Earlier this month I attended the Trivia Championships of North America (TCONA) in Las Vegas. The event was produced by my old high school friend Paul Bailey. I had a great time at the event, even though I was the worst contestant at the event. (Listen to me blather on about TCONA in Gweek episode 009.)
I knew I was in trouble when I sat down for the kickoff quiz on Friday night. It was a written test, and the subject was “North American trivia geography.” The 75 or so people who took the quiz were given 50 minutes to answer 100 questions. Each answer was a 2-letter abbreviation for a state, territory, or province in the United States, Mexico, or Canada (eg, CO, NY, YT, NS, TB, DG). We were supplied with a map that showed all the states, territories, and provinces along with their 2 letter abbreviations.
My total score was 24 (out of 100). I was sitting at a table of past Jeopardy contestants so my lousy score was even more humiliating compared to the brainy folks surrounding me. The top scorer got 75. And our own happy mutant, Adam Villani, came in 2nd place with a score of 74. Way to go, Adam!
Paul Bailey kindly gave me permission to post the quiz here on Boing Boing so that you can take the test (remember to set your timer for 50 minutes). The only problem is, I don't have the correct answers (UPDATE: Paul posted them!). I'm hoping that the power of the smart mob (or Adam himself) will come up with an answer set. If you have patience, you can check TCONA's site periodically to see if they have posted the answers. Good luck, and post your score in the comments.
