12th March–The Questions

 

Specialist questions (All questions set by the Knot Originals)

1. Those were the Daves

2. History

3. All that Jazz

4. Science

5. Sport

6. Art and Entertainment, but mainly Art

7. Geography

8. Famous Cars

THOSE WERE THE DAVES
The answers to all these questions contain the name David or variations of it such
as Dave, Davie and Dai.
1 Which explorer and missionary was born in Blantyre, Scotland in 1813? A: David Livingstone
2 Who played the part of Che Guevara in the original London stage production of Evita? A: David Essex
3 Which scientist, born in 1778, discovered sodium, potassium, barium and magnesium? A: Humphrey Davey
4 Which famous documentary maker said in an interview in January, “I’m not a celebrity. Celebrities are generally famous for doing nothing. I’d rather spend time with a chameleon“? A: David Attenborough
5 Victoria Coren, presenter of “ Only Connect “ on BBC4, married which comedian in November last year? A: David Mitchell
6 Which food writer was responsible for popularising Mediterranean cuisine in Britain and the use of ingredients such as peppers, aubergines and courgettes. In 1950 she published the bestselling book “Mediterranean Food“? A: Elizabeth David
7 Who wrote the children’s books The Boy in the Dress and Mister Stink? A: David Walliams
8 Cilla Black had hits with “Alfie“ and “Anyone Who Had a Heart“. Who wrote the lyrics? A: Hal David

Supplementary
1 Michelangelo’s statue of David stands in the Academia in Florence. How tall is the statue in feet? A: 17 - accept 15 to 19
2 In which US state was Davy Crockett born? A: Tennessee

HISTORY
1 Which former ruler of Russia died in March 1953? A: Joseph Stalin
2 In which year was the slave trade finally abolished in England? A: 1807 - accept 1802 to 1812
3 What was the code name of Hitler’s planned invasion of Britain in 1940? A: Operation Sealion
4 What symbol was on the shield of Richard I from 1198? A: Three golden lions passant guardant (accept three lions)
5 What was designed by Joseph Paxton as the central feature of the Great Exhibition of 1851? A: The Crystal Palace
6 Who was Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife? A: Catherine Parr
7 The late Queen Mother was born in the same year that Oscar Wilde died. Which year was that? A: 1900 - no leeway
8 Which king of England was nicknamed Longshanks? A: Edward I
Supplementary
1 Which famous meeting took place at Ujiji in Africa in 1871? A: Livingstone met Stanley
2 In which century was Eton College founded? A: 15^th (in 1440)

ALL THAT JAZZ
1 What name is given to the style of jazz singing where improvised sounds are used instead of words (e.g. “doobie doobie doo dah”)? A: Scat
2 Cleo Laine married bandleader Johnny Dankworth but who was the British bandleader husband of singer Ottilie Patterson? A: Chris Barber
3 Which famous jazz club is in Frith Street, Soho? A: Ronnie Scott’s
4 Which jazz singer was known as “The First Lady of Song “? A: Ella Fitzgerald
5 Who presents the Tuesday night Jazz programme on BBC Radio 2? A: Jamie Cullum
6 What was the real first name of jazz pianist and singer Fats Waller? A: Thomas
7 Humphrey Lyttleton, jazz musician and chairman of Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue who died in 2008, played which instrument? A: Trumpet
8 “Won’t you come along with me, Down the Mississippi, We’ll take a trip to the land of dreams, Down the Mississippi, Down to New Orleans“ are the first lines of which well known jazz song? A: “Basin Street Blues”
Supplementary
1 The MJQ, led by pianist John Lewis, are one of the best known jazz groups. For what do the initials MJQ stand? A: Modern Jazz Quartet
2 The ODJB were the first American jazz band to play in Britain (1919). For what do the initials ODJB stand? A: Original Dixieland Jazz Band

SCIENCE
1 The soft drink 7 Up was originally developed as a cure for what condition? A: Hangover
2 According to the famous quote by Thomas Edison, what percentage of genius is inspiration? A: 1% - the other 99% is perspiration
3 What was the first man-made object to break the sound barrier? A: Whip
4 Which of the organs of the human body was the first to be successfully transplanted? A: Kidney
5 Often seen in the night sky, The Plough is made up of the brightest stars of which constellation? A: Ursa Major
6 Which constellation is named after a woman rescued by Perseus from a sea monster? A: Andromeda
7 Brontophobia is the morbid fear of what? A: Thunder
8 If a person is said to be Cynophobic, what do they fear? A: Dogs
Supplementary
1 In the night sky, the constellation Cancer is represented by a crab and Leo by a lion. Which creature is used to represent the constellation Cetus? A: Whale
2 Which British bird has the most feathers? A: Mute swan – with circa 20,000 feathers

SPORT

1 Who won rugby union’s last Five Nations trophy in 1999? A: Scotland

2 Who was the last winner of the Football League First Division in 1992? A: Leeds United

3 What sport is played by the London Blitz? A: American Football

4 In what sport do the Birmingham Brummies and the Belle Vue Aces compete? A: Speedway

5 PG Wodehouse’s short story collections The Clicking of Cuthbert and The Heart of a Goof feature which sport? A: Golf

6 A school friend of major PG Wodehouse character Psmith, Mike Jackson excels at which sport? A: Cricket

7 For which rugby league club did current England rugby union coach Andy Farrell play? A: Wigan

8 Which rugby league teammate of Andy Farrell now coaches the Welsh national rugby union side? A: Shaun Edwards

Supplementary

1 Who is the current snooker World Champion? A: Ronnie O’Sullivan

2 Which baseball franchise won the 2012 World Series? A: San Francisco Giants

ART AND ENTERTAINMENT, BUT MAINLY ART

1 For which new English cathedral did Graham Sutherland design a tapestry (“Christ in Majesty”) in 1962? A: Coventry

2 Who composed "Der Rosenkavalier" in 1911 (full name required)? A: Richard Strauss

3 Which Puccini opera from 1900 tells the story of Napoleon’s invasion of Naples? A: Tosca

4 Which painter accidentally killed a young man named Ranuccio Tomassoni in a duel in 1606, leading to his exile? A: Caravaggio

5 Who is the only potter to have won the Turner Prize? A: Grayson Perry

6 Which former children's TV series featured the Soup Dragon character? A: The Clangers

7 "Suffering Succotash" was the catchphrase of which animated cat? A: Sylvester

8 Which French Impressionist artist famously painted a series based on the facade of Rouen Cathedral at different times of day? A: Claude Monet

Supplementary

1 Which Venetian artist painted "Bacchus and Ariadne" (1520-23) which hangs in the National Gallery London? A: Titian (Tiziano Vechellio)

2 Sir John Tenniel is most famous for illustrating two classic children’s books by the same author. Name the titular character of both books. A: Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Alice through the Looking Glass)

GEOGRAPHY

1 Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and which other southern US state’s coastline has been affected by the oil leaking from BP’s Deepwater Horizon project? A: Alabama

2 China’s drive to provide protein and omega-3 oils for its booming fish farming industry threatens which shrimp-like creature that forms the basis of the Antarctic food chain? A: Krill

3 Which European country was the second latest in the World to be granted nation status (the latest was South Sudan in 2011)? A: Kosovo

4 Which county became the first to scrap speed cameras in 2010? A: Oxfordshire

5 Flood water and debris flowing down the Yangtze River threatens to choke which dam, one of China’s most prestigious engineering projects? A: Three Gorges Dam

6 Mackerel fishing is popular off this shingle beach which connects the mainland to the Isle of Portland on the Dorset coast. Name the beach. A: Chesil

7 The vast majority of the UK’s gas imports come from pipelines in Holland and which other European country? A: Norway

8 The National Parks authority recently denied it had plans to tarmac paths to the summit of which mountain? A: Snowdon

Supplementary

1 In which Italian province is Milan? A: Lombardy

2 Name the missing county: Down, Antrim, Londonderry, Armagh, Tyrone, and…? A: Fermanagh (counties of Northern Ireland)

FAMOUS CARS

These real and fictional cars were made famous by either the sport in which they competed or the films and TV series in which they appeared.

1 What was the name of the World Rally Championship dominating car of the 1970s, manufactured by the Italian firm, Lancia? A: Stratos HF

2 Colin McRae won his only World Rally Drivers Championship behind the wheel of which car? A: Subaru Impreza 555

3 Which supernatural law enforcement agency converted a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance into a vehicle known as the Ecto-1? A: Ghostbusters

4 Clint Eastwood named a 2008 film after which Ford model, also driven famously on screen by Starsky and Hutch? A: Gran Torino

5 The first Porsche to win outright at the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1970 was also driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film, Le Mans. Name the famous model. A: 917

6 Built on Formula One technology to commemorate the manufacturer’s first F1 title of the new Millennium in 2002, which Ferrari model was named after the founder of the brand? A: Enzo

7 Which fictional vehicle was based upon a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car in its first television appearance in 1966, before undergoing a significant redesign described as “a cross between a Lamborghini and a tank” in a film trilogy completed in 2012? A: The Batmobile

8 A 1972 Bedford CF van painted with swirling psychedelic colours was used as “The Mystery Machine” in the mostly live-action 2002 film version of which Hanna-Barbera cartoon franchise? A: Scooby-Doo

Supplementary

1 The Dukes of Hazzard predominantly features a 1969 model of which long-running American car? A: Dodge Charger

2 British sports car the Radical SR8 LM currently holds which famous European motorsport record, having been used to set a time of 6 minutes and 48 seconds by Michael Vergers in 2009? A: Fastest lap time around the 20.6km Nürburgring Nordschleife (accept “Nürburgring fastest lap”)

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GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

1 Which philosopher first wrote that if God did not exist, it would have been necessary to invent him? A: Voltaire

2 Which film star was born William Pratt? A: Boris Karlov

3 Which TV series featured Mulder and Scully? A: The X Files

4 In which sport was Mick the Miller a celebrity? A: Greyhound Racing

5 Which plant does the Colorado Beetle mainly attack? A: Potato

6 How many dice are used in the game Poker Dice? A: 5

7 What is the eastern terminus of the trans-Siberian railway? A: Vladivostok

8 Who wrote the novel ‘Waverley’? A: Sir Walter Scott

9 What is the positive square root of 361? A: 19

10 About 50 miles south of Paris, which castle was the home of French royalty? A: Fontainebleau

11 What is measured with an anemometer? A: Wind speed

12 Who was British Prime Minister immediately before Margaret Thatcher? A: James Callaghan

13 Which country is known as Bharat in its own language? A: India

14 Sabena Airways went bust in the early 2000’s, but in which country were they based? A: Belgium

15 What is the term used for a person who sells ribbon, buttons, tape etc.? A: Haberdasher

16 Name either of the stars of Channel 4’s Peep Show? A: Robert Webb or David Mitchell

17 The Brenner Pass connects Italy and which other country? A: Austria

18 Who wrote the Maigret series of detective novels? A: Georges Simenon

19 Which cricket county has its headquarters at the St Lawrence Ground? A: Kent

20 On which river does Leicester stand? A: Soar

21 Who was US president immediately before Ronald Reagan? A: Jimmy Carter

22 Over 95% of Japan’s population lives on 4 islands: Hokkaido is one. Give the name of one of the others. A: Shikoku, Honshu, Kyushu

23 What is the diameter in inches of a golf hole? A: 4¼ (accept 4 to 4.5)

24 Why are capuchin monkeys so called? A: Because their heads are shaped like the hood of a capuchin monk’s habit

25 What do the Spanish call a bullfight? A: Corrida

26 What is the modern name for the seaport on the Adriatic coast, formerly known as Ragusa? A: Dubrovnik

27 Which sporting event has taken place at Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Riverside? A: US Grand Prix

28 In which film did Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier co-star? A: The Prince and the Showgirl

29 What colour is amethyst? A: Mauve (accept Purple)

30 Why has Bradley Manning been in the news recently? A: he is the US soldier who passed information to Wikileaks, and is awaiting trial.

