October 22nd–The Questions

 

 

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

SET BY THE HARRINGTON B,

ARTS & CULTURE

Q1. A string quartet consists of two violins, a cello and which other instrument?

A. A VIOLA

Q2. In which Gilbert & Sullivan operetta does the jester Jack Point appear?

A. THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD

Q3. Antigonus is devoured by which animal in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale?

A. A BEAR

Q4. In which ballet does the Snow Queen live in an enchanted forest?

A. THE NUTCRACKER

Q5. Which wars are taking place in the book “War and Peace”?

A. THE NAPOLEONIC WARS

Q6. In which city would you find the Hermitage Museum?

A. ST PETERSBURG (ACCEPT LENINGRAD)

Q7. Who designed the Albert Memorial opposite the Royal Albert Hall?

A. SIR GEORGE GILBERT-SCOTT

Q8. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, is the first line of which novel?

A. A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Supplementary Questions

Q1. Who wrote the Brother Cadfael series of books?

A. ELLIS PETERS

Q2. Complete this list of women from “Little Women”. Jo, Beth, Amy and…

A. MEG

Q3. Who wrote Candide?

A. VOLTAIRE

ENTERTAINMENT

Q1. How is Marvin Lee Aday better known?

A. MEATLOAF

Q2. What is the name of the house where Beatrix Potter wrote most of her works?

A. HILLTOP FARM

Q3. Barwick Green is the signature tune of which long-running programme?

A. THE ARCHERS

Q4. What is the name of the Mastermind signature tune?

A. APPROACHING MENACE

Q5. What colour is “art & literature” in Trivial Pursuit?

A. BROWN

Q6. What was Roger Moore’s first Bond film?

A. LIVE AND LET DIE

Q7. Which US landmark is featured in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest?

A. MOUNT RUSHMORE

Q8. Which musical featured the song “You’ll never walk alone”

A. CAROUSEL

Supplementary Questions

Q1. Which book begins “I was born in 1632, in the city of York”

A. ROBINSON CRUSOE

Q2. Released in 1963, what is the title of The Beatle’s second album?

A. WITH THE BEATLES

Q3. Whose catchphrase was “Wakey Wakey”?

A. Billy Cotton (The Billy Cotton Band Show)

Q4. In the film The Wizard of Oz, where did the wizard live?

A. THE EMERALD CITY

GEOGRAPHY

Q1. Which body of water separates Papua New Guinea and Australia?

A. THE TORRES STRAIT.

Q2. Prior to independence, the African republic of Mali was a colony of which country?

A. FRANCE

Q3. What is notable about Cape Roca in Portugal?

A. IT IS THE MOST WESTERLY POINT OF MAINLAND EUROPE

Q4. Name the warm, dry wind that blows off North America’s Rocky Mountains.

A. THE CHINOOK

Q5. Which peninsula makes up the greater part of Denmark?

A. JUTLAND

Q6. Which island in the West Indies is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic?

A. HISPANIOLA

Q7. Egypt has land borders with Sudan, Israel and which other country?

A. LIBYA

Q8. How is Lake Tiberius better known?

A. THE SEA OF GALILEE

Supplementary Questions

Q1. What is the highest point on Bodmin Moor?

A. BROWN WILLY

Q2. On which river does Belfast stand?

A. RIVER LAGAN

Q3. Which famous peninsula juts into the Black Sea?

A. CRIMEA

HISTORY

Q1. Who pretended to be Richard, the younger of the Princes in the Tower, during the reign of Henry VII?

A. PERKIN WARBECK

Q2. In which year did the Irish Free State come into being?

A. 1922

Q3. During the Battle of Britain, who was the head of RAF Fighter Command?

A. AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR HUGH DOWDING

Q4. Adelaide, capital of South Australia was named after the wife of which British King?

A WILLIAM IV

Q5. What name did the Romans give to Ireland?

