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2017–18 Season
Week 12

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Specialist Rounds
General Knowledge

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2017–18 Season: Week 12 – 6 February 2018

Specialist Rounds

Set by the Harrington 'B'.

Round 1: Geography

1 Egypt has land borders with Sudan, Israel and which other country?
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2 In which country is the Western Ghats mountain range?
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3 What is the world's most southerly capital city?
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4 The ancient ruins of Troy are to be found in which modern country?
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5 In which country is the port city of Fray Bentos?
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6 Name the warm dry wind that blows off North America's Rocky Mountains?
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7 There are two sister monuments to London's Cleopatra's Needle, one in Paris and one in the US. Where in the US?
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8 On which river does Lancaster stand?
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Supplementaries:

1 Cox's Bazar, a city in the news in recent months, is in which country?
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2 What is the only US city to be named after a British Prime Minister?
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Round 2: History – Date Night

(Note to QMs: for all answers, allow a year's leeway either side)

1 In what year did ... Queen Victoria succeed to the throne?
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2 In what year did ... Tony Blair become Prime Minister?
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3 In what year did ... the Chernobyl Disaster take place?
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4 In what year did ... the British Airship R101 crash occur?
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5 In what year did ... Captain Scott reach the South Pole?
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6 In what year did ... George V come to the throne?
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7 In what year did ... the Jarrow Hunger March take place?
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8 In what year did ... the Tianamen Square Massacre take place?
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Supplementaries:

1 In what year did ... Lyndon Johnson become US President?
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2 In what year did ... Percy Shaw start manufacturing Cat's Eyes?
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Round 3: Sport - Play by the Rules

1 According to FA rules, what's the maximum width of a football pitch in yards?
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2 What's the diameter of a golf hole in inches, according to R&A rules?
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3 What's the name of the governing body of 'world tennis, wheelchair tennis and beach tennis'?
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4 Frenchman Jean Todt was recently re–elected President of which sport's governing body?
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5 The latest MCC Code limits the width of a cricket bat to no more than what in inches?
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6 Under IOC rules, what length should an Olympic swimming pool be in metres?
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7 Name the French ex–president of UEFA who was initially banned from all football–related activity for 8 years after the FIFA corruption scandal.
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8 Who endorsed the rules of boxing published in 1867 that later carried his name?
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Supplementaries:

1 According to World Rugby, what's the maximum number of substitutes that can be nominated in a rugby union game?
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2 Name either team involved in the football match in which a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was used for the very first time. 
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Round 4: Science

1 Limnology is the study of what?
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2 René Laennec invented which medical aid?
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3 The name of which particle in an atom's nucleus comes from the Greek word for 'first'?
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4 Which purified wax obtained from sheep's wool is used as a base for skin creams and soaps?
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5 Gold and which other primary constituent make the alloy Electrum?
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6 In the human body, in what process is the protein fibrin involved?
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7 What is the group of medicines known as 'antitussives' used to treat?
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8 What is measured by the Gay–Lussac Scale?
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Supplementaries:

1 Natrium is the Latin name for which element?
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2 What is the densest known gas?
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Round 5: The Rainbow Round 2018

All answers contain a colour as part of the full answer.

1 By what name was Belarus formerly known?
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2 Which stretch of water links the Gulf of Aden in the south to the Suez Canal in the north?
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3 Name the American abolitionist executed in 1859.
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4 What is the more common name for the Royal Highland Regiment?
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5 What's the longest river in South Africa, flowing almost 1200 miles west into the Atlantic Ocean?
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6 What's the name given to the flag flown by a ship when it leaves port?
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7 Who was Queen of England for nine days in the 16th century?
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8 What's the former name of Ghana?
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Supplementaries:

1 Which country is separated from Canada by the Davis Strait?
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2 In the film The Wizard of Oz, where did the wizard live?
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Round 6: Arts & Entertainment – Before They Were Famous

1 American actress born Caryn Elaine Johnson in 1955, found fame in The Colour Purple after working as a bricklayer and a beautician for corpses in a Funeral Directors.
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2 Born in Sydney in 1968, this actor, of X–Men fame, was once a PE teacher.
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3 Born in 1963, this actor was a ballpoint pen tele–salesman before becoming a star through the film Edward Scissorhands.
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4 Born in Edinburgh in 1930, this suave actor's first job was as a milkman with St Cuthbert's Co–operative Society.
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5 Born 1945 in London of Scottish descent, this singer with ambitions to be a footballer once worked in Highgate Cemetery.
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6 Born in 1945, this Dame has played both Queen Elizabeths but once worked at Southend's Kursaal Amusement Park persuading people to try the rides.
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7 Born 1962 in New Jersey, this singer–songwriter has sold over 130 million records with the group that bears his surname. Before music he made Christmas decorations.
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8 Born 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, this rock singer worked in an abattoir – possibly where he got a taste for raw flesh.
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Supplementaries:

1 Born in 1942 in Chicago this actor took up a career in carpentry before being spotted by George Lucas for a role in American Graffiti, and later Star Wars.
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2 Born in 1938 in Limerick this radio DJ worked in a bank before his career in broadcasting.
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Round 7: Old School

All the following are based on facts found in the Vimto Book of Knowledge, handed out in local primary schools in the 1960s.

1 What is 800 in Roman numerals?
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2 How many yards are there in a mile?
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3 An Imperial ton is made up of 20 what?
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4 What used to be available in Imperial, Elephant and Double Demy sizes?
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5 How many chains are in a furlong?
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6 A coin worth two–shillings and sixpence was also known as what?
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7 Before decimalisation, how many pennies were in £1?
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8 In British place names, what does 'burn' or 'bourne' (e.g. as in Ashbourne) usually mean?
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Supplementaries:

1 What is 400 in Roman numerals?
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2 How many pints made up a quart?
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Round 8: Child's Play

1 Who wrote the Mary Poppins stories?
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2 On which farm did Worzel Gummidge live?
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3 What is the name of Dennis the Menace's pet pig?
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4 Who is the arch enemy of Danger Mouse?
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5 Which actor provided the voice of Paddington in the two recent films?
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6 Who wrote the book The 101 Dalmatians?
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7 In the 1960s Thunderbirds TV series what is Lady Penelope's surname?
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8 Who is the voice of Lightning McQueen in the movie Cars?
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Supplementaries:

1 What was the name of ITV's 1970s rival to Blue Peter?
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2 What message is on the note attached to Paddington Bear's coat when he's found at the railway station?
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General Knowledge

Set by the Park Timers.

