Final Jeopardy: Literature (5-24-24)
Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/24/2024) in the category “Literature” was:
Preserved in a single manuscript called Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, this epic begins with the word “Hwaet”, often translated as listen
2x champ Amar Kakirde, a grad student from Lake Hiawatha, NJ, has now won $24,599. In Game 3, his competitors are: Has Karbalai, a public health advisor from Calgary, Alberta; and Anna Marie Cunningham, a market research account manager from Sellersville, PA.
Round 1 Categories: Literary Similes – Crossword Clues “2” – I’ll Just Need to Verify Your Identity – Date of Birth – Mother’s Maiden Name – Your First Concert
Amar found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Mother’s Maiden Name” under the $600 clue on the 10th pick of the round. He was in second place with $1,000, $2,400 less than Has’ lead. Amar bet $500 and, after looking at a photo of Richard Nixon and his mom, Amar said Nixon. That was WRONG.
Maiden name of the political mom seen here show
Has finished in the lead with $4,000. Amar was second with $3,700 and Anna Marie was last with $1,400. All clues were shown. After the break, Amar gained $800 on a reversal (see below), putting him in the lead.
Round 2 Categories: Up in the Air – Indigenous Actors & Actresses – American History – Geographic Anagrams of Each Other – The British Parliament – Rambling Words
Has found the first Daily Double in “Geographic Anagrams of Each Other” under the $800 clue on the 2nd pick of the round. He was in second place with $4,500, $100 less than Amar’s lead. Has made it a true Daily Double and couldn’t get one answer out, let alone two, so he was WRONG.
A South American capital city founded by Pizarro & a largely desert country of Western Africa show
Has found the last Daily Double in “The British Parliament” under the $2,000 clue on the 6th pick of the round. He was in last place with $1,600, $6,100 less than Amar’s lead. Has bet $2,000 and he was RIGHT.
The Houses of Parliament are located in this London borough show
Amar finished in the lead with a runaway $15,300. Has was second with $6,800 and Anna Marie was last with $1,400. All clues were shown.
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS BEOWULF?
I wanted to translate the Final Jeopardy! solution to Old English and I was sure surprised when “hwaet” was translated as “what”. The translation I got from OpenL’s Old English translator is: “Hwæt is Bēowulf?” Some sites say that “hwaet” also means “who”, but that translates as “Hwā is Bēowulf?”
According to “What is Hwaet”, an article on medievalists.net, “Beowulf” translators have long disagreed on a precise meaning of the word “what” in translations of “Beowulf”. Without translating the first word, Beowulf begins: “Hwæt we have heard about the glory of the Spear-Danes’ great kings in days gone by….”
Translations of hwaet referred to in the article range from “Listen” as stated in today’s clue to (can you believe it?) “Bro”!
Anna Marie had no response to the clue. She bet and lost her whole $1,400.
Has got it right. He bet $3,999 and finished with $10,799.
Amar also got it right. He bet $1,500 and won the game with $16,800. Amar’s 3x-day total is $41,399.
Reversal: DATE OF BIRTH ($400) Jan. 3, 2009, with the mining of the Genesis Block – Ken was looking for “bitcoin” and nixed Amar’s “blockchain” response. The judges gave Amar a thumbs up.
2 triple stumpers from the last round:
INDIGENOUS ACTORS & ACTRESSES ($1600) Cesar Chavez & this woman were instrumental in creating the United Farm Workers of America labor union
AMERICAN HISTORY ($1200) After an 1877 surrender, he made repeated pleas to the U.S. government for the return of the Nez Perce to their ancestral home
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “ON THE MAP”
It’s referred to as “the Blue Eye of Siberia” show
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I should have gotten FJ fairly quickly since I still have the old Beowulf video game which I had played from time to time. Now, regarding the original manuscript of ‘Beowulf’ printed in OE, the first word of the epic poem could translate into just about anything as it wasn’t well defined at all. Anyways, I believe that scholars from whatever age still had a great deal of trouble in deciphering even Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ which was written in ME no less. Accordingly, any translation of the ‘Beowulf’ epic poem must have resembled something like the Manhattan Project to be sure.
FJ stumped me too. My friends who went to a different HS had to read it, though.
Last 2 DDs were not overly challenging. The Nez Perce chief is well-known in my neck o’ the woods. All 3 whiffed on VH’s lead singer, shame, shame. Same with the Vermont band and the tennis shot. The bird/ship, indigenous actor from “Cuckoo’s Nest” and long-winded word also not difficult. “Auto trips” practically gave away the compound word for talker. The $1200 and $1600 geographic anagrams were cinches. I doubt I’ve ever known as many as 10 stumpers!
Again, agree with all. I really think that Amal is a “cooler”. Some players (some of whom become champs) lead to lower scoring and/or error filled games.
The Africa anagram, though – it’s been over a year ago, but, I said it’s the Jeopardy standby when you need a 4 letter country!
I got FJ. I don’t know why, as, I’ve never read it.
Jason, I agree with you about Amar. He’s one to watch imo. I got fj also. Had learned about Beowulf way back in the day in high school. It’s very unique indeed and hard to forget once you learn it imo.
Chad has just banned you from any future visits. 🙂
Don’t EVEN mention his buddy Togo!
Anna Marie had not rung in throughout Double Jeopardy! and that’s a shame.
How so? She had at least 10 chances where the guys weren’t in her way
Well she did. But didn’t know all the answers throughout Double Jeopardy!.
yeah, uh, maybe they ought to consider easier material or maybe a harder test to get on the show