Mr. Write's Page

The Questions…

1. What is the sport of eukonkanto?

2. Encyclopedia Britannica published its last print edition in 2010. EB is now “Britannica Online,” plus “Britannica Online for Kids,” plus special services for schools and libraries. Back in the day, how much did a 32-volume set of Encyclopedia Britannica weigh?

3. In 1861, the United States government badly needed money for the war effort against the Confederate States. What was the solution?

4. What do the words abhors, accent, access, almost, biopsy, billow, chintz, effort, and ghostly have in common?

5. To what does the medical term diastema refer?

The Answers…

1. Eukonkanto, also known as “wife-carrying,” is a contest originating in Finland in which male competitors try to carry a female teammate through an obstacle course in the fastest time. Fins say the competition was inspired by a gang of thieves in the late 1800s who kidnapped Finnish women from remote villages, carrying the victims away on their backs.

2. 129 pounds.

3. The solution was a tax on personal income. The Revenue Act of 1861 created the position of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the framework for the federal income tax.

4. In those words, the letters are in alphabetical order.

5. Diastema is the condition of having a gap between two teeth, typically the front teeth.