Podcast Script

Welcome back to the LL Study Guide daily review. I’m glad you’re here.

Today we’re walking through Match Day 17 from season 107. We’ve got a really nice mix: Hawaiian language, breaking political news, early‑2000s diet culture, classic TV, camera history, and a very busy Guatemalan movie star.

As always, if you want the full write‑ups, timelines, and links, you can check the study notes on our website at llstudyguide.com. What we’ll do here is hit the key facts, then give you a couple of patterns so you can recognize similar clues next time.

Let’s jump into Question 1.

The question was: “A glottal stop known as ʻokina is one of the eight consonants in the alphabet of what language?”

The answer is: Hawaiian.

So the key thing here is that in Hawaiian, the glottal stop isn’t just punctuation. It’s a full letter of the alphabet, called the ʻokina. If you’ve seen the spellings Hawai‘i or O‘ahu, that little mark that looks like a flipped apostrophe is the ʻokina. It marks a brief break in the sound, like the tiny pause in the middle of the phrase “uh‑oh.”

From a quiz point of view, once you hear “glottal stop” and the specific word ʻokina, you really want your brain to jump straight to Hawaiian. The modern Hawaiian alphabet is tiny: five vowels and eight consonants, and the ʻokina is one of those consonants.

Some adjacent topics to keep in mind:

First, Hawaiian place names and signage. Road signs, official documents, and university material in Hawai‘i increasingly use the ʻokina and the long‑mark called the kahakō. So you’ll see forms like Lāna‘i and Hawai‘i with those diacritics. That’s a good visual hook: if a clue mentions these marks in Pacific place names, think Hawaiian.

Second, U.S. coins and pop culture. There’s a recent American quarter honoring Edith Kanaka‘ole that includes a Hawaiian inscription with proper diacritics. The classic song “Aloha ʻOe” also uses the ʻokina, and it shows up in movie subtitles and soundtracks. Both of those are nice extra paths back to “Hawaiian” if you’re unsure.

If you want practice recognizing the alphabet and the marks, check the study notes on the website—we’ve got some examples of common words and how they’re written.

All right, on to Question 2.

Here’s the question: “Edmundo González claimed victory against Nicolás Maduro and was subsequently recognized by the United States as having received the most votes in the disputed 2024 presidential election in what country?”

The answer is: Venezuela.

This one lives squarely in current events. Edmundo González Urrutia is an opposition candidate and former diplomat. The official electoral council in Venezuela said Nicolás Maduro won the 2024 presidential election, but the opposition’s tallies and a lot of outside observers say González actually received the most votes. The United States and several other governments have publicly recognized González as the real winner, or president‑elect, of Venezuela.

So when you see “Edmundo González versus Nicolás Maduro,” your reflex should be “that’s Venezuela.” Maduro has been the longtime president there, and pretty much every big story about him in the last decade involves disputed elections or protests.

A couple of patterns you can bank for later:

One, look for name pairs. In Latin American politics, quiz writers love pairing a long‑standing leader with a challenger. If you see Maduro plus a Spanish‑sounding opposition name in a recent context, the country is almost surely Venezuela.

Two, international recognition language. Phrases like “recognized by the United States,” “European Parliament resolution,” or “president‑elect in exile” often show up around Venezuela in the news right now. If a clue mixes that language with Maduro or Caracas, lock in Venezuela.

If you haven’t been following the story closely, don’t worry—the study notes on our website walk through the basic timeline and the key players so you can catch up quickly.

Let’s move into Question 3, a little trip back to the early 2000s.

The question was: “A bestselling book that first appeared on the New York Times Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous list in 2003 was written by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, who described a diet he created with nutritionist Marie Almon while they worked at Greater Miami’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. What name did they give this diet (and book), taken from a fashionable neighborhood near Agatston’s practice?”

The answer is: The South Beach Diet.

Arthur Agatston was a cardiologist in Miami Beach. With dietitian Marie Almon, he developed a lower‑glycemic, “good carbs and good fats” diet in the 1990s. It was originally just a clinical plan called something like the Modified Carbohydrate Diet. When it became a commercial book in 2003, they rebranded it as The South Beach Diet, named after the trendy South Beach neighborhood near his practice.

