17th November–The Questions

 

SPECIALIST QUESTIONS

Set by the Harrington B

ROUNDS:

Science & Nature

Sport Geography - on your jollies

History

Money, money, money

Arts & Entertainment

A little local knowledge

What's in a Name?

Round 1 - Science & Nature

1. What substance are plant cell walls made from?

A: CELLULOSE

2. In physics, what is defined as the rate of change of velocity measured in metres per second squared?

A: ACCELERATION

3. In chemistry, what is the process called where a solid changes into a gas without going to the liquid state?

A: SUBLIMATION

4. How many bones are there in the human face?

A: 14 (accept 13 to 15)

5. What is the iron-containing protein that gives blood its colour?

A: HAEMOGLOBIN

6. What is the device used for detecting radiation, that was named after its inventor in 1928?

A: GEIGER COUNTER

7. The world's largest nocturnal primate, the Aye Aye, is a native of which country?

A: MADAGASCAR

8. What was first used by scientist Alec Jeffreys of the University of Leicester to help local police solve a murder inquiry in 1986?

A: DNA FINGERPRINTING (or any answer with DNA)

SUPPLEMENTARIES

S1. Tetra Ethyl Lead is the compound in leaded petrol used to stop juddering of the engine. What is this juddering known as? A: KNOCKING or ENGINE KNOCK

S2. Blood pressure is measured by two readings. The higher one is when the heart is pumping out the maximum amount of blood into the blood vessels, known as the Systolic. The lower reading is when the heart's at rest and is known as what?

A: DIASTOLIC

Round 2-Sport

1. Lewis Hamilton recently became the second Briton to win three world drivers' championships alongside Jackie Stewart. Name any of the other drivers to have won only three titles.

A: JACK BRABHAM, NIKI LAUDA, AYRTON SENNA, NELSON PIQUET

2. Name any of the six American football teams that played in the recent NFL International Series games at Wembley Stadium.

A: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, BUFFALO BILLS, MIAMI DOLPHINS, NEW YORK JETS, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, DETROIT LIONS (accept either city or team name)

3. Which team claimed third place in the recent Rugby World Cup?

A: SOUTH AFRICA

4. In Rugby League, who won October's 2015 Grand Final to complete a historic treble?

A: LEEDS RHINOS

5. Which county cricket side won the 2015 Nat West T20 Blast Trophy in August, after being runners up last year?

A: LANCASHIRE

6. Which team will Britain's leading tennis players face in this month's DavisCup Final?

A: BELGIUM

7. In October, which golf course was named as host for the 2019 Open Championship, returning there after 68 years?

A: ROYAL PORTRUSH (Northern Ireland)

8. Which Olympic cycling champion has recently been pursuing a career as an amateur jockey?

A: VICTORIA PENDLETON

SUPPLEMENTARIES

51. Which former Olympic skeleton champion can now be seen presenting Channel 5's Gadget Show?

A: AMY WILLIAMS

52. Who was sacked as Aston Villa manager in October after just 23 Premier League games?

A: TIM SHERWOOD

Round 3 - Geography: on your jollies...

1. La Gomera, El Hierro and La Raima are less well-known islands in which popular group?

A: THE CANARY ISLANDS

2. Mexican holiday favourite Cancun lies on the North East coast of which large peninsula?

A: YUCATAN

3. Which holiday island's capital is served by Jose Marti airport?

A: CUBA

4. Small Portugese island Porto Santo neighbours which popular holiday destination?

A: MADEIRA

5. If you landed at an airport in the Parish of St Peter and were taken to your hotel in St Brelades Bay, where would you be?

A: JERSEY (Channel Islands)

6. Which holiday destination is at Marne-la-Vallee in France?

A: DISNEYLAND PARIS

7. Which of the Spanish 'Costas' borders France?

A: COSTA BRAVA

8. Male is the capital city of which Indian Ocean group?

A: THE MALDIVES

SUPPLEMENTARIES

51. Port Louis is the capital of which Indian Ocean island?

A: MAURITIUS

52. Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza are three of the Balearic Islands. Name the fourth.

A: FORMENTERA

Round 4 - History

1. To which English king did the burghers of Calais surrender the keys of their  town in 1347?

A: EDWARD III

2. Which Scottish king was killed in 1513 at the Battle of Flodden Field?

A: JAMES IV

3. Who founded the modern republic of Turkey?

A: KEMAL ATATURK

4. Which civilisation developed approximately 4500 years ago on the island of Crete?

A: MINOAN

5. From what did Prince Albert die in 1861?

A: TYPHOID FEVER

6. Who was the mother of King James I of England?

A: MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

7. Who met with King Francis I of France on 'the Field of the Cloth of Gold'?

A: HENRY VIII (1520)

8. In what year was Julius Caesar assassinated?

A: 44 BC (accept 42 to 46 BC)

SUPPLEMENTARIES

S1. Where did William Wallace defeat the English in 1297? 

