Wednesday, November 27, 2013

26th November–The Questions

 

Specialist Questions set by Harrington Academicals:

Vetted by Nags Head and Waters Green Lemmings

1. ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

2. SPORT

3. HISTORY

4. THEME TUNES

5. SCIENCE

6. GEOPGRAPHY

7. ARTS AND CULTURE

8. ACHTUNG!

 

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

1. First on air in 1970, who is Radio One’s longest serving disc-jockey?

Annie Nightingale

2. Which singer famously said “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap” ?

Dolly Parton

3. Which singer released the solo albums Transformer and Berlin?

Lou Reed

4. John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson played a pair of hitmen in which classic 1990s film?

Pulp Fiction

5. In the recent TV revival of Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, who played Watson?

Martin Freeman

6. Following on from a father and son before him, Richard Cadell is now whose human sidekick?

Sooty

7. Roger Mellie, the Man on the Telly, and Felix and his Amazing Underpants are two of the characters you might find in which comic?

Viz

8. Which musical genre is most closely associated with clubs such as The Torch, The Twisted Wheel, and Wigan Casino?

Northern Soul (Do not accept just “Soul”)

S1. In which TV sitcom would you find Roy and Moss working in the basement at Reynholm Industries?

The I.T. Crowd

S2. Under what pen-name did Ronnie Barker write many of the Two Ronnies’ best-loved sketches?

Gerald Wiley

SPORT

1. Tony Martin is a 3-time world champion in which sport?

Cycling. He’s won the last 3 World Time-Trial Championships.

2. Who was recently dismissed as manager of the England women’s football team after 15 years in charge?

Hope Powell

3. In 1889, who became the 3rd nation to play Test Cricket?

South Africa. (The first 12 years only saw England-Australia games)

4. The sheep farmer Joss Naylor is a legendary name in which branch of athletics?

Fell Running

5. Football - who were the beaten finalists in the 2013 Carling Cup Final?

Bradford City

6. Which sport was played at Wembley Stadium for the first time in 1983?

American Football – A pre-season game between Minnesota Vikings and St Louis Cardinals

7. Name the Scottish racing driver who’s won the Indianapolis 500 3 times in the last 7 years?

Dario Franchitti

8. The commentator Ray French is most closely associated with which sport?

Rugby League

S1. In which sport is a Derny used?

Cycling. It’s a motorised bike used for pacing in events such as the Keirin.

S2. Who was the first female to win an Olympic boxing gold?

Nicola Adams

 

HISTORY

1. Which famous phrase stems from the doomed troops on board the sinking ship HMS Birkenhead?

"Women and children first"

2. What made the deciphering of hieroglyphics possible and was rediscovered in Egypt in 1799?

The Rosetta Stone

3. What year were David Niven and Jean Genet born, the Union of South Africa was created and George V became King of England.

1910 accept 1908 - 1912

4. In what year did Ramsey MacDonald become Prime Minister, the IBM corporation was founded, and Mahatma Gandhi was released from jail.

1924 accept 1922 - 1926

5. Who became LEADER of the USSR after leading a coup to topple Khrushchev?

Leonid Brezhnev

6. Who gave up divine status in 1945?

Emperor Hirohito

7. Henry VIII executed Ann Boleyn and which other wife?

Catherine Howard

8. How was Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset related to Henry VIII

He was his illegitimate son. The only illegitimate child of Henry VIII to be acknowledged during his lifetime

SUPPLEMENTARIES

SQ1 In what year was Mattel’s ‘Barbie Doll’ launched, Cyprus gained independence from the UK and Charles de Gaulle became France’s first President

1959 accept 1957 - 1961

SQ2 This English monarch was born in 1312 and died 1377. In 1337 he declared himself the rightful heir to the French throne, invading France and starting the Hundred Years’ War.

Edward III

 

THEME TUNES

1. Which comedy programme is has ‘ The Liberty Bell’ as its theme tune.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

2. Which quiz programme is introduced by ‘The minute walz’

Just a minute

3. Which iconic 70’s game show was introduced by Herb Alperts knockabout ‘Bean Bag’

It’s a Knockout

4. Which sport is associated with Booker T and the MG’s “Soul Limbo”

Cricket (on BBC )

5. Which TV star recorded an unprecedented 4 TV theme tunes – On The UP, Stay Lucky, It’s Alright and I Could Be So Good For You?

Dennis Waterman

6. Which family comedy was introduced by “The Ballad Of Jed Clampett”

The Beverley Hillbillies

7. Name the current affairs programme which for the last 35 years has been introduced by the very familiar “Aujourd’hui c’est toi”?

Panorama

8 The 1986 hit song “Anyone can fall in love” was a lyrical version of which current soap opera’s theme tune

Eastenders

SUPPLEMENTARIES

SQ1 Which legendary guitarist played the score for 80’s mini series Edge of Darkness

Eric Clapton

SQ2 Whose comedy capers were played out to the sound of Boots Randolph’s “Yakety Sax”

Benny Hill

 

SCIENCE

1. What is the new form of carbon, the discovery of which earned the Nobel Prize for two Manchester University scientists?

GRAPHENE

2. Two mathematicians independently discovered calculus. One was Isaac Newton, who was the other?

LEIBNITZ

3. What is the fruit of the tropical tree Ananas comosus?

PINEAPPLE

4. What does the M stand for in MRSA?

METHICILLIN

5. What is the only bone in the human body not connected to any other bone?

THE HYOID BONE

6. What is the disabling substance in South American arrow poison?

CURARE

7. Who is known as the father of geometry?

EUCLID

8. Helium is named after the sun. Which element is named after the moon?

SELENIUM

Supplementaries

S1. Which planet orbits the sun at an average distance of 150 million km.

EARTH

S2. How many inches of mercury are there in 1 bar (1000 millibar)

29.5

S3. How many gigabytes are there in a terabyte?

1024

S4. Who first formulated the theoretical cycle for the heat engine – e.g. the internal combustion engine of a car

CARNOT

 

GEOGRAPHY

1. The world's second highest mountain is K2. What does K stand for?

KARAKORUM

2. Which science is concerned with synclines and anticlines?

GEOLOGY

3. Which science is concerned with flumes and magma?

VULCANOLOGY

4. Which National Trail runs from Milngavie to Fort William?

THE WEST HIGHLAND WAY

5. Which shipping forecast area is named after an island in the Bristol Channel?

LUNDY

6. What name is given to the natural grassland area of Argentina, South Brazil

and Uruguay?

THE PAMPAS

7. In which modern country are the ruins of Troy?

TURKEY

8. What is Britain's most southerly National Park?

DARTMOOR

Supplementaries

S1. Which shipping forecast area has the same name as a long-distance yacht race?

FASTNET

S2. What is the longest river in South Africa?

THE ORANGE RIVER

 

GLITTERING PRIZES – all questions relate to prizes in arts and culture

1 The Stirling prize is awarded in which field of the arts

Architecture

2 In which city are the 2013 Turner Prize contenders currently displayed

Londonderry

3 Which major prize was won by Alice Munro in 2013

Nobel Prize for Literature

4 Who in Greek mythology was the judge in the beauty contest involving Hera, Athena and Aphrodite for which the prize was a golden apple

Paris

5 Fanny Waterman established a world famous piano competition held every 3 years in which British city?

Leeds

6 Who won this year’s Man Booker prize

Eleanor Catton

7 In 1990, which was the first British city to be European Capital of Culture

Glasgow

8 Which artist, who became a Companion of honour in 1997, was given the Order of Merit by the queen in 2012

David Hockney

S1 Who wrote the novel, Glittering Prizes which was the basis for the TV series

Frederic Raphael

S2 In which field is the Casson medal awarded by Private eye

Architecture – for the worst building of the year

S3 Who won the Turner Prize last year

Elizabeth Price

S4 Which Wagner opera features a singing competition

Die Meistersinger von Nurenburg

 

Achtung – Identify the German from the description

1 Who was known as “The Desert Fox”

Erwin Rommel

2. Who was the female star of the 1930 film ”The Blue Angel”

Marlene Dietrich She was German born but later took American citizenship

3. Who is the youngest winner of the Men’s singles title at Wimbledon

Boris Becker

4 Alois Schickelgruber changed his surname in 1876, and in 1889 fathered an infamous child – who was he

Adolf Hitler

5 Who was known as the Iron Chancellor

Bismark

6 Who was the first female German Chancellor

Angela Merkel

7 Who composed the Ring Cycle of operas

Wagner

8 Who proposed two theories of Relativity

Einstein (Special and General)

S1 Which German footballer was known as “Der Kaiser”

Franz Beckenbauer

S2 Who painted “The Ambassadors”

Holbein

S3 Who was the director of the film “ Paris Texas”

Wim Wenders

 

General Knowledge Questions

set by the Nags Head

Vetted by the Harrington Academicals and Waters Green Lemmings

1. Which King of England ordered the death of Thomas Becket (also known as Thomas A’Becket)?

HENRY II

2. Which is the most southerly city to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games ?

MELBOURNE (1956)

3. From which musical does the song ‘Bring Him Home’ come ?

LES MISERABLES

4. By what name is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony Number 6 known ?

PATHÉTIQUE

5. The capital city of Ohio has the same name as an explorer. What is it ?

COLUMBUS

6. Which UK assay office has an anchor as its symbol ?

BIRMINGHAM

7. Clara Petacci was the mistress of which political leader ?

MUSSOLINI

8. Born in Hong Kong in 1953 and now living in Ireland, which male fashion designer also designed vases and cut glassware for Waterford Crystal ?

