Q: Following Henry VIII of England of England and his infamous "Great Debasement" program that began 1526, the Spanish King Philip III tried to cement his Spanish legacy through changes in coinage strategy. Previously, Spanish Kings (at least from 1471) issued a largely copper fractional coinage called blancas, with a nominal money-of-account value of 0.5 maravedí, but with a very small amount of silver to convince the public that it was indeed precious-metal "money". The blanca issued in 1471 had a silver fineness of 10 grains or 3.47% (weighing 1.107g). In 1497, that fineness was reduced to 7 grains (2.43% fine); in 1552, to 5.5 grains (1.909% fine); in 1566, to 4 grains (1.39% fine). By the start of the 17th century, inflation took hold of Spain as the gap between nominal and silver-based prices dramatically shifted. The purely copper coinage had done its damage to Spain. The difference between the silver- and vellon-based price indexes in Spain showed that the purely copper coinage other European countries used made up a much smaller proportion of the total coined money supply (something the Spanish Kings had overlooked and Malestroit was able to pinpoint).
Did the blanca have a higher fineness in 1552 or 1566?

A: 


Q: The Vikings came into Week 9 in desperation mode as they went against the 3-4 Cardinals, whom they lost the previous December in the desert. The Vikings came into the game wearing their purple pants and played the Cardinals in what was arguably a desperation game not only for the season, but head coach Brad Childress' job. His job had become more scrutinized after he acted alone to cut WR Randy Moss, which drew a bunch of boos and jeers at Childress. However, the action did not start until the 2nd quarter, when the Vikings drove down the field and had a 2nd and goal. Favre threw to Peterson behind the line, but Peterson dodged a few players and got into the end zone, which made the game 7-0 in the 2nd quarter. The very next play, when the Vikings kicked off, Stephens-Howling returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown which tied the game. After that, the Vikings responded with kicker Ryan Longwell nailing a 21-yard field goal. They fell behind with QB Derek Anderson completing a 30-yard TD pass to WR Andre Roberts to close out the first half. This was followed by DB Michael Adams returning a Percy Harvin kickoff fumble 30 yards for a touchdown, and with kicker Jay Feely making a 22-yard field goal. The lead was closed down by Peterson as he got a 4-yard TD run, and by QB Brett Favre's 25-yard TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe. In overtime the decision was made when Longwell successfully made a 35-yard field goal to give the Vikings the win, bringing their record up to 3-5 and temporarily saving their quarterback's and head coach's jobs.
Who threw the longest pass for a touchdown?

A: Derek Anderson


Q: Hoping to build on their win over the Houston Texans, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Monday Night match-up with their NFC East rival, the New York Giants.  On the Giants opening drive, Eli Manning threw a 50-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress.  Later in the first quarter after Jeff Feagles punted inside the one-yard line, LaVar Arrington sacked Drew Bledsoe in the endzone for a safety. In the second quarter, Giants kicker Jay Feely kicked a 31-yard field goal.  Dallas would score before halftime as Bledsoe ran 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak.  Bledsoe also threw a costly interception just before halftime that would have given the Cowboys a 14-12 lead at the break.  Due to Bledsoe's abysmal performance, head coach Bill Parcells replaced him with backup quarterback Tony Romo at the start of the second half.  Not much had changed for the Giants in the third quarter as Manning threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey and Brandon Jacobs got a 3-yard touchdown run.  In the fourth quarter, the Romo completed an 8-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens, and Romo ran into the endzone for a two-point conversion.  The Giants pulled away as Feely kicked a 32-yard field goal, while rookie cornerback Kevin Dockery would return an interception 96 yards for a touchdown.  Even though Romo threw a 53-yard touchdown to Patrick Crayton, the damage had already been done.
How many yards sorter was Feely's shortest field goal than his longest?

A: 1


Q: Trying to end a three-game skid, the 49ers flew to Qwest Field for an NFC West rematch with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.  In the first quarter, the Niners started off bumpy as Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander got a 3-yard TD run for Seattle's early strike and the only score of the period.  In the second quarter, San Francisco would get a field goal before halftime as kicker Joe Nedney nailed one from 39 yards out.  After a scorless third quarter, the Niners were in full force as QB Alex Smith completed an 8-yard TD pass to rookie TE Vernon Davis.  Afterwards, Smith would complete a 20-yard TD pass to RB Frank Gore.  Then, the 49ers wrapped the game up with Smith getting a very easy 18-yard QB sneak for a touchdown.  Seattle would get one more score as QB Matt Hasselbeck completed a 22-yard TD pass to TE Jerramy Stevens.  Fortunately, the Niners would get the win and the season sweep over the Seahawks.  With the win, the 49ers improved to 6-8
Who scored the first touchdown of the game?

A:
Alexander