Next 19 Flashcards
The TV series Dalgleish is based on the novels by which author?
PD James
At the Malta summit in 1989, which US president declared the end of the Cold War?
George H W Bush
In the British Army, what are cherrypickers and cheesemongers?
Regiments
Which Earl of Leicester led the rebels in the Second Barons’ War (1264–67)?
Simon de Montfort
Which Manchester–born religious leader (1736–84) brought the Shaker sect from England to the American colonies?
Ann Lee (a.k.a. Mother Ann Lee)
Which day following Holy Week is the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection?
Easter Sunday
Viscount Weymouth is the title usually held by the heir apparent to the Marquess of where?
Bath
Which Athenian temple is the subject of a 2002 book by Mary Beard?
Parthenon
Which Japanese company launched the world’s first commercial quartz watch, the Astron, in 1969?
Seiko
What does the R stand for in a term for the accent of the social elite, abbreviated to RP?
Received Pronunciation
In 1937, which Spanish artist wrote a movie screenplay for the Marx Brothers called Giraffes on Horseback Salad?
Dali
Which future king served as a midshipman at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780?
William IV
Which children’s author and illustrator married her solicitor, William Heelis, in 1913?
Beatrix Potter
In August 1942, the convoy codenamed Operation Pedestal took supplies to which Mediterranean island?
Malta
Which king of England and Scotland called Robert Cecil his “little beagle”?
James I and VI
Which former poet laureate wrote the festive poem Christmas Eve at The Moon Under Water (in 2023)?
Carol Ann Duffy
Henry III was the son of King John and which Countess of Angoulême?
Isabella of Angouleme
In the Noël Coward play Blithe Spirit, what is Madame Arcati’s occupation?
Medium or clairvoyant or spiritualist
“Do not disturb my circles!” were the reputed last words of which 3rd–century BC Greek mathematician?
Archimedes
Australian feral horse
Brumby
Charles Crichton’s Hue and Cry (1947) was the first comedy released by which British film studio?
Ealing Studios
One of the largest stately houses in Europe, Wentworth Woodhouse is in which county?
South Yorkshire
Marsh Daisy and British Faverolles are breeds of which domesticated bird?
Chicken
Loch Lochy is one of the freshwater lochs that forms part of which 60–mile waterway?
Caledonian Canal
Which New Testament prophet criticised King Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias?
John the Baptist, because she was the wife of his half–brother Philip
In UK transport, the following are types of what: broad, double, stop, guillotine, staircase?
Canal Locks
A 2023 Sandra Newman novel retells the story of George Orwell work Animal Farm from which title character’s point of view?
Julia
Adam Biles rework of Orwell’s Animal Farm is which three word title 2023 book?
Beasts of England
What did Mahatma Gandhi call “the greatest force at the disposal of mankind”?
Non-Violence
“Vanity of vanities; all is vanity” is a statement at the beginning of which Old Testament book?
Book of Ecclesiastes
Which England and Warwickshire cricketer was the first batsman to score a century on his World Cup debut, the first ever century in ODI history, doing so in 1975?
Dennis Amiss
Which bassist with The Animals brought Jimi Hendrix to London in 1966?
Chas Chandler
Year Starbucks founded?
1971
who played the title role in the sitcom Colin’s Sandwich?
Mel Smith
Chianti wine is made in which region of Italy?
Tuscany
Alan Measles is the childhood teddy bear of which Turner prize–winning potter?
Grayson Perry
In which Merseyside town did the World of Glass museum open in 2000?
St Helens
The song Flower of Scotland commemorates the victory of the Scots at which battle?
Bannockburn
On whose death in 1980 did Harry Secombe say “Bluebottle is deaded now”?
Peter Sellers
Which 1835 epic poem by Robert Browning is about a 16th century German–Swiss alchemist and physician?
Paracelsus
Stage manager of the muppet theatre:
Scooter
Easy going pianist muppet
Rowlf the Dog
Leader and keyboard player of the Muppet Band
Dr Teeth
Dr Teeth and Animal are most known members of the Muppet band, name one of other four lesser known?
Floyd Pepper - Bass
Janice - Guitar
Zoot - Saxophone
Lips - Trumpet
2023 Tennis. Top Ranked British Woman. Got to 3rd round of Wimbledon Singles the farthest of
any lady. Katie Who?
Katie Boulter
Netball. Started every game for the English Roses in the 2023 World Cup and played
almost every minute. Plays Goal A:ack with occasional swaps to Goal Shooter. Born in
Carlisle, now plays for New South Wales Swifts. Helen Who?
Helen Housby
Cricket. Opened the batting in every 2023 Ashes Test. Plays for Nottinghamshire. Ben
Who?
Ben Duckett
Football. Plays for Middlesborough. Top goal scorer in 2022-23 Championship.
Chuba Who?
Akpom
Beamish Open Air Museum in which county?
County Durham
Cragside House in which county? It was the home of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, founder of the Armstrong Whitworth armaments firm.
Northumberland (Cragside the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power)
National Maritime Museum spinoff that isn’t in Greenwich is in which county?
Cornwall (Falmouth)
The Deep museum is in which county?
East Yorkshire (Hull)
Weald and Downland Living Museum is in which county?
West Sussex
Kelham Island Industrial Museum is in which county?
South Yorkshire
French actress. She is best known for playing Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Paris in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Pom Klementieff
Miss Marple (BBC 1984-92)
Joan Hickson
Who played Endeavour in Endeavour
Shaun Evans
Sherlock Holmes (ITV 1984-94) He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series from 1984 to 1994 in all 41 episodes. His career spanned from stage, to television and film, to Shakespeare and musical theatre. He also played the smitten Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the 1964 Warner Bros. production of My Fair Lady.
Jeremy Brett
Ted Hastings (Line of Duty)
Adrian Dunbar
Who played Jimmy Perez (Shetland)
Douglas Henshall
Who played Cadfael?
Derek Jacobi
Who played Peter Boyd (Waking the Dead) ?
Trevor Eve
Who plays Cormoran Strike on TV?
Tom Burke
Miss Marple (ITV Series 1-3, 2004-8)
Geraldine McEwan
Punk Rock band formed in San Francisco in 1978, perhaps best known for their songs ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ and ‘California Uber Alles’.
Dead Kennedys
Real first name of Blues legend Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield
A Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) is more commonly known as what?
Stroke
What medical condition is Metformin most commonly used to treat?
Diabetes
What medical condition is Ramipril most commonly used to treat?
Hypertension
Which modern treatment was pioneered by Sir John Charnley at Wrightington
Hospital near Wigan?
Hip Replacement
Which celebrity chef and occasional Goggleboxer currently hosts the Great British Menu?
Andi Oliver
A In the Meg and Mog series of books what was Meg’s calling?
Witch
What was the name of the Ewing’s ranch in Dallas?
Southfork
In Thailand, what is the name of the festival that celebrates the Buddhist New Year? Celebrations of this festival often involve large scale water fights.
Songkran
Originally developed by Epic Games in 2017, what is the name of the free-to-play, cross-platform battle royale in which you have the ability to chop down resources to build layers of protection around yourself or ramps to gain higher ground?
Fortnite
Immortalised in the poem “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” by Bai Juyi, Yang Guifei was the consort of which Tang ruler who ordered her execution during the An Lushan Rebellion?
Xuanzong (Zhwanzong)
Tony Horton created which commercial home exercise regime for the company Beachbody? It mixes cardio, weight and resistance training with plyometrics, yoga and stretching
P90X
One of the dog sports showcased at Crufts is which sport that involves 2 teams of 4 dogs performing a relay race over low hurdles while retrieving a ball from a box?
