Monday, December 19, 2011

13th December Questions

 

Set by

The Dolphin Dragons

(both Specialist and General)

And vetted by

The British Flag

&

The Robin Hood

Specialist Rounds:

Science

Lists (History)

On What Grounds (Sport)

Geography

Arts and Entertainment

and

The Name’s the Same

The F Word

A Round of Double Entendres

Happy Christmas, Everybody!

 


Specialist Rounds

Round 1:Science

Q1. What work does a leukocyte do? A1: Fights infection

(It’s a white blood cell)

Q2. What does a pathologist study? A2: Disease

Q3. Na is the symbol of ? A3: Sodium

Q4. Mg is the symbol of ? A4: Magnesium

Q5.What do we call the protrusion of part of the stomach into the oesophagus (gullet)? A5: A Hiatus Hernia

Q6. What disability is the inability to speak and/or understand speech? A6: Aphasia

Q7. What is the common name for the axilla? A7: Armpit

Q8. A micron is what fraction of a metre? A8:One millionth

Supplementaries

S1: Which constellation contains the pole star? A:The Little Bear

S2: Name one of the moons of mars A: Phobos, Demos

Round 2: Lists: (History)

Give the next in the following lists:

Q1: British PMs: Churchill, Eden, McMillan A1 Sir Alec Douglas /Lord Home

Q2: UK Presidents: Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman A2: Eisenhower

Q3: Popes: Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI A3: John Paul I

Q4: Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula A4: Claudius

Q5: British Monarchs: William I, William II, Henry I A5: Stephen

Q6: Leaders of the Conservative Party: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, William Hague A6:Iain Duncan-Smith

Q7: Leaders of the Labour Party: James Callaghan,Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock A7: John Smith

Q8: Leaders of the Lib/Lib Dems: Jeremy Thorpe, David Steele, Paddy Ashdown A8: Charles Kennedy (NB. Joe Grimond was temporary leader between Thorpe and Steele for 2 months)

Supplementaries:

S1: Wives of Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour A: Anne of Cleeves

S2: Olympic Venues: Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome A: Tokyo

Round 3: On What Grounds (Sport):

Q1. Which football league club play at the EBB Stadium?

A1. Aldershot

Q2. The ‘Giro’ cycle race tours which country? A2. Italy

Q3. In which Olympic venue did Seb Coe and Steve Ovett each win a gold medal but at the other’s speciality? A3. Moscow (1980).

Q4. What was the name of the Bradford City stadium severely damaged by fire in 1985? A4. Valley Parade.

Q5. Name either of the counties in which the Caesaravich horse race is run A5. Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. (It is run at Newmarket but the start post is in Cambridgeshire).

Q6. In which city are the famous Bislett Games held? A6. Oslo.

Q7. Traditionally, on which road does the Tour de France finish? A7. The Champs Elysee

Q8. On which race-course is the Welsh Grand National run? A8. Chepstow.

Supplementaries

S1: Leyton Orient FC want to move to the Olympic Stadium. What is their current home ground?   A. Brisbane Road

S2: Which football played at the Vetch field until 2005? A. Swansea City

Round 4: Geography

Q1: Port Moresby (Pot Mosbi) is the capital city of which country?A1: Papua New Guinea

Q2: Cape York is the northernmost point of which country? A2: Australia

Q3: Which is the largest country the equator passes through?A3: Brazil

Q4: Which African city’s name means, actually,“three cities”? A4:Tripoli

Q5: Which European country is not a member of the UN?A5: The Vatican

Q6: Which is the longest river to flow into the Mediterranean?A6: The Nile

Q7: Which European country with a sea-coast has the shortest one?A7: Monaco

Q8: What is the capitol of Belarus?A8: Minsk

Supplementaries

S1: In which desert is Las Vegas? A1: The Mohave

S2: In which country is Dubrovnic? A2: Croatia

 

Round 5: Arts and Entertainment

Q1: Who wrote the series of TV monologues “Talking Heads”?A1: Alan Bennett

Q2: Who had a hit in the 1960’s with Bob Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man?A2: The Byrds

Q3: On which TV series will you regularly see Aliona Vilani, Brendan Cole and Erin Boag? A3: Strictly come Dancing

Q4: What is the name of the famous museum and art gallery in St Petersburg? A4: The Hermitage

Q5: What was on the reverse side of Eleanor Rigby?A5:Yellow submarine

Q6: Who wrote the play The Winslow boy? (not the Wilmslow boy!) A6:Terence Rattigan

Q7: What is the name of the famous Art Gallery in Port Sunlight?A7:The Lady Lever

Q8: What is the name of the daytime TV programme that follows the fortunes of houses that are sold at auction?A8:Homes under the Hammer

Supplementaries

S1: Name one of the 2 Shakespeare plays that have characters named Portia. A: Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar

S2: Who was poet Laureate before Carol Ann Duffy?A: Andrew Motion

Round 6: The Name’s the Same!

For each question 2 people are described. Please give their common surname.

