NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle 

March 23, 2025

Will Shortz (Ex. and 1-7)

 

Each item below is a member of a certain group or category. Further, it is the second item in that group or category in alphabetical order. Can you give the first item in alphabetical order and the name of the group or category?

 

For example, given FIVE as a clue, the answer would be EIGHT. FIVE is the second of the ten digits in alphabetical order, and EIGHT is the first.

 

1. August

2. Sight

3. British Columbia

4. Columbia

5. Anthony and Cleopatra

6. Huron

7. Brooklyn

8. Monday

9. Green

10. Doc

11. Alaska

12. Annapolis

13. Lincoln

14. French hens

15. Gluttony

16. Deuteronomy

17. Antarctica

18. Atlantic 

Answers:

 

1. April - 12 Months of the year

2. Hearing - 5 senses

3. Alberta - 10 Canadian provinces

4. Brown - 8 Ivy League schools 

5. All's Well That Ends Well - Shakespeare plays

6. Erie - 5 Great Lakes 

7. Bronx - 5 Boroughs of New York City

8. Friday - 7 Days of the week

9. Blue - 7 Colors of the rainbow

10. Bashful - 7 Dwarfs

11. Alabama - 50 U.S. states

12. Albany - 50 U.S. capitals 

13. Jefferson - 4 Presidents on Mt. Rushmore

14. Calling (colly) birds - 12 Days of Christmas

15. Envy (using Wrath rather than Anger)

16. Exodus - First 5 books of the Old Testament

17. Africa - 7 continents

18. Arctic - 4 oceans (not including the Antarctic (Southern) Ocean