Next 18 Flashcards
Which pope sentenced Galileo to death?
Urban VIII
pope from 1378 to 1389 whose election sparked the Western Schism (1378–1417)
Urban VI
Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini called her voice “la voce d’angelo” (“the voice of an angel”), Italian lirico-spinto soprano born 1922 Pesaro. Rivalry with Maria Callas.
Renata Tebaldi
Which sexist word of Latin origin is used to describe a woman who has
aggressive and controlling tendencies? The term was reclaimed by Carmen Callil
to name a feminist publishing house she founded in 1973.
Virago
The third performer to win best acting Oscars in successive years was Katharine
Hepburn, winning for 1967 for Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, and sharing the
1968 award for playing Eleanor of Aquitaine in which film, based on a play by
James Goldman?
The Lion in Winter
Tina Turner’s cover of Let’s Stay Together was produced by British Electric
Foundation, a production company formed by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh.
With Phil Oakey, they had previously been members of which synth-pop group,
whose biggest hit was Don’t You Want Me?
Human League
Lead singer of Heaven 17
Glenn Gregory
One sexist stereotyping for women perceived as aggressively outspoken
describes them as what type of weapon? A similar weapon was carried by Carrie
Nation, a noted American prohibitionist.
Battleaxe
Which pope excommunicated King
John and called the Fourth Lateran Council?
Leo III
Which pope became the first pope to be elected
by a papal conclave in 1276?
Leo V
The first performer to win best acting Oscars in successive years was Luise
Rainer, winning her first for The Great Ziegfeld, and her second for which 1937
film, based on a novel by Pearl Buck?
The Good Earth
Another type of weak chemical bond arising between molecules is an electrostatic force named after which element? It involves an attraction between an atom of this element covalently bound to a donor group and a lone pair of electrons on an acceptor group?
Hydrogen
Which country has 23 states including Anzoátegui, Lara, Monagas and Miranda,
all of them heroes of its independence struggle? Another state in this country is
named after its best known independence hero
Venezuela
The three types of strong chemical bond between atoms are covalent, ionic and
which other? This involves a delocalised cloud of electrons dispersed within a
lattice of cat·ions.
Metallic
Which pope began the Avignon Papacy in 1305?
Clement V
Which pope refused to allow Henry VIII’s divorce?
Clement VII
Which pope commissioned the
Trevi fountain?
Clement VII
Australia’s run of Cricket World Cup wins ended in 2011 when India beat Sri
Lanka in the final. As well as winning ‘player of the match’ for his innings of 91
not out, which wicket keeper-batsman became the first captain to lift the trophy
on home soil?
Mohendra Singh
(M.S.) Dhoni
Which President of the United States was known as ‘Old Rough and Ready’, thanks to his success in the Second Seminole War?
Zachary Taylor
Who in 2022 equalled Frederick Sanger’s achievement when he won his second
Nobel Chemistry Prize for his work on click chemistry? He had earlier jointly won
in 2001 for his work on certain types of oxidation reaction.
Barry Sharpless
Which acclaimed 2009 non-fiction book by Dave Cullen detailed the massacre perpetrated at a namesake high school in Colorado in 1999?
Columbine
The second performer to win best acting Oscars in successive years was Spencer Tracy, winning his second for 1938’s Boys Town, and his first for which 1937 film, based on a novel by Rudyard Kipling?
Captains Courageous
The first Cricket World Cup in 1975 also saw the winning captain named ‘player
of the match’. This was which West Indies captain who scored 102 against
Australia?
Clive Lloyd
Which Spanish operatic soprano became noticed internationally when she
stepped in for a performance of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in
1965? She is perhaps better known for singing Barcelona with Freddie Mercury.
Montserrat Caballé
Another Olympic demonstration sport chosen due to its popularity in the host nation and neighbouring countries was which 11-a-side winter sport, played on an ice rink and combining elements of football, ice hockey and shinty? It was demonstrated at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.
Bandy
Another sexist term for a violent or overbearing woman is which word beginning with T, previously the name given by medieval Christians to the god they erroneously believed Muslims worshipped?
Termagant
Which country has 19 departments, including Artigas and Lavellaja named after heroes in its independence struggle, and Treinta y Tres named after a group of 33 more patriots?
Uruguay
Which pope formed the Holy League that won the battle of Lepanto?
Pius V
Which pope officiated at the coronation of Napoleon without actually crowning him?
Pius VII
Which pope signed the 1929 Lateran Treaty with Italy?
Pius XI
In 2004, Tata acquired the commercial vehicles division of which South Korean car manufacturer, which declared bankruptcy in 1999 and no longer exists? The rest of this group merged into General Motors in 2002 and is now known as GM Korea, with its vehicles being branded Chevrolet.
Daewoo
Which Union general in the American Civil War was disastrously defeated at the
battle of Fredericksburg? He lends an adapted form of his name to a form of male
facial hair.
Burnside
South Georgia forms a British overseas territory with which chain of uninhabited
volcanic islands? The name was chosen to distinguish them from what is now
called Hawaii.
South Sandwich Islands
Crabmeat and rice are the principal ingredients of which Scottish soup? The two words in its name are respectively derived from Scots Gaelic and Scots.
Partan Bree
In classical architecture, what word describes the uppermost part of the capital of
each column, on which the horizontal entablature rests? This word is probably
more familiar as the name of a calculating device.
Abacus
Going up from the Shaft, Capital and Abacus, give the three parts of an entablature?
Architrave, Frieze and Cornice
A popular tsukemono in Japanese cuisine is thinly sliced daikon. Daikon is a
large and mild-flavoured form of which root vegetable of the Brassica family,
often eaten raw in salads in western cuisine?
Radish
Carvings of acanthus leaves decorated the capitals of the columns in which of the three orders of classical Greek architecture? It was named for the city that hosted the Isthmian games, and which in modern times became a byword for good sportsmanship.
Corinthian
Which media personality first rose to fame as Paris Hilton’s friend and personal assistant on the 2000s series The Simple Life, which also featured Nicole Ritchie? This celebrity made a cameo in the video to Paris Hilton’s 2019 music video Best Friend’s Ass.
Kim Kardashian
Which Czech is the javelin world record holder? He broke the hearts of British
athletics fans by twice beating Steve Backley to Olympic gold despite his
relatively diminutive stature.
Jan Zelezny
Another popular Japanese tsukemono dish is gari, a thinly sliced and pickled
version of which plant? The powdered root of this plant is used to flavour
puddings and drinks in British cuisine.
Ginger
Which Archbishop of Canterbury was appointed to the role by Charles I for the
purpose of carrying out religious reform? His fate mirrored that of his patron,
being arrested by Parliament in 1640 and beheaded on Tower Hill in 1645.
William Laud
In which video game, first developed in 1996 by id Software, does the player control an unnamed protagonist who battles the titular enemy? This first-person shooter with music composed by Trent Reznor built upon the technology and
gameplay of its predecessor Doom.
Quake
In 2023, which Czech player became the first unseeded woman to win a
Wimbledon singles title? She won silver in the Tokyo Olympics, and is also
known for her collection of tattoos.
Markéta Vondroušová
In classical architecture, what word describes the decorated central part of the
triangular pediment located above the entablature? This word, derived from the
Greek for drum, is also a part of the body.
Tympanum
Known for hosting The Book of Mormon, which London theatre is located on
Coventry Street?
Prince of Wales
Events described in Dryden’s Annus Mirabilis include the naval battles of Lowestoft, the Four Days and St. James’s Day. The last being a victory for Prince Rupert’s English fleet, they were fought as part of which numbered war?
Second Anglo-Dutch War
Nicknamed ‘The Dominator’, which Czech goaltender of the 1990s and 2000s was a standout star for the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL before winning two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings? He is the only goaltender to have won more than one Hart Memorial Trophy.
