It was definitely A: Hidden Valley Ranch, but I'm pretty sure the ranch itself was in California, not Alaska.

Skittles... It had to be Skittles. I owe you a good thrashing. ;-)

Hidden Valley Ranch- Dang it! I can think of logical reasons why all of those could be the answer. You need an "E" option, All of the above. I make Hidden Valley Ranch dressing all the time, using their little envelopes. I have an envelope in the cupboard right now, and I'm sorely tempted to read what's on the packet to get some sort of clue. 😈... But I won't. I have to choose one, and only one, so... D: A resort in Saratoga Springs, NY. Seems like New England resorts have a lot of food items named after them, like: Parker House rolls, Toll House chocolate chip cookies, and such. Why not have a resort known for their "world famous" salad dressing?

Hmmmm...tough one.  But I'm gonna guess C: General Foods Corporation labs in in Battle Creek, MI just because I have the feeling that "Hidden Valley Ranch" was just made up by their advertising department.  I could be wrong, but I'll stick to that answer.

Answer to Question 10: Topic of Big Business

 

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing was invented at…

A: On Alaska’s Hidden Valley Ranch

Sorry - my choices for this one were not 100% accurate. 🫠 Don't abuse me. While it was invented by a cook in the Alaska outback, it wasn’t until he moved his family to California, bought a ranch and named it Hidden Valley Ranch, before he named the dressing and used it in a restaurant he opened on the ranch.

Question 11: Topic of Big Business

Avocado never ripens on the tree.

Farmers can use the trees as a way to store and keep the avocados fresh for up to how long. 

A: 1 month
B: 2-4 months
C: 5-6 months
D: 7 months or more

I never heard of this!  Can't be too long or the prices for avocados in the States wouldn't be so high.  I'm gonna guess B: 2-4 months, only because 1 month seems too short and the others seem too long...

 

Here in Brazil we have enormous avocados - more than a foot long.  Taste about the same, but here they are treated more as a fruit (which I believe they are anyways...), so they eat them sprinkled with sugar, in a smoothy mixed with sweetened condensed milk, as ice cream...  The green coloring I can't quite get over myself.  Once in a great while I'll make guacamole if making something Mexican, luckily they also have the smaller avocados like we have in the States or I'd be eating guac for a week...

I have seen those in some food stands up here...when I was in Florida.

 

Likewise, I have never heard that avocados don't ripen on the tree. I suppose, if left to nature, they would fall to the ground and ripen there? I am not an avocado aficionado (I love alliteration). Not a fruit, not a vegetable; they don't fit into either category. I think they're originally from Venus.

As for storing them on the tree, Wagi's guess seems about right, and for the same reasons he gave: B: 2-4 months

I think avocados are like cherries and grapes, they ripen on the tree but do not over-ripen and they can remain on the tree for an extended time. I will pick D: More than seven months. just because it's the longest time you listed!

Correct answer for Question 11: Topic of Big Business

Avocado never ripens on the tree.

Farmers can use the trees as a way to store and keep the avocados fresh for up to how long. 

D: 7 months or more

Depending on weather and infestations

Question 12: Topic of Big Business

In exchange for Coca-Cola being the exclusive soft drink brand at Disney, what deal was struck?

A: Rights to exclusive flavors

B: Free signage

C: A Supply of unlimited soda syrup for the parks

D: Disney would pay one cent royalty for every soda sold

I seem to recall that Pepsi was the original exclusive soft drink at Disneyland. Disney wouldn't make a switch unless getting a sweetheart deal, so I don't think Free signage would do it - Coke puts up branded signs, awnings, thermometers, tables, menu boards and gobs of other stuff either free or at a reduced price. I don't recall many exclusive flavors only at Disney Parks,

So it's between C and D. A one-cent royalty? Who pays for the syrup then? That sounds off, so I'm gonna guess that Coke provides their syrup free of charge (which is how Disney makes a butt-load of profit selling a large coke for $5.99 or whatever.) So I''ll go with C: A Supply of unlimited soda syrup for the parks

So we pay a premium price for old avocados??? I wonder if you keep an egg inside of a chicken will it still be good 7+ months later when the prices go down?

I really have no idea on this one. I know that both, Pepsi and Coke were available at Disneyland for several years; sort of an 'east side/ west side' arrangement. Wagi's reasoning sounds plausible, but he led me astray last time. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... uh... can't be fooled again". Coin flip time! I have a rare, four dimensional coin with 4 sides: heads, tails, front legs, rear legs. Annnnd... wouldn't you know it, it came up 'front legs'! So, looks like I'm in agreement with wagi after all! C: A Supply of unlimited soda syrup for the parks.

Edited February 17Feb 17 by JB

I guess I'm third with no real idea, but I'm thinking signage is not that great a deal.

I think the royalty angle makes sense, (we are talking a buttload of soda here!) so I'll say D: Disney would pay one cent royalty for every soda sold.

By the way, is anyone keeping score here?

Score?! We don' need no stinkin' score!... Actually, I thought of that too. But I don't think I want anyone to see my score; for obvious reasons.

Wagi, not to digress, but, Purina Cow Chow is a thing! 🤣

Totally found this by accident looking on Chewy for something else!

Cow Chow - who knew??? LOL!

Correct answer for Question 12: Topic of Big Business

In exchange for Coca-Cola being the exclusive soft drink brand at Disney, what deal was struck?

C: A Supply of unlimited soda syrup for the parks

This basically reduces Disney’s cost for the soda and is a huge cash cow for Disney, and the Coke brand gets a lot of positive publicity

Question 13: Topic of Big Business

Why did Steve Jobs name his company ‘Apple’?

A: To be listed in the phone book before his former employer

B: He was a huge fan of Sir Isaac Newton

C: He always treasured apple picking Washington apples with his grandmother

D: It’s the most common word used in children’s books for the letter “A”

Hmmmm, I had read before that he choose the name "Apple" because he was on some fruit-focused diet and had recently returned from an apple orchard, but none of those are the same as that claim, I suppose C: He always treasured apple picking Washington apples with his grandmother comes the closest, so that's the one I'll go with...

Well, I think Steve Jobs' former employer was Atari. "Apple" comes before "Atari", alphabetically. So I'll say A: To be listed in the phone book before his former employer. Of course, you probably threw that choice in just to fool me... and only me.

I'm going with Wagi here. He really liked the fruit, and he and Wozniak wanted a simple name, not something "tech sounding". So "C."

Edited February 22Feb 22 by citytrader

Correct answer for Question 13: Topic of Big Business

Why did Steve Jobs name his company ‘Apple’?

A: To be listed in the phone book before his former employer...Atari.

JB you should feel like you are on top of the mountain right now!!!

Question 14: World Geography

What country has so little garbage that it has to be imported…an estimated 2.3 million tons a year?

A: Germany

B: Sweden

C: Canada

D: Portugal

Hmm, why would a country import garbage? I suppose other countries pay them to take their garbage. So, which country? On the one hand, it would make sense for it to be a European country because it's centrally located amongst a bunch of other countries, making it cheaper to ship the garbage. On the other hand, Canada is huge, and relatively sparsely populated; lots of room to dispose of garbage. On the third hand, Canada is rich in resources. It probably doesn't need the money that bad, that it would import other countries garbage. What the heck... I'm gonna say B: Sweden. It's also a fairly large country (for Europe), with a relatively small population. I really have no idea on this one.