21 October The Questions

 

 

 

All set by the Waters Green Rams

Vetted by Harrington B and the Wharf

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

1. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

2. SCIENCE

3. SPORT

4. GEOGRAPHY

5. HISTORY

6. THINGS SCOTTISH

7. PRIME MINISTERS

8. PICTURE ROUND – NAME THE U.K. WATERWAY

ROUND ONE - ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

1. Who wrote the music for the opera The Girl From The Golden West, first performed in 1910?

A. GIACOMO PUCCINI

2. In heats of the current series of BBC TV’s Mastermind, during a single programme, how long in total does each contestant spend in the black chair?

A. 4.5 MINUTES (2 minutes for specialist subject, 2.5 minutes for general knowledge)

3. Which sitcom character married Cassandra Parry?

A. RODNEY TROTTER

4. Which song was a number one hit in 1967 for Frank & Nancy Sinatra and also a hit for Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman in 2001?

A. SOMETHING STUPID

5. What was the first name of jazz musician Duke Ellington?

A. EDWARD (he was Edward Kennedy Ellington)

6. The 1958 film A Night To Remember centres on which incident?

A. THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC

7. The quotation “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” appears on a plaque on the Statue Of Liberty. It is from a work by which poet, whose surname is that of a New Testament character?

A. EMMA LAZARUS (the poem is New Colossus).

8. Which artist painted ‘American Gothic’, a famous 20th Century artwork depicting a farmer holding a pitchfork, standing with his daughter, in front of a white building?

A. GRANT WOOD

S1. The 1977 autobiography of which multi-talented double-Oscar winner and raconteur was entitled Dear Me?

A. PETER USTINOV

S2. What is the name of the shadow theatre group that won TV’s Britain’s Got Talent in June 2013?

A. ATTRACTION

ROUND TWO – SCIENCE

1. The moons of Uranus are named after characters from the works of 2 writers. William Shakespeare is one – who is the other?

A. ALEXANDER POPE

2. Which word is used to describe the ability of an element’s atoms to combine with those of other elements?

A. VALENCY

3. Which common household measuring device might use a Torricellian vacuum, a glass tube and mercury?

A. BAROMETER

4. What is the sum of the internal angles of a pentagon?

A. 540

5. Which element, atomic number 32, was discovered by Clemens Winkler and named after his country of birth?

A. GERMANIUM

6. Which liquid, being 3 parts hydrochloric acid to one part nitric acid will dissolve all metals except silver and has a name which translates as “royal water”?

A. AQUA REGIA

7. What does a cryometer measure?

VERY LOW TEMPERATURES

8. In which decade did Alfred Nobel patent the invention of dynamite?

1860s (1867 to be exact)

S1.Which creature has 16 species including African, Fairy, Yellow-Eyed and Erect Crested?

A. PENGUIN

S2. What does an odometer measure?

A.DISTANCE TRAVELLED (By a vehicle)

ROUND THREE – SPORT

1. Who was the 1^st Olympic heavyweight boxing champion to be professional champion of the world?

A. JOE FRAZIER (1964 Olympic champion, world champion in 1970)

2. The roots of Rugby League may be said to date back to a meeting in 1895 in the George Hotel in which Yorkshire town or city?

A. HUDDERSFIELD

3. Norman Brookes was the winner of the title (under its previous name) in 1911. A trophy named in his honour is now presented annually to the winner of which competition?

A. AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S SINGLES TENNIS TITLE (It was previously known as the Australasian Championship)

4. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which tune was played when an England representative was presented with the gold medal?

A. JERUSALEM

5. What is the minimum numbers of strokes that a person must use to win a completed set in tennis?

A. 12 (serving 12 “aces” and opponent double-faults 12 times)

6. Which Greater Manchester football league club play at the Macron Stadium?

A. BOLTON WANDERERS

7. Who was appointed Chairman of the Football Association in July 2013?

A. GREG DYKE

8. Who won the Grand Prix (Formula One) World Drivers’ Championship in 1969, 1971 & 1973?

A. JACKIE STEWART

S1. What was the final score in the 2014 Ryder Cup?

A. EUROPE 16 ½ - USA 11 ½

S2. Which country is scheduled to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games?

A. BRAZIL

ROUND FOUR – GEOGRAPHY

1. What runs from Dawes Point to Milsons Point?

A. SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE

2. In which US state is the former prison Alcatraz?

A. CALIFORNIA

3. Of the 30 highest peaks in the USA, 12 are in Alaska. Which state is home to 14 of the 30?

A. COLORADO

4. Blenheim Palace, traditional home of the Dukes of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill, is in which county?