Eg. Q.Playwright who wrote Death of a Salesman and the author of eg Tropic of Capricorn A Miller (Arthur and Henry)

Q1. Leading light of the Arts and Craft movement, and children’s TV entertainer and animal voice artiste.A1.Morris (William & Johny)

Q2. Inventor of the postage stamp, and TV funny man. A2. Hill (Roland & Harry)

Q3. Motor car pioneer and 38th US presidentA3.Ford (Henry & Gerald)

Q4.1960’s and 1970’s F1 driver and female BBC News readerA4 Stewart (Jackie and Moira)

Q5. Winner of the World snooker championship in 1985 and winner of best female actress for her part in Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf. A5.Taylor (Dennis and Elizabeth)

Q6.The organist in Under Milk Wood and the pirate who became governor of Jamaica.A6.Morgan (Organ and Henry)

Q7. Former NUM leader, and creator of the Angel of the NorthA7. Gormley (Joe and Anthony)

Q8.Creator of the Magic Roundabout and charismatic winner of Olympic athletics gold medals in 1980 & 1984A8.Thompson (Eric and Daley)

Supplementaries

S1. Actress who played Miss Marple on film, and the NZ born “father of nuclear physics”. A: Rutherford (Margaret & Ernest)

S2. The father of communism and Hollywood funny man. A Marx (Karl and Groucho)

Round 7: The F word

All answers start with F – if the answer is human, the F word will be the surname

Which F:

Q1: Is a style of Architecture from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries? A1: Flamboyant

Q2 :Is Blue John stone a variety of?A2:Fluorspar (accept Fluorite?)

Q3: Was a French writer of farce (Died 1921)?A3: Feydeau (Georges)

Q4: Was a huge underskirt, popular in Elizabethan times?A4: Farthingale

Q5: Was a bundle of rods carried before important Roman magistrates?A5:Fasces

Q6: Was an English 20th Century contralto, whose home was Blackburn?A6:Kathleen Ferrier

Q7: Was a Quaker pioneer of prison reform (died 1845)A7:Elizabeth Fry (nee Gurney)

Q8: Is spiral shaped pasta?A8: Fusilli.

Supplementaries

S1: Is the piccolo a small version of?A:Flute

S2: Is the red jasmine, or the perfume which smells of it?A: Frangipani (The food is Frangipane)

S3: Was an Italian born US nuclear Scientist – won a Nobel prize in 1938)A:Fermi (anxious because his wife being Jewish, he escaped to the US by not returning from the award ceremony in Sweden!)

Round 8: A Round of Double Entendres

The answer to all questions is a single word with at least 2 different meanings.

2 (or perhaps 3) definitions will be given – supply the word

For Example Cleave: To split apart, to cling to

Q1: Given temporarily, period of fasting A1: Lent

Q2: Past tense of verb meaning to take without permission, scarf to drape over shouldersA2: Stole

Q3: To go ahead strongly, smithy A3: Forge

Q4: A former PM, waste ground A4: Heath

Q5: A set of lessons, an open sports area A5: Course

Q6: A private group, a heavy blunt instrument A6: Club

Q7: A painful infection of a nerve, wooden roofing tiles A7: Shingles

Q8: A means of transport, one who trains others A8: Coach

Supplementaries

S1: To tell tales, a meadow plant A: Grass

S2: A group of dolphins, a seed cover A: Pod

S3: Quick, a period of not eating, stuck. A: Fast

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

1

Q

Which country entirely surrounds Gambia (except for Gambia's very short coastline)?

A

Senegal

2

Q

What is a pangram?

A

A sentence with every letter of the alphabet in it.

3

Q

Which classic composer (d.1757) was born in the same year as Handel and Bach.

A

Scarlatti

4

Q

In Lord of the Rings, who does the elf-maiden marry?

A

Aragorn

5

Q

Which Manchester City player was sent off after only 12 minutesin the recent league match against Liverpool?

A

Mario Balotelli

6

Q

Who won this year's oscar for best leading actress?

A

Natalie Portman (for Black Swan)

7

Q

For what sporting achievement did Sam Waley-Cohen get his name in the papers last spring?

A

He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup (as an amateur, riding Long Run).

8

Q

What is another name for the Sea Eagle?

A

Osprey

9

Q

Who married Clementine Hoosier?

A

Winston Churchill

10

Q

Which is the second largest country in Europe, after Russia?

A

Ukraine

11

Q

In which hobby do you find references to O. Double O, HO, N etc?

A

Model Railways

12

Q

Who wrote the Academic Symphony?

A

Brahms

13

Q

Which Bank has the current slogan "For the Journey?"

A

Lloyds TSB

14

Q

Which country's cricket team was attacked by terrorists in Pakistan in 2009?

A

Sri Lanka

15

Q

Which silent film tells the story of the naval mutiny in Odessa in 1905?

A

The Battleship Potemkin

16

Q

Near which city is the Hadron Collider ?

A

Geneva

17

Q

Which hurricane threatened to disrupt the US tennis championships this year?

A

Irene

18

Q

In which British TV Sit-Com of the 1970's would you have heard the line "I heard that, pardon?"

A

I Didn't Know You Cared

19

Q

What is the smallest US state?

A

Rhode Island

20

Q

Whose wife was the capital of South Australia named after?

A

William IV (Adelaide)

21

Q

The Nobel Prize for Literature has gone most times to which country?

A

France

22

Q

Name one of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands, other than Richard Burton and Mike Todd.

A

Conrad (Nicky) Hilton, Michael Wilding, Eddie Fisher, John Warner, Larry Fortensky

23

Q

What, apart from al being alcoholic drinks, do Amstel, Newcastle Brown, John Smith's, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Murphy's and Buckler have in common?

A

All made by Heiniken

24

Q

Who was the manager who took Macclesfield into the football league?

