2nd December

Questions set by

THE BRITISH FLAG

(VETTED BY THE GEORGE AND DRAGON)

             SPECIALIST ROUNDS

 

              1.    SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

              2.    ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

              3.    SPORT

              4.    HISTORY

5.    TOYS OUT OF THE ATTIC

6.    GEOGRAPHY

7.    SCIENCE

8.    MUSICALS

 

ROUND 1:   SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

 

 

1.	Which mathematical symbol describes the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter ?
		Π   (Pi)
2.	Which city has a silver hallmark comprising a harp and crown ?
		DUBLIN
3.	What is the chemical symbol for Arsenic ?
		As
4.	Which animal features on both the crests of Coventry and Dumbarton football clubs ?
		ELEPHANT
5.	The Viking Longship is/was the insignia of which car manufacturing company ?
		ROVER/LADA
6.	In Morse Code, which letter is represented by a single dot ?
		E
7.	Cars from which country are represented by the letter B ?
		BELGIUM
8.	Cars from which country are represented by the letter C ?
		CUBA

 

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	Which sign of the Zodiac is represented by a pair of scales ?
		LIBRA
II.	Of which country is the MENORAH a symbol ? ISRAEL (7 branched candelabrum used in Jewish ceremonies)

ROUND 2:   ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

 

1.	Who wrote ‘The Fat Woman’s Joke’ and ‘The Cloning of Joanna May’
		FAY WELDON
2.	Who wrote ‘Where Angles Fear to Tread ‘ and ‘A Room With a View’
		E M FORSTER
3.	Which artist painted the picture of Oliver Cromwell, which shows him ‘warts and all’?
		PETER  LELY
4.	Which artist collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock on the film ‘Spellbound’?
		SALVADOR DALI
5.	On which Shakespeare play was the musical ‘The Boys from Syracuse ‘ based?
		A COMEDY OF ERRORS
6.	‘Little Women’ is set against the backdrop of which war??
		AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
7.	Which impresario, founder of the Ballet Russes, created a ballet from the ‘Firebird’ by Stravinsky?
		DIAGHILEV (DE – AG – ILEF)
8.	Which ballet  by Tchaikovsky is an adaptation of the story of Undine? SLEEPING BEAUTY

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	The Smithsonian Institution can be found in which American city
		WASHINGTON DC
II.	Who will be replacing Carol, Vorderman as the new maths guru on the long-running Channel 4 Countdown programme ?
		RACHAEL RILEY

 

ROUND 3:   SPORT

 

 

1.	Name either of the two England scorers in the recent (November 20th) 2 -1 friendly win over Germany in Berlin ?
		MATTHEW UPSON  or JOHN TERRY
2.	How many players are there on both a hurling team and a gaelic football team ? team ?
		15
3.	Name the English cyclist who won 4 stages of the 2008 Tour De France ?
		MARK CAVENDISH
4.	Which golfer won this years European Order Of Merit title ?
		ROBERT KARLSSON
5.	Which star of the Beijing Olympics has the nickname “The Baltimore Bullet ?
		MICHAEL PHELPS (born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
6.	Which country won this years Davis Cup ?
		SPAIN (beat Argentina (3 –1) – 5th rubber not contested
7.	How many referees officiate in a game of American Football ?
		7 (Referee, Umpire, Head Linesman, Line Judge, Field Judge, Side Judge and Back Judge)
8.	Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton has won 45 out of his 46 professional fights.  Who is the only boxer so far to have beaten him ?
		FLOYD MAYWEATHER JNR

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	What was the name of the Mansfield girl who won two gold medals for Team GB at the Beijing Summer Olympics in the 400 m and 800 m Freestyle ?
		REBECCA ADLINGTON
II.	Who won the 2008 English Twenty20 Cup ?
		MIDDLESEX

 

 

ROUND 4:  HISTORY

 

 

1.	Which American president was elected in 1908?
		WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
2.	Which president is said to haunt the White House?
		ABRAHAM LINCOLN
3.	Who lived at Gawsworth Hall and became a lady in waiting to Elizabeth 1st??
		MARY FITTON
4.	Which wife of Henry VIIIth was 30 years his junior?
		KATHERINE HOWARD
5.	Chippendale worked mainly in what type of wood?
		MAHOGANY
6.	From what type of wood were the majority of the English archers bows made?
		YEW
7.	Who said  “with God’s help I will put an end to the very existence of England”?
		NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
8.	Whose dog had a collar with the following engraved on it : ‘I am his Majesty’s dog at Kew, pray tell me sir, whose dog are you” ?
		KING CHARLES II

