question: "Gnomes" is the seventeenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series "South Park", Season two of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on which date?
answer: April 1, 1998
context: Title: South Park (season 2)
  Passage: Season two of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 1, 1998.  The second season concluded after 18 episodes on January 20, 1999; it remains the longest season of "South Park" to date.  While most of the episodes were directed by series creator Trey Parker, Season 2 includes two episodes directed by Eric Stough.
  Title: South Park (season 10)
  Passage: The tenth season of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 22, 2006.  The tenth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 15, 2006.  This is the first season in which Kenny does not die and the last season featuring Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef) as Hayes quit the show following the backlash behind season nine's "Trapped in the Closet" episode.  This season also had a minor controversy when the Halloween episode "Hell on Earth 2006" depicted "The Crocodile Hunter's" Steve Irwin with a stingray lodged in his chest getting thrown out of Satan's Halloween party for not being in costume.  Episode 2 in this season is the last one with the Braniff Airlines logo.  All the episodes in this season were written and directed by Trey Parker.
  Title: South Park (season 8)
  Passage: Season eight of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 17, 2004.  The eighth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 15, 2004, and was written and directed by Trey Parker.  The season deals with various topics that were relevant at the time of release.  The episodes portray a spectrum of topics, from effect of large scale retails corporations to immigration.
  Title: Gnomes (South Park)
  Passage: "Gnomes" is the seventeenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series "South Park".  The 30th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 16, 1998.  The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Pam Brady, and directed by Parker.  This episode marks the first appearance of Tweek Tweak and his parents.
  Title: South Park (season 12)
  Passage: The twelfth season of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 12, 2008.  The twelfth season concluded after 14 episodes on November 19, 2008.  "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bill Hader is credited as a consultant starting with this season.  Parker was the director and writer in this twelfth season.  Stone was also the writer on the third episode of the twelfth season.
  Title: South Park (season 5)
  Passage: Season five of "South Park", an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001.  The fifth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001.  The 14-episode season length would become a standard for later years of the series (up until the seventeenth season).
citations: Gnomes (South Park) South Park (season 2)