A: STIRLING

S2. King Duncan I was the first to rule the whole of Scotland. By whom was he murdered in 1040?

A: MACBETH

Round 5 - Money, money, money

1. Who was Governor of the Bank of England before Mark Carney?

A: SIR MERVYN KING

2. In financial circles, which well-respected investor is known as The Sage of Omaha'?

A: WARREN BUFFETT

3. Who was Prime Minister when Britain changed to decimal currency?

A: TED HEATH (1971)

4. Which mega US bank collapsed at the height of the financial crisis in 2008?

A: LEHMAN BROS

5. Tony Hayward lost his job as Chief Executive of which company as a result of an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010?

A: BP

6. Sir Martin Sorrell, known for his excessive rewards, is the head of WPP, the world's largest business in its field. What sort of business is it?

A: ADVERTISING AGENCY

7. Sir Winston Churchill will appear on the next version of which bank note?

A: £5

8. Following sex scandals, who was replaced as head of the International Monetary Fund by Christine Lagarde?

A: DOMINIC STRAUSS-KAHN

SUPPLEMENTARIES

51. Which author will appear on the next version of the £10 note?

A: JANE AUSTEN

52. Which company bought Northern Rock pic in 2011/12?

A: VIRGIN MONEY (accept Virgin)

Round 6 - Arts & Entertainment

1. Who plays the lead role in Danny Boyle's film 'Steve Jobs', about the Apple founder?

A: MICHAEL FASSBENDER

2. Name the 51-year old Italian actress who became the oldest 'Bond girl' by appearing in Spectre.

A: MONICA BELLUCCI

3. Who resurrected his radio career earlier this year by presenting the breakfast show on Radio X?

A: CHRIS MOYLES

4. Which Radio 3 presenter is currently appearing on Strictly Come Dancing?

A: KATIE DERHAM

5. Adele's third album, released on November 20^th, is called what?

A: 25

6. '85% Proof topped the charts back in May this year - whose comeback album was it?

A: WILL YOUNG

7. Who wrote the current best-selling book entitled 'When You Dead, You Dead'?

A: GUY MARTIN (Motorcycle Champion & TV presenter)

8. Whose recent autobiography is called 'Over the Top and Back'?

A: TOM JONES

SUPPLEMENTARIES

51. The final novel of which author, who died in March this year, was published in August?

A: SIR TERRY PRATCHETT (the novel is The Shepherd's Crown')

52. Which news presenter was honoured with a BAFTA Fellowship in May of this year?

A: JON SNOW

Round 7 - A little local knowledge

1. Which local brewery produces the Tilting Ale' exclusively for Virgin Trains?

A. RED WILLOW

2. In the same vein, which local brewery produces Lord Lucan ale?

A. WINCLE BEER COMPANY (accept Wincle)

3. In which year was The King's School founded?

A. 1502 (accept 1498 to 1506)

4. Which is the only church in Macclesfield with a spire?

A. ST. PAUL'S (Brook Street)

5. Who is the current Chairman of Macclesfield Town FC?

A. MARK BLOWER

6. White Nancy, in Kerridge, was originally built to commemorate which battle?

A. WATERLOO

7. The Talbot pub, now-demolished, stood on a road junction in Macclesfield. Name either of the roads.

A. OXFORD ROAD and CHESTER ROAD

8. Which pub once stood on the junction of Star Lane and London Road?

A. THE STAR INN

SUPPLEMENTARY

51. The ruins of Erwood Hall, once a stately home, can be found in which local valley, popular with walkers?

A. GOYT

52. According to the club badge, in which year was Macclesfield Town FC first established?

A. 1874 (accept 1870 to 1878)

Round 8 - What's in a Name?

1. How is singer/songwriter Damon Gough, whose debut album was called The Hour of Bewilderbeast, better known?

A: BADLY DRAWN BOY

2. What is singer Adele's surname?

A: ADKINS

3. What was the first name of classical composer Saint-Saens?

A: CAMILLE

4. In which year did Marathon chocolate bars change their name to Snickers?

A: 1991 (accept 1989 to 1993)