A

Sammy McIlroy

25

Q

At which course was the 2011 Open Golf championship held?

A

St Georges/Sandwich (accept either, and indicate that you will!)

26

Q

Name one of the 3 Pakistani cricketers found guilty of spot fixing by a London court this Nov?

A

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif or Mohammad Amir

27

Q

Give the name traditionally given to either of the Virgin Mary's parents.

A

Anne or Joachim

28

Q

Where is Podgorica the capital of?

A

Montenegro

29

Q

How much was a groat worth?

A

Four (old) pennies

30

Q

What is a Wyvern?

A

A mythical creature (a sort of 2 legged dragon)

31

Q

What is a scalene triangle?

A

One with no side measuring the same as another

32

Q

Who currently presents Film 2011 on BBC TV?

A

Claudia Winkelman

33

Q

For which team did footballing legend Nat Lofthouse play for his whole career?

A

Bolton Wanderers

34

Q

Ellis Bell is better known as?

A

Emily Bronte

35

Q

The Nazi regime was known as the 3rd Reich. What was the 1st?

A

The Holy Roman Empire

36

Q

Who did Spain beat in the final of the 2010 football world cup?

A

The Netherlands

37

Q

What is a fumerole?

A

A hole in the side of a volcano

38

Q

The abbreviation LED stands for Light Emitting what?

A

Diode

39

Q

Which musician is the subject of the TV film "Living in the Material World" aired in November?

A

George Harrison

40

Q

Who did Siegfried rescue from the ring of fire?

A

Brunnhilde

41

Q

David Tennant and Catherine Tate starred in which Shakespeare comedy in a London theatre in the summer of 2011?

A

Much Ado about Nothing

42

Q

Who won the 2011 US Tennis in the women's singles?

A

Sam Stosur

43

Q

In which town in east Libya did this year's uprising begin?

A

Ben Ghazi

44

Q

In heraldry, what is a luce?

A

A pike (the fish type!)

45

Q

What was (and in a somewhat different form, still is) introduced by "At the sound of the Swinging Cymbal"?

A

Pick of the Pops

46

Q

What is the capital of Minorca?

A

Mahon

47

Q

Who succeeded De Gaulle as French President?

A

George Pompidou

48

Q

What is tofu made of?

A

Soya Beans

49

Q

What, in legend, is the name of King Arthur's mother?

A

Ygraine

50

Q

Isabella Mayson, who lived in the nineteenth century, is better known as?

A

Mrs Beeton

51

Q

In which country were the 2011 world Athletic championships held?

A

South Korea

52

Q

Which Frenchman narrowly escaped charges of sexual misconduct in New York earlier this year?

A

Domenique Strauss-Kahn

53

Q

What is measured on the Schoville scale?

A

The hotness of peppers

54

Q

Which composer wrote an opera based on Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing, called Beatrice & Benedict?

A

Berlioz

55

Q

In1964 Tanganika merged with which country to become Tanzania?

A

Zanzibar

56

Q

Who has recently had a book published called "Death comes to Pemberley?

A

PD James - it's a sort of murder mystery sequel to Pride & Prejudice

57

Q

In which US TV sitcom of the 1970's/early 80's would you have heard a voiceover saying: "These and many more questions will be answered in next week's episode of…?

A

Soap

58

Q

Richard Madely and Judy what? (Madeley not acceptable!)

A

Finnigan

59

Q

What, zoologically do we call the(old) man of the forest?

A

An Orangutan (the meaning in Malay)

60

Q

What is hypoxia?

A

Oxygen deprivation

61

Q

Who took over from Liam Fox as Secretary of Defence in October?

A

Phillip Hammond

62

Q

Who wrote the poem Kubla khan?

A

S.T. Coleridge

63

Q

Ergot is a disease of what?

A

Rye (and some other grasses) It can poison humans if infected rye is used to make bread etc

64

Q

What is the largest English inland county?

A

Shropshire

65

Q

Which duo was known in their early career as Tom & Jerry?

A

Simon and Garfunkel

66

Q

Which Impressionist painter was the only one who exhibited at all 8 of the Impressionist exhibitions?

A

Pissaro

67

Q

Who does Marianne Dashwood marry in Sense and Sensibility?

A

Colonel Brandon

68

Q

What is Britain's largest carnivore (not including man!)

A

The Grey Seal

69

Q

In Hebrew folklore who is Adam's first wife?

A

Lilith (nb Not biblical, but folklore)

70

Q

Which ship rescued people from the Titanic?

A

RMS Carpathia

71

Q

Which European city is home to the oldest university in the world?

A

Bologna

72

Q

Name one of the 2 British Gold Medallists in this year's World Athletic Championships.

A

Dai Greene or Mo Farrar

73

Q

What is Synaethesia?

A

Hearing/seeing sounds as colours

74

Q

What is the alternative name for the Beatles' Norwegian Wood?

A

This Bird has Flown

75

Q

Which actor is TV's Rab Nesbitt?

A

Gregor Fisher

76

Q

Which horse trained by Ginger McCain won the Grand National - apart from Red Rum?

A

Amberleigh House

77

Q

What is a leveret?

A

A young hare

78

Q

Why was Graeme Knowles in the news in late October?

A

He was the clergyman of St Paul's Cathedral (the dean,actually) who resigned over the protest camp outside.

79

Q

What is the name of the open-air theatre built in a cleft of the cliffs in Cornwall?

