A. 車 B. 自転車 C. 新幹線 D. 地下鉄 E. 電車 F. 飛行機 G. 船

The responses to this week’s challenge featured displays of logic, a tactic not often utilized in KYPC.  The proofs were arranged thusly: 1. Assume that “A” is the basic character for train. 2. Assume that the shinkansen, which is a type of train, will contain this character.  3. Ergo, the shinkansen must be either “B” or “E,” as these are the only compounds which contain “A.”  Q.E.D.  Based on this analysis, A Fan elected to go with B, and Shirley chose E, presumably to increase their chances of at least one of them being right.  It may not seem fair of me to accuse my readers of conspiracy, but if they are going to continue to believe that I am trying to fool them, it is only natural for me to think that they are trying to fool me.

Of course, the problem with this logical approach is that it is based on assumptions.  If either part 1 or part 2 proves to be incorrect, then the conclusion falls flat.  And it goes without saying that, if both propositions are untrue, as they are in this case, you might have been better off picking one at random without even looking at them first.  As it turns out, A by itself means “car,” though this is derived from its original meaning of “wheel.”  Thus, while it does not mean “train,” it does appear in the names of trains:

汽車  列車

The first is a steam train, and the second is a more general term for “train,” referring to something made up of linked cars that travels on tracks.  So, while proposition 1 was not technically correct, it was close enough that they almost got away with it.  But once proposition 2 collapsed, they really had no chance.  Shirley came closer, picking out the “electric train,” which is generally the word that a typical person would use when talking about taking the train.  And she was also correct about it being sleeker than B, A Fan’s older, more utilitarian “bicycle.”

Not that they necessarily would have been any better off ignoring character A.  Let’s take a second to wave to Dragon, who’s way out there on G, hanging out with T-Pain.  Sing it: “SHE’S ON A BOAT!”  She can see F from there, a compound that was entirely forgotten by readers.  Apparently you don’t like traveling by plane any better than I do.  Our other misfit this week is D, the subway.  Theoman, using his hidden technique of actual knowledge, outstripped the bicycles, the boats, and the planes to end up on C, the mighty bullet train.  And, in case you’re curious, shinkansen literally means “new trunk line”- the word refers to both the train itself and the route it travels.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.  How can I quiz you on ways to go places if you don’t even know how to go?  So we’ll look at some basic verbs of motion: come and go, walk and run, enter and exit.  We know that you can all talk the talk, but let’s see if you can spot the walk.

A. 歩 B. 行 C. 来 D. 出 E. 入 F. 走

The Mayor they met one floor up
“What? Visitors? Oh yes!
I’m just so lonely way up here
Can you my password guess?”

But AVALANCHE excused themselves
With apol’getic looks
“We really have no time, you see”
“And plus, I just hate books”

The next floor was some sort of maze
With items to be found
But since they were not puzzle geeks
They quickly went around

Sixty-four was the gym floor
With showers, lockers, saun’
Cloud wanted to ogle babes
But Barret dragged him on

Next they found a model town
With pieces to replace
Barret wondered who the hell
Had built this crazy place

Finally, on Sixty-six
An interesting sight
All the Shinra VIP’s
Were gathered there that night

His great journey was a real hard sell
(Though the roundness of Earth was known well)
All his figures were wrong
The route was far too long
But he got to Ferd and Isabell

Event: Christopher Columbus sets sail from Spain, bound (he thinks) for the East Indies
Year: 1492
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus

Unlike many blogs out there, we at the Wandering Wordsman do not see it as our role to engage in social commentary.  That being said, I will make an observation.  I ask you to look for politics, and what do I get?  Shirley, the self-proclaimed expert, hunts for something murky.  Dragon suspects subterfuge.  Theoman is drawn to the unfamiliar, and A Fan concurs.  I don’t know what this says about the state of politics in society today, but whatever it is must be difficult to state explicitly.

Now, for a refreshing change of pace, let’s be blunt: you’re all wrong.

A. 外国語 B. 心理学 C. 数学 D. 政治学 E. 文学 F. 歴史学

On several occasions, participants in KYPC have decided that I am trying to trick them, that I, like an infamous teacher at my high school, feel that I am not doing my job unless people fail.  Not that I have been keeping close track, but I have the impression that guesses based on this assumption have, so far, invariably been wrong.  However, I am pleased that Dragon’s misguided ways led her to guess my particular area of expertise: A, foreign language.  A Fan wandered off on a bizarre tangent, meaning that perhaps he should consult with experts in the field that he guessed: B, psychology.  Theoman’s possible insider knowledge did not lead him to the correct answer, though it did perhaps prevent him from being lured by his own specialty: C, mathematics.  And it seems plain that none of the participants is at all interested in what were called “Textual and Historical Studies” at my university, having completely ignored E, literature, and F, history.  Political Science is D.

We at the Wandering Wordsman understand that the journey is more important than the destination, especially in a feature like KYPC, where so often people don’t end up where they expected.  So this week, instead of concentrating on where you’re going, let’s focus on how you get there.  The topic is modes of transportation.  Since I recently wasted away a few more hours of my life on airplanes, I will ask you to pick out a method of cross-country transportation that I much prefer: the shinkansen, or, as it is better known in English, the “bullet train.”

A. 車 B. 自転車 C. 新幹線 D. 地下鉄 E. 電車 F. 飛行機 G. 船