5. What's the surname of singer Madonna?

A: CICCONE

6. Which music star, who had hits with The Lazy Song and Uptown Funk, was born Peter Gene Hernandez?

A: BRUNO MARS

7. In 2016 Royal Bank of Scotland branches will change their name to what?

A: WILLIAMS & GLYN

8. What was the first name of French artist Manet?

A: EDOUARD

SUPPLEMENTARIES

51. What's the first name of fictional detective Campion, created by Margery Allingham?

A: ALBERT

52. Which global music superstar was born Shawn Carter?

A: JAY Z

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Set by the Cock-A-2

1 Name a year in the life of Sir Walter Scott
1771-1832

2 In 1958, of which city did Nikita Kruschchev say: 'When I want to make the
West scream, that's where I squeeze"?

Berlin

3 Which WW1 poet wrote these lines: "Red lips are not so red/as the stained
stones kissed by the English dead"?

Wilfred Owen

4 In the UK, a barrel of beer contains how many imperial gallons?
36

5 Which 70's and 80's pop star has the real name of Stuart Goddard?
Adam Ant

6 Which TV programme (apart from the News) has been broadcast daily since
July 29^th 1949?

Weather forecast

7 Which President of France officially opened the Channel Tunnel with the
Queen?

Mitterand

8 In which city are the world headquarters of Coca Cola?
Atlanta USA

9 Who sings the theme song from the new Bond film Spectre?
Sam Smith

10 Who is the lead female presenter on the North West regional BBC magazine
programme each weekday evening?

Annabel Tiffin

11 Which piece of music advertised "Hamlet" cigars?
Air on a G string

12 On which island is the Guantanamo Bay detention camp?
Cuba

13 Give any year in which the daily newspaper called Today was published in the
UK

1986 to 1995

14 Who in 1847 composed the Waltz in D flat major, also called the "Minute Waltz?"
Chopin

15 From which language does the word "minaret" come from?
Arabic

16 England beat only two teams at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Name either
country.

Fiji or Uruguay

17 Which revolutionary movement was started in California in 1966 by Bobby Seale
and Huey Newton?

Black Panthers

18 Which Yorkist King of England's personal emblem was a white boar?
Richard III

19 The river Ganges enters the sea in which inlet of the Indian Ocean?
Bay of Bengal

20 From which common English tree are cricket stumps traditionally made?
Ash

21 From what musical does the song "Oh what a beautiful Morning" come?
Oklahoma

22 Which fictional character was nick-named "the Fat Owl of the Remove"?
Billy Bunter

23 Which chemical element has the number 27 of the periodic table and the symbol
Co?

Cobalt

24 The Battle of Balaclava was a Russian defeat by British and French forces in
which war?

Crimea

25 How was the 11^th century Spanish military leader Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar better
known as?

El Cid

26 Which African capital lies at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile?
Khartoum

27 Which future Prime Minister played cricket for Oxford University, MCC and
Middlesex during the 1920s?

Alec Douglas-Home

28 Who won an Oscar for playing an Irish cop in the "Untouchables"?
Sean Connery

29 What is another name for the scaly anteater?
Pangolin

30 How was the Birmingham Royal Ballet Co previously known?
Sadlers Wells

31 Who painted "The Girl with the Pearl Earring"?
Johannes Vermeer

32 Which island is separated from the mainland by the Straits of Magellan?
Tierra del Fuego

33 Baton Rouge is the capital of which US state?
Louisiana

34 Who did Neville Chamberlain succeed as Prime Minister?
Stanley Baldwin

35 It Happened one Night (1934) was the first film to win Oscars for actor, actress,
director and film. Name either the actor or actress who won an award

Clark Gable or Claudette Colbert

36 Firenze is the Italian name for which city?
Florence

37 Which plant was called after the Greek goddess of the rainbow?

Iris

38 What is the British Isles largest lake (by area)?
Lough Neagh (in Northern Ireland)

39 In WW2, what was Operation Dynamo?
Evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk

40 What do Thistle, Brent & Ninian have in common?
They are North Sea oilfields (accept oilfields)

41 Jean-Claude Killy was one of France's greatest sportsmen. At which sport did
he excel?

Skiing

42 Currer Bell was the original pen name of which English author/
Charlotte Bronte (both names needed)

43 Which journalist and broadcaster was born Janet Vera Ardern and has a regular
weekly column in the Independent on Saturday?

Janet Street-Porter

44 Which 1982 film by Ridley Scott (based on the book by Philip k. Dick) was a box
office failure but acquired cult status later?

