GK Set C Flashcards
Which King abdicated the British throne in December 1936?
Edward VIII
Like Rome, which city in Yorkshire is said to be built on seven hills?
Sheffield
What is the better-known title of Franz Hals’ painting Portrait of a Gentleman, which can be seen in the Wallace Collection in London?
The Laughing Cavalier
Which country on the Arabian peninsular was formed in 1990 by the union of two neighbouring states, one of which was the former British colony of Aden?
Yemen
What name of Afrikaans origin is given to lean meat that is cut into strips and dried in the sun?
Biltong
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest use of which acronym, describing local opposition to an undesirable development, occurs in an article about landfill sites that appeared in the Christian Science Monitor in 1980?
NIMBY
“Nobody’s Perfect” are the last words of which 1959 film, in which Joe E Brown’s character discovers that the “girl” he has proposed to is actually a man?
Some Like It Hot
On which plants did Gregor Mendel perform the experiments that laid the foundation of the science of genetics?
Peas
Which semi-autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac describes the wandering across America of a writer named Sal Paradise and his friend Dean Moriarty?
On The Road
What in the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario?
Toronto
Which member of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning team was only the third player to have represented England at Rugby Union after having done so at Rugby League?
Jason Robinson
Which pig-like mammal, whose natural habitat ranges from the southern deserts of the USA to Patagonia has three species called “Collared”, “White-lipped” and “Chacoan”?
Peccary
Which 1970s soul singer provided the voice of Chef in the TV series South Park until 2006, when he resigned because an episode satirised Scientology?
Isaac Hayes
Xanthippe, who was notorious for her bad temper, is believed to have been the wife of which Greek philosopher?
Socrates
The ballet Gayaneh, which includes the famous Sabre Dance, is by which composer?
Khatchaturian
Which disease, caused by the deficiency of vitamin C, was once common in sailors and characterised by swollen bleeding gums and bleeding into the skin and joints?
Scurvy
Part of the Biblical book of Daniel was originally written in which language that is closely related to Hebrew and is said to have been Jesus’s mother tongue?
Aramaic
The drink slivovitz is distilled from which fruit?
Plums
In grammar, which tense denotes an action that was completed before a past point in time and is formed in English by the use of the word “had” and the past participle of a verb?
Pluperfect
Susan Philips, the 2010 winner of the Turner Prize with works including Lowlands Away, was the first person to win using which medium?
Sound
What is the name of the pass that links Innsbruck in Austria with Bolzano in Italy?
Brenner
Paul Newman won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in which film that was the sequel to his earlier picture The Hustler?
The Colour of Money
From 1948 until 1967, the Mandelbaum Gate was the only border crossing point in which divided city?
Jerusalem
In the novel by Cervantes, what is the name of Don Quixote’s manservant?
Sancho Panza
In Hinduism and Buddhism, what term is used for the influence of a person’s past actions on their future lives and incarnations? In the West it has come to mean “destiny”
Kharma
Who played his last competitive tennis match in September 2007, when he partnered Jamie Murray to victory in a doubles match again Croatia in a Davis Cup tie?
Tim Henman
In mathematics, what name is given to the number system whose base is two; so only digits zero and one are needed to specify a number?
Binary
Which company was first incorporated in 1916 as the Pacific Aero Products Company, and was renamed after its founder in 1917?
Boeing
What name was given to the pouch-like addition to the crotch of men’s hose, which was first worn in the fifteenth century but was being derided as indecent by the 1580s?
Codpiece
Which 1970s pop group featured the Construction Worker, the Biker, the Cowboy, the Native American, the GI and the Cop?
Village People
Whose first fantasy novel, The Hobbit, was first published in 1937?
JRR Tolkien
Moths and butterflies belong to which order of insects?
Lepidoptera
In which opera by Verdi does the Duke of Mantua sing La Donna e Mobile?
Rigoletto
Which republic that declared its independence in June 2006 has borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania?
Montenegro
In paintings using tempura, what is most commonly used to mix the powdered pigment instead of oil?
Egg yolk
Diego Colon, who eventually inherited the title of Viceroy of the Indies in 1511, was the eldest son of which explorer?
Christopher Columbus
“Kitten Kong”, “Planet of the Rabbits” and “Bun Fight At The OK Tea Rooms” were episodes of which 1970s television comedy series?
The Goodies
What name for a papal edict comes from the Latin word for the lead seal used on the document?
Bull
Which of Charles Dickens’ characters says that “every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart”?
Ebenezer Scrooge
What is the name of the American astronomer who proved, in the 1920s, that large star systems exist beyond the Milky Way? He also showed that the universe was expanding.
Edwin Hubble
In which Tuscan city are the Palio horse races that take place on 2 July and 16 August? They are part of a pageant dating back to the fifteenth century.
Siena
Who returned from his wanderings after the Trojan War but, at first, was only recognised by his dog Argos?
Odysseus
What is the name of the famous apple brandy that is a speciality of Normandy?
Calvados
Which airbase near Newbury became a centre for anti-nuclear protests in September 1981 after the intention to site cruise missiles there was announced?
Greenham Common
The works of which composer of ragtime music include “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer”?
Scott Joplin
Which palm tree is native to tropical Africa and Madagascar and gives its name to the fibre made from its leaves, which is used to make hats and baskets?
Raffia
In a novel by Anne Bronte, Helen Graham s the tenant of which hall?
Wildfell
Which resort in the Cairngorms is the major ski centre of the Scottish Highlands?
Aviemore
John Constable wrote of which of his fellow artists that “he seems to paint with tinted steam, so evanescent, so airy”?
Turner
In Islam, what name from the Arabic for “story” is given to the traditions and sayings of the prophet Muhammed?
Hadith
Which sauce that’s often served with fish consists chiefly of mayonnaise, with chopped gherkins, capers and herbs?
Tartare
Which word for a mental condition typically characterised by delusions of persecution comes from the Greeks for “beyond” or “beside” and “mind”?
Paranoia
Who starred with her real life husband, Michael Williams, in the TV comedy series A Fine Romance?
Judi Dench
In which city are New Street and Snow Hill railway stations?
Birmingham
In the US, RoSPA is the Royal Society for the Prevention of what?
Accidents
The Pharos, which was the most celebrated lighthouse in antiquity, stood in the harbour of which city?
Alexandria
Who was the lead singer and chief songwriter of The Kinks?
Ray Davies
Only two species of mammal hatch from an egg. The echidna, or spiny anteater, is one; what is the other?