John ROCHA

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9. New Zealander Eleanor Catton won this year’s Man Booker prize. What was the title of her book ?

THE LUMINARIES

10. Which now famous singer was criticised by the BBC in 1968 because “he writes dreary songs and sounds like a wonky singer” ?

ELTON JOHN

11. Which Oxfordshire town, 8 miles south west of Abingdon, was the birthplace of Alfred The Great ?

WANTAGE

12. Which marsupial is native to North America ?

(Virginia) OPOSSUM

13. Richard Drummie and Peter Cox formed which English pop duo in 1982 ? Their biggest UK hit single was ‘We Close Our Eyes’ in 1984.

GO WEST

14. Who co-wrote the book Good Omens in 1990 with Terry Pratchett ?

Neil GAIMAN

15. Who plays Doctor McCoy in the current Star Trek movies ?

Karl URBAN

16. In which field of entertainment is Gerry Cottle a famous name ?

CIRCUS

17. How wide, in inches, is a set of 3 cricket stumps ?

NINE INCHES

18. In which US city would you find sports teams called the Chargers and the Padres ?

SAN DIEGO

19. Which martial art’s name means ‘the way of the sword’ ?

KENDO

20. French, Italian, German and which other language is used officially in Switzerland ?

ROMANSH

21. Which word can mean the act of breathing in or a desire for high achievement ?

ASPIRATION

22. Who won this year’s cycling Tour of Britain ?

Sir Bradley WIGGINS

23. Johannesburg National Airport was renamed in 2006 after which former President of the African National Congress ?

Oliver TAMBO

24. Which World War I poet wrote the lines ‘They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old’ ?

Laurence BINYON

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25. Which country has borders with Panama and Nicaragua ?

COSTA RICA

26. When the R101 airship crashed in 1930, which Asian country was its intended final destination ?

INDIA (to Karachi which then was part of British india) (accept PAKISTAN)

27. What is the medical name for a tube inserted into the body as a drain or feeding device?

CATHETER

28. In September this year, which city won the bid to stage the 2020 Summer Olympic Games ?

TOKYO

29. In the Stephen King novel ‘Christine’, who or what is Christine ?

A CAR

30. ‘Service above self’ is the motto of which international club ?

THE ROTARY CLUB

31. Who directed the critically acclaimed 2013 comedy drama film ‘Blue Jasmine’ ?

Woody ALLEN

32. Which city has railway stations called Interchange and Forster Square ?

BRADFORD

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33. Which American rapper topped the singles charts in the UK and USA in 2007 with ‘Stronger’ ?

KANYE WEST

34. What is the surname of the three brothers who are in England Rugby League World Cup squad ?

BURGESS

35. Which city has railway stations called Snow Hill and Moor Street ?

BIRMINGHAM

36. What is the chief port of Western Australia, situated at the mouth of the River Swan ?

FREMANTLE

37. Four men have managed both Derby County and Nottingham Forest. Brian Clough is one. Name one of the other three.

Billy DAVIES, Steve MCLAREN and Dave MACKAY

38. In which English town are the headquarters of Tesco ?

CHESHUNT

39. The character Major Boothroyd appears in the Bond films ‘Dr No’ and ‘From Russia With Love’. In subsequent films, he is better known as what ?

Q

40. Which 4 letter word can be a bet, a boat, a kick or a former unit of currency ?

PUNT

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41. What was the cost of the wedding ring for The Owl and The Pussycat ?

ONE SHILLING

42. In 2009, which girl group had a top 3 UK hit with the English language interpretation of the Hindi song ‘Jai Ho’ ?

PUSSYCAT DOLLS

43. Which celebrity chef, earlier this year, launched the Fabulous Fanfayre menus at Manchester City FC ?

JAIMIE OLIVER

44. Who was the US President at the time of the Wall Street crash in 1929 ?

HERBERT HOOVER

45. On which book is Stephen Fry’s novel ‘The Stars’ Tennis Balls’ based ?

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

46. Who introduced carbolic acid as an antiseptic in the 1860s ?

Joseph LISTER

47. How many birds are featured in the Chinese calendar ?

ONE

48. What is the county town of Somerset ?

TAUNTON

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49. Who played the Doctor’s granddaughter in the very first Doctor Who story ?

Carole Anne FORD

50. Of which country is Pashto one of the two main languages ?

AFGHANISTAN

51. Which royal Duke, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and the youngest grandchild of King George V, lived at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire until 1995 ?

DUKE OF GLOUCESTER

52. What was the now politically incorrect name of Squadron Leader Guy Gibson’s black Labrador dog which was run over and killed on the eve of the famous Dambuster raids ?

NIGGER

53. Which horse race is run at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday in November and is marketed as ‘the race that stops a nation’ ?

THE MELBOURNE CUP

54. Rhoose Airport serves which UK city ?

CARDIFF

55. Meaning ‘bestiality’, which art movement, briefly popular in the early 1900s, was led by Henri Matisse ?

FAUVISM

56. Where were the McDonald clan massacred by the Campbells in 1692 ?

GLENCOE

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57. A P McCoy earlier this month became the first jump jockey to ride 4000 winners with victory on Mountain Tunes. At which racecourse did he achieve this feat?

TOWCESTER

58. Which motorway in England ends furthest east ?

M20 (Folkestone)

59. Which 1949 Arthur Miller play tells of the tragedy of a small man destroyed by false values ?

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

60. Which bearded seafarer is Tintin’s best friend ?

CAPTAIN HADDOCK

61. Which now defunct American coin was worth 12½ cents ?

BIT

62. Who directed the 1976 film ‘The Killing of A Chinese Bookie’ and acted in 60s films ‘The Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ ?

John CASSAVETES

63. Which African city was besieged for 241 days from 11th April 1941 ?

TOBRUK

64. What was Pink Floyd’s 1975 follow up album to The Dark Side Of The Moon ?

WISH YOU WERE HERE

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65. Who is the ‘Master of the Queen’s Music’ ?

Sir Peter Maxwell DAVIES

66. Better known as the entertainer Al Jolson, in which country was Asa Yoelson born ?

RUSSIA

67. Which fashion designer who was married to the singer Sandie Shaw, redesigned the Brownies and Guides uniforms in 1990 ?

Jeff BANKS

68. With Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell, which American model, born in 1969, was the third model in the 1990s group of models labelled The Trinity by Vogue ?

Christy TURLINGTON

69. What is the county town of Wiltshire ?

TROWBRIDGE

70. What does an American call a silencer on a car ?

A MUFFLER

71. What was the only UK number one hit single by The Moody Blues ?

GO NOW

72. Which country will make their Cricket World Cup debut in 2015 after defeating Kenya in a qualifying match in October ?

AFGHANISTAN

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73. Which British daily newspaper features a column by Frederick Forsythe every Friday ?

DAILY EXPRESS

74. The Australian kookaburra is one of the largest species of which bird ?

KINGFISHER

75. Last month, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake created a new 20 metre high island off the coast of which country ?

PAKISTAN

76. How many pieces are there in a standard European set of dominoes ?

28

77. Which actor plays Thorin Oakenshield in the film The Hobbit ? He also appeared in TV programmes such as North and South and Spooks.

Richard ARMITAGE

78. What was the pen name of the English writer born James Alfred Wight in 1916 ?

James HERRIOT

79. On which Antarctic island is Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano ?

ROSS ISLAND

80. Phobos and Deimos are the moons of which planet ?

MARS

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81. On which Scottish golf course would you play the Postage Stamp hole ?

TROON

82. Who wrote ‘Lord of the Flies’ ?

William GOLDING

83. By what name is Beethoven’s 3rd symphony known ?

EROICA

84. From which English port would you board a ferry to Dieppe ?

NEWHAVEN

85. Which individual trophy did rugby player Matty Smith win at Wembley in August this year ?

LANCE TODD trophy (awarded to the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final man of the match)

86. Which Archbishop of Canterbury crowned George VI ?

Cosmo LANG

87. What is the most northerly city in Europe to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games ?

HELSINKI (in 1952. Stockholm is slightly further south)

88. With whom did Robert Plant record the 2007 album Raising Sand ?

Alison KRAUSS

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89. What type of creature is a dotterel ?