Dominik Hasek
The Netflix documentary The Deepest Breath involves a tragic freedive into the
Blue Hole near Dahab. This feature is on the coast of which North African
country? Known as one of the most dangerous diving spots in the world, the Blue
Hole has averaged 8 fatalities a year since the mid-1990s.
Egypt
What adjective, missing its final letter, precedes ‘Hot’ in the name of the spicy
flavour of Monster Munch with a red packet?
Flamin’
Another popular Japanese tsukemono dish is generally translated as ‘Japanese plums’, but is actually made from another fruit in the genus Prunus that more resembles an apricot. Give either the short name of this fruit or the name of the sour, salty, pickled dish.
Ume or Umeboshi
After the Euro 2022 final, fans sang “Beth Mead’s on fire” to the tune of which
1996 hit by Gala? In this rendition, the line “mind and senses purified” was
replaced with the line “your defence is terrified”.
Freed from Desire
The advanced technology industry of which country is nicknamed ‘Silicon Wadi’?
The term refers to the clusters of high-tech firms that span this country’s coastal
plain, and are a reason why it has become known as the world’s ‘start-up nation’.
Israel
Known for hosting Wicked, which London theatre is located on Wilton Road?
Apollo Victoria
Which Archbishop of Canterbury’s role in helping Richard II introduce his unpopular poll tax led to his beheading during the Peasants’ Revolt? His headless corpse is in Canterbury Cathedral, and his mummified head is kept in the Suffolk town after which he is named.
Simon Sudbury
In which video game, first developed in 1996 by NanaOn-Sha, does the player control the titular animated dog, who must use a particular vocal skill to make it through a series of levels? This game spawned the spin-off Um Jammer Lammy.
PaRappa the Rapper
Who will replace Edward Enninful as vogue UK editor in 2024?
Chioma Nnadi
Which tall and superstitious schoolmaster is the protagonist of Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
Ichabod Crane
Which general, who became prime minister and First Secretary of the party in 1981, was the last leader of communist Poland? Soon after taking office, he attempted to crush the Solidarity movement by declaring martial law. Preceded Lech Walesa as President.
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Which left-handed American golfer won his first Major at the 2023 Open Championship at Hoylake?
Brian Harman
The third rail union has the initial TSSA. What four words do these initials stand for?
TRANSPORT
SALARIED
STAFFS
ASSOCIATION
Which city was the terminus of the proposed eastern leg
of HS2 abandoned in November 2021?
Leeds
Born in Stirling in 1942, which jockey has won the
Epsom Derby on four occasions?
Willie Carson
Born in Hawick in 1940, which yachtsman won the Round Britain Race in 1978? Scottish yachtsman and rower. He was the first person to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world (1971), on a 59-foot boat called British Steel.
Chay Blyth
Born in Shrewsbury in 1958, which golfer won the British Open in 1985?
Sandy Lyle
Born in Edinburgh in 1962, which Rugby Union player was capped 61 times for Scotland and had a points total of 667?
Gavin Hastings
Which song written and recorded by the band Badfinger was a Number 1 for Harry Nilsson in 1972, also for Mariah Carey?
Without You
Eric Clapton’s only U.S. chart topper was in 1973 with a song written by Bob Marley. Name it.
I Shot The Sheriff
Randy Newman’s song Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear was a UK hit for which artist in 1967?
Alan Price Set (Alan Price was a founding member of The Animals)
Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye had hits with the song I Heard it through the Grapevine. Who wrote it?
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strongq
Who wrote the song Rockin’ All over the World with which Status Quo reached Number 3 in 1977?
John Fogerty (of Creedence Clearwater Revival)
I Wanna be Your Man was the first UK chart hit for The Rolling Stones in 1963. Who wrote it?
Lennon and McCartney
Jimmy Webb penned the songs Wichita Linesman, Galveston and By the Time I get to Phoenix. Which artist had hit singles with all three songs in the 1960’s?
Glen Campbell
Who wrote The Red Queen about Margaret Beaufort?
Philippa Gregory
Who designed PORTMEIRION in 1925?
Clough Williams-Ellis
What model town/village did Joseph Damer and Lord Milton design in Dorset in 1780?
Milton Abbas
Model town designed by Ebenezer Howard 1920 Hertfordshire
Welwyn Garden City (Letchworth was started in 1903 and was the first Garden City)
Who was the host of the TV programme Call
My Bluff between 1967 and 1988?
Robert Robinson
Who was the first presenter of Call My Bluff 1966-67? Son of another TV personality.
Robin Ray
He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, often in supporting roles. In 1939 he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of King Louis XVI in Marie Antoinette. Captain on Call My Bluff.
Robert Morley
English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC Radio’s Take It from Here for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes My Word! and My Music for another 35.
Frank Muir
Which group achieved a U.S. Number 1 and a
U.K. Number 5 in 1970 with the song Make It with You?
Bread
Who is known as Mary Queen of Shops?
Mary Portas
According to Bill Bryson, the word NITWIT comes from the phrase “ik weet niet” in which language?
Dutch
On the label of a French beer bottle, two of the listed ingredients are ORGE and HOUBLON. Translate BOTH
ORGE = Barley
Houblon = Hops
Cockney Rhyming fill in the blanks: Duchess of ???? means ????
Fife / Wife
Astronomy Only Connect Round 2: which word, from the Hawaiian for “immense
skies”, would be the fourth in the following sequence? Milky Way -> Local Group ->
Virgo Supercluster -> ?
Laniakea Supercluster
Which three-letter prefix from the Greek for ‘upon’ or ‘near’, begins different words
with the following meanings: a nickname or byname; a piece of writing at the end of a
book; a fast-spreading disease outbreak?
Epi
9 Played by Greg Davies, which Inbetweeners character is a misanthropic teacher who
treats the students under his care with total disdain?
Mr Phil Gilbert
What railway bridge crosses the Thames between Southwark Bridge and London
Bridge?
Cannon Street Rail Bridge
In a cuneiform tablet from ancient Ur on display at the British Museum, buyer Nanni
communicates his consternation to seller Ea-Nasir at the perceived poor quality of what
commodity? This oldest known written complaint has become an Internet meme
Copper
Which American comedian names a sketch comedy show that he has hosted with
Hannibal Buress since 2012? Each episode begins with the host physically destroying
the show’s set.
Eric Andre
Which forename and surname are shared by the following two British people? One is
a foreign-affairs specialist and Russia expert who served on the US National Security
Council, the other served alongside Nick Timothy as Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff
under Theresa May. Both names required.
Fiona Hill
What male name precedes “… from Paris” in the stage name of a music producer and
DJ known for his album Sacrebleu, the musical project Cocktail Disco and remixes of
funk and disco songs?
Dimitri
How many basketball teams play each in the year in the NBA?
30
How many NFL teams play in NFL?
32
How many MLB teams play in MLB?
30
After the introduction of St Louis City SC into the MLS in 2023 season, how many teams now in the MLS?
29
Karpas is the name of a peninsula that extends 80 kilometres into the sea from the
northeast of which country?
Cyprus
Name either of the two SI derived units that are measured in joules per kilogram.
Gray or Sievert
How many NHL teams play in the NHL?
32
Who wrote the novel Billy Liar, the screenplay for Whistle Down the Wind and the comic
play Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell?
Keith Waterhouse
Alongside Q, which letter does not feature in any of the two-letter state abbreviations
used for the United States?
B
Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, I Am the Walrus and All You Need Is Love are
Beatles songs that were released on which double EP (in the UK) and LP (in the US)?
Magical Mystery Tour
Which UK children’s TV show, created in 2014, has as its protagonist a black
anthropomorphic rabbit who is cared for by Flop and has friends including Pando and
Sula?
