24th March - Question Masters

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

Set by Sutton Church House

Vetted by Waters Green Phoenix

 

                                                GEOGRAPHY

 

Q1. Setubal is a port in which European county?

A.  Portugal

 

Q2.  Lake Winnebago is in which U.S. State?

A. Wisconsin

 

Q3.  Which English river flows into the North Sea at Whitby?

A.   The Esk

 

Q4.  Which English river flows into Morecambe Bay at Fleetwood?

 A.   The Wyre

 

Q5. Which Canadian City stands on the St Clair River directly opposite

        Detroit, Michigan?

A.   Windsor (Ontario)

 

Q6. Which US City stands at the eastern end of Lake Erie where it flows into the              Niagara River

 A.   Buffalo

 

Q7.  The Brenner Pass connects Austria with which other county?

A.    Italy

 

Q8.  What is the name of the Italian speaking canton of Switzerland?

A.     Ticino

 

Supplementaries

 

 

S1.   How many countries share borders with Norway?

 A.    Three -   Sweden, Finland & Russia

 

 

S2.   How many countries does the Czech Republic share a border with?

A.    Four -   Germany, Austria, Poland & Slovakia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              SCIENCE - THE UNIVERSE

 

 

Q1.   Between which two planets is the Asteroid Belt?

A.    Mars & Jupiter

 

Q2.   If the moon enters the Penumbra, what would you see?

 A.    A Lunar Eclipse

 

Q3.   What are the maximum minutes of a total solar eclipse?

A.      Seven  minutes

 

Q4.    In which year was the Challenger space shuttle disaster?

A.      1986

 

Q5.    Who made the first refractory telescope & discovered that the Moon

           had craters and Mountains?

A.       Galileo

 

Q6.     What is a Nebula?

A.        It is an Interstellar Cloud of Dust from which stars are made.

 

Q7.     The Sun will continue to shine until what happens?

A.        Its hydrogen is converted into helium

 

Q8.    What is a Nova?

A.      Very bright star

 

Supplementaries

 

S1.     What stopped Jupiter from becoming a star like our Sun, as it has 90%          hydrogen & 10% helium

A.        Its size it is not big enough for nuclear fusion to begin. 

 

S2.    The Sun goes through a period when the sun spot & sun flares reach a

         maximum every how many years?

A    11 years

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             SPORT

 

Q 1.  Who was the first woman swimmer to win gold medals in three consecutive

         Olympic Games?

A.     Dawn Fraser

 

Q 2.  Which thoroughbred racehorse defeated War Admiral in a celebrated match race      held in 1938?

A.     Sea biscuit

 

Q 3.  Who was the first European to win the heavy weight boxing title?

A.      Max Schmeling

 

Q4.    Of what material were golf balls originally made?

A.      Wood

 

Q5.    Who was the first person to win the tennis grand slam twice?

A.       Rod Laver

 

Q6.     During which games was the first Olympic village built to accommodate

           Competitors & Officials?

A.       Los Angeles 1932

 

Q7.     What did the American Jockey Todd Sloan make popular in horse racing?

A.       He introduced the monkey crouch riding style

 

Q8      Tail slides, floaters & reverses are moves in which sport?

A.        Surfing

 

 

Supplementaries

 

S1. In which country did speed skating originate?

A.   Holland

 

S2.   In which country was the first winter Olympic Games held?

A.      France

                            

 

THE ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS)

 

You will be given details of Actors or Actresses who have won an Oscar in a leading or supporting role. Just name them.

   

  Q1. Born 25^th December 1899 Died 14^th January 1957

      Nickname the last century man

      Made 75 films      won 1 Oscar

      Films     High Sierra & Maltese Falcon

A.   Humphrey Bogart

 

Q2. Born 12^th May 1907 Died 29^th June 2003

       Nickname First lady of cinema

       Made 52 films    won 4 Oscars

        Films     Lion in winter & On Golden Pond

A.   Katherine Hepburn

  

Q3. Born 15^th April 1900    Died 10^th June 1967

       Made 74 films   won 2 Oscars

        Films    Judgment at Nuremberg & Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner,

A.    Spencer Tracy

 

Q4.  Born 22^nd February 1908 Died 23^{rd April} 2005

           Made 46 films won 1 Oscar

           Films Hobson’s choice & Colditz Story

  A.     John Mills

 

  Q5.   Born 5th April 1908    Died 6^th October 1989

           Nickname the first lady of film

           Won 2 Oscars     made 121 films,

            Films   All about Eve & Deception

   A.     Bette Davis         

 

