True or False: Take the Urban Legends Quiz

How well do you know your urban legends? Thanks to the
Internet, legends that used to take years to develop now
grow faster than Jack's beanstalk. You've heard the one
about the adulterous businessman who woke up in his hotel
room minus one kidney, but how strong is your BS detector
for other urban legends?

The following quiz is based on the new book, URBAN LEGENDS:
Strange Stories Behind Modern Myths, by film buff and
storyteller, A.S. Mott. It's the latest missive of misery
from Ghost House Books, an imprint of Lone Pine Publishing.
Can you tell which legend is fact and which is fake:

1. Mama Cass Elliott died from choking on a ham sandwich.

2. In 1987, two men living in California found a human
finger in a can of menudo (a food made from beef tripe).

3. When a brewing tank ruptured in Boston, a slow flood of
molasses caused the deaths of more than 20 people.

4. A 12-foot alligator was found living in the sewers of
Manhattan.

5. A nervous golfer chewing on a wooden tee died from
ingesting the toxic chemicals used by the golf club to
maintain the course.

6. A fired employee trying to commit suicide by jumping out
of a window landed on and killed the boss who had just
fired him.

7. Opera singer Maria Callas intentionally swallowed a tape
worm in an attempt to control her weight.

8. Thomas Edison, an opponent of capital punishment, aided
the development of the electric chair in a misguided effort
to discredit rival George Westinghouse.

9. A girl babysitting on Thanksgiving killed the child she
was caring for by accidentally putting the baby in the oven
instead of the turkey.

10. A high school student was killed on prom night by a
black widow spider hiding in her elaborate hairdo.

To get the answers, send mailto:excerptsnews@bellsouth.net
with the subject line "Send Mott" and I'll reply with the
text -- and *only* the text -- no file attachments or opt-
in mailing list jive. I'll also include an excerpt from
URBAN LEGENDS about one of the most bizarre murders ever
recorded, including the source of the story, the variations
it has gone through, and whether it is fact or fantasy.
Good luck!