1 |
Citius – Altius – Fortius, meaning 'Faster – Higher – Stronger', is the original motto
for which sporting event? |
|
The Olympic Games |
2 |
Which is the only US state to border Maine? |
|
New Hampshire |
3 |
In the Book of Genesis, who is described as "a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time"? |
|
Noah |
4 |
Name either of the creators of the internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia? |
|
Jimmy Wales
or Larry Sanger |
5 |
In which decade of the 17th century was the Bank of England established? |
|
The 1690s (1694) |
6 |
The Securitate was the secret police service of which European country between 1948 and 1989? |
|
Romania |
7 |
Which American humourist wrote "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses"? |
|
Dorothy Parker |
8 |
Benjamin Britten's composition A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is based on a tune by which composer? |
|
Henry Purcell |
9 |
The Mannerheim Line was a defensive structure erected by which country against an attack by the Soviet Union? |
|
Finland |
10 |
Established in 1866, which distillery draws its water from a spring in Lynchburg, Tennessee? |
|
Jack Daniels |
11 |
Used in the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody, what Arabic term means "In the name of God"? |
|
Bismillah (also accept Basmala) |
12 |
Which English king was deposed by his first cousin, who became Henry IV
(the Fourth)? |
|
Richard II (the Second) |
13 |
Which UK singer and entertainer was born Thomas Hicks in 1936? |
|
Tommy Steele |
14 |
Who topped the first UK singles charts, in 1952, with Here in My Heart? |
|
Al Martino |
15 |
The Gettysburg Battlefield is in which US State? |
|
Pennsylvania |
16 |
In which ocean is the Andaman Sea? |
|
The Indian Ocean |
17 |
In which novel by George Du Maurier does the character Svengali appear? |
|
Trilby |
18 |
Which fictional character attended Fettes College in Edinburgh, after being expelled from Eton following an indiscretion involving
a laundry maid? |
|
James Bond |
19 |
The name Singh is mandatory for all male Sikhs. Derived from a Sanskrit word, what does Singh mean? |
|
Lion |
20 |
What name is given to the natural process by which large chunks break away from glaciers and float off into the sea as icebergs
or other ice debris? |
|
Calving |
21 |
Which word from the NATO alphabet appears in the title of a book by E. M. Forster? |
|
India (from A Passage to India) |
22 |
Who won this year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Oppenheimer? |
|
Robert Downey Jr. |
23 |
Who wrote the play An Inspector Calls? |
|
J. B. Priestley |
24 |
In which English county is the World Heritage Site Lulworth Cove? |
|
Dorset |
25 |
The muesli brand Alpen in made by which breakfast cereal company? |
|
Weetabix |
26 |
"Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case", "Nuts! Whole hazelnuts" and "A finger of Fudge is just
enough to give your kids a treat" are all slogans used by which confectionery company? |
|
Cadbury |
27 |
Which John Lennon song featured the memorable refrain "We all shine on", and was written, recorded and released in just
ten days, before becoming a transatlantic No. 1 in 1970? |
|
Instant Karma! |
28 |
Which Bradford–born artist appeared as himself in the 1973 semi–fictionalized documentary biopic A Bigger Splash? |
|
David Hockney |
29 |
Where would you be most likely to see 'votive lights'? |
|
In a church (it's the proper name for the candles lit by people in support
of prayers) |
30 |
What was the family name for the inhabitants of Dunham Massey Hall from the early 17th century onwards? |
|
Booth (accept Grey, who came along later) |
31 |
Which sign of the zodiac is not a living creature? |
|
Libra (the scales) |
32 |
Which stories featured Sir Thopas, Manciple and the Canon's Yeoman? |
|
The Canterbury Tales |
33 |
Who became known for his motto, "Pile it high, sell it cheap"? |
|
Sir Jack Cohen (the founder of Tesco) |
34 |
In Sporting terms, what is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and 3 feet high in the centre? |
|
A tennis net |
35 |
Name the Microsoft made games console launched in Japan in February 2002. |
|
Xbox |
36 |
The soup known as Cullen Skink is made from onion, potatoes and which fish? |
|
Finnan haddock (or smoked haddock. Accept haddock!) |
37 |
Which is Britain's, indeed the World's, oldest Sunday newspaper, published for the first time in 1791? |
|
The Observer |
38 |