A BIRD (of the plover family)

90. Major, Mother, Small, Tiny & Granny are returning to TV after 40 years. By what name are they better known ?

THE CLANGERS

91. There are currently (as at November 15th) four female Cabinet ministers. Theresa May is one. Name any of the other three.

Theresa VILLIERS, Maria MILLER and Justine GREENING

92. In which Agatha Christie mystery are the first two victims Alice Asher from Andover and Betty Barnard from Bexhill ?

THE ABC MURDERS

93. Which writer’s novels include ‘The Edible Woman’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘The Blind Assassin’ ?

Margaret ATWOOD

94. Why was Abraham Zapruder in the news 50 years ago this week ?

HE TOOK THE MOST COMPLETE FILM OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S ASSASSINATION (accept anything to do with filming JFK’s assassination)

95. What name was given to the 7 Saxon kingdoms thought to have existed in England before AD 800 ?

HEPTARCHY

96. Who, on Saturday, starred alongside David Tennant and Matt Smith as The Doctor in the Doctor Who special TV programme, 50 years to the day since the first Doctor Who was shown ?

John HURT

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Supplementaries

1. Who played Scotty in the original Star Trek TV series ?

James DOOHAN

2. How many sons did Queen Victoria have ?

FOUR

3. Which of the Marx Brothers had the real names Herbert Manfred ?

ZEPPO

4. What is the name of the world’s deepest lake ?

LAKE BAIKAL (in Russia)

5. What name do Americans give to the small rectangles of card that voters punch out in elections ?

CHADS

6. Fingal’s Cave is on which Scottish island ?

STAFFA

7. To which singer is King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp married ?

TOYAH Willcox

8. In geometry, what is found using the formula ½ x base x perpendicular height ?

AREA OF A TRIANGLE

9. How many millimetres are there in a kilometre ?

ONE MILLION

10. Which Premier League manager was the first to be sacked this season ?

Paulo DI CANIO

Friday, November 22, 2013

NOVEMBER 19th 2013 THE QUESTIONS

 

All questions set by the Ox-fford C

Vetted by the Lamb Inn and the Chester Road Tavern

Specialist rounds:

Geography

History

Entertainment

Science

Sport

Art & Culture

The X Factor

The American Songbook


Round 1: Geography

  1. Q What's the only national capital city whose name begins with Q?
    A Quito (Ecuador)
  2. Q What is China's largest city and chief port?
    A Shanghai
  3. Q What's the largest city in Syria, whose 11th-century Great Mosque lost its minaret during the civil war in 2013?
    A Aleppo
  4. Q Which island is paired with the former county of Argyll in the name of a Scottish unitary authority?
    A Bute
  5. Q In which country are Europe's five highest waterfalls?
    A Norway
  6. Q Since South Sudan became an independent state, which is now the largest country by area in Africa?
    A Algeria
  7. Q Which tropical island's inhabitants are known as Bajans (bay-juns)?
    A Barbados
  8. Q Which US state lies between Washington and California on the Pacific coast?
    A Oregon

Supplementaries

  1. Q In which English city is the car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover based?
    A Coventry
  1. Q Which British island was known to the Romans as Mona?
    A Anglesey

Round 2: History

  1. Q Who was hanged at Holloway prison in July 1955?
    A Ruth Ellis
  2. Q Which German city gave its name to the Republic that was established there in 1871 and which ended with the rise of Hitler?
    A Weimar
  3. Q In which decade did the so-called ‘Long March’ of Chinese Communists take place?
    A 1930s (1934-5)
  4. Q Although born in Hawaii, which state did Barack Obama represent in the Senate?
    A Illinois
  5. Q During whose reign did Colonel Thomas Blood attempt to steal the Crown Jewels?
    A Charles II (1671)
  6. Q Who was shot dead in 1882 by Bob Ford, described in a popular song as ‘that dirty little coward’?
    A Jesse James
  7. Q Which moor near Inverness gave its name to a battle that was fought there in 1746?
    A Culloden
  8. Q Who was Britain’s Secretary of State for War from 1914 until his death through enemy action in June 1916?
    A Lord Kitchener

Supplementaries

  1. Q Who was on the English throne throughout the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia?
    A George III (1762-96)
  2. Q What was the capital of the Republic of Texas during its brief existence from 1837-1845?
    A Houston

Round 3: Entertainment

  1. Q With which TV programme is the 1p (one p) club associated?
    A Deal or no Deal
  2. Q Often serving as the ‘field leader’ of the X-Men, which superhero is the alterego of Scott Summers?
    A Cyclops
  3. Q Named ultimately after a Robert Redford film role, what is the USA’s biggest annual festival for independent films?
    A Sundance
  4. Q Which 2002 film features the fictional Hounslow Harriers Football Club?
    A Bend it like Beckham
  5. Q Which song from Les Miserables made Susan Boyle famous?
    A I dreamed a dream
  6. Q Bella, Milo, Fizz and Jake are the main characters in which children’s TV series?
    A Tweenies
  7. Q Who bought his mum a £150,000 bungalow after the end of his sellout Mum Wants a New Bungalow tour?
    A Peter Kay
  8. Q Which Bond villain was named after the father of a cricket commentator?
    A Blofeld

Supplementaries

1. Q Which Irish comedian had the letters L and R painted (the wrong way round) on his wellies?
A Jimmy Cricket

2. Q Which musical features the song No Matter What, which was a hit for Boyzone?
A Whistle down the Wind

Round 4: Science

  1. Q In the human body, what can be fixed, floating or false?
    A Ribs
  2. Q Once known as a condenser, what is the more modern name for a device that can store electric charge?
    A Capacitor
  3. Q By what name do we know the remnant of a supernova in the constellation of Taurus that was recorded by the Chinese in the year 1054AD?
    A Crab nebula
  4. Q What’s the most familiar domestic use for naphthalene?
    A Mothballs
  5. Q What property of a metal indicates its ability to be worked, hammered or shaped without breaking?
    A Malleability
  6. Q What part of the body is affected by gingivitis?
    A Gums
  7. Q By what other name is the plant belladonna commonly known?
    A Deadly nightshade
  8. Q In chemistry, what is the opposite of oxidation?
    A Reduction

Supplementaries

  1. Q What was the name of the video format developed by Sony, which lost its battle with VHS in the 1980s?
    A Betamax
  2. Q Which company produces the software packages Acrobat, Photoshop and InDesign?
    A Adobe

Round 5: Sport

  1. Q Give any year in which Lance Armstrong apparently won the Tour de France.
    A 1999-2005
  2. Q In which decade was the legend of the Ashes born in a mock obituary for English cricket in The Times?
    A 1880s (1882)
  3. Q Which Scottish Premier League football club is nicknamed the Staggies and plays home games at Victoria Park, Dingwall?
    A Ross County
  4. Q At the start of a game of snooker, what is the points value of all the balls on the table before any balls have been potted?
    A 42 (15+27)
  5. Q At which racecourse earlier this month did Tony McCoy ride his 4000th winner?
    A Towcester
  6. Q Which Australian tennis player won the US Open in 1997 and 1998 and lost the Wimbledon finals in 2000 and 2001?
    A Pat Rafter
  7. Q Which athlete, born in Jamaica in 1956, competed for Great Britain at every Olympiad from 1976 to 1996, winning gold at Los Angeles in 1984?
    A Tessa Sanderson
  8. Q In the world of boxing, how is John Sholto Douglas better known?
    A Marquess of Queensbury

Supplementaries

  1. Q The Iroquois Nationals are a team uniquely sanctioned to travel on Native American passports. What sport do they play?
    A Lacrosse
  2. Q Which US athlete won the decathlon competition in the 1976 Olympics and went on to become stepfather to the Kardashian sisters?
    A Bruce Jenner

Round 6: Art & Culture

  1. Q Which river features in many of the paintings of John Constable?
    A The Stour
  2. Q Name either of the two novels written by Anne Bronte.
    A The Tenant of Wildfell Hall or Agnes Grey

3. Q Which Poet Laureate wrote a series of twelve narrative poems on Arthurian themes, collectively entitled Idylls of the King?
A Alfred, Lord Tennyson

  1. Q Which British composer’s centenary was celebrated at the 2013 BBC Promenade concerts?
    A Benjamin Britten
  2. Q Which artist has recently been delivering this year’s BBC Reith Lectures?
    A Grayson Perry
  3. Q In the Bible, who was the youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons?
    A Benjamin
  4. Q In Greek mythology, who was the wife of Hades and Queen of the Underworld?
    A Persephone
  5. Q Which German philosopher, born in 1844, introduced the concept of the Übermensch (superman) as a goal for humanity?
    A Friedrich Nietzsche

Supplementaries

  1. Q Whose painting Black on Maroon was vandalised at London's Tate Modern gallery in October 2012?
    A Mark Rothko
  2. Q In which Dickens novel does Dick Swiveller plan to marry the central character?
    A The Old Curiosity Shop


Round 7: The X Factor

You will get a definition of a word that ends in X. Just give the word!