Bing
British illustrator, cartoonist, and comic book writer best known for the Hilda series of comics for Nobrow Press, and Hilda, the Netflix series based on the comics.
Luke Pearson
Cartoon by Ben Bocquelet: The series concerns the lives of 12-year-old namesake character, an anthropomorphic blue cat, and adoptive goldfish brother Darwin, who attend middle school in the fictional city of Elmore, California. Won multiple British Academy Childrens Award for Animation awards.
The Amazing World of Gumball
She is best known for her long association with The Guardian, for which she drew the series Gemma Bovery (2000) and Tamara Drewe (2005–06), both later published as books. Fred (1987), Lulu and the Flying Babies (1988), The Chocolate Wedding (1990)
Posy Simmonds
Who was the voice of peppa pig between 2007 and 2020?
Harley Bird
She is known for her roles in the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), the ITV drama Hollington Drive (2021), and as voice of the titular Peppa Pig (2020–) on Channel 5.
Amelie Bea Smith
He is known for his roles as Mick Campbell in House of Anubis and as Rhydian Morris in Wolfblood. In 2021, he appeared in the BBC medical drama series Casualty as Leon Cook.
Bobby Lockwood
British children’s animated television series based on the semi-autobiographical picture book ___________, All in a Week by Laura Henry-Allain MBE. It is the first animated series to focus on a Black British family. Cathy Tyson (Mona Lisa 1986) voices Gran Gran.
Jo Jo & Gran Gran
Duggee in Hey Duggee is the leader of what club?
Squirrel Club
Betty in Hey Duggee is a talkative and intelligent purple what?
Octopus
Norrie in Hey Duggee is a sweet natured and curious brown what?
Mouse
Roly in Hey Duggee is an enthusiastic, loud and hyperactive what?
Hippopotamus
Tag in Hey Duggee is a gentle clumsy blue what?
Rhinoceros
Happy in Hey Duggee is a tall easy, going green what?
Crocodile
British animated television series for preschoolers that debuted on CBeebies on 23 January 2017. Characters are representations of numbers which gives show its name.
Numberblocks
Surnames of Dick and Dom
Richard Dick MCCOURT
Dominic Dom WOOD
Surnames of Sam and Mark from children’s tv
Sam NIXON
Mark RHODES
Steve Backshall best known for which BBC CBeebies TV franchise about animals? Used to be ______ 60.
Deadly (60)
Steve Backshall’s TV show Lost Land of the Tiger
was set mostly in which country?
Bhutan
Steve Backshall’s TV show Lost Land of the Jaguar was set mostly in which country?
Guyana
Steve Backshall’s TV show Lost Land of the Volcano was set on which island?
New Guinea
The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. Which irish studio based in Kilkenny?
Cartoon Saloon
2020 platform game won some kids games awards, is a spinoff of LittleBigPlanet series and follows title character battling the villain Vex voiced by Richard E Grant?
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
It originated as a spin-off video game from the Rayman video game series centered on a titular fictional species of mischievous rabbit-like aliens, who speak gibberish and scream wildly whenever they experience an adrenaline rush.
Rabbids
Set in the far future on a post-apocalyptic Earth inhabited by anthropomorphic marine animals, the series centers around terrestrial cephalopods known as Inklings and Octolings – based on squids and octopuses respectively – which can transform between humanoid and cephalopod forms at will.
Splatoon
With Mark Hall, he founded ________ Hall Films in 1976 and produced successful animated children shows including The Wind in the Willows, Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.
Brian Cosgrave
He was known for his work in BBC television programmes for children from 1964 onward, most notably Play School, and in later years, Dappledown Farm.
Brian Cant
Ovis aries is the scientific name for which farm animal?
Sheep
A common carder is what type of animal?
(Bumble) BEE
Which canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, running
through Southern France? Its name is the French word for 12 noon.
Canal du Midi
Which formal grants issued by a monarch to organisations are the oldest form of
incorporation in the UK? Different to a royal warrant, the keyword here is included in
the name of institutes of accountants and surveyors.
Royal Charter
Which role, currently occupied by Pedro Serrano and previously by Joao Vale de Almeida, was created on 1st February 2020?
European Union Ambassador to
the UK
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will become mo re
well-known later this decade. Why are they notable?
Astronauts on upcoming NASA Moon mission
The Philosophy Badge episode of the children’s TV show Hey Duggee received praise
for its explanation of which concept of moral philosophy formulated by Immanuel
Kant? Known by a two-word name, its original formulation reads “Act only according to
that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal
law.”
Categorical Imperative
Iran’s Special Forces branch known as the Quds Force, and an annual pro -Palestinian
event named Quds day, are named for which city’s Arabic name?
Jerusalem (Al-Quds in Arabic)
In what London building is the church of St Peter ad Vincula, burial place of Anne
Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Thomas More?
Tower of London
Church of St Peter ad Vincula in the tower of london for what does the latin Ad Vincula mean?
In Chains
Which Argentine/French musical group, formed in 1999, have released the albums
La Revancha del Tango (2001), Lunático (2006) and Tango 3.0 (2010)? The first word
of their two-word name is an anagram of ‘Tango’.
Gotan Project
The Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan were books by
which author that explored shamanism practised by the Yaqui people of Mexico?
Carlos Castaneda
Described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate, which
British poet with an alliterative name wrote Refugees, a poem which conveys the
opposite message when read backwards?
Brian Bilston
What was the title of the Ukrainian political satire comedy TV series created,
produced and starred in by future President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
Servant of the People
Which rugby union club lost in the final of the European Rugby Champions Cup in
2021, then went on to win the trophy in both 2022 and 2023?
La Rochelle
What word follows ‘rat’ in the name of a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined
and bound together in some way? A discovery of a live instance in Estonia in 2021 is
considered proof that this is a natural, albeit extremely rare, phenomenon.
Rat King
If you travelled north in a straight line from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, which
country would you reach next?
South Sudan
If you click on the first link in the main text of a Wikipedia article, then repeat the
process for subsequent articles, ignoring any links you have already clicked, 97%+ of
the time this process will lead to which article?
Philosophy
Which group of islands, part of Taiwan and with a population of 127,000, are located
116 miles west of Taiwan and just six miles from the coast of China? Unsurprisingly
they are considered rather vulnerable to a potential Chinese invasion.
Kinmen
Chankonabe, eaten by sumo wrestlers to gain weight, is what general sort of food?
Stew/Soup
Which American was the designer of the first computer-driven word processor? She
also built one of the first airline reservations systems and the first computerized
banking system.
Evelyn Berezin
Shipping containers known as TUEs stand for what?
twenty-foot equivalent unit
Guillaume Apollinaire, Louis Botha, Gustav Klimt, Edmond Rostand, Hubert Parry and
Donald Trump’s grandfather Frederick all died of what disease?
Spanish Flu
Which notorious Oxford University dining club, whose members have included
George Osborne, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, are known for destroying the
interiors of restaurants and then paying for the damage?
Bullingdon Club
In chemistry, what word is defined as a group of two or more atoms held together by
chemical bonds? Compounds are formed by combining these with each other or
atoms.
Molecule
BYD, SAIC, Geely and XPENG are large Chinese companies that produce what,
precisely?
Electric Vehicle
After the USA which country has the second largest armed forces in NATO?
Turkey
Virgo prudentissima is a six-voice motet (SSAATB), dedicated to the Virgin Mary and composed by which Dutch composer in 1507? His best known work may be the song “Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen”.
Heinrich Issac
1450–1455 composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish, wrote the motet Ave Maria … Virgo serena, and the popular chansons Adieu mes amours and Que vous ma dame. He served Pope Innocent VIII and Pope Alexander VI in Rome, Louis XII in France, and Ercole I d’Este in Ferrara.