A

The Minack theatre

80

Q

Name one of Michael Jackson's children

A

Michael Joseph Jr (accept Prince), Paris-Michael Katherine, Prince Michael II (Blanket)

81

Q

In which area of expertise were the Tradescants, father and son, active?

A

Gardening/ plants

82

Q

A fusee is found in the mechanism of what?

A

A clock

83

Q

What is the given name of the new Sarkozy offspring?

A

Guilia

84

Q

After the sad death of Humph, who is now the chairman of "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue"?

A

Jack Dee

85

Q

In sport,what position does Warren Gatland hold?

A

Welsh Rugby Union Coach

86

Q

There are 2 species of Gorilla. One is the Lowland. What is the other?

A

The Mountain Gorilla

87

Q

What is a Villanelle?

A

A type of poem (eg Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night)

88

Q

Who is the current managing director of the International Monetary Fund?

A

Christine Lagarde

89

Q

In which book do we encounter Molly Bloome?

A

Ulysses (James Joyce)

90

Q

The hedge sparrow is also known as?

A

The Dunnock

91

Q

What constituent of a catalytic converter makes it tempting to thieves?

A

Platinum

92

Q

Per Una is a clothing range sold by which shop chain?

A

Marks and Spencer

93

Q

What is the country seat of the Earls of Grantham?

A

Downton Abbey

94

Q

Name the third Wise Man, according to legend - Caspar, Balthasar, and ?

A

Melchior

95

Q

Dilma Rouseff is the President of which G20 country?

A

Brazil

96

Q

Who was the first Chancellor of the reunited Germany?

A

Helmut Kohl

Supplementary Questions:

1

Q

Which store currently has the slogan "live for less"?

A

Sainsbury's

2

Q

What is the recently popular male voice choir from St Isaac in Cornwall?

A

Fisherman's Friends

3

Q

Mohammed fled from Mecca to which city?

A

Medina

4

Q

Who saved ancient Rome by "Keeping the Bridge" against the enemy?

A

Horatius ( and Spurius Lartius, and Herminius, if you're picky!)

5

Q

Why was Scott Elstone in the sports news in the summer of 2011?

A

He was the sub who took 2 catches in England's defeat of India at Trent Bridge.

6

Q

Who wrote the 19th century novel "Sybil"?

A

Benjamin Disraeli

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

6 December 2011

 

Set by the Ox-fford ‘C’.

Thanks to the Lamb Inn and the Pack Horse Bowling Club for their help in vetting them.

The specialist rounds are:

1. Sport

2. Science

3. Geography: Animals Around the World

4. Arts & Entertainment

5. Are You Twitching?

6. History

7. The Powers that Be

8. Songs for Whoever

Our reference source for the vast majority of these questions is Wikipedia: the free encyclopaedia that anyone can edit (but perhaps unwisely, we don’t let that put us off!).

Round One: Sport

1.

Q

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, last month, became world champion for the eighth consecutive time – in which sport?

 

A

Motor rallying

2.

Q

Which South African batsman scored his 12,000th Test run recently?

 

A

Jacques Kallis

3.

Q

Which sport provided three of the ten nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year when they were announced last week?

 

A

Golf (Darren Clarke, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy)

4.

Q

Who coached New Zealand to victory in the recent Rugby Union world cup?

 

A

Graham Henry

5.

Q

In volleyball, how many times can a team hit the ball before passing it over the net?
 

A

Three times

6.

Q

In golf, what term denotes the close-cut area of grass that surrounds a green?

 

A

The apron

7.

Q

Which Rugby League club is moving to Langtree Park at the start of the 2012 season?

 

A

St. Helens

8.

Q

How many red balls (including the power ball) are used in the new, sexed-up version of snooker known as Power Snooker?

 

A

Nine

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Australia recently recorded their lowest total in a Test innings since 1902. What was it?

 

A

47 (accept 45-49. The 9th wicket fell at 21 – five runs short of the lowest ever Test total!)

10.

Q

Which club last week ended Huddersfield Town’s record-breaking unbeaten run?

 

A

Charlton Athletic

Round Two: Science

1.

Q

The damselfly is a smaller relative of which more familiar insect?

 

A

The dragonfly

2.

Q

What is the lowest layer of the earth’s atmosphere, where all weather systems occur?

 

A

The troposphere

3.

Q

Which branch of science is concerned with the movement of air around a moving object?

 

A

Aerodynamics

4.

Q

Which metal burns with a bright white light at comparatively low temperatures, and was used as a source of illumination in the early days of photography?

 

A

Magnesium

5.

Q

Which element has the atomic number 15, and is commonly stored under water as it reacts violently with oxygen?

 

A

Phosphorus

6.

Q

Which branch of science is concerned with the motion of projectiles?

 

A

Ballistics

7.

Q

Which disease was certified by the World Health Organisation to have been eradicated in 1979?

 

A

Smallpox

8.

Q

Which disease is caused by excess levels of uric acid in the blood?
 

A

Gout

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Who discovered, in 1605, that planetary orbits are elliptical?

 

A

Johannes Kepler

10.

Q

In birds, insects, and other animals, which part of the alimentary tract is used to store food prior to digestion?

 

A

The crop (also accept croup or craw)

Round Three: Geography – Animals Around the World

In each case, either the question or the answer includes the name of an animal or a bird.

1.

Q

What is the most southerly point in Great Britain?

 

A

The Lizard

2.

Q

Goat Fell is the highest point on which Scottish island?

