geography
Answers are hidden until you reveal them.
What is the difference between an ocean and a sea?
Our guess
A sea is smaller and partially enclosed by land, while oceans are contiguous.
A sea is smaller and partially enclosed by land, while oceans are contiguous.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Seas are smaller than oceans and usually sit where land and ocean meet, partially enclosed by land; there is no single overarching rule.
Seas are smaller than oceans and usually sit where land and ocean meet, partially enclosed by land; there is no single overarching rule.
Verdict right
How many oceans are there?
Our guess
Five, though only four could be named at first.
Five, though only four could be named at first.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Five: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern.
Five: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern.
Verdict right
Most-Googled question in Indiana: how many states are there?
Our guess
50.
50.
Reveal the answer
The answer
50.
50.
Verdict right
Most-Googled question in Oregon: should I move to Portland?
Our guess
"Hells yes."
"Hells yes."
Reveal the answer
No answer was established.
Verdict unresolved
What is the longest continuous mountain range?
Our guess
Split between the Rockies and the Andes; settled on the Andes.
Split between the Rockies and the Andes; settled on the Andes.
Reveal the answer
The answer
The Andes, about 7,000 km.
The Andes, about 7,000 km.
Verdict right
What is the tallest mountain in the contiguous US, and how much shorter is it than the tallest mountain in Alaska?
Episode 5: Massive and Complex (00:43)
Our guess
Mount Massive or Mount Evans in Colorado at about 14.8k ft, with Denali near 20k ft and a gap of at least 5,000 ft.
Mount Massive or Mount Evans in Colorado at about 14.8k ft, with Denali near 20k ft and a gap of at least 5,000 ft.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Mount Whitney in California at about 14.5k ft. Denali is 20,310 ft, so the gap is roughly 5,500 ft. Mount Massive is third highest outside Alaska, and Hawaii's Mauna Kea (13,803 ft) is lower.
Mount Whitney in California at about 14.5k ft. Denali is 20,310 ft, so the gap is roughly 5,500 ft. Mount Massive is third highest outside Alaska, and Hawaii's Mauna Kea (13,803 ft) is lower.
Verdict partly
What are the Seven Wonders of the Modern World?
Episode 10: Das Peeps (03:16)
Our guess
Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer, Taj Mahal, and a Mayan temple (four).
Great Wall of China, Christ the Redeemer, Taj Mahal, and a Mayan temple (four).
Reveal the answer
The answer
Great Wall of China, Petra, Colosseum, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal and Christ the Redeemer, with the Great Pyramid of Giza as an honorary entry.
Great Wall of China, Petra, Colosseum, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal and Christ the Redeemer, with the Great Pyramid of Giza as an honorary entry.
Verdict partly
What do we know about Sweden: where it is, how big it is, and how many people live there?
Episode 15: Flippin' Jacksons (01:40)
Our guess
Next to Norway, with Stockholm as its capital; guesses ranged from 15 to 80 million people and anywhere from New Jersey to Texas in size.
Next to Norway, with Stockholm as its capital; guesses ranged from 15 to 80 million people and anywhere from New Jersey to Texas in size.
Reveal the answer
The answer
About 174,000 square miles (roughly two-thirds the size of Texas) with about 10 million people. It is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with Stockholm as its capital.
About 174,000 square miles (roughly two-thirds the size of Texas) with about 10 million people. It is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with Stockholm as its capital.
Verdict partly
What is the difference between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries?
Episode 15: Flippin' Jacksons (02:45)
Our guess
Not much; basically the same group.
Not much; basically the same group.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Scandinavia is commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden; "Nordic" unambiguously covers those plus Finland and Iceland and their territories.
Scandinavia is commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden; "Nordic" unambiguously covers those plus Finland and Iceland and their territories.
Verdict partly
How do volcanoes work, and are there volcanoes on every continent?
Our guess
A channel from the mantle where pressure builds until an eruption; probably none in Antarctica; "dormant" is basically extinct.
A channel from the mantle where pressure builds until an eruption; probably none in Antarctica; "dormant" is basically extinct.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Volcanoes are active, dormant or extinct depending on recent activity. There are volcanoes on every continent, including 91 newly discovered ones beneath Antarctic ice. About 1,900 are considered active, and Mauna Loa is the largest. The word comes from the Roman god Vulcan.
Volcanoes are active, dormant or extinct depending on recent activity. There are volcanoes on every continent, including 91 newly discovered ones beneath Antarctic ice. About 1,900 are considered active, and Mauna Loa is the largest. The word comes from the Roman god Vulcan.
Verdict partly
How many time zones does Russia have?
Our guess
About 10 or 11, spanning from Europe in the west to near Alaska in the east.
About 10 or 11, spanning from Europe in the west to near Alaska in the east.
Reveal the answer
The answer
Eleven time zones, from Kaliningrad in the west to Kamchatka in the far east.
Eleven time zones, from Kaliningrad in the west to Kamchatka in the far east.
Verdict right
What is the difference between a jungle and a forest?
Our guess
The kinds of trees or the amount of rain, with "jungle" a pejorative term Europeans applied to tropical forests.
The kinds of trees or the amount of rain, with "jungle" a pejorative term Europeans applied to tropical forests.
Reveal the answer
The answer
"Jungle" is not a scientific term: it comes from Hindi (from Sanskrit "jangala", dry or uncultivated land), recorded in English in 1776, and was a colloquial term for tropical forests with very dense tangled undergrowth. Scientists call them tropical forests or rainforests.
"Jungle" is not a scientific term: it comes from Hindi (from Sanskrit "jangala", dry or uncultivated land), recorded in English in 1776, and was a colloquial term for tropical forests with very dense tangled undergrowth. Scientists call them tropical forests or rainforests.
Verdict partly
Where does 'beyond the pale' come from?
Episode 209: So Much Milk (00:38)
Our guess
Beyond pale in sickness or death, or a milk pail; Shakespeare-era
Beyond pale in sickness or death, or a milk pail; Shakespeare-era
Reveal the answer
The answer
A 'pale' is a stake or fence (Latin palus); it referred to the English-controlled area around Dublin, with the Irish beyond it. Figurative use goes back to the 1300s-1400s, and Shakespeare used it.
A 'pale' is a stake or fence (Latin palus); it referred to the English-controlled area around Dublin, with the Irish beyond it. Figurative use goes back to the 1300s-1400s, and Shakespeare used it.
Verdict wrong