Josquin des Prez
Lettuce, artichoke, absinthe, chamomile and tarragon are all members of which
family of plants?
Daisy
Give any one year in the period of lawlessness and anarchy within Russia known as
the Time of Troubles, which began with the death of Fyodor I and ended with the
accession of Michael I.
1598-1613
Which Antiguan cricketer generally batted at number three for the legendary West
Indies teams of the 1970s and ’80s? Retiring as the West Indies’ leading test run
scorer of all time, he also represented Somerset and Glamorgan in County Cricket.
Isaac Viv Richards
How many picoseconds are in a gigasecond?
10^21
9 Which Italian Baroque composer, who died aged 26, produced words including La
serva padrona, L’Olimpiade and Stabat Mater?
Giovanni Pergolesi
What was the two-word name of the second Dalai Lama? He shares his first name
with the first Dalai Lama (whose second name was Drupa) and his second name with
the current Dalai Lama (whose first name was Tenzin).
Gedun Gyatso
Which Emilia-Romagna resort city on the Adriatic coast is ten kilometres from San
Marino? The most commonly used public transport route to San Marino is by taking a
bus from this city of 150,000 residents.
Rimini
Which governing body of the Italian-American mafia was founded by Lucky Luciano
in 1931? Its ruling committee consists of the bosses of the Five Families of New York
City, as well as the bosses of the Chicago Outfit.
The Commission
Who was the first man to record a sub-63 score for a round in a golf major when he
shot 62 at the 2017 Open?
Branden Grace
Grace Chatto is a singer with which group, who have had four UK number 1 singles
and two music videos with over 1 billion views on YouTube?
Clean Bandit
Which Chinese poet, who alongside Du Fu was one of the most prominent figures in
the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry during the Tang era, was known for Walking from
Drunkenness on a Spring Day, and was said to have died from drowning after trying to
embrace the reflection of the moon in the Yangtze River? Both names required.
Li Bai OR Li Bo OR Taiba
The expression “Three Wonders” denotes which Tang Dynasty poet’s poetry alongside Pei Min’s swordplay, and Zhang Xu’s calligraphy? “Waking from Drunkenness on a Spring Day”(Chinese: 春日醉起言志), “The Hard Road to Shu”(Chinese: 蜀道难), “Bring in the Wine”(Chinese: 将进酒), and “Quiet Night Thought”(Chinese: 静夜思).
Li Bai
The expression “Three Wonders” denotes which Chinese military general’s swordplay alongside Li Bai’s poetry, and Zhang Xu’s calligraphy? He also was said to be a great archer and was said to have killed thirty one tigers in a single day.
Pei Min
The expression “three wonders” was decreed by Emperor Wenzong of Tang Dynasty to mean Li Bai’s poetry, Pei Min’s swordplay and which Chinese calligrapher and poet’s calligraphy? Known as one of the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup. Legend has it that whenever he was drunk, he would use his hair as brush to perform his art, and upon his waking up, he would be amazed by the quality of those works but failed to produce them again in his sober state.
Zhang Xu
The term is used in a poem by Du Fu, as well as in the biography of Li Bai in the New Book of Tang, term used for the group of eight Tang dynasty scholars who are known for their love of alcoholic beverages.
Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup
Which archbasilica church, which lies within the city of Rome but outside of Vatican
City proper, is the cathedral church of the diocese of Rome and serves as the seat of
the Pope? As a property of the Holy See it enjoys extraterritorial status from Italy.
Saint John Lateran
A Roman centurion or gladiator is the symbol of which global financial services
company, appearing on its credit cards and traveller’s cheques?
American Express
Which shallow gulf lies between Sri Lanka and India? An inlet of the Indian Ocean, it is separated from Palk Bay by Adam’s Bridge.
Gulf of Mannar
In men’s cricket, which team played its first test match in 1982, becoming the first
new test nation since Pakistan, 30 years earlier?
Sri Lanka
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1952?
Pakistan
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1992?
Zimbabwe
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 2000?
Bangladesh
In which year did Ireland and Afghanistan gain Test status?
2018
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1889 becoming the third team after England and Australia?
South Africa
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1928 becoming the fourth team?
West Indies
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1930 becoming fifth test team?
New Zealand
Which mens cricket team gained Test status in 1932 becoming sixth test team?
India
Which supercontinent, named for its remnants in South Africa and Australia, is
posited to have been the world’s first, having formed over three billion years ago?
Vaalbara
From Greek for “strength”, what word given to an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere consisting of Earth’s two topmost layers: crust and uppermost mantle? First proposed by Leopold Kober in 1921, shortened by Hans Stille. Kaapvaal in South Africa and Pilbara in W.Australia give name to Vaalbara continent.
Craton
Name given to someone who has learned every word of the Koran?
Hafiz
The first Khalifah, successor to the leadership of the Muslim community after death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Abu Bakr
The Opener. Surah 1 of the Qu’ran. Recited at least 17 times daily during the five times of salah. Also known as “the essence” of the Qu’ran.
al-Fatihah
House or abode of Islam, sometimes used to refer to lands ruled by Islamic Shari’ah.
Dar-ul-Islam
Abraham (PBUH), a prophet of Allah to whom the scrolls were given.
Ibrahim
Partition or Barrier the divide between life on Earth and the life after in Islam. This barrier cannot be crossed except by death and judgment.
Barzakh
A non-muslim living freely under protection of an Islamic state.
Dhimmi
In Islam, paradise, the reward for those who are judged to be good.
Jannah
In Islam, successor, inheritor, custodian or vice regent.
Khalifah
In Islam, the place of prostration, alternative name for the mosque.
Masjid
In Islam, rebellious, proud, the devil.
Shaytan
In Islam, walking seven times around the Ka’bah in the worship of All’ah. Also a part of Hajj and Umrah.
Tawaf
What is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Ḥajj, which has specific dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar?
Umrah
What U word is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic people?
Ummah
What is the Islamic term for the name for the Arabic phrase ʾAllāhu ʾakbarᵘ. It is a common Arabic expression, used in various contexts by Muslims and Arabs around the world: in formal Salah?
Takbir
From Arabic for “association”, what is Islamic term for regarding anything as being equal or partner to Allah. It is forbidden in Islam.
Shirk
Islamic term for Direction which Muslims face when performing salah – towards the Ka’bah
(see Mihrab).
Qiblah
Islamic term for Niche or alcove in a mosque wall, indicating the Qiblah – the direction of
Makkah, towards which all Muslims face
to perform salah.
Mihrab
The stand from which the Imam delivers the khutbah or speech in the mosque or praying
ground.
Minbar
From Arabic for “one fifth”: the required religious obligation of any Muslims to pay 20% of their acquired wealth from certain sources toward specified causes. It is treated differently in Shia and Sunni Islam.
Khums
First wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and mother of Fatima
Khadija
Islamic term for being created by Allah from fire, are real creatures that form a world other than that of mankind, capable of causing physical and mental harm to human beings..
Jinn
In Islam, Salah is done five times throughout the day, what is the Islamic term for the dawn prayer?
Fajr
In Islam, Salah is done five times throughout the day, what is the Islamic term for the early afternoon prayer?
Dhuhr/Zuhr
In Islam, Salah is done five times throughout the day, what is the Islamic term for the late afternoon prayer?
Asr
In Islam, Salah is done five times throughout the day, what is the Islamic term for the Sunset prayer?
Maghrib
In Islam, Salah is done five times throughout the day, what is the Islamic term for the night prayer?
Isha’a
Islamic term for the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mosque recited by a muezzin at prescribed times of the day?
