Thursday, October 29, 2009


Which fish has the Latin name Anguilla Anguilla?

A. The Eel

2. Name the female presenter of BBC's Autumnwatch? A. Kate Humble

3. Canaletto's paintings largely featured Venice and which other city?

A. London

Who was the first celebrity voted off this year's Strictly Come Dancing?

A. Martina Hingis

5. Who scored the winner in the recent Manchester derby?

A. Michael Owen

6. Which bird has the Latin name Troglodytes Troglodytes? A. The Wren

7. Who wrote the series of books known as the Stone Book Quartet? A. Alan Garner

8. Libreville is the capital of which African country? A. Gabon

9. Who was Prime Minister at the outbreak of World War 1?

A. H. H. Asquith

10. Which horse won this year's Grand National? A. Mon Mome

11. What is the final book in The Chronicles of Narnia called? A. The Last Battle

12. Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion were credited with deciphering what? A. The Rosetta Stone

13. In which year was University Challenge first broadcast? A. 1962 (accept 1961 to 1963)

14. Which battle was fought on July 1st 1690? A. Battle of the Boyne

18. Which singer songwriter died in 1974 aged 26 having achieved only modest success? He achieved more success in the month following Volkswagen's use of the track 'Pink Moon' than in the previous 30 years.

A. Nick Drake

19. What is the name of the new cult TV series from ABC based on a 1999 novel by Canadian sci-fi writer Robert J. Sawyer?

A. Flashforward

20. Edward 'Monks' Leeford is the half-brother of whom?

A. Oliver Twist

21. Who won the US Open tennis championship in 2009 beating Roger Federer in the final? A. Juan Martin del Potro (accept del Potro)

22. Who is to become the eleventh Doctor Who?

A. Matt Smith

23. "Let not ambition mock their useful toil" is taken from which popular literary work? A. `Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' by Thomas Gray

(accept Gray's Elegy)

24. What name is given to the tidal current in the Lofoten Islands off northern Norway? A. Maelstrom

25. Who invented Coca-Cola?

A. Dr John S. Pemberton

26. If you were suffering from Nephritis, what would be inflamed?

A. Kidney

27. Which battle was fought on Wednesday April 16th, 1746?

A. Culloden

28. Who wrote 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'?

A. Oscar Wilde

29. Henry Mayhew and Mark Lemon were the first editors of which magazine?

A. Punch

30. What was the Roman name for Chester?

A. Deva

31. How many pecks are there in a bushel?

A. Four

32. Who made the first televised 147 break in snooker, in 1982?

A. Steve Davis (Not Cliff Thorburn, who made the first 147 at the World Championships in 1983)

33. What is made up of the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana?

A. A Pack of Tarot Cards

34. What annual event is the Cumbrian town of Appleby noted for?

A. A Horse Fair

35. Richard Hearne played which TV comedy character in the 1950s?

A. Mr Pastry

36. Which tribe did Sitting Bull belong to?

A. Sioux

37. What are the opening five words of psalm 23?

A. The Lord is my Shepherd

38. Who had a hit with `The Streak" in the 1970's?

A. Ray Stevens

39. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen are members of which pop group?

A. U2

40. What is the best hand in a game of poker?

A. Royal Flush

41. Where do St Helens rugby league team play their home games?

A. Knowsley Road

, 42. Which vegetable gives the flavour to a Bruxelloise sauce?

A. Asparagus

43. What was the name of Jacques Cousteau's research ship?

A. Calypso

44. How much did the owl and the pussycat's wedding ring cost?

A. One Shilling

45. The Alhambra is in which region of Spain?

A. Granada

46. Who painted 'The Garden of Earthly Delights?

A. Hieronymus Bosch

47. Who is the chief executive of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer?

A. Sir Terry Leahy

48. Which former commons speaker joined the House of Lords on 13th October 2009?

A. Michael Martin

50. Which secret agent did Michael Caine play in the Iperess File?

A. Harry Palmer

51. In which country is the Hekla volcano?

A. Iceland

52. Who moved the Russian capital from Moscow to St Petersburg?

A. Peter the Great

53. Which park features the `strawberry fields' of Beatles fame?

A. Central Park, New York

55. In which sport did Wayne Gretsky excel?

A. Ice Hockey

56. Which cleric poet wrote "death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful"?

A. John Donne

57. In which year did Bob Marley die?

A. 1981 (accept 1980 — 1982)

58. What nationality was author Hilaire Belloc?

A. English

59. Wookey Hole is part of which range of hills?

A. Mendips

60. Who trained this year's champion racehorse `Sea the Stars'?

A. John Oxx

61. In which city are the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund located?

A. Washington D.C.

62. Who is the current Secretary of State for Defence?

A. Bob Ainsworth

63. Starbucks, the well known coffee shop organisation, took their name from that of a

character in which novel?

A. Moby Dick (he was Capt. Ahab's First Mate on the Pequod)

64. What is the proper first name of the actress & impressionist, 'Ronni' Ancona?

A. Veronica

65. Who was Clarissa Dickson Wright's partner in the TV series 'Two Fat Ladies'?

A. Jennifer Patterson

66. Why was Alan Wiley in the sporting headlines earlier this month (October '09)?

A. He is the referee Sir Alex Ferguson accused of being unfit

67. Which current government minister has responsibility for the 2012 London Olympics?

A. Tessa Jowell

68. What is the capital city of Uganda?

A. Kampala

69. `The Dog in the Pond' is a public house featured in which TV series?