A. HIBERNIA

Q6. Which explorer first reached Newfoundland in 1497?

A. JOHN CABOT

Q7. Which American President was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

A. THOMAS JEFFERSON

Q8. The storming of the Bastille took place in which year?

A. 1789

Supplementary Questions

Q1. Whose claim to have discovered the source of the Nile was disputed at the time, but later proved to be correct?

A. JOHN HANNING SPEKE

Q2. Which war was ended by the Battle of Bosworth field?

A. WAR OF THE ROSES

Q3. Against whom did Rome fight the Punic Wars between 264 and 146 BC?

A. CARTHAGE

NATURAL HISTORY

Q1. Which common British tree has the latin name Fraxinus?

A. ASH

Q2. Which common bird has the latin name Turdus Philomelos?

A. SONG THRUSH

Q3. What collective term is used to describe a group of rhinoceroses?

A. A CRASH

Q4. Similarly, what name for a group of kangaroos?

A. A MOB OR A TROOP

Q5. A leatherjacket is the grub of which insect?

A. THE CRANEFLY

Q6. What is a Capuchin?

A. SPECIES OF MONKEY

Q7. Which bird is known as the “stormcock”

A. MISTLETHRUSH

Q8. What is Britain’s largest reptile?

A. THE GRASS SNAKE (up to 2 metres long)

Supplementary Questions

Q1. What name is given to a young pigeon?

A. A SQUAB

Q2. What is a Cassowary?

A A LARGE FLIGHTLESS BIRD

Q3. What name is given to the short tail of the rabbit, often seen disappearing in the distance?

A. A SCUT

SCIENCE

Q1. What is a lymphocyte?

A. A WHITE BLOOD CELL

Q2. What is the junction between two nerve cells called?

A. A SYNAPSE

Q3. For which disease did Jonas Salk produce an effective remedy?

A. POLIO

Q4. What name is given to a quadrilateral with all sides equal but with no right angle?

A. RHOMBUS

Q5. What is the group of medicines known as “anti-tussives” used to treat?

A. COUGHS

Q6. What is the S.I unit of illumination?

A. LUX

Q7. Who in London, in 1921, opened Britain’s first birth control clinic?

A. MARIE STOPES

Q8. What is the name of the nerve which carries sensation of smell from the nose to the brain?

A. OLFACTORY NERVE

Supplementary Questions

Q1. Rosehip syrup is rich in which vitamin?

A. VITAMIN C

Q2. What name is given to the first cervical vertebra which supports the skull?

A. ATLAS

Q3. A chemical reaction which releases a sudden amount of energy is known as what?

A. EXOTHERMIC

SPORT (WITH A TWIST)

Q1. What other sport than tennis is played at Wimbledon’s All England Club?

A. CROQUET

Q2. Kent Walton was the voice of which Saturday afternoon TV sport?

A. WRESTLING

Q3. Name any of the sportsmen to win Strictly Come Dancing?

A. LOUIS SMITH, MARK RAMPRAKASH or DARREN GOUGH

Q4. Which soccer team used to play at Ayresome Park?

A. MIDDLESBOROUGH

Q5. Which Test cricket ground has a Radcliffe Road end?

A. TRENT BRIDGE

Q6. Name the only sportsman to have won I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here?

A. PHIL TUFFNELL

Q7. Dorian Williams was well-known for commentating on which sport?

A. SHOWJUMPING

Q8. Other than the Grand National, what major sporting event has been held at Aintree racecourse?

A. THE FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX (1955, 57, 59, 61, 62)

Supplementary Questions

Q1. Which Olympic sport has been reinstated for the 2020 Games?

A. WRESTLING

Q2. How are the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes of Augusta National Golf Club better known?

A. AMEN CORNER

Q3. Which tennis commentator, famous for the phrase “I say”, died in 1992?

A. DAN MASKELL

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE

Q1. In which city is Napier University?