Adhan
Which Jewish term for a prayer is used for a song by Maurice Ravel in his Two Hebrew Songs and also a Symphony No 3 by Bernstein?
Kaddish
Which Jewish declaration gives its name to a composition for cello and orchestra written by Max Bruch?
Kol Nidre
One of the wives of Muhammad and the daughter of Abu Bakr
Aisha
Arabic term for “the Hereafter”. In Islamic eschatology, on the Day of Last Judgment, the natural or temporal world will come to an end, the dead will be resurrected from their graves, and go here.
Akhirah
The Rashidun, are the first four caliphs (lit.: ‘successors’) who led the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad: who were they in order?
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali
After his appointment as the caliph, Ali transferred his capital from Medina to which city in 170km south of Baghdad, the Muslim garrison city in the present-day Iraq?
Kufa
Who was the first Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate ruling from 661 to 680? Succeeded Hasan ibn Ali as Caliph (who was the son of Ali and Fatima). Succeeded by his son Yazid I.
Mu’awiya I
Name of the 657CE battle between fourth Rashidun caliph Ali and rebellious governor of Syria Muawiya, battle named after its location on the banks of the Euphrates
Battle of Siffin
Which battle took place in 656CE/36AH outside of Basra, Iraq and fought between fourth caliph Ali and rebel army of Aisha (Muhammad’s third and youngest wife), Talha and Zubayr.
Battle of the Camel
Term for the first civil war in the Islamic community. It led to the overthrow of the Rashidun Caliphate and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate
Fitna
who was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until his death in 750? The Abbasid revolution or Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment overthrew and Abbasid Caliphate ruled until 1517.
Marwan II
What is name of the fresco found on the wall of Qasr Amra, a desert castle of the Umayyad Caliphate located in modern-day Jordan. It depicts six rulers standing in two rows of three. Four of the six have inscriptions in Arabic and Greek identifying them as the Byzantine emperor, King Roderic of Spain, the Sasanian emperor, and the King of Aksum.
Painting of the Six Kings
Term for a verse of the Quran that is a subsection of each Surah.
Ayah
Islamic term for Saying; report; account. The sayings of
the Prophet Muhammad
Hadith
Wife of prophet Ibrahim and mother of Isma’il?
Hajar
What are the two hills found at the Grand Mosque of Kaaba at Mecca?
Safa and Marwah
Islamic term for obligatory duty according to divine law eg offering salah five times a day
Fard
Name of place near Mecca where Muhammad went for solitude and worship, there he received the first revelation of Quran
Hira
What is islamic term for hell, the punishment for those judged to be evil?
Jahannam
Sanskrit for “mindfulness of breathing” referring to inhalation and exhalation of breath, quintessential form of Buddhist meditation.
Anapanasarti
B: fully ordained female in Buddhist monasticism
Bhikshuni
a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment (Pali: bodhi) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
Bodh Gaya
Town in Uttar Pradesh, one of big four Buddhist pilgrimage sites as said to be where Buddha attained parinirvana?
Kushinagar
Place in Uttar Pradesh, 10km NE of Varanasi near Ganges and Varuna confluence, where in 528BC at 35 years old Gautama Buddha taught his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Where first Buddhist “Sangha” came into existence as result of enlightenment of first five disciples.
Sarnath
Term in Buddhism refers to someone who has made a resolution to become a Buddha and has also received a confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha that this will be so.
Bodhisattva
Four letter term is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity or giving of alms, in Indian religions and philosophies.
Dana
Tibetan term meaning a Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification of learning, lineage and sādhanā that may be understood as a conflation of a fortification, a vihara and a university associated with Tibetan Buddhism and thus common in historical Tibetan regions
Gompa
Meaning birth story, what Buddhist term is a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form?
Jataka
M: buddhist term a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being.
Mudita
Sanskrit means “heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings”. In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging, the five material and mental factors that take part in the rise of craving and clinging.
Skandha
In Buddhism, what are rupa, vedana, samjna, sanskara and vijnana collectively known as?
Skandha
Pali/Sanskrit word meaning “wandering”, word meaning the cycle of death and rebirth experienced in Buddhism only broken by reaching Nirvana?
Samsara
Term from Sanskrit “three jewels”, in Buddhism it comprises the Buddha, the dharma (doctrine, or teaching), and the sangha (the monastic order, or community).
Triratna
a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibetan Buddhism, embodying the concept of enlightened beings taking corporeal forms to continue the lineage of specific teachings
Tulku
Sanskrit or Pali for Triple Basket, the traditional term for ancient collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures: Vinaya Piṭaka (“Discipline Basket”), dealing with rules or discipline of the sangha,
Sutta Piṭaka (Sutra/Sayings Basket), discourses and sermons of Buddha, some religious poetry; the largest basket and the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, treatises that elaborate Buddhist doctrines, particularly about mind; also called the “systematic philosophy” basket?
Tipitaka
a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language on the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist namesake Canon or Tipiṭaka as well as the sacred language of Theravāda Buddhism
Pali
Mahayana is which language for Greater Vehicle? Said to be this branch of Buddhism’s language in contrast to Theravada language Pali.
Sanskrit
a Japanese Buddhist term for awakening, “comprehension; understanding”, Zen Buddhism refers to deep experience of Kensho.
Satori
What term in Buddhism: the nature of reality regarded as a universal truth taught by the Buddha; the teaching of Buddhism?
Dharma
Literally meaning beggar, an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism has what term?
Bhikshu
What sweet substance, with a seven-letter name, is made by boiling nuts in
sugar and then grinding the mixture? It is often used as a filling for chocolates.
Praline
What title is shared by a 2022 single by Rihanna, from the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and a 1999 Geri Halliwell single?
Lift Me Up
Which Netflix horror fantasy series, which debuted last year, stars Tom Sturridge
in the titular role, the personification of dreams and nightmares?
The Sandman
Which US city is “my kind of town” according to the lyrics of a song recorded a
number of times by Frank Sinatra?
Chicago
In which EU Member State is the low-cost airline Smartwings based?
Czechia
Which castle, 50 kilometres north of Inverness, is the main filming location for the
BBC reality TV series The Traitors?
Ardross Castle
Which of the ten current Netball Superleague sides is the only one based in
Wales? Their best season came in 2013, when they finished runners-up.
Celtic Dragons
In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which character marries Prospero’s daughter
Miranda?
Ferdinand
What three-letter word for part of the body follows ‘Moose’ in the name of a city
on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan?
Jaw
Which Liverpudlian singer represented the UK in the 1993 Eurovision Song
Contest, finishing runner-up with her song Better the Devil You Know?
Sonia (Evans)
Which MSP for Edinburgh Eastern finished third in this year’s SNP leadership
contest? She was the first SNP minister to resign to vote against government
policy, over gender recognition reform.
Ash Regan
What title is shared by a 2022 single by Lady Gaga, from the soundtrack to Top
Gun: Maverick, and a 2015 Jess Glynne single?
Hold My Hand
Which Netflix mystery thriller series, which debuted last year, stars Naomi Watts
and Bobby Cannavale as a couple who, having moved into a new home in New
Jersey, are harassed by the titular character?
The Watcher
Which term can be used for Buddhism a being who has reached a state of perfection and enlightenment?
arhat (Sanskrit) or arahant (Pali)
In the human skeleton, which bone, also called the calf bone, makes up the lower
leg with the tibia?
Fibula
What Arabic word meaning ‘garden’ describes an inner courtyard, and is used in
Morocco for a traditional guesthouse? It is a homophone of the name of a city in
Saudi Arabia.
Riad
What sweet substance, with a seven-letter name, is made by whipping cream
and chocolate together? It is often used as a frosting or filling for cakes.
Ganache
Which early supercontinent, named for the Russian for ‘motherland’, is posited to
have formed one billion years ago, preceding Pannotia?