  1. Q A statement that seems absurd or self-contradictory, but is (or is believed to be) true
    A Paradox
  2. Q A Greek hero of the Trojan war, who killed himself when Achilles' armour was given to Odysseus
    A Ajax
  3. Q A large African antelope, typically having long, straight horns
    A Ibex
  4. Q A cartoon character who gives his name to a theme park 35 kilometres north of Paris
    A Asterix
  5. Q A bird of Asian legend, said to set fire to itself and rise unharmed from the ashes
    A Phoenix
  6. Q The raw material that is used to make rubber
    A Latex
  7. Q A town in Switzerland, famous for its annual television festival
    A Montreux
  8. Q The branch of linguistics that deals with the arrangement of words to make sentences
    A Syntax


Supplementaries

  1. Q A brand of coating for walls and ceilings, giving a textured finish - very popular circa 1975
    A Artex
  2. Q In Britain, a brand of contraceptive; in Australia, a brand of sticky tape
    A Durex

Round 8: The American Songbook

Americans love songs about American places. These questions all relate to a state or a city that appears in song.

  1. Q Which state did Ray Charles have on his mind in his 1960 US number 1?
    A Georgia

  1. Q Which state gave the Bee Gees their first UK number 1?
    A Massachusetts
  1. Q Glenn Campbell’s dreams of which Texan town include hearing its seawinds blowing and its seawaves crashing?
    A Galveston
  2. Q According to Frank Sinatra, which town could Billy Sunday not shut down?
    A Chicago
  3. Q In the song What did Delaware Boys, what did Dela wear?
    A A brand New Jersey
  1. Q According to Katy Perry, girls from where are so hot they’ll melt your popsicle?
    A California
  2. Q What city was Sheryl Crow leaving on her first single?
    A Las Vegas
  3. Q According to Rogers & Hammerstein, where does ‘the wind come sweepin’ down the plain’?
    A Oklahoma

Supplementaries

  1. Q Johnny Cash and June Carter hoped to revive the fever in their marriage with a trip to which city?
    A Jackson
  2. Q In the musical 42nd Street, where do the honeymoon couples shuffle off to?
    A Buffalo

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

1. Q In Noel Coward's Private Lives how does Amanda describe the county of Norfolk?
A Very Flat

2. Q Before Elizabeth Fry, who was the only woman apart from the Queen to appear on a British banknote?
A Florence Nightingale

3. Q What kind of foodstuff is a shiitake (shi-tacky)?
A A mushroom

4. Q Which novel begins with the words ‘The great fish moved silently through the night water’?
A Jaws

5. Q Which UK gossip magazine shares its name with a 1995 film that starred Robert De Niro and Al Pacino?
A Heat

6. Q Jennie Jerome was born in 1854 in Brooklyn, New York. Who was her famous son?
A Winston Churchill

7. Q Julie Hesmondhalgh (hesmond-halge) is leaving Coronation Street in 2013. Which character has she played since 1998? (First name is acceptable)
A Hayley (Cropper)

8. Q Who did George Osborne succeed as Chancellor of the Exchequer?
A Alistair Darling

9. Q What's the name of England's national football development centre in Burton-upon-Trent, opened in 2012 by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge?
A St George’s Park

10. Q Which actress described herself as ‘the only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva’?
A Diana Dors

11. Q Which company's flagship mobile phone is the Galaxy?
A Samsung

12. Q What sort of creature gives its Italian name to the pasta known as farfalle?
A Butterfly

13. Q Which novel by Graham Greene is about a vacuum cleaner salesman who goes to work for the secret service in Cuba?
A Our man in Havana

14. Q In which Italian city are the headquarters of both Alfa Romeo and Dolce & Gabbana?
A Milan

15. Q In the human body, which gland is situated beneath the Adam's apple and secretes hormones that regulate the body's metabolism?
A Thyroid

16. Q In tenpin bowling, how many strikes do you need to score the maximum 300?
A 12

17. Q Who regained the English throne in 1471, after defeating Henry VI at the Battle of Tewkesbury?
A Edward IV

18. Q Which sport will be included in the 2016 Olympics for the first time since 1904?
A Golf

19. Q In the film Goldeneye, who played agent double-O-six (codename Janus, real name Alec Trevelyan)?
A Sean Bean

20. Q What was the number for the exclusive Directory Enquiries service operated by BT up to 2002?
A 192

21. Q In which game, first marketed in 1967, do you remove plastic straws from a plastic tube, trying not to drop marbles?
A Kerplunk

22. Q In the title of the Stephen King novella, which actress is associated with Shawshank Redemption?
A Rita Hayworth (the novella is entitled Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption)

23. Q What is the name of the junction between the A1 and the A66?
A Scotch Corner

24. Q If a can of beer contains a widget, which gas does the widget release into the beer when the can is opened?
A Nitrogen

25. Q In Arthurian legend, the virtuous Sir Galahad was the illegitimate son of which knight?
A Lancelot

26. Q What surname is shared by the current Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the current shadow Foreign Secretary?
A Alexander

27. Q Two male Olympic gold medallists were knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours List. One was Bradley Wiggins; who was the other?
A Ben Ainslie

28. Q How are the cartoon characters Dupond and Dupont known in English?
A Thomson & Thompson (accept the Thompson twins)

29. Q Which British coin was introduced in 1971 and abolished in 1985?
A Half penny

30. Q Which toy was described on the box as "engineering for boys"?
A Meccano

31. Q Which singer received her third Mercury prize nomination this year at the age of 23, for her album Once I was an Eagle?
A Laura Marling

32. Q By what name, made famous by a certain aromatic tonic, was the Venezuelan port of Ciudad Bolivar known between 1764 and 1846?
A Angostura

33. Q What word do astronomers use to indicate the brightness of stars?
A Magnitude

34. Q In Greek mythology, who was the twin brother of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt?
A Apollo

35. Q What was unique about Pope Adrian the Fourth?
A He was the only English pope (Nicholas Breakspear)

36. Q The singer Noel Harrison died last month. Prior to his singing career he represented Britain at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, in which sport?
A Skiing

37. Q Who won seven Oscars as producer of the Tom & Jerry cartoons?
A Fred Quimby

38. Q Who gave birth in August to a baby rejoicing in the name of Jett Riviera?
A Katie Price (accept Jordan)

39. Q Which writer was married to the archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan, from 1930 until her death in 1976?
A Agatha Christie

40. Q Which musical instrument gets its name from the Italian word for "little"?
A Piccolo

41. Q In which English county are the towns of Market Drayton and Much Wenlock?
A Shropshire

42. Q Used as a food preservative and one of the principal ingredients of gunpowder, what is the common name for potassium nitrate?
A Saltpetre

43. Q Which Biblical character was visited by the Queen of Sheba?
A Solomon

44. Q What was the surname of the 'Wild West' showman known as Buffalo Bill?
A Cody

45. Q Which US city is represented by the Bulls in basketball and the Cubs in baseball?
A Chicago

46. Q What wine did Hannibal Lecter wash down his liver and fava beans with?
A Chianti (a nice one)

47. Q What type of creature is being swallowed by an eagle on the flag of Mexico?
A A snake

48. Q What was the real first name of the Project Mercury astronaut 'Gus' Grissom?
A Virgil

49. Q Whose third studio album, 18 Months, was released in 2012 and has produced a record eight Top Ten hits?
A Calvin Harris

50. Q St. Peter Port is the only town on which island?
A Guernsey

51. Q Doug Engelbart died in California in July 2013, aged 88. What was his most famous invention?
A The computer mouse

52. Q Who was the first person in the Bible to get drunk?
A Noah

53. Q Who resigned as Commander-in-Chief of the British army, in 1828, to become Prime Minister?
A Duke of Wellington

54. Q In which sport is there a scrimmage at the start of every down?
A American football (accept Canadian football)

55. Q Mickey Goldmill, played by Burgess Meredith, is a central character in which series of films?
A Rocky

56. Q Which South American country's flag is essentially similar to that of Canada, without the maple leaf?
A Peru

57. Q Which iconic singer, songwriter and musician, had the middle name Nesta?
A Bob Marley

58. Q Which band was formed at Wilmslow High School in 1985, and had a No. 1 album in 2002 with The Last Broadcast?
A Doves

