The Name Game;

 

Allegis is only one of the thousands of names that have been invented in recent years. Have you been keeping up? Take this eight-question quiz to find out. (Closed book, no time limit, and no fair consulting the arbitrageur sitting next to you.)

Q1. Primerica is the new name of

(a) the combined General Cinema and United Artists Communications movie-theater operations

(b) the company created by a merger of Missouri Bank & Trust and Illinois Trust & Savings Bank

(c) a small Central American country renamed for its new leader

(d) American Can

Q2. Sequa is the new name

(a) of the boat on which Gary Hart and Donna Rice spent an evening

(b) of Franklin Computer

(c) chosen by Sun Chemical after it acquired Chromalloy American

(d) of the Ford Pinto

Q3. Armtek is

(a) where Tommy John underwent surgery to repair the worn-out elbow he pitches with

(b) AMTRAK's new military division

(c) the management company that operates Armstrong Tire, Blackstone, Copolymer Rubber & Chemical, and Dayco Products

(d) something INC. editors made up

Q4. Unisys is

(a) an elaborate method of teaching people how to ride a unicycle

(b) a potent Japanese drink that combines gin and sake

(c) the combination of Burroughs and Sperry

(d) the new name of the San Francisco Cow Palace

Q5. UNUM is

(a) what a cannibal says when he shakes hands with his dinner

(b) an acronym of a proposed start-up called United National Underwear Makers

(c) the name that might be considered for a prospective merger of Union Exploration Partners and National Gypsum

(d) the new name of Union Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Q6. Omnicom Group is the corporate name that

(a) resulted from the merger of three large advertising agencies

(b) Mel Brooks used in The History of the World -- Part I to make fun of conglomerates everywhere

(c) AT&T rejected following divestiture

(d) IBM chose for its new phone division

Q7. Enron is

(a) the name used instead of Enteron when someone discovered that enteron is another name for the digestive system

(b) the company President and Mrs. Reagan will set up when they leave the White House

(c) the new name for United States Steel

(d) the name that resulted following the merger of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth

Q8. Abex is

(a) the line on the eye chart you can never quite read

(b) the unlikely trade name of a product made by the formerly titled American Brake Shoe & Foundry Co.

(c) what former employees of Anheuser-Busch are called

(d) the code name that Procter & Gamble has given to a new food additive that could replace sugar

Answers:

1. d; 2. c; 3. c; 4. c; 5. d; 6. a; 7. a and d; 8. b