Final Jeopardy: Ancient Greeks (8-30-21)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/17/2021) in the category “Ancient Greeks” was:

Plutarch quotes this man who sentenced many to death: “Small ones deserve that, and I have no higher for the greater crimes”

It’s the first quarterfinal match of the 2021 Tournament of Champions with guest host Buzzy Cohen! Today’s players are: 19x champ Jason Zuffranieri, a math teacher from Albuquerque, NM; 4x champ Ryan Bilger, a grad student from Macungie, PA; and 4x champ Sarah Jett Rayburn, a writer & stay-at-home mom from Hutto, TX

Round 1 Categories: Actually, Mondays Are Pretty Cool – Stock Symbols – A Place in the Bible – Quotable Films of the ’80s & ’90s – American History – Fowl Language

Ryan found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “American History” under the $600 clue on the 15th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $3,800, $400 more than Jason in second place. He made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.

The 1859 discovery of this near Titusville set off a boom in Pennsylvania show

WHAT IS OIL?

Ryan finished in the lead with $9,200. Sarah was second with $5,000 and Jason was last with $4,200. No clues went uncovered.

Round 2 Categories: Classical Music – Time Magazine Person of the Year – TV on PBS – World Geography – Essays – I Get So Emotional!

Ryan found the first Daily Double in “Time Magazine Person of the Year” under the $800 clue on the 7th pick. He was in the lead with $16,000 now, $10,600 more than Jason in second place. He bet $6,000 and he was RIGHT.

2015: This national leader instrumental in dealing with Europe’s refugee and debt crises show

WHO IS ANGELA MERKEL?

Sarah got the last Daily Double in “Essays” under the $1,200 clue, with 8 clues left after it. In third place with $5,800, she had $23,400 less than Ryan’s lead. She bet $4,000 and she was RIGHT.

Nora Ephron wrote that she wanted to be her, “the only lady at the table. The woman who made her living by her wit” show

WHO IS DOROTHY PARKER?

Ryan finished in the lead with a runaway $32,400. Sarah was next with $9,800 and Jason was in third place with $9,400. No clues went uncovered.

TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS DRACO?

From todayifoundout.com: “Nowadays, we may not hear the expression, “Draconian Laws,” very often, but for much of recorded history, this term in various languages has been synonymous with harshness, severity, brutality, and unmitigated terror…. The punishments for minor offenses were ridiculously harsh. For instance, the theft of a piece of fruit or sleeping in a public place were punishable by death! Similarly minor offenses could easily see a person turned from a free citizen to a slave. The Draconian Laws’ harshness and inhumanity, as a result, caused a lot of controversy and resentment within diverse circles of Athenian society.”

Aristotle said the laws were written in human blood and not ink. Plutarch of Athens believed that Draco was insane.

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Jason got it right. He bet it all and finished with $18,800.

Sarah went with Crito. That cost her $9,800 and left her with nothing.

Ryan got it, too. He bet $5 and won the game with $32,405. Ryan Bilger is the first 2021 ToC semifinalist. Tune in tomorrow to watch Karen Farrell, Nibir Sarma, and Steve Moulds vie for the second semifinal spot!

A triple stumper from each round:

ESSAYS ($1600) An essay that she wrote about marine life called “World of Waters” was published in 1937 as “Undersea”

($2000) In 1972 John McPhee contrasted the game of Monopoly with a deteriorating Atlantic City in his essay “The Search for” this property

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “Americana”

John & Priscilla Alden lie in the USA’s oldest maintained cemetery, which like a poem about the couple, is named for this person show

WHO IS MYLES STANDISH?

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