Duck-billed Platypus
What is the literal meaning of the Latin expression “tempus fugit”?
Time Flies
In which 1979 film does Terry Jones character say the line “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy”?
The Life Of Brian
Which film includes the lines “Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself There’s No Place Like Home”?
The Wizard of Oz
Which desert occupies most of the country of Botswana, in southern Africa?
Kalahari
Glenn Miller co-wrote which piece of music that was recorded by his Orchestra in 1939, and was adopted as their signature tune?
Moonlight Serenade
Which sixteenth-century Flemish cartographer is famous for his map projection in which lines of latitude and longitude are represented by parallel lines?
Mercator
What generic name is commonly given to French aperitifs such as Pernod and Ricard that are flavoured with aniseed, and turn cloudy yellow when water is added?
Pastis
In a speech on nuclear disarmament in 1987, which Labour politician said, “I would die for my country … but I would not let my country die for me”?
Neil Kinnock
Which British architect designed the new Wembley stadium, which opened to the public in 2007?
Norman Foster
Which is the name given to the highest point on a horse’s back from where its height is measured?
Withers
In which Charles Dickens novel does the title character go to America to seek his fortune, accompanied by his servant Mark Tapley?
Martin Chuzzlewit
In Norse mythology, which god, who could change his shape and sex, was chained to a rock as punishment for slaying Balder?
Loki
The Leonids and Perseids are among the best known examples of which phenomenon, marked by a large number of “shooting stars” appearing over a relatively short period of time and seeming to come from the same place?
Meteor showers
What is the name of the principal town on the island of Guernsey?
St Peter Port
What piece of sporting equipment has limbs, a belly and a nocking point?
Archery bow
The Scottish plant collector, David Douglas, has given his name to primrose, and also to a species of which coniferous tree?
Fir
Which singer was at the top of the UK charts for 10 consecutive weeks in 2007 with the song “Umbrella”?
Rihanna
In the Anglican church, the Sunday before Ascension Day is sometimes known by what name that is derived from the Latin for “to ask”?
Rogation
Cliff Barnes becomes President of the America in the last episode of which TV series?
Dallas
Endorphins, which are found naturally in the brain, have the ability to relieve .. what?
Pain
Which Renaissance artist had the surname of Sanzio, though he is sometimes referred to as Santi?
Raphael
The Battle of Navarino, which is believed to be the last major sea battle involving only wooden sailing ships, was fought in 1827 as part of which country’s war of independence?
Greece
What name is given to a large-scale musical work, typically on a religious subject, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra that is normally performed without scenery, costumes or acting?
Oratorio
At 1,072m above sea level, Landi Kotal, in Pakistan, is the highest point on which pass?
Khyber
Who wrote the poem “Islanders” at the end of the Second Boer War, in which he refers to “Flannelled fools at the wicket” and “muddled oafs in the goals”?
Kipling
What name for the group of mainly aquatic animals such as crabs, lobsters and shrimps comes from the Latin word for “shell”?
Crustaceans
Which boxer was voted the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year? His father Enzo won the Best Trainer award at the same ceremony?
Joe Calzaghe
In September 490BC, at which battle did the Athenians, under Miltiades, win a decisive victory over the Persians?
Marathon
The Indian delicacy known as Bombay Duck is actually a dried form of … what?
Fish
Poison and Water are two deadly kinds of which herbaceous plant that’s a member of the parsley family?
Hemlock
Which city in Northern Ireland stands on the River Foyle?
Derry
Ken Russell described which of his films as “the story of the marriage between a homosexual and a nymphomaniac”?
The Music Makers
What name is given to the process by which sunlight is used by green plants to manufacture carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water?
Photosynthesis
Which small market town in Powys is famous for its annual literary festival and its many second hand book shops?
Hay on Wye
By what must the diameter of a circle be multiplied to calculate its circumference?
Pi
Lieutenant John Chard commanded the defence of which supply depot in 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu war?
Rourke’s Drift
In an early work by Van Gogh, which vegetables are being eaten by peasants in the light of an oil lamp? The painting is on view at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Potatoes
Members of which order of mammals are characterised by a single pair of continually growing incisors on each jaw?
Rodents
What is the original surname of the actor Nicolas Cage, whose uncle is a famous film director?
Coppola
Which European capital city stands on the River Tagus?
Lisbon
“Anitra’s Dance” and “Solveig’s Song” are part of Grieg’s incidental music to which play by Ibsen?
Peer Gynt
In Greek mythology, who gave Theseus the thread that enabled him to escape from the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur?
Ariadne
In Middle Eastern cookery, what type of seeds are crushed to make the oily paste known as Tahini?
Sesame
`The upper house of the Isle of Man’s Parliament is known as the Legislative Council; what is the name of the Lower House?
House of Keys
What is the title of the play by Sheridan, in which Captain Absolute and Bob Acres are both in love with Lydia Languish?
The Rivals
The Hindu festival Janmash-tami, meaning “birth on the Eighth day”, celebrates the birth of which god in the town of Mathura?
Krishna
Which TV character used to travel on crowded commuter trains that habitually arrived late for a variety of reasons, including “escaped puma at Chessington North”?
Reginald Perrin
The nineteenth century surgeon, Joseph Lister, pioneered the use of which acid as an antiseptic?
Carbolic
Which awards for urban music were established in 1996 by Kanya King, while she was working as a television researcher?
MOBO
Which Duke led the army that defeated the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden?
Cumberland
What term is used for a timber or stone beam over a doorway or window?
Lintel
Which Scottish city has three cathedrals - St Machar’s, St Mary’s and St Andrews - all of which are made of granite?
Aberdeen
What was the name of Dante’s beloved, whom he immortalised first in The New Life and later in The Divine Comedy?
Beatrice
Which tropical Asian fig tree has aerial roots, which develop from its branches and descend to the ground to become new trunks?
Banyan
Which sport is played in three periods of twenty minutes, each of which starts with a face off?
Ice Hockey
In AD 313, who was to co-emperor of Rome with Licinius, when they issued the Edict of Milan that removed all obstacles to the practice of Christianity and other religions in the Roman Empire?
Constantine
Which film musical was originally written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, and is set at Rydell High School is the 1950s?
Grease
The northernmost point of the continent of South America lies in which country?
Colombia
Which Liverpool pop group topped the charts for the first time in April 1963 with “How Do You Do It”?
Gerry and the Pacemakers
In zoology, what term is used for a limb or tail that is capable of grasping or holding?
Prehensile
The tank-like casings of which famous TV aliens was created by the BBC designer Raymond Cusick?