  Q6.    Born 5^th April 1916 Died 12^th June 2003

           Made 58 films

           Won 1 Oscar

           Films   To kill a Mocking Bird & The big Country

   A.     Gregory Peck

 

   Q7.   Born 4^th May1929 Died 20th January 1993

            Made 31 Films

            Won 1 Oscar

            Films Breakfast at Tiffany’s & Roman holiday

   A.     Audrey Hepburn 

 

   Q8.    Born 20^th May 1908 Died 2^nd July 1997

            Made 100 films

            Won 1 Oscar

             He held the highest active military rank of any actor in history

          Films   The Philadelphia story & The Naked Spur

A.       James Stewart

 

 

Supplementaries

 

S!. Born 17^th July 1899 Died 30^th March 1986

     Nickname the Professional Gangster    

     Made 68 Films

     Won 1 Oscar

     Films   Yankee Doodle Dandy the Public Enemy

A.  James Cagney

 

S2 Born 5^th November Died 7th July 1967

     Made 20 films

     Won 2 Oscars

     Films Gone with the Wind & a Streetcar Named Desire

A.  Vivian Leigh

 

 

                                     T V Sit Coms

 

Q1. In ‘Allo Allo’ What was the name of the gay German Officer who flirted                      with Rene Artois?

A.   Lieutenant Gruber

 

Q2. In ‘Open All Hours’ by what nickname was Mrs Featherstone known?

A.   The black widow

 

Q3. In ‘Rising Damp’   what was Rigsby first name?

A.   Rupert

 

Q4. In ‘The Vicar of Dibley’    what is the character’s name played by Liz Smith

      who created countless dishes which require, shall we say, acquired taste?

A.  Leticia Cropley

 

Q5. In ‘Dads Army’   what is the Verger’s name, who also runs the Sea Scouts?

A.   Mr Yeatman

 

Q6. In ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’ in the cliff-hanger scene what was the make of car that Frank was hanging on to?

A.   A Morris Minor

 

Q7. In the two Ronnie’s Sketch ‘Four Candles’ Ronnie Barker also asks for Plugs and a saw tip, can you name any of the other four things requested?

A.    Os, Ps,   Pumps or Washers.

 

Q8. In ‘Fawlty Towers’ when Mrs Richards complains of the view from her window Basil says ‘What do you expect from a Torquay window the Sydney Opera House’ Name one of the other two things mentioned by him?

A.   The Hanging Gardens of Babylon    Herds of Wildebeest

 

 

Supplementaries

 

S1. In ‘Porridge’ Ronnie Barker played Norman Stanley Fletcher, Richard Beckinsale

      Played Lenny Gobber but who did Sam Kelly Play?

A.  Bunny Warren

 

S2. In ‘Steptoe & Son’ where did Albert & Harold live

A. 25 Oil Drum Lane (accept Oil Drum Lane)                  

 

 

 

WORLD WAR TWO  -  THE WAR IN THE AIR

 

 

Q1. What was the name of the B 29 super fortress which dropped the Atomic

       Bomb on Hiroshima?

A.   Enola Gay

 

Q2. What type of aircraft dropped the Bouncing bombs in the Dambusters raid on May 16^th 1943?

A.   Avro Lancaster

 

Q3. The spitfire single engine fighter was built by which Southampton based company?

A.   Super Marine

 

Q4. By what name was the North American P51 fighter otherwise known?

A.   Mustang

 

Q5. Who was the Commander of fighter command during the Battle of Britain

        in 1940?

A.    Air Marshal Hugh Downing

 

Q6.  In April to June 1942 the Germans bombed a number of British cities in

        retaliation for the RAF raid on Lubeck - what did these bombing raids become                            

        known as?

 

A.   The Baedeker raids. It was thought that the Germans used the Baedeker tourist guides to choose their targets

 

Q7.  Which British fighter aircraft outnumbered the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain?

A.    Hawker Hurricane   (1,326 to 957)

 

Q8.   Which two-engine British bomber was nicknamed The Wimpey?

A.     Wellington

 

Supplementaries

 

S1   The Germans mounted the first successful airborne invasion on the

         20th May 1941 on which Mediterranean island?

A.     Crete

 

S2.   Which biplane operated by the Fleet Air Arm from aircraft carriers in a torpedo/

          reconnaissance role was nicknamed String bag

A.    Fairy Swordfish

 

WINTER

 

Q1. The Winter War was fought from November 1939 to March 1940. Name either of the countries involved?