Rodinia
Which shallow gulf lies between Trinidad and Venezuela? It is linked to the
Caribbean by the Dragon’s Mouth to the north and Serpent’s Mouth to the south.
Gulf of Paria
87-day siege of namesake city in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats, Serbs and other ethnic groups.
Battle of Vukovar
Name of insurrection which started on August 17, 1990, in areas of the Republic of Croatia which were populated significantly by ethnic Serbs. A full year of tension, including minor skirmishes and sabotage, passed before these events would escalate into the Croatian War of Independence. Name comes from what was used as blockades.
Log Revolution
Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death. He served following the country’s independence from Yugoslavia.
Franjo Tudman
Serbian and Yugoslav politician who was the president of Serbia from 1989 to 1997 and president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 until his оverthrow in 2000.
Slobodan Milošević
Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He was the president of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War between 1992-96.
Radovan Karadžić
Bosnian Serb former military officer and convicted war criminal who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. Deemed by the ICTY to be responsible for both the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre
Ratko Mladić
Which of the ten Netball Superleague sides is the only one based in Scotland?
They joined the league in 2017, finishing sixth – a result they have yet to better.
Strathclyde Sirens
What netball superleague team are based in Hatfield, Herts?
Saracens Mavericks
What netball superleague team are based in Worcester?
Severn Stars
In astronomy, stars are commonly classified using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K and
M on which system, named for the two American astronomers who developed it?
You may give their names of the two initials by which the system is known.
Morgan-Keenan System
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, which character marries Shylock’s daughter Jessica?
Lorenzo
Highest point of Cuba called what?
Pico Turquino
In which EU Member State is the airline Sky Express based?
Greece
Which US city is “my kind of lady” according to the title of Frank Sinatra’s final
solo studio album, and a single from it?
Los Angeles
Give the first name of any one of the three contestants who jointly won the first
series of the BBC series The Traitors.
Aaron, Hannah or Meryl
In 1923, Frenchmen André Lagache and René Léonard won the inaugural
staging of which motorsport event?
24 Hours of Le Mans
Which BBC sitcom featured Paul O’Grady as Ray Temple, the manager of a
Liverpool bingo hall?
Eyes Down
In the Chinese zodiac, January 2023 saw the beginning of the year of which
animal?
Rabbit
chinese zodiac 2024 is year of the what?
Dragon
SATs in terms of exams are acronyms for ?
Standard Assessment Tests
In a competition remembered for the attack on Nancy Kerrigan orchestrated by
Tonya Harding’s then-husband, which Ukrainian athlete won the ladies’ singles
figure skating title at the 1994 Winter Olympics?
Oksana Baiul
Which American Nobel Prize-winning economist gives his name to a proposed tax on all spot conversions from one currency into another, with the proposal later being broadened to include taxes on all forms of short-term trading?
James Tobin
Supposedly named after a Hungarian peasant who spread the grape throughout France, which red wine grape - one of the six grapes allowed in the making of Bordeaux wine - has been described as a softer version of merlot with hints of blackberry?
Malbec
Which of the five Ks of Sikhism is a small, curved sword, usually a knife or
dagger?
Kirpan
Which English playwright wrote the 1893 melodrama The Second Mrs
Tanqueray?
Arthur Wing PINERO
Which Astronomer Royal (1765-1811) was the first person to scientifically
measure the mass of the Earth, in the so-called Schiehallion experiment?
Nevil Maskelyne
Which team in the Scottish Premiership play their home games at Pittodrie?
Aberdeen
The third-largest of the 88 modern constellations, which constellation that is
depicted on the Alaskan flag is primarily known from the group of its main seven
stars, a grouping colloquially known as the Plough or the Big Dipper?
Ursa Major
Galia and Charentais are varieties of which fruit?
Melon
Formed in 1979 near Liverpool, which new wave band had singles in the early
1980s such as Wishful Thinking, Christian, and Working with Fire and Steel?
China Crisis
A Labour MP for Smethwick and then Leyton, who served briefly as Foreign Secretary from late 1964 to early 1965, during which time he most unusually was not an MP at all?
Patrick GORDON WALKER
Which 2005 opera by John Adams focuses on how the leading figures at Los
Alamos dealt with the stress and anxiety of preparing for the Trinity atomic bomb
test?
Doctor Atomic
Sometimes called heat of transformation, what six-letter word refers to energy
released or absorbed by a body or thermodynamic system? The term was
introduced by Joseph Black in 1762.
Latent
Which racecourse in County Kildare is home to Ireland’s five most important flat
races, known as the Classics?
The Curragh
From the Latin for ‘stone’, what name is given to an artist who forms gemstones
and minerals into decorative items?
Lapidary
Medjool and Deglet Nour are varieties of which fruit?
Date
Aimed at the generation of people born between 1946 and ‘64, which commercial radio station, first aired in 2021, counts David Hamilton and Jenny Hanley among its regular presenters?
Boom Radio
Name either of the two countries that contested the so-called Pastry War of 1838-9.
France/Mexico
Which English playwright wrote the 1892 farce Charley’s Aunt?
Brandon Thomas
Which Astronomer Royal (1835-1881) calculated the mean density of the Earth and established Greenwich as the location of the prime meridian?
George Biddell Airy
Name of Ad Agency in Mad Men
Sterling Cooper
Name of Boston law firm in Ally McBeal?
Cage and Fish
In a race remembered for the collision of Zola Budd and Mary Decker, which
Romanian athlete won the gold medal in the women’s 3000m at the 1984
Summer Olympics?
Maricica Puica
What everyday word is given in chemistry to any organic compound in which the hydroxyl functional group is bound to a saturated carbon atom?
Alcohol
Originally developed by Midway Games, which fighting game series has had instalments such as Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Shaolin Monks?
Mortal Kombat
What name is given to the small magnification device used by a lapidary or
jeweller to see details more closely?
Loupe
What is the name of the luxury vehicle division of South Korean automobile
manufacturer Hyundai?
Genesis
A Labour MP for South Gloucestershire and then Great Grimsby, who served briefly as Foreign Secretary from mid-1976 until his death in 1977 aged just 58?
Anthony Crosland
Which 2013 opera by Philip Glass reimagines Walt Disney in his later years as a
power-hungry racist?
The Perfect American
With a symbol consisting of capital C and lower-case P, what eight-letter word refers to the amount of heat energy that must be added to one unit of mass of a substance to cause an increase of one unit of temperature?
Specific
Formed in 1979 in Colchester, which new wave band had singles in the early
1980s such as I Melt with You, Someone’s Calling, and Hands Across the Sea?
Modern English
Found in South America, what is the heaviest known snake species? Your
answer needs more than one word.
Green Anaconda
Cochise and Geronimo both led bands of which much larger Native American
tribal group?
Apache
The Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, occurs on the
first day of which month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the month of
Ramadan?
Shawwal
Which French dancer, actress and singer, said to have had the largest breast implants in the world, became famous in the UK through regular appearances on the Channel 4 show Eurotrash? She died of an overdose in 2000.
Lolo Ferrari
Which Thai dish, a hot and sour soup using prawns as its main ingredient with
flavourings including lemongrass and galangal, was voted the world’s eighth best
dish in a 2018 poll by CNN? Your answer should consist of three words.
Tom Yum Kung
Which Welsh snooker player, nicknamed The Welsh Dragon, has never won the World Championship but lost two finals, to his countryman Mark Williams in 2000 and
to Shaun Murphy in 2005?
Matthew Stevens
If you arrange a four-digit number’s digits in ascending and descending order, subtract the smaller number from the bigger and repeat, you eventually end up with the number 6174. This was discovered by which Indian mathematician, not Srinivasa Ramanujan, with 6174 being described as his constant?
