Past puzzles / #11
Bonsaily #11
Wednesday, 11 November 2026 · the day’s tree: Japanese maple (Momiji, 紅葉)
1. Name a city that has hosted the Olympic Games (Summer or Winter)
Target: a Games year closest to 1958. For scale: Montreal, 1976.
Bullseye answers
- Cortina d'Ampezzo · 1956 — Hosted the Winter Games of 1956 and 2026 (Italy).
- Melbourne · 1956 — Hosted the Summer Games of 1956 (Australia).
- Rome · 1960 — Hosted the Summer Games of 1960 (Italy).
- Squaw Valley · 1960 — Hosted the Winter Games of 1960 (United States).
8 more answers scored Close (70–94). 44 answers were valid in all. Source: Wikipedia, List of Olympic Games host cities (2026).
2. Name a chemical element
Target: atomic mass closest to 40 u. For scale: Sodium is about 22.99 u.
Bullseye answers
- Argon · 39.95 u — Ar: standard atomic weight 39.95 u.
- Calcium · 40.08 u — Ca: standard atomic weight 40.08 u.
- Potassium · 39.1 u — K: standard atomic weight 39.1 u.
9 more answers scored Close (70–94). 110 answers were valid in all. Source: Periodic-Table-JSON (Bowserinator) (2024).
3. Name a US president
Target: presidency number closest to 17. For scale: James Madison is 4.
Bullseye answers
- Andrew Johnson · 17 — The 17th president; succeeded to the presidency in April 1865, aged 56.
- Abraham Lincoln · 16 — The 16th president; took office in March 1861, aged 52.
- Ulysses S. Grant · 18 — The 18th president; took office in March 1869, aged 46.
10 more answers scored Close (70–94). 45 answers were valid in all. Source: unitedstates/congress-legislators (executive.yaml) (2025).
4. Name a director who won the Oscar for Best Director
Target: a winning film year closest to 1979. For scale: Steven Spielberg, 1993.
Bullseye answers
- Robert Benton · 1979 — Best Director for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).
- Michael Cimino · 1978 — Best Director for The Deer Hunter (1978).
- Robert Redford · 1980 — Best Director for Ordinary People (1980).
15 more answers scored Close (70–94). 77 answers were valid in all. Source: DLu/oscar_data (Academy Awards database) (2025).
5. Name one of the 88 constellations
Target: the 12th largest by area. For scale: Hercules is 5th.
Bullseye answers
- Leo · 12th — 947 square degrees, the 12th largest of the 88.
- Boötes · 13th — 907 square degrees, the 13th largest of the 88.
- Ophiuchus · 11th — 948 square degrees, the 11th largest of the 88.
10 more answers scored Close (70–94). 88 answers were valid in all. Source: IAU constellation boundaries (Delporte 1930) via Skyfield / Roman 1987 (VizieR VI/42) (1930).
6. Name a country
Target: its capital's latitude (north or south) closest to 4°. For scale: Ecuador is about 0.21°.
Bullseye answers
- Cameroon · 3.87° — Capital Yaoundé, 3.87° N.
- Maldives · 4.17° — Capital Malé, 4.17° N.
- DR Congo · 4.33° — Capital Kinshasa, 4.33° S.
- Republic of the Congo · 4.26° — Capital Brazzaville, 4.26° S.
- Central African Republic · 4.37° — Capital Bangui, 4.37° N.
21 more answers scored Close (70–94). 191 answers were valid in all. Source: Natural Earth 1:10m populated places (2024).