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	How many prisoners were found to be in the Bastille prison when it was stormed by French revolutionaries?
		SEVEN ( 2 madmen, a profligate and 4 forgers!)
II.	How many people were killed at the Peterloo Massacre of 1819
		FIFTEEN

 

ROUND 5:  TOYS OUT OF THE ATTIC

 

1.	Which optical toy was first patented in 1817 by Scottish physicist David Brewster?
		KALEIDOSCOPE (from Greek for ‘kalos’ (beautiful), ‘eidos’ (shape) and ‘skopein’ (to see)
2.	Which toy was created in 1956 by Fred Francis, who ran a Company called Minimodels, as a simulation of Formula 1 racing
		SCALEXTRIC
3.	Which ‘make it yourself’ toy character was created by the American George Lerner in 1949, and came as a package of 28 plastic body parts such as ears, noses and mouths?
		MR POTATO HEAD
4.	Which mechanical drawing toy originally invented in the late 1950s by French electrician Andre Cassagren and named “Telecran” was later developed and sold from 1960 by the Ohio Art Company in the USA?
		ETCH - A - SKETCH
5.	Which range of toys were first made in 1953 by Lesney Products of Homerton in East London were all approximately 6.5 cm long?
		MATCHBOX MODELS
6.	Which construction toy, patented by Charles Plimpton in 1933 and made in Liverpool, used thin metal rods inserted vertically into holes in a Bakelite base, with Bakelite bricks, windows and doors slotted between the vertical rods?
		BAYKO
7.	What toys were made by Pelham of Marlborough from 1947 to 1992?.
		STRINGED PUPPETS
8.	Which ‘instant fad’ toy, inspired by Hawaiian dancing, was first marketed in the USA in 1958 by Richard Knerr and ‘Spud’ Melin of the Wham-O Company?
		THE HULA HOOP

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	Which toy won the first Annual Toy of the Year award in 1965?
		JAMES BOND’S ASTON MARTIN DB5 (Corgi Toys)
II.	In 1923, which traditional plaything, thought to be based on a hunting weapon in the Philippines, was supposedly introduced to the USA by a Filipino hotel worker called Pedro Flores?
		THE  YO-YO

ROUND 6:  GEOGRAPHY

 

 

1.	What is the capital of French Guiana ?
		CAYENNE
2.	What is the capital of Dutch Guiana ?
		PARAMARIBO
3.	Which Asian country’s flag is green with a large red spot in the centre?
		BANGLADESH
4.	Which countries flag is a rectangular tri-colour with three equal-size horizontal bands: the upper one is white, the middle blue, and the lower red ?
		RUSSIA
5.	Carrick-a-Rede island and the rope bridge (spanning  a chasm some eighty feet deep), used to reach it are found in which county of Northern Island?
		ANTRIM
6.	Off the coast of which English county is Burgh Island, famous for its Art Deco hotel that is reached by a tidal causeway or by a ‘sea tractor’ when the tide is in ?
		DEVON (near to the small seaside village of Bigbury-on-Sea)
7.	The longest road tunnel in the world at 24.5kms (15 mile) is at Laerdal.  In which country is this ?
		NORWAY
8.	Which bridge across the river Tarn in France, designed by Norman Foster, is currently the tallest vehicular bridge in the world ?
		MILLAU VIADUCT

 

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	The Petrified Forest National Park is to be found in which US State?
		ARIZONA
II.	Joshua Tree National Park is to be found in which US State?
		CALIFORNIA

ROUND 7:  SCIENCE

 

1.	What is next in the sequence of Inert/Noble gases in the Periodic Table - Helium,  Neon,  Argon     ?
		KRYPTON (followed by Xenon and Radon)
2.	What is next in the sequence of Halogens in the Periodic Table - Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine ……?
		IODINE (followed by Astatine)
3.	How is the medical condition of Lateral Epicondylitis more commonly known ?
		TENNIS ELBOW
4.	How often does Haley’s comet appear ?
		EVERY 76 YEARS
5.	What is represented by 12 on the Beaufort Scale ?
		A HURRICANE
6.	The height of horses are measured in hands.  What does each hand measure (imperial measurement required) ?
		4 INCHES
7.	What medical term evolved as a result of a condition suffered by Chang and Eng Bunker ?
		SIAMESE TWINS
8.	What is the common name for the plant Myosotis ?
		FORGET-ME_NOT

