2017–18 Season: Week 15 – 6 March 2018
Specialist Rounds
Round 1: History
1 |
The Crimean War was fought on the shores of which sea? |
|
The Black Sea |
2 |
Which king was the father of Henry III? |
|
King John |
3 |
What is the only surname shared by a 20th Century British Prime Minister and a 20th Century US President? |
|
Wilson |
4 |
Who did Harold Wilson succeed as leader of the Labour Party? |
|
Hugh Gaitskell |
5 |
Squadron 617 carried out Operation Chastise in 1944. By what title is the operation better known? |
|
The Dam Busters |
6 |
Who was on the throne at the time of the Great Fire of London? |
|
Charles II |
7 |
Which Anglo–Saxon warrior led a revolt in 1070 against William the Conqueror from a base in Ely? |
|
Hereward the Wake |
8 |
Who was the last king of Egypt? |
|
Farouk |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Which Victorian politician observed "I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole" when he became Prime Minister? |
|
Benjamin
Disraeli |
2 |
Who, in 1778, was the first European to set foot on Hawaii? |
|
Captain Cook |
Round 2: Science
1 |
Which British physicist gave his name to a law describing the rate at which a resistance in an electrical circuit converts energy
into heat? |
|
|
(James Prescott) Joule |
2 |
In mathematics, what name is given to the number written as one followed by 100 zeros? |
|
|
Googol |
3 |
In fractions, the numerator is the number above the line. What name is given to the number below it? |
|
Denominator |
4 |
Human blood groups can be principally divided into A, B, AB and which other? |
|
O |
5 |
Which branch of pharmacology deals with the nature and effects and treatments of poisons? |
|
Toxicology |
6 |
What is the only chemical element whose name begins with the letter "X"? |
|
Xenon |
7 |
Devonshire fan, false eyelash, devil's apron and purple laver are all types of what? |
|
Seaweed |
8 |
What was the name of the satellite which delivered the first transatlantic live TV broadcast in 1962? (From the USA to the
satellite station on Goonhilly Down, in Cornwall?) |
|
Telstar (1) |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Which common household medicine contains acetylsalicylic acid? |
|
|
Aspirin |
2 |
The asteroid belt is located roughly between the orbits of two planets. Name either. |
|
Mars and Jupiter |
Round 3: Geography
1 |
The island of Timor is divided between East Timor and which other country? |
|
Indonesia |
2 |
The Gulf of Sirte lies off the coast of which African country? |
|
|
Libya |
3 |
The Victoria Falls stand on which river? |
|
The Zambesi |
4 |
Which Cornish town has the most westerly harbour on the English Channel? |
|
Penzance |
5 |
What is the capital of Nepal? |
|
Kathmandu |
6 |
In which US state are the skiing resorts of Aspen and Vail? |
|
Colorado |
7 |
In the SW of the US a flat–topped hill is called a Mesa. What is the meaning of this? |
|
A table (in Spanish) |
8 |
Which US state is named after Elizabeth 1? |
|
Virginia |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Mdina and Mosta are towns in which European country? |
|
Malta |
2 |
Which group of islands were at one time known as the Sandwich Islands? |
|
Hawaii |
Round 4: Arts and Entertainment
1 |
Name one of the creators of such classic children's TV shows as Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog and Bagpuss |
|
Peter Firmin
or Oliver Postgate |
2 |
Where did Larry the Lamb live? |
|
Toytown |
3 |
Who wrote the music for the film Chariots of Fire? |
|
Vangelis |
4 |
Which musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh is based upon the novel Don Quixote? |
|
Man of La Mancha |
5 |
What form of transport features in the J.M.W Turner painting Rain, Steam and Speed? |
|
Train (accept steam engine,
locomotive, etc.) |
6 |
The Toccata & Fugue in D minor, The Well–tempered Clavier, and
the Goldberg Variations are amongst the keyboard works of which composer? |
|
(J. S.) Bach |
7 |
Who wrote the novel Agnes Grey? |
|
Anne Bronte (both names needed, obviously!) |
8 |
Name any of the four fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream. |
|
|
Peaseblossom,
Cobweb, Moth or Mustard Seed |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Cato, played by Bert Kwouk, was the manservant to which character in a number of films? |
|
Inspector Clouseau |
2 |
Jack Point is a jester and Wilfred Shadbolt an "assistant tormentor" in which Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera? |
