Do most real bombs actually make a ticking sound like the ones in cartoons, TV shows, and movies do?

Sadly, in the post Unabomber / 9/11 world that kind of reaction is the "new normal..." While it is easy to be critical in hindsight, can you imagine the outcry (and millions upon millions of dollars spent on litigation) if someone ignored an actual bomb or dangerous device? As for the "ticking" thing...I'd say that went the way of the dodo with the accessibility of digital timers... although I'd say an amateur bomb-maker might still need a mechanical spring to set off a home-made explosive.

Yes, and it's ALWAYS the blue wire.

It's usually better to "over react" than "under react". If the package had contained a real device, and it had been opened in a large office building full of people ... disaster! The receptionist did the right thing. Even though the package was full of completely innocent promotional materials. Emergency workers would rather respond to a hundred (or more) false alarms based on good evidence than one building explosion.

Only the ones made by the descendents of Wile E. Coyote. They'll check out Anything because you never know; somebody that dim might actually try it. Any unidentified white powder Might be poisonous, any liquid at the airport Might be explosive. All this really helps train potential 'perpetrators'; all they need to do is study the safety procedures the public go through in order to find a gap that might allow a real attempt through. If the TSA are watching for it, that's probably not what Will happen. "Welcome to the mailroom, where Most of the time we're just very bored..."

Whoever arranged the show's promo is in a bit of the brown stuff. As for your question, no, real bombs don't make a ticking or beeping noise.

No because most of them are digital and battery operated, not run by an old fashioned wind-up clock. Or they are set off by a phone signal from a distance.

No not all bombs but some remote detonated bombs do like c4