Podcast Script

Welcome back to the LL Study Guide podcast, your quick, friendly walkthrough of each LearnedLeague match day.

I’m here to help you turn today’s questions into long-term knowledge, so even if the match itself didn’t go quite how you wanted, you still come away a stronger player. We’ll go through all six questions from this day, talk about the right answers, and pull out some patterns you can reuse on future quizzes.

If you want the full set of notes, with names, dates, links, and deeper dives, just check the study notes on our website at llstudyguide.com. Think of this audio as the commute-sized version, and the website as your full textbook.

Let’s jump into Question 1.

Question 1 asked: A heist that took all of seven minutes and made international news on October 19, 2025 occurred at what historic site?

The answer is: the Louvre.

So this was a very current-events-heavy question. The key here is that mix of phrases: “seven-minute heist,” “made international news,” “October 19, 2025,” and “historic site.” Put all that together and you’re talking about a world-famous museum or landmark, not some small local gallery.

When you hear “sensational art theft” in a global news context, there are just a few usual suspects: the Louvre in Paris, maybe the British Museum in London, the Prado in Madrid, or the Uffizi in Florence. The Louvre is probably the number one mental image: Mona Lisa, the glass pyramid, massive crowds.

The important trivia pattern here is: old institution plus recent headline. The question even calls it a “historic site,” not just a museum. That wording can be your cue that the place itself is iconic, not just the artwork.

If you want to reinforce this, check the study notes on our website for a quick overview of the Louvre’s history and its famous artworks, and also a bit on high-profile art heists. You don’t need every detail, but you do want to have a short list of “A-list museums” in your head.

Adjacent topics you might want to explore in the notes: big European museums and their star pieces, like the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Prado; famous art thefts in general; and how current events questions often attach themselves to very well-known old institutions.

Alright, from French masterpieces to Tex-Mex chain restaurants, let’s move to Question 2.

Question 2 asked: An artistic rendering of a fruit from the Capsicum annuum plant makes up most of the logo for what casual-dining restaurant chain, founded in Texas in 1975?

The answer is: Chili’s, also known as Chili’s Grill and Bar.

This one hinges on spotting the science term. Capsicum annuum is the species that includes a lot of familiar peppers, like many chili peppers and bell peppers. If you can translate the Latin into “oh, that’s a chili pepper,” then the rest is basically logo trivia.

Once you’re thinking chili pepper, you just ask: what big U.S. chain has a giant pepper as its logo? That’s Chili’s. The extra clue, “founded in Texas in 1975,” helps you separate it from newer fast-casual places like Chipotle or Qdoba, which have different histories and branding.

This is a great example of how Latin species names show up in food and drink questions. If you can learn a small set of them, you’ll see them over and over: Solanum tuberosum for potato, Theobroma cacao for cocoa, Vitis vinifera for grapes, things like that.

In the study notes on our website, you’ll find a short primer on Capsicum annuum, plus some background on the Chili’s chain itself, how it started in Texas, and how the logo has evolved. That can help lock the association in your head: Capsicum annuum, chili pepper, Chili’s.

Adjacent things worth looking at in the notes: other common Latin plant names that map to everyday foods, big American casual-dining chains and their logos or mascots, and the difference between casual dining and fast casual, since that wording sometimes shows up in questions.

Let’s shift gears from spicy peppers to ancient Rome with Question 3.

Question 3 asked: Robert Graves’s 1934 historical novel explores the drama of political scheming and the workings of imperial power in 1st-century Rome during the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula, as told by whom?

The answer is: Claudius.

This is about the novel “I, Claudius.” The trick is that the title basically hands you the answer: it’s “I, Claudius” because the story is told by Claudius himself, as a sort of fictional autobiography. He narrates the rise and fall of people around him, from Augustus through Tiberius and Caligula, right up to the moment before his own reign.

In quiz settings, Robert Graves plus first-century Rome plus those emperors is a very strong combination that should light up “I, Claudius” in your brain. And when a question adds that phrase “as told by whom,” it’s waving a flag for the narrator, especially in cases where the narrator is an insider or an unreliable voice.

Claudius is a perfect choice as a narrator in this story: in the novels he’s stuttering, underestimated, sitting at the edge of power, watching everyone on center stage. That makes him a great pair of eyes for the reader.

In the study notes on the website, you can skim a quick plot overview of “I, Claudius,” a little on the real emperor Claudius, and also a pointer to the classic BBC adaptation from the 1970s. Even reading or watching a summary will help you recognize the name and setting next time it appears.

Some adjacent topics to reinforce: the Julio-Claudian line of Roman emperors, especially Augustus through Nero; other 20th-century historical novels that often show up in trivia; and the general trope of the insider narrator in literature.

Now we’ll leave ancient Rome behind and step into early 90s PC gaming with Question 4.

Question 4 asked: For many years in the early days of the genre, first-person shooter video games were often categorized as “clones” of what pioneering and influential game that debuted in 1993?

The answer is: Doom.