Flyball
Jamie Lenman was the frontman for which British post hardcore band that went on a permanent hiatus in 2008, they had four UK Top 75 hits including “Let’s Stop Hanging Out” and “Freddy Krueger”?
Reuben
“The Deadwood Stage”, “The Black Hills of Dakota” and “Secret Love” are songs from which stage musical western based on a 1953 film of the same name?
Calamity Jane
The first man to average a triple double of points, rebounds and assists in the NBA over the course of a season which man nicknamed “Big O” achieved this feat playing for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1961-62 season?
Oscar Robertson
Who were the first women to matriculate at a university in 1869, where they began to study medicine but were refused to allow to graduate by a Court of Sessions ruling? City name and number of students required.
Edinburgh Seven
With a metro population of over 3.6 million which is the most populous city situated on a Caribbean island?
Santo Domingo
Sonni Ali was the first king of which empire, prominent in West Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries?
Songhai
Frank Turner was the frontman for which British post hardcore band that were active from 2000 - 2005? They had two UK Top 75 tracks which were “I Gave My Eyes to Stevie Wonder” and “Living the Dream” but may be better known for their single “Smiling at Strangers on Trains”.
Million Dead
Shaun T created which commercial home exercise regime for the company Beachbody? It is a high-intensity interval training programme that involves bodyweight exercises and cardio workouts
Insanity
In physics, what vector quantity is the rotational analogue of linear force? The net value of this quantity in an isolated system can be given by taking the time derivative of angular momentum.
Torque
Osei Kofi Tutu I was one of the founders of which empire, prominent in West Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries?
Ashanti
In the USA it’s called a zucchini, what is it more commonly called in the UK?
Courgette
Developed by Raven Software and Infinity Ward and published by Activision as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019, what is the name of the free-to-play, cross-platform battle royale originally set in the fictional area of Verdansk? The game is named for a large-scale combat area.
Warzone
The lowest in the historical Indian Varna caste system (excluding Dalits), which caste included labourers and artisans?
Shudra
With a population of over 6.1 million, which is the most populous city situated on the Mediterranean coast?
Alexandria
In Myanmar, what is the name of the festival that celebrates the Buddhist New Year? Celebrations of this festival heavily involve water
Thingyan
Wu Zetian who later became Empress Wu was the concubine and then Empress Consort of which Tang emperor? After his death she then ruled in her own right as Empress Dowager.
Gaozong
The Animals had a hit in 1964 with a cover of which song that was originally recorded by Texas Alexander and covered by many other artists including Nina Simone and Lead Belly?
House of the Rising Sun
a Anthony Head and Sharon Maughan starred as Tony and Sharon, a couple that formed a slow burning romance in a series of adverts for which rich blend of coffee made by Nescafé?
Gold Blend
The second man to average a triple double of points, rebounds and assists in the NBA over the course of a season, doing so four times between 2016 and 2021, is which player who achieved the feat three times for the Oklahoma City Thunder and once for the Washington Wizards?
Russell Westbrook
Who were the women trained by NASA that were excluded from the chance to fly in space because of their gender in the unofficial “Women in Space” program in the 1960s? Programme name and number of women
required.
Mercury 13
Which Championship football team play their home matches at Home Park?
Plymouth Argyle
In the Sitcom The Office, which actress played the role of the receptionist, Dawn Tinsey?
Lucy Davis
Explained in a 1969 book of the same name, what term is given to the management concept that a person will rise through a hierarchy of a company until they reach a level of respective incompetence?
Peter Principle
Which popular British artist, born in Surrey in 1926 but active in Plymouth from the 1960s, is famous for her comical paintings of overweight people enjoying themselves in everyday situations?
Beryl Cook
The ‘Mandela effect’ is a term used for collective false memories. One such example is the widespread belief that the logo of
which clothing brand had previously included a cornucopia, despite there being no apparent evidence for this?
Fruit of the Loom
Known for her starring roles in the German comedy films Toni Erdmann and Sisi & I, which German actress starred as a woman on trial for the murder of her husband in the 2023 Palme d’Or winning film Anatomy of a Fall?
Sandra HULLER
The three British drivers who competed in the 2023 Formula One season are Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and which other driver, who replaced Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s team mate at Mercedes in 2022?
George Russell
Which Roman poet, active in the late first and early second centuries CE, is best known for his series of 16 poems known as The Satires?
Juvenal
What leader of the far-right Party for Freedom won the most votes and seats in the recent elections in the Netherlands? He is currently trying to form a government
Geert Wilders
One of the three main stars of the Emmy-award winning comedy show Smack the Pony alongside Sally Philips and Fiona Allen, which actor and comedian featured regularly in the BBC radio satire On the Hour before she appeared in its TV spin-off The Day Today as the business correspondent Collaterlie Sisters? Jane Plough in Toast of London.
Doon MACKICHAN
Which very large naval battle of the Red Turban Rebellion took place between August and October 1363 and led to the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and the establishment of the Ming dynasty?
The Battle of Lake Poyang
What is the name for the innermost layer of a tooth, composed of the connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves?
Pulp
Which city is the site of the oldest Roman settlement in Iberia? This city, that gives its name to the southernmost province of
Catalonia, was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Tarragona
What name is commonly given to the arch or frame in a conventional theatre through which the spectator sees the stage?
Proscenium
George Fox and William Penn are famous names in the history of the Religious Society of Friends. By what name is this religious group better known?
Quakers
What two-word term refers to a hairstyle, typically worn by men, that involves short, spiked hair with the ends bleached blond in
stark contrast to the rest of the hair?
Frosted Tips
Ernst Gräfenberg created the first example of what form of long-acting reversible contraception? One type of this form of
contraception uses copper and is known as a ‘coil’, and another uses a cylinder that releases a progestogen and is commonly known by
the brand name Mirena.
IUD
Which Welsh triathlete announced her retirement in 2022 after winning gold in the European Triathlon Championships? Despite
never winning an olympic medal, she has won medals in six World Triathlon Series.
Non Stanford
Which Spanish city is the only one in the world to be completely surrounded by intact Roman walls? This provincial capital is the
fourth largest in Galicia – behind Vigo, A Coruña and Ourense – and was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
Lugo
A proscenium is absent in what sort of stage, that extends into the audience? This type of stage is found in Liverpool’s Everyman
Theatre and Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, and should not be confused with theatre in the round, in which the stage is surrounded on
all sides.
Thrust Stage
Also known for writing the 1997 stage play and 2005 film hit Closer, which actor played the inept reporter Peter O’HanrahaHanrahan in the radio show On the Hour and also in its TV adaptation The Day Today?
Patrick MARBER
Named after a coastal town, at which naval battle of 1279 did the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty defeat the preceding Song dynasty and
establish rule over most of China? The Yuan navy achieved this victory despite being outnumbered ten to one.
Battle of YAMEN
Which Polish politician led his party Civic Platform to second place in the recent Polish general election, but is expected to form a
coalition government next week? He previously served as Prime Minister from 2007–14, and was President of the European Council
from 2014–19.
Donald Tusk
Which Roman poet of the first century BCE, famous for both beautiful love lyrics and some graphically obscene lampoons,
addressed many of his poems to a woman called Lesbia?
Catullus
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’ was the lead single off what album, her second, released in September 2023? ? Like her debut album,
Sour, the album has a one-word title.
Guts
Which English skeleton racer won her only Olympic gold at Vancouver in 2010, and acted as Team GB’s flag bearer at that Games’
closing ceremony?
Amy Williams
Which Japanese dish consists of battered dough balls containing pieces of octopus?
Takoyaki
Which Russian city is home to The Motherland Calls, once the tallest statue in the world?