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	What name is given to an alloy of mercury ?
		AMALGAM
II.	How many claws do domestic house cats have ?
		18 (5 on each front paw and 4 on each back paw)

 

ROUND 8:  MUSICALS

 

1.	Who wrote the short stories about New York characters that provided the basis for the musical “Guys and Dolls” ?
		DAMON RUNYON
2.	Which film was the musical “High Society” based on ?
		THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
3.	What is the name of the nightclub singer who is the central character in the musical “Cabaret” ?
		SALLY BOWLES
4.	Which film musical set in the Black Hills of Dakota during the gold rush starred Doris Day ?
		CALAMITY JANE
5.	Which musical is based upon an imaginary village in the Scottish highlands that comes to life for just one day every hundred years ?
		BRIGADOON
6.	Who is the main male character in the musical “Carousel”
		BILLY BIGELOW
7.	Which stage musical by Joan Littlewood featured songs from Word War I ?
		OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR
8.	In which West End musical would you find the songs “He’s not dead yet” and “You won’t succeed on Broadway ?
		SPAMALOT

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

 

I.	From which musical comes the song “My name is Tallulah” ?
		BUGSY MALONE
II.	Which musical was loosely based upon the life of a real-life sharp shooting cow girl ?
		ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

 

 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS

 

Vetted by:

 

The George and Dragon (B League)

 