A. Hollyoaks

70. Specifically, Ursus Maritimus is the Latin name for which creature?

A. Polar Bear

71. Written by Felicia Dorthea Hemans, what is the first line of the poem entitled 'Casablanca?

A. The boy stood on the burning deck

72. To which singer is model Heidi Klum married?

A. Seal

73. Which creatures are classed as vulpine?

A. Foxes

74. Verulamium was the Roman name for which English city?

A. St. Albans

75. Which pet food was advertised with the slogan `Top breeders recommend it'

A. Pedigree Chum

76. What colour berets and helmets do peace keeping soldiers of the United Nations wear?

A. Blue

77. Former Liberty X singer Jessica Taylor is married to which cricketer?

A. Kevin Pietersen

78. Prospero is the main character in which of Shakespeare's plays?

A. The Tempest

79. What is the minimum age to become President of the USA?

A. Thirty-Five

80. What is the county town of Kent?

A. Maidstone

81. From what type of stone is Ireland's Giants Causeway composed?

A. Basalt

82. Which foodstuff was advertised with the slogan `Bet you can't eat three'?

A. Shredded Wheat

83. On London Underground maps, what colour is the Bakerloo Line?

A. Brown.

84. What name is given to the winter coat of a stoat?

A. Ermine

85. What is the county town of Wiltshire?

A. Trowbridge

86. Henrietta Maria of France was the wife of which King of England?

A. Charles the Second (actually it was Charles I)

87. Used to clarify disputed calls, what is the name of the electronic ball tracking device used on Wimbledon's Centre and No. 1 courts?

A. Hawkeye (replaced Cyclops in 2007)

88. Which former Lancashire & England cricketer, now a cricket commentator & pundit is nicknamed "Bumble"?

A. David Lloyd

89. Which cake or pastry gets its name from the French word for lightning?

A. Eclair

90. In the film `Saving Private Ryan', which actor plays the role of Private Ryan?

A. Matt Damon (Tom Hanks is Capt. John H. Miller)

91. `Playing for Keeps' is the autobiography of which former England Cricket Captain?

A. Alex Stewart (he was of course a wicketkeeper)

92. Who was the mayor of New York City at the time of the attacks on The Twin Towers in September 2001?

A. Rudi (Rudolph) Giuliani (accept surname)

93. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Capulet is the family name of Juliet. What is the family name of Romeo?

A. Montague

94. Which London Underground line serves Heathrow Airport?

A. The Piccadilly Line

95. Complete the Groucho Marx quotation "I never forget a face, but in your case..."

A. "I will be glad to make an exception"

96. Complete the Mae West quotation "A hard man is..."

A. "Good to find"

97. Which King of England was known as "The Wisest Fool in Christendom"?

A. James the First

98. Which former Radio One DJ was known as 'The Hairy Cornflake'

A. Dave Lee Travis

99. From what substance is London's Statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus made?

A. Aluminium

100. On which island was footballer Cristiano Ronaldo born?

A. Madeira

101. What is Michael J. Fox's character name in the 'Back to the Future' Movies?

A. Marty McFly (full name required)

102. In what substance did Arts & Craft designer Rene Lalique specialise?

A. Glass

103. On which island was tennis player Rafael Nadal born?

A. Majorca

104. What is the more common name for the disease Varicella?

A. Chicken Pox

105. What name is given to triangle with all three side's different lengths?

A. Scalene triangle

'106. For what crime was Al Capone jailed in 1931?

A. Tax Evasion

107. What is the collective noun for a group of Owls?

A. A Parliament

108. As in 'Ernie', the computer that selects the winning Premium Bonds numbers, for what does the letter 'R' stand?

A. Random (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment)

109. Jenson Button has just clinched the Formula One world motor racing championship, but who, in 1958, was the first British driver to win the Formula One title?

A. Mike Hawthorne

110. In which city are the Headquarters of Interpol located?

A. Lyon, France

111. In Indian cuisine the word Aloo refers to which vegetable?

A. Potato

112. What is the collective noun for a group of Crows?

A. A Murder

113. From 1993 until her death in 2002, what was the London residence of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother?

A. Clarence House

114. What name do the Americans give to jam (the fruit preserve that is)?

A. Jelly

115. What is the most populous country in Africa?

A. Nigeria

116. What is the minimum age for someone to stand as an M.P. for election to the U.K. Parliament?

A. 18 (Lowered from 21 to 18 in 2006)

117. What name do American's give to a spanner?

A. Wrench

118. Barack Obama has been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. In which city is the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony scheduled to take place in December?

A. Oslo (Peace Prize awarded by a committee of Norwegian Government)

119. Gordon Brown is currently M.P. for which constituency?

A. Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath (as from 2005)

120. Which player won the snooker Grand Prix tournament in Glasgow earlier this month

(October '09)?

A. Neil Robertson

Supplementary Questions:

1. What year was the National Lottery first held?

A. 1994

2. Who was head of RAF fighter command at the Battle of Britain?

A. Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding

3. 'Suri' is the name of the three year old daughter of which Hollywood couple?

A. Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes (accept either name)

4. As in a `Cat' scan, for what does the letter `A' stand?

A. Axial (Computerised Axial Tomography)

5. What is the state capital of the U.S. State of Iowa?

A. Des Moines

6. What is the state capital of the U.S State of Kansas?

A. Topeka

7. How many European Union member states currently use the Euro as their basic monetary unit?

A. 16

8. Which singer became the oldest recording artist ever to top the album charts last month (September '09)?

A. Dame Vera Lynn

Tie-Breaker Question:

1. According to Wikipedia what was the population of Scotland in 2008?