Volgograd
In Japan, octopus is also sometimes served in which style, where meat or fish is marinated before being floured and deep fried? It is
not to be confused with tempura, which doesn’t involve marination and uses a batter.
Karaage
Which American boxer did Lennox Lewis defeat in the 1988 Olympic final? Known for a trilogy of fights against Evander Holyfield, he was the undisputed world heavyweight champion before surrendering the WBC title when he refused to fight Lewis.
Riddock Bowe
Which American businessman revolutionised transport and trade by inventing the modern standardised shipping container? On the morning of his funeral in 2001, container ships around the world blew their whistles simultaneously to remember this “father of containerisation”.
Malcolm McLean
Historian Andrea Wulf’s 2022 book Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self explores the lives and ideas of Goethe, Schiller and other early Romantic writers and artists in the 1790s as they all lived in what German university town? In the next decade, a decisive battle here saw Napoleon’s forces defeat the Prussians.
Jena
The name for ‘orange’ in Greek and Arabic comes from the name of which country, who first brought sweet oranges from China in the 16th century?
Portugal
William the Conqueror was known by some contemporaries as William the Bastard, because his mother - daughter of a tanner and fur trader - was the concubine of Robert, Duke of Normandy. Who was she?
Herleva of Falaise
Who became the first Belorussian player to win a tennis Grand Slam by winning the 2012 Australian Open?
Victoria Azarenka
Remains of which early hominin, a ‘cousin’ of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, were discovered in a cave of the same name in the Altai Mountains in Siberia? Archaeological evidence at the site suggests that this group and Neanderthals encountered each other and may have inhabited the area concurrently.
Denisovans
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring takes name from which John Keats poem?
La Belle Dame sans Merci
Mister Mister’s 1985 number one hit Broken Wings takes its title from a novel by which Lebanese poet and author? He is best known as the author of The Prophet, which was first published in the United States in 1923.
Kahlil Gibran
Which indigenous people of the Chihuahua region in Mexico, featured in Christopher McDougall’s 2009 book Born to Run, are known for their exceptional endurance running abilities? According to some ethnographers, the name for themselves in their own language, Rarámuri, means “those who run fast”.
TARAHUMARA
In Japanese cuisine, which dry, flaky condiment - typically made from a mixture of dried seaweed, sugar, salt, sesame seeds, and sometimes dried fish - is often sprinkled on cooked rice and vegetable dishes?
Furikake
Tyler the Creator, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Malcolm Gladwell, and Forest Whitaker have ancestry from which ethnic group centred in southern Nigeria? The protagonist of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is a member of this group.
Igbo
Which species of vulture, named after a German naturalist and explorer, is considered to be the world’s highest-flying bird, having been recorded flying at an altitude of 11,300m above sea level?
Ruppell’s Vulture
Which Michael Crichton novel of 1980 was set deep in the African rain forest, near the legendary ruins of the Lost City of Zinj?
Congo
What is Egypt’s oldest degree-granting university, known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic learning?
Al-Azhar
The flag of Egypt consists of threee horizontal bands of colour. What colour is the uppermost band?
Red
The luxurious Queen Nefertiti hotel is one of the main settings in which John Le Carre novel of 1993, his first following the end of the Cold War?
The Night Manager
Also the name of a book of the Old Testament, which Toni Morrison novel was cited by the Swedish Academy when awarding Morrison the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature?
Song of Solomon
Consisting of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, what is the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible? It’s authorship is attributed to a prophet who lived in the Assyrian Period.
Obadiah
Sunderland provided three players to the Republic of Ireland squad for the 2002 Fifa World Cup. Name any of them.
Jason MCATEER, Kevin KILBANE or Niall QUINN
Liverpool and which other English club provided 3 players to Scotland’s 1982 World Cup Squad? George Burley and Alan Brazil were two of them
Ipswich
The only player in the Argentina 2022 World Cup squad who actually played his club football in Argentina at the time was the goalie Franco Armani. What side did he play for? This team play in Beunos Aires and have won the Argentinian Championship a record 38 times
River Plate
Which famous explorer, active during the Ming Dynasty, referred to the Indian Ocean as the “Western Ocean”? This man commanded seven expeditionary treasure voyages from 1405 to 1433.
Zheng He
In the Sherlock Holmes story “The Sign of Four”, the accomplice of the antagonist Johnathan Small is a native of which island group in the Indian Ocean? This group contains the famous North Sentinel Island
Andaman Islands
What state was admitted as the 33rd state of the USA in 1859? Geographical features of this state include Crater Lake National Park, the Blue Mountains and part of the Cascade Range
Oregon
What was the four-word name of Dave Lee Travis’ snooker quiz on Radio One? It’s spin-off quiz machine is warmly remembered
Give Us A Break
The Scottish rock band “Travis” took their name from Harry Dean Stanton’s character in “Paris, Texas”. What was the 4-letter name of the Travis song which reached the top 5 in 2001? This was also the name of a recent animated movie
Sing
In 1953 James Watson ran into which Cambridge Pub to announce that he had discovered the secret of life? This pub shares its name with a British comic that once featured Dan Dare
The Eagle
Occurring between G1 phase and G2 phase, the phase of the cell cycle in which DNA is replicated is designated with what letter?
S (S Phase)
What are the DNA base pairs?
Adenine and Thymine
Guanine and Cytosine
Gymnast Max Whitlock won two gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, in the pommel horse and which other apparatus?
Floor Apparatus
What four-letter word can be a style of haircut, a whip used in horseriding, or part of a bird’s digestive system?
Crop
On a clothing label, what shape is the laundry symbol for “Bleaching allowed”?
Triangle
On a clothing label, a circle is the laundry symbol for what?
Dry Clean
Which number symphony by Beethoven is known as “The Fate Symphony” because the opening four notes sound like fate knocking at the door?
Symphony No 5
In which Nordic country was the 11th century explorer Leif Erikson born?
Iceland
In which sport would you use head covers and divot tools?
Golf
What toiletry product was first commercialised by the German chemist Hans Schwarzkopf in 1898?
Shampoo
In which London luxury hotel can you enjoy afternoon tea in the Thames Foyer?
The Savoy
Which Brazilian flip-flop brand takes its name from a beach in Rio de Janeiro situated between Copacabana and Leblon?
Ipanema
Eurovision was Created by which Swiss author and director of the European Broadcasting Union? Awards given out in his name.
Marcel Bezencon
Which album by Bryan Ferry shares its title with a film starring James Cagney and a method of transport?
Taxi
What colour is a Tiffany Mimosa?
Blue
The Italian exclave of Campione d’Italia is entirely surrounded by which country?
Switzerland
What seven-letter word links the fictional characters Kyrilo Razumov, Christy Mahon, and Paul Bäumer?
Western
(Under Western Eyes, The Playboy of the Western World, All Quiet on the Western Front)
novel by Joseph Conrad. The novel takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Geneva, Switzerland, and is viewed as Conrad’s response to the themes explored in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment;
Under Western Eyes
Which city was the setting for the 1998 Franka Potente film Run Lola Run?
Berlin
German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films Run Lola Run (1998), Heaven (2002), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), and The International (2009). He collaborated with The Wachowskis as co-director for the science fiction film Cloud Atlas (2012) and the Netflix series Sense8 (2015–2018), and worked on the score for Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections (2021).
Tom Tykwer
Which root vegetable was added to hamburgers in Australian outlets of McDonald’s to make a “McOz”?
Beetroot
Which knight of the Round Table was the nephew of King Arthur and had a horse called Gringolet?
Sir Gawain
Which Cheshire-born architect designed the MI6 building in London, headquarters for the Secret Intelligence Service?
Terry Farrell
Which Wasserman, Leigh & Darion musical features the songs The Impossible Dream and Golden Helmet of Mambrino?