|
The Yeomen of the Guard (a.k.a. The Merryman and His Maid) |
Round 5: Sport
1 |
Which sport uses the lightest ball at 2.7 grams? |
|
|
Table tennis |
2 |
What was the first sport in which women were invited to compete at the Olympics? |
|
|
Tennis (at the 1900 games in Paris. Charlotte Cooper of Great
Britain was the first gold medallist.) |
3 |
Which English cricketer took 5 for 11 in a devastating spell which won the Women's World Cup for England? |
|
Anya Shrubsole |
4 |
Sébastien Loeb is an 8 time world champion in which motor sport? |
|
|
Rallying |
5 |
Which is the only country to have played in each and every football World Cup? |
|
|
Brazil |
6 |
What is the surname of the two Australian brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, who both made centuries on the same day of the
5th Test of the recent Ashes tour? |
|
|
Marsh |
7 |
En garde is a position adopted by the competitors of which sport? |
|
Fencing |
8 |
Who in Jan 2018 became the 4th football manager to win 200 games in the English leagues? |
|
David Moyes |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Name an England scorer in the 1966 World Cup team that didn't play for West Ham. |
|
Bobby Charlton or Roger
Hunt |
2 |
Name either of the contestants in the longest tennis match ever, at Wimbledon in 2010. |
|
|
John Isner or Nicolas Mahut |
Round 6: Jameses
All the answers are people with James (or a variant) as surname or first name. So both names
are required!
For example:
1 |
Iconic movie character, first played by Sean Connery in the film Dr No |
|
James Bond |
1 |
South African born British actor and comedian (1913–1976): starred in Hancock's Half Hour, Bless This
House and nineteen Carry On films |
|
Sid(ney) James |
2 |
American actor [and WW II pilot] (1908–1997): notable works
include Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Rear Window and It's A Wonderful Life |
|
James (Jimmy) Stewart |
3 |
Rugby player [and doctor] (born 1986): teams include Cardiff, Cambridge University, Harlequins, Wales, and the British Lions |
|
Jamie Roberts |
4 |
Cricketer (born 1982): plays for Lancashire and England, for whom he is the highest ever wicket taker |
|
James (Jimmy) Anderson |
5 |
Irish novelist, short story writer and poet (1882–1941): notable works include Ulysses, Dubliners and
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man |
|
James Joyce |
6 |
English crime writer [and later Baroness] (1920–2014):
known by her initials (which are acceptable in the answer),
she rose to fame for her series of detective novels featuring police commander and poet Adam Dalgliesh |
|
P.D. (or Phyllis Dorothy) James |
7 |
Politician, peanut farmer and 39th President of the USA (1924–present) |
|
Jimmy Carter |
8 |
UK politician [and later Baron] (1912–2005): the only MP in history to serve in all four of the "Great Offices of
State" – Chancellor, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and PM |
|
Jim Callaghan |
Supplementaries:
1 |
US outlaw (1847–1882 when he was assassinated by Robert Ford): with his brother Frank, he was the most famous member of
a notorious gang |
|
Jesse James |
2 |
US labour leader (born 1913, declared dead in absentia 1982):
General President of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters 1958–1971. Jailed in 1967 because of his involvement in organised crime, he disappeared in 1975. |
|
Jimmy Hoffa |
Round 7: Palindromes
All the answers are spelled the same forwards or backwards.
1 |
Which European Insurance giant sponsors the stadium that used to be referred to as Lansdowne Road in Dublin? |
|
Aviva |
2 |
Which river, flowing mainly through Devon, has its source two miles to the north west of Simonsbath in Somerset? |
|
Exe |
3 |
What is the musical term for a note that is held for twice as long as a crotchet? |
|
Minim |
4 |
What is the surname of the nine–times Grand Slam tennis winner, of Hungarian origin but brought up in Yugoslavia? |
|
|
Monica Seles |
5 |
Which tower in Southwark in London started life as a cold store for a food manufacturer? |
|
|
The Oxo Tower |
6 |
What name, of French origin, is given to the aftermost and highest deck of a ship, often the roof of a cabin? |
|
Poop |
7 |
Which best–selling fashion magazine was founded in France in 1945? |
|
Elle |
8 |
What character was played by Gary Burghoff in M*A*S*H? |
|
|
Radar |
Supplementaries:
1 |
What firm, founded in 2004, sponsored Formula 1 on TV in 2017?