Ans. Finland or Russia.

 

Q2. Which building in Russia was shot at from the cruise ship Aurora marking the beginning of the Revolution in 1917?

Ans. The Winter Palace.

 

Q3. ‘Temperature’s rising, fever is high, can’t see no future, can’t see no sky’ are the opening lines to which John Lennon song?
Ans. Cold Turkey.

 

Q4. In the song ‘Winter Wonderland’ what name will be given to the snowman once built?
Ans. Parson Brown.

 

Q5. How many sides has a snowflake?
Ans. Six

 

Q6. What is the name of the first Mrs de Winter in Daphne du Maurier’s novel of 1938?
Ans. Rebecca.

 

Q7. Which rap star was born Robert Van Winkle?
Ans. Vanilla Ice.

 

Q8. Which song by Yaz shares its title with a Richard Condon thriller?
Ans. Winter Kills.

 

Supplementaries

 

S1. What is the country of origin of the Poinsettia?
Ans. Mexico.

 

S”. In the film ‘Miracle on 34^th Street’ in which department store does the miracle take place?
Ans. Macys.

 

HISTORY

 

Q1. With which organisation were Cobden and Bright connected in the 19^th century?
Ans. The Anti-Corn Law League.

 

Q2. Who is said to have written the Casket Letters in the 16^th century?
Ans. Mary Queen of Scots.

 

Q3. What was MP William Huskisson’s unfortunate distinction in 1830?
Ans. He was the first passenger railway fatality (killed at the opening of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway).

 

Q4. What links King John (1209), Henry VIII (1533) and Elizabeth I (1570)?
Ans. They were all excommunicated by the Pope.

 

Q5. Which organisation was set up after the Battle of Solferino?
Ans. The Red Cross.

 

Q6. What name was given to the fortifications built around Britain in the Napoleonic Wars?
Ans. Martello Towers.

 

Q7. What was first introduced by Pitt the Younger in 1798 and re-introduced by Peel in 1842?
Ans. Income Tax.

 

Q8. For which monarch was the gold State Coach built?
Ans. George III

 

Supplementaries

 

S1. Which U.S. City was named after the future James II?
Ans. New York (He was the Duke of York).

 

S2. Hampton Court Palace is supposedly haunted by three of Henry VIII’s wives. Two of them are Catherine Howard and Jane Seymour name the third?
Ans. Ann Boleyn.

 

 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS

 

Set by The Waters Green Phoenix

 

1.       When Harold Wilson formed a government in 1963 who was his deputy P.M.?

A.  George Brown

 

2.       Who was made Chancellor of the Exchequer in the same government?

A.  Jim Callaghan

 

3.       Which architect once said, “A house is a machine for living in”?

A. Le Corbusier

 

4.       Which actor wrote “The Turquoise Mountain” in 1991, an autobiographical account of his attempt to climb Mount Everest?    

A. Brian Blessed 

 

5.       The Hagia Sophia, famous for its massive dome, was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years.  Where is it?

A.  Istanbul (accept Constantinople)

 

6.       In January this year The Royal Society for Chemistry named John Godwin the winner of their competition to solve which conundrum?

 

A. How to get the gold off the coach at the end of  the 1969 film The Italian Job

 

7.       Where did England make their lowest ever test score against the West Indies?

A.  Port of Spain (accept Trinidad)

 

8.       The lowest ever test score is 26.  Which country made it?

A.  New Zealand

 

9.       Who was the musical director of the Halle Orchestra before Sir Mark Elder?

A.  Kent Nagano

 

10.     Who was the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission?

A. Jim Lovell

 

11.     What abundant element is created from the fusion of helium nuclei in the cores of giant stars?

A.  Carbon

 

12.     What is the third most abundant element in the universe?

A.  Oxygen

 

13.     What is the group name for the fundamental particles that make up the proton?

A.  Quarks

 

14. What colour is the star on the flag of Ghana?

A. Black

 

15.     When a metallic element is burnt in a Bunsen flame it gives a characteristic spectral colour; sodium produces a yellow flame.  What colour does potassium give?

A.  Lilac (accept purple)

 

16.     What colour does barium give in a flame test?

A.  Light green, or apple green.

 

17.     Which Beatles song contains the line: “I read the News today, oh boy.”

A.  A day in the Life

 

18.     Which Rolling Stones hit contains the lines: “Well he can’t be a man ‘cause he doesn’t smoke the same cigarettes as me.”

A.  Satisfaction (I can’t get no.)

 

19 Which British scientist was the grandson of Josiah Wedgwood?

A. Charles Darwin

 

20.     A run on which British company caused the stock market crash of 1720?

A. The South Sea Company   (Crash known as the South Sea Bubble)

 

21.     Calamine lotion is frequently used as an anti-itching application - but what is calamine?

A. zinc ore

 

22. Who wrote the book Goodbye Mr. Chips?

A. James Hilton

 

23.     Who had “a ruby on her tummy and a diamond big as Texas on her toe”?

A. Little Egypt (the Coasters written by Lieber and Stoller)

 

24.     What was the capital of ‘Finland before Helsinki?

A. Turku

 

25. Funded by the Arts Council, what is the name of the new high-tech arts building in West Bromwich?

A. The Public

 

26.     Phillipe Petit recently was the subject of a film - who is he?

A. High-wire artist who walked between the twin towers in New York in 1974

27.     Harold Wilson took the name of his baronetcy from which Cistercian abbey?

A. Rievaulx

 

28.     Formed in 1919 which national airline is the worlds oldest?

A. KLM (Holland)

 

29.     In 1878 which artist was awarded nominal damages of one farthing after John Ruskin’s criticism of his work “Nocturne in Black and Gold: the Falling Rocket” provoked a law suit for libel?

A. James Whistler

 

30.     What organisation was at 62 Baker St London W1?

A. Special Operations Executive

 

31.     In Japan, what is the Shinkansen?

A. The Bullet Train (Accept train or any derivation thereof)

 

32.     In which US state is Lake Placid?

New York

 

33.     In what year did the Queen Mother die?

A. 2002 (no leeway – too recent)

 

34.     What is the county town of Wiltshire?

A. Trowbridge

 

35.     How many countries are there in the UK’s Commonwealth?

A. 53 (leeway: 50 – 55)

 

36.     Byron was a titled Baron - of where?

A. Rochdale

 

37.     The fictional Police detective in a series of books by American author Michael Connolly has the same name as which 15th century Dutch Artist?

A. Heironymus Bosch

 

38.     In which year did Adolf Hitler become Chancellor of Germany?

 A. 1933 (no leeway)

 

39.     Which country did transsexual singer Dana International represent in 1998 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Diva”?

A. Israel (I know it’s not in Europe!)

 

40.     Karnak Temple lies on the outskirts of which Egyptian city?     

A. Luxor

 

41.     Which British ocean liner was torpedoed in May 1915 resulting in the death of over 100 passengers and crew?       

A. RMS Lusitania

 

42.     In 1812 who was shot and killed by John Bellingham?

A. Spencer Percival

 

43.     Lee Hall is the writer of which very successful film and stage show?

A. Billy Elliot

 

44.     According to Stanley Baldwin, what is “the privilege of the harlot”?

A. Power without responsibility (he was attacking the press).

 

45.     In the 1923 silent film “Safety Last!” who is famously seen hanging from the hands of a clock high above the street?     

A. Harold Lloyd

 

46.     What is measured by the Torino Scale?

A. It is used to calculate the impact hazard to Earth from near-earth objects such as asteroids  and meteors.

 

 

47.     Where does the Nobel Peace Prize presentation take place?

A. Oslo

 

48.     On 24 March 1944 76 prisoners broke out of  POW camp Stalag Luft 3 - this event was later turned into a film, what was its title?

A. The Great Escape

 

49.     Which early martyr met death on a gridiron over a fire?

A. St Laurence

 

50. Which Eastenders Actress died on 26th February 2009?

A. Wendy Richard.

 

51.     Where in the UK is the National Museum of Computing?

A. Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes

 

52.     What is the requirement for membership of the Bob Graham club?

A. To have done the Bob Graham Round of 42 peaks in the Lake District within 24 hours. (Answer must contain either 42 peaks or 24 hours)

 

53.     Where is Dyce airport?

A. Aberdeen

 

54. In which decade was the first atomic-powered ship launched?

A. 1950's

 

55. As of 27th February 2009, who hosts BBC Radio 4’s “The News Quiz”?

A. Sandy Toksvig

 

56.     Who was Tom Daly’s partner in the synchronised diving event in the Olympics?

A. Blake Aldridge

 

57.     In which country is the Atacama desert?        

A. Chile

 

58.     Kevin Mcloud presents which series on Channel 4?   

A. Grand Designs

 

59.     The Snow Monkey is a species of Macaque native to which country?  

A. Japan

 

60.     Which 19th century family produced four siblings, two of whom were founder members of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and their two sisters were an author and poet?

