4th November The Questions

 

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

Set by The Lamb Inn

ART & ENTERTAINMENT

1. Q. Offenbach’s barcarolle from ‘The Tales of Hoffman’ is a famous piece of music, but what is a barcarolle ?

A. A BOATING SONG (Accept any reference to boats).

2. Q. Which Gilbert & Sullivan operetta contains the song generally known as ‘A Policeman’s lot is not a happy one’ ?

A. THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.

3. Q. Which TV presenter is the daughter of Newspaper Editor and Columnist Eve Pollard ?

A. CLAUDIA WINKELMAN.

4. Q. Who created the statue of ‘St.Michael’s victory over the Devil’ on Coventry Cathedral ?

A. JACOB EPSTEIN.

5. Q. Which artist painted the work entitled ‘Guernica’ ?

A. PABLO PICASSO.

6. Q. In the TV series ‘Inspector Morse’, who wrote the theme tune ?

A. BARRINGTON PHELOUNG

7. Q. Mark McManus of ‘Taggart’ fame had a famous singing half-brother. Who is he ?

A. BRIAN CONNOLLY (Lead singer of The Sweet).

8. Q. Who composed the music for the films ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘The Mission’ ?

A. ENNIO MORRICONE.

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Q. Which piece of music preceded TV’s ‘The Lone Ranger’ ?

A. THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE (Giaochino Rossini)

(b) Q. Who is the mother of actress Joely Richardson ?

A. VANESSA REDGRAVE.

(c) Q. In which play does Mrs. Malaprop appear ?

A. THE RIVALS (by Sheridan)

 

GEOGRAPHY

1) What is the capital of Croatia ? (A) Zagreb

2) Which river runs through Leicester ? (A) Soar

3) What is described as : a U-shaped body of water that forms when a wide meander from the main river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water ? (A) Ox Bow Lake

4) What is the largest lake in Europe ? (A) Lake Lagoda (14th largest in the world.)

5) What is a line on a map or chart joining points of equal height or depth called ? (A) Contour

6) Which city is the capital of Canada ? (A) Ottawa

7) Which river runs through Ipswich ? (A) Orwell

8) Yosemite National Park is in which US State ? (A) California

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Greenland belongs to which country ? (A) Denmark.

(b) In which country are the largest waterfalls measured by flow-rate in Europe ?

(A) Switzerland (Rhine falls)

 

HISTORY

1. Q. Which statesman married Miss Clementine Hosier in 1908 ?

A. WINSTON CHURCHILL.

2. Q. Who founded The National Viewers & Listeners Association in 1965 ?

A. MARY WHITEHOUSE.

3. Q. In which year did the first human heart transplant take place ?

A. 1967 (allow 1966-1968).

4. Q. Where was Princess Elizabeth staying when she was given the news of her accession to the throne in 1558 ?

A. HATFIELD HOUSE in Hertfordshire.

5. Q. Give a year in the life of Ivan the Terrible.

A. 1530 – 1584

6. Q. The Rolls Royce ‘Thrust Measuring Rig’ developed in the 1950’s took off vertically, but what was its nickname ?

A. THE FLYING BEDSTEAD.

7. Q. Whose London monument by Edward Bailey is guarded by Edwin Landseer’s lions?

A. NELSON

8. Q. What, infamously, happened at Yekaterinburg on July 17^th 1918 ?

A. THE ASSASINATION OF THE RUSSIAN ROYAL FAMILY

(THE ROMANOVS)

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Q. What was the code-name for planned German invasion of Britain ?

A. OPERATION SEA LION.

(b) Q. What is the connection between a large fish-eating bird and Drake’s ship ?

A. PELICAN (Name of Drakes ship before becoming The Golden Hind).

 

SCIENCE

1. Q. What is the tradename of the Du Pont synthetic fibre of high-tensile strength used mainly in rubber products, notably tyres and bullet-proof vests ?

