try to do anything out of the ordinary and see what happens. Even corpses are governed by law in Washington. If my mother dies in Seattle, can I be charged to have her moved from the morgue to anywhere I want? What about a friend's body?
26. Opera is not the most obscure musical form for no reason: you can't understand the words and you can't dance to it. But the stories are often fascinating and often intermingle with popular culture. Alban Berg's Lulu isa case in point. When did it premier and where? Which role is the tenor? And what famous character in real life does Lulu meet at the end?
27. Modern American Art! What the hell is that all about? You've just comeback from NYC where a friend showed you "Baldwin Hill", a sculpture by Herbert Ferber. A weird prickly metal thing. Then your friend tells you what Ferber's first career was and you understand perfectly. What was that career? And where can you write Ferber to tell him what you think of such stuff?
28.We study specific arts in school. But generally, it's amazing to consider how many memorable cultural events happen in the same year. For example, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby came out in 1925.the New Yorker magazine appeared on newsstands for the first time. And what great female black dancer from Harlem took Paris by storm that year? And what literary trend also sprung into being and how long did it last?
29.There are more words in the English Language than in most other languages put together. And while most aren't used, they are never the less entertaining. One such is venville. What does it mean? What is its origin?
30. Sexism has taken such a beating over that past couple of decades that not only are people (men) nervous about talking to women, they don't even know what words to use when they do. We know manhole is sexist, but is manacle? And what should I say instead of manager?
31.Yeah, yeah. Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables is great American literature, I'm sure. But I don't have time to read it by class today. So I need a quick dose of plot summary to carry me through class. Like, Who are the main characters? What kind of novel is it?
32. Isabelle Allende is quite hot right now on the contemporary fiction scene. But when her first book House of the Spirits (Casa de Los Espiritos) came out in 82, at least two critics panned it badly. Who were they? and what was their chief complaint?
33. Cancer has become such a metaphor in our time that we forget that it is a multitude of diseases. The even more discouraging news is that the treat-ments are equally horrible. Chemotherapy, for example, causes a number of side affects, such as nausea and vomiting. Fortunately, Dronabinol can offset these side affects. What is the ironic aspect of this drug?
34. Got a problem? Can we say Pharmocology?But are all the drugs I take friendly with each other? If I'm depressed and diabetic, should I be wary of taking Prozac and Insulin at the same time?
35. Doctors write prescriptions for drugs too quickly for my tastes. Besides, there are so many side affects. Something natural for me. I'm still depressed and diabetic. Does Mother Nature have medical materials in her storehouse of plantsfor me?
36.Botany may not be an exciting school subject, but it has come to consume are daily lives. We seem unable to eat anything anymore simply because it tastes good – it must also be good for us. So as you pop your next handful of pecans because they’re good, you might also rest assured knowing they also perform what useful health function for us?
37.Photography is one thing. Movie special effects are another. Who won the Academy Award for his special FX work in Raiders of the Lost Ark? What other cult movie did he do the FX for? And what technological first did that movie lay claim to?
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