48.13-You're good at everything

Last time on the Smole, the final 6 learned more about one another through possibly real, possibly fake movie scenes. They earned 100/120 points that night, a great boost to make the pot 290/620 points. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived for Oscar who found himself executed. Did he focus on the wrong target? Who is the Mole?

***

Noel: "Whoopsies! Did I accidentally cause Maxim's and Oscar's coalition to break? That wasn't intentional, I swear. I guess I naturally wreak havoc and break everything I come into contact with. It was pretty strange that Oscar came to find me and asked me very weird questions. I have no idea where his mind was at but it definitely wasn't at the Smole."

***

Maximillian: "I was hoping to use Oscar to deal with Noel but as you can see that won't work out now. It looks like I have to deal with Noel myself. At the very least I don't have to pretend to know what the hell Oscar is talking about. I have my own business to deal with."

***

Emily: "Maxim wakes up before me and sleeps after me every day but I still don't feel very comfortable sharing a room with only him. This is especially because our room is the only one with communal showers and toilet stalls. It never occurred to me because we hardly see each other in the same room. But now that there are only 5 of us left, each or us has more...presence. I hope I'm making sense. Maybe I should talk to Maixm about it and tell him how I really feel."

***

Emily: "Maxim, I'm going to move to the vacant room."

Maximillian: "Sure."

Emily: "You're not going to ask  why?"

Maximillian: "Fine, I'll humour you. Why?"

Emily: "The truth is...I...I..."

Maximillian: "Come find me when you're ready to talk."

Emily: "This is harder than I hoped it would be."

*

*

*

"Contestants, only five of you remain. Two more will be executed before the finale is reached. For today's mission, I need three contestants to answer trivia questions."

Noel: "I will be one of them."

Derrick: "No you won't. You didn't even run it through us first. Furthermore I don't believe you're good at everything."

Noel: "I am. I'm going and that's final."

Maximillian: "I'm with Derrick on this one."

Noel: "It doesn't matter if every single one of you disagrees. I know I will be able to contribute by being a part of the trivia group. You can't talk me out of it."

Emily: "Once he sets his mind on something there's no dissuading him. I'm okay with the three of you."

Derrick: "I was hoping that it would be me, Maxim and you, Emily."

Emily: "Why? I'm not that good at trivia."

Derrick: "To be honest, I want to see how you fare."

Emily: "So you suspect me?"

Maximillian: "That's good to know."

Noel: "Too bad. One of you will have to compromise. I know I'm not."

Derrick: "Ugh, you're so infuriating."

Emily: "Let's just go with you, Maxim and Noel."

Derrick: "Fine."

"Derrick, Noel, Maximillian, please set off."

"Ladies, I need you to flip a coin. Choose a face."

Emily: "I'll take tails."

Maya: "Okay."

Emily: "Tails."

*

*

*

"Welcome! The three of you  will be playing for 100 points. You will have to answer a series of 10 questions. You have 4 options each time. You have 2 minutes to decide how to spread the points. Points placed on wrong options will fall through the trap door but points placed on the correct option can be used to play in the next rounds."

"You start off with 10 points. Every question, 10 more points will be added. Good luck."

"Your first question. Which of the following is closest to 500 USD?

A: 50,000 Philippine peso

B: 10,000 South African rand

C: 450 pound sterling

D: 2,000 Indonesian rupiah"

Noel: "The answer should be C."

Derrick: "What makes you so sure?"

Noel: "It is the ugliest number."

Derrick: "That's a wonderful reason to base on."

Noel: "We don't have a lot of time. Just trust me on this."

Maximillian: "I don't feel comfortable putting all my eggs in one basket. We should spread. I'm pretty sure the Indonesian rupiah is pretty weak so I think we can leave out D."

Derrick: "A is also a lot for pesos."

Maximillian: "It's Philippine peso though, not Mexican peso. There may be a difference."

Noel: "Just trust me on this."