Man of La Mancha
Which Irish town on the River Eske takes its name from the Gaelic for “fort of the foreigners”?
Donegal
The Name of the Wind is the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle series by which American fantasy author?
Patrick Rothfuss
Black Sable, Cinnamon, and Champagne are all types of which pet?
Ferret
Which Spanish football club plays against Deportivo la Coruña in the Galician derby?
Celta Vigo
Which tropical fruit, also known as the custard apple, was described by Mark Twain as “the most delicious fruit known to men”? Quechua for “cold seeds”.
Cherimoya
In the nursery rhyme Who Killed Cock Robin, which bird of prey offers to carry the coffin?
Kite
What moniker links the leader of the Decepticons in the Transformers franchise and Hall of Fame NFL wide receiver Calvin Johnson?
Megatron
As of August 2023, there is officially a new world’s hottest chilli. Overtaking the Carolina Reaper, Pepper [blank] has a Scoville rating of 2.69 million SHU. Seemingly popular for recent naming, what single letter fills in the blank?
X
Which Irish actor, who appeared as Lestat in Queen of the Damned (2002) and Dorian Gray in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), was originally hired to play the part of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy? He was replaced by Viggo Mortensen the day before principal photography began?
Stuart TOWNSEND
Which artist is best known for his series of paintings Dogs Playing Poker? He shares his given names with the given birth names of one of the greatest sports figures of the 20th century, and his surname with a US President.
Cassius Marcellus COOLIDGE
Born in Valparaiso, Chile, who is the only Australian Prime Minister not to have been born in Australia, Great Britain, or New Zealand? A founder of the Australian Labor Party, he was Australia’s first Labor prime minister and is still the youngest prime minister in Australia’s history, at 37.
Chris Watson
Named after a prominent Aztec feathered serpent god, which genus of pterosaurs were the largest known flying animals of all time?
Quetzalcoatlus
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are the 2023 drivers for which Formula One team? Formerly named Renault, the team rebranded in 2021 to its current (perhaps more elevated) name.
Alpine
A pair of one-eyed, green, perpetually drooling aliens from the planet Rigel VII appear in every Treehouse of Horror Halloween episode of The Simpsons. Name either of them.
Kang and Kodos
Until the mid-19th century, Indonesia’s Banda Islands were the only known source of which now-common culinary spice?
Nutmeg
Name of giant serpent god who was the mortal enemy of Ra?
Apep
A skirl is a shrill, wailing sound typically made while playing which musical instrument?
Bagpipe
In 1859, Scientific American declared that which game “robs the mind of valuable time that might be devoted to nobler acquirements” and “affords no benefit whatever to the body”?
Chess
Which David Bowie single of 1969 was rushed into release to capitalize on the Apollo 11 moon mission?
Space Oddity
Which college was the alma mater of presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush?
Yale University
Billy and Patti are runaway lovers in which song by Rod Stewart?
Young Turks
Which actor won an Academy Award for playing Louis Pasteur in 1936?
Paul Muni
Which tennis player won her third straight Wimbledon title two weeks before a horseriding accident and broken fibula ended her career at age 19?
Maureen Connolly
In Greek mythology, what woman was turned into a heifer, attacked again and again by a gadfly sent by Hera?
Io
Which Russian space station was in Earth orbit from 1982 to 1991?
Salyut 7
What is the real first name of fictional crime investigator Bulldog Drummond created by Herman Cyril McNeile?
Hugh
Who was the only NFL quarterback to rush for 5,000 career yards in fewer than 100 games?
Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
The 2016 BBC sci-fi TV series Class was a spin-off of what series?
Doctor Who
Who staged a Christmas play in 1223, in a cave on a hill above Grecco, Italy, using real animals, that recreated the visitation of the Magi to the Christ child in the manger?
St Francis of Assisi
Who was the second president of the Mormon Church?
Brigham Young
The Temple of the Marks, the Temple of the Jaguar Priest, and the Temple of the Double-Headed Serpent are pyramids in the ruins of which ancient city?
Tikal
In the Hank Leonard comic strip Mickey Finn, what was Mickey’s profession?
Policeman
Hard D: And while we’re on the topic of groups often defined by their poverty, what name is given to members of the Sufi fraternity who have accepted material poverty though, in their case, to bring them closer to God? The name comes from Persian درویش.
Dervish
Hard D: And while we’re on the topic of groups often defined by their poverty, what name is given to members of the Sufi fraternity who have accepted material poverty though, in their case, to bring them closer to God? The name comes from Persian درویش.
exogamy
Hard G: What is the name of this ancient Empire which, between the early 3rd Century to the early 6th Century AD, covered much of the Indian subcontinent (dark brown in this picture)?
Gupta Empire
Easy H: A cross between the Mexican and Guatemalan varieties of avocado, what name is given to this particular variety? It is named after the North American horticulturist who first grew and sold it.
Hass
Hard H: Voted in 2018 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time, what is the name of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh?
Sheikh Hasina
Hard I: What song has been performed just before the countdown to midnight in New York City every year since 1986?
Imagine by John Lennon
Hard K: Based on the old Zimbabwean mbira, what is the name of this more modern lamellaphone, popularised in the West since the 1950s?
Kalimba
Hard L: London has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest four times. What is the only other city in Europe starting with L to have achieved the same fate?
Luxembourg City
Netherlands first hosted ESC in 1958 in which North Holland city at the AVRO Studios?
Hilversum
Name of complex where Rotterdam hosted the 2021 ESC? Alan Partridge would enjoy this place.
Rotterdam Ahoy
Hard M: What is the name of this river, which passes through Liège and Maastricht among other cities?
Meuse/Maas
Hard P: What organisation was, until 2017, in sole charge of granting university status to academic establishments in the UK, and is still in charge of deciding the dates of Bank Holidays?
Privy Council
Easy R: In French it’s called a “raton laveur” (or “washing rat”) and in Catalan its an “os rentador” (or “washing bear”). But what would we call it in English?
Raccoon
Hard R: The British government’s callous plans to relocate refugees and asylum seekers to Rwanda were fortunately thwarted in the courts, because there was a serious threat that they could be persecuted or even sent back to their country of origin. This would be illegal under EU and International law. But what is the technical name of this violation? Australia was accused of doing just this when they returned Tamil and Singhalese refugees to the Sri Lankan navy in 2014.
Refoulement
Easy S: What current region of Germany took part in the 1952 Olympics as its own country, and even took part as a national side at the qualifiers for the 1954 World Cup (in which they beat Norway but lost, interestingly, to West Germany)?
Saarland
Easy T: What actor played Herb Stimpel in Quiz Show and Barton Fink in Barton Fink?
John Turturro
Easy W: Played at the end of Joe Strummer’s funeral, what song was a number one for actor Lee Marvin in 1970? It originally came from the 1951 stage musical, Paint Your Wagon.
Wand’rin’ Star
Hard W: What writer is seen in on the left-hand side of this Daily Mail photo, “blacked up”, as part of a prank played in 1910, where they pretended to be part of the entourage of the Emperor of Abyssinia to inspect HMS Dreadnought while shouting “Bunga Bunga”?
Virginia Woolf
Easy X: In spite of having fewer than 60,000 inhabitants, what Greek town is best known by pub quizzers for being the most populous in Europe to start with the letter X?
Xanthi
Hard X: Initially revealed in the pages of New X-Men as being Magneto in disguise, who was later established in Excalibur to be a character in his own right? He is here featured on the cover of New X-Men, in June 2002.
Xorn
Dubbed the Match of the Century, the World Chess Championship 1972 was fought between which two chess players?
Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky
What is the general term for a group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds?
