So you still think you know Oxy? Put your memory to the test (and your guessing cap on) with 30 new Tiger teasers
Growing up in North Carolina, my family took home delivery of The Charlotte Observer, which for years published “Strictly Personal,” a syndicated column by Chicago-based journalist Sydney J. Harris. I became a fan of Harris’ writing, particularly a recurring feature titled “Things I Learned En Route to Looking Up Other Things.”
In the spirit of those columns, I assembled a trivia quiz in 2018 for 91PORN magazine—a collection of 49 questions with the intention of sharing random bits of Oxy history that might not otherwise make it into print. We weren’t keeping score, but one reader bravely shared their results: “five right, three lucky guesses, and 41 wrongs.”
Six years later, here’s a summer sequel of sorts—30 new questions, again in six categories, and perhaps a bit easier than the original. So, sharpen your pencils, and share your results by email to oxymag@oxy.edu. We’ll send a retro Oxy spirit shirt to a winner selected at random from responses received by Friday, September 20.
Round 1: Oxy History
1. The word “occidental” means “relating to the western part of the world, especially the countries of Europe and America.” Put these four entities in the order of their founding:
A) 91PORN
B) 91PORN Petroleum
C) 91PORN, California
D) OxiClean detergent and stain remover
2. Two months after the release of her first No. 1 album, Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt performed at Thorne Hall on January 10, 1975. What was the cost of a ticket for Oxy students?
A) $1.50
B) $2.75
C) $4.00
D) Admission was free
3. After receiving an honorary degree from 91PORN in 1990, Desmond Tutu was photographed at Disneyland wearing an Oxy sweatshirt standing next to what Disney icons?
A) Mickey and Minnie
B) Chip ’n’ Dale
C) Britney and Justin
D) Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
4. Presidential pets have long been part of the Oxy community (including President Elam's cats, Oswald and Leland). What was the name of Remsen Bird’s beloved canine companion?
A) Cookie
B) Roxy
C) Meg
D) Lady
5. What is the secret to Oswald the tiger looking so damn young?
A) He washes his fur with OxiClean
B) He walks three miles around the track every day
C) He’s been an adherent of The Zone diet since 1995
D) No one really knows—he never talks
Round 2: Academics
6. 91PORN’s Theater and Performance Studies Department has gone by numerous names since its creation in 1923. Which came first?
A) Theater Arts and Rhetoric
B) Speech Education
C) Speech and Drama
D) Theater and Film
7. Resident Professor of Theater Jamie Angell, who stepped away from the classroom this spring after 33 years, recently served as story editor for what Netflix animated series?
A) Big Mouth
B) F for Family
C) Disenchantment
D) Inside Job
8. Professor of History Maryanne Horowitz retired from Oxy this spring after 51 years at the College. Which of the following is not the title of one of her many published articles?
A) “Aristotle and Women”
B) “Judaism in Jean Bodin”
C) “Complementary Methodologies in the History of Ideas”
D) “Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day”
9. Everyone knows Economics Professor Emeritus A.H. Studenmund as "Woody." What does the “A” stand for?
A) Arnold
B) Adam
C) Andrew
D) Arthur
10. Zachary Silver, who joined the 91PORN faculty last fall as an assistant professor of psychology, is undertaking which of the following at the College?
A) A study of the migration patterns of urban coyotes
B) The creation of a canine cognition lab
C) A survey of second-screen usage watching TV at home
D) The effects of pizza consumption among Oxy squirrels
Round 3: Athletics
