Wednesday, March 09, 2016

8th March–The Questions

Set by the Dolphin

Vetted by the Harrington Academicals and the Cock Inn

Specialist Questions

City Landmarks – Picture round

Lions and Tigers

As the Saying goes

History

Sporting Women

Geography

Arts and Entertainment – All at Sea

Science and Nature

 

City Landmarks

You will be shown a photo of a landmark in a European city. Simply identify the city.

1

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Brussels

2

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Geneva

3

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Rome

4

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Barcelona

5

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Bristol

6

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Florence

7

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Berlin

8

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Copenhagen

9

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Paris

10

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Dundee

For visually impaired players:

11. In which city would you find the Charles Bridge?

Prague

12. In which city would you find the Radcliffe Camera?

Oxford

 

Lions & Tigers

1. Which English King was the central character in the film “The Lion in Winter”?

A. Henry II. (Played by Peter O’Toole).

2. In which city would you find Tiger Bay?

A. Cardiff.

3. Complete this title of the classic, best-selling children’s book, written in 1968 by Judith Kerr: The Tiger who.....

A. Came to tea.

4. According to legend, where is the lost land of Lyonesse?

A. Under the sea between Land’s End and the Scilly Isles. Accept off the coast of Cornwall.

5. By what title is Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, born 1900, better known?

A. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. (Accept Queen consort to George VI, or similar).

6. With which food product would you associate Tony the Tiger.

A. Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes, or Frosties.

7. Who wrote the poem which begins

“Tyger, tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night”?

A. William Blake.

8. Name either the composer or the lyricist of the musical “The Lion King”.

A. Elton John or Tim Rice.

Supplementaries:

9. Which 20th century ruler styled himself “The Lion of Judah”?

A. Haile Selassie.

10. Which Rugby League club is called “The Tigers”?

A. Castleford.

As the Saying Goes

You will be given the definition of a well-known two word saying; identify the saying.

1. Possibly based on a national stereotype from the past, what term refers to a feeling of confidence in the face of danger or adversity brought on by the imbibing of alcohol?

A. Dutch Courage.

2. Similarly deriving from a national stereotype, what term refers to absence from work or from one’s post without permission?

A. French Leave.

3. Coined by the American writer O. Henry, what term refers to a poor, usually tropical, country economically dependent on one, usually agricultural, export, and characterized by political repression and corruption linked to the dominant export crop?

A. Banana Republic.

4. What term refers to a person who, in debate, adopts an unpopular or contrary viewpoint to challenge the received view? Derived from a Roman Catholic official given the job of challenging the claims of someone for sainthood.

A. Devil’s Advocate.

5. A break from work during which the workman engages in activities similar, or identical, to those he does while at work.

A. Busman’s Holiday.

6. A term coined in the Spanish Civil War, referring to treacherous elements inside the city, country or organisation, in league with the enemy outside.

A. Fifth Column.

7. A euphemistic term, first recorded in 1961, for unintended deaths or injury to civilians and their property as a result of military action aimed (allegedly) at military targets.

A. Collateral Damage.

8. An unwelcome possession that is expensive to keep and difficult to get rid of; it originated in gifts given by Thai Kings to troublesome officials.

A. White Elephant.

Supplementaries:

9. An idler who avoids activity by lying around at home, watching television.

A. Couch Potato. (Apparently he may also be a “Sofa Spud”).

10. In an investigation, a false or misleading clue which can lead the investigation in a wrong direction.

A. Red Herring.

History

Real History – i.e. nothing in the 20th century; and no dates!

1. Who was the father of Alexander the Great?

A. Philip II of Macedon. (The regnal number is not essential).

2. Who was the father of King Richard II of England?

A. Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince. (Accept Black Prince).

3. Which Iron founder revolutionised the production of iron in 1709 when he started to smelt the metal with coke rather than charcoal at his Coalbrookdale Iron Works?

A. Abraham Darby.

4. At which battle of 1801 did Horatio Nelson put a telescope to his blind eye, in order to avoid an order to disengage?

A. Copenhagen.

5. Stephen Langton, who led the barons when they forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, held what public office at the time?

A. Archbishop of Canterbury.

6. Which civil engineer of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was referred to by the poet Robert Southey as “the Colossus of Roads” (spelt R-O-A-D-S)?

