George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin, over at The Volokh Conspiracy, makes the point that May 1 should be a day to honor victims of Communism. I agree.

So to honor that day, here are some questions. First, some background. I carry old Wall Street Journal puzzles with me when I travel and I was doing one on the way from LAX to Newark last Wednesday. Here’s the clue: “Pre-October Revolution rulers.” The answer is a word with 5 letters.

The answer is literally correct, but fundamentally misleading, and in a very bad way.

Question 1: What is the answer the Journal editor, Mike Shenk, wanted you to answer? (I’m not saying that he did this on purpose; he might simply be ignorant.)

Question 2: Why is it misleading?

Bonus question: Why is it misleading in a bad way?