{"id":15787,"date":"2023-01-09T15:47:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T15:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/?page_id=15787"},"modified":"2026-04-03T01:53:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:53:25","slug":"trivia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/trivia\/","title":{"rendered":"Test Your Mac IQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We are glad you are getting to know Macalester! From obscure facts to well-documented history, there is always something to learn.<\/p>\n \t <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

Trivia Answers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ready to see how you did? If you haven’t already taken the quiz, find it here<\/a>. Answers are below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n 1. What’s the name of Macalester’s oldest building?<\/strong>A. Weyerhaeuser HallB. Red Stone HallC. Old Main<\/strong>D. Leonard CenterBuilt in 1887, Old Main is the oldest building on campus. It once housed virtually the entire college: classes, labs, offices, chapel, living areas\u2014even the gym and dining hall. Today Old Main is a Humanities haven, and also includes a fourth floor lounge with the best views of campus. The link between Old Main and the library is an all-night study lounge.Author Tim O’Brien ’68 (The Things They Carried<\/em>) studied English here, former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey taught political science here, and rumor has it that\u00a0Reader’s Digest<\/em>\u00a0founder DeWitt Wallace\u2014from the Class of 1911\u2014once coaxed a cow up to the building’s top floor as a practical joke.\n
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\n 2. What Macalester tradition occurs at our graduation ceremonies each year?<\/strong>A. Reading the peace prayer in multiple languages<\/strong>B. Shouting “Until we meet again, Macalester” into the western skyC. Building a paper chain with wishes for the futureD. Having President Rivera sing the college song “Dear Old Macalester”The Peace Prayer is read at commencement\u00a0 and other notable events at Macalester in this this cherished tradition going back several decades. It is typically recited in at least three non-English languages, and then in English.As we depart along our separate roads<\/em>May we be nourished by our years of friendship and learning<\/em>And may we draw upon them to create a more just and peaceful world<\/em>A world filled with fellowship and kinship<\/em>With respect and kindness for one another<\/em>And with the hope of a better tomorrow.<\/em> \n
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\n 3. Macalester\u2019s first Black graduate Catharine Lealtad, Class of 1915, earned a double major in what?<\/strong>A. Geography and musicB. International studies and psychologyC. French and mathematicsD. Chemistry and history<\/strong>Dr. Catharine Lealtad earned a double major degree in chemistry and history in 1915 with highest honors. She was Macalester’s first Black graduate, and in 1979 became the\u00a0 first person to receive two honorary degrees from Macalester. This excerpt from then college president John B. Davis, notes just some of her accomplishments and service to others.You practiced pediatrics in Chicago and in the infant clinics of New York City. Commissioned a major in World War II, you supervised clinics for children in Germany’s displaced person camps in 1945. In 1946, you flew behind Communist lines in China to help fight a cholera epidemic. Then you joined New York’s Sydenham Hospital, the first experiment in a voluntary interracial hospital, practiced in Puerto Rico and for seven years in a free clinic in Mexico City.\u00a0<\/em>Dr. Lealtad passed away in 1989.\u00a0The\u00a0Lealtad-Suzuki Center<\/a> is named in her honor. See the full letter and learn more about Dr. Catharine Lealtad here<\/a>.\n
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\n 4. If you were headed toward the Minnesota State Capitol for a class presentation, how far would you have to travel?<\/strong>A. 17 milesB. 4 miles<\/strong>C. 3 blocksD. 45 milesMacalester sits in Minnesota’s capital city of St. Paul, and so students are just minutes away from the heart of the capitol building and many other government entities.Students in political science, public policy, and other classes may find themselves at the capitol for coursework, legislative sessions, or presentations.When considering topics like social justice and climate change, Mac students leverage the nearby location to join in rallies and protests in support of causes most important to them.And of course, internships within government are accessible throughout the year with the convenience and proximity to the Minnesota State Capitol.\n
