Podcast Script

Welcome back to the LearnedLeague Study Guide podcast, your quick post-match companion to keep those trivia wires firing. I’m here to walk you through Match Day 2 from Season 107.

The idea here is simple: we’ll revisit each of the six questions, talk about the correct answers, and give you just enough extra context so those facts really stick the next time you see them. If you want the full deep dive with links, names, maps, and more, just check the study notes on our website at llstudyguide.com after you listen.

Alright, let’s jump into Question 1.

Question 1 asked: What single word provides the title of a 1992 Toni Morrison novel, an apple cultivar bred from Royal Gala and Braeburn, the name of a major North American sports franchise, and an iconic design for disposable cups?

The answer is: JAZZ.

So there are four different clues here all pointing to the same word.

First, Toni Morrison. In the early 90s she published a novel called Jazz, in 1992. If you’re trying to build a mental list of her works, it’s worth memorizing a handful of titles: Beloved, Song of Solomon, Sula, Jazz, Paradise, Love, A Mercy, Home, and God Help the Child. If a question mentions Morrison plus something musical or improvisational, Jazz should be on your radar.

Second, the apple. Jazz is the name of a trademarked apple cultivar that you’ll see in a lot of supermarkets. It’s a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn, both very common apple varieties. So any trivia mentioning an apple born from Gala and Braeburn is probably talking about Jazz.

Third, the sports franchise. That’s the Utah Jazz in the NBA. Fun extra fact: the team originally started as the New Orleans Jazz before moving to Utah, which is why the musical name doesn’t totally match the modern location.

And finally, that disposable cup design. If you grew up around the 1990s, you might picture that teal and purple zig-zag pattern on paper cups and plates. That iconic design is often called the Jazz design. Some people think of it as the “solo cup” pattern, but Jazz is the key word.

From a trivia pattern point of view, this question is about connecting very different domains with one shared brandable word: literature, food, sports, and design. Whenever you see a multi-part clue like that, especially with “what single word,” your brain should start scanning for a short proper noun that feels at home in all four spaces.

Some adjacent things worth learning: one, get comfortable with Toni Morrison’s bibliography and rough publication dates, because they come up a lot. Two, keep a mental index of NBA team names and their city histories, especially ones that moved, like the Jazz or the Lakers. And three, keep an ear out for questions that tie together consumer products, brand names, and pop culture aesthetics from the 80s and 90s.

If you want more on the Morrison novel, the apple variety, or the story of that cup design, check the study notes on our website for links and background.

Alright, let’s move from lifestyle and literature into some math.

Question 2 asked: What five-letter word refers to a solid figure with two congruent, parallel polygonal faces connected so that the other faces are all parallelograms?

The answer is: PRISM.

This is almost the textbook geometry definition of a prism. The key pieces in that wording are “two congruent, parallel polygonal faces” and “other faces are all parallelograms.” Those two parallel faces are called the bases, and everything connecting them forms the lateral faces.

So if you picture a triangular prism, you’ve got a triangle on the top, the same triangle on the bottom, perfectly parallel, and then rectangles or parallelograms connecting the matching sides. Same for a rectangular prism, or a hexagonal prism. The shape of the base gives the name of the prism.

This is distinct from a pyramid, which only has one polygonal base, and all the other faces are triangles that meet at a single point or apex. So if you see two parallel matching bases, think prism, not pyramid.

The question also tells you the answer has five letters, which should help you eliminate things like “sphere,” “cone,” or “cubes.” A cube is technically a special case of a rectangular prism, but that specific wording about two polygonal faces is really pushing you toward prism as the generic term.

From a broader learning standpoint, it’s helpful to lock in the standard vocabulary for 3-D shapes: prism, pyramid, cylinder, cone, sphere. Those show up not just in math questions but in physics, architecture, even art and design trivia. Also note how prisms show up in volume and surface area problems; “volume of a prism” is a classic phrase.

If you want visual examples or interactive models of different prisms, check the study notes on our website. There are some great geometry resources linked there.

Now let’s go from solid shapes to the invisible world of wind.

Question 3 asked: What is the name of the scientific tool used for measuring wind, coming from the Greek word for “wind”?

The answer is: ANEMOMETER.

Break the word down: “anemo” comes from Greek for wind, and “meter” means a measuring device. You see that “meter” ending all over science tools: thermometer for temperature, barometer for pressure, hygrometer for humidity, speedometer for speed, and so on.

An anemometer is what meteorologists use to measure wind speed. The classic image is that small device with three or four cups on little arms that spin faster as the wind blows harder. There are fancier versions, like vane anemometers or sonic anemometers, but they all serve the same general purpose.

When you’re solving questions like this, recognizing these Greek and Latin roots is a huge advantage. “Anemo” equals wind. “Thermo” equals heat. “Hydro” equals water. Once you learn a small set of these roots, you can often guess an answer even if you’ve never formally studied the device.

A common trap here is mixing up anemometer with barometer. Barometers measure air pressure, not wind speed. If the clue is talking about wind, especially speed, you want anemometer.

Some adjacent learning paths that pay off are: one, building a list of common scientific instruments and what they measure—thermometer, barometer, seismograph, spectrometer, and so on. Two, spending a little time on basic meteorology terms like types of clouds, fronts, and standard weather tools.

If you’d like to reinforce the word “anemometer” with visuals or short explainer videos, the show notes on our site have links to friendly meteorology resources.

Let’s shift gears now and step back into the classical world.

Question 4 asked: The Delian League, a voluntary alliance named for its island base and with upwards of 300 members at its peak, eventually evolved into the beginnings of what empire?

The answer is: the ATHENIAN EMPIRE.