The book exploded on the New York Times advice and how‑to list and became one of those huge early‑2000s diet fads, up there with Atkins.

Quiz‑wise, there are two big hooks here.

First, location. Greater Miami, Mount Sinai Medical Center, fashionable neighborhood—that should cue you to think of South Beach in Miami Beach. Once you’re at “South Beach,” the title “The South Beach Diet” falls into place.

Second, the era of low‑carb crazes. Around 2003 and 2004, the big diet brands in U.S. media were Atkins, South Beach, and a few others. If a clue mentions an M.D. cardiologist, Miami, and a more moderate, “good carb” message—not the ultra‑strict Atkins approach—that cluster usually points to South Beach.

Adjacent things worth remembering:

One is that South Beach itself is a famous district with Art Deco hotels, nightlife, and lots of screen time in shows like Miami Vice and movies like Scarface. Anytime you see “SoBe” or Art Deco Miami in a clue, keep that mental image handy.

Another is that South Beach Diet became a whole brand: follow‑up cookbooks, “Supercharged” editions, later partnerships with packaged diet programs. So book charts, diet ads, even celebrity gossip about Bill Clinton and others trying the plan can all point back to this title.

If you like mapping fads to places—Atkins to New York, South Beach to Miami—that’s exactly the kind of trick we call out in the study notes on the website.

Now let’s jump from diet paperbacks to classic TV earworms with Question 4.

Here’s the question: “In the original version of the theme song for what sitcom, the lyrics referred to five of the show’s main characters by name or role, while lumping the other two (a Ph.D. and a farm girl from Kansas) into ‘and the rest’. It was changed to mention all seven in season two and onward.”

The answer is: Gilligan’s Island.

If that theme song started playing in your head as I read the question, you’re not alone. The original opening of Gilligan’s Island list goes something like: “the Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, and the rest.” Those last three words—“and the rest”—covered the Professor and Mary Ann, who were the Ph.D. and the farm girl from Kansas.

Starting in season two, after some contract and billing issues were sorted out, the lyrics were changed to name “the Professor and Mary Ann” directly, and the opening credits were reshot. But a lot of people grew up seeing one version or the other in reruns, so the change is a fun piece of TV trivia.

How do you get there on a quiz when the theme song isn’t actually playing?

First, focus on the clue structure: seven main characters stranded together, including a professor and a farm girl from Kansas, and a famous theme song that sets up the premise. That’s pretty much unique to Gilligan’s Island. Even if you can’t remember “and the rest,” the combination of “desert island sitcom,” “Professor,” and “Mary Ann from Kansas” should lead you home.

Second, recognize that question writers love this specific piece of trivia. “And the rest” is a very common hook for Gilligan’s Island, just like “three hour tour.” If you ever see a TV question about unnamed characters in a theme song, start by testing Gilligan’s Island in your head.

A couple of adjacent areas worth reviewing:

One is TV theme songs in general. Shows like The Brady Bunch, The Fresh Prince of Bel‑Air, and Cheers all have expository themes, and they’re frequent quiz fodder. Knowing which one matches which premise can save you time.

Another is those very distinct character archetypes: millionaire and wife, movie star, the Professor, the girl‑next‑door type. They show up in a lot of 1960s sitcoms, and they’re a nice way to spot questions pointing at Gilligan’s Island even when the island isn’t mentioned.

We’ve got the lyrics spelled out and some background on the cast changes in the show notes if you want to dig into the details.

Now let’s change gears and talk about cameras with Question 5.

The question was: “A company founded by Ernst Leitz in Germany in 1869 released the first widely available 35mm camera in 1925, helping to popularize street photography and the 35mm format. This revolutionary camera established what prestigious brand name, by which the company itself is now known?”

The answer is: Leica.

Ernst Leitz started an optics firm in Wetzlar, Germany. In the 1920s, engineer Oskar Barnack developed a compact 35mm still camera there. The company debuted it in 1925 at the Leipzig Spring Fair as the Leica I. The name “Leica” is literally a mash‑up of “Leitz” and “camera”: Leitz Camera, Leica.

That camera was the first mass‑produced, commercially successful 35mm still camera. It made small‑format, candid photography practical, and it became the tool of choice for photojournalists and street photographers.