A. KEVLAR.

2. Q. In astronomy, where would you find the ‘Cassini Division’ ?

A. SATURNS RINGS.

3. Q. As a percentage, what is the average salinity of sea water ?

A. 3.5% (accept 3% to 4%)

4. Q. What name is given to static discharges visible on aircraft wing tips and the tops of ships masts ?

A. ST. ELMO’S FIRE.

5. Q. In what device in the home would you find a magnetron ?

A. MICROWAVE OVEN.

6. Q. Traditionally, how have teachers always used sticks of calcium sulphate ?

A. BLACKBOARD CHALK.

7. Q. Why is sodium carbonate sometimes added to a water supply ?

A. TO REDUCE NATURAL HARDNESS.

8. Q. Which element is common to all acids ?

A. HYDROGEN.

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Q. By what name is deuterium oxide also known ?

A. HEAVY WATER.

(b) Q. Why is a compound of sulphur called ethyl mercaptan added to LPG cooking gas ?

A. TO GIVE THIS ODOURLESS GAS A DETECTABLE SMELL.

(c) Q. Bauxite is the main ore of which metal ?

A. ALUMINIUM.

 

SPORT

1) Which horse won the 2014 Grand National ? (A) Pineau de Re.

2) In which year did Manchester United last win the FACup ? (A) 2004.

3) Who is currently England’s leading wicket taker in test matches? (A) I.T. Botham (383).

4) Who was the captain of the British women’s gold medal winning curling team in the Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City ? (A) Rhona Martin.

5) Which was the last year that The Ryder Cup was played in an 'odd year'?

(A) 1999. (it was due to be played in 2001 and was cancelled due to ‘9/11’ and played in 2002 instead).

6) In which sport is the Lance Todd trophy awarded ? (A) Rugby League. (to the Cup Final Man of the Match).

7) Which team knocked Macclesfield Town out of the 2014 FACup?

(A) Sheffield Wednesday in a 3rd round replay.

8) Jessicca Ennis and Mo Farah were two thirds of Team GB's 'super Saturday' at the 2012 London Olympics. Which athlete completed the set of Gold Medals ?

(A) Greg Rutherford (Long jump).

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Where are the 2018 World Cup finals being held ? (A) Russia.

(b) On which golf course was the 2014 Ryder Cup held ? (A) Gleneagles.

 

FIND THE CAR

The answer to every question is a make of car, some of which are no longer manufactured.

1. Q. A position in which to meditate.

A. LOTUS

2. Q. American city famous for its Boot Hill cemetery.

A. DODGE

3. Q. City and Rovers.

A. BRISTOL.

4. Q. English country dancers, usually men.

A. MORRIS.

5. Q. No-one to carry your golf clubs ?

A. CADILLAC.

6. Q. U.S. army general purpose vehicle.

A. JEEP. (named from shortened GPV - General Purpose Vehicle)

7. Q. Forename of a current McClaren F1 driver.

A. JENSEN. (Button)

8. Q. Complete the line of the hymn ‘Jesus wants me for a ?’

A. SUNBEAM.

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) Q. Impish eastern county town.

A. LINCOLN.

(b) Q. Area in south London originally famous for its gardens.

A. VAUXHALL.

(c) Q. Its only future was in ‘Back to the Future’.

A. DE LOREAN.

 

HORSEY BUSINESS

1) In the 2011 Academy nominated film 'War Horse' directed by Stephen Spielberg, what was the name of the main equine character ? (A) Joey

2) What was the name of Alexander the Great’s horse ? (A) Bucephalus

3) Esha Ness won the Grand National that never was. It was cancelled due to a false start ! In which year was this ? (A) 1993 (allow 92-94)

4) Who wrote the play 'Equus' in 1973 ? (A) Peter Shaffer

5) A filly is a female horse under the age of 4. What is a female horse over the age of 4 called ? (A) Mare

6) What is the gestation period of a horse in days ? (A) 340 (allow 330-350)

7) Who, famously, rode a horse called Marengo named after a battle in Italy ?

(A) Napoleon Bonaparte

8) The Horse of the Year show was first held in 1949 at Harringay Arena. Which enue now plays host ? (A) NEC in Birmingham (accept Birmingham)

(Note : It was at Wembley Arena from 1959-2002)

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) What was the Duke of Wellington's most remembered horse called ?

(A) Copenhagen

(b) ‘They shoot horses don't they’ was a UK No.14 hit for which welsh band in 1977 ? (A) Racing Cars

 

‘YOUR NUMBERS UP’

The answer to each question is a number.