1.	The name of which infectious disease has a name derived from the latin for “bad air” ?
		MALARIA
2.	Which English Novelist created the fictitious character Inspector Wexford ?
		RUTH RENDELL
3.	Who wrote under the name Gerald Wiley ?
		RONNIE BARKER
4.	Which English King died on 1 December 1135 of food poisoning from eating a surfeit of lampreys of which he was excessively fond of !
		HENRY I
5.	At the beginning of the English 2008 – 2009 football season, three teams in Coca Cola League 2 started the season with negative points.  Luton Town started with minus 30 points – name either of the other 2 teams who started with minus 17 points  ?
		ROTHERHAM or BOURNEMOUTH
6.	Which group have an album currently in the UK album charts with “Chinese Democracy” ?
		GUNS AND ROSES
7.	What is Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron’s parliamentary constituency ?
		WITNEY (Oxfordshire)
8.	What is Barak Obama’s middle name ?
		HUSSAIN
9.	What was the name of the 50 foot spider that came out of “hibernation” outside Liverpool’s city arena at King’s Dock in September this year as part of the Liverpool City of Culture celebrations ?
		LA PRINCESS (La Princesse)
10.	Which baseball team won this years “world series” ?
		PHILLADELPHIA PHILLIES (beat the Tampa Bay Rays)
11.	Who is the current leader of the BNP (British National Party) ?
		NICK GRIFFIN
12.	In 1986, 9 moons of Uranus were discovered and all named after what ?
		SHAKESPEARE CHARACTERS
13.	Grey Dagger, Forester and Dingy Footman are species of what type of insect ?
		MOTHS
14.	What is known as the “Royal Disease” ?
		HAEMOPHILIA (Royal bleeding disease)
15.	What is the name of the Saudi super oil tanker that was recently captured by Somali pirates off the Somali coast ?
		SIRIUS  STAR
16.	The title music “Another way to die” to the latest James Bond movie “Quantum Of Solace” featured a duet for the first time.  Name either of the duet ?
		ALISHA KEYS  and  JACK WHITE
17.	Give the name of one of the parents of Pugsley in the Addams Family ?
		MORTICIA  or  GOMEZ
18.	In heraldry what colour is gules ?
		RED
19.	Who is the muse of choral song and dance ?
		TERPSICHORE
20.	What was the name of the Danish architect of the Sydney Opera House who died recently aged 90, after suffering a heart attack ?
		JORN UTZON
21.	Which countries literal meaning in Greek is “land between the rivers” ?
		MESOPOTAMIA
22.	“ Doors Open” is the first post Rebus novel by which writer ?
		IAN RANKIN
23.	John Pullman’s trilogy of “Northern Lights”, The Amber Spyglass” and “The Subtle Knife” are collectively known under which title ?
		HIS DARK MATERIALS
24.	Which is the only English football league team to remain unbeaten in the league this season ?
		WYCOMBE  WANDERERS (hopefully Macclesfield Town will become the first team to beat them tonight !) [they weren't - lost 4-0 - Nick]
25.	Which actor played the part of Muhammed Ali in the 2001 film of the boxer’s life titled “Ali” ?
		WILL SMITH
26.	Whose recent autobiography has the title “Dear Fatty” ?
		DAWN FRENCH
27.	Whose recent autobiography has the title “Why do I say these things” ?
		JONATHAN ROSS
28.	What is Lenin’s first name  ?
		VLADIMIR (Illyich)
29.	Which band’s latest album is titled “Off with their heads !” ?
		KAISER CHIEFS
30	The “Volkstrauertag” is the equivalent of which event in Britain ?
		REMEMBERANCE  SUNDAY
31.	In which battle did the “Thin Red Line” feature ?
		BALACLAVA
32.	Which English King was the father of John of Gaunt ?
		EDWARD III
33.	In addition to the traditional Christmas stamps this year the Royal Mail have also issued 4 Christmas stamps featuring characters from 4 different pantomimes – name either of the two pantomimes or pantomime characters depicted on either of the first or second class Christmas stamps ?
		1ST  - ALADDIN (GENIE) 2ND  - CINDERELLA (THE UGLY SISTERS)
34.	Which of the Hogwarts school houses is missing from the following list - Huffelpuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor ?
		RAVENCLAW
35.	Which was the first James Bond novel that Ian Fleming wrote ?
		CASINO ROYALE
36.	What is the name of the Star Trek actor who is currently taking part in series 8 of “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here !” ?
		GEORGE  TAKEI (he played the character Hikaru Sulu (Starship helmsman)
37.	Which company sponsors “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here !” ?
		ICELAND (party food)
38.	Dipsomania is a term which describes an uncontrollable craving for what ?
		ALCOHOL
39.	John Flamsteed was the first person to hold which UK post ?
		ASTRONOMER ROYAL
40.	What colour was the cookie monster in Seasame Street ?
		BLUE
41.	How do you say 80 in French ?
		QUATRE-VINGT
42.	Who wrote and performed the theme music to the TV programme “One Foot In The Grave” ?
		ERIC IDLE
43.	Which prison is guarded by the ghostly Dementors in the Harry Potter series of books ?
		AZKABAN
44.	Which notable date in history was recorded in the diary of George III with the words “Nothing of importance happened today” ?
		4TH JULY 1776   (US declaration of Independence)
45.	What was the name of the Mexican leader who captured the Alamo in 1836 ?
		SANTA ANNA
46.	Who is the chief of the muses and muse of epic or heroic poetry ?
		CALLIOPE
47.	In the human body where would you find the scaphoid and trapezoid bones ?
		WRIST
48.	Which songwriter, singer and former model is married to French President Nicholas Sarcozy ?
		CARLA BRUNI
49.	Which sport would you be playing if your balls are pink and yellow and your opponents balls are black and blue ?
		CROQUET
50.	Two great footballers, Eusabio and Pelé share the same nickname  - what is their nickname ?
		BLACK PEARL
51.	Who is the current Speaker of The House of Commons ?
		MICHAEL MARTIN