A. OXFORDSHIRE

5. Which British city stands at the confluence of the Rivers Test and Itchen?

A. SOUTHAMPTON

6. As the crow flies, what is the nearest non-UK capital city to London?

A. BRUSSELS (Brussels = 199 miles, Paris = 213 miles, Amsterdam = 222 miles, Dublin = 288 miles)

7. What is the largest country in Central America?

A. NICARAGUA

8. Monte Rosa, at 15,203 feet, is the highest mountain in which country?

A. SWITZERLAND

S1. What was the former (i.e. British) name for the port of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary) that serves Dublin?

A. KINGSTOWN

S2. What is Britain’s 2^nd most-populous city?

A. BIRMINGHAM

ROUND FIVE – HISTORY

1. What were described as “Coupon” in 1918 and “Khaki” in 1945?

A. (GENERAL) ELECTIONS

2. Give a year in the reign of King John.

A. 1199-1216

3. Which Treaty of June 1919 ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers?

A. VERSAILLES

4. Which country did Great Britain recognise under the terms of the 1783 Treaty Of Paris?

A. USA

5. What was the codename of the planned German invasion of Russia in World War Two?

A. BARBAROSSA

6. What is the only surname that is shared by 2 unrelated US Presidents?

A. JOHNSON (Andrew & Lyndon Baines)

7. Name one year in the period known as the Regency Period, dating from the appointment of George Augustus Frederick as Prince Regent.

A. 1811-1820

8. In 1917, Finland declared itself independent from which country?

A. RUSSIA

S1. The USA took control of Cuba in 1898 from which country?

A. SPAIN

S2. By which bird’s name was Francis Drake’s ship the Golden Hind, previously known?

A. PELICAN

ROUND SIX – THINGS SCOTTISH

1. In the recent referendum, what was the 2-word name of the main campaign for a “NO” vote, fronted by Alistair Darling in TV debates?

A. BETTER TOGETHER

2. What is the most northerly city in Scotland?

A. INVERNESS

3. Originally used as a name for Britain, what is the 4-letter Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland?

A. ALBA

4. In the recent referendum, what was the 6-word question on the ballot paper?

A. SHOULD SCOTLAND BE AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY? (Exact wording required)

5. What is the name given to the succession of streets linking Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood House?

A. ROYAL MILE (streets are Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand).

6. Which town, 7 miles west of Glasgow city centre, gives its name to a pattern centred on a twisted teardrop of Eastern origin?

A. PAISLEY

7. As used in the song Roaming In The Gloaming, made famous by Sir Harry Lauder, what is the meaning of the Scots word “gloaming”?

A. (EVENING) TWILIGHT, DUSK

8. The Scottish local government post of “Provost” corresponds most closely to which post in England?

A. MAYOR

S1. A Munro is a term for a Scottish mountain above what height (in feet)?

A. 3000 feet

S2.Name one of the 2 principal railway terminals in Glasgow.

A. (GLASGOW) CENTRAL or (GLASGOW) QUEEN STREET

ROUND SEVEN – PRIME MINISTERS

1. Occupying the post from 1721 to 1742, who is generally considered the first British Prime Minister?

A. SIR ROBERT WALPOLE (also accept 1ST EARL OF ORFORD, which he became)

2. The present Prime Minister of Australia was born in which of the 5 countries of the British Isles?

A. ENGLAND (Tony Abbott was born in London in 1957)

3. Aldo Moro, assassinated in 1978, had twice been prime minister of which country?

A. ITALY

4. Which British Prime Minister later took the title the Earl Of Avon?

A. SIR ANTHONY EDEN

5. Which post-WW2 British Prime Minister got a Double First in Oriental Languages at Oxford University and was fluent in Persian?

A. SIR ANTHONY EDEN (again)

6. Olof Palme, assassinated in 1986, had twice been prime minister of which country?

A. SWEDEN

7. In what year did Sir Edmund Barton become the first Prime Minister of Australia? (leeway)

A. 1901 (accept 1899-1903)

8. How was UK Prime Minister Henry John Temple better known?

A. LORD PALMERSTON

S1. Name a year in which Edward Heath was British Prime Minister.

A. 1970-1974

S2. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was British Prime Minister during  the reign of which monarch?

A. EDWARD 7^th

ROUND EIGHT – PICTURE ROUND

Each picture shows a bridge in the UK.

