Final Jeopardy: American Authors (7-5-18)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (7/5/2018) in the category “American Authors” was:

Her 1896 N.Y. Times obituary called her “the writer of probably the most widely read work of fiction ever penned”

3x champ Suzanne Koppelman, a museum education manager, now has $63,601 to her credit. In Game 4, her opponents are: Marilyn Maher, an administrative assistant from Ohio; and Steve Spriensma, a writer from Canada.

Round 1 Categories: May the Horse Be With You – Recent Stuff – Movie Sequel Subtitles – “L”akes – Books & Authors – High-Scoring Scrabble Words

Suzanne found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Books & Authors” under the $1,000 clue on the 15th pick of the round. She was in a second place tie with Steve. They both had $800 less than Marilyn’s lead. She bet $1,000 and came up with Jean Valjean. That was WRONG.

His crime: joining the Petrashevsky Circle; his punishment: many months in prison in 1849, ending with a mock execution. show

WHO IS FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY?

Marilyn finished in the lead with $2,800. Steve was second with $2,400 and Suzanne was last with $2,200.

Round 2 Categories: Rick & Morty – Show Me What You Got – Keep Summer Safe – My “Man”! – You Pass Butter – & That’s the Way the News Goes

Suzanne found the first Daily Double in “You Pass Butter” under the $2,000 clue, with 3 clues to go, including the other Daily Double. She was in the lead with $10,200 now, $600 more than Steve in second place. She bet $2,000 and had no guess so she was WRONG.

Sanskrit for “to sprinkle” gives us this word for clarified butter. show

WHAT IS GHEE?

2 clues later, Suzanne landed on the last Daily Double in “The Way the News Goes” under the $1,600 clue. Only the $400 clue in the same category was left after it. In second place with $8,200, she had $1,400 less than Steve’s lead. She bet $1,000 and had no idea so she was WRONG.

This Hungarian-born physicist later regretted the sexism in his telegram “it’s a boy” when an H-bomb test worked. show

WHO IS EDWARD TELLER?

Steve finished in the lead with $9,600. Marilyn was next with $8,000 and Suzanne was in third place with $7,200.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS HARRIET BEECHER STOWE?

The words in the clue are at the end of the first paragraph under the subheading “How the Story of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ Came to be Written” in the New York Times’ lengthy obituary published on 7/2/1896, the day after Harriet Beecher passed away at the age of 85 at her home in Hartford, Connecticut.

“So you’re the little lady who started this big war,” is a quote mainly attributed to Abraham Lincoln, even handed down in Stowe’s family, although some think it’s a myth. Alex Trebek might have thought it was Mark Twain because Twain and Stowe were neighbors for a time in Hartford.

Suzanne had no response. She didn’t bet anything so she stayed at $7,200.

Marilyn got it right. She bet $6,401, bringing her up to $14,401.

Steve thought it was Agatha Christie, who was 5 years old at the time. He lost $6,401 so he landed in third place with $3,199. That means Marilyn Maher is the new Jeopardy! champ.

A triple stumper from each round:

MOVIE SEQUEL SUBTITLES ($800) This “2: Electric Boogaloo”

RICK & MORTY ($2000) Part of the Purpose Driven Life of this evangelical pastor was founding the Saddleback megachurch

2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “British Literary Characters”

In an 1887 novel this narrator’s old wartime injury is in his shoulder; in an 1890 novel by the same author, it’s in his leg. show

WHO IS DR. WATSON?

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