 

A

Arran

3.

Q

Situated close to Niagara Falls, which is the second most populous city in New York State?

 

A

Buffalo

4.

Q

What name is given to sub-tropical latitudes between 30 and 35 degrees north and south, where ships often became becalmed in mid-ocean?

 

A

The Horse Latitudes

5.

Q

Which of Spain’s seventeen regions includes Mount Teide (TAY-deh), the country’s highest mountain?

 

A

Canary Islands

6.

Q

What is the chief port on the Gulf of Lion?

 

A

Marseille

7.

Q

The Australian city of Perth is on the banks of which river?

 

A

The Swan River

8.

Q

Tiger Bay is the former name of an area within which British city?

 

A

Cardiff (it’s now known as Cardiff Bay)

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Which island in New York state has a name that comes from the Dutch word meaning “rabbit”?

 

A

Coney Island

10.

Q

What is the name of the island off the south-west coast of the Isle of Man?

 

A

The Calf of Man

Round Four: Arts & Entertainment

1.

Q

Who or what did Percy Bysshe Shelley refer to as “blithe spirit”?
 

A

A skylark

2.

Q

Whose Meditation Seventeen included the lines “for whom the bell tolls” and “no man is an islande”?
 

A

John Donne

3.

Q

Which rock band took its name from a novel by Herman Hesse, first published in 1927?
 

A

Steppenwolf

4.

Q

Mendelssohn’s Wedding March is part of his incidental music to which Shakespeare play?
 

A

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

5.

Q

Who composed the Bridal Chorus – better known as Here Comes the Bride?
 

A

Richard Wagner (it’s from his opera Lohengrin)

6.

Q

What was James Dean’s last film, in which he played an oil-rich Texan called Jett Rink?
 

A

Giant

7.

Q

Whose only appearance at the Oscars ceremony, to date, was in 2002, when he made a plea for producers to continue filming their movies in New York City after the 9-11 attacks?
 

A

Woody Allen

8.

Q

Who was the original presenter of BBC television’s Blankety Blank?

 

A

Terry Wogan

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Who played the leading role in the 1980 remake of the film The Jazz Singer?

 

A

Neil Diamond

10.

Q

What inspired Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Achilles, which she wrote in 2010?

 

A

The injury that kept David Beckham out of the World Cup finals

Round Five: Are You Twitching?

Note to question persons: this is a visual round. Before starting, please ask if any of the contestants is or are visually impaired; if anyone is, offer them (when it comes to their turn) one of the alternatives below.

You should have two copies of each picture. Hand out one copy to each team simultaneously, one question at a time.

Now please read out the following paragraph to the contestants!

This is a visual round. You will be shown a picture of a native British bird, and its Latin name. All you have to do J is give its common (or English) name.

1

image

Pica pica

Magpie

2

image

Turdus merula

Blackbird

3

image

Passer domesticus

House Sparrow (full name required )

4

image

Troglodytes troglodytes

Wren

5

image

Lagopus muta

Ptarmigan

6

image

Alcedo atthis

Kingfisher

7

image

Hirundo rustica

Swallow

8

image

Sternus vulgaris

Starling

Alternatives (for visually impaired contestants)

1

Q

Which member of the crow family has distinctive pinkish–brown plumage and blue striped wings?

 

A

The jay

2

Q

What colour is the breast of the grey wagtail?

 

A

Yellow

Supplementaries

9

image

Phalacrocorax carbo

Cormorant (accept Shag)

10

image

Falco subbuteo

Hobby

Round Six: History

1.

Q

What have Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter done that no other US president has?
 

A

Won a Nobel (Peace) Prize

2.

Q

Who was the first Vice President of the United States?
 

A

John Adams

3.

Q

The so-called Triple Entente was an alliance that was forged in 1907 between Britain, France, and which other country?
 

A

Russia

4.

Q

Who was Britain’s first Labour prime minister?
 

A

James Ramsay McDonald

5.

Q

Which pharaoh built the famous temples at Abu Simbel?

 

A

Ramesses II (accept Ramesses)

6.

Q

Which war began in 1618 following a Protestant uprising in the Holy Roman Empire?

 

A

The Thirty Years’ War

7.

Q

Who succeeded Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1999?

 

A

Thabo Mbeki

8.

Q

Who was the wife of Prasutagus (pra-SOO-ta-gus), king of the Iceni (eye-SEEN-eye)?

 

A

Boudica or Boadicea

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Which English king did Owain Glyndwr (Owen Glendower) defeat in three campaigns from 1400 to 1402?

 

A

Henry IV

10.

Q

Who established the first Viking settlement in Greenland?
 

A

Eric Thorvaldsen (accept Eric the Red)

Round Seven: The Powers that Be

The American business and media company Forbes last month published its annual list of the 70 most powerful people on Earth. This round is about the top 12 people on that list – in no particular order.

(We extended our list to No. 12 because despite his being Chairman of the US Federal Reserve most of us had never heard of Ben Bernanke, who was named by Forbes at No. 8; and because Mark Zuckerberg, who’s No. 9, came up a couple of weeks ago)

1.

Q

Last year’s No. 1, this year he falls to No. 3: he’s the President of China

 

A

Hu Jintao (accept Hu)

2.

Q

Up from No. 3 to No. 2: according to Forbes, the decision of his “loyal lapdog” to stand down in 2012 has set him up for a return to the job that “some claim he never gave up”

 

A

Vladimir Putin

3.

