Jesse day 14

5/6

1. Upon its completion in July 1904, the Trans-Siberian Railway connected Moscow and European Russia with what Pacific Ocean port city?
Correct Answer: VLADIVOSTOK
Your Answer: Vladivostok
Points Assigned: 0

I have ridden the Trans-Mongolian Railroad from Beijing to Moscow, but I knew this anyway. 

2. "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart," and "Cheap Thrills" are the biggest hits (so far) from what Australian singer-songwriter?
Correct Answer: SIA (FURLER)
Your Answer: Sia
Points Assigned: 1

I knew Sia was Australian and that Cheap Thrills was one of her songs. BTW, she is a big fan of Survivor and interrupted the finale of last year's season to give money to an animal loving contestant that spared the life of a chicken. 

3. What is the term, often applied conceptually in relation to the first law of thermodynamics, for a process in which there is no transfer of heat between a system and its surroundings? The word comes directly from the Greek for "impassable".
Correct Answer: ADIABATIC
Your Answer: Thermopylae
Points Assigned: 3

I had no idea.

4. With the creation of the U.S. Department of Education in 1979, another cabinet-level department saw its scope of functions reduced and, accordingly, its name changed. What was the new (and still current) full name of this department, whose original incarnation was formed in 1953?
Correct Answer: HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Your Answer: Department of Health and Human Services
Points Assigned: 1

I know the current departments and this was the only one that made sense. Tommy Thompson in da house!

5. Dunder Mifflin is to Scranton as Wernham Hogg is to what English town?

Correct Answer: SLOUGH
Your Answer: Slough
Points Assigned: 2

I watched the original office and own it on DVD. 

6. The chief use of the plant Althaea officinalis is the mucilaginous substance yielded by its roots, which is the traditional basis for a popular confection (though largely replaced today by gum arabic or gelatin). What is the common name of this plant, which is also the name for the confection itself?
Correct Answer: MARSHMALLOW
Your Answer: Marshmallow
Points Assigned: 2

I first thought of Chicle, but figured that was gum arabic and also thought taffy, but that did not sound like a plant. Then Marshmallow came to mind.