Please name the water below the bridge, not the bridge itself.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

S1

S2

1. RIVER MERSEY OR MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL. (Runcorn Bridge crosses both )

2. RIVER SEVERN. (M4 second Severn crossing)

3. RIVER CLYDE. (Erskine Bridge)

4. RIVER THAMES. (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, part of Dartford Crossing)

5. MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL (Thelwall Viaduct)

6. RIVER DEE (Jubilee Bridge or Queensferry River Bridge)

7. RIVER TAMAR (Road Bridge, Brunel’s rail bridge behind)

8. LOCH ALSH. (Skye Bridge)

S1. RIVER (OR FIRTH OF) TAY. (Rail Bridge)

S2. RIVER TYNE (King Edward VII Rail Bridge)

ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED:

1. Who designed the bridge that carries the A5 road over the Menai Strait?

A. THOMAS TELFORD (Menai Bridge)

2. The Houses Of Parliament stand closest to which London bridge?

A. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

1. If Queen Elizabeth remains on the throne, in which month of which year will she overtake Queen Victoria as the longest-serving British monarch?

A. (10^th) SEPTEMBER 2015

2. Which literary character, first appearing in 1908, was known as “the fat owl of the remove”?

A. BILLY BUNTER

3. Which supermarket chain founded the Homebase stores?

A. SAINSBURY’S

4. In TV adverts, who or what “Gets a 10 from Len”?

A. FARMFOODS (promoted by Len Goodman)

5. Who is the presenter of the TV game show Two Tribes and appears on the game show Priceless?

A. RICHARD OSMAN

6. What is the longest motorway in the British Isles?

A. M6 (225 miles)

7. Tim Vine again won the award for the best one-liner joke at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014. It was a joke about which domestic appliance?

A. “HOOVER” (Accept VACUUM CLEANER)

8. In which town in the English midlands would you find the Museum Of Carpet?

A. KIDDERMINSTER

9. In a hit song of 1971, what was the first name of the person who lived at 22, Linley Lane?

A. SUE (in Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West)

10. Going on sale in 1907, what was the first model of Rolls Royce?

A. SILVER GHOST

11. Which word, originally Sanskrit and meaning “learned”, is widely used nowadays for people who give opinions in the media on various matters, particularly sporting and political?

A. PUNDIT

12. Which celebrated writer spent childhood years (1817-1822) at 2 Ordnance Terrace, Chatham, Kent?

A. CHARLES DICKENS

13. The North Of England Open Air Museum is located in, and carries the name of which County Durham village?

A. BEAMISH

14. Often regarded as the finest piece of early English music, Spem In Alium, a work for 40 voices, was written circa 1570, by whom?

A. THOMAS TALLIS

15. Which sportsman, born 1958, has the forenames Alexander Walter Barr?

A. SANDY LYLE

16. On Twitter, what is the maximum number of characters in a tweet?

A. 140

17. Pandora Braithwaite is the main love interest of which literary character?

A. ADRIAN MOLE

18. Which fashion house is associated with Opium and Paris perfumes?

A. YVES SAINT-LAUREN

19. The rock band Marillion took their name from a book by which author?

A. JRR TOLKIEN (The book was Simarillion, which was the original name of the band)

20. Postcodes for the Isle Of Anglesey all begin with which 2 letters?

A. LL (for Llandudno)

21. Which film studio and film distribution company uses a logo of a part-circle of stars super-imposed on a mountain top?

A. PARAMOUNT

22. Television – On which thoroughfare in Springfield do the Simpsons live?

A. EVERGREEN TERRACE

23. Which band, being two-thirds Haitian and comprising Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel had 2 UK number one hits in 1996?

A. THE FUGEES

24. Which state became the 49^th state of the USA?

A. ALASKA

25. The ancient city of Carthage lay within which modern-day country?

A. TUNISIA

26. Who, in the 1950s, married Jim, Joe & Arthur?

A. MARILYN MONROE (Jim Dougherty, Joe Di Maggio, Arthur Miller)

27. In the 1950s, how were Everton, Clyde and Frank known collectively?

A. THE THREE W’s (they were Weekes, Walcott and Worrell, three West Indian batsmen)

28. MP3 players were first developed in the early 1990s. What did the M stand for?

A. MOVING (It was an abbreviation of Moving Picture Experts Group – Audio Layer 3)

29. UHT is part of the milk pasteurisation process. What does the U stand for?

A. ULTRA (Either Ultra Heat Treatment or Ultra High Temperature)

30. In January 2009, branches of the Abbey and Bradford & Bingley were re-branded under which common name?

A. SANTANDER

31. In Emmerdale, what is the name of Sam Dingle’s son?

A. SAMSON

32. Inside Time is a British magazine aiming at which section of the population?

A. PRISONERS

33. On a standard QWERTY keyboard which letter is at the extreme right of the middle row of letters?

A. L

34. In July 2013, Mo Farah broke the British record for 1,500 metres that had stood for 28 years. Whose record did he break?