Daleks
In 2003, what name for French Fries was adopted temporarily in the cafeterias serving the US House of Representatives, because of France’s opposition to the war in Iraq?
Freedom Fries.
In the words of a well-known saying, “It is a waste of time to carry coals to …” which city?
Newcastle
Which mammals belong to the order chiroptera, which literally means “hand wings”
Bats
What French name is given to the white sauce, made from seasoned milk and a roux of flour and butter, which can be used as the basis for other sauces such as Mornay?
Béchamel
Caracas is the capital city of which South American country?
Venezuela
The works of which twentieth century American realist painter include August in the City, Cape Cod Afternoon and Drugstore?
Edward Hopper
In Ancient Greece, the common people were referred to as “hoi polloi”; what was the equivalent in ancient Rome?
Plebs
What is the name of the nineteenth-century English philosopher who was a disciple of Jeremy Bentham’s Utilitarian movement? His works include the treatises On Liberty, and The Subjection of Women?
John Stuart Mill
What name is given to the visible surface of the sun, which emits most of the light that reaches the Earth?
Photosphere
Who finally won an Oscar at the 2007 ceremony for directing The Departed, after seven previous unsuccessful nominations?
Martin Scorsese
What is the name of the punctuation mark used to indicate possession, or the omission of letters?
Apostrophe
In which Puccini opera does Rodolfo sing the aria “Che gelida manina” or “Your tiny hand is frozen” to Mimi?
La Boheme
In Chapter Three of the Book of Exodus, God promises to bring the Israelites to a land flowing with what two things?
Milk and honey
Argentina are the reigning Olympic champions in which field equestrian sport that last featured at the Summer Games in 1936?
Polo
Which American state was the first to cede from the Union, and was also the site of the first engagement in the Civil War, when Fort Sumter was surrendered to the Confederates?
South Carolina
In architecture, what name that is derived from the Greek for “arch” or “vault” is given to a semi-circular or polygonal recess in a church, typically at its Eastern end?
Apse
Osier, whose flexible twigs are used in basket making, is a shrubby member of what genus of trees?
Willow
In a musical score, which direction is used for playing notes on a stringed instrument by plucking the strings instead of using the bow?
Pizzicato
Which Irish seaport is situated near the mouth of the River Lea?
Cork
Which playwright’s autobiography Untold Stories begins with an account of his childhood in Leeds?
Alan Bennett
What name was given to the prefabricated harbours that were towed across the Channel for use in the 1944 Normandy landings?
Mulberry
In 1951, Kiki Haakonson became the first winner of which international contest?
Miss World
What collective name, meaning “knowledge”, is given to the sacred scriptures of Hinduism?
Vedas
Which former member of the Libertines later became the lead singer of Babyshambles?
Pete Doherty
Which British architect was jailed in 1974, having been found guilty of bribing public figures to win contracts?
John Poulson
What name, taken from the German for “splash”, is given to a drink consisting of equal parts of white wine and soda water, or sparkling mineral water?
Spritzer
The Little, Great Crested and Black Necked are species of which water bird?
Grebe
Which style of trousers did the British Royal Navy replace with flares in 1977?
Bell bottoms
The Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow to the port of Nakhodka, which lies around 100 miles east of which city?
Vladivostok
Which acid can build up in the muscles during strenuous exercise, causing cramp-like pains?
Lactic
In which film did Michael Palin slay the dragon that is menacing the medieval kingdom of King Bruno the Questionable, played by Max Wall?
Jabberwocky
Which Scots Gaelic word is used for a lake, or a narrow inlet of the sea in the Scottish Highlands?
Loch
Which future Prime Minister first entered Parliament in 1979, as the Conservative MP for Huntingdonshire?
John Major
Which word of Italian origin is used for a bell tower, particularly a free standing one?
Campanile
During the period known as the Great Schism, between 1378 and 1417, there were a series of Popes based in Rome and another series, known as antipopes, who were based in which French city?
Avignon
What is the principle flavouring of the Greek drink ouzo?
Aniseed
What term, meaning an “entrance hall” in Latin, is used for the two upper cavities of the heart?
Atrium
The opening line of which nineteenth century Russian novel is “All happy families resemble each other; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”?
Anna Karenina
What is the name of Europe’s largest wading bird, which is noted for its distinctive bubbling call and long, downward-curving bill?
Curlew
According to tradition, a true cockney must be born within the sound of what?
Bow bells
Which term for an expert in a particular field, especially one called on to explain the subject to the general public, comes from the Sanskrit for “learned”?
Pundit
In the film Chariots of Fire, which Olympic Gold medallist is portrayed by Ben Cross?
Harold Abrahams
Which islands in the Atlantic take their name form the Portuguese for “goshawks”, although it is now believed that the early explorers who reached the islands misidentified buzzards instead?
Azores
Who wrote the music for the opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex, which was performed for the first time in Paris in 1927?
Stravinsky
The city of Ise contains an important shrine to Amaterusa, a sun goddess in which religion?
Shintoism
The sequel to the BBC drama series Life On Mars had what title that was also taken from a David Bowie song?
Ashes to Ashes
In the Roman calendar, the calends was the name given to which day of each month?
The first
Which band topped the UK singles chart for the first time in May 1995 with “Some Might Say”?
Oasis
Which shrub that’s noted for its attractive flower and handsome foliage has a name meaning “rose tree” in Greek?
Rhododendron
Which American born British sculptor created the “brutalist “ religious works Genesis and Ecce Homo in the 1930s?
Jacob Epstein
Which Earl, who died in 1731, gave his name to a mechanical model of the solar system that was designed to show the motions of the planets around the Sun?
Earl of Orrery
Which author of detective novels was thought to have died in a car crash in 1926, but was later discovered staying in a Yorkshire hotel, where she had registered as Mrs Neele?
Agatha Christie
According to Islamic tradition, which angel dictated the Koran to the prophet Muhammed?
Gabriel
Which musician was known as the King of Skiffle and enjoyed hits including Rock Island Line and My Old Man’s A Dustman?
Lonnie Donegan
In which English county are the Quantock Hills?
Somerset
Which British cyclist won a Gold, a Silver and a Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics?
Bradley Wiggins
Parsley, Marsh, Common and Edible are European species of which amphibian?
Frog
How is the Spanish fashion designer Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo better known; he is famed for his use of materials such as metal, paper and plastic, and also for his work on the film Barbarella?
Paco Rabanne
The god Mimir, who’s renowned for his knowledge and wisdom, is part of which mythology?