Q

Credited by Forbes with “saving millions of lives” through the Foundation that he set up with his wife Melinda, which is “changing the world again, through vaccines”: he rises from No. 10 to No. 5

 

A

Bill Gates

4.

Q

This year’s Number One: his debt-ceiling negotiating was derided and his popularity has plummeted, but Forbes rates him as the most powerful person on the planet by virtue of his job

 

A

Barack Obama

5.

Q

A non-mover at No. 4: the only woman in the Top Ten, described as “de facto leader of the European Union”

 

A

Angela Merkel

6.

Q

Down from No. 5 to No. 7: a former Hitler Youth who sprang from relative obscurity to worldwide fame in 2005, three days after his 78th birthday

 

A

Pope Benedict (the Sixteenth) – accept The Pope

7.

Q

The only Briton in the Top Ten: his fall of three places to No. 10 is partly attributed to the demise of his communications director

 

A

David Cameron

8.

Q

Just failing to make the Top Ten, but the second woman on the list: born in Italy, she’s the President of India (both names required)

 

A

Sonia Gandhi

Supplementaries

9.

Q

The oldest person in the Top Ten, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is King of which country?

 

A

Saudi Arabia

10.

Q

Mario Draghi is a new entry at No. 12. Which financial institution did he recently become President of?

 

A

The European Central Bank

Round Eight: Songs for Whoever

Taking our title from the Beautiful South, in this round the answer to each question is a girl’s name that appears in the title of a song. For example:

 

Q

Who did the Beatles describe as being in the sky with diamonds?

 

A

Lucy

They’re not all as easy as that, obviously. But maybe some of them are …

1.

Q

Who was breaking Simon & Garfunkel’s heart?

 

A

Cecilia (she did it again to Suggs about 30 years later)

2.

Q

Who did Status Quo entreat to take their hand, so that together they could rock and roll – while Neil Diamond simply assured her that good times never were so good?

 

A

(Sweet) Caroline (strangely, both songs refer to Sweet Caroline in the lyrics, but Status Quo’s title is just Caroline while Neil Diamond’s is Sweet Caroline)

3.

Q

Who did the Beatles glimpse ‘filling in a ticket in her little white book’?

 

A

(Lovely) Rita

4.

Q

Who got the Beach Boys ‘rocking and a-rolling, rocking and a-reeling’?

 

A

Barbara Ann

5.

Q

Who has been Smokie’s next-door neighbour for the last twenty-four years?

 

A

Alice (don’t ask … )

6.

Q

Whose daddy did Kid Creole and the Coconuts confess to not being?

 

A

Annie

7.

Q

Who came to Barry Manilow and gave without taking? (And then did the same to Westlife.)

 

A

Mandy

8.

Q

Who did Tom Jones ask to forgive him because he just couldn’t take any more?

 

A

Delilah

Supplementaries

9.

Q

Who did The Police advise that there was no need to put on the red light?

 

A

Roxanne

10.

Q

Who did the Zutons invite to come on over?

 

A

Valerie

11.

Q

For whom did Tony Christie do what he did?

 

A

Maria

General Knowledge

1.

Q

Which series of cartoons featured a grouchy cowboy or prospector named Yosemite (yo-SEMI-tee) Sam?

 

A

Bugs Bunny

2.

Q

Which publishing company was founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane?
 

A

Penguin

3.

Q

In brewing, what name is given to the liquid that results from the “mashing” of the grains – sometimes described as unfermented beer?
 

A

Wort (rhymes with caught)

4.

Q

Which famous hymn or anthem has words by William Blake and music by Charles Parry?

 

A

Jerusalem

5.

Q

What was the maiden name of Lady Diana Moseley, wife of Sir Oswald?

 

A

Mitford (strictly speaking, it was Freeman-Mitford)

6.

Q

At which English town, now a city, did Charles Edward Stuart turn back in 1745?
 

A

Derby

7.

Q

Popularly known as the Poll Tax, what was replaced by the Council Tax in 1993?

 

A

Community charge

8.

Q

From which plant are linseed oil and linen produced?
 

A

Flax

9.

Q

What rank is used instead of Corporal in the Royal Artillery?
 

A

Bombardier

10.

Q

In a Looney Tunes cartoon, what sort of creature was Pepe le Pew?

 

A

A skunk

11.

Q

What would you add to a Bechamel (BESH-uh-mel) sauce to make a Mornay sauce?

 

A

Cheese

12.

Q

Not counting Wales and the Vatican City, what is Europe’s last country alphabetically?
 

A

Ukraine

13.

Q

Whose debut album, released in 2004, was entitled Back to Bedlam?

 

A

James Blunt

14.

Q

What nickname was given to the British champion jockey Harry Wragg and the American athlete Dave Wottle, because of their aptitude for timing their sprint finishes just right?
 

A

The Head Waiter

15.

Q

Who was the first woman to be admitted to the Order of Merit?

 

A

Florence Nightingale

16.

Q

Who was leader of the Labour party from 1980 until 1983?

 

A

Michael Foot

17.

Q

What type of organism consists of a fungus and an alga living symbiotically?
 

A

A lichen

18.

Q

Who currently appears on the back of a £20 note?
 

A

Adam Smith

19.

Q

Which famous film was inspired by a book entitled The Seven Pillars of Wisdom?

 

A

Lawrence of Arabia

20.

Q

The graham cracker is the American equivalent of which popular British snack?

