ANSWERS TO QUIZ QUESTIONS:
1- C. Springsteen bought
the tacky homage from a store in his hometown of Asbury
Park, NJ. He and his wife Patti hung the painting on their wall, but
then found it necessary to explain to visitors that they intended
it as a joke. For more on black velvet kitsch, check out Chapter TK,
"The Rise of Tacky Chic."
2.- D. All of them. Air conditioning
radically shifted the balance of political power in the United States
by making the Sunbelt states more habitable. As the nation’s popluation
shifted to warmer climates, those generally conservative states gained
more influence in the Electoral College¾a reality apparently overlooked
by the Democrats in 2004. For more on this, see Chapter 2, “The Birth
of Cool.”
3- C. The Log weighed 20 pounds. Modern electric
guitars usually weigh about 7 pounds. For more on this, see Chapter
6, “Les Paul’s Log.”
4.- A. 14 minutes. The mower was powered
by a 150-horsepower jet engine designed to help power a Chinook helicopter.
The Dixie Chopper Jet became somewhat of a celebrity because of its
appearances on television shows such as “Good Morning America” and
a memorable season finale of “Home Improvement.” For more on this,
see Chapter 1, “Frank J. Scott’s Great Green Manifesto” as excerptedhere.
5.- A. Zero. Due to both physical problems and fumbling
ignorance, the Kinseys did not consummate their union until months
after their marriage. Some consider the experience a key to understanding
Kinsey's eventual transition from wasp researchers to sex researcher.
For more on this, see Chapter 4, "Alfred Kinsey's Honeymoon."