Norse
What is the name of the radio DJ from the Brixton Broadcasting Corporation, who was created and played by Lenny Henry?
Delbert Wilkins
What name is given to the seasoned, jellied loaf made from the boned meat of the head of a pig or calf?
Brawn
The name of which small breed of chicken is also used as a weight category in boxing?
Bantam
What is the proper name, derived from Latin, for the thick, colourless, opalescent fluid that is constantly in the mouths of humans and other vertebrates?
Saliva
Which sauce is known as Créme Anglaise in French?
Custard
What is the common name for trees of the genus Morus? The alba or white species is cultivated for the raising of silkworms, while the black and red species are raised for their fruits.
Mulberry
Which British sculptor’s works include the massive reclining figures outside the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the Lincoln Center in New York?
Henry Moore
What is the name of the British working class movement that was established in 1838, whose demands included votes for all men?
Chartists
The novels of which American science fiction writer have formed the basis of films including Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report?
Philip K Dick
Which word, of Old Norse origin, is used in Scotland to refer to a narrow inlet of the sea, or a river estuary such as that of the Clyde?
Firth
What was the name of the all-star rock group, formed in 1988, which featured Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison?
The Travelling Wilburys
What is the common name for the small striped squirrel of the genus Tamias, which is found mainly in North America?
Chipmunk
What is stored in a Leyden jar?
Electric charge
Which pressure group, formed by young conservatives, takes its name from the location in the East End of London where they held their first meeting in February 1951?
Bow Group
For most of his professional basketball career, Michael Jordan played for which team?
Chicago Bulls
Which Roman Emperor had his mother, Agrippina, put to death in AD59, and did the same to his wife Octavia three years later?
Nero
In music, what English term that is derived from the Latin for “against note”, describes the art of combining two or more melodies that sound simultaneously?
Counterpoint
According to John’s Gospel, in which town did Jesus miraculously turn water into wine at a wedding feast?
Cana
In 2008, who won an Oscar for his role as the ruthless assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men?
Javier Bardem
In humans, the word Foetus is used for the unborn child from the ninth week after conception. What word is usually used by medical professionals for the earlier stage?
Embryo
John Sullivan took the name of which TV sitcom from the title of an episode in his earlier series Citizen Smith?
Only Fools and Horses
What is the name of the group of seven islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that are an unincorporated territory of America, and which include Tutuila, on which the capital Pago Pago is situated?
American Samoa
The French literary historian Rene Etiemble is generally credited with popularising which word as a description of the intrusion of English into the French language?
Franglais
Smooth, Palmate and Warty are all species of which amphibian that’s native to Britain?
Newt
What name is usually given to a small gabled window, projecting from a sloping roof?
Dormer
Which province of Ireland includes Dublin and the south eastern counties?
Leinster
Which grape is the main component of the wine Chianti and is widely thought to take its name from an Italian phrase that literally means blood of Jupiter?
Sangiovese
In Rastafarianism, the name of which ancient city is used to denote evil?
Babylon
The children author Theodor Geisel, whose rhyming picture books feature a number of different anthropomorphic characters, was better known by what name?
Dr Seuss
What name, derived from the Dutch for “to mumble” was given to the followers of the fourteenth century English religious reformer John Wycliffe?
Lollards
Which American businessman was involved in perfecting an electronic keyboard instrument that was patented in 1934 and named after him?
Hammond
In a famous TV series, which character tells his wife that her specialist subject on Mastermind should be “the bleedin’ obvious”?
Basil Fawlty
In medieval times, the tusk of the narwhal was prized as it was thought to be the horn of which creature?
Unicorn
In the Roman Republic, what title was held by the two chief magistrates who were elected by the comitia centuriata and held power for one year?
Consul
In a comic opera by Rossini, which character introduces himself by singing the aria “Largo Al Factotum”?
Figaro
The island of Taiwan was historically known by what name, that means “Beautiful” in Portuguese?
Formosa
Which brand of champagne takes its name from the married name of Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin? She took over her husband’s business after his death in 1805?
Verve Cliquot
The whooping and the demoiselle are two species of which tall wading bird that resembles a heron?
Crane
The Media Centre at which British sports ground won the Stirling prize in 1999?
Lords
What name was given to the series of American space probes that were launched from 1958 onwards? The first was intended to study the moon, while the eleventh passed Neptune in 1990.
Pioneer
“Existentialism and Humanism” and “Being and Nothingness” are among whose philosophical works?
Sartre
What term derived from Latin is used for the part of the human skull that encloses and protects the brain?
Cranium
Which country won three consecutive Eurovision Song Contests between 1992 and 1994?
Ireland
What fragrant white spring flower, used as a symbol of May Day, has just one species with the scientific name Convallaria Majalis?
Lily of the Valley
What is the title of the last film that James Dean starred in before his death? For part of it, he appears as a middle aged man with grey hair.
Giant
What name was given to the area of English settlement in Ireland, around Dublin, that was originally established during the reign of Henry II?
The Pale
Who first achieved UK chart success in 2000 with the album White Ladder?
David Grey
The old Norse word “foss” is used to refer to what type of geographical feature, such as Janet’s Foss in the Yorkshire Dales?
Waterfall
Which acid gives oranges, lemons and limes their sharp taste?
Citric
Ulema is the name used for a group of religious and legal scholars in which religion?
Islam
In the final episode of the TV series The Young Ones, the title characters are singing which Cliff Richard hit when their double decker bus topples over the edge of a cliff?
Summer Holiday
What is the common name of the mammal that’s also known as a pangolin?
Anteater
Which spoof Western stars Cleavon Little, who is appointed the Sheriff of Rock Ridge, and Gene Wilder, whose character is the only inmate of the town jail?
Blazing Saddles
What name is given to the fibrous protein contained in hair and nails?
Keratin
In 1990, which British golfer emulated the American Jack Nicklaus by successfully defending the US Masters title?
Nick Faldo
Which three letter word for an evil spell or curse is derived from a Pennsylvania Dutch word meaning “to practise witchcraft”?
Hex
The artist Grayson Perry, who has a famous alter ego called “Claire”, won the 2003 Turner Prize for his works in which medium?
Ceramics
The Inca god creator Viracocha, who is said to have taken Incan culture to Polynesia, was also known by what name that was later given to a famous sailing vessel?
Kon Tiki
Which of Shakespeare’s plays features two pairs of twins? One pair are both called Antipholus, and the other pair are both called Dromio.
A Comedy of Errors
Which animal appears on the flag of California?
