Jeopardy! "On The Highway" category

[Jim]

Today's "Jeopardy!" episode had a Double Jeopardy! category "On The Highway" all about U.S. Highways.

For $400: U.S. Highway 20 from Boston to the west coast has this distinction; it used to be No. 2.

For $800: U.S. 66 runs from Chicago to L.A.; this devilishly numbered route runs from Monticello, Utah to Douglas, Arizona.

For $1200: 2,400-mile U.S. Highway 1 runs from Fort Kent in this state all the way down to Florida.

For $1600: Follow the 240 miles of U.S. 44 to make the "pilgrimage" from Kerhonksen, N.Y. to this Mass. bay city.

For $2000: The eastern end of U.S. 30 is in Atlantic City; the western end is in Astoria, a continent away in this state.

Why do I feel that I would not be lucky enough to get this category if I ever went on Jeopardy!?  And I wonder how Alex Trebek would react when I pointed out the flaws in his $800 question?

[huskeroadgeek]

I noticed the mistake too with the $800 question right away. I was kind of surprised considering there hasn't been a US 666 since 2003. I also was surprised none of them could figure out the $400 question.

[agentsteel53]

For $400: U.S. Highway 20 from Boston to the west coast has this distinction; it used to be No. 2.

that's such a badly worded question.  It just looks like a statement.  "US 20 used to be number 2."  Great, what do I do with that fact?  Incorrect fact, even.  US Highway 20 was never route 2 in any state, as far as I know.  I literally spent 30-40 seconds just parsing what the Hell the question was intending.  I'd have run out of time.

[cjk374]

Ok, I admit it...I don't know all of the answers.  Just guesses:

$400:  2nd longest US Highway?

$800:  US 666 (duhhhh!   )

$1200:  Maine

$1600:  Boston?

$2000:  Oregon?

I don't believe I would've done as well as the rest of you.

[allniter89]

$400~~longest us hwy?
$800~~former US 666
$1200~~Maine
$1600~~Plymouth Rock, MA?
$2000~~Oregon?
$2400~~I DO know where Simsboro, LA is, I've loaded there many times when I drove a truck!

[huskeroadgeek]

For $400: U.S. Highway 20 from Boston to the west coast has this distinction; it used to be No. 2.

that's such a badly worded question.  It just looks like a statement.  "US 20 used to be number 2."  Great, what do I do with that fact?  Incorrect fact, even.  US Highway 20 was never route 2 in any state, as far as I know.  I literally spent 30-40 seconds just parsing what the Hell the question was intending.  I'd have run out of time.

I agree it is poorly worded. At first I thought they meant it used to be US 2, but I knew that wasn't right, so I figured they meant it used to be the second longest highway behind US 6 and now is the longest.

[Alps]

"Runs" -> "Ran" and you're all set.

Re: $400, is it the longest highway OVERALL and not just longest US highway? I'd gamble it's a bit longer than I-80 or 90.

Re: 20 never being 2, why, 20 in fact ends at Mass 2. I'm sure they once ran together for some trivial distance.

[v35322]

I think U.S. 20 is the longest highway overall, it's got about 300 miles on I-90, which is the longest Interstate.

As for the number-2 thing, I think / hope what they were going for is "once the second-longest U.S. highway" and they just hideously mis-worded the question.

"Runs" -> "Ran" and you're all set.

There is, of course, another significant problem with that one ...

[agentsteel53]

Re: 20 never being 2, why, 20 in fact ends at Mass 2. I'm sure they once ran together for some trivial distance.

they probably did.

Sometime in the 1930s, part of Beacon became one-way westbound

that's from Dale Sanderson's USEnds.  Some part of it must've been more recent than the 30s, because there is an EAST banner, several parking signs, and a 1970s-looking "$50 fine for littering" sign in the wrong direction on Beacon heading out of Kenmore Square.  I definitely once drove down that wrong direction, realizing my mistake only after I noted three lanes of traffic coming right at me.  Damn Massachusetts putting up about five or six signs in a completely misleading direction.

[Jim]

For those who didn't see it, two contestants lost $400 on the poorly-worded question about US 20.  One said "number one", to which Alex responded, "more specific" and the contestant said something like "highway 1".  Incorrect.  The other contestant said "Interstate 1".  At which point I think his entire winnings should have been taken away.

I do think it helped a bit the way Alex Trebek read the first question - I knew what they were going for immediately.

[Bickendan]

The correct answer to the $800: What is former US Highway 666?

[Mr. Matté]

To view the episode in question, it's up now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CepunA4Wr5w&t=4m0s

Slight correction: The name of the category is "Or the Highway" so that when Alex was reading the categories across at the beginning, it would be "...[Yahweh] [Or the Highway]."

[Kacie Jane]

For $400: U.S. Highway 20 from Boston to the west coast has this distinction; it used to be No. 2.

that's such a badly worded question.  It just looks like a statement.  "US 20 used to be number 2."  Great, what do I do with that fact?  Incorrect fact, even.  US Highway 20 was never route 2 in any state, as far as I know.  I literally spent 30-40 seconds just parsing what the Hell the question was intending.  I'd have run out of time.

I agree that it's poorly worded.  Interestingly, when I read this here (I didn't see the episode), I immediately knew the correct answer, but thought it was saying that US 2 used to be the longest.  It wasn't until I came back to this thread today that I realized (a) that's stupid (I know,  me) and (b) what they were actually trying to say.

However the trick to wording Jeopardy questions, and where you usually have to give them credit, is that they have to make clear what they're looking for, without giving away the answer.  So how could they have better worded "second longest" without giving away that the answer is "longest"?  Perhaps they could have left out the No. 2 part entirely, but I'm sure there's some other distinction US 20 holds besides being the longest and formerly second-longest US highway.