Molecules
Aside from being secretary of state, which other government position did Henry Kissinger hold from 1969 to 1975?
National Security Advisor
A popular site for tourists and plane watchers, Maho Beach is adjacent to the Princess Juliana International Airport on which Caribbean island?
Sint Maarten
Running unsuccessfully in the 1997 Irish presidential election, which Irish singer-songwriter won the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest with “All Kinds of Everything”?
Dana Rosemary Scallon
Kotoka International Airport is currently the only international airport in which African country?
Ghana
Pertaining to the impact of the cost of living, the Macquarie Dictionary has selected the colloquial phrase “Cozzie Livs” as its 2023 word of the year. This dictionary is primarily published in which country?
Australia
Competing for the Ducati Lenovo Team, which Italian motorcycle rider is the 2023 MotoGP World Riders’ Champion?
Francesco Bagnaia
CMEs refer to an ejection of magnetic field and plasma mass from the Sun’s corona into the heliosphere. What does CME stand for?
Coronal mass ejection
Named after a German mathematician, what is the unit of measurement of magnetic induction in the CGS system?
Gauss
In Nottinghamshire village, 16 June 1487 may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was the last major engagement between contenders for the throne whose claims derived from descent from the houses of Lancaster and York respectively
Battle of Stoke Field
Which country’s tennis team defeated Australia to win the 2023 Davis Cup?
Italy (Jannik Sinner starring role)
The ancient Greek sculpture Hermes and the Infant Dionysus is attributed to which Attica sculptor?
Praxiteles of Athens
Which actress portrayed Maid Marian in the 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood?
Olivia de Havilland
Which country is hosting the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference?
COP 28 = Dubai
George Santos made history after becoming the first Republican to be expelled from the US House of Representatives. He represented which state’s third congressional district?
New York
The White Ferns is the women’s team representing New Zealand in which sport?
Cricket
Which Cannes-winning film director is also known for creating “plate paintings” and painted the cover artwork for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album By the Way?
Julian Schnabel
What is the name of the Venus figurine that was recovered in a village in Austria in 1908 from an archeological dig by Josef Szombathy, Hugo Obermaier, and Josef Bayer?
Venus of Willendorf
What is the name of the Royal Caribbean ship that will be the world’s largest cruise ship when it enters service in 2024?
Icon of the Seas
Which African country achieved its independence from both France and Spain in 1956?
Morocco
Which British motorway that connects Birmingham with Exeter was officially opened by the then Prime Minister, James Callaghan, in May 1977?
M5
Which messaging and media app was developed and founded by former Yahoo employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009?
What popular cocktail consists of whisky, sweet vermouth and bitters and is traditionally garnished with a maraschino cherry?
Manhattan
In ballet, what word describes a vertical jump during which the dancer repeatedly crosses their feet and beats them together?
Entrechat
The Brabham Straight, Paddock Hill Bend and Dingle Dell are sections of which historic motor racing circuit?
Brands Hatch
Sharing its name with the title of a 1996 UK top ten hit single for Jamiroquai, what was the name of Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 aircraft that failed in its attempt to launch a rocket into space in January 2023?
Cosmic Girl
Best known for his 1866 opera “The Bartered Bride”?
Bedrich Smetana
Cultivated in the valley areas surrounding the Mosel river, what brand of German white wine was first launched by the company H.Sichel Sohne in 1923?
Blue Nun
Which Canadian province narrowly voted against becoming an independent country in a referendum that was held in October 1995?
Quebec
Steffi Graf announced her immediate retirement from tennis after which American player defeated her in the final of the women’s singles at Wimbledon in July 1999?
Lindsey Davenport
In which borough of South London was the 140-year old Reeves Furniture Store destroyed by fire in an arson attack during the riots of August 2011?
Croydon
How is the number 45 written in Roman Numerals?
XLV
In March 2019, 1086 millimetres (42.8 inches) of rain fell in a 48-hour period over a nine-kilometre stretch of the Cropp river in which Commonwealth country?
New Zealand
Which US actor played the part of the struggling stand-up comedian Rupert Pupkin in the 1983 film “The King of Comedy”?
Robert De Niro
In cell biology what term describes all material within a eukaryotic cell, except for the nucleus?
Cytoplasm
Created by Microsoft program manager Daniel Oran, the Start Menu has been part of Microsoft Windows since the launch of which operating system?
Windows 95
Demolished in 1660, which palace was the birthplace of Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I?
Palace of Placentia (Greenwich Palace)
In math, what term refers to an expression consisting of variables and coefficients that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and positive-integer powers of variables?
Polynomial
Founded in 1987, Mastretta is an automobile manufacturer based in which country?
Mexico
From the Italian for “cheek”, what do you call the cured meat prepared from pork jowl or cheeks?
Guanciale
Which EU country passed legislation in December 2023 outlawing the burning of holy texts including the Quran following a series of protests that involved burnings and desecrations of Islam’s holy book?
Denmark
The first team to reach the milestone of 10,000 goals in the history of football, which Brazilian football club has been relegated for the first time in their 111-year history after they were defeated by Fortaleza in December 2023?
Santos
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1972) is set in 19th century New South Wales and tells the ultimately tragic story of an Aboriginal man caught between his family and culture and white settler colonialism. It was written by which Booker Prize-winning Australian writer?
Thomas Kennealy
Which singer sued IT company HP in 2013 for using his name without permission on a software app that purported to measure the size of a man’s penis based on his shoe size?
Chubby Checker
What is the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year?
Peach Fuzz
Blink is the name given to a fan of which South Korean girl group?
Blackpink
Punta La Marmora is the highest peak on which island in the Mediterranean Sea?
Sardinia
The Department of Justice has indicted what man on nine tax-related charges in Dec 2023, including his failure to pay $1.4 million between 2016 and 2019?
Hunter Biden
Review: With nearly 1 million residents, Kutupalong is the world’s largest refugee camp. The refugees of Kutupalong in south-eastern Bangladesh are of what ethnic minority?
Rohingya
Follow-up: The presidents of Guyana and Venezuela met last Thursday after increasing tensions over a border dispute. What Guyanese territory is the source of conflict? December 2023
The ESSEQUIBO TERRITORY
The breakout creator of 2023 was what couple, whose channel is named for a color and a clothing item they always wear?
PINK SHIRT COUPLE
The top song on YouTube in 2023 was “Favorite Song,” by what North Carolina rapper and singer?
TOOSII
What song sung by Jack Black, and part of an animated video game movie, was another one of the top songs of the year on YouTube?
PEACHES
What queer novel won the 2023 National Book Award in USA? follows a dying queer man, Juan Gay, who recounts LGBTQ history to a young friend. Part of their discussion involves “Sex Variants: A Study of Homosexual Patterns”, published in the 1940s.
Justin Torres’s BLACKOUTS
The 2022 National Book Award winner by Tess Gunty
Rabbit Hutch
At the 2023 Game Awards, what Dungeons and Dragons epic won Game of the Year?
Baldur’s Gate 3
What rookie quarterback for the Houston Texans has had a stand-out debut season, smashing rookie records 2023?
C.J. STROUD
The Extremely Large Telescope, the biggest optical telescope ever built, will be located atop Cerro Armazones, in what South American country?
Chile
Which British Olympic gold medallist is currently Director of Elite Performance at Premiership football club Brentford?
Ben Ryan (coach of the Fiji 7s team in 2016)
In Formula 1, which car is driven by Bernd Maylander, who has led over 1,300 laps in 212 Grands Prix?
Safety Car
According to an interview with Smash Hits magazine during her premiership (which cynics said showed her commitment to free market economics), Margaret Thatcher’s favourite song was which 1953 recording which made Lita Roza the first Liverpudlian and the first British woman to have a number 1 single?