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\n 5. Macalester\u2019s varsity athletic programs play in the MIAC. What does the abbreviation <\/strong>mean?<\/strong>A. Minnesota Institute of Athletic CultureB. Macalester Is A CollegeC. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference<\/strong>D. Minnesota International Academic ContestMacalester has been a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference since it was founded in 1920. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sponsors championships in 22 sports; 11 for men and 11 for women. Conference teams are all affiliated with the NCAA Division III and the MIAC is recognized as one of the most competitive NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic conferences in the country.Student athletes at Macalester appreciate the close proximity to MIAC competitors, allowing for greater balance with their academic and personal schedules.The members of the MIAC, include private undergraduate colleges in Minnesota; Augsburg University, Bethel University, Carleton College, Concordia College-Moorhead, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University, Macalester College, the College of Saint Benedict (women only), St. Catherine University (women only), Saint John’s University (men only), Saint Mary’s University, St. Olaf College, and The College of St. Scholastica.Source: miacathletics.com<\/a>\n
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\n 6. Macalester students can take advantage of free lessons for which instrument?<\/strong>A. OboeB. HarpsichordC. KazooD. Bagpipes<\/strong>Heard at major events throughout the year, the distinct sound of bagpipes becomes synonymous with some of the most significant milestones for Mac students. As such, every student is offered free lessons.Lessons begin on a practice chanter, which is used to learn the fingerings. The practice chanter is pretty quiet and can be played in a dorm room or apartment without bothering the neighbors.Students wishing to take piping to the next level can join the Macalester Pipe Band<\/a>, which performs and competes at events around the region and the country.Fun fact: When Macalester College president, Dr. Suzanne Rivera, started at Macalester, her partner set out to learn bagpipes. He can now be seen and heard piping at various events.\n
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\n 7. What is Mac\u2019s 24-hour innovation and creativity contest called in which teams of 3-6 students invent a unique service or product that solves a real-world problem?<\/strong>A. Macathon<\/strong>B. Plaid-a-paloozaC. Makers at MacD. No Sleep SaturdayMacathon is an overnight innovation and creativity contest occuring in the late fall each year. In teams of 3-6 participants, students put their liberal arts education into action and invent a unique and original service or product (website, application, physical product) that solves a real-world problem. No preparation work is allowed; everything for the competition must be produced within the 24-hour period.See more about how it works, the variety of ideas, and past winners here<\/a>.\n
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\n 8. Which iconic punk band included Bob Mould, Macalester Class of 1982, as a founding member?<\/strong>A. The ReplacementsB. Bad Bad HatsC. H\u00fcsker D\u00fc<\/strong>D. Walt MinkBob Mould, Macalester class of 1982, is known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands H\u00fcsker D\u00fc in the 1980s, Sugar in the 1990s, and his ongoing solo work.Mould met H\u00fcsker D\u00fc co-founder Grant Hart at Cheapo Records, still located one block from campus. He notes his “professional” stage career launched at Ron’s Randolph Inn, long since closed, but at the time less than two miles from campus.\n
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\n 9. St. Paul and Minneapolis are consistently ranked in the top five American cities for what attribute\/feature?<\/strong>A. Walleye to human ratioB. Park systems<\/strong>C. Electric scooter availabilityD. Global cuisine (especially on a stick)Trust for Public Land measures data around access, equity, investment, amenities, and acreage in a ParkScore rating. St. Paul and Minneapolis consistently rank among the best in the country.Mac students often mention community green space, recognizing the advantage of having mature trees, open lawns, and surrounding pathways for walking and biking. That appreciation for natural spaces can be further experienced in the many parks around the Twin Cities.Notable parks include Minnehaha Park where Minnehaha Falls cascades in the warm months and creates a fantastic ice sculpture deep in winter. Hidden Falls runs along the Mississippi River and offers easy bike rides or long walks along tree-lined paths. Less than 4 miles from campus, Como Park has winding trails to enjoy around the park and Como Lake, with an optional stop at the Como Zoo & Conservatory.\n
