Edible diamonds? Yes, sort of. The word "carat," as a measure of gold purity, is derived from the Greek word for carob seeds, which were used to weigh small quantities in ancient times. That old measure was equivalent to one twenty-fourth of a Roman gold coin, which explains both why the term came to be applied to gold, and why pure gold is 24-carat.

Not so Mini Ha-has: The Cost of Living is a much-followed economic measure of inflation. But have you heard of that Cost of Laughing Index increased 5 percent in 2007? Developed by attorney-turned-humor-consultant Malcolm Kushner, the Index includes the cost of such waggish items as rubber chickens, Groucho glasses, pink gorilla singing telegrams and Mad magazine.

Considering the most direct line of descent, how many generations of British royals separate Queen Elizabeth II and William the Conqueror, who claimed the English crown in 1066?
A) 30
B) 50
C) 70
D) 90

Previous answer: Brazil accounts for about one-third of the world's production of coffee.

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