31 What is the closest star to the sun? A: Proxima Centauri

32 Bolivia was named after Simon Bolivar, but which South American country was his country of birth? A: Venezuela

33 In which country would you find Mount Egmont? A: New Zealand

34 The English words ‘cherub’, ‘seraph’ and ‘shibboleth’ are borrowed from which language? A: Hebrew

35 The monkey puzzle tree is native to which country? A: Chile

36 By what name is the flame-like electrical discharge seen above ships’ masts or about an aircraft in stormy weather known? A: St Elmo’s Fire

37 If you were watching a home match of the Green Bay Packers, which US state would you be in? A: Wisconsin

38 Copenhagen is the first city of Denmark. What is its second city (by population)? A: Aarhus

39 What is the term for unaccompanied choral singing? A: A capella

40 Rock from the island of Ailsa Craig (located in the Firth of Clyde) is used to manufacture what piece of sporting equipment? A: Curling stones.

41 Who was the first female Prime Minister in the world? A: Sirimavo Bandaranaike

42 Which country won the first European football Championship in 1960? A: USSR (reluctantly accept Russia)

43 According to the old rhyme, who saw Cock Robin die? A: The fly - “said the fly with my little eye, I saw him die”

44 In the rhyme "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", the first creature she swallows is a fly and the last creature she swallows is a horse ("she's dead of course"). In total, how many creatures does she swallow? A: 8 (the others are: spider, bird, cat, dog, goat, cow)

45 What is mixed with leeks and breadcrumbs to make a Glamorgan sausage? A: Cheese (usually Caerphilly)

46 Pershore Eggs and Warwickshire Droopers are varieties of which fruit? A: Plums

47 In which century did Leonardo da Vinci paint “The Last Supper”? A: 15^th - in the 1480s

48 The Taj Mahal at Agra was completed in which century? A: 17^th - finished in 1653

49 What was the name of Rupert Bear's elephant friend? A: Edward Trunk

50 Which well-known character from children's fiction was created by Hugh Lofting? A: Doctor Doolittle

51 Where on television will you regularly see the opera singer Wynne Evans? A: As the singer in the Go Compare adverts

52 Marlon Brando won his first Best Actor Oscar in 1954 for which film? A: On the Waterfront

53 In which town in England is there a museum dedicated to the history and manufacture of pencils? A: Keswick

54 In which Derbyshire town is the National Tramways Museum? A: Crich

55 In the 1976 film Robin and Marian, Sean Connery played Robin Hood. Which actress played Maid Marian? A: Audrey Hepburn

56 Which UK fashion designer’s sporty 2012 work was featured in the London Design Museum’s Design to Win exhibition in August shortly after completing its intended function? A: Stella McCartney’s (It was Team GB’s Olympic wear)

57 In Dad's Army , what was Private Fraser's occupation? A: Undertaker

58 The character Marion Crane is murdered in which famous film? A: Psycho (stabbed in the shower)

59 What is the title of David Bowie’s latest single? A: “Where are we now?”

60 Which Liverpool player returned to the club from Juventus complaining “Living in Italy was like living in a foreign country”? A: Ian Rush

61 Who is the current Prime Minister (or Taioiseach) of the Republic of Ireland? A: Enda Kenny

62 Until his recent resignation, what job did James Harding hold? A: Editor of The Times

63 What is the name of the lead character in The Killing? A: Sarah Lund

64 Caroline Lucas, who became the Green Party’s first MP at the 2010 General Election, represents which constituency? A: Brighton Pavilion (accept Brighton)

65 Which Hollies song was recently covered by the Hillsborough Justice Collective? A: “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”