How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?
Which informal name for the last Sunday before Advent is taken from the opening words of the collect for the day in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer “Excita, quæsumus, Domine”?
Stir Up Sunday
Which former professional cricketer, now a Peer of the Realm, claimed that his Twitter account had been hacked in 2014 when a picture of a naked male appeared on his Twitter feed, causing the hashtag #middlestump to begin trending?
Baron Botham of Ravensworth
Clarence Threepwood, 9th Earl Emsworth, commonly known as Lord Emsworth, is a recurring fictional character in the Blandings Castle series of stories by which British comic writer?
PG Wodehouse
Which charity whose mission is to offer “high quality cricket programmes that will empower young people facing inequality to make positive choices” will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025?
The Lord’s Taverners
I met Nicholas yesterday, who told me that he will be N years old in the year which happens to be equal to N squared. In which year was Nicholas born?
He was born in 1980 and will be 45 in 2025 (the only year between now and 2116 which is a square number)
What is the short title of the 2006 film, subject of numerous lawsuits after its release, which has the longest full title of any film ever nominated for an Oscar?
Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The strait considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans which is 350 miles long and 1.2 miles wide at its narrowest point is named after which explorer who was the first European to discover it in 1519?
Magellan
Which company, founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop, introduced the first car CD player in 1984 and, appropriately, the world’s first CD-based GPS automotive navigation system in 1990?
Pioneer
Which British band’s breakthrough album called Selling England By The Pound got to number 3 in 1973, followed by their first number 1 album Duke in 1980?
Genesis
Which world capital city was badly damaged by an earthquake in 2010 and is the only capital whose name contains the five vowels once each?
Port-au-Prince
Ragtime composer and pianist Scott Joplin, who died in 1917, was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer prize in 1976 following the release of which Best Picture-winning film?
The Sting
Which animal completes this trilogy of items not to be seen out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window: Sydney Opera House, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon …
Wildebeest: herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain
Which book by Jack London features Buck, a St. Bernard–Scotch Shepherd mix who is stolen and sold as a sled dog during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush? It has been made into films several times, most recently in 2020 starring Harrison Ford.
The Call of the Wild
What was the name of the dog which features in Kent LaVoie’s debut single performed under his stage name Lobo (Spanish for wolf, by the way), which got to number 4 in the UK in 1971 and tells the story of a boy and girl “travelling and living off the land”?
Boo, as in “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo”
What is the name of the Scottish Terrier who hails from Donaldson’s Dairy in Lynley Dodd’s 1983 book?
Hairy Maclary
In which city, which will host the 2032 Summer Olympics, is Bluey, an anthropomorphic cartoon six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy, based?
Brisbane
What type of dog is Mrs Shears’ Wellington, the title character of Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?
Poodle
What is the lowest score that cannot be scored on a standard dartboard with 3 darts?
163
What connects the adjectives lunatic, jovial, martial, mundane, and venereal?
Related to heavenly bodies
The B side of Philadelphia Freedom was a live recording of “I Saw Her Standing There” at Madison Square Garden on 28 November 1974, which included a guest appearance by which singer in his last concert appearance?
John Lennon
The name of what item of clothing provided Taylor Swift with a US number one in 2020? In the UK this item of clothing may be most associated with Val Doonican
Cardigan
The country artist Morgan Wallen scored a US number one in 2023 with the song “Last Night”. This was the first country song by a solo male to top the US Hot 100 since which man topped the charts with “I love a rainy night” in 1980?
Eddie Rabbitt
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1908, a star of the Golden Era of Hollywood, who was the first thespian to accrue ten Oscar nominations?
Bette Davis
Born Elda Furry, which American gossip columnist wrote of the movie “In the forest”: “If Bette had deliberately set out to wreck her career, she could not have picked a more appropriate vehicle.”? This acid-penned woman had a long running feud with fellow gossip columnist Louella Parsons.
Hedda HOPPER
The name of what animals fills the blank in the 1987 movie “The BLANK of August”, which was one of the last movies for both Bette Davis and Lilian Gish?
WHALES
Harmon Nelson divorced Bette Davis in 1938 after discovering that she had been having an affair with what man? Supposedly, in his later years this man ordered for a cheeseburger to be placed in a certain tree every day, just in case he happened to be climbing the tree and be peckish
Howard Hughes
William Wyler directed Davis for the third time in The Little Foxes (1941), but they clashed over the character of Regina Giddens, a role originally played on Broadway by which woman? This American actress (1902 to 1968) shares her first name with Jodie Foster’s character in Bugsy Malone,
Tallulah Bankhead
The castle at which town standing on the River Clyde lays claim to having the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland? David Byrne of the Talking Heads and the F1 driver Jackie Stewart were both born here
Dumbarton Castle
A national monument and landmark in Transylvania, what is the four letter name of the fortress in Romania sometimes referred to as Dracula’s castle?
Bran Castle
The Krak des Chevaliers, Margat, Rhodes, and Valetta are among the castles and cities built or refortified by what group? They were one of the smallest groups to have colonized parts of the Americas, briefly acquiring four Caribbean islands in the mid-17th century, which they turned over to France in the 1660s.
KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER
medieval castle in Syria, site was first inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops garrisoned there by the Mirdasids. In 1142 it was given by Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, to the order of the Knights Hospitaller.
Krak des Chevaliers
Minnie Meagles and Tattycoram are characters in which Charles Dickens novel? Imprisonment – both literal and figurative – is a major theme of the book.
Little Dorritt
Signal de Botrange is the highest point in which country? At the top of the hill sits a 6m “stairway to nowhere”, just so people can observe the surrounding area from exactly 700m
Belgium
Named after Juliana of the Netherlands, Juliana Top is the highest mountain in which country? The Amerindian name of the mountain is Ipinumin.
Suriname
Which Portuguese man is currently serving as the non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International after previously being the 11th president of the European Commission and the prime minister of Portugal?
Jose Manuel BARROSO
First name Salvador, which Portuguese singer holds the Eurovision record for the highest-scoring winner, having earned a total of 758 points under the current voting system, after winning both the jury vote and televote in 2017?
Sobral
Elisabeth Domitien was the first woman to serve as prime minister of a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. What country did she lead between 1975 and 1976? After gaining independence from France in 1960, this country was ruled by a series of autocratic leaders, including an abortive attempt at a monarchy
Central African Republic
Which New Zealand politician was ranked by Forbes as the 20th-most powerful woman in the world in 2006? As PM of New Zealand she sent troops to help end the crisis in East Timor
Helen Clark
Also the name of an animal, what is the surname of Laura, the first female President of Costa Rica? The Costa Rican female footballer Priscilla also has this surname
Chinchilla
Which British city played host to the World Scrabble championship when David Eldar took the crown in 2017? Perhaps he celebrated with a pint at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
Nottingham
Which Brazilian city was host to the Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship in 2014? This place was the first planned modern city in Brazil and was constructed to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais.
Belo Horizonte
St Petersburg played host to the final of 2017’s Confederation Cup. On what river does the city of St Petersburg stand? This is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga.
Neva
The Halkapinar Sports Hall in which Turkish city played host to group stage games at the 2010 Basketball World championships? This city, which was known as Smyrna until around 1930, is the largest urban agglomeration on the Aegean sea.
Izmir
In 1946 what did the Northern Irishman James Martin invent after being inspired by the death of his friend and test pilot Captain Valentine Baker in an aeroplane crash?