59. Q Name one of the three countries with which Indonesia shares a land border.
A Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor

60. Q What's the name of the medical condition in which the optic disc is damaged by the pressure in the eyeball?
A Glaucoma

61. Q Which strait is crossed by two bridges, one designed by Thomas Telford and the other (originally) designed by Robert Stephenson?
A Menai strait

62. Q Which Chinese phrase means "wind and water"?
A Feng shui

63. Q Which canal links London and Birmingham?
A Grand Union

64. Q Which 2001 film made Halle Berry the first African American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar?
A Monster’s Ball

65. Q Which household item was invented by Sir James Dewar in 1892?
A The vacuum (Thermos) flask

66. Q Which cricket commentator, a former Test cricketer, is nicknamed Bumble?
A David Lloyd

67. Q Which musical is based on a 1988 film directed by John Waters and tells the story of a "pleasantly plump" teenager named Tracey Turnblad?
A Hairspray

68. Q Which river flows through Washington DC?
A Potomac

69. Q Which venomous spider gets its name from an Italian city?
A Tarantula (from Taranto)

70. Q What's the name of the cottage in Grasmere that was once home to William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy?
A Dove Cottage

71. Q What's the customary English translation of the Russian word "tovarisch"?
A Comrade

72. Q Formerly known as the Culebra Cut, where is the Gaillard (GAY-lard) Cut?
A On the Panama Canal (accept Panama)

73. Q In the film E.T., who played Elliott's little sister Gertie?
A Drew Barrymore

74. Q Name either of the joint winners of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded following the Camp David agreement.
A Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat or Menachem Begin

75. Q Who made the so-called 'Wind of Change' speech, in 1960, predicting the end of colonial rule in Africa?
A Harold MacMillan

76. Q Which song, written by Leon Russell and a hit for Joe Cocker, is said to have been inspired by the singer Rita Coolidge?
A Delta Lady

77. Q The USS Arizona has a designated war memorial straddling its hull. In what body of water does it lie?
A Pearl Harbor

78. Q The plant sometimes known as meadow saffron is also known as the autumn … what?
A Crocus

79. Q In English law, what's the last quarter day in each calendar year?
A Christmas Day

80. Q Which animal gives its name to a hastily-arranged and unjust court?
A Kangaroo

81. Q Which 38-year-old English schoolteacher died on Mount Everest in 1924?
A George Mallory

82. Q Which 1990 film, starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, took its title from a Leonard Cohen song?
A Bird on a Wire

83. Q Who had an inscription in Irish Gaelic, which translates into English as "I told you I was ill", put on his gravestone?
A Spike Milligan

84. Q Complete this quotation from Margaret Thatcher: "Every prime minister needs a … "
A Willie (she was obviously referring to Willie Whitelaw)

85. Q In which TV sitcom does the title character live above her own joke shop?
A Miranda

86. Q What's the only US state that has two words in its name, where the first word is not 'New' or a point of the compass?
A Rhode Island

87. Q In cricket, what do the initials ODI stand for?
A One-Day International

88. Q Which confectionery product did Mr T advertise while driving a tank?
A Snickers

89. Q What word can mean a small mammal, a naevus (NEE-vus), an infiltrator, a breakwater, or the SI base unit for the amount of a substance?
A Mole

90. Q In which year did London's first Underground line open?
A 1863 (no leeway as this year is the well-publicised 150th anniversary)

91. Q Which character in Dickens's David Copperfield had the first name Wilkins?
A Mr Micawber

92. Q Which 'lad-mag' has the same name as the first Top 20 hit for the Scottish alternative rock band Primal Scream?
A Loaded

93. Q Who married Cynthia Powell on the 23rd of August 1962?
A John Lennon

94. Q How is 57-year-old Brendan O'Carroll better known on TV?
A Mrs Brown

95. Q Which German city gave its name to the edict of 1521, which declared Martin Luther a heretic and an outlaw?
A Worms

96. Q Whose 1981 single Rapture is often named as the first rap single to achieve mainstream chart success?
A Blondie

Supplementaries

1. Q Which product's advertising slogan, "a little dab'll do ya", gave Fred Flintstone his famous "Yabber-dabber-doo" catchphrase?
A Brylcreem

2. Q Which Massachusetts-based employment website was founded in 1994 by Jeff Taylor?
A monster.com

3. Q What is Mick Jagger's middle name, and also the real first name of the actor Anthony Hopkins?
A Philip

4. Q What do Melissa, Chernobyl and Anna Kournikova have in common?
A They are computer viruses

5. Q In volleyball, a spike is the equivalent of which stroke in tennis?
A Smash

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

12 November The Questions

Specialist Set by the Park Timers
Vetted by the Cock-A-2 and the Dolphin Dragons

1974

This round is all about 1974.

Q1. Following the terms of the Sunningdale Agreement, where was self-government established in January 1974 but had collapsed by May 1974?

A1. Northern Ireland

Q2. In which country did the Carnation Revolution take place, with a military coup overturning the authoritarian Estado Novo established by Salazar?

A2. Portugal

Q3. Which country experienced a coup in favour of union with Greece, then two invasions by Turkey, and ended up with the green line buffer zone?

A3. Cyprus

Q4. What was Abba's 1974 Eurovision winning song called?

A4. Waterloo

Q5. From 1 January to 7 March how many consecutive days per week of electricity were commercial users allowed in the UK?

A5. Three

Q6. Throughout January and February 1974 what was the highest speed limit applying to any British road?

A6. 50 mph

Q7. What was the first teletext service called, established in September 1974?

A7. Ceefax

Q8. Richard John Bingham disappeared without trace in November 1974. What was his title?

A8. Lord Lucan

Supplementaries

Q9. Grenada achieved independence from which country?

A9. United Kingdom

Q10. What happened to Rutland and Cumberland in 1974?

A10. They were abolished as separate counties

Geography

Q1. Which central America country has San Jose as its capital?

A1. Costa Rica

Q2. The Schengen Agreement allows what between certain European countries?

A2. Free travel; no border checks; no need for a passport to be shown (accept anything along these lines)

Q3. What is England's most Easterly town?

A3. Lowestoft

Q4. The A57 road between Glossop and Sheffield is more commonly known as what?

A4. Snake Pass

Q5. The ghost town of Pripyat is in which European country?

A5. Ukraine (scene of the Chernobyl disaster)

Q6. Which UK airport has the code LCY?

A6. London City

Q7. Which London football ground is also the name of a battle that took place in September 1066?

A7. Stamford Bridge

Q8. In which British City would you find Temple Meads and Parkway railway stations?

A8. Bristol

Supplementaries

Q9. Which Florida National Park has a highway called 'Alligator Alley?'

A9. Everglades

Q10. Which Derbyshire town is famous for a church with a crooked spire?

A10. Chesterfield

Art and Culture

Q1. Who is young Dolores Haze transformed into by Humbert Humbert?

A1. Lolita

Q2. Which room was Winston Smith told contained the worst thing in the world?

A2. Room 101

Q3. What capital city provides the setting for Puccini's 'La Boheme'?

A3. Paris

Q4. Which busy duo famously gave us the Savoy Operas?

A4. Gilbert and Sullivan

Q5. How many times does Shakespeare mention the Bible in his works?

A5. None

Q6. Whan is the name of the weaver who is given an ass's head in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream?

A6. Bottom

Q7. What nationality was the 'Laughing Cavalier' painter Frans Hals?

A7. Dutch

Q8. Which post impressionist's celebrated works include 'The Tahitians'?

A8. Paul Gaugin's

Supplementaries

Q9. Designed by Edwin Lutyens, what London monument has a name meaning empty tomb?

A9. The Cenotaph

Q10. Which 19th Century English architect connects St Alban's Roman Catholic Church in Macclesfield to the interior of the Palace of Westminster?

A10. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (accept Pugin)

Science

Q1. What would you measure in Pascals?

A1. Pressure

Q2. Which German Engineer gives his name to a type of rotary engine?

A2. Felix Wankel

Q3. It was announced in September 2013 that Microsoft are to buy which mobile phone manufacturer?

A3. Nokia

Q4. Which everyday material is made of limestone heated with sand and sodium carbonate?

A4. Glass

Q5. Who invented the jet engine?

A5. Sir Frank Whittle

Q6. What is lowered by a beta blocker?

A6. Blood pressure

Q7. Edwin Beard Budding invented the adjustable spanner and what other labour saving device for use in the garden?

A7. Lawnmower

Q8. How many terminals does a diode have?

A8. Two

Supplementaries

Q9. Where in the body would you find the alveoli?