The name is also a type of boat. |
|
Kayak |
2 |
What is the name of the mainland ferry terminal that serves Kylerhea on Skye? |
|
Glenelg |
Round 8: Classic Sit Coms
1 |
Name Fletcher's cell–mate in the (original) Porridge. |
|
Lennie Godber |
2 |
Name the horse in Steptoe and Son. |
|
Hercules |
3 |
Name the company Reggie Perrin worked for before his disappearance. |
|
Sunshine Desserts |
4 |
In The Liver Birds, Nerys Hughes played Sandra;
who played her mother? |
|
Mollie Sugden |
5 |
The writers of Hi–di–hi (Croft and Perry) used many of the same cast (but playing different characters) in
two further, less successful, series. Name either of these series. |
|
You Rang M'Lord
or Oh Dr Beeching |
6 |
In 'Allo, 'Allo, Rene's two waitresses had interesting surnames, Yvette Carte–Blanche and Mimi –
what? |
|
Mimi le Bonq
(pronounced Bonk, of course) |
7 |
In To the Manor Born, what was the name of Audrey's future husband? |
|
Richard De Vere |
8 |
In The Good Life, what was the surname of Tom and Barbara Good's neighbours, Margo and Jerry? |
|
Leadbetter |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Name the dog of the Boswell family in Bread. |
|
Mongey |
2 |
In Butterflies, who was Ria's dream date? (First name only needed) |
|
Leonard |
General Knowledge
1 |
Who has been the longest reigning king in England since 1066? |
|
George III (not Victoria – she was not a king!) |
2 |
The Dickensian characters Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby and Thomas Gradgrind in Hard Times had the
same job. Which was? |
|
Headmaster |
3 |
Which tree provides cobs and filberts? |
|
The hazel |
4 |
Who was the cricketer who accompanied Ben Stokes on his ill–fated night out in Bristol? |
|
Alex Hales |
5 |
What is the title of May, Hammond and Clarkson's debut TV series for Amazon Prime? |
|
The Grand Tour |
6 |
Who, when stoned to death, became the first Christian martyr? |
|
St. Stephen |
7 |
What unique career move did both Andrew Motion and Pope Benedict XIV make? |
|
They retired
from positions which had formerly been held for life (Poet Laureate and Pope) |
8 |
Letsie III is the current king of which African country? |
|
Lesotho |
9 |
The Haber process combines nitrogen and hydrogen to form which gas? |
|
Ammonia |
10 |
In which country was the UN peace–keeping force first deployed? |
|
Israel (in 1947) |
11 |
Who wrote Howard's End, a dramatised version of which was on TV at the end of 2017? |
|
E. M. Forster |
12 |
Britannia is the personification of Britain. Who is her French equivalent? |
|
Marianne |
13 |
Which Radio 2 DJ's show features the daily PopMaster quiz? |
|
Ken Bruce |
14 |
Which Brazilian F1 driver retired at the end of the 2017 season? |
|
Felipe Massa |
15 |
Which conglomerate makes Fairy Liquid, Ariel, Bold, Oral B and Max Factor amongst others? |
|
|
Procter & Gamble |
16 |
Which studio is responsible for Shaun the Sheep and his young relative Timmy? |
|
Aardman Animations |
17 |
Which Strictly professional has not been offered a contract for the next season, having been with the show from the
start? |
|
Brendan Cole |
18 |
What transport related event took place at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10th 1869? |
|
Accept any answer which indicates the joining up of the railroads connecting East and West USA.