A. Thomas Telford.

7. In 1773, which explorer was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle?

A. Captain James Cook.

8. Who took control of the Roman Empire by his victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312?

A. Constantine.

Supplementaries:

9. In the middle ages the king of which country was known as “the most Christian king”?

A. France.

10. During the English Civil War, in which city did King Charles set up his headquarters?

A. Oxford.

Sporting Women

1. Trina Gulliver is a world champion in which sport?

A. Darts.

2. The TV sport presenter Gabby Logan represented Wales in which sport?

A. Gymnastics.

3. Who was the first woman to train a Grand National winner?

A. Jenny Pitman. (Corbiere, 1983).

4. Who is the only tennis player to achieve the “Golden Slam”, by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles plus the Olympic Gold Medal in a single calendar year?

A. Steffi Graf (1988).

5. Who was the winner of the 2016 Australian women’s open tennis title?

A. Angelique Kerber.

6. In January 2016 Lindsey Vonn broke the record for the number world cup wins in which sport?

A. Downhill Skiing (accept skiing).

7. British sportswoman Katie Ormerod is the first woman in the world to perform a backside double cork 1080. In which sport?

A. Snowboarding.

8. Five Manchester City players represented England in the Women’s Football World Cup in Canada last year. Name any one.

A. Stephanie Houghton, Karen Bardsley, Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze or Toni Duggan.

Supplementaries:

9. In 1962, who became the first female winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award?

A. Anita Lonsborough.

10. Who is the captain of the England women’s cricket team?

A. Charlotte Edwards.

Geography

1. The volcano Mount St. Helens is in which range of mountains?

A. The Cascades.

2. The highest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil, is in which range of mountains?

A. Macgillycuddy’s Reeks.

3. The capital of South Sudan, Juba, stands on which river?

A. The Nile.

4. The capital of Uruguay, Montevideo, stands on which river?

A. The river Plate.

5. Which of the world’s geographical features is encircled by “the Ring of Fire”?

A. The Pacific Ocean.

6. What name is given to the stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge east to Cuckold’s Point, Limehouse, opposite Canary Wharf?

A. The Pool of London.

7. Poniente and Levante are the two major beaches of which tourist destination, popular with British visitors?

A. Benidorm.

8. Which sea, a northern extension of the Black Sea, is largely surrounded by Russia, Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula?

A. The Sea of Azov.

Supplementaries:

9. In which country are the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage?

A. Tunisia.

10. In which city would you find the Spanish Steps?

A. Rome.

Arts & Entertainment – All at Sea

1. Which Caribbean folk song about a sailing ship was a 1966 hit for the Beach Boys?

A. The Sloop John B.

2. Captain Corcoran was the captain, and Rafe Rackstraw, an able seaman inappropriately in love with the captain’s daughter, Josephine, on board which fictional Victorian naval vessel?

A. HMS Pinafore.

3. Which battleship, which saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar, was painted by J. M. W. Turner being towed to the breaker’s yard?

A. HMS Temeraire. (The Fighting Temeraire).

4. The French artist Géricault painted a harrowing picture of desperate survivors drifting in the Atlantic on a raft from the 1816 wreck of which ship?

A. The Medusa.

5. In the Chronicles of Narnia, what was the name of the ship built by King Caspian X to enable him to sail to the eastern Ocean to seek the Seven Great Lords?

A. The Dawn Treader.

6. Who started out on a series of extraordinary adventures as ship’s surgeon on board the Antelope?

A. Lemuel Gulliver.

7. A 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart as Lieutenant Commander Queeg, and based on a 1951 novel by Herman Wouk, concerns a mutiny aboard which US naval vessel?

A. USS Caine.

8. What was the name of the frigate in the long-running BBC radio sitcom “The Navy Lark”?

A. HMS Troutbridge.

Supplementaries:

9. The Wreck of the Schooner Hesperus was the subject of a poem by which 19th century poet?

A. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

10. What is the name of the Royal Navy corvette which features in the 1953 film, based on a novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, “The Cruel Sea”?

A. The Compass Rose.

Science & Nature

1. By what popular name is the mineral Iron Pyrite also known?

A. Fool’s gold.

2. By what popular name is the mineral calcium sulphate dihydrate also known? It is the definition of a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

A. Gypsum.

3. What name is given to the branch of mathematics which studies rates of change?

A. Calculus.

4. What name is given to the branch of mathematics which studies properties of spaces preserved through deformations, such as twisting, bending and stretching, but not tearing?

