Past puzzles / #4
Bonsaily #4
Wednesday, 4 November 2026 · the day’s tree: Japanese maple (Momiji, 紅葉)
1. Name an actress who won the Oscar for Best Actress
Target: a winning film year closest to 1945. For scale: Katharine Hepburn, 1933.
Bullseye answers
- Joan Crawford · 1945 — Best Actress for Mildred Pierce (1945).
- Ingrid Bergman · 1944 — Best Actress twice: 1944 and 1956; most recently for Anastasia.
- Olivia de Havilland · 1946 — Best Actress twice: 1946 and 1949; most recently for The Heiress.
13 more answers scored Close (70–94). 81 answers were valid in all. Source: DLu/oscar_data (Academy Awards database) (2025).
2. Name a country
Target: area closest to 100,000 km². For scale: Uganda is about 241,550 km².
Bullseye answers
- South Korea · 100,210 km² — Area 100,210 km² (38,691 sq mi); capital Seoul.
- Iceland · 103,000 km² — Area 103,000 km² (39,769 sq mi); capital Reykjavik.
- Hungary · 93,028 km² — Area 93,028 km² (35,918 sq mi); capital Budapest.
- Cuba · 109,884 km² — Area 109,884 km² (42,426 sq mi); capital Havana.
- Guatemala · 108,889 km² — Area 108,889 km² (42,042 sq mi); capital Guatemala City.
- Portugal · 92,090 km² — Area 92,090 km² (35,556 sq mi); capital Lisbon.
27 more answers scored Close (70–94). 195 answers were valid in all. Source: mledoze/countries (2025).
3. Name one of the 88 constellations
Target: area closest to 600 square degrees. For scale: Capricornus is about 414 square degrees.
Bullseye answers
- Cassiopeia · 598 square degrees — 598 square degrees, the 25th largest of the 88.
- Orion · 594 square degrees — 594 square degrees, the 26th largest of the 88.
- Cepheus · 588 square degrees — 588 square degrees, the 27th largest of the 88.
- Perseus · 615 square degrees — 615 square degrees, the 24th largest of the 88.
- Serpens · 637 square degrees — 637 square degrees, the 23rd largest of the 88.
19 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).
4. Name a US vice president
Target: vice-presidency number closest to 40. For scale: Mike Pence is 48.
Bullseye answers
- Gerald Ford · 40 — The 40th vice president, appointed December 1973; later president.
- Nelson Rockefeller · 41 — The 41st vice president, appointed December 1974.
- Spiro Agnew · 39 — The 39th vice president, from January 1969.
10 more answers scored Close (70–94). 50 answers were valid in all. Source: unitedstates/congress-legislators (executive.yaml) (2025).
5. Name a driver who has won a Formula One Grand Prix
Target: first Grand Prix win in a year closest to 2020. For scale: Lewis Hamilton, 2007.
Bullseye answers
- Pierre Gasly · 2020 — 1 win to the end of 2025; first at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
- Sergio Pérez · 2020 — 6 wins to the end of 2025; first at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
- Charles Leclerc · 2019 — 8 wins to the end of 2025; first at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix.
- Esteban Ocon · 2021 — 1 win to the end of 2025; first at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
9 more answers scored Close (70–94). 115 answers were valid in all. Source: F1DB (Formula 1 database) (2025).
6. Name a chemical element
Target: boiling point closest to -100 °C. For scale: Sulfur is about 445 °C.
Bullseye answers
- Xenon · -108 °C — Xe boils at -108 °C (-162 °F).
- Radon · -62 °C — Rn boils at -62 °C (-80 °F).
- Krypton · -153 °C — Kr boils at -153 °C (-243 °F).
- Chlorine · -34 °C — Cl boils at -34 °C (-29 °F).
9 more answers scored Close (70–94). 86 answers were valid in all. Source: Periodic-Table-JSON (Bowserinator) (2024).