Which rock band formed in 1994 takes its name from a term used by the Allies in the Second World War to describe various
unidentified flyingobjects? |
|
Foo Fighters |
39 |
In the famous 1959 film, what is Ben Hur's first name? |
|
Judah |
40 |
What is the main ingredient of guacamole? |
|
Avocado |
41 |
In which part of the body are the cruciate ligaments found? |
|
The knee |
42 |
The name of which Japanese car manufacturer literally translates as 'three diamonds', as reflected in its logo? |
|
Mitsubishi |
43 |
Which daytime TV soap opera, which will be ending shortly, is set in the fictional borough of Letherbridge, Birmingham? |
|
Doctors |
44 |
Which app, that can identify music based on only a short sample, was acquired by Apple in 2018 for a reported $400 million? |
|
Shazam |
45 |
Which Dostoyevsky novel includes the line "you shouldn't have gone murdering people with a hatchet"? |
|
Crime and Punishment |
46 |
Which A–list Hollywood actor retired in 2022 following a diagnosis of aphasia, affecting his ability to communicate? |
|
Bruce Willis |
47 |
In which county is Runnymede? |
|
Surrey |
48 |
Vectis was the Roman name for where? |
|
The Isle of Wight |
49 |
Eddie Cochran was killed in a car crash in April 1960. Which other rock star was badly injured in the same crash? |
|
Gene Vincent |
50 |
Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper were killed in the same plane crash in February 1959. Which other rock star died with them? |
|
Ritchie Valens |
51 |
Who was the Greek goddess of revenge? |
|
Nemesis |
52 |
In Hamlet, whose grave was being dug when Yorick's skull was found? |
|
Ophelia's |
53 |
In which province of Ireland is Dublin situated? |
|
Leinster |
54 |
What is the capital of New Zealand? |
|
Wellington |
55 |
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and ... Who was the third astronaut involved in the Apollo 11 mission, the first to landed on the
Moon? |
|
Michael Collins |
56 |
Who became 'the Nation's PE Teacher' during the COVID–19 lockdowns? |
|
Joe Wicks |
57 |
Shakehand grip and Penhold grip are common grips in which sport? |
|
Table tennis |
58 |
On which river does Bordeaux stand? |
|
The Garonne |
59 |
At the world–famous Cooper's Hill Cheese–Rolling and Wake event, what type of cheese is rolled? |
|
Double Gloucester |
60 |
The shamouti is a variety of which fruit? |
|
Orange (a Jaffa orange) |
61 |
In America, what is known as the "shrine of democracy"? |
|
Mount Rushmore |
62 |
The Persian phrase meaning "The King is helpless" has given us
which word or phrase commonly used in English? |
|
Checkmate (Shāh Māt) |
63 |
What colour are aircraft black boxes? |
|
Bright orange (accept orange) |
64 |
On which island is Duart Castle? |
|
Mull |
65 |
What is the name of the world's tallest road bridge, over which the
motorway from Paris to the Spanish border passes? |
|
The Millau Viaduct |
66 |
Which disease gets its name from the Greek word for coal? |
|
Anthrax (hence anthracite: because of the black lesions it
causes) |
67 |
What was the name of the sect involved in the Waco massacre in Texas in 1993? |
|
Branch Davidian |
68 |
In the film Interview with the Vampire, which actor plays the vampire who is interviewed? |
|
Brad Pitt (not Tom Cruise, who plays Lestadt – the main character) |
69 |
According to the book of Genesis, who first bought Joseph as a slave in Egypt? |
|
Potiphar |
70 |
In the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia, in what type of contest did the devil compete in order to win souls? |
|
Fiddle playing |
71 |
To beat George Foreman in their 1974 'Rumble in the Jungle', Muhammed Ali employed what defensive boxing technique? |
|
Rope–a–dope |
72 |
Which fictional Victorian scoundrel did George MacDonald Fraser re–create as an anti–hero? |
|
Flashman |
73 |
What is the title of Eric Idle's hit musical play, based on the film Monty Python & the Holy Grail? |
|
Spamalot |
74 |
Who was the lead guitarist of The Smiths, and co–operated with Morrissey in writing most of their songs – not that
they co–operate much these days? |
|
Johnny Marr |
75 |
Which British band had its first top ten hit in 1999 with Why does it always rain on me? |
|
Travis |
76 |
What type of substance is formed (along with water) by adding an alkali to an acid? |
|
A salt |
77 |
By what name was the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan known between 1922 and 1946? |
|
Transjordan |
78 |
Give the first name of either of the two Ukrainian Klitschko brothers who dominated heavyweight boxing between 2004 and 2015. |