66 Which Premiership footballer suffered the ignominy of scoring two own goals and missing a penalty in his team’s first home defeat of the season? A: Jonathan Walters, of Stoke City

67 From which satirical TV series did Ed Miliband borrow the term “omnishambles”? A: The Thick Of It

68 Who did Alex McLeish briefly replace as manager of Nottingham Forest? A: Shaun O’Driscoll

69 Which was the first national football team to exit Euro 2012? A: The Republic of Ireland

70 What is emetophobia? A: The fear of vomiting

71 Who was the first woman to appear on Channel 4? A: Carol Vorderman, co-presenting Countdown

72 Which singer won the Eurovision song contest for Switzerland in 1988? A: Celine Dion

73 In a right-angled triangle, dividing the length of the side adjacent to an angle by the length of the hypotenuse gives which trigonometric function? A: The cosine of an angle

74 What is the term for a convex quadrilateral with at least two parallel sides? A: Trapezium (also accept Trapezoid)

75 Before Andy Murray in 2012 who was the only British winner of the Men’s Singles at the US Open? A: Fred Perry

76 Who is still the only British singles winner of tennis’s Australian Open? A: Virginia Wade

77 Which poet of the early 19^th century wrote: “‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know’”? A: John Keats (from ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’)

78 Which songwriter of the 20^th century wrote: “Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re trying to be so quiet?”? A: Bob Dylan (from ‘Visions of Johanna’, Blonde on Blonde)

79 Of which African country is Luanda the capital? A: Angola

80 What is the capital of Sudan? A: Khartoum

81 Which football team changed the colour of its home strip from blue to red last year as part of a “rebranding process” instituted by its new Malaysian owners? A: Cardiff City (red is considered a lucky colour in Malaysia)

82 Which charity became the first brand to be found on the FC Barcelona shirt in 2006, before being replaced by the more profitable Qatar Foundation in 2011? A: Unicef

83 Which Scot was the first to put the pneumatic tyre into production in 1887, having helped his son win a tricycle race with his new bike product? A: John Boyd Dunlop

84 Who is the Scottish inventor of waterproof fabrics, who gave his name to one of the best known applications of his invention? A: Charles Macintosh

85 Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman ever to win the Academy Award for Best Director for which film? A: The Hurt Locker

86 Which famous actor directed the films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March? A: George Clooney

87 Crockford’s is the directory of what? A: The Clergy

88 The dress infamously worn by musician Björk to the 73^rd Academy Awards featured which bird? A: A swan

89 In contract bridge, which two suits are known as the minor suits (need both)? A: Clubs and Diamonds

90 Regarding which side of the road they drive on, which of the following countries is the odd one out: Canada, Australia, Japan and South Africa? A: Canada (all the others drive on left)

91 Which poet wrote “The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner” and “Frost At Midnight”?

A: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

92 Which former soap actress was the unlikely leader of last year's Strictly Come Dancing after the first week's point-scoring? A: Lisa Riley

93 Benedict Cumberbatch played the lead in which recent BBC adaptation of Ford Madox Ford's novels? A: Parade’s End

94 What was the name of the Nobel Prize-winning novelist who wrote Buddenbrooks and Death In Venice? A: Thomas Mann

95 Name the Australian kingfisher with a loud laughter-like call. A: Kookaburra

96 What variety of sherry is sweet, dark and full-bodied? A: Oloroso

SUPPLEMENTARIES

97 Who was the ruler of Asgard in Norse mythology? A: Odin

98 In the countryside, what is the name of the track where horses and their riders have right of way?

A: Bridle path

99 Which district in the Swiss canton of Fribourg gave its name to a variety of cheese?

A: Gruyere

100 The capital of which landlocked African country is Harare? A: Zimbabwe

101 What is the 2 letter postcode prefix for Leeds? A: LS

102 Which cricketer has the most international wickets of any England bowler? A: James Anderson (he took his 529^th wicket to surpass Ian Botham’s 528 in New Zealand last month)