Final Jeopardy: English Literature (10-23-17)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (10/23/2017) in the category “English Literature” was:

Much of this novel takes place on the Island of Despair, off the coast of South America, from 1659 to 1686.

New champ Kathleen Kosman won $20,400 on Friday. She’s back for her second game against these challengers: Nan Bauer, from Brooklyn, MI; and Marcus Leung, from San Francisco, CA.

Round 1 Categories: History, With Sound Effects – Food Talk – State of the Union Headquarters – Play the Joker – 20th Century Novels – Ends in “EE”

Kathleen found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “State of the Union HQs” under the $600 clue, with 9 clues to go after it. She was in third place with $1,200, $1,600 less Nan’s lead. She made it a true Daily Double and she was RIGHT.

The Industrial Workers of the World: this state, nor far from the Haymarket Memorial. show

WHAT IS ILLINOIS?

Marcus finished in the lead with $5,200. Nan was second with $4,600 and Kathleen was last with $3,800.

Round 2 Categories: Salt Bay – Vocabulary – Philosophy in a Nutshell – An “L” of a Team – Birds of a Feather – Remember the…

Nan found the first Daily Double in “Birds of a Feather” under the $1,600 clue on the 17th pick. She was in second place with $8,600 at this point, $2,200 less than Marcus in the lead. She bet $5,000 and took a guess with rhea. That was WRONG.

Of the ratites, flightless land birds, this down under denizen is the smallest. show

WHAT IS A KIWI?

Nan found the last Daily Double in “Salt Bay” under the $1,600 clue, with 4 clues left after it. In second place with $11,200, she now had $400 less than Marcus’s lead. She bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.

The term “bay salt”, evaporated seawater, is from the Bay of Bourgneuf in this west-central France river valley. show

WHAT IS THE LOIRE?

Marcus finished in the lead with $13,600. Nan was next with $11,200 and Kathleen was in third place with $6,600.

TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS “ROBINSON CRUSOE”?

The island-naming entry in Robinson Crusoe’s diary begins Chapter 5 of Daniel Defoe’s famous 1719 novel: “SEPTEMBER 30, 1659. – I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked during a dreadful storm in the offing, came on shore on this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called “The Island of Despair”; all the rest of the ship’s company being drowned, and myself almost dead.”

Good to know: Despite many online articles citing Scottish buccaneer Alexander Selkirk as the novel’s inspiration, “Debunking the Myth of the ‘Real’ Robinson Crusoe,” in (National Geographic) strongly refutes that contention. English scholar and Defoe biographer, Paula Backscheider says “Selkirk is definitely not accepted as the major source, or even one of the top five.” So don’t bring Selkirk up as the inspiration for Crusoe to scholars or they will giggle at you.

Kathleen got it right. She bet $6,000 and finished with $12,600.

Nan got it right, too. Her $3,801 bet brought her up to $15,001.

Marcus came up with “the Island of Dr. Moreau.” He lost his $4,400 bet and was left with $9,200. That made Nan Bauer the new Jeopardy champ.

A triple stumper from each round:

ENDS IN “EE” ($1000) Tecumseh was a member of this Native American tribe of the Ohio Valley

PHILOSOPHY IN A NUTSHELL ($2000) In 1887 this German published “The Genealogy of Morals”

2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “Pop Music History”

Appropriately, this 1984 blockbuster was the first music CD mass-produced in the United States. show

WHAT IS “BORN IN THE USA”?

We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made from Amazon.com links at no cost to our visitors. Learn more: Affiliate Disclosure.