Bear
In AD 325, which city was the venue for the first ecumenical council of the Church, summoned by the Emperor Constantine to deal with the Arian controversy, and gave its name to a Creed that was formulated later?
Nicea
Whose speech attacking Denis Healey’s 1978 Budget was described by Healey himself as “rather like being savaged by a dead sheep”?
Geoffrey Howe
Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary are the three main classifications of … what?
Rock
In August 1939, the Government Code and Cipher School moved from London to which house in Buckinghamshire, which was the former home of the London financier Herbert Samuel Leon?
Bletchley Park
Ananas comosus is the botanical name for which tropical fruit that was found by Columbus on the island of Guadeloupe?
Pineapple
Britain’s largest seabird, which was formerly called the solan goose, is now commonly known by what name?
Gannet
According to Mark Anthony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, who was “the noblest Roman of them all”?
Brutus
The historic region of Mesopotamia forms the greater part of which modern day country?
Iraq
Which British film company, noted for its low-budget horror movies, has its origins in companies set up in the 1930s by the cinema chain owner Enrique Carreras and the jewellery store owner William Hinds?
Hammer
According to the Bible, the walls of which city fell down with the Israelites, led by Joshua, blew their trumpets?
Jericho
Which opera by Gounod, about a scholar who sold his soul to the devil, was based on a dramatic poem by Goethe?
Faust
Which word for a meeting, at which candidates in an election address potential voters, comes from an Old Norse word meaning “household assembly held by a leader”?
Hustings
Which group of British artists, formed in 1911, took their name from an area of Greater London that was often used as the setting for paintings by Walter Sickert?
Camden Town Group
What name is given to a chemical or nuclear process that yields products that initiate further processes of the same kind, such as in a nuclear reaction?
Chain reaction
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke were the members of which chart topping pop act?
Erasure
In ancient times, which sea was referred to as the Pontus Euxinus, or “Hospitable Sea”, apparently in an attempt to placate the powers that were believed to control the elements?
Black Sea
In the TV series Star Trek, which character’s mother is Amanda Grayson, a schoolteacher from Earth?
Spock
Which tubes that are named after a sixteenth century Italian anatomist, connect the ovaries to the uterus in mammals?
Fallopian
Which London football team won their first trophy for nine years, by defeating Chelsea in the 2008 Carling Cup Final?
Spurs
What term is used to describe a stag with twelve or more points on its antlers?
Royal
Leslie Ash, Toyah Wilcox and Sting all appeared in which cult 1979 film about Mods and Rockers?
Quadrophenia
Which English cathedral features what is believed to be the UK’s oldest working clock, dating from medieval times?
Salisbury
In grammar, what name is given to a word that is placed before a noun or pronoun to express the relationship between it and another word?
Preposition
Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and fortune, is known by what name in the Ramayama, where she is the wife of Rama?
Sita
Which planet’s deep blue colour is due to the absorption of red and infra-red light by methane gas and its atmosphere?
Neptune
Which tropical plant of the pea family was once widely cultivated for the dark blue dye that can be produced from its leaves?
Indigo
What was the name of the land of the giants that Gulliver visited in the second part of his travels?
Brobdingnag
In 1759, which British General was killed on the battlefield on the Plains of Abraham, during the victory which ended French rule in Canada?
Wolfe
In the cocktail known as a Rusty Nail, Scotch whisky provides one part of the alcoholic content; which liqueur that is also of Scottish origin provides the other?
Drambuie
Port of Spain is the capital of which Caribbean island?
Trinidad
Which American singer, who had originally been a jazz pianist, had UK top ten hits with Somewhere Along The Way and When I Fall In Love?
Nat King Cole
What is the usual name given to the stature of a small boy urinating, which was erected in Brussels in 1619?
Mannequin Pis
In 1988, which examination replaced O-levels and CSEs?
GCSEs
In a notorious speech in Birmingham in April 1968, who said, “Like the Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber foaming with much blood”?
Enoch Powell
Which singer sculpted the statue of Eleanor Rigby, situated in Stanley Street, Liverpool?
Tommy Steele
What is the name of the model village on the banks of the Clyde, which was created in 1785 by David Dale, but later taken over by his son-on-law Robert Owen?
New Lanark
Coburg, Vienna and Bloomer are all types of which food?
Bread
The name of which Celtic people, who inhabited northern Scotland, comes from the Latin for “painted” because of their custom of painting or tattooing their bodies?
Picts
The title of which John Steinbeck novel is a four-word phrase taken from a Robert Burns poem?
Of Mice And Men
Red, silver, sugar, Norway and Japanese are all species of which tree?
Maple
Which playwright’s works for TV include Blackeyes and The Singing Detective?
Dennis Potter
Which Cardinal was effectively the Chief Minister to Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642?
Richelieu
Which island nation’s language has its roots in Arabic, but is written in Latin script?
Malta
Which term for a Hindu or Sikh spiritual leader is derived originally from the Sanskrit for venerable?
Guru
Which Scottish group’s album Screamadelica was the first winner of the Mercury Music Prize, in November 1992?
Primal Scream
In humans, which gland is situated in the throat below the larynx, and controls the rate of metabolism?
Thyroid
Which flightless Australian bird derives its name from the Portuguese for “ostrich”?
Emu
Which river flows in a generally easterly direction for around 1,770 miles before emptying into the Indian Ocean, but is believed to have only six major crossing points?
Zambezi
In 2008, who hosted a TV series and published a book both called How To Cheat At Cooking?
Delia Smith
What name is given to the branch of chemistry that is concerned with the study of compounds of carbon?
Organic
In Spanish, what name is given to a wine ship or a place for storing and maturing wine?
Bodega
In anatomy, what name is given to a tiny opening, especially in the skin, through with sweat and other substances pass to the surface?
Pore
Which highly stylised art form, associated with the Eastern Roman Empire and noted for its icons and mosaics, was eventually challenged by artists such as Giotto and Duccio?
Byzantine
Some species of which brightly coloured small marine fish are particularly known for clearing parasites from larger fish and even cleaning their teeth for them?
Wrasse
In a standard modern symphony orchestra, the first violins appear immediately to the left of the conductor; which instruments appear immediately to the right of the conductor?
Cellos
People born on which island, off the coast of England, are referred to as Caulkheads, residents of the island not born there are known as Overners?
Isle of Wight
Which play by Oscar Wilde is subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People”?
The Importance of Being Ernest
Who succeeded his relative Trajan as the Roman Emperor in AD 117?
Hadrian
Which race was first held in 1903? It was originally sponsored by the magazine L’Auto, which was noted for being printed on yellow paper.
