March 20th Questions

 

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

Set By

THE BRITISH FLAG

 

Vetted by The Dolphin Dragons and The Robin Hood

SPECIALIST ROUNDS:

1. ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

2. GEOGRAPHY

3. SCIENCE

4. MOTERS DAY

5. DUPLICATED

6. HISTORY

7. SPORT

8. DO YOU HAVE THE BOTTLE !

ROUND 1: ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

1.	What is the surname of the brothers Raymond and Charlie played by Dustin Hoffmann and Tom Cruise, respectively, in the 1988 film “ Rain Man” ?
		BABBITT
2.	What is the name of the leading character, played by Russell Crowe in the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind” ?
		JOHN NASH
3.	Which artist’s nickname is “Jack The Dripper” ?
		JACKSON POLLOCK
4.	Handel’s “Zadok The Priest” is one of 4 anthem’s he wrote for the coronation of which monarch ?
		GEORGE II (1727)
5.	In the play “Peter Pan” what is Captain Hook’s ship called?
		JOLLY ROGER
6.	Georges Perec’s novel “La disparition” (1969) translated into English under the title “A Void” (1994) was written without using which letter of the alphabet ?
		E
7.	Which well known great British actor has recently released a debut CD of his classical compositions entitled “Composer” ?
		SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS
8.	Which British pop star released an album for Valentine’s Day this year called “Kisses on the Bottom” ?
		SIR PAUL McCARTNEY

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	Name the only dog to make an appearance by name in a Shakespeare play ?
		CRAB (The Two Gentlemen Of Verona)
II.	In Walt Disney’s film Cinderella name either of the ugly sisters.
		ANASTASIA OR DRIZELLA (TREMAINE)

ROUND 2: GEOGRAPHY

1.	Name the island off the coast of West Africa whose name means “strong wind” in English ?
		FUERTEVENTURA
2.	The islands on New Britain and New Ireland form part of which country ?
		PAPUA NEW GUINEA
3.	Name either of the 2 South American countries that DO NOT have a land border with Brazil ?
		CHILE OR EQUADOR
4.	There are 4 letters in the alphabet that have only one capital city in the world beginning with that letter (I, Q, U and Z). Two of these are Quito and Ulan Bator – name either of the other two capital cities ?
		ISLAMABAD OR ZAGREB
5.	Until 1927 what was Australia’s capital city ?
		MELBOURNE
6.	Four US States meet at a point called “the four corners” - Arizona, Utah and Colorado are 3 of them, which is the fourth ?
		NEW MEXICO
7.	In which English County would you find the River Piddle ?
		DORSET
8.	What is the name of the lighthouse that is 4 miles west of the Scilly Isles and is shown at the start of the BBC One “News At Six” ?
		BISHOPS ROCK (don’t accept South Bishop which is off Pembrokeshire)

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	Where would you find the world’s first and only tilting bridge ?
		GATESHEAD / NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
II.	Which is the only county in Northern Ireland NOT TO border Loch Neagh ?
		FERMANAGH

ROUND 3: SCIENCE

1.	The binary number 11010 is equal to which number in the decimal number system (denary) ?
		26
2.	How many square centimetres are there in one square metre ?
		10,000 (100 x 100)
3.	What medical first did George Jorgensen endure in 1952 ?
		FIRST SEX CHANGE OPERATION (became Christine Jorgensen)
4.	What is the S.I. unit of force ?
		NEWTON
5.	From the bark of which tree did aspirin originally come ?
		WILLOW
6.	Who wrote “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind “?
		ALBERT EINSTEIN
7.	Which unit of energy amounts to 746 watts ?
		ONE HORSEPOWER
8.	Which is the only letter of the alphabet that DOES NOT appear in the name of an element in the periodic table ?
		J

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	What type of surgery does Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire specialise in ?
		CARDIOTHORACIC (ACCEPT HEART OR LUNGS)
II.	What would you measure with an Odometer ?
		DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY A VEHICLE

ROUND 4: MOTHERS DAY

1.	In the UK, when does Mothering Sunday always fall ?
		4TH SUNDAY OF LENT
2.	What is the better known name of the prophetess Ursula Southeil, who was born in a cave in Knaresborough, Yorkshire in 1488 and predicted such events as the Great Fire of London and the defeat of the Spanish Armada, as well as her own death in 1561 ?
		MOTHER SHIPTON
3.	Who is the celebrity daughter of Goldie Hawn ?
		KATE HUDSON
4.	Who is the celebrity mother of actress Carrie Fisher ?
		DEBBIE REYNOLDS
5.	In the Bible, who was the mother of John The Baptist ?
		ELIZABETH
6.	What was the name of the Greek King of Thebes who fell in love with his mother ?
		OEDIPUS
7.	What is the proper name for Mother Of Pearl ?
		NACRE
8.	Who had a number 2 UK hit in June 1977 with “Ma Baker” ?
		BONEY M