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\n 10. What is the name of Macalester\u2019s mascot?<\/strong>A. Scot DogB. Coo<\/strong>C. Highland Hank D. Bangs McCoo

Macalester\u2019s Scottish tradition comes from James Wallace. In 1930, Wallace, a prominent faculty member and former president, compiled a book on the history of his own ancestry, the Wallace and Bruce clans in Scotland. The effort to \u201cestablish a Scottish tradition,\u201d\u00a0The Mac Weekly<\/i> wrote, occurred around James Wallace\u2019s 89th birthday\u2014the first Founder\u2019s Day celebration.<\/span><\/p>

With the success of the Scottish-themed Founder\u2019s day celebration, Macalester became the Scots. Different mascots and names came and went, until Mac<\/span> the Scot was “born” in 2002 to cheer on the entire Mac community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>Source: The Mac Weekly<\/a>\n

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\n 11. Which Macalester alum penned The Things They Carried, a novel that became a finalist for The Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award?<\/strong>A. Walter Mondale \u201850B. Kofi Annan \u201861C. Danai Gurira \u201801D. Tim O\u2019Brien \u201868<\/strong>Tim O’Brien<\/strong> graduated from Macalester summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science in 1968. He also served as class president. The summer after he graduated he was drafted into the US Army and served in the Vietnam War in 1969 and 1970. In 1979 O’Brien won the National Book Award in Fiction for\u00a0Going After Cacciato<\/i>. His novel\u00a0In the Lake of the Woods was the<\/i>\u00a0recipient of the 1995 Cooper Prize for Historical Fiction and\u00a0The Things They Carried<\/i>\u00a0was among books considered by The New York Times in 2006 as the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years. Many of his literary works carry themes connected to the Vietnam\u00a0War and you can find O’Brien featured in the documentary series\u00a0Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick<\/i>.
The other notable Mac alumni listed include Walter F. Mondale<\/strong>, who served as Vice President of the United States under Jimmy Carter. He was the Democratic Party\u2019s nominee for President in 1984. Mondale\u2019s record of public service also included U.S. Ambassador to Japan, U.S. Senator, and Attorney General for the State of Minnesota.<\/div>
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Kofi Annan<\/strong> served as the Secretary-General of the United States from 1997 to 2006. An economics major, Annan was a state-champion orator who also played soccer, loved Ping-Pong, and set a school record in the 60-yard dash. He also explored the United States with classmates through Macalester\u2019s Ambassadors for Friendship program, which sent out groups of students in Nash Rambler station wagons in the \u201960s and \u201970s.<\/span><\/div>
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Danai Gurira<\/strong> is often recognized as Michonne from The Walking Dead and Okoye from the Marvel film Black Panther. She graduated with a psychology degree and while at Mac displayed her passion for theater and activism. Alongside her credentials as an award-winning actress, Gurira holds the title of Broadway playwright, with\u00a0Eclipsed<\/i>, the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all female and black cast and creative team. She continues to dedicate her voice and time to notable causes, among them women’s rights.<\/div>\n
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\n 12. Macalester is home to one of a few urban wind turbines in the U.S. What have students named it?<\/strong>A. Wind-ston ChurchillB. Notorious NRGC. Derbin the Urban Wind Turbine<\/strong>D. Princess AirialTruthfully, we like any of these names. Urban legend tells us the answer is C, but neither written or video proof exists at the time of publication.We do know Macalester installed a 10-kilowatt wind turbine on campus in 2003, one of the few urban wind turbines in the United States. Despite its small size, it provides an important opportunity to study urban renewable energy applications. The turbine and tower were donated by Xcel energy; the installation was a gift from the Class of 2003.\n
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Trivia Answers Ready to see how you did? If you haven’t already taken the quiz, find it here. Answers are below.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15787","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15787"}],"version-history":[{"count":114,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28059,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15787\/revisions\/28059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}