DR Kaprekar
What type of number in a given number base is an integer that is divisible by the sum of its digits when written in that base? Defined by DR Kaprekar, Indian mathematician, who named it after Sanskrit for joy-giver.
Harshad Number
Name of the medical procedure that improves blood circulation in a baby born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) named after American pediatric cardiac surgeon?
Norwood Procedure
Which MP for Southend West from 1935-’50 is perhaps better known for his three volumes of diaries, published in expurgated form in the 1960s and in full form, having been edited by Simon Heffer, this decade? He was also the husband of Honor Guinness.
Henry “Chips” Channon
Surname of the two MPs for Southend West before David Amess who was killed as an MP?
Channon
In which Australian state are the cities of Gold Coast, Townsville and Cairns, all ranked among Australia’s twenty most populous urban areas?
Queensland
Which Dutch multinational which runs over 13,000 of its convenience stores globally,
has a name which is a shortened form of an acronym of a Dutch phrase meaning
“through united co-operation everyone profits”?
SPAR
Which Australian film director’s films have included 2014’s The Babadook and 2018’s The Nightingale? In 2022 she directed The Murmuring, an episode on the Netflix horror anthology Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
Jennifer Kent
Which British manufacturer won the inaugural World Constructors’ Championship in
1958? Between them Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks won seven of that season’s
eleven races for this team.
Vanwall
These organs consist of the filament and anther, and collectively form the androecium.
Stamen
Which Italian revolutionary founded the Young Italy society in the early 1830s and
championed his country’s Risorgimento movement for unification? He lived in London
for much of the last 40 years of his life.
Giuseppe Mazzini
Which lake located on the border of Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota is the largest US lake outside the Great Lakes? The Northwest Angle to its north is the only part of the contiguous US states above the 49th parallel and can only be reached by land from the US by crossing Canada.
Lake of the Woods
Which American soul singer’s 1968 single The Snake rose to prominence in the UK due to exposure on the Northern Soul scene, becoming a minor UK hit in 1975? This man also had a US Billboard chart-topper with Show and Tell.
Al Wilson
In which Australian state are the cities of Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong, all ranked among Australia’s twenty most populous urban areas?
New South Wales
Which multinational founded in the Netherlands, which runs about 1,600 of its clothing stores globally, has a name which refers to the initials of its founding brothers, whose surname was Brennink-meijer? It withdrew from the British
market, where it had over 100 stores, in 2001.
C&A
Which MP for Leicester West from 1935-’45 is perhaps better known for his three
volumes of diaries and letters, edited for publication by his son Nigel in the
1960s? He was also the husband of Vita Sackville-West.
Harold Nicolson
Which Cuban novelty singer became famous in the UK through regular appearances on Clive James’ television show, after he saw her singing on Manhattan cable TV during a trip to New York? She died in 2020 aged 89.
Margarita Pracatan
Which Malay dish, a spicy-sour broth using mackerel as its main ingredient with
flavourings including mint and tamarind, was voted the world’s seventh best dish
in a 2018 poll by CNN? Your answer should consist of at least two words.
Penang Laksa
In a UK electrical plug, what colour is the neutral wire?
Blue
Which English snooker player, nicknamed The Captain, has never won the
World Championship but lost two finals to Ronnie O’Sullivan, in 2008 and 2012?
Ali Carter
The Muslim festival of Eid al-Adhr, which marks Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice
his son Ismail, occurs on the tenth day of which twelfth and final month of the
Islamic calendar, which is also the month in which the Hajj takes place?
Dhul Hijjah
Which Hungarian revolutionary led the struggle for Hungarian independence from
Austria, leading the country briefly between 1848 and ’49? He lived in London for
much of the last 40 years of his life and became friendly with Giuseppe Mazzini.
Lajos Kossuth
Which lake located in Minnesota is the headwater of the Mississippi river?
Despite sounding as if it may be of Native American origin, its name in fact
comes from a portion of the Latin words meaning ‘true head’
Lake Itasca
Which American singer’s 1966 single Out on the Floor rose to prominence in the
UK due to exposure on the Northern Soul scene, becoming a minor UK hit in
1975? Drift Away and The ‘In’ Crowd were other hits for this man.
Dobie Gray
What name is given to the female reproductive organ of a flower? These organs
consist of the ovary, style and stigma and collectively form the gynoecium.
Pistil
Which British manufacturer won the second and third World Constructors’ Championships in 1959 and ’60? Their two drivers in the latter of those seasons, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren, both went on to found namesake Formula One teams.
Cooper
Which modern-day musical instrument developed from the medieval instrument
the shawm?
Oboe
Another organisation forming part of the ‘Tufton Street mafia’ is which neoliberal
economics think tank co-founded by Madsen Pirie in 1977, and not to be
confused with the Institute of Economic Affairs?
Adam Smith Institute
Which British naturalist and author wrote the book Born Free about raising the
lion cub Elsa? In 1980 she was murdered in Kenya, with a casual labourer she
had employed being convicted of the crime.
Joy Adamson
Which American film director’s films have included 2005’s Lords of Dogtown and
2008’s Twilight? In 2022 she directed Dreams in the Witch House, an episode on
the Netflix horror anthology Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
Catherine Hardwicke
In which series of sandbox video games developed by Maxis does the player
control the titular virtual people, directing their moods and satisfying their desires? March 2023 saw the release of the thirteenth expansion pack for its fourth version, subtitled Growing Together.
The Sims
Which Dutch automotive firm was founded by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot in 2021 and is the world’s fifth largest car maker? Its brands include Alfa Romeo, Citroen and Vauxhall.
Stellantis
What is the name of the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge?
Epistemology
Sometimes called cogs, the toothed wheels around which the chain of a bicycle
moves are also known by what word beginning with S? Distinct from gears which
mesh together directly, components called this are also used to transmit motion
via a chain or track in several other types of machine.
Sprocket
Who was king of France at the time of its defeat at the battle of Blenheim, during the War of the Spanish Succession?
Louis XIV
Named after a type of nymph from Greek mythology, which moon of Neptune, its
third largest, has the most eccentric orbit of any moon in the Solar System?
Nereid
“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord” is the first line of which
American patriotic song written by Julia Ward Howe? This tune, based on the
earlier soldier’s song John Brown’s Body, is sometimes known as Glory Glory,
Hallelujah.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
A record six former world champion drivers took part in the 2012 Formula 1
season. The reigning champion, Sebastian Vettel drove with non-champion Mark
Webber for which team, who won four consecutive drivers’ titles from 2010-13?
Red Bull Racing
Which of Italy’s 20 administrative regions is the largest in area? This place was a
kingdom in its own right from 1130-1816.
Sicily
What name is given to the gearing system used to shift the chain from one
sprocket to another on a bicycle?
Derailleur
Who was on the British throne when the French defeated Great Britain and her
allies at the battle of Fontenoy, during the War of the Austrian Succession?
George II
Years of War of Austrian Succession
1740-48
Years of war of spanish succession
1701-1714
Calling himself the “smut peddler who cares”, which founder of Hustler magazine
came seventh in the 2003 California recall election? He was played by Woody
Harrelson in a 1996 Miloš Forman film titled The People vs. [this man].
Larry Flynt
Fronted by Louise Wener, which Britpop band had the 1995 track Sale of the Century as their joint-highest-charting single? Other hits by this band include Inbetweener and Statuesque.
Sleeper
Russell T. Davies wrote which 2018 three-part serial, directed by Stephen Frears,
which dramatised the Jeremy Thorpe scandal? Hugh Grant played Thorpe and
Ben Whishaw was his lover Norman Scott.