For example: The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States was officially completed; or, The railheads of the Union Pacific and the Central
Pacific railroads finally met. |
19 |
Emmeline Pankhurst's suffragette movement was, officially, the WSPU. What does the S stand for? |
|
Social
(it was the Women's Social and Political Union) |
20 |
Who composed The Sorcerer's Apprentice? |
|
Paul Dukas |
21 |
What is the name of the soft spot on top of a baby's head? |
|
The fontanel(le) |
22 |
Robert Courts is the current MP for Witney. Whom did he succeed? |
|
David Cameron |
23 |
Which Roman goddess gave her name to an early type of match? |
|
Vesta – goddess of the hearth |
24 |
The indentation on a brick which holds the mortar, and a means of fastening a jacket, share their name with which creature? |
|
Frog |
25 |
Who did Phil Neville replace as manager of the England women's football team in January? |
|
Mark Sampson |
26 |
What unit do barometers and weather maps usually display atmospheric pressure in? |
|
Isobars |
|
27 |
Who wrote about such characters as Arthur Dent, Slartibartfast and Zaphod Beeblebrox? |
|
Douglas Adams (in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) |
28 |
In which decade of the nineteenth century was the first London Underground Line opened? |
|
1860s (the Metropolitan Line) |
29 |
Who succeeded George Osborne as MP for the local Tatton constituency? |
|
Esther McVay |
30 |
Which company has been making cars by hand in Malvern since the first decade of the twentieth century? |
|
Morgan |
31 |
Which Beatles song was the first to reach Number 1 in the UK singles chart? |
|
She Loves You |
|
32 |
What is the title of the ballet about a person–sized doll who comes to life? |
|
Coppelia |
33 |
What is the capital of the French region of Alsace? |
|
Strasbourg |
34 |
Who took over from Stephen Fry as presenter of this year's BAFTA film Award ceremony? |
|
Joanna Lumley |
35 |
Where in Korea have the 2018 winter Olympics been held? |
|
PyeongChang |
36 |
Which firm went bust in January of this year, causing major headaches for those involved in everything from School Meals to
Hospital building programmes? |
|
Carillion |
37 |
Name one of the two leaders of the USSR who came between Breshnev and Gorbachev. |
|
Andropov o rChernenko |
38 |
In a church, what is a reredos? |
|
The screen, (usually carved), behind the altar |
39 |
What is the origin of the distress signal May–Day? |
|
|
French for 'Help me' ("M'aidez") |
40 |
What appointment did Ryan Giggs take up in January? |
|
Manager of Wales |
|
41 |
Why did most actresses wear black at January's Golden Globe ceremony? |
|
As a protest against sexual harassment (particularly in their industry) |
42 |
What island stands to the South of the Cook Strait? |
|
South Island, New Zealand |
43 |
Henry, made by Numatic, is a brand name of which type of device? |
|
Vacuum cleaner |
44 |
In which novel did Svengali appear? |
|
Trilby (by George du Maurier) |
45 |
Who finally put paid to Kyle Edmund's hopes in the Australian Open (tennis) in January? |
|
Marin Cilic |
46 |
Which 20th Century politician's wives were, in order, Aurelia, Eva, and Isabella? |
|
Juan Peron |
47 |
Who discovered the law that the volume of a given mass of gas at a constant temperature is inversely proportional to its pressure? |
|
Robert Boyle |
48 |
Singers Shirley Bassey, Charlotte Church and Shakin' Stevens were born in which city? |
|
Cardiff |
49 |
After which saint is the quarter day that falls on March 25 named? |
|
|
St Mary the Virgin (Our Lady) |
50 |
Why did Justin Forsythe hit the news on February 22nd this year? |
|
He resigned from his post at Unicef, because of accusations
of sexual harassment when he was with Save the Children |
51 |
What is the ridge of deposit left at the furthest reach of a glacier, (once it has retreated) called? |
|
A terminal moraine |
52 |
Which song lyric contains the line "I bet you think this song is about you"? |
|
You're So Vain |
53 |
In which T. S. Eliot poem is April described as "the cruellest month?" |
|
The Waste Land |
54 |
The cast of which film (released last autumn, and the latest of many versions of the story) starred such luminaries as
Olivia Coleman, Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp and Judi Dench? |
|
Murder on the Orient Express |
55 |
Which of Henry VIII's wives was the last to die? |
|
Anne of Cleves |
56 |
Apart from his gospel, what other book of the New Testament is credited to St Luke? |
|
Acts (of the Apostles) |
57 |
The supermarket chain Asda is owned by which US retail giant? |
|
Walmart |
58 |
Which radio station has been broadcasting from its ship the MV Ross Revenge since 1964? |
|
|
Radio Caroline |
59 |
What is an oenophile (pronounced ee–no–file)? |
|
A wine lover or connoisseur |
60 |
In which country does the Amazon rise? |
|
Peru |
61 |