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	Which classic science fiction movie featured a ship’s computer called Mother ?
		ALIEN
II.	Which 1930’s radio star had the catchphrase “Can you hear me, mother” ?
		SANDY POWELL

ROUND 5: DUPLICATED

In this round all answers are duplicated words or parts of words:

Example: Question : A large extinct flightless bird of the pigeon family that once inhabited Mauritius Answer: Dodo

1.	A small nocturnal primate that lives in trees and is found in Madagascar ?
		AYE - AYE
2.	A small North American deciduous tree or scrub of the custard apple family that has large oblong leaves, purple flowers and small fleshy edible fruit ?
		PAW – PAW
3.	Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is better known as whom ?
		LADY GAGA
4.	William Joyce was better known as who during World War II ?
		LORD HAW – HAW
5.	The Newfoundland nurse, hired by the Darlings to look after their children Wendy, John and Michael ?
		NANA
6.	The name of the vacuum cleaner in The Teletubbies ?
		NOO – NOO
7.	The baby elephant who, in 1969, famously defecated and urinated and dragged her keeper through the mess in the Blue Peter studio ?
		LULU
8.	American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1976. Their hits include Africa , Rosanna and I Won’t Hold You Back ?
		TOTO

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	Maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services located in Ossining, New York, opened in 1828 ?
		SING SING
II.	Fictional character in Joseph Heller’s novel “ Catch – 22” whose mother thought he had been named Caleb Major ?
		MAJOR MAJOR (in fact he was Major Major Major Major !!)

ROUND 6: HISTORY

1.	Which specialist unit commanded by Major General Orde Wingate operated behind enemy lines in Burma during World War II ?
		THE CHINDITS
2.	At which battle were cannons first used ?
		BATTLE OF CRECY (1346) (by the English)
3.	Who briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as leader of Nazi Germany in 1945 (April 30th to May 23rd) ?
		KARL DONITZ / DOENITZ
4.	What did Captain Charles Yeager achieve in 1947 ?
		FIRST MAN TO FLY A PLANE THROUGH THE SOUND BARRIER (first to break the sound barrier)
5.	In which country did the Hundred Flowers campaign/movement take place in the summer of 1957 ?
		CHINA
6.	Against which country did Britain fight the so-called War of Jenkins’s Ear from 1739 to 1748 ?
		SPAIN
7.	Who is the only US President to have served two NON-CONSECUTIVE terms in office ?
		GROVER CLEVELAND (1885-89 (22nd US president) / 1893-97 (24th US president)
8.	Who was Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister ?
		VISCOUNT MELBOURNE (also accept William Lamb)

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	According to tradition, the behaviour of which “sacred” wild animal released by Boudica in front of her army inspired them to defeat the Romans ?
		BROWN HARE (Accept HARE)
II.	How long did the Anglo-Zanzibar war of 1896 last ?
		38 MINUTES (accept 1 hr and anything less than 1 hr)

ROUND 7: SPORT

1.	Which company is the sponsor of this year’s F.A. Cup competition ?
		BUDWEISER
2.	Which company is the sponsor of rugby league’s Super League ?
		EDDIE STOBART
3.	Who won this year’s World Cup women’s skeleton title ?
		SHELLEY RUDMAN
4.	Three weeks ago who completed a triathlon from Paris to London (cycle, row and run over 295 miles) in 5 days ?
		JOHN BISHOP
5.	Name the boxer who defeated Amir Khan under controversial circumstances last December ?
		LAMONT PETERSON
6.	Who was the premiership football goalkeeper who scored a goal from a clearance kick in a league game in early January this year ?
		TIM HOWARD (EVERTON) – they still lost !
7.	In track cycling’s kierin event what is the name given to the motorised cycle that is used to bring the riders up to a certain speed before leaving the track and allowing them to race the final two laps ?
		DERNY
8.	Which sporting trophy has grown from 7 inches to 35 inches in height since first being awarded in 1893 ?
		THE STANLEY CUP (ICE HOCKEY) (The names of all the winning players, coaches, management and club staff are engraved on it each year !)

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	Which Monarch competed in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon ?
		GEORGE VI (1926 - lost !)
II.	Who is the only Nobel prize winner to appear in the Wisden Cricketeers Almanac
		SAMUEL BECKETT (played for Dublin University against Northamptonshire)

ROUND 8: HAVE YOU GOT THE BOTTLE (Picture Round)

Give the name of the lager/beer from the picture of the labels. For any player who has a visual impairment there are questions to be used at the bottom of this page.

