We gave the CD1 special election candidates a quiz on the district. Here's how they did.
How well do the candidates competing in the special election to replace former U.S. Rep David Cicilline know Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District – which stretches all the way from Social Street in Woonsocket to Sakonnet Point in Little Compton?
For instance, can they tell you where Touisset is located? Or where to find a chimi? How many are familiar with the bloody history of the Saylesville Massacre — or know that a "coffee cabinet" isn't a piece of furniture?
To find out, Political Scene put the candidates to the test, inviting each to take a short trivia quiz on the district's history, culture and lore.
Interestingly, it wasn't a born-and-raised Rhode Islander who scored the most points. That distinction went to Aaron Regunberg, who grew up in Chicago. Gabe Amo, a Pawtucket native, came in a close second place. (The full scorecard can be found at the end of this story.)
How it worked
The dozen Democrats and two Republicans who will appear on primary ballots were invited to The Providence Journal's newsroom to film a short video introducing themselves to voters, and to have a headshot taken. While in the office, they were also offered the option to take the trivia quiz.
None of the candidates were notified about the quiz ahead of time. Several candidates — Democrats John Goncalves and Allen Waters, and Republican Terri Flynn — declined to participate.
Republican Gerry Leonard passed up the opportunity to come to the newsroom for a video and headshot. The Journal offered to conduct the quiz over the phone but was told that Leonard was busy, and we did not receive a call back.
Democrat Spencer Dickinson missed his appointment time, so The Journal contacted him by phone and gave him the quiz on the spot. All the other candidates took the quiz in person, ensuring that they wouldn't have the opportunity to Google the answers or get hints from staffers. They were given the option to answer the questions orally or to take a supervised written test.
Below, you'll find the complete list of questions and answers, along with a breakdown of how the candidates fared.
We asked, they answered: Where do Democrats in the CD1 Special Election stand on key issues? A complete guide
Where in the district can you buy a coffee cabinet? And what is it? (10 points)
Answer: A "coffee cabinet" is a beverage made with coffee syrup, ice cream and milk. Candidates got credit if they described it as a type of milkshake. The term supposedly originated with Delekta Pharmacy in Warren, which still proudly serves coffee cabinets.
Newport Creamery was also an acceptable answer: Although the words "coffee cabinet" don't appear on the chain's menu, the staff there can and will make one for you. (Don Carlson, who worked at Newport Creamery as a teenager, noted that a cabinet is different from an Awful Awful, because it uses real coffee syrup and real coffee ice cream.)
Who got it right: Amo, Carlson, Regunberg and Dickinson.
Who got partial credit: Stephen Casey correctly identified the drink as a "coffee shake," but said they could be purchased at New York Lunch in Woonsocket — which has coffee milk on the menu but confirmed over the phone that they do not serve milkshakes or cabinets.
Who didn't: Stephanie Beauté, Walter Berbrick, Sandra Cano, Sabina Matos, Ana Quezada.
What does 'La Broa' refer to? (10 points)
Answer: "La Broa" is the nickname for Broad Street, the heart of Providence's Latino community in South Providence.
Who got it right: Amo, Cano, Matos, Quezada, Regunberg. (Note: Quezada answered by naming La Broa Pizza, which is located on Broad Street. While it's not the exact answer the quiz was looking for, it also wasn't technically incorrect and it demonstrated familiarity with the neighborhood, so she got credit.)
Who didn't: Beauté, Berbrick, Carlson, Casey, Dickinson.
Name two lighthouses in the district. (10 points)
Answer: Rose Island, Goat Island, Castle Hill, Beavertail, Sakonnet, Prudence Island and Pomham Rocks are among the possible answers to this question.
Who got it right: Carlson, Regunberg.
Who got partial credit: Casey and Dickinson, who each named one lighthouse in the district.
Who didn't: Amo, Beauté, Berbrick, Cano, Matos, Quezada.