1) How many Oscars did the film ‘Chariots of Fire’ win in 1981 ? (A) 4

2) How many lines are there in a sonnet ? (A) 14

3) What is the value of Pi to three decimal points ? (A) 3.142 (3.1415926)

4) How many feet are there in a chain ? (A) 66 (22 yards)

5) How many football world cups have there been ? (A) 20

6) At what speed did the DeLorean car need to travel, to go 'Back to the future' in the film of the same name ? (A) 88mph accept 86-90

7) How many Olympic gold medals did GB win at London 2012 (not including Paralympics) ? (A) 29 accept 28-30

8) How many books are there in the New Testament (A) 27 accept 26-28

SUPPLEMENTARIES

(a) How many players per team are there in a Water Polo team ? (A) 7

(b) How many counties make up Northern Ireland ? (A) 6

 

General Knowledge Questions as set by the Plough Horntails

1. Who is the current Secretary of State for Justice?

a. Chris Grayling

2. Which gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Venus?

a. Carbon dioxide (96%).

3. In architecture, what is a corbel?

a. a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall, a type of bracket.

4. Who is the current Secretary of State for transport?

a. Patrick McCloughlin

5. In which UK town does Honda assemble cars?

a. Swindon

6. Who is currently the manager of Sunderland football club?

a. Gus Poyet

7. Which F1 racing circuit has features called ‘Rascasse’ and ‘Sainte Devote’?

a. Monaco

8. What is the science of time measurement called?

a. Horology
(NB - not chronology which is to do with the ordering of events in time)

9. Mark Reckless was the MP for which constituency?

a. Rochester and Strood

10. What’s the name of the UK politician who embarrassed the Government by stating that disabled people could be paid £2 / hour?

a. Lord Freud

11. In architecture, what is a caryatid?

a. A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head.

12. In which UK town does Morgan assemble cars?

a. Malvern

13. Who is the current presenter of Channel 4 programme ‘Countdown’?

a. Nick Hewer

14. What was the name of the British policewoman killed in the 1984 Libyan embassy protest?

a. Yvonne Fletcher

15. Who was the first English king from the House of Lancaster?

a. Henry IV

16. Who preceded Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany?

a. Gerhard Schröder.

17. In which county is the Forest of Dean?

a. Gloucestershire.

18. Who is currently the manager of Swansea football club?

a. Gary Monk

19. Who wrote the book “King Solomon’s Mines?

a. H. Rider Haggard

20. Which was the first motorway service area to open in the UK?

a. Watford Gap (2 November 1959)

21. Who was the second man to orbit the Earth ?

a. Herman Titov

22. Currently, Sandi Toksvig presents 15-1 on TV. Who was her fore-runner?

a. William G. Stewart.

23. In which novel does the character Humbert Humbert appear?

a. Lolita

24. What material was invented by William Harbutt in 1897?

a. Plasticine.

25. Who is the current presenter of the TV celebrity quiz programme ‘Would I lie to you?’

a. Rob Brydon

26. The island of Trinidad lies off the coast of which South American country?

a. Venezuela.

27. In the TV series ‘Some Mothers do have ‘em’, Frank Spencer was played by Michael Crawford. What’s the name of the actress who played Betty, Frank’s wife?

a. Michele Dotrice

28. Which everyday British objects bear a design by Matthew Dent?

a. Coins (He is responsible for the post 2008 design).

29. In which county is Long Lartin prison?

a. Worcestershire.

30. What’s the name of the famous Harlem nightclub where the bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie both had residencies in the 1930s?

a. The Cotton Club

31. For which literary genre are Hugo awards given?

a. Science fiction (accept fantasy which are also included)

32. Who was the first President of Israel?

a. Chaim Weizmann

33. Which member of the British royal family competed at Wimbledon in 1926?

a. George (Duke of York) – later King George VI

34. What do atheists do in court instead of swearing on the bible?

a. They affirm

35. What is ombrophobia a fear of?

a. Rain

36. What are young turkeys called?

a. Poults

37. Which city was the first in the world to have an underground transport system?

a. London

38. How many hoops are used in a game of croquet?

a. 6

39. Whose second symphony is known as “The Little Russian”?

a. Tchaikovsky

40. The Eiffel tower was the main exhibit at the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), held to commemorate what event?

a. The centenary of the start of the French Revolution

41. Which of the Bronté sisters wrote the novel “Shirley” which included descriptions of Luddite activities in a Yorkshire woollen mill?

a. Charlotte

42. What is the name of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice?

a. Antonio

43. Which part of the body is involved if you suffer from glossitis?

a. The tongue

1. What is the '1 cent Magenta', which (at $20m) became the most expensive man-made object ever in terms of weight to value?

