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Sorry, Wrong Answer: Trivia Questions That Even Know-It-Alls Get Wrong
Where were Venetian blinds invented?
What color is the black box on a commercial airplane?
Where did India ink originate?*
Most of us know more than we think we know. We also think we know more than we actually do-because some of what we think we know simply "ain't so." We all harbor misconceptions that are accepted not only because they are popular but also because they make sense.
It makes sense to believe, for example, that German chocolate originated in Germany rather than the truth: that German chocolate is so named because it was created by Sam German. It seems logical to believe that Mercury is the hottest planet because of its proximity to the sun, or that buttermilk contains butter, that Danish pastry is from Denmark, and that the boat race America's Cup was named after the United States of America.
In Sorry, Wrong Answer, Rod Evans takes readers on a tour of misleading trivia, debunking commonly held assumptions and sharing surprising "right" answers.
*Answers: Japan; Orange; China
What color is the black box on a commercial airplane?
Where did India ink originate?*
Most of us know more than we think we know. We also think we know more than we actually do-because some of what we think we know simply "ain't so." We all harbor misconceptions that are accepted not only because they are popular but also because they make sense.
It makes sense to believe, for example, that German chocolate originated in Germany rather than the truth: that German chocolate is so named because it was created by Sam German. It seems logical to believe that Mercury is the hottest planet because of its proximity to the sun, or that buttermilk contains butter, that Danish pastry is from Denmark, and that the boat race America's Cup was named after the United States of America.
In Sorry, Wrong Answer, Rod Evans takes readers on a tour of misleading trivia, debunking commonly held assumptions and sharing surprising "right" answers.
*Answers: Japan; Orange; China
- GenresNonfictionTrivia
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2010
5 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 15, 2012
I LOVE TRIVIA BOOKS. I LOVE JEOPARDY. LOVE IT.
So for me to give this book, a trivia book, 2/5 stars, something has to be VERY wrong with it.
I HATED the format. It lists little "quizzes" at the beginning of each section and then after 2 pages or so of quiz questions, it goes on to answer each question. But it doesn't repeat the question and some of the answers don't allude to the question when they are standing alone. I would have preferred just simply trivia w/o the quizzes.
Or have the question and the answer right under it.
The format made it not only harder to read, but less enjoyable to read.
So for me to give this book, a trivia book, 2/5 stars, something has to be VERY wrong with it.
I HATED the format. It lists little "quizzes" at the beginning of each section and then after 2 pages or so of quiz questions, it goes on to answer each question. But it doesn't repeat the question and some of the answers don't allude to the question when they are standing alone. I would have preferred just simply trivia w/o the quizzes.
Or have the question and the answer right under it.
The format made it not only harder to read, but less enjoyable to read.
August 27, 2012
I sincerely thought I was going to despise this book. I ordered it from my library (where I work) and when I picked it up, I flipped to a random page to peek at the info inside. The first thing I read was something along the lines of, "bees do not get honey from flowers: they get nectar and pollen from flowers and make honey." Well....duh. I took this as a sign that the book was going to be full of *stupid* trivia, the kind of answers a smarmy friend might give after asking you a quick, craftily-worded question, catching you off guard.
After digging a little deeper, however, I did find that there is some information in here worthy of my time. Truly good trivia bits. The format, on the other hand, is atrocious and off-putting. Trivia questions (sometimes sneaky ones, such as "Who was Finneas Fogg?") are organized by common theme: examples include religion, animals, United States history, and so forth. We are presented with 20 or so questions per chapter, then are given the sometimes windy answers. If you want the answer right away, or are just reading the book for general trivia knowledge and not to literally test yourself, this can be a bit annoying because of the constant flipping of pages, searching for the correct answer, and trying to avoid skipping too far ahead because you might accidentally find yourself in the answer section for another chapter.
I wish the information in this book was presented differently. If it was, I would definitely consider buying a few copies as Christmas gifts. As it is, I think I will keep my eyes peeled for something better.
After digging a little deeper, however, I did find that there is some information in here worthy of my time. Truly good trivia bits. The format, on the other hand, is atrocious and off-putting. Trivia questions (sometimes sneaky ones, such as "Who was Finneas Fogg?") are organized by common theme: examples include religion, animals, United States history, and so forth. We are presented with 20 or so questions per chapter, then are given the sometimes windy answers. If you want the answer right away, or are just reading the book for general trivia knowledge and not to literally test yourself, this can be a bit annoying because of the constant flipping of pages, searching for the correct answer, and trying to avoid skipping too far ahead because you might accidentally find yourself in the answer section for another chapter.
I wish the information in this book was presented differently. If it was, I would definitely consider buying a few copies as Christmas gifts. As it is, I think I will keep my eyes peeled for something better.
February 4, 2018
Really fun. Also a good book to read in short bursts with loads of interruptions which is what life has been like. I read this while sitting in assorted hospitals over the last few months.
January 29, 2022
Saw this on a library end cap and thought it would be a fun read.
It wasn't.
The book is broken up into dozens of "chapters," each covering a certain topic (e.g., Food, Literature, Sports, etc.) with each chapter covering ~20 questions that have popular incorrect answers.