A. EDINBURGH

Q2. In which year did Polytechnics become Universities?

A. 1992 (accept 1991-93)

Q3. In September’s QS World University Rankings, which US University came top?

A. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)

Q4. In the same Rankings, which was the highest ranked non-Oxbridge UK University?

A. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (UCL), ranked 4th

Q5. According to Guinness World Records, in which country is the world’s oldest University?

A. MOROCCO (University of al-Karaouine in Fez)

Q6. Where is Robert Gordon University?

A. ABERDEEN

Q7. Which year saw the first ever broadcast of University Challenge?

A. 1962 (accept 1961-63)

Q8. In which year did the BBC first broadcast University Challenge?

A. 1994 (accept 1993-95)

Supplementary Questions

Q1. According to 2011-2012 statistics, which UK University has most students?

A. THE OPEN UNIVERSITY (201, 270)

Q2. Which is the oldest non-Oxbridge University in the UK?

A. UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS (SCOTLAND)

Q3. Name either of the teams that has won University Challenge four times?

A. MAGDALEN COLLEGE OXFORD or MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY

 

 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS

– SET BY WATERS GREEN RAMS,

VETTED BY HARRINGTON B AND BRITISH FLAG

1. Which is the oldest of the British horse-racing classics?

ST LEGER (first run in 1776)

2. Which country will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games?

RUSSIA (in Sochi)

3. During September and October 2013, what was the connection between Glasgow, Brighton & Manchester?

VENUES FOR POLITICAL PARTY CONFERENCES (respectively: LibDems, Labour, Conservatives)

4. What 3-word phrase was the Conservative party’s motto at its annual conference in October 2013?

FOR HARDWORKING PEOPLE

5. Who won Celebrity Big Brother in September 2013?

CHARLOTTE CROSBY

6. Which company, founded in 2005, uses the slogan “Broadcast Yourself”?

YOUTUBE

7. Besides Texas and New Mexico, name one of the other 2 US states that have borders with Mexico.

ARIZONA OR CALIFORNIA

8. Who won Celebrity Masterchef in September 2013?

ADE EDMONDSON

9. At which London rail terminus would you find a statue of Sir John Betjeman?

ST PANCRAS

10. Which flower shares its name with the Greek goddess of the rainbow?

IRIS

11. Which company uses the motto “To fly. To serve”?

BRITISH AIRWAYS

12. Who is the Speaker of the House Of Commons?

JOHN BERCOW

13. What is the 2^nd largest country in South America?

ARGENTINA

14. The Blue Harbour menswear range is sold by which retailer?

MARKS & SPENCER

15. What colour are the flowers of the laburnum tree?

YELLOW

16. At which London rail terminus would you find a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

PADDINGTON

17. Which composer’s symphonies include The Resurrection and Symphony Of A Thousand?

GUSTAV MAHLER

18. What nationality, by birth, was the composer of The Planets suite?

BRITISH OR ENGLISH (Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham)

19. In which English town was Oliver Cromwell born?

HUNTINGDON

20. Who is the prime minister of New Zealand?

JOHN KEY

21. Which British Monarch was referred to by the French as “The wisest fool in Christendom”?

JAMES I

22. According to the Bible, who left his job as a fisherman to join his brother Simon Peter as an apostle of Jesus?

ANDREW

23. What six-letter word was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in August 2013, defined as 'a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a Smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website'?

SELFIE

24. What 2-word phrase, first used in 2003, is described by the OED as “A large group of people organized by means of the Internet, or mobile phones or other wireless devices, who assemble in public to perform a prearranged action together and then quickly disperse”.

FLASH MOB

25. In which Martin Scorcese-directed film of 1983 did Robert De Niro play the character Rupert Pupkin?

THE KING OF COMEDY

26. David Lean earned the 2^nd of his Best Director Academy Award nominations for which 1946 film, an adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel?

