Get out your pencils and sharpen your wit—this is the test you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to prove to your spouse that you know more than she (no, he) does …
1. Married men earn an average of how much more (or less) money than unmarried men?
a. 31% less
b. 31% more
c. 5% more
d. Roughly the same
2. According to The Folklore of Weddings and Marriage, a mother-in-law can test her new daughter-in-law’s housewife-y skills by doing which of the following?
a. Examining a sample of her daughter-in-law’s writing for crossed t’s and dotted i’s
b. Placing a broom on the floor
c. Inspecting her son’s shirt collars for stains
d. Placing a pea under her daughter-in-law’s mattress
3. Which American president was the only one to wed in the White House? (HINT: He was 48; she was 21. They married in 1886 and were entertained at their wedding by John Phillip Sousa and the Marine Corps Band.)
4. What body chemical becomes more prevalent the longer a couple has been married?
a. PEA
b. Aspirin
c. Endorphins
d. Alcohol
5. During her lifetime, a woman is technically capable of giving birth up to about 25 times (though few would want to). Allowing for multiple births, what is the record number of babies ever delivered by one woman?
a. 25
b. 32
c. 40
d. 69
Answers:
1. b. Apparently, it pays to be married.
2. b. If the bride picks up the broom and sets it to one side, she will be a good housewife. If she steps over it, she will be a slouch.
3. Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom—a girl who had been his ward since she was 12.
4. c. After the chaotic infatuation of early love wears off, the morphine-like effect of endorphins takes over the brain, creating a feeling of security and belonging.
5. d. The Guinness record is held by a Russian woman who had 69 babies—mostly multiple births—during the course of 27 pregnancies (though it’s hard to imagine).
These are only five of the 22 questions asked in The Book of Love, published by The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 1996.