A9. Lungs

Q10. During exercise which acid builds up in the muscles

A10. Lactic

Sport

Q1. Who won the 2013 Wimbledon women's single championship?

A1. Marion Bartoli

Q2. Who won the 2013 U.S open golf tournament?

A2. Justin Rose

Q3. What is the maximum number of days a test cricket match can be played over ?

A3. Five

Q4. How long is a rugby union game in minutes?

A4. 80 minutes

Q5. Which city is the host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games?

A5. Glasgow.

Q6. At which stadium is the 2014 FIFA football world cup final to be played?

A6. Maracana

Q7. Who currently holds the men's 400 metre sprint world record?

A7. Michael Johnson

Q8. Who currently holds the women's marathon world record?

A8. Paula Radcliffe

Supplementaries

Q9. Which country won the 1974 FIFA football world cup?

A9. West Germany

Q10. Which horse won the 1974 Grand National?

A10. Red Rum

New words

This round is based on new entries to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2012 and 2013.

Some are totally new words, some are just new senses, meanings or forms of the word.

Some have actually been around a long time but only just made it into the dictionary.

Q1. Who were the "Iceni"?

A1. An ancient British people [accept anything about Boudicca/Boudicea's tribe etc]

Q2. From Woody Allen's film 'Sleeper', what is an "orgasmatron" ?

A2. A device which induces orgasm (usually hypothetical or in humorous use).

Q3. Whats is "transphobia"?

A3. Fear or hatred of transsexual or transgender people

Q4. In an working environment, what non-touching activity might be meant by "handholding?"

A4. Providing close support or guidance, especially through a learning process of period of change. [Accept mentoring etc]

Q5. In British education, what does it mean to "statement" a child?

A5. To make a statement of the special educational needs of (a child); to assess or designate as as having such needs. [Accept anything getting at this].

Q6. What is "hydraulic fracturing" now commonly shortened to?

A6. Fracking

Q7. In computing, what is an "alpha-tester"?

A7. Some one who tests the product in development in-house, i.e. before the product is made publically available for beta testing. [Accept anything along the lines of initial testing etc.]

Q8. What is an "uplink" ?

A8. A communication link for transmissions from the earth to a satellite, weather balloon, etc

Supplementaries

Q9. Via which TV series did Grant & Naylor popularise the word "smeg" ?

A9. Red Dwarf

Q10. If something is 'alegesic' what does it relate to, involve or produce?

A10. The sensation or perception of pain; or sensitivity to it.

Entertainment

Q1. Who was the original host of the quiz show Fifteen to One?

A1. William G Stewart

Q2. Who replaced Carol Vorderman as the co-host of Countdown?

A2. Rachel Riley

Q3. Which band's song 'The Chain' is used by the BBC as the theme tune for its formula 1 coverage?

A3. Fleetwood Mac

Q4. Which band's song 'Whole Lotta Love' was used as the theme tune to Top of the Pops for a number of years?

A4. Led Zeppelin

Q5. Which actress played Sally Albright in the film When Harry met Sally?

A5. Meg Ryan

Q6. Which actress played Ellen Ripley in the Alien series of films?

A6. Sigourney Weaver

Q7. Which Hollywood actress was on the cover of the very first Playboy magazine?

A7. Marilyn Monroe

Q8. Of which magazine is Ian Hislop the editor?

A8. Private Eye

Supplementaries

Q9. Which actress played the character D.C.I Jane Tennison in the British TV series Prime Suspect?

A9. Helen Mirren

Q10. To which character is Arkwright engaged in the sitcom Open All Hours?

A10. Nurse Gladys Emmanuel

World Leaders

Q1. Who leads the country with the fastest growing population (in numbers) in Europe?

A1. David Cameron

Q2. Which world leader gets paid his salary in Renminbi?

A2. Xl Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China (accept name or job title)

Q3. Which world leader has the most Twitter followers as at 26 October 2013?

A3. Barack Obama with 38.8m followers

Q4. Who does Forbes Magazine list as the current most powerful woman in the world?

A4. Angela Merkel

Q5. Who is the current head of the International Monetary Fund?

A5. Christine Lagarde

Q6. Which developed country is represented at G7, G8 and G20 summits by its Prime Minister Stephen Harper?

A6. Canada

Q7. Who is the current Taoiseach (pronounced Teashock) (prime minister) of the Republic of Ireland?

A7. Enda Kenny

Q8. Which world leader is a native Pashto speaker but has had to learn Dari, Persian, Uzbeck and Turkmen to help unify his wartorn country?

A8. Hamid Karzai, President of Afganistan [need the name of the President]

Supplementaries

Q9. Name the world leader born in 1954, the son of a social worker and a doctor, who took up the cause of the Left while at secondary school. Having obtained a Law Degree he rose through the ranks of his party and was elected to the office of President on 6 May 2012?

A9. Francois Hollande

Q10. With a workforce of 3.2 million which entity is the world's largest employer?

A10. US Department of Defense

 

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

 

(Set by the Cock-a-Too)

 

1) Who, with Athos and Porthos, made up the Three Musketeers?

Aramis

2) Who was the first US President to visit China?

Richard Nixon

3) Who is the patron saint of Venice?

St Mark

4) In what month of the year do you celebrate “Burn’s Night”?

January

5) What is the official language of Haiti?

French

6) In the NATO alphabet, what does the letter J stand for?

Juliet

7) What was the name of the Greenpeace ship sunk in Auckland in 1985?

Rainbow Warrior

8) What is the name of Edinburgh’s principal shopping street?

Princes St

9) What was the name of the wife of the Egyptian Pharoah Akhenaton?

Nefertiti

10) What type of pastry is used to make profiteroles?

Choux pastry

11) On a Monopoly board, what colour is Bond Street?

Green

12) Who authorised the “Authorised Version” of the Bible?

King James I

13) In what city is the HQ of the Mormon Church?

Salt Lake City

14) In 1954 which British trumpet player was the first to sell a million records with “Oh Mein Papa”?

Eddie Calvert

15) What language does the word “tsunami” come from?

Japanese

16) What is the Russian word for “citadel”

Kremlin

17) What line on a map connects points of the same height?

Contour line

18) Which Irish mountains “sweep down to the sea”?

Mountains of Mourne

19) Who is the patron saint of mountaineers?

St Bernard

20) In which city is the HQ of the IMF (International Monetary Fund)?

Washington DC

21) Who invented the Polaroid Camera in 1947?

Edwin Land

22) Who was the last prisoner to be held at Spandau Prison in Berlin?

Rudolf Hess

23) What London Park lies between the Mall and Birdcage Walk?

St James’s Park

24) What London thoroughfare connects Charing Cross to Fleet Street?

The Strand

25) What is the chief member of a lifeboat crew called?

Coxswain (accept cox)

26) What is the official language of Chile?

Spanish

27) What Central American country’s name translates as “The Saviour”?

El Salvador

28) Which gas is used in modern airships?

Helium

29) In which country did the poet John Keats die?

Italy

30) How many French kings were named Louis?

18

31) What is the French equivalent of the London Stock Exchange?

The Bourse

32) Christine Keeler, who played a prominent part in the Profumo scandal, was sent to prison in 1963. For what offence was she convicted?

Perjury

33) The Plains of Abraham, notable for an 18th century battle, overlook which Canadian city?

Quebec

34) Viscountess Lady Astor is the mother of which politician’s wife?

David Cameron (Samantha Cameron)

35) Which country lies between Columbia and Costa Rica?

Panama

36) Who in September 2013, was elected Prime Minister of Australia?

Tony Abbott

37) What is the meaning of the suffix “NESS”, as found in British place names e.g. Skegness and Caithness?

A headland or promontory

38) Who was the first American (citizen of the USA) to win a Nobel Prize?

Theodore Roosevelt

39) Antoine Lavoisier is known as the “father of modern chemistry”. How did he die in May 1794?

He was guillotined during the “Terror” (accept executed)

40) Who was the first British racing driver to win the British Grand Prix?

Stirling Moss

41) Three female trainers have won the Grand National. Jenny Pitman is one, name either of the other two?

Venetia Williams (Mon Mome 2009)

Sue Smith (Auroras Encore 2013)

42) What, as of October 2013, is the population of Gibraltar?

29,400 (accept 27,000 to 32,000)

43) What is the name of Richard Branson’s 74-acre paradise island in the British Virgin Islands?

Neckar Island

44) Which famous building takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV?

Sistine Chapel

45) Which pigment is obtained from the inky secretions of the cuttlefish?

Sepia

46) What is the common name of the flower “bellis perennis”?

Daisy

47) What type of creature is a Devil’s Coach Horse?

A beetle

48) Which broadcaster announced his retirement from reading out the BBC Saturday football results earlier this year?