1 What was the first name of Wilbur Wright's brother, also co–credited with inventing powered heavier–than–air flight?
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2 Since Mauritania added red bands last year, which is the only national flag not to contain at least one of the colours red, white or blue?
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3 From which country did Guinea–Bissau gain independence in 1974?
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4 Which BBC presenter was seriously injured, along with Sarah Greene, in a helicopter crash in 1988?
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5 Which sci–fi TV show made its debut on Fox in 1993, and featured a character also called Fox?
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6 Which fashion magazine has been running since 1892?
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7 Which London department store was bombed in 1983, killing six and injuring 75?
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8 What was the name of Mary Shelley's mother, who wrote A Vindication Of The Rights of Woman in 1792?
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9 Only 71% of the Yorkshire Dales national park is in Yorkshire, and 1% is in Lancashire. In which county is the rest?
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10 Steel is around 98% iron, and 2% of what element?
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11 Bronze is around 90% copper, and 10% of what element?
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12 Which building were the Elgin Marbles taken from?
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13 Which event did Queen Victoria lend the Koh–i–Noor diamond to?
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14 What connects Benazir Bhutto to Islamabad, Indira Gandhi to Delhi, and Queen Beatrix to Aruba?
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15 Which Nobel Prize did Kazuo Ishiguro win last year?
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16 Who is the current Chancellor of the Exchequer?
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17 In which war did the British burn down Washington?
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18 In which city were the popular music group The Housemartins based?
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19 What colour were Mr Blobby's spots?
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20 What name is given to a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level?
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21 Name one of the two people who wrote that "The workers have nothing to lose but their chains".
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22 Which animal appears, with a lion, on the front of a British passport? Click for more information
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23 What name was given to the 19th–century group who wrecked weaving machines?
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24 What term is used to describe a black and white horse?
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25 In proof–reading, what does the abbreviation 'UC' stand for?
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26 In geography, what is a cataract?
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27 On which river in Ireland did William III defeat a French and Irish army in 1690?
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28 Which card game has at least two forms, called auction and contract? Comments on the question
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29 Which drink was created when Indian army officers added quinine to soda water to help fight malaria?
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30 What is the Aurora Australis also called?
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31 How is the Caribbean island of St Christopher more familiarly known?
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32 What monetary guarantee did British prime minister Ramsay MacDonald abandon in 1931?
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33 Who did James Earl Ray assassinate in 1968?
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34 In film and television production, what is the Gaffer chiefly responsible for?
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35 Which UK broadsheet has editions published in Frankfurt and New York?
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36 Which place was a hit for Martha and the Muffins?
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37 'The Diamond State' is one of the nicknames of which US state?
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38 Who became Prime Minister of Italy in 1922?
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39 From 1995 to 2014, which booze brand gave its name to the competition now replaced by the European Rugby Cup?
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40 In 2014, which Harry Potter book became the fastest–selling book in history, shifting 15 million copies in a day? Comments on the question
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41 In classical mechanics, what name is given to the product of the mass and velocity of an object?
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42 What colour is octopus blood normally?
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43 Which 15th century mural, by Leonardo Da Vinci, is housed in the refectory at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan?
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44 Dry ice is the solid form of which gas?
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45 Which German city hosted the 1972 Summer Olympic games?
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46 Which region of Romania has a name that means 'land beyond the forest'?
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47 Which French international goalkeeper joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2012? Click for more information
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48 Which Russian ruler was born Sophie of Anhalt–Zerbst in 1729?
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49 Which annual sporting event shares its name with a 1983 single by Kraftwerk?
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50 Smiling Buddha was the codename given to which country's first successful nuclear bomb test?
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51 Which part of the body of Welsh master mariner Robert Jenkins is linked to a conflict between Britain and Spain that began in 1739?
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52 What name is given to a collection of over 900 different manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves?
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53 From Here to Eternity was the debut novel of which US author?
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54 By what name do we know the Russian stringed musical instrument usually characterised by its triangular body and three strings?
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55 Which title character of a book of the Old Testament of the Bible married Boaz? Click for more information
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56 Which is the longest river to have its source in the European Union?
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57 Which actor plays Ronnie and Reggie Kray in the 2015 movie Legend?
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58 In which organ of the human body are the pinna, the cochlea and the semicircular canals?
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59 Which pizza variety is named after the queen consort of King Umberto 1st of Italy?
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60 Which aromatic beverage is commonly prepared by pouring boiling water over cured leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to Asia?
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61 Where would you find a Plimsoll line?
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62 In which country did the Easter Rising take place in 1916?
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63 What is Superman's home planet called?
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64 In which UK city was the Titanic built?
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65 Which British gardens were established in 1759 and given to the nation in 1840?
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66 Which city, mentioned in Genesis, is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world?
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67 Which Wagner opera is about a ghost ship?
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68 In Snow White, what work did the seven dwarfs do?
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69 Which woman's name connects a song in Two Gentlemen of Verona, a poet who committed suicide in 1963, and the sister of fellow suffragettes Christabel and Adela Pankhurst?
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70 In the German language, what is the name for the two dots that appear over vowels?
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71 Which iconic car, first launched in 1959, was designed by Alec Issigonis? Click for more information
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72 In the film The African Queen, what was the African Queen?
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73 By what title is the Bishop of Rome more commonly known?
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74 What breed of dog is Snoopy?
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75 Arthur's Seat overlooks which UK city?
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76 What is seersucker?
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77 What name is given to the Sunday before Easter?
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78 What is a squirrel's nest in the fork of a tree called?
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79 In which building did Margaret Thatcher die?
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80 Gerald Grosvenor, who was Britain's third richest citizen when he died in 2016, inherited which dukedom in 1979?
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81 Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, was born in which country?
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82 What type of animal is a booby?
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83 What is the largest moon of Saturn called?
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84 Which actor was credited with the most appearances in the Carry On series of films?
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85 Switzerland has how many official languages?
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86 Which English playwright won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature?
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87 The Zodiac sign of Cancer starts in which month?
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88 Josiah Bartlet was the President across the majority of which TV drama series?
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89 Which British Prime Minister was known as 'Big Jim'? Comments on the question
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90 The 2015 remake of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was directed by which British filmmaker?
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91 The Khyber Pass connects Pakistan and which other country?
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92 Who wrote the novel Brighton Rock?
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93 Which series of fortifications spans from Dandong in the east to Lop Lake in the west? Comments on the question
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94 The artist Hieronymus Bosch was which nationality? Click for more information
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95 Which former British Prime Minister was born in Edinburgh in 1953?
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96 Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, was born in which country?
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Supplementaries:

1 Up to and including 2017, which university shares the accolade of most University Challenge series wins with Magdalen College, Oxford ?
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2 Which Italian club was beaten 4–1 by Real Madrid in the final of the 2017 UEFA Champions League?
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3 Which English novelist appears on the back of the first series of polymer £10 notes, introduced in September 2017?
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4 Who was leader of the UK Independence Party during the General Election of 2017?
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5 Which is the largest company to have its headquarters in Cupertino, California?
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6 Which English Tudor monarch lived from 1491 to 1547?
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