Tour de France
Whom did Paul famously describe as “the beloved physician” in his Epistle to the Colossians?
Luke
Which Gaelic word is used for a social gathering involving traditional music and dancing?
Ceilidh
Victor Mature refused to wrestle with a lion in which Biblical epic, even when he was told it had no teeth, on the grounds that he didn’t wish to be gummed to death?
Samson and Delilah
Which tree dwelling lizard is noted primarily for its ability to change colour?
Chameleon
The name of which English county was restored to the map as a Unitary Authority on 1 April 1997? The area had been incorporated into Leicestershire for the previous 23 years
Rutland
Which cartoon character was portrayed as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in the 1940 film Fantasia?
Mickey Mouse
Which word means a fixed number of people who are required to attend a meeting for its proceedings to be regarded as valid?
Quorum
Which painting by John Everett Millais was used in a famous advertisement for Pear’s Soap? It was originally called “A Child’s World”.
Bubbles
Which Athenian law-giver of the seventh century BC, whose penal code punished even trivial offences with death, has given his name to any system of repressive legal measures?
Draco
Which French literary heroine of the nineteenth century is seduced by Rodolphe Boulanger?
Madame Bovary
What name is given to the technique of growing plants in a liquid nutrient solution, instead of soil?
Hydroponics
Who wrote the music and lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, which was first performed on Broadway in 1962?
Stephen Sondheim
In physics, which standard of SI unit of pressure is equal to one Newton per square metre?
Pascal
What was the surname of the brothers Adolphe and Edouard-Jean, who began producing an orange liqueur in Angers in 1849?
Cointreau
Which holy book consists of 114 chapters known as surahs?
Koran
What deliberately ironic name was chosen for the band co-formed by Paul Heaton in Hull in 1989, after his former group The Housemartins split up?
The Beautiful South
Which city stands at the western end of the Canadian Pacific Railway?
Vancouver
Which word for a waterproof jacket is also used colloquially for an unfashionable person with obsessive interests?
Anorak
In human anatomy, what name is given to the large muscle group in the front of the thigh, consisting of four muscles that act to extend the legs at the knee?
Quadriceps
Which play by Anthony Schaffer was filmed in 1972 and 2007, with Michael Caine in one of the leading roles each time?
Sleuth
During the Second World War, the Home Secretaries Sir John Anderson and Herbert Morrison gave their names to … what?
Bomb shelters
Which piece of sporting equipment was invented in 1902 by a London dentist called Jack Marks? It was first used by the boxer Tef “Kid” Lewis.
Gumshield
Which butterfly takes its name from the small white patch on the underside of each wing that resembles a punctuation mark?
Comma
Which German composer, whose most famous work is his First Violin Concerto in G Minor, was the conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic from 1880 to 1883?
Bruch
Stibium is the Latin name for which chemical element that has been given the symbol Sb as a result?
Antimony
Which type of curry has a name that can be roughly translated from Hindi as “onions twice”?
Dopiaza
In which county is Britain’s deepest cave, known as Titan, which is around 460 feet deep?
Derbyshire
In painting, what Italian term is used for thick, opaque oil paint applied with a brush, knife or fingers for textural effect?
Impasto
Who succeeded his father, Vespasian, as the Emperor of Rome in AD79 and directed the restoration of Campania after the eruption of Vesuvius?
Titus
In which cult TV series was “the Village” patrolled by a white balloon called Rover?
The Prisoner
According to a well known proverb, which King of Israel was renowned for his furious chariot driving?
Jehu
Which novel by CS Lewis takes the form of a series of letters between a senior devil and his novice nephew Wormwood, giving him advice on how to secure the damnation of an earthly man known as “the Patient”?
The Screwtape Letters
Which British political party’s 2007 manifesto advocated giving McDonald’s the contract for prison catering and selling socks in packs of three for when one gets lost?
Monster Raving Loony
Which 1977 film was later taglined “May the Force be with you”?
Star Wars
In human biology, what substances derive their name from the Greek for “first”, because of their primary importance to the body?
Proteins
Raymond Chandler’s novel The Big Sleep featured which private investigator?
Philip Marlowe
The raven is the largest member of which family of birds?
Crows / Corvids
The name of which county in Kentucky has become a generic term for whiskey made principally from maize?
Bourbon
Which religious faith was founded in mid-nineteenth century Iran, by Mirza Hoseyn Ali Nuri?
Baha’i
The artist Jerome von Aeken, who was born in s’Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands around 1450, is better known by what name?
Bosch
Slieve Donard, the highest point in Northern Ireland, is in which mountain range?
Mountains of Mourne
In French history, what name is given to the period from 20 March 1815, when Napoleon re-entered Paris after escaping from his exile on Elba, until 29 June when he abdicated as Emperor?
100 Days
Which future Prime Minister wrote his first novel Vivian Grey, in an attempt to pay off debts? It was originally published anonymously in 1826?
Benjamin Disraeli
What name is given to the number one followed by one hundred zeros? It is said to have been coined by the nine-year old nephew of the American mathematician, Edward Kasner.
Googol
Which chart-topping Beatles single begins with the lines “Standing in the dock at Southampton, trying to get to Holland or France”?
Ballad of John and Yoko
Which large coniferous tree is the only species of pine that is native to Britain?
Scots
Who was the only player to beat Bjorn Borg in a Wimbledon Men’s Singles final?
John McEnroe
When Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries in 1993, which city became the capital of Slovakia?
Bratislava
The ballad opera Polly by John Gay was the sequel to which of his earlier works?
Beggar’s Opera
Which place on the slopes of Mount Parnassus was the site of the most important temple dedicated to the god Apollo, and to his oracle?
Delphi
What term was coined in 1952 by the art critic Harold Rosenberg, to describe paintings created by activities such as riding a bicycle over the canvas?
Action Painting
Renal calculus is the medical term for what painful human ailment?
Kidney stones
Which bungling magician used to come on stage to the tune of The Sheikh of Araby?
Tommy Cooper
What term is used for the procedure by which an MP who is persistently disobedient can be suspended from the Common’s chamber?
Naming
Which cartoon character was usually shown at the beginning of each episode operating a dinosaur powered crane at the Rockhead and Quarry Construction Company?
Fred Flintstone
Which company was formed in 1600, during the reign of Elizabeth I, to compete with Spain, Portugal and the Dutch for the spice trade?
East India Company
Which pasta is made in the form of narrow ribbons, and takes its name from the Italian for “little tongues”?