James Alexander Gordon

49) What is the minimum age required for a US citizen to become President of the USA?

35

50) The last King to die in battle on British soil was killed in 1513. Name either the King or the battle

James IV of Scotland at Flodden

51) Which Scottish artist painted the “Singing Butler” in 1992 and “Along came a Spider” in 2004 (this is now owned by Sir Alex Ferguson)

Jack Vetriano

52) The northernmost lighthouse in the UK is situated on which of the Shetland Islands?

Muckle Flugga

53) How long, in miles, is Hadrian’s Wall?

73 (accept 71-75)

54) Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Post independance, how is this city known today?

Djarkarta

55) Dead Cert, published in 1962, was the first novel by which crime writer?

Dick Francis

56) Native to Africa and southern parts of Asia, which mammal is also known as the “scaly anteater”?

Pangolin

57) Which film has the following closing line: “It wasn’t the aeroplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast”?

King Kong

58) Which film has the following closing line: “I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner”?

The Silence of the Lambs

59) The parish church in Daresbury, Cheshire has a stained glass window celebrating which famous author?

Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll (accept either)

60) Which city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once the capital of the Nabatean kingdom between the Euphrates and the Red Sea?

Petra

61) In 2011 the actress Rachel Weisz married which actor?

Daniel Craig

62) The 1953 film The Robe, based on a novel by Lloyd C Douglas, was the first film to be made in which format?

Cinemascope

63) Which was the first of the modern Olympic Games to have the Olympic Flame brought from Greece?

Berlin 1936 (accept either venue or date)

64) In which year was the composer Richard Wagner born?

1813 (no leeway as it’s his bicentenary this year)

65) What was the name of the “White Queen” (the wife of Edward IV) featured in the book by Philippa Gregory and also in the recent BBC TV series?

Elizabeth Woodville

66) The AJ Bell Stadium is the new name for which rugby league venue in the North West region?

Salford City Stadium

67) Radox is a popular brand of bathroom, toiletry and similar products. Which company makes this brand?

Unilever

68) In which US city was Martin Luther King born, raised, began preaching and is now buried?

Atlanta, Georgia

69) How are Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Rawnsley connected?

They founded the National Trust

70) Mike Suarez has recently taken up which important local position?

Chief Executive of Cheshire East Borough Council

71) How many feet are there in a mile?

5280 (accept 5260 – 5300)

72) The National Maritime Museum is in which London Borough?

Greenwich

73) Which type of white wine comes principally from around the city of Verona?

Soave

74) The top three selling weekly magazines in the UK are all concerned with what type of content?

Listing of TV and radio programmes

75) In 2013 which football team won the League Cup (which is currently sponsored by Capital One)?

Swansea City

76) Who in 1935 was the first person to drive a car at more than 300 MPH, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah?

Malcolm Campbell

77) At which Olympic Games did Tommy Smith and John Carlos raise black-gloved fists in a “Black Power” salute?

Mexico City in 1968 (accept either year or venue)

78) What is the name of the mythical flying horse of Greek mythology?

Pegasus

79) In which city is the La Scala Opera House?

Milan

80) Who designed the Spitfire aircraft?

Reginald (R J) Mitchell

81) Who painted The Rake’s Progress?

William Hogarth

82) Zaire was the former name for which African country?

Democratic Republic of Congo

83) The marching season in Northern Ireland commemorates which historical event?

The Battle of the Boyne (1690)

84) Who write the epic poem Hiawatha?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

85) The BBC detective series Inspector Montalbano takes place on which island?

Sicily

86) On which course will the 2014 Open Golf Championship be held?

Royal Liverpool aka Hoylake – accept either

87) What is the capital of Switzerland?

Berne

88) “Our version of events” an album released in February 2012 and still in the Top 20 has achieved the most chart weeks by a new artist ever. Who was the singer?

Emeli Sande

89) Who is the only female artist to have had number 1 hits on the US Billboard music charts in each of the last six decades??

Cher

90) Sodium Chloride (chemical formula NaCl) is better known as which everyday item?

Salt (accept table salt, common salt etc

91) In which English city is the large aquarium attraction known as The Deep?

Hull

92) What is the purpose of the national Blue Badge scheme?

To enable disabled people to park closer to their destination (accept disabled parking)

93) The Manchester Arena is now sponsored by which company (and also known by this name)?

Phones 4 U (Arena)

94) The International Red Cross movement is based in which European city?

Geneva

95) In which speech did Abraham Lincoln state that the American Government was “of the people, by the people, for the people”?

Gettysburg Address (accept Gettysburg Speech or similar)

96) In what language were the majority of the books of the Old Testament written?

Hebrew

supplementaries

1) How is Middlesex Street in the City of London better known as?

Petticoat Lane

2) What are the shortest wavelengths of radiation?

Gamma Rays

3) “Black Jack Bouvier” was the father of which famous celebrity?

Jackie Kennedy (accept Jackie Onassis)

4) Of which plant genus are swede, turnip and mustard?

Brassica

5) Who in 1942 was appointed Director of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, undertaking research for the Manhattan Project?

Robert Oppenheimer

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

5th November Cup Questions

 

Set & Vetted by:

The Dolphin Dragons

&

The Lamb Shanks

 

Round 1

1. Who wrote a (famously bad) poem about the Tay Bridge Disaster?

A: William McGonnagall

2. Name 1 of the only 2 labour MPs who were in the cabinet for the whole of the last labour administration - other than Gordon Brown

A: Jack Straw, Alistair Darling

3. Name the English county with the longest coastline

A: Cornwall

4. What is Ascorbic Acid more commonly called?

A: Vinegar

see blog – should be Vitamin C

5. In golf, what is the other term for a Double Eagle (3 under par?)

A: An Albatross

6. By what name is the guitarist Brian Rankin, born in Newcastle in 1941 better known?

A: Hank Marvin

7. What is the name for the salary of a clergyman?

A: A Stipend

8. What is the distinctive feature of a wooden ship which is described as “clinker built”?

A: The planks overlap

9. In which decade of the 19th Century did public executions stop in UK?

A: 1860’s (1868)

10. What kind of garden crop can be beefsteak or moneymaker?

A: Tomato

11. Where would you find the part of the body, called the pinna?

A: (The external part of) The ear

12. Why was the performing of King Lear banned in Britain between 1810 and 1820?

A: It dealt with a mad King and at the time King George III was mad.

13. What sauce is used in an Eggs Benedict?

A: Hollandaise

14. What was the name of the daughter of Priam, King of Troy who was granted the gift of prophesy, but condemned never to be believed?

A: Cassandra

15. Atlas, Colossus, and Baba were all early forms of…?

A: Computer

16. Who was the cricketer who captained England 23 times but was never captain of his county?

A: Sir Len Hutton

17. In which US city was the House of the Rising Sun?

A: New Orleans

18. In Wuthering Heights what was the maiden name of Heathcliffe’s Cathy?

A: Earnshaw

19. Who is the current Secretary of State for Transport?

A: Patrick Mc Cloughlin

20. Near which city is the Gower Peninsula?

A: Swansea

Round 2

21. What was a glaive?

A: A Sword

22. What was the name of the priest who buried Eleanor Rigby?

A: Father McKenzie

23. What is the origin of the word Salary?

A: Latin for salt (Sal) (as that, in part, is what Roman soldiers were paid in.)

24. What is the word for 100,000 in India?

A: A Lakh

25. Which Lion was declared Man of the Series after the successful 2013 tour of Australia?

A: Leigh Halfpenny

26. What position does Chris Grayling hold?

A: Secretary of State for Justice / Lord Chancellor (accept either)

27. What is the surname of Jane Austen’s eponymous heroine, Emma?

A: Woodhouse

28. Who would you expect to wear Motley?

A: A jester or clown

29. In which county are the Wrekin and the Long Mynd?

A: Shropshire

30. What country does chorizo sausage come from?

A: Spain

31. In the RAF, how many squadrons are there in a wing?

Three

32. How is Frederick Augustus, the second son of George III and queen Charlotte, best remembered (in song)?

A: The Grand Old Duke of York

33. What kind of garden crop has varieties Pink Lady and James Grieves?

A: Apple

34. What does Welsh mean in the language of the Anglo –Saxons?

A: Foreigner (typical of the English – go abroad, and call the natives foreigners!)

35. In Benny Hill’s hit, Ernie, what was the name of Ernie’s horse?

A: Trigger

36. Home of the Tor and the festival - in which county is Glastonbury?

A: Somerset.

37. What is the largest living species of lizard?

A: The Komodo Dragon

38. What did Sabine Lissiki accomplish in June 2013?

A: Knocked Serena Williams out of Wimbledon/ finalist there (accept either)

39. What company was founded by Cypriot business man Stelious Haji- Ioannou in 1995?

A: Easy Jet

40. In Alice in Wonderland what does Alice use as a croquet mallet?

A: A flamingo.

