College Hosts Spirited Spring Fest

If you were anywhere near the 1911 Building on a recent sunny spring day, you heard the music and sounds of Spring Fest. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted its annual festival on April 21 that highlights all its departments, from English and History to Sociology and Anthropology, Interdisciplinary Studies and more.

“Spring Fest showcases the depth and breadth of departments within the college,” says Joe Johnson, the college’s student diversity coordinator and one of the event organizers. “It’s a fun way for students, faculty and staff to promote their fields and provide insight into the type of work they do.”

The multidisciplinary event featured games, food, music and a raffle. Each department put together trivia questions about their respective disciplines. The prize? A chance at a raffle for an NC State Bookstores gift card.

Here’s a random sampling of questions being asked at the various game spots. Take the test and see how much you know about humanities and social sciences.

1. What were the years of the American Civil War?
2. What part of the brain controls personality and behavior? (Hint: Phineas P. Gage’s famous “American Crowbar Case” contributed to the psychological research on this part of the brain.)
3. True or false: Most social work jobs are in the government.
4. Name the piece of literature that opens with these lines: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”
5. What 19th century invention composed of interchangeable parts revolutionized the agricultural industry? Bonus: Who invented it?
6. Which philosopher wrote The Communist Manifesto?
7. True or false: To be a good social worker, you have to be a people person.
8. Name one of the seven countries that runs through the Andes Mountains.
9. Name the piece of literature with this famous quote: “Before me things create were none, save things Eternal, and eternal I endure. All hope abandon, ye who enter here.”
10. What was Sigmund Freud’s major contribution to psychology? (Hint: think of the iceberg theory.)

If the trivia questions stumped you, don’t worry. Simply participating in some of the interactive games could secure you a coveted raffle ticket. Representatives of each department were happy to talk about the details and values of their field.

Check your answers. Would you have won a raffle ticket?

Answers. 1. 1861-1865  2. frontal lobe  3. False  4. A Tale of Two Cities,  by Charles Dickens  5. the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney  6. Karl Marx  7. True  8. Venezuela, Colombia,   Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile or Argentina  9. The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri  10. the unconscious mind