Ejector Seat
What was the first name of Jessica Hynes’ next door neighbour character in “The Royle Family”? This is also the first name of the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
CHERYL
In the TV series “Murder She Wrote”, what was the first name of Jessica Fletcher’s nephew? This was also the name of the Overlook Hotel Butler in The Shining who was said to have killed his family, and the surname of Chris Pratt’s character in various Jurassic Park films
Grady
The awarding winning director Jessica Yu was at the helm of one episode of the excellent Fosse/Verdon mini series. Name either person who played one of the title characters in that show
Michelle WILLIAMS or Sam ROCKWELL
Which DJ wrote the autobiography Still Whispering After All These Years?
Bob Harris
Of the seven cities in Wales, which comes last alphabetically?
Wrexham
Founded by Emily Williamson in 1899, The Plumage League was one of the forerunners of
which present-day charity?
RSPB/Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds
At the 2023 Ryder Cup, what nickname was given to the playing partnership of Rory McIlroy
and Tommy Fleetwood?
Fleetwood Mac
“Is she really going out with him?//Well, there she is, let’s ask her//Betty, is that Jimmy’s ring
you’re wearing?” (1964)
Leader of the Pack
(The Shangri-Las)
Which Canadian professional snooker player was known as ‘The Man in the White Suit’?
Kirk Stevens
Which National Hunt jockey rode 4,358 winners and was champion jockey in every one of the
20 years that he was a professional?
Tony (or A.P.) McCoy
A former world-number-one-ranked golfer, who is the only Australian to have won the US
Masters championship?
Adam Scott
What name is given to a walled outwork or tower designed to protect the gate or drawbridge of a castle?
Barbican
Known as ‘The Father of Railways’, which famous engineer is buried at Holy Trinity Church,
Chesterfield?
George Stephenson
New York borough of Queens is named after which Queen?
Catherine of Braganza
Which is the only borough of Greater London that spans both shores of the river Thames?
Richmond
Once deemed a ‘rotten borough’, which Wiltshire market town was granted ‘Royal’ status in
2011 in recognition of its role in military funeral repatriations?
Wootton Bassett
Whose missing: John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page ?
Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
Whose missing: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding ?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
During a TV appearance on Happening for Lulu in 1969, the Jimi Hendrix Experience broke off
from Hey, Joe to play an impromptu tribute to which group that had recently split up?
Cream
Which senior Conservative politician has been nicknamed ‘Jimmy Dimly’ by The Guardian’s
parliamentary sketch writer, John Crace?
James Cleverly
What is the least populous country to have hosted the Summer Olympics?
Finland
The name of which musical instrument is derived from the French for ‘high wood’?
Oboe
Which country’s national cricket team is nicknamed ‘The Tigers’?
Bangladesh
Which artist born in Long Eaton in 1877 is noted for her many paintings of theatre and ballet
scenes, and for her work as a war artist?
Laura Knight
Born in Arnold in 1802, which Romantic landscape painter, noted for his coastal scenes, moved to France at the age of 14, before dying at the age of 25?
Richard Parkes Bonington
Situated at 38 degrees North, 77 degrees West, which capital city’s street layout is based on
plans created by the French-born architect Pierre Charles l’Enfant?
Washington DC
Situated at 59 degrees North, 10 degrees East, which capital city’s coat of arms features a
representation of a saint with a naked woman at his feet?
Oslo
A colourless gaseous hydrocarbon of formula C3H8, often used as a fuel.
Propane
Which actress delivered the immortal lines, ‘All men are fools! And what makes them fools is
beauty like what I have got’?
Glenda Jackson (Morecambe and
Wise Show)
Which girl’s name can also mean …. … to go out in an energetic manner, the woollen grip at the end of a bell rope, or a jocular
retort?
Sally
Which girl’s name can also mean …. … a short prayer, elegance of movement, or a granting of a favour?
Grace
Which girl’s name can also mean …. … a type of compression fitting used in plumbing, an evergreen tree of the Mediterranean
region, or an immature adult mayfly?
Olive
Walkers completing Alfred Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Walk routinely deposit which item
on the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay?
Pebble (carried from St Bees)
The young Peter Kay once packed toilet rolls in a factory owned by which former Derby
County and England footballer?
Francis (Frannie ) Lee
What name is shared by a coastal suburb of Edinburgh and a London thoroughfare famous
for its weekly market?
Portobello
Who made his writing debut with the semi-autobiographical 2nd World War novel The Naked and the Dead?
Norman Mailer
Which comedian’s act consisted mainly of anecdotes about a cast of imaginary friends that
included Everard, Slack Alice, Apricot Lil, and Pop-It-In Pete?
Larry Grayson
Which record producer founded Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where he oversaw early
recordings by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, among others?
Sam Phillips
Which Welsh singer represented the UK in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving second
place with Knock, Knock Who’s There?
Mary Hopkin
Which English golfer holds the record for the most appearances in major championships
without achieving a single victory?
Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood and which fellow countryman share the distinction of reaching the number one world ranking despite never winning a major?
Luke Donald
During the 1969 F1 Canadian Grand Prix, ‘Al’ Pease became the first and, so far, only driver to
be black-flagged and disqualified for what reason?
Driving Too Slow
The seaside resorts of Margate and Broadstairs stand on which peninsula in eastern Kent?
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Axholme is a region in which ceremonial English county?
Lincolnshire
Which peninsula in Ross and Cromarty is bounded to the north by the Moray Firth and to the south by the Cromarty Firth?
The Black Isle
Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest spire of any English cathedral; which cathedral has the
second-tallest, at 315 ft?
Norwich Cathedral
Whose grave in Peterborough Cathedral do visitors decorate with flowers and pomegranates?
Catherine of Aragon
The “six o’clock swill” was a phenomenon formerly associate with the abbreviated bar opening hours of which country?
Australia
Recently promoted to EFL League Two, which team claims to be the third-oldest professional
football club in the world?
Wrexham
Which large inlet of the Irish Sea extends from Bardsey Island in Gwynedd to Strumble Head
in Pembrokeshire?
Cardigan Bay
William Renshaw won six consecutive Wimbledon Men’s Singles titles in the 1880s; he
ascribed his failure to win a seventh to which previously unreported injury?
Tennis Elbow
Which gelatinous heavy-duty hand cleaner was invented in 1947 by Heanor-born industrial
chemist Audley Bower Williamson?
Swarfega
The plot of The Big Lebowski is loosely based on which classic crime novel?
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
Who was the driver of Thrust2, which set a new land-speed record on the 4th of October,
1983?
Richard Noble
Which two-word Latin name is given to a writ ordering that a person be brought before a court or judge, especially to ascertain whether or not a prisoner is lawfully detained?
Habeas Corpus
A solitary figure atop a telegraph pole in rural west Oklahoma provided the inspiration for
which song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by Glen Campbell?
Wichita Lineman
The chorus of which 1970s hit for 10 cc was inspired by a Jamaican who, when asked whether he liked cricket, replied, ‘No, I love it’?
Dreadlock Holiday
Which internationally renowned Swiss company was founded in London in 1905 as Wilsdorf
and Davis, taking its present name in 1915?
Rolex
Which sports–fashion retailer was founded by John Wardle and David Makin in Bury, Greater
Manchester, in 1983?
JD Sports
Which League One club plays its home matches at the (rather unfortunately named)
Toughsheet Community Stadium in Horwich, Greater Manchester?
Bolton Wanderers
Which tactical system with a strong emphasis on defence is named from the Italian for ‘doorbolt’?
Catenaccio
Which fictional West Midlands village provided the original setting for Crossroads?
King’s Oak
Which daily soap opera set in a fictional Hampstead cul-de-sac was broadcast on Radio 2 from 1969 to 1980?
Waggoner’s Walk
The actors who played Sheila and Bobby Grant in Brookside went on to play another married
couple in which comedy series?
The Royle Family
What is the base ingredient of the Provençal dish tapenade?