 

A

The digestive biscuit

21.

Q

What’s the only South American country that has both Pacific and Caribbean coastlines?
 

A

Colombia

22.

Q

Which British singer, songwriter and pianist has released albums entitled Twentysomething, Catching Tales and The Pursuit?

 

A

Jamie Cullum

23.

Q

Which comedian and TV presenter was born in Farnworth, Bolton in 1951 and has the real name David Gordon Bramwell?

 

A

Dave Spikey

24.

Q

Who was the first Governor-General of India, famously impeached in 1787 but acquitted in 1795?
 

A

Warren Hastings

25.

Q

Who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1956 until 1967, and again briefly in 1976?

 

A

Jo Grimond

26.

Q

Who was the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world?

 

A

Jack Johnson

27.

Q

Who invented, and is still most famous for, jasperware?

 

A

Josiah Wedgwood

28.

Q

Which 1965 film, directed by David Lean, was said by one critic to have done for snow what Lawrence of Arabia did for sand?

 

A

Doctor Zhivago

29.

Q

In the game of bridge, how many tricks do you need to win if you make a contract of (for example) one club?

 

A

Seven

30.

Q

Which river flows through Hamburg?
 

A

The Elbe (EL-buh)

31.

Q

Claiming to be the original Take That tribute act, and still the best, their name differs from the real thing in only one letter. What are they called?
 

A

Fake That

32.

Q

Born in London in 1979, how is the twice Mercury-nominated singer Natasha Khan better known?

 

A

Bat for Lashes (she’s the only artist other than the Arctic Monkeys to be nominated for the Mercury twice)

33.

Q

Who led the British forces that surrendered to the combined American and French forces after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
 

A

Lord Cornwallis

34.

Q

Which former pop singer sat in the US House of Representatives from 1995 until his untimely death following a ski-ing accident in 1998?

 

A

Sonny Bono (accept “Sonny out of Sonny and Cher”, but the answer must include the first name. Just in case anyone is showing off, his real first name was Salvatore. Basically however, we are not talking about the bloke from U2!)

35.

Q

Who, in 1960, became the first boxer to regain the world heavyweight title?
 

A

Floyd Patterson

36.

Q

Which animal was known in Middle English as the urchin?

 

A

The hedgehog

37.

Q

Whose autobiography, completed by his widow and published posthumously in 2005, was entitled Margrave of the Marshes?

 

A

John Peel

38.

Q

In table football, how many midfielders does each side have?

 

A

Five (they play 2-5-3!)

39.

Q

In which European capital city is the Charles Bridge?

 

A

Prague

40.

Q

What’s the name of the band formed in 2009 by Liam Gallagher and other former members of Oasis, after brother Noel left to form his High-Flying Birds?
 

A

Beady Eye

41.

Q

According to the Bible, who succeeded David as King of Israel?

 

A

His son Solomon

42.

Q

Who was commander-in-chief of the United States Pacific Fleet during World War Two?
 

A

Admiral Chester Nimitz

43.

Q

Two bridges cross the Menai Straits. One is the Menai Bridge; what’s the other one called?

 

A

The Britannia Bridge

44.

Q

Why was Wigan Athletic’s central defender Antolin Alcaraz suspended recently?
 

A

For spitting at an opponent (apparently he didn’t know that spitting at people was considered offensive in this country – he’s from Paraguay)

45.

Q

Which Spanish word for a range of mountains appears in the NATO phonetic alphabet?

 

A

Sierra

46.

Q

Who described his brief political career in a book that was published in 2001 and entitled An Accidental MP?
 

A

Martin Bell

47.

Q

In Greek mythology, which Cypriot sculptor fell in love with a statue he had made?

 

A

Pygmalion

48.

Q

In which mountain range is Elbrus, said by most authorities to be the highest mountain in Europe?

 

A

The Caucasus

49.

Q

Which fictional town has been portrayed, in two separate TV drama series, by the Scottish towns of Callander and Auchtermuchty?
 

A

Tannochbrae (in Dr. Finlay’s Casebook on the BBC in the 1960s, and in Dr. Finlay on ITV in the 1990s, respectively)

50.

Q

Which element is referred to in the Bible as brimstone?

 

A

Sulphur

51.

Q

In which seaport, situated between the heel and toe of Italy, did the Royal Navy launch a famous attack on the Italian fleet in 1940?

 

A

Taranto

52.

Q

Which famous TV advert, first shown in 1973, featured an arrangement of the Dance of the Reed Flutes, from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker?
 

A

Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut (Everyone’s a Fruit & Nut Case)

53.

Q

Which Liverpool player was recently accused of making a racist comment aimed at Manchester United’s Patrice Evra?
 

A

Luis Suárez

54.

Q

Which charitable organisation was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon H. D. Rawnsley?

 

A

The National Trust

55.

Q

In which school is the novel Tom Brown’s Schooldays set?

 

A

Rugby

56.

Q

In Greek mythology, who was carried to Olympus by an eagle, to be cupbearer to Zeus?

 

A

Ganymede

57.

Q

In which modern country is the site of the ancient city of Antioch?

 

A

Turkey

58.

Q

Which television crime-fighting duo were played by Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber?

 

A

Dempsey & Makepeace

59.

Q

In the Zodiac, which constellation comes between Aquarius and Aries?

 

A

Pisces

60.

Q

From which language did we get the word geyser (pronounced geezer or guy-ser – meaning a spring that spouts water intermittently)?

