Answer: The town where Cindy Lou Who lived.
Question: What is Whoville?
It was a stumper that none of the three students in the second round of "Seussopardy" knew — but that didn't keep second-grader Samantha Sorensen from a runaway win.
Seussopardy, a spin-off game of Jeopardy involving only questions about Dr. Seuss and his books, was hosted by Murray resident Ken Jennings, who holds the title for biggest winnings during a 74-game streak on the TV game show.
The game Tuesday was part of a kickoff for Read Across America Day on March 2 — a day when reading is celebrated nationwide with activities designed to get kids revved up about cracking books.
The event is celebrated each year on Dr. Seuss' birthday. Utah Education Association president Pat Rusk said Seussopardy was a great way to recognize both.
Earlier this year, the UEA gave teachers in grades 1-6 opportunities to participate in Seussopardy games at their schools. Students in more than 100 classrooms hit the Seuss books and played in pre-round games of Seussopardy. The names of the winners were forwarded to the UEA.
The association chose nine students from all over the state for the final round in a random drawing. And those contestants were able to bring their teachers and classes with them to cheer them on.
Jennings, sporting Cat in the Hat apparel, was a stickler for the rules and kept the game going in the same snappy fashion as the TV game show, complete with buzzers, a projected game board and a handful of daily doubles.
"Each year we try to find a new twist, but with Ken Jennings being from Utah and gaining all this fame and fortune from reading, we decided he would be a great spokesperson," said Rusk.
Like many of the students, Jennings said he has always been a big Dr. Seuss fan.
"I thought (hosting) would be fun," said Jennings. "I really have always loved to read Dr. Seuss my whole life and, if this makes kids more excited about reading, I am for it."
Winners from the three rounds were Samantha Sorensen, from Boulton Elementary in Bountiful, Madisen Bell, a third-grader from Farmington Elementary in Farmington, and Derek Raymond, a fifth-grader from Meadowbrook Elementary in Bountiful.
The winners walked away with Seuss books, hats, gift certificates and tickets to Universal Studios in Hollywood.
University of Utah men's basketball coach Ray Giacoletti played in the final Seussopardy round along with Steve Pastorino, Real Salt Lake general manager, and Mikey Nelson, radio personality on Star 102.7.
Read Across America was first launched in 1998 with the goal of churning out lifelong successful readers in both public and private schools.
E-mail: terickson@desnews.com