A. STEVE CRAM

35. Which monkey is the loudest land animal?

A. HOWLER MONKEY

36. In American clothing, what is a wife-beater?

A. VEST OR SLEEVELESS SHIRT

37. What is the capital of, and largest town on the Isle Of Man?

A. DOUGLAS

38. What is Belted Galloway?

A. A BREED OF CATTLE (So called because of a white belt on its otherwise black body)

39. Who said, in 1915, “I am never going to have anything more to do with politics or politicians. When this war is over I shall confine myself entirely to writing and painting”?

A. WINSTON CHURCHILL

40. In 1995, which performer walked out of the West End play Cell-Mates, his website later saying that he was contemplating suicide in Belgium?

A. STEPHEN FRY

41. Who was Stephen Fry’s co-star in that production of Cell-Mates, a performer who died in June 2014?

A. RIK MAYALL

42. Catfish Row is the setting for which opera, first performed in 1935?

A. PORGY AND BESS

43. The classical piece In The Hall Of The Mountain King comes from which suite?

A. PEER GYNT, SUITE NO.1 (Accept PEER GYNT) by Edvard Grieg)

44. Which roman numerals followed the name of the Pope that left his post in February 2013?

A. XVI (He was Benedict the 16^th)

45. To one decimal place, how many kilometres are there in a mile?

A. 1.6 (More accurately, 1.609334)

46. Which designer created Madonna’s infamous “cone” bra costume?

A. JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

47. Having been credited with playing a big part in bringing peace to his country, for which country has footballer Didier Drogba made over 100 appearances?

A. IVORY COAST

48. What was the name of the 2009 film, released by Disney, in which a man tied balloons to his house and floated off to South America? It was a nomination for the Best Picture Oscar.

A. UP

49. Which 68-year-old said in Somerset in June 2014 “My boobs are fake, my hair's fake but what's real is my voice and my heart”?

A. DOLLY PARTON (After appearing at Glastonbury)

50. Which British politician, later to be brought before the courts, published a biography of Richard Nixon in 1993 entitled “Nixon, A Life" detailing a politician falling in disgrace and trying to stage a sort of comeback?

A. JONATHAN AITKEN

51. In a September 2014 production of Shakespeare’s Richard The Third, animal welfare group PETA complained about the ill-treatment of, specifically, which animals?

A. GOLDFISH

52. The surname of which character in The New Avengers TV series was taken from a famous London firm of gunmakers, by appointment gunmakers to Queen Elizabeth II?

A. PURDEY

53. Postcodes for the Isle Of Wight begin with which 2 letters?

A. PO (for Portsmouth)

54. To the nearest whole number, how many grams are there to an Imperial ounce?

A. 28

55. What name is given to words that sound the same but have different meanings (e.g. rain, spelt r-a-i-n and reign, spelt r-e-i-g-n)?

A. HOMONYMS

56. Who won the World Snooker Final in 1985 on a re-spotted black?

A. DENIS TAYLOR

57. “Gentleman” Jim Corbett beat John L Sullivan in what is considered the first world heavyweight title fight. In which year did the fight take place? (leeway)

A. 1892 (allow 1888-1896)

58. Formed in 2007, how are the duo of Jules de Martino and Katie White known?

A. TING TINGS

59. Which meat is usually used in a navarin?

A. LAMB OR MUTTON (It’s a French stew)

60. “The past is another country. They do things differently there” are the opening lines to which novel, first published in 1953?

A. THE GO-BETWEEN

61. What title is held since 2007 by Neil Fingleton of Durham?

A. BRITAIN’S TALLEST MAN

62. In which successful 2014 TV series could you see Christopher & Stephen,  Sandra & Sandy and Steph & Dom?

A. GOGGLEBOX

63. Whom did Rowan Williams succeed as Archbishop Of Canterbury in 2002?

A. GEORGE CAREY

64. Where, in Britain, is the Battle Of The Flowers carnival held on the second Thursday in August?

A. JERSEY

65. In the monologue The Lion And Albert, made famous by Stanley  Holloway, what was the name of the lion?

A. WALLACE

66. A statue of which singer was unveiled in September, 2014 in Camden’s  Stables Market, London?

A. AMY WINEHOUSE

67. On which Mediterranean Island was Napoleon Bonaparte born?

A. CORSICA

68. Former boxer Vitali Klitschko is a prominent politician in which country?

A. UKRAINE

69. Which member of the current Channel 4 TV racing team won the Grand National aboard Rough Quest?

A. MICK FITZGERALD

70. In which TV series, which ran from 1988 to 2002, did Richard Walsh play Bert Quigley, who went by the nickname of Sicknote?

