
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 15, 1991                   TAG: 9104130349
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

TRIVIA QUESTIONS PROVE USEFUL IN TOT RESEARCH

One challenge in studying tip-of-the-tongue experiences is making them happen to people in the laboratory.

"It's sort of like a fishing expedition with not very many fish in a big lake. You know they're out there, it's just going to take time to get them," said Alan Brown of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Strategies have included asking people to identify odors or photos of unusual objects or famous people. But the most popular technique is asking a list of trivia questions about words "on the edges of your vocabulary," Brown said.

"People love to be in these studies," said researcher Deborah Burke of Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. "It's like Trivial Pursuit."

Here are some of her most effective questions:

1. What do you call a word or sentence that reads the same backward or forward, such as "Madam, I'm Adam?"

2. What is the name of the art of Japanese paper folding?

3. What is the last name of the actress who played Gloria on "All in the Family?"

4. What is the last name of the actor who played the scarecrow in the movie "The Wizard of Oz?"

5. What is the last name of the man who said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country?"

Answers:

1. Palindrome

2. Origami

3. Struthers

4. Bolger

5. Hale

by CNB