Linguini
The republic of Suriname, on the north-east coast of South America, was a colony of which country before gaining independence in 1975?
Netherlands
Pelham and Grenville were the forenames of which novelist?
PG Wodehouse
Which word, from the Latin for a wild beast, is used to describe an animal that has run wild after being domesticated?
Feral
Which percussion instrument, consisting of tuned metal bars, takes its name from the German for “bell” and “play”?
Glockenspiel
Which of the Apostles is the Patron Saint of tax collectors and accountants?
Matthew or Levi
What type of headgear takes its name from a battle in the Crimean War?
Balaclava
On 29 December 1170, who was murdered by Reginald Fits Urse, Hugh de Morville, William de Tracy and Richard le Bret, who believed they were fulfilling the wishes of Henry II?
Thomas Beckett
The works of which English painter and engraver, born in 1697, included A Harlot’s Progress and A Rake’s Progress?
Hogarth
In cows and other ruminants, what are the ruman, the reticulum, omasum and the abomasum?
Stomachs
Alan Ayckbourn wrote the lyrics for the unsuccessful 1975 musical Jeeves; who wrote the music?
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Which northern English county is known as the Land of Prince Bishops?
Durham
Which novel by George Eliot opens with the line “Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress?
Middlemarch
In the Roman Catholic Church, what name is given to the assembly of cardinals which meets to elect a new pope?
Conclave
Who was the longest serving Blue Peter presenter? He hosted the show from 1965 until 1978?
John Noakes
Lateral Epicondylitis is the medical term for which sporting injury, caused by excessive twisting movements of the hand?
Tennis elbow
What is the name of the Eastern European soup made from beetroot, which gives is a strong red colour?
Borscht
Which publisher and newspaper proprietor was the Labour MP for Buckingham from 1964 until 1970?
Robert Maxwell
Who two words are inscribed on the front of the Victoria Cross?
For Valour
In Greek mythology, what name was given to the monstrous whirlpool that lurked opposite the cave dwelling sea monster Scylla, and was said to swallow unwary travellers in the Straits of Messina?
Charybdis
Which private detective was played by Richard Roundtree in a 1971 film, and again in a 2000 film of the same title, in which Samuel L Jackson starred as his nephew?
Shaft
The two branches of which river meet near the Sudanese city of Khartoum?
Nile
Which Austrian born composer wrote over 600 songs, including settings of poems by Goethe and Schiller, before his death at the age of 31 in 1828?
Schubert
In gardening, what term is used for the clipping of trees or hedges into decorative shapes?
Topiary
Victory in a close race in which sport is sometimes referred to as “winning by a canvas”?
Rowing
In the 1950s, Eugene Polley invented the Flashmatic, and Robert Adler came up with the Zenith Space Command; both of these were forerunners of what common household gadget?
TV remote control
In architecture, what classical name is used to a column which is carved into the shape of a female figure, clad in long robes?
Caryatid
Which group, who were led by Gerard Winstanley and also called themselves the “True Levellers”, set up farming communities on former crown and common land from April 1649?
Diggers
Which writer born in Gdansk was the author of The Tin Drum? In 1999, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?
Gunther Grass
What name has been given to England’s first natural World Heritage Site, a stretch of coastline that runs for 95 miles from Orcombe Point near Exeter, to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, and is famed for its fossil-bearing beaches?
Jurassic Coast
Who was the Roman god of Fire, and the equivalent of the Greek god Hephaestus?
Vulcan
What term describes the way of walking particular to mammals, including humans, in which the whole lower surface of the foot is on the ground?
Plantigrade
Which Babylonian king gives his name to a size of champagne bottle containing twenty normal-sized bottles?
Nebuchadnezzar
Which international language was devised by Doctor Ludwig Zamenhof in 1887?
Esperanto
Which singer released her debut album Rockferry in March 2008?
Duffy
In a classic Monty Python sketch, what accompanied “Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce garnished with truffle pate, brandy, and a fried egg on top”?
Spam
What sort of fictional creatures are Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory and Madame Cholet?
Wombles
In Arthurian legend, which knight, who was the son of Lancelot and Elain, was the purest and noblest of the Round Table?
Galahad
Which work did Mozart leave unfinished when he died? It had been commissioned anonymously by Count Walsegg-Stuppach, who may have intended to pass it off as his own.
Requiem
In which South American country is Mount Cotopaxi, which is one of the world’s highest continuously active volcanoes?
Ecuador
The colouring and flavouring syrup grenadine is made chiefly from the juice of which fruit?
Pomegranate
What is the name of the stage in a butterfly’s development between the caterpillar and the full adult stage?
Chrysalis
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot was published originally in which language in 1952?
French
Which twentieth century British Prime Minister had served as Foreign Secretary before forming his administration, and did so again some years afterwards?
Alec Douglas Home
In architecture, what name is usually given to the upright division between the panes of a window?
Mullion
What name is given to the strictly orthodox grouping of Sunni Muslims that is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia?
Wahhabi
In which film is the title character, played by Paul Newman, put on a chain gang as a punishment for cutting the tops off parking meters?
Cool Hand Luke
What acid is found in rhubarb leaves, which are generally toxic to humans?
Oxalic
Which women’s sport was first played in England in 1895, at Madame Martina Bergman-Osterberg’s Physical Training college in Dartford?
Netball
Which royal house ruled France from 1328 until 1589?
Valois
Garry Shandling played which fictitious television chat show host, who was modelled on David Letterman?
Larry Sanders
Drumochter summit is the highest point on Britain’s mainline railway system; it lies on the line between Perth and which city?
Inverness
Whose first UK top ten album was a solo artist was Off The Wall, which was released in 1979?
Michael Jackson
Which mineral that is used as a gemstone, has varieties which include emerald, morganite and aquamarine, as well as colourless goshenite?
Beryl
What in the name of the tall, sweet, yeast-raised fruit cake from Milan, which is traditionally eaten at Christmas and other celebration?
Panettone
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, who was the goddess of war and love and the equivalent of the western Semitic Astarte?
Ishtar
The collective noun for which type of birds is a murder?
Crows
What is the usual scientific name for vitamin B2? It is derived from a word for a type of sugar and the Latin for yellow.
Riboflavine
What three digits do you need to dial before the area code in order to phone America or Canada from the UK?
001
According to Greek legend, what was the name of the king of Cyprus who fell in love with an ivory statue of his ideal woman, which was subsequently brought to life by the goddess Aphrodite?
Pygmalion
Which painter sued the art critic John Ruskin for describing Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket as “throwing a pot of paint in the public’s face”?