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

27. Which rank in the Royal Air Force comes above squadron leader and below group captain?

WING COMMANDER

28. Who is this? He was born with the forenames Clarence Linden. After winning a swimming gold medal in the 1932 Olympics, he starred in a number of popular films in the 1930s and 1940s, playing such roles as Tarzan and Flash Gordon.

BUSTER CRABBE

29. Football. Of the 10 players to have made 500 or more appearances in the Premier League, who is the only England-born player to have made them all for one club?

JAMIE CARRAGHER

30.Odette is a character in which ballet?

SWAN LAKE

31. Which instrument takes its name from the French for high, or loud wood?

OBOE

32. Who was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations?

TRYGVE LIE (Norway)

33. An echidna is what type of animal?

(SPINY) ANTEATER

34. Which Irish-born poet was Poet Laureate from 1968 to 1972?

CECIL DAY-LEWIS

35. Which sporting event in 1967 was the BBC’s first colour transmission?

WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

36. What is the name of the main protein in cow’s milk?

CASSEIN

37. Which instrument was played by the jazz musician Art Blakey?

DRUMS

38. In which county is the steeltown of Scunthorpe?

LINCOLNSHIRE

39. Which comedian/presenter launched the clothes range Made By Dave in 2013, a range named after his dog?

MICHAEL BARRYMORE

40. During which year were women first allowed to vote in a UK general election?

1918 (This applied to women of 30 or over. The age limit was lowered to 21 in 1928)

41. Pauline Collins played which middle-aged housewife who talked to a wall in a successful 1989 film based on a one-character play by Willy Russell?

SHIRLEY VALENTINE

42. During which decade of the 20^th century was Algeria granted independence from France?

1960s

43. Which river forms much of the border between Devon and Cornwall?

TAMAR

44. St Mary’s, St Martin’s and Tresco are all islands in which group?

SCILLY ISLES

45. The Chihuahua dog takes its name from a state in which country?

MEXICO

46. The busiest airport in Paris is named after whom?

CHARLES DE GAULLE

47. How is a regular hexahedron usually known?

CUBE

48. Who followed Carol McGiffin and preceded golfer Natasha Shishmanian?

BILLIE PIPER (Wives of radio/TV presenter Chris Evans)

49. In the lyrics of the 1960s hit A Whiter Shade Of Pale, how many vestal virgins “are leaving for the coast”?

SIXTEEN

50. Miss You Nights was a number 3 hit in 2003 for which band?

WESTLIFE

51. What is the 7-letter name of the hooked staff carried by a bishop?

CROZIER

52. Give either of the forenames of the author GK Chesterton.

GILBERT OR KEITH

53. Galena is an ore of which metal?

LEAD

54. With the symbol Na, what is element number 11 on the periodic table?

SODIUM

55. In the TV series Father Ted, what is the name of the housekeeper?

MRS DOYLE

56. What is the capital city of Australia’s Northern Territory?

DARWIN

57. Which country, in 1916, became the first to introduce Daylight Saving Time?

GERMANY

58. Besides Britain and France, which other country signed the Triple Entente in 1907?

RUSSIA

59. The word algebra is taken from which language, where it means “restoration”?

ARABIC

60. Name one of the 3 towns that were granted city status in 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

CHELMSFORD, PERTH OR ST ASAPH

61. Give a year in the life of the composer Sergei Prokofiev.

1891-1953

62. William Frederick Cody, born 1846, was known by which 2-word nickname?

BUFFALO BILL

63. What was launched on 7^th October 1986 with the slogan “It is. Are you?”?

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER

64. The Prince of the Asturias is a name given to the heir apparent of which European nation?

SPAIN

65. Which title character of 3 action films of the 1970s/1980s has the surname Rockatansky?

MAD MAX

66. How many prime ministers did the UK have in the 20^th century? (Leeway)

20 (Accept 19-21)

67. In which city are the headquarters of the European Central Bank?

FRANKFURT

68. Of which US state is Harrisburg the capital?

PENNSYLVANIA

69. In a famous sitcom scene, what line follows – “Your name will also go on the list. What is it?”?

DON’T TELL HIM, PIKE (from Dad’s Army)

70. Which UK outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer takes its name from the German for “Mountain House”?

