reminder: Conquest-Era Quiz: Last Day (Tim Brown, US)

JE: Just a reminder that the deadline for Tim Brown’s Conquest-Era Americas Quiz is today at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (US). Answers are coming in, but no one has “hit” all four questions yet. Remember: twelve “Pax et Lux” twisty-pens go to the winner!

1. Name the five largest pre-Columbian populations of the Americas.
2. What was the estimated population of the Western Hemisphere before Columbus?
3. How many descendants of the hemisphere’s pre-Columbian peoples still speak a native language as their mother tongue?
4. In 1492, which was the capital of a major empire, Madrid or Mexico City (Tenochtitlan?)

Good luck! When responding, remember that the Honor System applies–no books, Wikipedia, or collective entries.

re: Americas: a Conquest-Era Quiz…Deadline Extended! (Tim Brown, US)

JE writes:

Doesn’t anyone want a box of ten “Pax et Lux” WAIS twisty-pens? Heck, let’s make it an even dozen. On 26 October Tim Brown sent a four-question quiz on the Conquest of the Americas. I set the contest deadline for 10 PM Eastern Time last night (Thursday, 29 October), but the responses have so far been, well, underwhelming. Undaunted, I’ve decided to extend the deadline. Here are the questions once again:

1. Name the five largest pre-Columbian populations of the Americas.
2. What was the estimated population of the Western Hemisphere before Columbus?
3. How many descendants of the hemisphere’s pre-Columbian peoples still speak a native language as their mother tongue?
4. In 1492, which was the capital of a major empire, Madrid or Mexico City (Tenochtitlan?)

New deadline: Tuesday, 3 November, at 10 PM EST. Old rules apply: no notes, no Wikipedia, no phone-a-friend. Send your responses to me. May the best WAISer win.

PS: I learned at WAIS ‘09 that the now-famous twisty-pen comes in two stylish ink colors: blue and black. I didn’t order them this way, but variety is nice. I’ll send five–no, six–of each to the winner.