A. Postage stamp (British Guiana, 1856 - only one survives)

45. What’s the name of the UHF wireless technology developed for data transfer between devices in close proximity by Eriksson in 1994?

a. Bluetooth

1. What’s the name of the circular, partner-swapping, ballroom dance, named after a 1700s maritime leader?
   1. Paul Jones (after Admiral John Paul Jones)
2. A lodestone (or loadstone, from old English meaning 'leading-stone' or 'way-stone') is a naturally occurring what?
   1. Magnet (or Compass is an acceptable answer - lodestone is naturally magnetized magnetite [a form of the iron oxide mineral] and was used as an early sort of directional compass)
3. Which controversial Swiss sports head, accused of racism, sexism and corruption 1990s-2000s, was once president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders, which advocated women should not replace stockings and suspenders with pantyhose?
   1. Sepp Blatter (longtime president of FIFA, soccer's world governing body)

49. What was the name of the 1991 film that featured the Wilson Pickett song ‘Mustang Sally’?

a. The Commitments

50. What’s the name of the first presenter of the TV series University Challenge?

a. Bamber Gascoigne

1. Bambino is the family trust of which controversial business mogul, subject to criminal proceedings in Germany 2014?
   1. Bernie Ecclestone (Formula 1 racing boss)
2. The volcano Olympus Mons, three times taller than Mount Everest, and the highest peak in the Solar System, is on which planet?
   1. Mars
3. Boundary-pushing Dutch media corporation Endemol sought participants in 2014 for a reality show requiring the group to do what?
   1. Live indefinitely on Mars (scheduled 2025, no return, so they say..)
4. What pollen-receiving part of a flower also refers to negative perceptions and also Christian imagery?
   1. Stigma (stigmata refers to Christ's nail scars - the word stigma is Greek, meaning a prick/piercing, related to stick)
5. Which famous watch manufacturer has a winged hourglass logo, the oldest registered mark of its industry?
   1. Longines (the Swiss timing machines and watchmaker, owned by Swatch)
6. What dental term refers to the appearance of new teeth in the mouth?
   1. Eruption
7. In 2014 the European Union required member states to add what revenues to national economic reporting of GDP?
   1. Drug dealing and prostitution (industries valued at £10bn in the UK alone - GDP is 'Gross Domestic Product', a convoluted measurement of national business revenues)
8. What is the old common name for Hamamelis or Winterbloom and its extract, used for skin/bruises/acne treatment (and dowsing)?
   1. Witch Hazel
9. Edward VII was crowned in Westminster Abbey on the 9^th August 1902. What was the name of his Queen?
   1. Alexandra

60. If a track marshal at an F1 race waves a blue flag during a race, what does this indicate?

a. Warns a driver that he is about to be lapped / overtaken by a faster car. (N.B. can also be indicated by a flashing blue light…)

61. What is “Fats” Domino’s real first name?

a.  Antoine

62. Vegemite was originally made in which country?

a. Australia (The company is now part of Kraft)

63. Which company makes Marmite?

a. Unilever.

64. In which British city would you find the National Space Centre?

a. Leicester.

65. What would you buy from a Costermonger?

a. Fruit and vegetables,

66. Which British architect was responsible for the creation of the Welsh village of Portmeirion?

a. Clough Williams-Ellis.

