Random Couch Potato Trivia

The first channel you stop at is The Food Network. There is a discussion there about the biggest selling restaurant foods. What food is the most frequently sold item in U.S. restaurants?

• Steak

• Fried Chicken

• Cheeseburgers

• French Fries

Answer explanation

Each citizen of the U.S. eats more than 16 pounds of fries every year. That works out to about 2 million tons of taters!

Wanting to escape from the upcoming segment on Ethiopian cuisine, you flip to C-SPAN2, which is in the twelfth hour of a filibuster, a long-winded attempt to delay voting on a bill. Next there is a call to end this madness. What has just been filed?

• A writ of habeas corpus

• A closure motion

• A subpoena

• A veto

Answer explanation

According to U.S. law, if sixty senators sign the cloture motion, the debate must end. Cloture is a French word which means 'closing'. The record for the longest filibuster in U.S. history is held by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who went on for over 24 hours.

Bored stiff, you take a chance with the Lifetime channel on your cable box, which is showing the film "Valley of the Dolls." Who wrote the novel on which the movie is based?

• Jacqueline Susann

• Colleen McCullough

• Joan Collins

• Jacqueline Susann

Answer explanation

At the time of the book's release, Truman Capote stated "This isn't writing, it's typing." Despite the critical venom, the book went on to become the best selling novel of all time.

You change the channel to The History Channel, which is screening a documentary about the deadliest single day in the U.S. Civil War. Which battle is being discussed?

• Shiloh

• Antietam

• Gettysburg

• The Wilderness

Answer explanation

There were over 22,000 casualties suffered at Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862. It is the most violent day in U.S. history in terms of lives lost. The Battle of Gettysburg had more casualties than Antietam, however, they were spread out over three days.

You want to check out the latest news so you turn on CNN. Name the entrepreneur who founded the world's first all news channel.

• Roone Aldridge

• Ted Turner

• Don Hewitt

• Norman Lear

Answer explanation

Turner is a true visionary of cable television. He also originated, among others, TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies.

For a laugh you switch to The Cartoon Network and watch an episode of "Scooby-Doo". Who created this cartoon?

• Friz Freleng

• Walt Disney

• Hanna-Barbera

• Chuck Jones

Answer explanation

The team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were animation pioneers. They were also responsible for "The Flintstones", "The Jetsons", "Huckleberry Hound", "Yogi Bear" and "Tom and Jerry".

Another flip on your remote brings you to the sports channel ESPN. You can't believe your eyes as you watch a zorbing competition. What is zorbing?

• Underwater hockey

• Being pulled by a team of dogs while on skis

• Rolling down a hill in a large ball

• Elephant polo

Answer explanation

Zorbing originated in New Zealand. Sounds fun!

You switch to American Court TV. There is a trial being broadcast live. The judge indicates it is time to start the 'voir dire' portion of the trial. What is his honor referring to?

• Final instructions to the jury prior to deliberation

• Jury selection

• The lawyers final arguments to the jury

• The calling of witnesses

Answer explanation

'Voir dire' comes from the French meaning to speak the truth. Many lawyers consider jury selection as the most important phase of the trial and hire jury experts to aid them in their selections.

The Discovery Channel has an interesting show on about earthquakes. You learn that the world's deadliest earthquake occured here.

• India

• China

• United States

• Peru

Answer explanation

Over 800,000 people perished in this disaster which occured in 1556 in Shaanxi, China.

You check out the Sci-Fi channel, where there is a panel discussion about great Science Fiction writers. One of the panelists thinks Isaac Asimov is the best Science Fiction writer of all time. Which work did Asimov not write?

• Fantastic Robic

• I, Robot

• 2001: A Space Odyssey

• The Foundation Trilogy

Answer explanation

Asimov taught Biochemestry for many years and wrote on the side. A very prolific author, Asimov wrote more than 400 works on a variety of subjects. "2001: A Space Odyssey" was written by Arthur C. Clarke.