Question: Why do beans give you gas? (Asked by a curious bean burrito eater.)

Here’s a quiz question with the answer below. Think of a nine-letter English word that remains a valid word as each of its letters is successively removed.

Are you getting ready for Turkey Day? I came across something interesting in The History Channel Magazine about Thanksgiving. Here is a synopsis.

Question: Why is the pineapple a symbol of hospitality? (Asked by a hospitable curious reader.)

Q: Actually, I have two questions, but I have a feeling there’s only one answer. (1) If a bee is flying around at only a few miles per hour in a car that is traveling 55 mph, why is he not pinned against the back window? (2) We are on the Earth traveling at about 700 mph at our latitude beca…

We’ve been dealing with this “nine” thing in prices, such as 29 cents instead of 30 cents, and gas being $2.499 instead of $2.50. You never have four pennies for exact change, so you almost always get a penny back. Meanwhile, they don’t make a coin for one-tenths of a penny, so getting exact…

Question: Why is it that the price of a gallon of gasoline has 0.009, or nine-tenths, of a cent added on? It’s like they think that people don’t know that it’s really another cent! (Asked by a curious penny saver.)

Question: I enjoy the C.P.S. (Curious Postscript) at the end of your columns. Please do a column on the C.P.S. Thank you! (An anonymous request from cyberspace.)

Question: What is the origin of the term “teetotaler?” (Asked by Mary Durden, of Greenwood.)

Question: Why is the ocean salty? (Asked by a curious reader while at the beach.)

Question: A “mandatory evacuation was issued by the governor recently along the coast for Hurricane Dorian. Is it really mandatory? (Asked by a curious hurricane watcher.)

This is an old one, but let’s have some fun and see if you are still UP for this.

Question: How many five-star generals have there been? Are there any now? (Asked by a curious veteran.)

Question: I’ve always heard that if you put salt in the water, it will boil faster. Is that true? (Asked by Nicole Funk, Martinsburg, West Virginia.)

Question: Our body temperature is 98.6 F, so why do we feel so hot at lower temperatures, such as 80-85 F? We perspire to cool our body, but at these temperatures, one would think the body would be cool enough. Also, if we jump in a pool or ocean with a temperature of 85 F, the body feels a …

Trivia Time (Again)! I’m on a roll:

Let’s see if this trivia makes any “cents:”

Question: Why does a dog kick its back leg when you scratch its “happy spot?” (Asked by a curious canine owner.)

Question: We’ve had the X and Y generations. What comes next? Generation Z? (Asked by a curious generation wonderer via cyberspace.)

Question: What is the SPF rating on sunscreens, and how is it used? (Asked by a curious fun-in-the-sun column reader.)

Last week, I gave a description of the Electoral College. This week, we will consider some associated items.

Question: Dr. Wilson, with so many presidential candidates in the news, we hear a lot about the Electoral College. I have heard that when I vote for a presidential candidate, I’m not really voting for him or her. Is that true? (Asked by a curious, concerned voter.)

Let’s see what you know about some of our presidents.

Question: Why do many manufacturers insist on wrapping their products in plastic packaging that is so difficult to open? You often need scissors or some other cutting tool, and even then, it’s difficult. (Asked by a curious and frustrated consumer.)

Question: Where does the word “dibs” come from? For example, one might say, “I got dibs on that!” (Asked by a curious and faithful column reader.)