A. Topology

5. In which organ of the body would you find the endocardium?

A. The heart.

6. Which is the only bone in the human body that is not connected to another bone?

A. The Hyoid bone. (In the throat).

7. Which form of carbon is used in pencils?

A. Graphite. (Formerly known as plumbago).

8. Which element is common to all acids?

A. Hydrogen.

Supplementaries:

9. In geometry, what name is given to the longest side of a right-angled triangle?

A. The Hypotenuse.

10. Guano is a fertiliser obtained mainly from the excrement of which creatures?

A. Seabirds. (Accept gulls, or similar).

General Knowledge

1. What was the surname of Alice, the real-life original of Alice in Wonderland?

A. Liddell. (Alice Pleasance Liddell).

2. In the Catholic Church, what name is given to the gathering of Cardinals who meet together to elect a new Pope?

A. Conclave.

3. In Egyptian mythology, with which creature’s head is Horus depicted?

A. Falcon.

4. In the Second World War, Franz von Werra was the only German to do what?

A. Escape from a British Prisoner of War camp. (His story was told in the film “The One that got away”).

5. In England what term is given to the style of architecture which on the Continent is known as Romanesque?

A. Norman.

6. Which TV detective series is set on the fictional island of St. Marie?

A. Death in Paradise.

7. Which European country formerly administered Vietnam as a colony?

A. France.

8. The Dolomites are a range of mountains in which country?

A. Italy.

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9. The Prix de Diane, a horserace run annually at Chantilly, is often known as the equivalent of which English race?

A. The Oaks. (For 3-year-old fillies).

10. Of which sedimentary rock are the Needles, off the Isle of Wight, composed?

A. Chalk. (Do not accept limestone).

11. Which actress, who won an Oscar in 2013 for the film “Silver Linings Playbook”, is the star of the “Hunger Games” series of films?

A. Jennifer Lawrence.

12. Monte Cervino in the Swiss Alps is better known by what name?

A. The Matterhorn.

13. Named after a strikingly coloured bird indigenous to the country, what is the currency of Guatemala?

A. The quetzal.

14. In the song “Sylvia’s Mother”, by Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show, how much does the operator say it will cost for the next three minutes?

A. 40 cents.

15. The Bishop of Stockport is the first woman to be elected Bishop in the Anglican Church. What is her name?

A. Libby Lane.

16. In a speech in the House of Commons Benjamin Disraeli described a Conservative Government as “an organised..... what?

A. Hypocrisy.

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17. The name of which semi-soft Italian cheese translates as “Beautiful country”?

A. Bel Paese.

18. The poet Sappho was born, and spent most of her life, on which Greek island?

A. Lesbos.

19. David Seth Kotkin, the American illusionist described as the most commercially successful magician in history, once made the Statue of Liberty disappear. By what Dickensian stage name is he better known?

A. David Copperfield.

20. What name is shared by a piano sonata by Beethoven and a symphony by Tchaikovsky?

A. Pathétique.

21. Name either of the two NASA manned spaceflight programmes which preceded the Apollo programme.

A. Mercury or Gemini.

22. What is the name of the island on which King Kong is found?

A. Skull Island.

23. The Tatra Mountains form a border between two countries; name either.

A. Poland or Slavakia.

24. If a church is described as “Episcopalian”, what is the distinctive feature of its organisation?

A. It is run by bishops.

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25. What is meant by the phrase “to take the King’s (or Queen’s) shilling?

A. To join the armed forces. (In the past, especially when many poor men were illiterate, recruiting officers would give their unsuspecting targets a shilling, and this would be taken as a signing on payment, whether they realised it or not).

26. What is the currency of Mauritius?

A. The (Mauritius) Rupee.

27. When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba he ordered all sets of which game to be destroyed?

A. Monopoly. (The embodiment of capitalist acquisitiveness).

28. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is an important public official, protecting citizens in their dealings with Government, national or local. By what name is he popularly known?

A. The Ombudsman.

29. What type of cuisine gets its name from French Canadians who settled in the swamplands of Louisiana after their homeland was taken over by the British?

