All of the following are real-life examples of answers given by contestants on British TV programmes such as ‘The Weakest Link‘ …
First, a puzzle for you: Just one number, written as a word, has its letters in alphabetic order: AND just one has its letters in reverse alphabetic order. What are they? Answers at the bottom of this page. Don’t look yet!
In their own defence, some past contestants have pointed out that they were repeatedly warned, before going on, that they must make SOME answer. The producers were probably hoping for such ludicrous answers as those below – just to get the Show (and the foolish contestant) talked about.
I know it’s insulting .. but the answers are at the bottom of the page here!
Quizmaster: The adjective Rubenesque, meaning a plump, voluptuous woman, is derived from the work of which 17th century Flemish artist?
Contestant: Aretha Franklin
Q: Which force keeps the moon in orbit round the Earth and the Earth in orbit around the Sun?
C: Delta Force
Q: MPs wanting to clear the House of Commons public gallery used to shout; ‘I spy … what?
C: ‘.. with my little eye..’
Q: In which country are the ruins of Troy.. is it a) Turkey b) Tunisia c) Italy ?
C: ‘This is where all those years of doing A Level Ancient History finally pays off!!’ [Pause..]
Well, it’s NOT Turkey anyway…
Q: The M27 links Southampton and which other south coast city?
C: Leeds
Q: What is the capital of Ethiopia?
C: Bangladesh
Q: Which Danish man wrote The Ugly Duckling ?
C: Enid Blyton?
Q: The LIB-Lab pact government in Britain in the late 70’s was between Labour and what other political party?
C: Conservative?
Q: Who became US President in 1945 after the Second World War?
C: Abraham Lincoln
Q: By what abbreviation is Military Intelligence Section 6 better known?
C: M I 5 ?
Q: What is the only letter of the alphabet with three syllables?
C: Z ?
Q: Finish this nursery rhyme, ‘Ding Dong Bell, Pussy’s in the ……
C: Kitchen ?
Q: Complete the three-word phrase meaning ‘haphazard’: ”hit and …. ?
C: Run ?
Q: What month of the year is named after the Roman god of War?
C: Is it Thursday, Anne ?
1. Ruben 2. Gravity 3. A stranger 4. Turkey 5. Portsmouth 6. Addis Abbaba 7. Hans Christian Anderson 8. Liberal 9. President Truman 10. MI6 11. W
12. Well 13. Miss 14. March
Numbers are : forty and : One