Some of the fake-out questions make decent trivia I could imagine seeing at a pub trivia/game show (even if they are "gotcha" questions)
e.g., Q: Who was born without sin according to Catholics' belief of the Immaculate Conception? A: It wasn't Jesus but rather Mary who was supposedly born sinless, which allowed her to get knocked up by God, dummy!
Other questions assume waaaay too much about the popularity of the fake answer
e.g., Q: "What actor said 'Judy, Judy, Judy!'?" (163) A:
Then, Rod L. Evans awkwardly back-creates horrible trivia questions just to explain common misconceptions in the answers
e.g., Q: "Does bumblebee flight contradict the laws of thermodynamics." (178) before writing half a page basically saying, A: "No, bumblebees can actually fly, idiot!"
But, I guess writing trivia books is hard—and it's an interesting concept that probably didn't need to be 200+ pages presented in the way it was.
It wasn't.
The book is broken up into dozens of "chapters," each covering a certain topic (e.g., Food, Literature, Sports, etc.) with each chapter covering ~20 questions that have popular incorrect answers.
Some of the fake-out questions make decent trivia I could imagine seeing at a pub trivia/game show (even if they are "gotcha" questions)
e.g., Q: Who was born without sin according to Catholics' belief of the Immaculate Conception? A: It wasn't Jesus but rather Mary who was supposedly born sinless, which allowed her to get knocked up by God, dummy!
Other questions assume waaaay too much about the popularity of the fake answer
e.g., Q: "What actor said 'Judy, Judy, Judy!'?" (163) A:
No actor seriously said in a movie, "Judy, Judy, Judy," but Cary Grant did say, in the 1939 Only Angels Have Wings, "Hello Judy," "Come on, Judy," and "Now, Judy." In the 1938 movie, Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant does say "Susan, Susan, Susan," (172)stupid!
Then, Rod L. Evans awkwardly back-creates horrible trivia questions just to explain common misconceptions in the answers
e.g., Q: "Does bumblebee flight contradict the laws of thermodynamics." (178) before writing half a page basically saying, A: "No, bumblebees can actually fly, idiot!"
But, I guess writing trivia books is hard—and it's an interesting concept that probably didn't need to be 200+ pages presented in the way it was.
December 28, 2024
Save yourself the time now and just go to wikipedia. That is how accurate I believe this information to be. The copyright date of 2010 might lend to some of the reason for factual errors, but I suspect this book was written by someone with much to prove. It does not seem to have been fact-checked, even then, and I very much question the accuracy of the information. Almost every answer says something about how the information cannot be proved. The layout is also clunky with the questions printed on separate pages from the answers, requiring much back and forth flipping. To be honest, the only reason I read this is to complete a dewey decimal system challenge. Otherwise I'd have stopped after the second page.
July 5, 2022
Interesting premise but overall pretty meh. The geography and history section was 50% America and some answers were too "umm actually" for my taste (it wasn't a candelabra, twas a candelaBRUM!). Some questions are just weirdly stated:
- Who wrote Grimm's Fairy Tales?
Me: the brothers Grimm
A: WRONG! They collected tales from villagefolk into a book.
Me: but... they still wrote it???
- What do lemmings do when they reach a cliff?
Me, living in a lemming-less country: idk chill? is there something specific i should know about [this would've been better as a true-or-false q]
Also, um actually, coffee beans can also come from civet poop.
Overall, a 2. Felt very listicle to me.
- Who wrote Grimm's Fairy Tales?
Me: the brothers Grimm
A: WRONG! They collected tales from villagefolk into a book.
Me: but... they still wrote it???
- What do lemmings do when they reach a cliff?
Me, living in a lemming-less country: idk chill? is there something specific i should know about [this would've been better as a true-or-false q]
Also, um actually, coffee beans can also come from civet poop.
Overall, a 2. Felt very listicle to me.
May 6, 2020
First off, the format SUCKED. Listing all of the questions, then the answers pages later made it very hard to read, especially when the answer didn't reference the question. Flipping back and forth got real old, real quick.
Second, the vast majority of the "trivia" was simple knowledge. I found very few facts that I didn't know.
Second, the vast majority of the "trivia" was simple knowledge. I found very few facts that I didn't know.
October 10, 2023
I just couldn’t find much charm in this book. That’s no reflection on its accuracy, which I never saw fit to challenge.
February 10, 2014
As a fan of trivia books in general, this one was just ok. The format had a lot of fluff and a good number of the facts were just plain facts like "people from Rochester, NY are called 'Rochesterians.'" But a number of facts were amusing and interesting.
January 18, 2011
A very good read for anyone who likes trivial tidbits!
July 29, 2011
Love trivia, so this was a good book to read. Mind you, it seemed a bit picky in its facts. Good for someone who is very precise about how things 'are'
December 15, 2012
I borrowed this from my work, and now i must go buy it. Fun facts you would hope most people know, but don't, and some surprise stumper's that make this a lot of fun.
May 15, 2014
Good book, on quirky and neat trivia you thought you knew!
April 28, 2011
Interesting facts, hated the format.
November 3, 2014
Fun book of trivia on many of the things we think are obvious that are not.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews