17th November Questions

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

SET BY THE NEW CASTLE

1.    Science

2.    Local Heroes

3.    History

4.    Geography

5.    Animal Magic

6.    Sport: I want to tell you a story

7.    Arts and Entertainment: Nemeses

8.    Hold the Front Page

Science

1.            What word describes an object’s ability to return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed?

            Elasticity or Elastic constant

2.            Which part of the human anatomy remains the same size from birth?

            Eyes

3.            What name is given to the 'halo' of gas that surrounds the sun?

            Corona

4.            Which (sometimes fatal) disease derives its name from the Italian for bad air?

            Mal-aria

5.            Which organ of the body is responsible for the production of anti-bodies?

            The spleen

6.            What part of the body does silicosis affect?

            The lungs

7.            What condition is an Ishihara test used to diagnose?

            Colour blindness

8.            What is the sum of the internal angles in a hexagon?

720 degrees

Supplementaries

9.         Which poisonous substance is also known as 'Woolly Rock'?

            Asbestos

10.       Which part of the body is affected by gingivitis?

            The gums

Local heroes

Name the famous person with local connections being described.

1.         Born in Macclesfield in 1941 of Armenian ancestry.  TV presenter and antiques expert.  Married to Lorne.

            David Dickinson

2.         Born in Macclesfield in 1963 and attended Cheadle Hulme School.  Journalist and BBC’s political editor.

            Nick Robinson

3.         Born in 1952 in Belfast.  Now lives in Macclesfield.  BBC Radio 5 Live sports commentator.

            Alan Green

4.         Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1929.  BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter.  Died in 1994 in Macclesfield.

            Brian Redhead

5.         Born in Manchester in 1956.  Later moved to Hurdsfield and ultimately to Barton Street, Macclesfield.  Was married to Deborah.  Died in 1980.  Rock star.

            Ian Curtis

6.         Born in 1955 in Cheadle Hulme.  Former head girl at Macclesfield High School for Girls.  Childhood friend of Ian Curtis.  Actress, probably best known for playing Mrs Miggins in “Blackadder”.

            Helen Atkinson-Wood

7.         Born in Macclesfield in 1977.  Moved to Cornwall as a young child.  Olympic gold medallist.

            Ben Ainslee

8.         Born in Macclesfield in 1981.  Moved to London at an early age.  Tottenham and England footballer.

            Peter Crouch

Supplementaries

9.         Born in 1893.  Lived for much of her childhood in Macclesfield before moving to Buxton.  Writer, feminist and pacifist.  Mother of Shirley Williams.  Died in 1970.

            Vera Brittain

10.       Born in Macclesfield in 1966.  Real name Paul Oldfield.  “Entertainer” who has performed with the Screaming Beavers and the Macc Lads.  Auditioned unsuccessfully for “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009.

            Mr Methane

History

1.         The Battle of Bosworth Field came towards the end of which war?

            War of the Roses (1455-1485)

2.         Which conflict included the Battle of the Ebro?

            The Spanish Civil War (1938-39)

3.         Which town, taking its name from a greek demi-god, was buried in the

            pyroclastic flow from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD?

            Herculaneum (from Heracles)

4.         Which ancient temple situated in Luxor, Egypt incorporates the Great Hypostyle Hall?

            Temple of Karnak

5.         Which group was responsible for the sacking of the city of Rome in 455BC?

            The Vandals

6.         Boudicca (aka Boadicea) was queen of which ancient tribe?

            Iceni (allow Brittonic Iceni, Eceni)

7.         Who immediately preceded Mikhail Gorbachev as Russian president?

            Konstantin Chernenko (1984-5)

8.         The Stresa Front was an agreement made between three countries in 1935 as a response to increasing militarisation in Germany. Britain & France were two of the countries.  What was the third?

            Italy (Stresa is on Lake Maggiore)

Supplementaries

9.         How many English kings & queens were crowned during the course of the 20th Century?

            Four (Edward VII, George V, George VI, Elizabeth II - Edward VIII abdicated before coronation)

10.       In 1840 Sir Rowland Hill issued his new invention on the British public. What was it?

            The first adhesive postage stamp (Penny Black)

Geography

The question will give you a road number or route name and the country or area it travels through. What is required is the place or landmark at either one end or the other.

1.         Route 66, USA

Los Angeles – Chicago

2.         Park Lane, London

Hyde Park Corner – Marble Arch

3.         Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia

Moscow – Vladivostock

4.         Mont Blanc tunnel, France to Italy

Chamonix - Courmayeur

5.         Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris

Place de la Concorde - Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l'Étoile) accept Arc de Triomphe

6.         A9/M9, Scotland

Edinburgh – Thurso

7.         Coast to Coast footpath, England, as popularised by Alfred Wainwright

St Bees (Cumbria) – Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire)

8.         A30, England

London – Land’s End

Supplementaries

9.         Route 1, USA

Key West – Fort Kent (Maine)

10.       Grand Union Canal, England

London (River Thames) – Birmingham. Accept also the River Trent

Animal magic

All of the answers in this round include an animal.

1.         Directed by John Landis this 1981 film is a black comedy horror film partly

            set in Yorkshire.

            “An American Werewolf in London”

2.         This artist has a recent Album called "Roadsinger", but he is better known for

            his conversion to Islam in 1977. Under what name did he rise to fame?

            Cat Stevens

3.         This team currently play in the Football League Championship, and play their home games at the Liberty Stadium.

            Swansea City

4.         This town is the county town of Shropshire, lying on the river Severn.

            Shrewsbury

5.         The name of this 1974 Frederick Forsyth novel takes its name from a famous quote from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

            “The Dogs of War” (The quote is "Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war”)

6.         This local beer making establishment produces beers including Ursa Major & Polar Eclipse?

            Beartown Brewery (Congleton)

7.         This British businesswoman is best known as the runner up in the 2006 series of the TV programme "The Apprentice". She now presents her own show.

            Ruth Badger

8.         This browser is currently second only to Microsoft's Internet Explorer in terms of numbers of users?

            Mozilla Firefox (Not Mozilla Seamonkey, that has very few users)

Supplementaries

9.         By what name are the US Navy Special operations forces commonly referred to?

            SEALs (From SEa Air Land forces)

10.       Hilary Mantel won the Booker prize this year with which book based around the life of Thomas Cromwell?

            “Wolf Hall”

11.       (JOKE QUESTION) A well known novel by Miguel de Cervantes.

            “Don Quixote” (Geddit!!!)

Sport: I want to tell you a story

You will each be given the name, year of first publication and sport of a sporting biography. But who would write a book like this? The clues are there….

1.         “Psycho”, 2000, football.

            Stuart Pearce

2.         “Serious”, 2003, tennis.

            John McEnroe

3.         “Dazzler”, 2001, cricket.

            Darren Gough

4.         “Lions, Tigers and Roses”, 2001, rugby union.

Austin Healey

5.         “In Pursuit of Glory”, 2008, cycling.

            Bradley Wiggins

6.         “Time to Declare”, 2009, cricket.

            Michael Vaughan

7.         “Open”, 2009, tennis.

            Andre Agassi

8.         “Managing my Life”, 1999, football.

            Sir Alex Ferguson

Supplementaries

9.         “Black, White and Gold”, 2005, athletics.

            Kelly Holmes

10.       “Stand up Pinocchio”, 2008, football.

            Phil Thompson

                                                                                   

Arts & Entertainment – Nemeses

Nemesis – An archenemy, the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, anyone or anything which seems to be the inevitable cause of someone's downfall or defeat. For each question identify the nemesis of the character, group or organisation given.

1.         Sherlock Holmes

(Professor James) Moriarty

2.         Darth Vader

Luke Skywalker

3.         Blur, during the Brit Pop heyday

Oasis

4.         Ernst Stavro Blofeld

James Bond

5.         Abraham van Helsing

Count Dracula

6.         Road Runner

Wile E Coyote

7.         Captain Scarlet & Spectrum

The Mysterons

8.         Penelope Pitstop

The Hooded Claw

Supplementaries

9.         Baron (Silas) Greenback

Dangermouse

10.       Popeye

Bluto

11.       Nag & Nagaina, two Indian cobras

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Hold the Front Page

(rather than post links to the original front pages I have typed in the headline)

You will each be shown a copy of the front page from a past edition from “The Super Soaraway Sun”. A word from the headline has been removed and replaced with asterisks (to indicate the number of letters in the missing word). Simply supply the missing word.

(Note to question master: for any visually impaired players, simply read out the headline and tell them how many letters are in the missing word.)

1. FREDDIE STARR ATE MY .......    Hamster
2. HARRY THE ....                               Nazi
3. OLYMPIC LOGO TRIGGERS ........ Epilepsy
4. THE ...., THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Liar
5. ONE WORD HEADLINE AFTER SINKING OF GUNBOAT Gotcha
6. ITS THE SUN ... WON IT       Wot
7. ITS PADDY .........   Pantsdown
8. ....... IN PYJAMAS    Bananas (Michael Jackson's court appearance)

Supplementaries

9. ..... YELLED "QUE" IN BED   Brand
10. LABOUR'S .... IT Lost
11. ROLLING BACK THE ..... Tears (Sir Robby Robson's death)

General Knowledge Questions  Set by the Cock Inn 1.         Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009?             Herta Mueller 2.         Who said of a speech written for Gordon Brown by Ed Balls “There you have it! The final proof Labour’s brand new, shining, modernists’ economic dream. But it’s not Brown’s - it’s Balls”?             Michael Heseltine 3.         What vegetable has varieties called Romanesco, Purple Cape and Orange?              Cauliflower 4.         Who wrote the novel “The Return of the Native”?             Thomas Hardy 5.         Who conducted the 2009 Last Night of the Proms?              Leonard Slatkin 6.         Who won the 2009 Vendee Globe yacht race?              Michel Desjoyeaux 7.         Who was Great Britain’s youngest Prime Minister?             William Pitt the Younger (24 years, 6 months and 21 days.) 8.         What gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavour?             Oil of Bergamot 9.         Who said at the 1977 Conservative Party conference “Half of you won’t be here in 30 or 40 years’ time”, but that others would have to live with the consequences of a Labour government if it stayed in power?             William Hague 10.       What vegetable has varieties called Straight 8, Pot Luck and Boston Pickling?              Cucumber 11.       Who wrote the novel “The Light that failed”?             Rudyard Kipling               .                                                                                                                                   12.       Who is the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra?                                                                                                                                                 Sir Simon Rattle 13.       Ellen McArthur has given up yacht racing to do what?             Environmental campaigning 14.       Who was Great Britain’s longest lived Prime Minister?             James Callaghan (92 years, 11 months and 30 days.) . Ellen McArthur has given) yacht racing to do what?

15.       What makes a Pink Gin pink?

            Angostura Bitters

16.       What makes up the outer coating of Battenberg cake?

            Marzipan

17.       According to the advert, what will www.comparethemeerkat.com not help you with?

            Car Insurance

18.       Who was Winston Churchill’s wife?

            Clementine

19.                   The words “charge”, “field” and “fly” are used in relation to which objects?

                        Flags

20.       Who won an Oscar for his role in the 1970’s film “Ryan’s Daughter”?

            John Mills

21.       In 1768 who became the first President of the Royal Academy?

            Joshua Reynolds

22.       What colour shirts were worn by England in the 1966 World Cup final?

            Red

23.       The annual Hay Festival celebrates which art form?

            Literature

24.       Who composed the opera “The Pearl Fishers”?

            Bizet

25.                   What does an icthyologist study?

                        Fish

26.                   Which European country has the most lakes?

Finland

27.       “Aquarius” and “Good Morning Starshine” are songs from which musical?

            “Hair”

28.       Who co-stars on the Direct Line Insurance advert with Paul Merton?

            Stephen Fry

29.       When is Simnel cake traditionally eaten?

            Easter

30.                   What type of creature is kept by an apiarist?

Bee

31.                   What did wainwrights traditionally make?

                        Wagons

32.                   Which city is served by Dyce airport?

Aberdeen

33.       In “The Lord of the Rings” what is the name of the Hobbit who must carry the ring to Mordor?

            Frodo

34.                   In the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year which jockey won The Oaks and the St. Ledger on the Queen’s horse?

Willie Carson

35.                   In Victorian England what was a reticule?

A bag

36.       Which plant is known as the Sword Lily?

            Gladiolus

37.       In 1837 which British monarch did Victoria succeed?

            William IV

38.       Which band is named after a South African football team?

Kaiser Chiefs

39.       In “Oliver Twist” what is the name of Bill Sykes’ girl friend?

            Nancy

40.       Who wrote “A Dog So Small” and “Tom’s Midnight Garden”?

            Philippa Pearce

41.       Who made the first public mobile phone call in Britain on January 1985?

Ernie Wise

42.       Where did Ghandi practise law before returning to India in 1914?

            South Africa

43.       Which place name is Anglo-Saxon for “wooded hill”?

            Hurst

44.       Which creature married the Owl and the Pussycat?

Turkey

45.       Vaquero and buckaroo are colloquialisms for what?

Cowboy

46.       The bat is the registered trademark of which drinks company?

Bacardi

47.       Where did Nellie the Elephant meet the head of the herd?

On the road to Mandalay

48.       In America, what are referred to as “Benjamins”?

100 Dollar bills (because they have a picture of Benjamin Franklin on the obverse side)

49.       How is 555 displayed in Roman numerals?

            DLV

50.       Which country’s national symbol is the lotus flower?

India

51.       From which country does the NOKIA phone company originate?

Finland

52.       In American universities what is a second year student called?

A Sophomore

53.       Where is the Koh I Noor diamond usually kept?

            The Tower of London

54.       Who is said to rule in a plutarchy?

The rich

55.       Which was the first credit card?

Diners Club

56.       Manchego is a variety of what?

Cheese

57.       Which sign of the Zodiac is represented by the goat?

Capricorn

58.       How high (in feet) are the posts in football?

8 feet

59.       Alderney and Herm are in which group of islands?

Channel Islands

60.       In Australia which is the nearest city to the Great Barrier Reef?

Cairns

61.       “I wandered lonely as a cloud” is the first line of which poem?

            “Daffodils” (by Wordsworth)  

62.       The Star of India is an example of which precious stone?

       Sapphire

63.       Who said “Veni, Vidi, Vici”?

       Julius Caesar

           

64.       What illegal drug did Sherlock Holmes allegedly take?

            Cocaine

65.       What is a sampan?

            A boat

66.       Who is fourth in line to the British throne?

            Prince Andrew (accept Duke of York)

67.       Which underground line goes to Heathrow Airport?

            Piccadilly

68.       What type of creature is a Mulloway?

            Fish

69.       In the human body what is the calcaneum?

            Heel bone

70.       Name the male presenter of “The One Show”.

            Adrian Chiles

71.       Which member of the Royal Family was married to the late Sir Angus Ogilvy?

            Princess Alexandra

72.       Give one of the Christian names of A.A. Milne?

            Alan Alexander

73.       Who composed “Fanfare for the Common Man”?

            Aaron Copland

74.        In what year was the Royal Automobile Club founded?

            1897 (accept 1895 – 1899)

75.       Racketball is a game combined from two other sports.  Name either of them.

            Squash and handball

76.       In the human body what is the scapula?

            Shoulder blade

77.       What type of creature is a Gerenuk?

            Antelope

78.       Whose yacht was called “Morning Cloud”?

            Sir Edward Heath

79.       Give one of the Christian names of A.E. Houseman.

            Alfred Edward

80.       Who composed “Scenes from Childhood”?

            Robert Schumann

81.       Who circumnavigated the world in 1967 in the Gypsy Moth IV?

       Francis Chichester

82.       Who had the crowds gathered to hear speak in St. Peter’s fields on 16 August 1819?

Henry Hunt (accept Orator Hunt)

83.       The 19^th century MP William Huskisson became the first person to die in what way?

            In a railway accident (he was hit by George Stephenson’s Rocket)

84.       Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson established which garden in Kent?

Sissinghurst

85.       The November edition of “Playboy” magazine sports a cartoon character as the cover girl. This is
the first time for a cartoon character. Who is she?
Marge Simpson (to celebrate 20 years of “The Simpsons”)

86.       Which charity runs the “Full Stop” campaign

            NSPCC

87.       In the 1980s TV programme “The Hitman and Her” who was “Her”?

            Michaela Strachan

88.       How many pillars of Islam are there?

            5

89.       Who wrote the novels “The Choir” and “The Rector’s Wife”?

            Joanna Trollope

90.       What family of plants do red and green peppers come from?

            Capsicum

91.       Which King of England’s mother and son were both beheaded?

            James I (Mary Queen of Scots and Charles I)

92.       Which mythological Arabian princess saved her life by telling stories for 1,001 nights?

            Sheherazade

93.       What is the black mineral in granite?

            Mica

94.       Mesopotamia was located between two rivers.  The Tigris was one.  Name the other.

            Euphrates

95.       What superstitious event do months that start on a Sunday have in common?

            Friday 13^th

96.       In the children’s TV series “Mary, Mungo and Midge”, who or what was Midge?

            A mouse

SUPPLEMENTARIES

1.         What is Sir Cliff Richard’s real name?

            Harry Webb

2.         What was the name of the Noel Coward film based on the experiences of Lord Louis Mountbatten’s ship HMS Kelly?

     “In Which We Serve”

3.         Which engine powered the Hurricane aircraft of World War II?

     Rolls Royce Merlin (accept Merlin)

4.         What is the birthstone for May?

     Emerald

5.         Where is Alum Bay, which is famous for its many coloured sands?

     Isle of Wight

6.         What type of insects are hawkers, clubtails and biddies?

     Dragonflies