A. LONDON’S BURNING

71. In which TV series, which ran from 1990 to 1995, did the central character have sisters named Violet, Daisy and Rose?

A. KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

72. Which former US sports star and broadcaster, who was a member of a quartet that broke the world record for the 4 x 110 yards, went by the nickname of The Juice?

A. OJ SIMPSON

73. Prior to 1971, how many pennies were there in a florin?

A. 24

74. In which set of stories do the characters assemble at the Tabard Inn in Southwark to commence a journey?

A. CANTERBURY TALES

75. In 1978, Georgi Markov was murdered in London supposedly by a poisonous pellet fired by an umbrella, the act being instigated by the Secret Service of his home nation. Which nation was that?

A. BULGARIA

76. What surname is shared by 2 composers, the lesser-known one having the forenames Carl Philipp Emanuel?

A. BACH (Carl Philipp Emanuel was the son of Johann Sebastian)

77. What did Albert Einstein describe as “A collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish”?

A. THE BIBLE

78. In 1974, IRA bombs exploded in the Seven Stars and Horse and Groom pubs in which Surrey town?

A. GUILDFORD

79. Which country won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956?

A. SWITZERLAND

80. The Inner Wheel is a women’s group affiliated to which larger organisation?

A. ROTARY (INTERNATIONAL)

81. The organisation, best-known for providing Bibles for hotel rooms and founded in Wisconsin in 1899, takes its name from which Biblical figure?

A. GIDEON (They are now known as Gideons International)

82. A top twenty hit in 1979, which rock song begins 'The sirens are screaming and fires are howlin' way down in the valley tonight'?
A. BAT OUT OF HELL (Meatloaf)

83. Who invented the Kodak “box” camera in 1888?

A. GEORGE EASTMAN

84. The Membury and Leigh Delamere services are on which British motorway?

A. M4

85. Which band had a number one hit in 2007 with Ruby?

A. KAISER CHIEFS

86. Why has Thozokile Matilda Masipa been in the news for much of 2014?

A. SHE WAS THE JUDGE IN THE OSCAR PISTORIOUS TRIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA

87. What is the nickname of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major?

A. EROICA

88. In which decade did Ireland win the Eurovision Song Contest in 3 successive years?

A. 1990s (1992 – 1994)

89. Who was shot in the back by Bob Ford in 1882 in Saint Joseph, Missouri?

A. JESSE JAMES (also accept THOMAS HOWARD, his alias at the time of death)

90. In Coronation Street, what is the name of Ken & Deirdre Barlow’s dog?

A. ECCLES

91. Which 1980 film had the tagline “Here’s Johnny”?

A. THE SHINING

92. Lord Bannside died in September 2014. By what name was he better-known?

A. REV. IAN PAISLEY

93. Absolut is the world’s 2^nd-bestselling brand of which spirit?

A. VODKA

94. In what year did Idi Amin seize power in Uganda? (leeway)

A. 1971 (allow 1970-1972)

95. Which word appears in the title of each of the first 3 singles released in the UK by the Beatles?

A. ME (Love Me Do, Please Please Me, From Me To You)

96. The founders of the Arighi Bianchi company in Macclesfield were an uncle and nephew who had which common forename?

A. ANTONIO (they were Antonio Arighi and Antonio Bianchi)

SUPPLEMENTARIES

S1. How many points are awarded for a touchdown in American Football?

A. SIX

S2. In which city would you find Herriott Watt University?

A. EDINBURGH

S3. The Football League Cup, founded in 1960, has gone through manyname-changes. How is it known now, reflecting its current sponsors?

A. CAPITAL ONE CUP

S4. In which TV series could the characters Harry Grout, Lukewarm and Blanco be found?

A. PORRIDGE

S5. Which 37-year-old television journalist was shot dead on her doorstep in April 1999?

A. JILL DANDO

S6. On what day of the week did the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks take place in 2001?

A. TUESDAY