Derrick: "How about we split 50-50 on B and C? Or maybe 10-40-50 on A, B and C?"

Noel: "I'm not throwing away money because of your insecurities. All on C and that is final."

Maximillian: "If we're wrong we'll have nothing for this question."

Noel: "And it will be a lesson learned."

"Time is up. Your final answer is 0 points on A, B and D, and 10 points on C. Let's see if you're correct."

Noel: "Ha! See? I told you guys!"

Derrick: "Good thing you're right."

"Question 2. According to the Oxford English Corpus, which is the most common word in the English language?

A: The

B: A

C: You

D: And"

Noel: "A language question. Easy peasy."

Maximillian: "We have 20 points now. We can afford to spread the risk. I'm looking at everything but C."

Derrick: "Not C?"

Maximillian: "Sims are selfish."

Noel: "I think the word 'you' existed later than the rest anyway. I'm not going to spread it on D either. I can put it on A and B equally."

Derrick: "You're not going to prioritise one?"

Noel: "I'm feeling generous."

"Time is up. You have put 10 points on A, 10 points on B and 0 points on C and D."

"The correct answer is A."

Maya: "Oh!"

Unbeknownst to the guys, Maya has been directly below them the entire time. Maya will get to answer the question with 3 options instead of 4 with the points that has fallen to her. If she is correct, she can get a correction. If she is wrong, the points will fall further down. Every 10 points amassed leads to one correction for Maya. Any leftover points she has at the end will be added to the pot.

"Question 2. According to the Oxford English Corpus, which is the most common word in the English language?

A: The

B: A

C: You"

Maya: "Err...er...I no know."

Maya: "I put 3 here, 4 here, 3 here."

"Time is up. You have put 3 points on A, 4 points on B and 3 points on C."

"The correct answer is A."

"Question 3. Which Physics law states that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with some third body, then they are also in equilibrium with each other?

A: Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

B: First Law of Thermodynamics

C: Second Law of Thermodynamics

D: Fourth Law of Thermodynamics"

Noel: "Oh no. It's school all over again."

Derrick: "I don't think there's a fourth law. I think it's either A or B."

Maximillian: "How sure are you?"

Derrick: "Quite confident. I excelled at Physics in high school."

Noel: "I'll leave this all to you guys. As Maya would put it, I no know."

Maximillian: "I wonder what Maya and Emily have to do?"

"Time is up. You have put 12 points on A, 8 points on B and 0 points on C and D."

"The answer is A."

Derrick: "Who was the one who said it couldn't be A two times in a row again?"

"Question 3. Which Physics law states that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with some third body, then they are also in equilibrium with each other?

A: Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

B: First Law of Thermodynamics

C: Second Law of Thermodynamics"

Maya: "I no know...so hard."

Maya: "I have 11 points...3 here, 4 here, 4 here."

"Time is up. You have put 3 points on A, 4 points on B and 4 points on C."

"The correct answer is A."

Maya: "Oh no..."

"Fourth question. Which is the largest desert in the world?

A: Gobi Desert

B: Mojave Desert

C: Sahara Desert

D: Antarctic Desert"

Maximillian: "I have never even heard of B."

Derrick: "Antarctica is a desert?"

Noel: "It's plain and simple. The answer is the Sahara."

Derrick: "You're not even going to discuss this? Antarctica is a whole continent."

Maximillian: "This is general knowledge, Derrick. I agree with Noel."

Noel: "Why waste time on something I'm so sure about?"

"Time is up. You have put 22 points on C and none on the rest."

"You are correct."

"Question 5. Which of the following was the first video game by Atari?

A: Pac-Man

B: Space Invaders

C: Breakout

D: Pong"

Maximillian: "This brings back memories."

Noel: "Damn. Who knew video games were good for something?"

Derrick: "Maxim, do you know? 'Cause neither of us do."

Maximillian: "Pac-Man is the most famous. It could be that."