52.	Which US authoress, humorist and wit said “If all the girls who attend the Yale prom were laid end to end it wouldn’t surprise me one bit” ?
		DOROTHY PARKER
53.	Who explained his defeat in a 1923 world heavyweight boxing match with the words “I forgot to duck “ ?
		JACK DEMPSEY
54.	Zimbabwe used to be called Southern Rhodesia, what is Northern Rhodesia now called ?
		ZAMBIA
55.	Which London prison is the largest in Britain ?
		WORMWOOD SCRUBS
56.	Which is the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays ?
		THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
57.	In the mystery novel by Wilkie Collins what is the Moonstone ?
		A DIAMOND
58.	Which was the first country in the world to grant women the vote ?
		NEW ZEALAND
59.	Who is the Patron Saint of lost causes ?
		ST. JUDE
60.	What was Buddy Holly’s first name ?
		CHARLES
61.	Who composed the “Trout Quintet” ?
		FRANZ SCHUBERT
62.	In which well known Dickens novel would you come across the character of Magwitch ?
		GREAT EXPECTATIONS
63.	The BBC are currently showing a major adaptation of the Dickens novel “Little Dorrit” but what is the first name of “Little Dorrit” ?
		AMY
64.	Which UK seaside pier burnt down on September 9th this year ?
		FLEETWOOD
65.	Who recently became the new Prime Minister of New Zealand ousting the past incumbent of 9 years, Helen Clark ?
		JOHN KEY
66.	In which county is Portland Bill ?
		DORSET
67.	Which footpath runs 105 miles from Beachy Head to Winchester ?
		THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY
68.	What was the name of Britain’s first nuclear powered submarine ?
		HMS  DREADNOUGHT
69.	The battle of Borodino was fought in which war ?
		NAPOLEONIC WAR
70.	Which American city is served by Ronald Reagan airport ?
		WASHINGTON DC
71.	J R R Tolkien – the J stands for John.  Name either of his other two forenames ?
		RONALD and REUEL
72.	The Romans called this European country Lucitania – by what name is it known today ?
		PORTUGAL
73.	Lawrence Payton, Obie Benson, Levi Stubbs and Abdul Fakir were the 4 founding members of which Motown Group ?
		THE FOUR TOPS
74.	In the children’s TV programme Play School there were 3 windows to look through – 2 were the square and circle shaped windows but what was the shape of the third window ?
		ARCH
75.	What is the name of the 17 mile underground proton accelerating chamber at the Cern Laboratory in Geneva on the Swiss-French border called ?
		LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
76.	Which American author who wrote the novels “The Andromeda Strain” and “Jurassic Park” and also created the hospital drama “ER” died on November 4th this year ?
		MICHAEL CRICHTON
77.	Which actor and songwriter who wrote the theme for Shaft, and was "reborn" as Chef on South Park died on August 10th this year ?
		ISAAC HAYES
78.	In 1963, which artist painted “Whaam”, an image of a jet fighter destroying another plane with a rocket ?
		ROY LICHTENSTEIN
79.	What would you be suffering from if you had the condition of “otalgia” ?
		EARACHE
80.	What is a “flying fox” ?
		BAT (fruit bat)
81.	On what date is St Swithin’s Day ?
		JULY 15TH
82.	On what date is St Andrews Day ?
		NOVEMBER 30TH
83.	What dance was the last dance that John Seargent and Kristina Rihanoff performed on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing ?
		WALTZ
84.	For the first time in the Antique Roadshow’s history experts have valued an item at one million pounds – what was the item ?
		4 FT HIGH STATUE OF THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH
85.	What appeared for the first time in The Times newspaper in September 1860 ?
		THE WEATHER FORECAST
86.	Who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagen on 30th March 1981 ?
		JOHN HINCKLEY
87.	On August 2nd which English cricketer became the 25th cricketer to reach 100 first class centuries ?
		MARK RAMPRAKASH
88.	Who carried the Team GB flag at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing?
		MARK FOSTER (Chris Hoy carried it at the closing ceremony)
89.	What is missing from the following set of Monopoly properties – The Angel Islington, Euston Road ?
		PENTONVILLE ROAD
90.	What is missing from the following set of Monopoly properties – Pall Mall, Whitehall ?
		NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE
91.	For which film did Steven Spielberg win his first Oscar ?
		SCHINDLER’S LIST
92.	What is the name of the follow-on TV series from “Life on Mars” ?
		ASHES TO ASHES
93.	Who was the Captain of the victorious 2008 US Ryder Cup team ?
		PAUL AZINGER
94.	Which politicians’ last words were said to have been “I’m so bored with it all”??                           WINSTON CHURCHILL
95.	Earlier this year who became the new Russian President ?
		DMITRY  MEDVEDEV
96.	In the 2008 Motor Racing Formula One season who partnered Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team ?
		HEIKKI KOVALAINEN

 

 

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS

 

 

1.	Who won the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in November this year ?
		NOVAK  DJOKOVIC
2.	What is the currency in Malaysia ?
		RINGGIT
3.	What is the currency in Vietnam ?
		DONG
4.	Which BBC “Brummie” TV presenter  is fluent in Serbo-Croat, failed a job interview with MI5, and made a brief appearance in the film “Sex Lives of the Potato Men” ?
		ADRIAN CHILES
5.	Who directed the Lord Of The Rings series of films ?
		PETER JACKSON
6.	What colour represents the Northern Line on the London Underground map ?
		BLACK
7.	Who was the first person voted off this years “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” ?
		ROBERT KILROY-SILK
8.	A Mavis is an old name for what bird ?
		SONG THRUSH
9.	Who was the “paranoid android” in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ?
		MARVIN
10.	Who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I ?
		ANNE BOLEYN