A. Cajun. (A corruption of Acadian; the French Canadians called their land Acadia).

30. Who, according to the saying, is king in the land of the blind?

A. The one-eyed man.

31. Ralph Vaughan Williams dedicated his 8th symphony, first performed in Manchester in 1956, to “Glorious John”. Who was “Glorious John”?

A. Sir John Barbirolli.

32. During the siege of which city did General Gordon meet his death in 1885?

A. Khartoum.

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33. What name in north America is given to the creature we usually call the reindeer?

A. Caribou. (Rangifer tarandus).

34. Completed in 1907 in Surrey, which was the world’s first purpose-built off-road motor-racing circuit?

A. Brooklands.

35. Which nursery rhyme character said “What a good boy am I!”?

A. Little Jack Horner.

36. What is the title of the 7th film in the “Rocky” series, starring Sylvester Stallone?

A. Creed.

37. “Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun,

Are the quietest places under the sun”,

are lines from a poem in a collection first published in 1896. What is the collection called?

A. A Shropshire Lad. (By A. E. Housman).

38. In Stephen King’s novel “Cujo”, who or what is Cujo?

A. A dog. (A rabid St. Bernard).

39. In the TV series “Dickensian”, whose murder does Inspector Bucket initially set out to investigate?

A. Jacob Marley.

40. What is the name of the European space probe which in November, 2014 landed an exploratory module on a comet?

A. Rosetta.

_____________________________________________________

41. Which historical figure rode a horse called Bucephalus?

A. Alexander the Great.

42. With what food item would you associate a shucking knife?

A. Oysters. (It’s used for opening them).

43. The trophy awarded for victory in a Test Cricket series between England and South Africa is named after which cricketer?

A. Basil d’Oliviera.

44. How is comedian and comic actor Michael Joseph Pennington better known?

A. Johnny Vegas.

45. In which musical film did Tommy Steele sing “Flash, bang, wallop”?

A. Half a Sixpence.

46. In the Bible, who was the father of the Apostles James and John?

A. Zebedee.

47. The longest acceptance speech for an Oscar was by Greer Garson at the 1943 awards ceremony; for which film had she won the Oscar?

A. Mrs Miniver. (Normally 45 secs. Is allowed; her speech took 5 mins 30 secs).

48. St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is built in which architectural style?

A. Baroque.

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49. Which post-impressionist painter, regarded as a forerunner of the Cubists, painted many pictures of Mont Sainte-Victoire, near Aix-en-Provence, France?

A. Paul Cézanne.

50. Paragon Interchange is an integrated rail and bus station in the centre of which English city?

A. Hull. (Kingston upon Hull).

51. In 1956, what did then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Harold Wilson, condemn as “a squalid little raffle”?

A. The Premium Savings Bond scheme.

52. Growing to a length of 10 feet, which is the largest living species of lizard?

A. The Komodo dragon.

53. What word can mean both a type of drum and an east African antelope?

A. Bongo.

54. Fitzalan-Howard is the family name of the dukes of where?

A. Norfolk.

55. In June, 2015, Carolyn Fairbairn replaced John Cridland as Director General of which organisation, the first woman to hold the post?

A. The CBI. (Confederation of British Industry).

56. In Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”, what is the surname of Tiny Tim?

A. Cratchit.

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57. Which African country is bounded by Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Gulf of Guinea?

A. Nigeria. (Allow a little leeway for thinking time).

58. Which nursery rhyme character was “under the haystack, fast asleep”?

A. Little Boy Blue.

59. Who wrote the novel “Out of Africa”?

A. Karen Blixen.

60. In Anglo-Saxon and Norse mythology what is the trade or profession of Wayland?

A. Blacksmith.

61. Which film, first shown at the 2015 Venice Film Festival, and released in the UK in February starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton, shares its name with a famous painting by David Hockney?

A. A Bigger Splash.

62. In Italian restaurants they are Polpette, in Spanish Tapas Bars Albondigas; what do we call them?

A. Meat Balls.

63. “The Tale of Kitty in Boots”, due to be published in September, is a new story by which celebrated children’s author?

A. Beatrix Potter. (Only recently discovered among her papers).

64. Which lead singer’s name is missing from the original line-up of this rock ensemble: Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Mick Woodmansey?