Blade Runner

45 Who composed the music for the ballet Swan Lake?
Tchaikovsky

46 Which football team did Louis van Gaal manage immediately before Manchester
United?

Holland national team

47 Colour TV came to the UK in which year. Some leeway is given
1968-allow 1966 to 1970

48 Who created Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Roald Dahl

49 Which mountain has the highest railway station in Europe?

Jungfrau

50 The main General Post Office in Macclesfield town centre was moved earlier this
year to where?

WH Smiths on Mill Street (accept either or both)

51 To which famous event in the life of Jesus Christ does the Bible begin: "Seeing
the crowd, Jesus walked up the hill".

The Sermon on the Mount

52 The city of Lichfield lies in which county?
Staffordshire

53 The Famous Five series of children's books were written by whom?

Enid Blyton

54 Who is the longest serving female character in a British soap?
Emily Bishop (from Coronation Street since 1961)

55 The Mexico City Red Devils play which sport?

Baseball

56 Name either of the two geological periods which came before or after the Jurassic
period?

Either Triassic or Cretaceous

57 The mandible forms which part of the human body?

Jawbone

58 Give a year in the life of John Wesley the founder of Methodism with his brother
Charles

1703 to 1791

59 Who is the Conservative candidate to replace Boris Johnson as Mayor of London
next year?

Zak Goldsmith

60 Calabrese, purple and sprouting are types of what?

Broccoli

61 Tashkent is the capital of which country?

Uzbekistan

62 Who wrote the novels on which the Poldark TV series is based?
Winston Graham

63 Massimo Cellino is the owner of which football club having sacked six
coaches/managers and been suspended twice by the football league in his eighteen
month reign?

Leeds United

64 Which, in terms of area is the largest of Britain's National Parks?
The Cairngorms

65 On 13 January 2012, which cruise ship hit the rocks and sank off the west coast
of Italy?

Costa Concordia

66 To which flower family does garlic belong?
Lily

67 Who wrote The Monkees hit 'I'm a Believer'?
Neil Diamond

68 In which Cumbrian town is there a famous pencil museum?
Keswick

69 The phrase 'let him have it' was crucial to the conviction and subsequent
execution of who in 1953?

Derek Bentley

70 Which element in the periodic table was given its name meaning water creator by
Antoine Lavoisier in 1783?

Hydrogen

71 Which actress played Cilia Black in a 2014 TV biopic of her life?
Sheridan Smith

72 In which country was fashion designer Yves St. Laurent born in 1936?
Algeria

73 The name of which common household object derives from the Latin word 'to
admire' or 'to wonder at'?

A mirror

74 Which actress was born Camille Javal in 1934?
Brigitte Bardot

75 What is the second highest mountain in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro?
Mount Kenya

76 Who is the Shadow Foreign Secretary as at end of October?
Hilary Benn

77 What hormone is produced in the 'Islets of Langerhans' in the pancreas?
Insulin

78 The main characters of which opera are Rodolfo and Mimi?
La Boheme

79 Which opera features The Humming Chorus?
Madam Butterfly

80 In Greek legend Pygmalion was the King of which island?
Cyprus

81 In which country is the city of Split?
Croatia

82 Which U.S. State is named after the Spanish for 'coloured red'?
Colorado

83 Which World War II song is particularly associated with Lala Anderson?
Lily Marlene

84 In which country will the next Rugby World Cup be held in 2019?
Japan

85 By which name are the fruit of the Blackthorne commonly known?
Sloes

86 Which food company sold their product from tricycles and by the 1930's had
8,500 of them each bearing the slogan 'stop me and buy one'?

Walls Ice Cream (accept Walls)

87 In his recent book The Road to Little Dribbling' which travel writer wrote
'Eastleigh near Southampton appears to have been bombed heavily during the
second world war, though perhaps not quite heavily enough?

Bill Bryson

88 The opening lines of which hit song are: 'Well you can tell by the way I use my
walk I'm a woman's man, no time to talk'?

Stayin' Alive (The Bee Gees)

89 The town of Salem, scene of the infamous Witch Trials is in which U.S. State?
Massachusetts

90 What was the real name of the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist?
Jack Dawkins

91 Three countries have land borders with Cambodia: Laos and Thailand are two of
them, name the third.

Vietnam

92 What is the title of the poem by Robert Browning that begins 'Oh to be in
England now that Aprils there'?

Home Thoughts from Abroad

93 Coombe Hill in Buckinghamshire is the highest point of which range of hills?
The Chilterns

94 How old was David Cameron when he became Leader of the Conservative
Party?

39 (accept one year leeway)

95 How many acres are in a square mile?
640

96 Who is the Business Secretary (as at end October 2015) in current Cabinet of
the Government?

Sajid Javid

Supplementary questions

1 Which Italian goalkeeper became the oldest person to win the World Cup when
his team triumphed in 1982?

Dino Zoff

2 Which local councillor who represents Sutton on the Borough Council is the
current Mayor of Cheshire East Council?

Hilda Gaddum

3 Who was Emperor of Japan in WWII?
Hirohito

4 What is the largest country by area in Africa?
Algeria

5 The next two Winter Olympic Games will be held in Asia, that in 2018 in South
Korea. In which Asian city will the 2022 games be held?

Beijing

6 Which organisation was set up by Agnes Baden Powell?
Girl Guides