Whistler
Cephalonia and Corfu are the largest of which group of Greek islands?
Ionian
Doctor Johnson arranged for the publication of whose novel The Vicar of Wakefield, to save the author from being jailed as a debtor?
Oliver Goldsmith
What name for molluscs that includes snails and slugs comes from the Greek for stomach and foot?
Gastropods
Which Belgian born gypsy guitarist was the joint leader of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, along with Stephane Grappelli?
Django Reinhardt
Which film producer is reputed to have said “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it is written on”?
Sam Goldwyn
Hydrophobia is an alternative name for which, often fatal, disease?
Rabies
Which sea lies between the Italian and Balkan peninsulas, and is an arm of the Mediterranean?
Adriatic
Which Russian dramatist’s works include the plays The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard?
Anton Chekhov
What name for a college of religious instruction comes from the Arabic for “to study”?
Madrasa
In 2005, which artist created an installation of 100 cast-iron figures of naked men, at Crosby beach on Merseyside?
Antony Gormley
Which creature’s name means earth pig in Afrikaans?
Aardvark
Which musical instrument, along with two violins and a viola, makes up a conventional string quartet?
Cello
Who was the first Holy Roman Emperor, crowned in Rome on Christmas Day AD800?
Charlemaine
What was the last film directed by David Lean, which was released in 1984 and based on a novel by EM Forster?
A Passage to India
Which word for the walking undead, was originally the name of a god in West African voodoo cults?
Zombie
What is fermented to make both the japanese drink Sake and the Chinese drink Samshu?
Rice
What pen-name did newspaper columnist Sir William Conner use when he wrote for the Daily Mirror?
Cassandra
In the Rugby League Challenge Cup final, what is the name of the trophy awarded to the Man of the Match?
Lance Todd Trophy
Who was Britain’s second Labour Prime Minister?
Clement Attlee
Which scientist, during an appearance on The Simpsons, said “Your theory of a donut-shaped universe is interesting, Homer. I may have to steal it”?
Stephen Hawking
In which English county does the River Trent rise?
Staffordshire
Which composer of electronic music, who is renowned for his film scores, was born in Volos, Greece in 1943?
Vangelis
Which popular spring flower takes its name from the Turkish or Persian for “turban”?
Tulip
Since 1833, where in England has a red ball been dropped daily at 1pm precisely, as a public time signal?
Greenwich
What was the last pitched battle to be fought on English soil, in July 1685?
Sedgemoor
In the Bible, who was the second wife of Jacob, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin?
Rachel
Which is the only member of the cat family which cannot fully retract its claws?
Cheetah
In the novels by Sue Townsend, what is the name of Adrian Mole’s girlfriend during his schooldays, who later becomes the Labour MP for Ashby de la Zouch?
Pandora Braithwaite
Uhuru Peak, meaning “Freedom Peak” in Swahili, is the highest point of which mountain?
Kilimanjaro
Which sculptor created the gilt bronze baldachin that stands over the tomb of St Peter in Rome?
Bernini
Which Paul Simon song, written while he was on a tour of English folk clubs, is commemorated by a plaque on Widnes station near Liverpool?
Homeward Bound
To two decimal places, how many centimetres are there in an inch?
2.54
Which actor was the first to play Doctor Who?
William Hartnell
What is the traditional topping of Simnel cake?
Marzipan
Margaret Thatcher was born in which town, once voted the most boring in England?
Grantham
Whose first chart entry, which got to number one in 1965, was “It’s Not Unusual”?
Tom Jones
Men from which country are recruited to serve with the Gurkhas?
Nepal
Which innovative design style, popular in the 1920 and 1930s, takes its name from the Exposition Internationale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925?
Art Deco
During the Second World War, which key battle took place between 23 October and 4 November 1942?
El Alamein
In the words of a popular First World War song, “It’s a long way to …” where?
Tipperary
In Greek mythology, who was the mother of Oedipus and later unwittingly became his wife?
Jocasta
In the 1997 film Mrs Brown, who played the title role opposite Billy Connolly?
Judi Dench
The falabella is thought to be the smallest breed of which animal?
Horse
Which prolific writer of romantic fiction was born at Tyne Dock, County Durham, in 1906 and set many novels in her native North East?
Catherine Cookson
Which welsh river flows into the Severn estuary at Newport, and has a name with the same origin as the word “whisky”?
Usk or Wysg
Which traditional Christmas treat originally contained meat and was made in the shape of a cradle, as a reminder of the manger in which Jesus lay?
Mince pie
For which more serious disease did Gloucestershire surgeon, Edward Jenner, discover a vaccination when he inoculated eight year old James Phipps with cowpox in 1796?
Smallpox
At which horseracing venue are there two racetracks, the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course, which are separated by the Devil’s Dyke?
Newmarket
Which device that revolutionised the electronics industry was patented in 1948 by three American physicists working at the Bell Telephone laboratories?
Transistor
Who subtitled his Fifth Symphony “A Soviet artist’s reply to just criticism”?
Shostakovich
Ailsa Craig, Sungold and Money Maker are varieties of which common salad ingredient?
Tomato
Which of the Goodies is a qualified doctor and has hosted the BBC medical programme Bodymatters?
Graeme Garden
In 1100, which English King was shot and killed by an arrow whilst out hunting in the New Forest?
William II
Which toy has a name thought to mean “come come” or “return” in one of the Filipino languages?
Yoyo
In Christendom, which title, dating back to the 5th Century AD, was originally given to the bishops of the five major episcopal sees, namely Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem?
Patriarch
The works of which American novelist, who lived from 1843 to 1916, include Washington Square and The Ambassadors?
Henry James
Halifax is the capital of which Canadian province?
Nova Scotia
What name is given to the method of printing a design that was originally drawn onto a special plate of flat limestone with a greasy crayon?
Lithograph
The ptarmigan is a member of which bird family that is native to the mountains of Scotland?
Grouse
Which cocktail consists of one measure of vodka to three or four of orange juice, with a half measure of Galliano floated on top?
Harvey Wallbanger
Which royal residence is overlooked by the hill known as Arthur’s Seat?
Holyrood House
The voice of which ill-tempered cartoon character was provided by Clarence Nash?
Donald Duck
Who was British Prime Minister at the time of the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936?
Stanley Baldwin
Which word can mean an apparatus for raising heavy weights, a small flag indicating nationality and a male donkey?
Jack
In the title of Audrey Eyton’s book The F-Plan Diet, what does the F stand for?
Fibre