The Delian League was a coalition of Greek city-states formed in the fifth century BCE, originally to continue the fight against Persia after the Persian Wars. It was named for Delos, a sacred island where the league’s treasury was kept at first.

Athens led the league, and over time, that “voluntary alliance” became less and less voluntary. Member states were paying tribute, and Athens was using the league’s navy and resources for its own interests. Eventually, the treasury itself was moved from Delos to Athens. That symbolic move really marks the shift from a mutual defense league into what we call the Athenian Empire.

This empire became a major naval and cultural power in the Greek world, and its dominance is a big factor in the tensions that led to the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and its allies.

So, in trivia terms, whenever you hear “Delian League,” you should immediately think “Athens,” “Athenian navy,” and “precursor to the Athenian Empire.” Its counterpart is the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. Pairing those two in your head—Delian equals Athens, Peloponnesian equals Sparta—will pay off over and over.

Broader topics worth reinforcing here include: one, the outline of the Persian Wars and their aftermath, including the formation of the Delian League. Two, the basics of the Peloponnesian War and the rivalry between Athens and Sparta. And three, the idea of how alliances in history often evolve into empires as one power dominates the others.

If you’d like more detail, the study notes link out to articles on the Delian League, the Athenian Empire, and even primary texts like Thucydides, if you want to go straight to the source.

From ancient naval power, let’s slam headfirst into heavy metal.

Question 5 asked: Iowa is the sophomore studio album, and also the birthplace, of what large heavy metal band, famous for its chaotic live shows and distinctive image, in which members wear matching jumpsuits and individual masks and are identified by number?

The answer is: SLIPKNOT.

Slipknot is a heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, known for their very intense performances and disturbing, theatrical look. The band’s members wear matching jumpsuits and unique masks, and they’re often referred to by numbers instead of just names. Another detail that can help you in future questions: the band is unusually large—nine members—which is what the clue is getting at with the word “large.”

Their second studio album, released in 2001, is titled Iowa, directly referencing their home state. So the clue pointing to a sophomore album called Iowa, combined with the birthplace and the distinctive performance style, all funnel you toward Slipknot.

In a broader trivia pattern, you’ll sometimes see questions that connect an artist very tightly with a location, especially when it’s in the title of an album. Think of Nebraska for Bruce Springsteen, Illinois for Sufjan Stevens, or, here, Iowa for Slipknot.

If you’re not a metal fan, you don’t need to know every album track. What matters for quiz purposes is the combination of: band from Iowa, masks, numbered members, chaotic live shows, album titled Iowa. That cluster basically only fits Slipknot.

Some adjacent learning topics: one, getting familiar with a handful of major metal and hard rock bands by name and signature traits—things like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Slipknot, and so on. Two, recognizing album titles that are just place names, because those are easy hooks for geography-based clues.

You can check the show notes on our website for more on Slipknot’s history and their place in the metal scene if you’d like to shore up your music trivia.

Now, let’s close things out with some geography and a bit of Silk Road history.

Question 6 asked: The ancient Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Tashkent are located in what modern-day nation, which was the center of the empire of Tamerlane (the Timurid Empire)?

The answer is: UZBEKISTAN.

Samarkand and Tashkent are two of the major cities in modern Uzbekistan, in Central Asia. Tashkent is the capital today, and Samarkand was a major hub on the Silk Road—one of the key crossroads of trade, culture, and religion between East and West.

Historically, Samarkand is strongly associated with Tamerlane, also known as Timur. He founded the Timurid Empire in the late 14th century, and Samarkand was his capital and showpiece city, filled with monumental architecture. So if you see Tamerlane plus Samarkand, that points you straight to what’s now Uzbekistan.

This question is also a chance to organize the “stan” countries in your mind. Here’s a simple framework. Kazakhstan is the huge one to the north, bordering Russia. Uzbekistan sits below that and is notable for being doubly landlocked, with cities like Samarkand, Tashkent, and Bukhara. Turkmenistan is to the southwest, nearer the Caspian Sea and the Karakum Desert. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are the mountainous ones further east, associated with the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges and lakes like Issyk-Kul.

Whenever a question references the Silk Road, some of the most common cities you’ll hear are Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent in Central Asia, plus places like Xi’an and Kashgar in China. And modern countries you want to connect to that theme include China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Turkey.

Adjacent topics to explore here: one, a basic map of Central Asia so you can place each of the “stan” countries quickly. Two, the key Silk Road routes and why cities like Samarkand became so wealthy and cosmopolitan. And three, a quick overview of Tamerlane and the Timurid Empire, which often show up in history and art history questions.

For more on Uzbekistan, Samarkand’s architecture, and some great visual resources, check the study notes on our website after you listen.

So, to recap Match Day 2, you saw how a single word like Jazz can knit together novels, fruit, sports, and design; how a basic geometry definition points squarely at prism; how Greek roots lead you to anemometer; how the Delian League morphed into the Athenian Empire; how Iowa as an album and birthplace screams Slipknot; and how Samarkand and Tashkent anchor you in Uzbekistan.

If any of these felt like, “I knew I’d seen that term before,” that’s actually great news. You’re very close to locking them in for good, and a quick review like this is often all it takes.

You can find full study notes, with links, maps, and extra examples, at llstudyguide.com. Use those to reinforce anything that still feels a little shaky, or to go deeper into topics that interest you, whether that’s Toni Morrison, Greek history, meteorology, or Central Asian geography.

Thanks for listening to this LearnedLeague Study Guide review for Match Day 2. Keep playing, keep learning, and come back for the next match day so we can turn a few more of those near-misses into automatic gets. Talk to you next time.