 

A

It’s said to be the only word in the English language that comes from Icelandic

61.

Q

Who is leading the inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press?
 

A

Lord Justice Leveson

62.

Q

On which course is the Scottish Grand National run?

 

A

Ayr

63.

Q

What was built in 1856 on the site of the Peterloo Massacre?

 

A

The Free Trade Hall

64.

Q

Which fictional character taught Latin at Brookfield School?

 

A

Mr. Chips (Chipping)

65.

Q

Which American jazz pianist, whose compositions include Blue Rondo à la Turk, is celebrating his 91st birthday today?

 

A

Dave Brubeck (he didn’t actually compose Take Five!)

66.

Q

Which inlet of the sea lies between England and Scotland on the west coast?

 

A

The Solway Firth

67.

Q

Who is set to take over as presenter of Countdown in January 2012?
 

A

Nick Hewer

68.

Q

How many planets in the Solar System are bigger than Earth?

 

A

Four (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune)

69.

Q

What term was originally used in relation to Northern politicians or businessmen going south to exploit conditions after the American Civil War?

 

A

Carpetbaggers

70.

Q

Marc Jacobs was in the news recently when he was the victim of a robbery. In which field is he famous?

 

A

He’s a fashion designer (most famous, apparently, for designing Steve Jobs’ rimless spectacles!)

71.

Q

In (or near) which city does the football club known as Espanyol play its home games?

 

A

Barcelona (at the Olympic Stadium, until a couple of years ago)

72.

Q

What traditional event has taken place annually since the year 1445, in the Buckinghamshire village of Olney?

 

A

A pancake race

73.

Q

Who founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1932?

 

A

Sir Thomas Beecham

74.

Q

Which English sporting legend, who retired last year, is celebrating his 34th birthday today?

 

A

Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff

75.

Q

Which river is crossed by Brunel’s bridge at Saltash, near Plymouth?

 

A

The Tamar

76.

Q

Who took over as presenter of The Apprentice: You’re Fired!, after Adrian Chiles left in 2010 to join ITV?
 

A

Dara O’Briain

77.

Q

Which chemical substance is (or was) sometimes known as spirit of hartshorn?

 

A

Ammonia

78.

Q

What term was originally applied to the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, after they broke up a Russian attack at the Battle of Balaclava?

 

A

They were the original thin red line

79.

Q

What sort of creature is a Maine Coon?

 

A

It’s a type of domestic cat

80.

Q

Which football club was formerly known as Meadowbank Thistle?

 

A

Livingston

81.

Q

Where is Britain’s National Media Museum?
 

A

Bradford (formerly known as the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television)

82.

Q

What was the title of Edward Elgar’s set of five marches, one of which provided the tune for Land of Hope & Glory?

 

A

Pomp & Circumstance

83.

Q

In which cathedral is Jane Austen buried?

 

A

Winchester

84.

Q

Who succeeded his nephew Caligula as Emperor of Rome in 41 AD, and was succeeded thirteen years later by Nero – who was also his nephew?

 

A

Claudius

85.

Q

Who became Prime Minister of Greece on the 11th of November this year?

 

A

Lucas Papademos

86.

Q

What is said to have been invented around 850 AD, when a Chinese alchemist mixed saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal?

 

A

Gunpowder

87.

Q

Why might Dame Catherine Cookson, Dame Flora Robson, Sir Ridley Scott and Mr. Eric Idle all be referred to as Sand Dancers?
 

A

Because they all come from South Shields

88.

Q

Which big cat, of the puma genus, is also known as the mountain lion?

 

A

The cougar

89.

Q

What’s the most famous race that’s run at Flemington racecourse?
 

A

The Melbourne Cup

90.

Q

Which government agency moved its headquarters in 2003, from Bracknell, to a site near Exeter?

 

A

The Met Office

91.

Q

Who composed the operetta, The Merry Widow?

 

A

Franz Lehar

92.

Q

Which US playwright was the father of Charlie Chaplin’s fourth wife Oona?

 

A

Eugene O’Neill (also the grandfather of eight of Chaplin’s eleven children)

93.

Q

Who led the West Saxon army to victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown in 871 AD?

 

A

Alfred (the Great)

94.

Q

Who became Prime Minister of Italy on the 16th of November this year?

 

A

Mario Monti

95.

Q

Which wild flower is sometimes known as the windflower, thimbleweed, or smell fox?

 

A

The common (or wood) anemone

96.

Q

Traditionally, what crucial ingredient was present in beer but not in ale?

 

A

Hops

Supplementaries

97.

Q

Which country officially consists of four islands at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel?
 

A

Comoros

98.

Q

Who wrote the novels Desperate Remedies, The Hand of Ethelberta and A Laodicean (lay-o-diss-EE-an) describing them as “Novels of Ingenuity”?

 

A

Thomas Hardy

99.

Q

Which European country’s flag shows a black double-headed eagle on a red background?

 

A

Albania

100.

Q

What’s the name of the ITV breakfast programme, currently (but not for much longer) presented from Monday to Thursday by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley?
 

A

Daybreak

101.

Q

Which Roman emperor wrote twelve books of Meditations, setting forth his Stoic philosophy?

 

A

Marcus Aurelius

102.

Q

Which Derby-based pop act is the work of Jyoti Prakash Mishra and had its only major hit in 1997 with Your Woman?

 

A

White Town