Noel: "On the contrary I think it wouldn't be that because it's so famous."

Maximillian: "It's arguable. Space Invaders is also pretty famous. All of these are old-school games."

Noel: "I leave it to you but I don't think we should spread on all 4 options."

"Time is up. You have put 10 points on A, 20 points on B, 2 points on C and 0 points on D."

"The correct answer was D."

Maximillian: "What?"

Derrick: "You lost all our points!"

Noel: "Well at least we know what happens when we leave Maxim to take charge."

Maya: "Ooh so many."

"Question 5. Which of the following was the first video game by Atari?

A: Space Invaders

B: Breakout

C: Pong"

Maya: "I no know. I no play game."

Maya: "Hmm...10 here, 10...oh, so many on C...okay."

"Time is up. You have put 10 points on A, 10 points on B, and 15 points on C."

"The correct answer is C."

Maya: "Yay!"

Emily: "Finally."

Unbeknownst to anyone else, Emily is at the lowest level. She can answer a question whenever Maya gets a correction. Emily gets the same 3 options Maya had. If she can predict which option Maya put the most points on, she will steal her corrections. She is allowed to pick more than one option if she thinks Maya spread equally.

Emily: "Hmm, Maya won't know. It took 5 questions for me to begin so I think she spread, but 3 options is not easy to spread evenly."

Emily: "Maya probably doesn't even understand the first 2 options so I am going to say she put the most points on C."

"That is correct. She put 15 points on C. You have stolen a correction from her."

Emily: "Yes! Sorry Maya."

"Maya, you have lost a correction."

Maya: "Huh?"

***

Maya: "I no know...very...co...con...confused."

***

"Question 6. Which of the following is not a shade of blue?

A: Azure

B: Mauve

C: Cerulean

D: Navy"

Noel: "Mauve is purple."

Maximillian: "Agreed."

"You have put 10 points on B and none on the rest. The answer is indeed B."

"Question 7. Who is the 35th president of the United States?

A: Richard Nixon

B: Dwight D. Eisenhower

C: Ronald Reagan

D: John F. Kennedy"

Noel: "I lost count after the first four."

Maximillian: "It's definitely not C or D. That's too recent."

Derrick: "How many presidents are we at again?"

Maximillian: "46."

Noel: "If we assume everyone was in office for 4 years that means he had to be the president 44 years ago."

Derrick: "I don't think it's B. He's a little too old."

Maximillian: "I think it's possible. Some presidents held office for longer than others."

Derrick: "How about we spread? I don't want another situation where we lose everything."

Noel: "Exactly what I was thinking. It's most probably A. So we should put the most points on that."

"Time is up. You have put 12 points on A, 5 points on B, 1 point on C and 2 points on D."

"The answer is D."

Noel: "Oh come on."

Derrick: "It's a good thing we played it safe."

Maximillian: "2 points is as good as nothing."

"Question 7. Who is the 35th president of the United States?

A: Richard Nixon

B: Ronald Reagan

C: John F. Kennedy"

Maya: "I no know. All so hard."

"Time is up. You have put 10 points on A, 10 points on B and 13 points on C."

"The correct answer is C."

Emily: "I just stole a correction from her two questions ago. If I get to steal another, she probably chose C too."

Emily: "But I don't want to be a bitch and steal all of Maya's hard work or lucky guesses. I'll be nice and pick B."

"That is incorrect. She put the most points on C: 13."

Emily: "Thought so."

"Question 8. Which of the following countries share a border with China?

A: Laos

B: Sri Lanka

C: Turkmenistan

D: Greece"

Noel: "It's C. I'm positive."

Maximillian: "I guess that settles it."

Derrick: "No. I am not going to put everything on C."

Maximillian: "But he knows the answer."

Noel: "It definitely ends in -stan."

Derrick: "So many countries end with that like Afghanistan."

Noel: "Hmm...good point. Maybe it was Afghanistan."

