Past puzzles / #2
Bonsaily #2
Monday, 2 November 2026 · the day’s tree: Japanese maple (Momiji, 紅葉)
1. Name a US state
Target: became a state in a year closest to 1846. For scale: Illinois, 1818.
Bullseye answers
- Iowa · 1846 — Admitted to the Union in 1846.
- Florida · 1845 — Admitted to the Union in 1845.
- Texas · 1845 — Admitted to the Union in 1845.
- Wisconsin · 1848 — Admitted to the Union in 1848.
4 more answers scored Close (70–94). 50 answers were valid in all. Source: Wikipedia, List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union (1959).
2. Name a city that has hosted the Olympic Games (Summer or Winter)
Target: a Games year closest to 1922. For scale: London, 1908.
Bullseye answers
- Antwerp · 1920 — Hosted the Summer Games of 1920 (Belgium).
- Chamonix · 1924 — Hosted the Winter Games of 1924 (France).
- Paris · 1924 — Hosted the Summer Games of 1900, 1924 and 2024 (France).
5 more answers scored Close (70–94). 44 answers were valid in all. Source: Wikipedia, List of Olympic Games host cities (2026).
3. Name a chemical element
Target: atomic mass closest to 250 u. For scale: Tungsten is about 183.8 u.
Bullseye answers
- Californium · 251 u — Cf has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 251.
- Berkelium · 247 u — Bk has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 247.
- Curium · 247 u — Cm has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 247.
- Einsteinium · 252 u — Es has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 252.
- Americium · 243 u — Am has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 243.
- Fermium · 257 u — Fm has no standard atomic weight; its most stable isotope has mass number 257.
25 more answers scored Close (70–94). 110 answers were valid in all. Source: Periodic-Table-JSON (Bowserinator) (2024).
4. Name an actor who won the Oscar for Best Actor
Target: a winning film year closest to 1966. For scale: Robert Duvall, 1983.
Bullseye answers
- Paul Scofield · 1966 — Best Actor for A Man for All Seasons (1966).
- Lee Marvin · 1965 — Best Actor for Cat Ballou (1965).
- Rod Steiger · 1967 — Best Actor for In the Heat of the Night (1967).
16 more answers scored Close (70–94). 87 answers were valid in all. Source: DLu/oscar_data (Academy Awards database) (2025).
5. Name one of the 88 constellations
Target: the 25th largest by area. For scale: Boötes is 13th.
Bullseye answers
- Cassiopeia · 25th — 598 square degrees, the 25th largest of the 88.
- Orion · 26th — 594 square degrees, the 26th largest of the 88.
- Perseus · 24th — 615 square degrees, the 24th 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 10°. For scale: Maldives is about 4.17°.
Bullseye answers
- Costa Rica · 9.94° — Capital San José, 9.94° N.
- Guinea · 9.53° — Capital Conakry, 9.53° N.
- Papua New Guinea · 9.46° — Capital Port Moresby, 9.46° S.
- Venezuela · 10.5° — Capital Caracas, 10.50° N.
21 more answers scored Close (70–94). 191 answers were valid in all. Source: Natural Earth 1:10m populated places (2024).