67. For what reasons are Darwin Awards are given annually?

a. They recognize individuals who have supposedly contributed to human evolution by self-selecting themselves out of the gene pool via death or sterilization by their own actions. (accept anything with death and gene pool)

68. The Fields Medal is an International Medal that is awarded for outstanding discoveries in which area of endeavour?

a. Mathematics

69. What’s the chemical name for the liquid that is commonly used as battery acid?

A. Sulphuric acid

70. Who was the ruling monarch in Britain 200 years ago (i.e.1814)

a. George III ( ruled from 1760 to 1820)

71. Who was the ruling monarch in Britain 500 years ago (i.e. 1514)

a. Henry VIII ( ruled from 1509 to 1547)

72. What’s the chemical name for the substance sometimes called salt petre?

1. Potassium Nitrate
1. HMS Bulldog became famous during 1941 for capturing what German secret items?
   1. The Enigma Machine and codebooks ( accept Enigma machine)
2. During WWII, Bletchley Park was the central site of the’ Government Code & Cipher School’. In which UK county is this site?
   1. Buckinghamshire
3. In humans, the 4 basic taste sensations are: sweet, sour, bitter and which other?
   1. Salty (another ‘taste’ called umami has been discussed in scientific cirecles, but this is probably not one of the basis sensations)
4. What’s the name of the current Prime Minister in France?
   1. Manuel Valls

77. Who is the current (as of 23-Oct-14) Head of the European Central Bank?

a. Mario Draghi

78. What name is given to the wife of an Earl??

a. Countess.

79. In the TV series ‘Steptoe & Son’, young Mr. Steptoe called his Dad ‘… you dirty old man’. What was the name of the street where their dirty old yard was situated? a. Oil Drum Lane

80. Up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top are the names given to which elementary particles?

a. Quarks.

81. The first British Colony to be granted ‘independence’ on March 6th 1957 was ‘The Gold Coast’. What was this country called after becoming independent?

a. Ghana

82. Which company manufactures all of the tyres that must be used by all Formula 1 car race teams in current season?

a. Pirelli

83. In India, the rupee is the major unit of currency. Rupees can also be divided into 100 parts. What are these parts called?

a. Paise. (used to be naye paise but the naye, which means new, has been dropped)

84. As of April 2014, 2 people are shown on the rear of new UK £50 note. Name one of them.

a. Matthew Boulton & James Watt

85. Name the person: He was the son of a French tanner; he died in 1895: he gained pre-eminence as a biologist, and studied destruction of undesirable organisms.

a. Louis Pasteur (hence Pasteurisation...)

86. Died 1874, this Swedish physicist carried out research into solar radiation and aurora borealis. His name gives rise to a unit of spectroscopic length of one ten millionth of a millimetre.

a. Anders Jonas Ångström

87. What’s the surname of the twins who won gold and bronze medals in the men’s triathlon at the 2012 Olympics in London?

a. Brownlee (Johnny and Alistair)

88. What venue was used for the archery at the 2012 Olympics?

a. Lords Cricket Ground

89. Which actor played MP Jim Hacker in the shows 'Yes Minister' and 'Yes Prime Minister'?

a. Paul Eddington

90. In 1960, the forerunner to the current MOT test was introduced in the UK. At that time, how old did vehicles have to be before they were the subjected to this test?

a. 10 years

91. Where would you most likely come across the use of the term Research Octane Number (RON)?

a. In a petrol station. (It is a measure of the performance of fuel e.g. petrol for cars)

92. In the game of chess, what’s the name of the move where the king can move more than one square at a time?

a. The process of castling. (accept to castle)

93. Where or when would you most likely come across an APGAR score?

a. At the birth of a child. (It’s the name of the very first test given to a newborn child. Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration)

94. In which state was the trans-continental railway across USA first opened on May 10^th 1869?

a. Utah. (at Promontory Point)

95. In the game of chess, what are the only pieces on the board that can’t move backwards?

a. Pawns

96. Which F1 racing circuit has ‘features’ called ‘Parabolica’ and ‘Nordcurve’?

a. Hockenheim

Spares/supplementaries:

1. Mort Sahl famously said …’this American president won because he ran against Jimmy Carter; if he'd run unopposed he would have lost.’ Who was the American president?

a. Ronald Reagan

2. In which UK city was the Pharmaceutical company ‘Boots’ started?

a. Nottingham

3. Which UK based Pharmaceutical company has manufacturing facilities in Worthing, Barnard Castle & Grange-Over-Sands?

a. GSK (Glaxo SmithKline)

4. British novelist AS Byatt is the sister of another woman novelist, author of “A Summer Bird-cage”. Name her.

a. Margaret Drabble

5. In which state of the USA was the Battle of Gettysburg?

a. Pennsylvania

6. Which writer said ‘I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.’

a. Mark Twain