Derrick: "See? He's not sure."

Noel: "But I trust my instincts. We can spread but we are not giving any other option more than C."

"Time is up. You have put 3 points on A, 1 point on B, 6 points on C and 2 points on D."

"The correct answer was A."

Derrick: "So much for being sure."

Noel: "At least I'm doing more than disagreeing."

"Question 8. Which of the following countries share a border with China?

A: Laos

B: Sri Lanka

C: Turkmenistan"

"Time is up. You have put 4 points on A, 4 points on B and 4 points on C. The answer was A."

"Question 9. Which film has won the Academy Award for Best Picture?

A: Black Panther

B: Madagascar

C: Ghostbusters

D: Almost Famous"

Derrick: "This seems right up your alley, Noel."

Noel: "I do plays, not movies."

Derrick: "If you had to pick one, which would it be?"

Noel: "Maybe C. I imagine there will be a lot of cheap effects."

Maximillian: "There's a separate award for that."

Derrick: "Clearly we shouldn't pick C then. If my memory serves me right B has never won an award, and I don't know what D is. I'm quite confident that it's A but it could be D."

Noel: "Show me what you got."

"Time is up. You have put 7 points on A, 1 point on B, 1 point on C and 4 points on D."

"The answer is A."

Noel: "Good for you."

"Question 9. Which film has won the Academy Award for Best Picture?

A: Black Panther

B: Ghostbusters

C: Almost Famous"

Maya: "Huh? I no know!"

"Time is up. You have put 3 points on A, 3 points on B and 4 points on C. The correct answer was A."

"The final question. Which contestant was most suspected in the first quiz this season?

A: Noah McAllister

B: Joyce Womack

C: Derrick Wyland

D: Oscar Griffin"

Maximillian: "Of course they'll ask this."

Noel: "Derrick, do you think you were very suspicious in the first mission?"

Derrick: "I wouldn't know, honestly. I admit I didn't try too hard though."

Noel: "So you don't deny it."

Maximillian: "It's the last question and we only have 17 points. I don't advise spreading."

Derrick: "But this is a very subjective question. We don't know the true answer. We have a 75% chance of losing the points."

Noel: "I think it's more embarrassing to walk away with 17 points than to walk away with none. Hopefully the girls have better luck."

Derrick: "If we want to maximise our chances we need to be honest. I can tell you that Oscar was one of my suspects. If I recall I chose him too."

Noel: "I know Noah didn't trust Oscar either. I have a good feeling Oscar's our suspect."

Maximillian: "I agree with both of you. He didn't do well in the first mission so many contestants must have suspected him."

Derrick: "Who did you two suspect?"

Noel: "Oscar."

Maximillian: "I don't remember."

Noel: "It's not important anyway. The important thing is that we're sure it's Oscar."

"Time is up. You have put 17 points on D. "

"That is correct. Altogether, you have earned 17 points. However, you may get some more points."

 "There's a secret passage behind the bookcase."

Noel: "I knew there was something fishy about those books."

Derrick: "Maya? You were underneath us the whole time?"

Maya: "Yes."

"Maya was your safety net. She was playing the same game as you except with 3 options and with whatever points you lost. Every 10 points she got was converted into a correction. The remaining points would be added to the pot."

Noel: "Don't keep us in suspense. How much did you manage to keep, if any?"

Maya: "3."

"Altogether, you have 20 points in this mission."

Noel: "Nice and round."

Maximillian: "Where's Emily?"

"Head down one more level."

Derrick: "No way."

Emily: "Oh hi guys."

Derrick: "Are you our last safety net?"

"No. Emily played directly against Maya. If she could predict which option Maya put the most points on, she could steal Maya's correction."

Emily: "I managed to take one from Maya."

The guys' 17 points along with Maya's 3 points has led to 310/720 points in the pot. Both ladies have one correction each. Will it be useful or will it have little effect in determining their fate?