Final Jeopardy: Nations of the World (5-1-20)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/1/2020) in the category “Nations of the World” was:

On the English-language list of member states at UN.org, it’s the only nation with a Spanish-language article in its name

New champ Jesse Laymon, a public policy director from Long Island City, NY, won $13,000 yesterday. In Game 2, he is up against: Ashleigh McCord, a marine resource mgmt. specialist from Beverly, MA; and Quemars Ahmed, a field organizer from La Flintridge, CA.

Round 1 Categories: Sports Mascots – States by Borders – Politician Authors – May Day! May Day! – Complete the Brit Phrase – Let Them Eat Cake

Jesse found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “States by Borders” under the $800 clue on the 6th pick of the round. He had $1,800. Everyone else had zero. He made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.

Connecticut, Massachusetts. show

WHAT IS RHODE ISLAND?

Jesse finished in the lead with $9,400. Ashleigh was second with $3,400 and Quemars was last, at negative $200.

Round 2 Categories: Historic Happenings – European Museums – Names in Pop Culture – Copley Medal Winners – Books of the Dead – After Life

Quemars found the first Daily Double in “Historic Happenings” under the $2,000 clue on the very first pick. The score were the same as above. He bet the $2,000 allowance and he was RIGHT.

Accommodations were poor at this Crimean conference that shaped postwar Europe: bad beds, lice, & Stalin had no private bathroom. show

WHAT IS YALTA?

Jesse got the last Daily Double in “Museums” under the $1,600 clue. In second place with $12,200, he had $3,200 less than Jesse’s lead. He bet $3,200 and he was RIGHT.

A U.K. museum dedicated to this author has a ball made of chocolate bar foil wrappers. show

WHO IS ROALD DAHL?

Jesse finished in the lead with $15,400. Quemars was next with $15,000 and Ashleigh was in third place with $10,600.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS EL SALVADOR?

There are 8 articles in Spanish: el, la, los, las (definite); and un, una, unos, unas (indefinite). (I never got further than “el”, probably because I like to play “el toro” with the kids.) On the United Nations site, you can see the English list of member countries, and, by using the translation menu, you can also see it in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, French and Spanish. El Salvador is the only one with a Spanish article in its name (not within).

Note that on those lists, “Côte d’Ivoire” will be listed as such in both English and Spanish, although it is commonly called “Ivory Coast” in English and “Costa de Marfil” in Spanish. That is because, in 1985, the country’s government officially requested that it be listed as Côte d’Ivoire in every language. (I don’t know what happens with different alphabets and, of course, the name is French to begin with.)

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Ashleigh went with Cote d’Ivoire. She lost her $1,800 bet and finished with $8,800.

Quemars came up with Belize. He bet and lost it all.

Jesse got it right. He bet $15,000 and won the game with $30,400. His 2-day total is $43,400.

A triple stumper from each round:

SPORTS MASCOTS ($600) This Padres mascot was the first mascot featured on a baseball card

BOOKS OF THE DEAD ($1200) Samuel Butler’s “The Way of All” this was published in 1903, the year after his death

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: ALL of the players got this FJ in “Literary Helpers”

Passepartout, whose name means “go everywhere”, is the fittingly named aide in an 1873 tale by this author show

WHO IS JULES VERNE?

Click here to leave well wishes and prayers for Alex Trebek for continuing success in his battle against cancer. There’s also a link to where you can make a donation to pancreatic cancer research in his honor.