Quote: stekkos - 2011.06.24. 11:41:36

I would agree if the answer given in the question was an acute toxin, but it isn't (methylmercury would be, but as the question is worded it's just "mercury" which would indicate elementary metallic mercury which while toxic does damage on the same level as iron, although the dose level as easy of ingestion is lower). I can agree that it would be silly if the Quiz would turn into a legal document, but there is a line between questions that are of the "legal document type" and questions that are "correct enough". Remember that in principle people learn things from this quiz and it is nice if we don't teach people "wrong".

Very specifically in this problem is the definition of poisonous.
"The term poison with regards to biology and chemistry is often misused due to lack of a universal definition. Biologically speaking, any substance if given in large enough amounts is poisonous and can cause death."
"Paracelsus, the father of toxicology, once wrote: "Everything is poison, there is poison in everything. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison." The term "poison" is often used colloquially to describe any harmful substance, particularly corrosive substances, carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens and harmful pollutants, and to exaggerate the dangers of chemicals."
"In the medical sense, poisoning can be caused by less dangerous substances than those receiving the legal classification of "poison"."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison)

I could go on an argue about the difference between a toxin and a poison, but I think we both think that is unnecessary. I don't see what would be wrong in changing the question to what i proposed.

Quote: stekkos - 2011.06.24. 05:53:17

It's not a rule, it's how the English language is used. If someone asks who said "I had a dream", every English speaker on the planet (with the possible exception of the 4 evaluators) would accept Martin Luther King, Jr. as the answer, even though his words were "I have a dream". In this specific context, that means that a mangled version of Santayana's quote would still be attributed to Santayana. Which means that the question had 2 correct answers. Yes, if you were aware of both quotes and their origins, you would know that Churchill was "more correct", but that clearly falls under the specific group category.

I have made a solid case for why the question should be changed. Now the burden is on you. Why is it better not to change it?

Jon, i have no reason not to change it. I am waiting for more people, especially evaluators to comment since i cannot decide by my self.

Sbart, any amount of mercury, in any form is poison to us. Regardless of the effects it is still poisoning us, we just need a specific amount to feel it, or to be damaged by it. Iron and water are ESSENTIAL to our survival, but can cause problems at large doses. Still they are not considered poisonus or toxic to humans just because they can cause harm if misused. Mercury causes harm without any condition, amount or type only makes the harm more severe.

Quote: stekkos - 2011.06.24. 17:55:18

Funny, because last time I checked mercury compounds were still used in medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalgam_%28dentistry%29). Although in decline, these compounds (amalgams) are poisonous to us in the same way that for example iron is.
I understand that if you haven´t studied pharmacy the concept that everything and nothing is poisonous is a bit strange, but I am not arguing that the question should be removed or even wrong. Just slightly modified.

Quote: stekkos - 2011.06.22. 17:11:09

Didn't take. I just got: "Although they sometimes scroll by quickly, what is the display of moving text on the bottom of a TV screen or the end of a movie called?"

Oops! Guess forgot to save

Should be ok now

Sbart, if i accept to modify this question to what you suggest, i open up a whole lot of other questions for players to complain about. "The sun goes from east to west. Wrong it is the earth moving!" " Which US state has.... Wrong, it was not a state when that happened!" "Which play has the quote... Wrong, it was originally named something else, then got changed before opening"

Your sugestion is not bad. It is uneccesary. Forgetting all other issues, this question has 92% correct answers. Everyone knows what it means, and it is not a wrong question. At a certain level it might be inaccurate, but on the general sense of what is and what is not a poison it is very much correct. That is the point of the quiz, a question has to be correct according to the quiz rules and the general everyday meaning of what it asks.

Which is NOT a manufacturer of cell phones?
Dell <----
Motorola
Nokia
Siemens

I think they all manufacture cell phones

What is the only fish that can swim up a waterfall?
Salmon <--
Trout
Tuna
Eel

They are not the ONLY fish

Changed it to: Which of these fish can swim up a waterfall?

Removed Dell and added Honda as the correct answer

my quiz has a breakdown. i can´t answer questions anymore, so i can´t go hunting for more hunt at a time. that´s verx tedious, so please help me

What date was the armistice signed?
November 11, 1972
November 11, 1923
November 11, 1945
November 11, 1918 <- marked as correct

What armistice?
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting.

A lot of armistices have been signed in history, the one marked as the correct answer is the one that ended the fighting of WWI.

What was the last name of the person who invented American baseball?
Mays
Bonds
Doubleday <-- Marked as correct
Jackson

According to this article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball), the "fact" that Doubleday invented Baseball is a myth.
Further reading supporting this claim:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/origin-and-history-of-baseball.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Origin-Of-Baseball&id=5905964

@Stekkos
This is one clear example of where "what everyone knows is right" is actually wrong. By letting questions like this into the quiz, people are affirmed in their belivies, even when they are wrong.
I am not going to argue any more about the posion question, but I still belive that a small change is warranted.

What is the aroma of the alcohol?
bouquet <------ given as correct
sweetness
tannin
body

Strictly speaking the answer is 'nothing' as alcohol has little or no smell. In wine terminology the answer is 'nose' unless it is an aged wine in which case 'bouquet' is correct.

Chlorophyll is found in chloroplasts.
What is used to move a car - petrol or engine?

Quote: FriendlyCheese - 2011.06.25. 19:21:41

Are you joking?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg
Can't find a bird here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_language_families
Only 2 of the languages listed in the question are isolate according to classification. So, "Germanic" and "Greek" are possible answers.
Greek is a part of Hellenic languages (but AFAIK Greek is the only language in this group currently spoken). So Germanic might be an option, but... Germanic is not a language! It is a language family... anf even if we mean German - how it can be isolate?

So, I have two objections. I am not sure I am correct, but would be nice to see others' opinions.
1) Is Germanic used by mistake instead of German presumed? If so, why it is isolated?
2) If trivia is that Germanic is a language family and thus is not language (and further, not an isolate language), do you feel any ambiguity about Greek language as the only representative of Hellenic family?

Or maybe there is more strict list of isolates I failed to find?

What is the Largest city in the United States?
San Diego
Houston
New York <---
Washington D.C

Would be a good idea to say by population, because there are other cities larger using different standards.

Quote: Sbart - 2011.06.25. 12:55:58

This is a different case Sbart, a question referring to popular ideas which are based on wrong facts or myths has to be corrected. It is not the same case as the chemistry one.

As for the specific question, it has been removed as the sources you provided support the fact of it being a myth.