A Very English Scandal
Also called a cogset, what name is given to the set of sprockets attached to the
rear wheel of a bicycle? The size of this component is normally listed in terms of
the largest and smallest sprockets, such as ‘11-32t’, and this word also names a
defunct audio recording medium.
Cassette
The battle of Bouvines [boo-veen], a decisive victory for Philip II of France over
the Emperor Otto IV and his English allies, ended all hope of a restoration of the
Angevin Empire. Who was king of England at the time?
King John (1214)
Which 1896 march by John Philip Sousa is, by a 1987 Act of Congress, the National March of the USA? The British football chant Here We Go is sung to part of the tune of this song.
Stars and Stripes Forever
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher finished his F1 career in the
2012 season, which was the third of his unsuccessful comeback with which team,
driving alongside Nico Rosberg? This team would later win seven successive drivers’ championships, including Rosberg’s 2016 title.
Mercedes
Which of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities is the largest in area? Its name
combines those of two former Iberian kingdoms.
Castile y Leon
Which of France’s 18 administrative regions is the largest in area? This region shares part of its name with both a short-lived Carolingian kingdom, and with the smaller region that merged with Limousin and Poitou-Charentes to form this region in 2016
Nouvelle Aquitaine/New Aquitaine
Samuel Francis Smith wrote the lyrics of which American patriotic song which
uses the same tune as God Save the King? The first line of this tune describes
the USA as “sweet land of liberty”.
My Country Tis of Thee
The guide wheel used to keep tension on the chain as a bicycle’s gears are
changed, usually holding it in a roughly S-shaped pattern, has what name? This
two-word term (including ‘wheel’) can also refer to the small, adjustable wheel at
the front of a trailer used for manual steering.
Jockey Wheel
Which moon of Uranus, the smallest of its five major ones, has one of the most extreme and varied topographies in the Solar System, including the tallest known cliff, Verona Rupes? This moon is named after a Shakespearian heroine.
Miranda
Name of moon of trans-Neptunian dwarf planet Orcus, named after the winged Etruscan psychopomp who guides the souls of the dead to the underworld
Vanth
Which planet is regarded as the anti-Pluto, a major consideration of choosing its name as the Roman/Etruscan equivalent of the Roman/Greek god Pluto? Moon is called Vanth.
Orcus
Charon, moon of Pluto, discovered by who in 1978?
James Christy
Which dwarf planet has two known moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka, named after Hawaiian goddesses?
Haumea
Name of a dwarf planet, a cubewano (QB1-o), named after Tongva creator deity. In 2023, astronomers announced the discovery of two rings orbiting it outside its Roche limit, which defies theoretical expectations that these rings should not be stable.
Quaoar
Name of only known moon of dwarf planet Quaoar, in the Tongva mythology, this is the son of the creator deity Quaoar and is the god of the sky.
Weywot
Dwarf planet named after a Chinese water god responsible for chaos, floods and the tilt of the Earth
Gonggong
only known moon of the scattered-disc likely dwarf planet 225088 Gonggong, a nine-headed venomous snake monster in Chinese mythology that attended the water god Gonggong as his chief minister
Xiangliu
Name of binary main-belt asteroid whose name is taken from Ethiopian word for the Lucy fossil
Dinkinesh
Large planetoid in the Kuiper Belt named after the female Roman divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean, consort of Neptune. HAs known moon called Actaea
Salacia
Trans-Neptunian planetoid named after the queen of the Valar, creator of the stars, one of the most powerful servants of almighty Eru Ilúvatar in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional mythology? One known moon is handmaiden of the namesake queen, Ilmare.
Varda
Binary asteroid named after Mohegan legend, a giant who lived in the coastal areas of New England. Asteroid’s companion is called Squannit, the wife of giant.
Moshup
Which French painter, known for such works as The Pink Dress and Family Reunion, played a key role in the formative years of the Impressionist movement, but was killed at the battle of Beaune-la-Rolande in 1870?
Frédéric Bazille
Who was the king of France whose much larger army was defeated by Henry V’s
English at the battle of Agincourt?
Charles VI or Charles the Mad
Because it is covered in clean ice, which sixth-largest moon of Saturn is one of
the most reflective bodies in the Solar System? It is named for the giant who
fought Athena and was buried under Mount Etna
Enceladus
Which hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson, and set to music by his
brother, is often seen as the Black national anthem of the USA, with its profile
rising sharply since the 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd?
Lift Every Voice and
Sing
Fronted by John Power, which Britpop band had the 1996 track Flying as their highest-charting single? Other hits by this band include Sandstorm and Guiding Star.
Cast
Which leader of the FLN quickly seized power from Ben·youcef Ben·khedda
following Algerian independence, and was elected as Algeria’s first president in
1963? He was then ousted by Houari Boumédiène in 1965.
Ahmed Ben Bella
Which Greek-born author, who placed fifth in the 2003 California recall election,
co-founded an eponymous progressive news website in 2005, and is the founder
and CEO of behaviour technology company Thrive Global?
Ariana Huffington
Which tributary is the headwater of the Yenisey and joins it near Strelka? Lake
Baikal drains into this river which then flows around 2000 kilometres northwest.
Angara
Trademarked by Bandai, what onomatopoeic word refers to Japanese vending machines that usually distribute capsule toys?
Gashapon
Also the narrator of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, what theatre professional is generally responsible for all aspects of the smooth execution of a production?
Stage Manager
What simple arithmetic expression represents the complex “Bruckner rhythm” used frequently by composer Anton Bruckner?
2+3
In computer programming, what does the acronym “NaN” (one syllable, “nan”) stand for?
Not a Number
What 4th Dynasty Pharaoh and father of Khufu was responsible for the construction of at least the Bent, Red, and Meidum Pyramids, representing important developments in construction that would lead to the
Pyramids of Giza?
Sneferu
In the Mandaean faith, which early New Testament figure is considered the greatest and final prophet?
St John the Baptist
Lempira, a national hero of Honduras and namesake of its currency, was a warrior of what Central American Indigenous group whose name means “people of the jaguar”?
Lenca
By what common first name, borne by a Chicago grunge rocker, a London punk rocker, and a Long Island-raised singersongwriter, does Ikea’s ubiquitous bookcase line go? Your author has several in his garage, not holding books.
Billy
Richard Nixon modelled his Vice Presidential “Checkers” speech after which presidential pet who featured in a namesake speech given eight years prior, to the day?
Fala
What 15-year-old online collaborative writing project is based on a fictional organisation that catalogues and contains
mysterious “anomalies”? Its first entry concerned a statue that killed people if no one was looking at it.
SCP Foundation
What is Mexico’s largest movie theatre chain, also the 4th largest in the world? Its name can be loosely translated as
“movie city.”
Cinepolis
Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon of Phish are known to perform routines using what apparatus, particularly during
renditions of YEM (“why-ee-em”), short for “You Enjoy Myself”?
Trampolining
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on CRISPR. What kilodalton protein uses CRISPR to cleave specific strands of DNA?
Cas9
In what video game series that debuted in 2006 for the Nintendo DS are you expected to follow the instructions of the titular familial chef?
Cooking Mama
Pange lingua, Libera me, and Tantum ergo are three of the 40 or so of what works composed by Bruckner? They are mainly vocal and originated in the High Medieval period.
Motets
What term refers to Bandai-produced build-them-yourself mecha kits? The name is an abbreviated portmanteau (in
English) of Bandai’s popular mecha sci-fi franchise and the material of the kits themselves.
Gunpla
The acronym NaN is often seen in what type of computer calculation, frequently used to represent non-integer numbers?
Floating Point
In a baking-themed stage in what non-culinary Playstation video game must you follow the directions of Cheap Cheap the Cooking Chicken to “crack, crack, crack the egg into the bowl”?
Parappa the Rapper