A. Rossetti (Dante, William, Maria and Christina)

 

61.     Which rock star is also a portrait photographer who was invited to photograph the Queen during her diamond jubilee year with one of the images being used on a Canadian postage stamp?       

A. Bryan Adams

 

62. Who is Harry Potter’s Godfather?

A.    Syrius Black

 

63.     Where is the former Labour leader John Smith buried?   

A. Iona

 

64. Which British comedian was born in Birmingham 1926 and died in Sydney, Australia in 1968 due to an overdose?

  A. Tony Hancock

 

65.     Designed by Sir John Sloane and opened in 1817, the first public Art Gallery is situated where?  

A. Dulwich   (Dulwich Picture Gallery)

 

66.     Who is the BBC’s business editor?          

A. Robert Peston

67.     Which canal, opened in 1893, separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from mainland Greece?    

A. Corinth Canal

 

68.     Featuring in the news fairly recently what is The Chief Pleas?

A. Sark’s legislative body

 

69.     Who wrote "Testament of Youth"?

Vera Brittain

 

70. Who played the “King” in the film “The Man Who would be King”?

A. Sean Connery

 

71.     In which sport are there moves called Triffus, Rudolph and Miller?

A. Trampolining

 

72.     Who is the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra?

A. Simon Rattle

 

73.     Peel Ports is the name of a transport company – what does it cover?

A. The port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal

 

74. In which year was the Angel of the North put up?

1998(accept 1997-1999)

 

75. What part did Marni Nixon play in the film West Side Story?

A. She dubbed for Natalie Wood singing

 

77. What are the flat, treeless plains of Argentina called?

A. Pampas

 

78. What is the family name of The Beverly Hillbillies?

A. The Clampetts

 

79. What is a percheron?

A.      A heavy horse (used by armoured knights etc)

 

80. What are Kathakali (kat-a-karli) and Manipuri?

A.      Forms of Indian dance

 

81. Who produces the wine label Esprit De Corps?

A.      The Foreign Legion

 

82. Sir Arthur Evans excavated which famous archaeological site?

A.      Knossos (in Crete)

 

83. Gala was muse and wife to which Surrealist artist?

A. Salvador Dali

 

84.     What was the July Monarchy?

A. Reign of Louis Phillippe in France 1830-48 (accept either the name or a date within 1830-48)

 

85.     In which year did Frank Sinatra die?

A. 1998

 

86.     Which river rises in Lebanon, runs through Syria before entering the Mediterranean in Turkey?

A. Orontes

 

87.     Low Cell Count has been in the news recently - what is it?

A. DNA testing from a very low sample – now contentious

 

88. The Grand Canyon was mainly carved by the waters of which river?

A. Colorado

 

89. What was the name of Virginia Woolf’s painter sister?

A. Vanesa Bell

 

90.     Who painted The Wreck of the Hesperus?

A. Gericault

 

91.     For how long has Silk FM been broadcasting?

A. 10 years (founded 1998) (accept 9 to 11 – will be 11 later this year)

 

92.     When Tehran became the Persian capital, it replaced which city, for which a red wine grape was probably named?”

A. Shiraz

 

93.     In 1939 a non-aggression pact was signed between Germany and the Soviet Union - name either signatory.

A. Molotov and Ribbentrop

 

94.     In 1746 Sir Francis Dashwood founded which exclusive English club known for its outlandish practices?

A. Hellfire Club

 

95. What is the brown pigment made from the ink of cuttlefish?

A. Sepia

 

96.     “Waltz In Black” is the signature tune to what?

A. Floyd cookery programmes

 

 

SUPPLEMENTARIES

 

S1. Who, in 1990, went on her “Blonde Ambition” tour?

A. Madonna

 

S2. Kevin Mcloud presents which series on Channel 4?    

A. Grand Designs

 

S3. Name one of the two horses that beat Red Rum in the Grand National

A.  Rag Trade or L’Escargot

 

S4. In which American state is the Pentagon?

A. Virginia

 

S5. By what name is Edmond Dantès better known?

A.      Count of Monte Christo

 

S6. SCNT has been in the news recently - what is it?

A. Used to clone cells in an egg from which the nucleus has been removed - Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.