Round 3.

41. Near which British city is Arthur’s Seat?

A: Edinburgh

42. What is a Scaline triangle?

A: One with no side of the same length

43. Which classroom object ultimately derives its name from the Latin for little tail?

A: Pencil

44. What creature did John Lennon claim to be on the B side of Hello Goodbye in 1967?

A: A Walrus

45. A Yarborough is a term in which game?

A: Bridge

46. In which Shakespeare play are there twins called Viola and Sebastian?

A: Twelfth Night

47. In a standard pack of playing cards, what do all the queens hold in their hands?

A: Flowers

48. Who did Ronald Reagan describe as being the “Best man in Britain”?

A: Margaret Thatcher

49. What sort of food is Pumpernickel?

A: Bread

50. Which American’s autobiography was entitled “The Heart has its Reasons”?

A: The Duchess of Windsor / Wallis Simpson (accept either)

51. In which Shakespeare play are there lovers called Beatrice and Benedict?

A: Much Ado About Nothing

52. What country does Leffe Beer come from?

A: Belgium

53. Which was the first credit card?

A: Diner’s Club

54. Name the country with the longest coastline

A: Canada

55. Sir Nigel Gresley designed the locomotive that still holds the world speed record for a steam engine. What was its name?

A: The Mallard

56. In Norse mythology, what is Yggdrasil?

A: The (ash) tree that links heaven and earth

57. Which famous radio service broadcast on 208m medium wave?

A: Radio Luxembourg

58. What is the flap of cartilage called which prevents food entering the windpipe?

A: The Epiglottis

59. Which British statesman became the 1st Earl of Beaconsfield?

A: Benjamin Disraeli

60. Which successful British and Irish Lions coach of the 1970’s never coached his own country?

A: Carwyn James

Round 4

61. The charity Sustrans is associated with what mode of transport?

A. Cycling

62. On a standard, British, QUERTY computer keyboard what number is on the same key as the % (percentage) symbol?

A. 5

63. What is the name of the French National Anthem?

A. The Marseillaise

64. What is bouillabaisse? (Boo ee a bas)

A. Fish stew

65. Nicholas Winterton was MP for Macclesfield until the General Election of which year?

A. 2010

66. Which Frenchman said “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea”?

A. Eric Cantona

67. Waldorf and Statler are two old gentlemen who sit in the best balcony box to watch what show?

A.The Muppet Show

68.Poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene is commonly abbreviated to what?

A. PTFE

69. Historically, if you telephoned Whitehall 1212 what organisation would answer?

A. Scotland Yard - accept the Police

70. In what year was the 999 telephone number for emergencies introduced? A.1937 (accept any year from 1928 to 1946)

71. Ordnance Survey used to publish maps at a scale of 1 to 63,360. What is this scale in inches to the mile?

A.1 inch to 1 mile

72. What scale are the Landranger series of maps published by Ordnance Survey?

A. 1 to 50,000 / 2cm to 1km / approximately 1¼ inches to a 1 mile (accept any of these)

73. Four of the United States of America have names beginning with the letter A: Alabama, Arizona and two more. Name one of these two.

A. 4 - Arkansas, Alaska

74What does B stand for when it is the first letter on a vehicle registration plate?

A. Birmingham

75 In 1954, who left his job as a truck driver with the Crown Electric Company to become a singer with Sun Records?

A Elvis Presley

76. In the children’s TV series ‘Ivor the Engine’, who was hatched from an egg in Ivor’s firebox?

A. Idris (the Dragon)

77. Scotch bonnet, purple jalapeno and cayenne are types of what fruiting plant (although most people would regard them as vegetables)?

A. Chillis

78. Which organisation can trace its origins back to wireless broadcasts with the call sign 2LO?

A. The BBC

79. Who is supposed to have said, during a cricket commentary: “The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey”

A. Brian Johnston

80. Which executive agency of the Department for Transport is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England?

A. The Highways Agency

Round 5

81. Who drove a six-wheeled, pink Rolls Royce?

  1. Parker - he was the chauffeur to Lady Penelope in the Thunderbirds TV programme. Nb Not Lady Penelope – she didn’t drive, just owned it!

82. Monochorionic and Dichorionic refer to what type of babies?

A. Twins - or other multiple births

83.What boils at minus 196 degrees celsius, and has been used in cocktails, to make ice cream and treat warts?

A. Liquid Nitrogen

84. What did Mandy Rice-Davies say after hearing Lord Astor had denied sleeping with her?

A. "Well he would, wouldn't he?"

85. What does the initial B in BMW stand for?

A. Bayerische/ Bavarian –accept either

86. What brand name, derived from the Latin “Hominis Vis” (The strength of man) enabled Herbert Grime to win a competiton?

A. Hovis

87. How do Toucans, Pelicans and Puffins affect the British motorist?

A. They are all types of traffic signal controlled crossing

88. If the Ultimate Question is “What is 6 times 9”, what is the answer to the Ultimate Question?

A. 42 (from the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy of six books)

89. What does the B in a JCB digger stand for?

A. Bamford (The company was formed by John C Bamford)

90. And which B was the surname of the shortest serving British Prime Minister of the Twentieth Century?

A. Bonar-Law

91. In 1611,which English explorer was set adrift in a small boat by his crew, when exploring for the NW passage? (He wanted to go on – they didn’t!)

A: Henry Hudson (he of the bay and river)

92. From which London Terminus do direct trains to York leave?

A: Kings Cross

93. James Beattie is the current Player/Manager which League Two football club?

A: Accrington Stanley.

94. The 1974 novel “The Dogs of War” was written by which author?

A: Frederick Forsyth

95. In which European country is the city of Brno?

A: The Czech Republic

96. Which Premier League football club plays its home games at Pride Park Stadium?

A: Derby County

97. In which year did the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet enter commercial service?

A: 1970 (2 years either way)

98. Which species of spider is said to have been responsible for recent attacks on people mainly in the south of England?

A: False Widow (accept Widow or False Black Widow)

99. The1975 Woody Allen film Love and Death was a spoof of which classic novel?

A: War and Peace (Tolstoy)

100. What is Hematite?

A: Iron Ore

Round 6

101. In which country was the composer Richard Strauss born?

A: Germany

102. Name one of the 4 US states with a coastline on Lake Erie.

A: Michigan, New York, Ohio or Pennsylvania (The Canadian province of Ontario also has a coastline on the lake)

103. Which British politician was appointed Secretary of State for War in July 1960?

A: John Profumo

104. Which US State is has the nickname of “The Hoosier State”?

A: Indiana

105. Which European country has the lowest altitude highest point?

A: Denmark (173 metres)

106. Who won the British Open Golf Championship in 2012?

A: Ernie Els

107. Which pop group had a top ten hit in 1972 with “Storm in a teacup”

A: The Fortunes

108. What is the name of the site in Suffolk where a Saxon burial ground and treasure ship were discovered in 1939?

A: Sutton Hoo

109. In the novel by Cervantes who is the companion of Don Quixote?

A: Sancho Panza

110. Which river flows through Winchester?

A: The Itchen

111. Which former professional rugby union player is a contestant in the current series of Strictly Come Dancing?

A: Ben Cohen

112. What breed of animal is a Saanan?

A: Goat

113. On the 9th of October a new extension to Manchester’s Metrolink tram system was opened; what is the terminus of this extension?

A: Ashton-under-Lyne

114. The US rock band Steppenwolf took the name from the title of a novel by which German author?

A: Herman Hesse

115. What was the pop group Queen’s first number one single?

A: Bohemian Rhapsody

116. In which country did the steel company Tata originate?

A: India

117. Which media tycoon was known by the nickname “The bouncing Czech”?

A: Robert Maxwell

118. Which 1977 epic war film was based on Operation Market Garden?

A: A Bridge too Far

119. In what industry would a saggar maker’s bottom knocker have worked in?

A: The pottery industry

120. Which battle took place on the 21st of October 1805?

A: Trafalgar

Supplementaries:

1. What is the correct name for the dot over an ‘i’ or a ‘j’?

A. A Tittle

2. What is a J worth in Scrabble?

A. 8

3. What is the correct spelling of Millennium?

4. In which county are the Lost Gardens of Heligon?

A. Cornwall

5. Church Flatts Farm near Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire, is said to be the farthest point from the sea in the United Kingdom. How far in miles from the sea is it?

A. 70 miles (accept 65 to 75)

6. Which airliner made its first commercial flight on the 30th of May 1974?

A: The Airbus A300 (The first product by the Airbus consortium)

Tiebreak:

What is the running time in minutes of the film “Gone with the Wind”?

A: 238 minutes