How do you get the brand from the clue?

First, lock onto Ernst Leitz and 35mm. Those two together almost always scream “Leica.” They’re the classic German, high‑end, small camera brand.

Second, notice that the question is describing prestige and street photography. When people talk about Henri Cartier‑Bresson’s “decisive moment,” or Robert Capa’s war images, or iconic press shots like the V‑J Day Times Square kiss and the Che Guevara portrait, Leica is the brand that gets mentioned over and over.

A couple of adjacent patterns to remember:

One is that Leica is shorthand for expensive, beautifully built cameras. So if a modern question mentions a “luxury rangefinder,” a camera that only shoots black and white, or a brand beloved by gear nerds and collectors, Leica is a very strong guess.

Another is the 35mm format itself. Before Leica, 35mm film was mainly for motion pictures. Leica helped standardize it for still photography. So anytime you see “the first 35mm camera,” “compact 35mm,” or “Barnack prototype” in a clue, treat Leica as your default answer until proven otherwise.

We’ve put some sample images, a little timeline, and a couple of famous Leica photos in the study notes if you want some visual hooks to go with the name.

And that brings us to Question 6, over in film.

Here’s the question: “Duke Leto Atreides, Poe Dameron, Dante Alighieri, and Victor Frankenstein are among the characters portrayed on film by what Guatemala-born actor?”

The answer is: Oscar Isaac.

Oscar Isaac—full name Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada—was born in Guatemala City and grew up in the United States. He’s one of those actors who seems to be in every franchise at once.

He plays Poe Dameron, the Resistance pilot, in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He plays Duke Leto Atreides, Paul’s father and head of House Atreides, in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. In the film In the Hand of Dante, he plays Dante Alighieri, and in some descriptions he also takes on a modern role linked to the writer Nick Tosches. And in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, he’s cast as Victor Frankenstein, opposite Jacob Elordi as the Creature.

So you’ve got Star Wars, Dune, a literary art‑film, and a prestige horror remake all pointing to the same person. If you recognized even two of those roles, that might have been enough to land on Oscar Isaac.

How do you make this automatic in the future?

First, pattern‑match the franchises. Poe Dameron is a huge signal. If a question lists Poe plus any other big sci‑fi or comic book role—Duke Leto Atreides, Moon Knight, Apocalypse from X‑Men—that’s almost certainly Oscar Isaac.

Second, note the Guatemala detail. There aren’t that many Guatemala‑born actors in huge American franchises. If you see “Guatemalan‑born,” “Miami‑raised,” and “Star Wars pilot,” you’re basically being handed his name.

A couple of adjacent things that help cement him in your memory:

One, his other notable credits: Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, X‑Men: Apocalypse, the Marvel series Moon Knight, voice work as Gomez Addams in the recent animated Addams Family movies, and even voicing Jesus in the animated film The King of Kings. If a question mentions an actor who’s done both big sci‑fi franchises and small, awards‑y roles for directors like the Coen brothers or Alex Garland, that’s a strong Oscar Isaac profile.

Two, casting news. Even if you haven’t seen these newer films yet, entertainment headlines about Venice Film Festival premieres or first‑look photos for Frankenstein all repeat the phrase “Oscar Isaac stars as Victor Frankenstein.” Just seeing that headline a few times makes these roles stick.

You can find a short filmography list and a simple role‑to‑franchise chart for him in the show notes if you want to drill those connections.

All right, that’s our quick lap through Match Day 17.

Today you saw how one match can jump from indigenous language details to breaking political disputes, from diet fads to old theme songs, and from analog cameras to modern blockbusters. The trick is spotting the hooks: ʻokina to Hawaiian, Maduro to Venezuela, Miami hospital to South Beach, “and the rest” to Gilligan’s Island, 35mm plus Leitz to Leica, and Poe Dameron plus Dune to Oscar Isaac.

If any of these still feel shaky, don’t stress. The study notes on our website at llstudyguide.com break each question down with a little more context, a few memorable images, and some extra cross‑links so you can build multiple paths back to each answer.

Thanks for listening today. Come back for the next match day, and we’ll keep turning tough questions into familiar territory, one quiz at a time.