A. David Bowie. (They were the Spiders from Mars, 1970 – 73).

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65. In which island group would you find the fictional TV detective Jimmy Perez attempting to solve crimes?

A. Shetland. (The title of the TV series in question).

66. English actor James Stewart changed his name to avoid confusion with the existing Hollywood star, and subsequently became a Hollywood star in his own right; under what name?

A. Stewart Grainger.

67. What is the principal prey of the secretary bird?

A. Snakes.

68. What would you expect to find in a book described as a Psalter? (Give the spelling).

A. Psalms.

69. In Norse mythology the god Baldur is killed by a spear fashioned from the wood of which plant?

A. Mistletoe.

70. Which European country formerly administered Mozambique as a colony?

A. Portugal.

71. With which sport would you associate Glasgow-born Leon Smith?

A. Tennis. (He was the captain of the GB team which won the Davis Cup in 2015).

72. Which Mexican culinary speciality has a name which means “little donkey”?

A. Burrito.

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73. In the Bible, who is the first man to be called to be an Apostle?

A. St. Andrew.

74. On election night, 2015, who told Andrew Neill, “I’ll eat my hat if these polls are right”?

A. Paddy Ashdown.

75. What term meaning out of one’s mind derives from the state of boredom and consequent psychological problems experienced by troops in a notorious Indian Army transit camp?

A. Doolally. (The camp’s name was Deolali).

76. Which New York thoroughfare is synonymous with the advertising industry?

A. Madison Avenue.

77. In which African country did the so-called “Jasmine Revolution” of 2011 take place?

A. Tunisia.

78. In Test cricket, after how many overs is the fielding team allowed to take the new ball?

A. 80.

79. Of which mineral is Blue John a variety?

A. Fluorspar.

80. In the Disney animated feature film “Fantasia”, what part is played by Mickey Mouse?

A. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

___________________________________________________________

81. Percy is the family name of the Dukes of where?

A. Northumberland.

82. The painting “The Toilet of Venus” by Velasquez, in the National Gallery, is popularly known by what name?

A. The Rokeby Venus.

83. During the age of steam railways, the Pines Express ran from Manchester to where?

A. Bournemouth.

84. What name is given to the final bend in the Epsom Derby?

A. Tattenham Corner.

85. What is the capital of French Guyana?

A. Cayenne.

86. What is our usual name for the creature known in North America as the wapiti?

A. Elk. (Cervus Canadensis).

87. Who was the first 1st Minister of the Scottish Parliament? (Careful reading this Q!).

A. Donald Dewar.

88. Which Greek god was referred to as “Earth shaker”?

A. Poseidon. (Considered to be responsible for earthquakes).

_______________________________________________________

89. In which Disney animated feature film is the Blue Fairy a central character?

A. Pinocchio.

90. Which historic figure rode a horse called Marengo?

A. Napoleon Bonaparte.

91. Released in November, 2015, whose latest studio album is entitled “Alone in the Universe”?

A. Jeff Lynne’s ELO; accept ELO (Electric Light Orchestra).

92. From which poem did Thomas Hardy take the title of his novel “Far from the Madding Crowd”?

A. Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”. (Accept the title alone, or Gray’s Elegy).

93. According to Aristotle, “Nature abhors a.....” What?

A. Vacuum.

94. Which African country is bounded by Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan?

A. Ethiopia. (Allow a little leeway for thinking time).

95. In a civil court case, a person defending an action for damages is called the defendant. What term is used for the person bringing the action?

A. The Plaintiff.

96. This Chinese New Year is the year of which animal?

A. The Monkey.

Supplementaries:

97. The Althing, one of the world’s oldest parliaments, is in which country?

A. Iceland.

98. Which chain of shops was founded in 1970 by Anita Roddick?

A. Bodyshop.

99. In the Kingsley Amis novel “Lucky Jim”, what is Jim’s surname?

A. Dixon.

100. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded for what?

A. Winning the American Football Superbowl.

101. Who, in the closing years of the 15th century, was the first European to reach India by sea?

A. Vasco da Gama.

102. In the computing acronym J.PEG, what do any of those letters stand for?

A. Joint photographic experts group.

103. What was the code name for the artificial harbours built to facilitate the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944?

A. Mulberry.

104. The term “pulling out all the stops” comes from what musical activity?

A. Organ playing.