If you were gaming or reading game magazines in the 1990s, the phrase “Doom clone” was everywhere. Before “first-person shooter” really became the standard term, games that looked and played similarly to Doom were just called Doom clones, even if they had different settings or mechanics.

There are two big anchor titles for the early first-person shooter genre: Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, and Doom in 1993, both by id Software. For this question, the year 1993 is a big tipoff. Doom is the one that really blew up, both technically and culturally. It was so influential that everything that came right after it was measured against it.

So the pattern here is: early FPS history, year 1993, influential and widely copied game, equals Doom.

If you want more context, check the study notes on our website for a short history of Doom, why it mattered, and how the term “Doom clone” gradually shifted to “first-person shooter.” There are also suggestions for books and documentaries if you want to listen or watch more about the early days of id Software.

Adjacent things worth learning: the basic timeline of landmark shooters, like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, Half-Life, and GoldenEye 007; the idea of a genre being named after a dominant title, like “Metroidvania” games; and some of the technical innovations that made Doom feel so new at the time.

Next up, we move back into American history with Question 5.

Question 5 asked: W. T. Sherman, who would become Commanding General of the U.S. Army, was born in 1820, just over six years after the death of what Shawnee leader at the Battle of the Thames in present-day southwestern Ontario during the War of 1812?

The answer is: Tecumseh.

This question gives you a lot of hooks. “Shawnee leader” and “Battle of the Thames” during the War of 1812 are the big ones. Tecumseh is one of the best-known Indigenous leaders tied to that war. He built a confederacy of Native nations and allied with the British; his death at the Battle of the Thames in 1813 was a major turning point.

The question is also making a neat mnemonic link. William Tecumseh Sherman’s middle name comes from Tecumseh. Once you know that, it’s easier to recall both: Sherman the Civil War general, and Tecumseh the Shawnee leader.

Chronology-wise, it also lines up. War of 1812, Battle of the Thames in 1813, Tecumseh dies, then Sherman is born in 1820, about six or seven years later.

In U.S. history trivia, it really helps to connect specific Native leaders to specific conflicts or battles. Tecumseh with the War of 1812 and the Northwest region; Sitting Bull with the Battle of the Little Bighorn; Crazy Horse with Lakota resistance; and so on.

If you look at the study notes on the website, you’ll find a concise overview of Tecumseh’s life, his political vision, and the Battle of the Thames, plus some reading suggestions from both U.S. and Canadian perspectives. That context can make the name Tecumseh more than just a flashcard.

Adjacent topics worth learning: key battles of the War of 1812; other Indigenous leaders often asked about in quizzes; and some basic details about William Tecumseh Sherman himself, since his name is now a mental bridge to this earlier history.

Finally, let’s move from battlefields to drum practice with Question 6.

Question 6 asked: The sticking pattern RLRR LRLL is the basic form of what drumming rudiment, commonly taught to beginners?

The answer is: the single paradiddle.

If you’ve ever taken a drum lesson or played percussion in a school band, this one might live more in your hands than in your head. R L R R, L R L L. That pattern is the classic single paradiddle.

In drumming, “rudiments” are standard sticking patterns you practice over and over until they’re automatic. The paradiddle is one of the core ones. Its whole personality is that mix of alternating and double strokes: right, left, right-right, left, right, left-left.

There are other variations, like the double paradiddle and the paradiddle-diddle, but if a question just gives you the plain RLRR LRLL and says it’s a basic rudiment, they’re after the single paradiddle.

For quiz purposes, the key is to link the word “paradiddle” to that sound and feel, and also to the concept of a rudiment. That way, if you ever see “drum rudiment” or “basic sticking pattern” again, paradiddle is one of the first words that pops into your head.

The study notes on our website point you to simple explanations and demonstrations so you can actually hear and see a paradiddle, which really helps it stick. Even a 30-second clip will anchor that term for you.

Adjacent topics you might want to check: the idea of the 40 essential drum rudiments; the difference between single strokes, double strokes, and paradiddles; and how these building blocks show up in marching band and drum set playing.

Alright, that’s all six questions for this match day.

To recap the answers quickly: The seven-minute 2025 art heist was at the Louvre. The Capsicum annuum logo fruit pointed to Chili’s. Robert Graves’s novel was told by Claudius. Those early “clones” were copying Doom. The Shawnee leader at the Battle of the Thames was Tecumseh. And the RLRR LRLL rudiment is the single paradiddle.

As you review, it’s worth noticing the patterns that tied these together: iconic institutions in the news, Latin species names hiding everyday foods, narrator questions in literature, genre-defining early video games, leaders linked to specific battles, and basic terms from music class.

If you want to go deeper, with links, timelines, and extra examples, head over to llstudyguide.com and check out the full study notes for this match day. You’ll find everything we talked about here and more, organized so you can come back and revisit before future seasons.

Thanks for listening, and for putting in the effort to actually learn from each day’s questions. Come back next time, and we’ll walk through the next match day together. Until then, good luck in your matches, and happy studying.