More: There are 21 lighthouses in Rhode Island. What to know and which ones to visit
What immigrant group has a tradition of constructing grape arbors? (10 points)
Answer: If you spot an impressive grape arbor in a driveway or backyard, it's most likely that it was planted by a Portuguese immigrant, especially if you're in the East Bay. However, some were planted by Italian immigrants, which was also an acceptable answer.
Who got it right: Everyone.
What is a chimi, and where can you get one? (10 points)
Answer: A Dominican street food that is somewhere between a sandwich and a hamburger, commonly purchased from food trucks on Broad Street (aka "La Broa").
Who got it right: Amo, Cano, Matos, Quezada.
Who got partial credit: Regunberg correctly stated that chimis were a "delicious food" that can be purchased on La Broa, but when asked to be more specific, he said that they were made with tortillas, meat and cheese. In fact, chimis are typically served on buns, not in tortillas.
Who didn't: Beauté, Berbrick, Carlson, Casey, Dickinson.
Two communities in the district were major ports in the slave trade. Name one. (10 points)
Answer: Newport and Bristol. Candidates only needed to name one or the other, but most named both.
Who got it right: Amo, Beauté, Berbrick, Cano, Carlson, Casey, Dickinson, Matos, Regunberg.
Who got partial credit: Quezada received half credit for naming Providence, which was a port in the slave trade, but a relatively minor one compared with Newport and Bristol.
More: Shedding light on the little-known history of New Goree, Bristol's free Black neighborhood
Where is the Cape Verdean Museum located? (10 points)
Answer: Pawtucket, although candidates also got credit if they said East Providence, since the museum was located there until last year.
Who got it right: Amo, Beauté, Cano, Casey, Matos, Regunberg.
Who didn't: Berbrick, Carlson, Dickinson, Quezada.
There are two places in the district where you can find a historic Looff carousel. Name one. (10 points)
Answer: Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket or Crescent Park in East Providence's Riverside neighborhood. (Candidates received credit for naming either the city or the park where the carousel is located.)
Who got it right: Amo, Beauté, Cano, Carlson, Casey, Dickinson, Matos, Regunberg.
Who didn't: Berbrick, Quezada.
More: Inside the effort to keep the largest Looff Carousel spinning at Crescent Park in Riverside
In a few words, what was the Saylesville Massacre? (10 points)
Answer: A notorious episode in Rhode Island labor history, in which police and the National Guard clashed with striking workers in the mill village of Saylesville. Two workers were killed and dozens were wounded. (The incident took place in 1934, but candidates weren't required to know the date. They received credit as long as they correctly identified the event as a labor dispute or labor uprising.)
Who got it right: Amo, Carlson, Casey, Regunberg.
Who didn't: Beauté, Berbrick, Cano, Dickinson, Matos, Quezada.
Name the town where each of the following villages or neighborhoods is located: Touisset, Valley Falls, Kent Heights, Forestdale, Adamsville, Centerdale, Island Park, Manville, Alfred Drowne, Social District. (10 points total)
Answers, in order: Warren, Cumberland, East Providence, North Smithfield, Little Compton, North Providence, Portsmouth, Lincoln, Barrington, Woonsocket.
Who got it right: No candidate received a perfect score on this portion of the test. But the strongest performance came from Amo and Casey, who got half of the answers right, scoring five points each.
Here's how many points the rest of the candidates scored:Carlson: 4Cano, Regunberg: 3Berbrick, Matos: 2Beauté, Dickinson: 1Quezada: 0
More: Rhode Island has a lot of villages, and they can be confusing. We try to answer why
How the candidates scored overall
Here's the final score that each of the candidates received, out of 100 possible points:Regunberg: 88Amo: 85Casey: 70Carlson: 64Cano: 63Matos: 62Dickinson: 46Beauté: 41Quezada: 35Berbrick: 22Did not participate: Flynn, Goncalves, Leonard, Waters.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: We tested the RI knowledge of the CD1 special election candidates
