Trivia, tractors and special interests
 | Rob Crowe
Columnist
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Trivia. I’ve never been much for a trivia quiz.
You know, the ones in the newspapers where some Ivy League professor of something or other makes up a little quiz for the general public about some obscure “cultural” subject, then rates the intelligence and skill level of the reader by the number of questions he/she got right. Since I think there is more to culture than what comes out of the Ivy League, I took the time to think up a little trivia quiz for myself.
It goes like this: I have four tractors in my yard. The model designations of the tractors are: A, 400, 3010, 4500. Please answer these questions about the tractors: 1. Which tractor was manufactured during World War II? 2. Which two tractors are green with yellow wheel rims? 3. One tractor is red, which one is it?
4. One night I had to take the carburetor off the diesel, which tractor was I working on? 5. Which tractor is yellow and has a backhoe?
6. Which two tractors have separate small gas tanks for starting purposes?
7. All of the tractors can run on some form of diesel, but which three of the tractors are called diesels?
8. How many spark plugs amongst the four tractors?
9. How many diesel injectors amongst the 4 tractors?
10. Which tractor has a 10-speed automatic transmission?
For some of you out there with an interest and good knowledge of tractors, this quiz is probably fairly simple, with a little thought you could work through it, a simple challenge. The rest of the populace probably has no clue.
Like the trivia professor, I’ve managed to stump a good share of the readers. The point, maybe none except to prove I can make up a trivia quiz and have an appearance of superiority like the before mentioned professor.
Hint #1 for tractor quiz: the above tractors are listed in order of age, oldest first.
I’ve seen recently in this newspaper a couple of different columnists quote the “findings” of special interest groups. These groups set up their own criteria and rank legislators by how close the legislators vote to the group’s special interests. One of these groups is the Children’s Defense Fund. I think the operative word here is Fund.
A quick trip to their Web site will tell you that a former Chair is Hillary Rodham Clinton, another notable past director is Donna Shalala. Small wonder their rating criteria will be tilted toward the Democratic side of the aisle. I’ve no doubt the group has done some good things, but it is intellectually vacuous to think that theirs is the only way to be effective in battling the problems of children and poverty. I could find no reference on the Web site on their stand on the violence of abortion – the absence speaks volumes. They fail my criteria for support.
Hint #2 for tractor quiz: many early tractors were designed to start on gasoline, then switch over to run on a different fuel.
Another special interest group that regularly sends me e-mails is the Taxpayer's League of Minnesota. I find the e-mails generally entertaining and well written; I approve of many of its goals, but often wonder, is this organization in favor of anything? Do they want us to just drive around on dirt roads and have the government offices in tents? They are the group most responsible for the governor’s ill fated “no new taxes” pledge, ensuring us the new “fee” scourge. I thought it was a bad move at the time, it is probably his single worst decision.
Anyway, as in the case of the previously mentioned organization, they also have a ranking system for legislators and the discerning citizen should use the proverbial ‘grain of salt” in determining if the criteria used is applicable.
Hint #3 for tractor quiz: One tractor has two cylinders, one has three cylinders, two have four cylinders.
Many columnists and special interests present rankings with great drama and figure they are proving something. Usually they aren’t.
Like the trivia quiz in the newspaper and my own trivia quiz, it means something to somebody, but usually isn’t at all definitive.
Answers to quiz: 1. A; 2. A; 3010; 3. 400; 4. 400; 5. 4500; 6. A, 400; 7. 400, 3010, 4500; 8. 6; 9. 11; 10. 4500.
Explanation: My oldest tractor is a two cylinder green John Deere A, built about 1944, the second tractor is a red Farmall 400 diesel, unique in that it starts as a gasoline engine and then switches over to run as a diesel, has 4 spark plugs and 4 fuel injectors. The third tractor is a green John Deere 3010 4 cylinder diesel and the fourth tractor is a yellow 4500 Industrial 3 cylinder diesel, 10 speed select-o-matic with loader and backhoe.
Rob Crowe chairs the Aitkin County Republicans and raises kids and cows on a farm near Hill City.
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