BERGHAUS

71. Which North American Indian Chief (1720-1769) gives his name to a rebellion, a city in Michigan and a make of car?

PONTIAC

72. Which national daily newspaper, founded in 1903 by Alfred Harmsworth, was originally intended for women?

DAILY MIRROR

73. Which 1990s film was the last to win all 5 “major” Oscars – Best Actor, Actress, Director, Film and Writer?

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

74. Which Best Picture Oscar-winning film of the 1970s had Ted and Joanna as the title characters?

KRAMER VS KRAMER

75. In which athletics event did Mary Peters win an Olympic gold medal in 1972?

PENTATHLON

76. Of the six so-called World Marathon Majors, three are outside the USA. They are London, Berlin and which other?

TOKYO

77. Which 50 miles long river runs through Nantwich and Northwich?

WEAVER

78. Which Yorkshire band had their first UK number one hit in 2007 with Ruby?

KAISER CHIEFS

79. Which pop duo, formed in 1988, comprised Siobhan (pron. Shi-vaun) Fahey and Marcella Detroit?

SHAKESPEARS SISTER

80. Wallace Carothers is credited with inventing what in 1935?

NYLON

81. Which symbol, found on a computer keyboard, is sometimes known as an octothorpe?

HASH (#)

82. Who became acting leader of the British Labour party after the sudden death of John Smith?

MARGARET BECKETT

83. Sometimes called a neo-Nazi or fascist party, in which European country was the Golden Dawn political party declared a criminal organisation in October 2013?

GREECE

84. Jimmy Porter is the central character in which 1956 play, later a film starring Richard Burton?

LOOK BACK IN ANGER

85. Which 2 words fill the blanks in this famous quote from Edmund Burke – “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that (blank, blank) do nothing”?

GOOD MEN

86. What is the nearest railway station to the Jodrell Bank Telescope?

GOOSTREY

87. In the 18^th century John Cleland wrote an infamous novel which was subtitled Memoirs Of A Woman Of Pleasure. Who is the central character of the novel?

FANNY HILL

88. In the scene of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo, God’s hand extends towards that of which biblical figure?

ADAM

89. The existence of Area 51, the centre of many conspiracy theories and mentioned within UFO folklore, has been acknowledged by the US Government. In which state does it lie?

NEVADA

90. The sockeye is a species of which fish?

SALMON

91. Of which state was Frederick the Great (1712-86) king?

PRUSSIA

92. Female writer George Sand had a 10 year long relationship with which famous composer?

FREDERIC CHOPIN

93. With a fat content of about 75%, thus the fattiest known nut, which nut is named after an Australian botanist?

MACADAMIA (named after John Macadam)

94. The first race of the American Triple Crown, in which city is the Kentucky Derby run?

LOUISVILLE

95. The writer Rudyard Kipling was born in the same year and died in the same year as which British monarch?

GEORGE V (1865-1936)

96. Which company, founded in Seattle in 1971 and now with over 15,000 stores worldwide, takes its name from a character in the 1851 novel Moby Dick?

STARBUCK’S

SUPPLEMENTARIES

S1. Which Scottish town has the most northerly railway station in the UK?

THURSO

S2. How many boroughs are there in New York City?

FIVE

S3. Whose operatic works include Nabucco and Rigoletto?

GIUSEPPE VERDI

S4.What colour is a United States (non-Diplomatic) passport?

BLUE (a Diplomat’s passport may be black)

S5. What is the name of the salesman in Arthur Miller’s 1949 play Death Of A Salesman?

WILLY LOMAN

S6. Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel Trainspotting is set in which city?

EDINBURGH