1.	FOSTERS
2.	CARLING
3.	LABATT’S
4.	CASTLE
5.	AMSTEL
6.	STELLA ARTOIS
7.	KRONENBOURG
8.	BUDWEISER

SUPPLEMENTARIES:

I.	HEINEKEN
II.	BECKS

Questions to be used for any visually impaired players:

I.	Which brewery founded in 1873 is found in the Northern German city of Bremen ?
		BECKS
II.	Which brewery founded in 1758 currently sponsor the Grand National horse race ?
		JOHN SMITHS

 

 

General Knowledge Questions

Set by the Robin Hood

Vetted by The Dolphin Dragons and The British Flag

1. Whose 1835 Difference Engine is regarded as the granddaddy of computers?

Charles Babbage

2. For a time, General George Patton was stationed in the North West of England. In which town ?

Knutsford

3. In what year did William Shakespeare die? (leeway).

1616 (2 years either side)

4. In 2011, Sebastian Vettel set a new record for the number of Formula 1 Grand Prix pole positions in a season. How many times was he on pole?

15 (won 11 races)

5. What is the first name of Kate and Pippa Middleton's brother?

James

6. Who played the title role in the TV series The Return of the Saint?

Ian Ogilvy

7. Where was the seat of the French collaboration government in World War Two?

Vichy

8. Which liberal party leader was accused and acquitted of the attempted murder of his gay lover?

Jeremy Thorpe

9. What did New Zealand pioneer in 1893, with the UK not following until 1918?

Votes for Women (in 1918 for the over 30’s and then in 1928 for the over 21’s)

10. Who wrote Oedipus Rex ?

Sophocles

11. Midwife and Surinam are varieties of what?

Toad

12. What Latin term means "Being caught in the act"?

In flagrante delicto

13. Which London Market is historically associated with selling fish?

Billingsgate

14. Who set up a charitable foundation in 1913 and in the process donated some 550 million dollars in his lifetime?

John D Rockefeller

15. In Cheshire dialect, if you were varging, what would you be doing?

Quarrelling

16. In the TV comedy Dad's Army what is Captain Mainwaring's first name?

George

17. Constance, Countess Markiewicz was the first woman MP elected but she never sat in the house. Why? She was a member of Sinn Fein
18. Octavian defeated Mark Anthony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31BC. What name did he adopt on becoming Emperor? Augustus
19. In which country is Timbuktu? Mali
20. By what nickname is the US state of Kentucky known? The Bluegrass State
21. "Ich bin ein Berliner." He wasn't but who said it anyway? President JF Kennedy
22. What are Marrons Glace? Candied chestnuts
23. On which album by Fleetwood Mac would you find the following tracks: Don't Stop, Songbird, The Chain ? Rumours
24. Who wrote the World War Two history book, "Band of Brothers"? (both names required) Stephen E Ambrose (His son Hugh wrote "Pacific")
25. Rory McIlroy became the world number one golfer two weeks ago. Which English golfer did he depose? Luke Donald (Lee Westwood was second and dropped to third)
26. What creature is responsible for the deaths of more people in Africa than any other? The mosquito
27. Which Girl group had a hit record with Pure Shores ? All Saints
28. When a Cockney says "There's a right George Raft in 'ere tonight," what does he mean? Draft

29. In which city would you find the famous department store GUM?

Moscow

30. What was peculiar about Odin's horse Sleipnir?

He had eight legs

31. Where is Karl Marx buried?

London, Highgate Cemetery

32. In what year was Mrs Ghandi Prime Minister of India assassinated? (leeway)

1984 - allow 1 year either side

33. What became the world’s first official national park in 1872?

Yellowstone Park (Wyomimg).

34. Bolas, gladiator and trapdoor are all types of what?

Spider

35. Name either of Homer's great poems

Iliad and The Odyssey

36. Which London Market is historically associated with selling meat?

Smithfield

37. What Latin term is used to describe being of sound mind?

(in) Compus mentis

38. Cheshire dialect, if you were asked to give something a thrutch, what would you do?

give it a squeeze

39. What cornerstone of the economy was first introduced in 1798?

Income Tax

40. Who plays Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives?

Eva Longoria

41. By what name / nickname is the musician David Howell Evans better known?

The Edge (U2)

42. Where was the 1991 EU treaty on economic and social affairs signed?

Maastricht

43. Which baseball movie featured Madonna as Mae Morbadito?

A league of their own

44. The Cherwell and the Mole are tributaries of which River?

The Thames

45. What is the only western city to have been quarantined as a result of the SARS outbreak?

Toronto

46. What is the name of the national park situated in the Sierra Nevada?

Yosemite

47. Who is married to Trudie Styler?

Sting

48. Who was the controversial president of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001?

Juan Antonio Samaranch

49. Which motor manufacturer has given the UK a jobs boost by announcing that its' new Invitation model will be built in Britain?