By what name was the Hughes H4–Hercules, a plane completed in 1947, more popularly known? |
|
The Spruce Goose |
62 |
What acid accumulates in the muscles once the anaerobic threshold is passed when doing exercise? |
|
Lactic acid |
63 |
Who wrote The Lark Ascending? |
|
(Ralph) Vaughan Williams |
64 |
For what is Bishop Odo, William the Conquerer's half brother, best remembered? |
|
The commissioning of the Bayeux Tapestry |
65 |
What is the name given in a church to the ledge fixed to the underneath of a tip up seat? It was there to give the choir members
some relief from standing in long services. |
|
A misericord |
66 |
What tree's leaves are the symbol of the National Trust? |
|
The oak |
67 |
Which London Underground line (coloured light blue on the Tube Map) runs between Brixton in south London and Walthamstow Central
in north–east London? |
|
The Victoria Line |
68 |
Arabica is the most common variety of which plant grown commercially for its beans? |
|
Coffee plant |
69 |
What is the world's northernmost capital city? |
|
Reykjavik |
70 |
Which Arthur Miller play begins with the Reverend Samuel Paris watching over his sick 10–year–old daughter Betty? |
|
The Crucible |
71 |
In the 2018 winter Olympics, five gold medals are awarded on the first day of competition: two in Speed Skating, one on Ski
Jumping. Name one of the other two disciplines. |
|
Biathalon or Cross Country Skiing |
72 |
Which name is shared between the Roman messenger god, an element and a planet? |
|
Mercury |
73 |
What is the name of the recent film of political satire set in the Soviet Union in 1953? |
|
The Death of Stalin |
74 |
What was the home of the Hallé orchestra before the Bridgewater Hall? |
|
The Free Trade Hall |
75 |
Who was the pilot of Vostok 1? |
|
|
Yuri Gagarin |
76 |
Orbiting 35,900 km above the equator, what term is given to satellites that remain above the same point on the
Earth's surface in their orbit? |
|
Geostationary satellites |
77 |
Maker of a legendary knot, which king founded the Phrygian capital and was the father of King Midas? |
|
|
Gordias (accept Gordian) |
78 |
What is Asia's longest river, and the world's third longest? |
|
The Yangtze (6,380 km) |
79 |
Which TV quiz has rounds called The Wall and Missing Vowels? |
|
Only Connect |
80 |
Who wrote Moll Flanders? |
|
Daniel Defoe |
81 |
Which officer rank in the RAF is the equivalent of an army major
and a navy lieutenant commander? |
|
Squadron Leader |
82 |
Name one of the two runners who supported Roger Bannister in breaking the four–minute barrier in 1954. |
|
Chris Brasher or Chris Chataway |
83 |
Dolores O'Riordan, who died suddenly this January, was the singer with which group? |
|
The Cranberries |
84 |
In Norse mythology, what is Bifrost? |
|
The rainbow bridge between heaven and earth |
85 |
Who designed Blenhiem Palace? |
|
(Sir John) Vanbrugh |
86 |
What is the literal meaning of the German word Blitzkrieg? |
|
Lightning War (accept anything which includes war and fast / speedy etc) |
87 |
Which is England's smallest city? |
|
Wells (in Somerset) |
88 |
Which part of the Earth lies between the outer core and the crust? |
|
The Mantle |
89 |
Which 1960s classic sci–fi novel centres round the fire–bombing of Dresden in World War II? |
|
Slaughterhouse 5 (by Kurt Vonnigut) |
90 |
Which of the seven wonders of the ancient world is still standing? |
|
The Great Pyramid at Giza (accept "the Pyramids") |
91 |
What is the name of the Dutch/English sculptor and, most famously, wood carver, who lived from 1648 to 1721? |
|
Grinling Gibbons |
92 |
Which CGI animal returned to cinemas last November? |
|
Paddington |
93 |
What is Makaton? |
|
A simplified sign language, used particularly by Special Needs children |
94 |
Which member of the royal family is being married in autumn 2018? |
|
Princess Eugenie |
95 |
Which poem starts, "On either side the river lie / Long fields of barley and of rye"? |
|
The Lady of Shalott (Alfred Lord Tennyson) |
96 |
In physical geography, what is the name given to a rock different in size and type from the rock on which it rests, having been
carried there by glacial movement? |
|
An erratic |
Supplementaries:
1 |
Who has been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour? |
|
Gary Oldman |
2 |
Who wrote an Elegy in a Country Churchyard? |
|
Thomas Gray |
3 |
Which is the highest point in the Peak District National Park? |
|
Kinder Scout |
4 |
What is unusual about the Haohan Qiao (or "Brave Men's Bridge") in China's Shiniuzhai National Park? |
|
|
It's made of glass (it's a suspension bridge) |
5 |
Which country has the longest railway platform in the world? |
|
|
India (Gorakhpur railway station, Uttar Pradesh at 1,366.33 m) |
6 |
"This diagram is an evolution of the original design conceived in 1931 by Harry Beck". What is the diagram? |
|
The London Underground Map |
© Macclesfield Quiz League 2018