WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel are back with a show about U.S. government.
Last week's challenge
Start with the phrase NOVA SCOTIA. Rearrange the letters to spell a ten-letter word for things you do in your spare time. What is the word?
Answer: You can rearrange the letters to spell AVOCATIONS.
THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: CABINET DEPARTMENTS
On-air questions: On September 15, 1789, President George Washington signed legislation establishing the Department of State. Originally called the Department of Foreign Affairs, it was renamed two months after it was first established and given additional responsibilities, including the taking of the census and the overseeing of the U.S. Mint. Most of its domestic duties have since been transferred to other cabinet departments, but the Secretary of State is still responsible for a few, including keeping the Great Seal. To commemorate the founding of the Department of State, this week our quiz is about other cabinet departments. Specifically, I'll give you three facts about a cabinet department; you determine what department it is.
1. Mission, in part, is to "maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth"
Secretary's signature appears on U.S. paper currency
First secretary was Alexander Hamilton
2. Newest cabinet department, established in 2002
First secretary was onetime Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge
Most recent secretary was replaced by the acting secretary when he became White House Chief of Staff
3. Created by President Jimmy Carter in part as a response to the 1973 oil crisis
Operates the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Nevada Test Site
Mentioned – or, rather, not mentioned – in a famous "oops" moment during the 2012 presidential campaign
4. Created in the mid-1800s when it was argued that many federal offices were housing unrelated domestic concerns
Originally housed what became the Department of Agriculture
The parent department of the National Park Service
5. Renamed in 1979 to remove "Education" and "Welfare" from its name
Houses the Office of the Surgeon General and the Food and Drug Administration
Created the Strengthening Communities Fund in 2010 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Extra credit
1. Was founded as part of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" program
Administers a program officially called HOPE VI, more commonly known as Section 8
First cabinet department to be headed by an African-American woman (Patricia Roberts Harris in 1977)
2. Housed in the Frances Perkins Building, named for the first woman in the U.S. cabinet, who served as its secretary from 1933-1945
Was part of a suggested merger with the Department of Commerce, from which it was split from in 1913
Has a statistics department that was founded in 1884
This week's challenge
Start with the words TREASURY and STATE. Change one letter to an S and you can rearrange the result to spell a five-letter word for what a brave person does and an eight-letter word for what a not-so-brave person does. What are the words?
ANSWERS
On-air questions
1. Department of the Treasury
2. Department of Homeland Security
3. Department of Energy
4. Department of the Interior
5. Department of Health and Human Services
Extra credit
1. Department of Housing and Urban Development
2. Department of Labor