Nissan

50. What animal was central to Edward Jenner's development of the smallpox vaccine?

The Cow

51. You hear a Cockney say, "Gerrit down yer Gregory!". What does he mean?

Neck (Gregory Peck)

52. Which Boy Band had a hit record with Hangin' Tough?

New Kids on the Block

53. Which jewellery store packages all their merchandise in distinctive blue boxes?

Tiffany's

54. What was the name of Alexander the Great's horse?

Bucephalus

55. In what year was Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin killed in Israel? (leeway)

1995 - allow 1 year either side

56 Where is Oscar Wilde buried?

Paris, Pere Lachaise cemetery,

57. What did undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau invent in 1943 ?

The Aqualung

58. The Bourne Identity was taken from the book written by which author?

Robert Ludlum

59. Which football club used to play their home games at Burnden Park?

Bolton Wanderers

60. Who was the first Archbishop of Canterbury?

St Augustine

61. What was the number of Dick Dastardly's car in Whacky Races?

OO (double zero)

62. Whose funeral delayed a British Royal wedding by one day in 2005?

Pope John Paul II (it was Charles & Camilla's!)

63. How many questions are asked in the Life in the United Kingdom test (required for all foreign nationals who wish to settle in the United Kingdom or obtain British citizenship)?

24

64. Experts claim to have found traces of which artist's work beneath a Florentine fresco?

Leonardo Da Vinci

65. By what name is Robert Nakeville better known ?

Bobby Davro

66. Which European country elects a new prime minister every year ?

Switzerland

67. Which film allowed Sylvester Stallone to display his goalkeeping skills?

Escape to victory

68. In which country is the source of the Amazon?

Peru

69. Which British mass murderer committed suicide in early 2004?

Harold Shipman

70. Who is married to Adrian Edmondson?

Jennifer Saunders

71. Where is the headquarters of the Flying Doctor service in Australia's Northern Territory?

Alice Springs

72. What is the English translation of the Olympic motto, Citius Altius Fortius?

Faster, Higher, Stronger

73. In 1936, Ethel Cain, in the role of Tim, became the first what?

speaking clock (until 1963)

74. Who led the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1944 ?

Von Staufenberg

75. In what year did Sir Stanley Matthews play his last ever league soccer match? (leeway)

1965 (2 Years either side)

76. In the 1960's, the British Grand Prix was held at three different circuits. Silverstone and Brands Hatch were two. Name the third.

Aintree

77. General Fahid al-Jassim commands which country's armed forces?

Syria

78. Who played the part of George Cowley in The Professionals?

Gordon Jackson

79. Which western country saw student riots in its capital that nearly toppled its government in 1968?

France. (More importantly, it caused the postponement of the Le Mans 24 hours to September that year!)

80. Who lost in Enfield but was elected as MP for Kensington after the death of Alan Clark?

Michael Portillo

81. What did Thomas Sullivan invent in 1908 ?

Tea bags

82. Which author is most famous for his Discworld series of books?

Terry Pratchett

83. Name the system used to calculate results in one-day cricket matches affected by bad weather

The Duckworth - Lewis System

84. Which group was arrested and deported in 1834 after forming what was effectively a trade union?

The Tolpuddle Martyrs

85. Name the programme about a train with a boiler fired up by a dragon called Idris

Ivor the Engine

86. How many questions are asked in the theory part of the driving test (both motorcycle & car)

50

87. Which legendary country singer died in a plane crash in 1963?

Patsy Kline

88. According to the Forbes list of billionaires, who is Britain's richest man, coming in at number 78 overall?

Gerald Grosvenor the 6^th Duke of Westminster

89. Which contest was first held on 19th April 1951?

Miss World

90 There were the two great civilisations in Greece between 2000 and 1000 BC. Name either

Minoan and Mycenaean

91. By what nickname is the US state of California known as?

The Golden State

92. In which country is Mashonaland?

Zimbabwe

93. Which female wit said, "give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you"?

Mae West

94. What is a haggis before it is stuffed?

A sheep's stomach.

95. . In which play does the phrase "Band of Brothers" first appear?

Henry V

96 On which album by Carol King would you find the following tracks: Will you love me tomorrow; It's too late; So far away

Tapestry (Carol King)

Supplementaries:

97. Who sailed around the world in Gypsy moth IV?

Sir Francis Chichester (He wasn’t knighted until after his return)

98. Which mass car manufacturer’s badge is designed to denote an aeroplane propeller?

BMW (NB if a player answers Spyker, do not accept it, they are a niche manufacturer)

99. Who wrote The Boys From the Blackstuff?

Alan Bleasedale

100. Who wrote The Woman in White?

Wilkie Collins