|
Wladimir or Vitali |
79 |
Who was the first woman to become French Prime Minister (serving from 1991 to 92)? |
|
Edith Cresson |
80 |
In which 1985 novel set in the near future is there a country called Gilead, roughly where New England now is? |
|
The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) |
81 |
Which boxer was the last to fight Muhammed Ali in 1981, and five years later was beaten by Mike Tyson for Tyson's first
world title? |
|
Trevor Berbick |
82 |
To listen to whom did 180,000 people pack into Wembley Stadium in 1954? |
|
Billy Graham |
83 |
What is the prize for Best Film at the Berlin film festival? |
|
The Golden Bear |
84 |
What is the full name of Rupert Bear's elephant chum? |
|
Edward Trunk |
85 |
In which country is A Midsummer Night's Dream set? |
|
Greece (mainly in a wood near Athens) |
86 |
Who or what is a gricer? |
|
A trainspotter |
87 |
Who wrote the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin? |
|
Louis de Bernières |
88 |
Which fictional TV character had female companions called Cathy, Emma and Tara? |
|
John Steed (from The Avengers) |
89 |
In which castle did the Duke of Wellington die? |
|
Walmer Castle (Kent) |
90 |
Which cyclist, born in Belgium with an Australian father, won gold, silver and bronze medals for Britain in the 2004 Athens
Olympics? |
|
Wiggins |
91 |
Of which other actress was Bette Davis speaking when she said, "she's screwed everyone at MGM except Lassie" ? |
|
Joan Crawford |
92 |
Which African country was formerly known as French Sudan? |
|
Mali |
93 |
Gregorian and Schmidt are varieties of which type of scientific
instrument? |
|
Telescope |
94 |
In which English cathedral are the bones of King Canute? |
|
Winchester |
95 |
By what name is the Russian Wolfhound also known? |
|
Borzoi |
96 |
TheI Ching,one of the five classics of Confucianism, is known by what English name? |
|
The Book of Changes |
97 |
Which best–selling novel, which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 2003, took its title from the Sherlock Holmes
story Silver Blaze? |
|
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night–Time (by Mark Haddon) |
98 |
Grammatically, to which part of speech do the words 'and', 'but', and 'or' belong? |
|
Conjunctions |
99 |
Grammatically, to what part of speech do the words 'a', 'an', and 'the' belong? |
|
Articles |
100 |
Which Motor manufacturer now owns Rolls–Royce Motor cars? |
|
BMW |
101 |
"You hum it son, I'll play it" was a line from one of a long–running series of TV adverts. What was the
product? |
|
PG Tips (tea) |
102 |
Which advertising campaign featured an arrangement of Bach's Air on the G String by the Jacques Loussier Trio? |
|
Hamlet (cigars) |
103 |
By what name was the state of Tuvalu known until 1976? |
|
The Ellice Islands |
104 |
Which is the second longest river in Africa (after the Nile)? |
|
The Congo |
105 |
Of which actress did Groucho Marx say, "I knew her before she became a virgin"? |
|
Doris Day |
106 |
The last words of which fictional character were "Floreat Etona"? |
|
Captain Hook |
107 |
Which US tennis player was the first to win the Grand Slam? |
|
Donald Budge |
108 |
For which club did Paul Gascoigne sign for £5.5 million from Tottenham in the 1991–2 season? |
|
Lazio |
109 |
In which body of water did the Mary Rose sink? |
|
The Solent (or Portsmouth harbour) |
110 |
The statue of which 19th Century merchant was toppled into Bristol harbour in 2020? |
|
Edward Colston |
111 |
Who was the Captain of the 2023 European Ryder Cup golf team? |
|
Luke Donald |
112 |
On which racecourse is the Kentucky Derby run? |
|
Churchill Downs |
113 |
In Douglas Adams's Hitch Hiker 'trilogy', who is the only other surviving human being apart from Arthur Dent? |
|
Trillian (Trisha Marie McMillan) |
114 |
Willy Loman is the name of the title character in which play? |
|
Death of a Salesman |
115 |
Which group had 1980s hit albums called Picture Book, Men & Women and A New Flame? |
|
Simply Red |
116 |
In Star Trek, what does the T stand for in James T. Kirk? |
|
Tiberius |
117 |
At what age did the rock stars Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix (and many others) all die? |
|
27 |
118 |
In the USA, what is celebrated on February 2nd each year and is also a film? |
|
Groundhog Day |
119 |
What cost 37 pence when it was abolished in 1987? |
|
A dog licence |
120 |
Which well–known hardware product was successfully formulated after 39 unsuccessful attempts? |
|
WD–40 |