Olives
Kevin Curran, the father of England cricketers Sam and Tom Curran, represented which country at the 1983 Cricket World Cup?
Zimbabwe
Fe’ao Moe Lotu Vunipola, the father of the England rugby union players Billy and Mako,
represented which country at the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups?
Tonga
Which company was formed in 1925 by a professor of entomology at Imperial College, who developed an insecticide to deal with an infestation by death-watch beetle?
Rentokil
Which 105.6 carats diamond is part of the Crown Jewels and is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother?
Koh-i-Noor
Strong Fauna play in OQL, Fauna covers all animals but what 6 letters precede fauna to describe cave dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings such as the cave beetle or the cave snail?
Troglo
In 2015 which jockey was eligible to ride Many Clouds and rode him to victory in the Grand National?
Leighton Aspell
The west’s awake and no more so than in which US city which is the most Westerly in the US to have a population of over 1,000,000 people? Don’t go wrong and lose your way!
San Jose
The Coffee Cream was a chocolate that used to appear in tins of what traditional Christmas
chocolates?
Cadbury Roses
In the Star Wars movies, who is the administrator of Cloud City on the gas planet Bespin? First or last name acceptable
Lando Calrissian
If you’ve travelled 24 minutes and have arrived in Tulse Hill you will have arrived in which London Borough?
Lambeth
In the Mr Men and Little Miss books what colour is Little Miss Scatterbrain?
Red
The Red Army Faction was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and is also known by what name made from the names of two of its original leaders? Don’t worry if you get this wrong, we’re sure you’ll come across it again soon.
Baader-Meinhof Group
What two word term is given to the area of Scotland with the highest population density? Both Glasgow and Edinburgh are located within this area, usually considered as the “triangle” defined by the M8, M80 and M9 motorways.
Central Belt
Beginning with the letter O, what 8 letter word might be used in horse racing to refer to a horse who is not expected to win the race?
Outsider
Miners 5 play in OQL and there was a miner’s strike led by Arthur Scargill that lasted from 1984-5. But in January and February of what year was the previous miner’s strike which resulted in a pay increase and the creation of Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms?
1972
The video for what single by Queen sees the band dressed up as women doing the housework?
I Want To Break Free
Launched in 1962 what satellite was the first to allow live broadcast of television between the US and Europe?
Telstar
Which JMW Turner painting is housed in the Tate and is thought to depict the demise of the Earl of
Abergavenny?
The Shipwreck
While we do not know if it is compulsory to eat shrimp when seated in one, the Mantis is a sports car produced by which British Car Company?
Marcos
Which character from Greek mythology appears in and forms the title of paintings by Thomas Hart Benson and Dante Rosetti?
Persephone
In the 1982 Blade Runner film, which company created the synthetic humans known as replicants?
Tyrell Corporation
What range of hills, a chalk escarpment, stretch 45 miles across four English counties and run from Goring on Thames in the Southwest to Hitchin in the Northeast?
Chiltern Hills
The Miners strikes are detailed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica which was first published in which decade?
1760s
Our second dip into children’s books, in the Mr Men and Little Miss books what colour is Little Miss Lucky?
Pink
There’s a huge Elephant in the room in The Simpsons when Bart wins an actual elephant in a radio contest. What
appropriate name does he give to this elephant?
Stampy
If we assumed the Kentish Men live in Kentish Town and not actually in Kent, in which London Borough would they reside?
Camden
In 1981 Peugeot began producing what car model under the Talbot marque which was marketed as a rival to the Ford Granada?
Tagora
In 2014 Ricky Gervais went on tour with which band which was also the fictional band fronted by David Brent in both The Office and Life on the Road?
Foregone Conclusion
When Rule the World won the 2016 Grand National we were wondering worldwide who the jockey was, can you remember who rode Rule the World to success in the 2016 Grand National?
David Mullins
We’re all on Team North East and therefore we would enjoy which US State, the most North Easterly of the contiguous states?
Maine
More Fauna because their name is so strong! What four letters precede Fauna to describe animals that live in the soil such as nematodes and mites?
Meso
In both computer programming and internet shorthand, for what do the letters WYSIWYG stand?
What You See is What You Get
Which popular board game, first released in 1981 was created by Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott?
Trivial Pursuit
Who was a temporary stand-in as England men’s national football team following Glenn Hoddle’s sacking and prior to Kevin Keegan’s appointment?
Howard Wilkinson
What is the name of the highest rank in standard biological taxonomy? All cellular life is divided into three groups of this rank.
Domain
Dubbed ‘the Mother of Family Therapy’ and known for her ‘Process of Change’ model, which American psychotherapist wrote the books Conjoint Family Therapy and Peoplemaking, and is also known for her poem ‘I am Me’?
Virginia Satir
The title of East 17’s debut UK top ten hit shares its name with which British band fronted by Guy Chadwick, whose biggest hit was ‘Shine On’ in 1990?
House of Love
Considered as a form of bevel, what architectural term is given to a cutaway between two faces of an object, often at a 45
degree angle? The feature can be seen on the base of the Taj Mahal and on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.
Chamfer
Political commentator Ash Sarkar is a contributing editor to which left-wing media organisation? Known for
advocating “fully-automated luxury communism”, this website is named after the Italian town that was the setting of the
film The Working Class Goes to Heaven.
Novara Media
Beerenberg is a volcano on which island in the Arctic Ocean? Norway administers this island that lies between Iceland and Svalbard to the east of Greenland.
Jan Mayen
Later to appear in the classic film Casablanca, which actor starred as the murderous Cesare in the 1920 silent horror film The
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?
Conrad Veidt
The current world record transfer for a women’s football player was set in 2022, when which English midfielder transferred from Manchester City to Barcelona for £400,000?
Keira Walsh
Which city in West Bengal gives its name to a battle of 1757 in which Robert Clive led the East India Company to victory against the Nawab of Bengal, marking the beginning of Company rule in India?
Plassey
Unnatural Death is the 23rd novel featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta by which American crime writer?
Patricia Cornwell
Which 1995 top ten hit for East 17 shares its one-word title with the name of a British band fronted by Danny Bowes, whose hits in the early 1990s included ‘Love Walked In’ and ‘A Better Man’?
Thunder
Which Dubai-based beauty influencer achieved success when her line of false eyelashes were worn by Kim Kardashian in 2013,
and has previously been the highest-paid influencer on Instagram? You may answer with her first name, which precedes “Beauty” in
the name of her cosmetics company, or her surname.
HUDA KATTAN
Members of which biological domain have cells with membrane-bound nuclei? This domain includes animals, plants and fungi.
EUKARYOTEs
Virginia Satir’s work was a major influence in the creation of which pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder?
NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING (or
NLP)
vThe song ‘No Matter What’ comes from which 1989 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards?
Whistle Down the Wind
Keira Walsh’s transfer broke the women’s world record of £250,000 set in 2020, when Chelsea bought which Danish midfielder from VfL Wolfsburg?
Pernille HARDER
Which city north of Delhi was the site of three major battles that took place in 1526, 1556 and 1721? The first of these led to the
establishment of the Mughal Empire and the fall of the Delhi Sultanate.
Panipat
What is the name of the German actor who played Count Orlok in the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu?
Max Schreck
“Y” Is for Yesterday is the 25th and final novel by Sue Grafton featuring which private detective?
Kinsey Millhone
Annexed in 1928, which overseas dependency of Norway in the south Atlantic ocean, an uninhabited nature reserve, lies 1700
kilometres north of the Princess Astrid Coast of Queen Maud Land? It is named after a French explorer.
Bouvet Island
How many points are scored for a try in a game of rugby league? This number is one fewer than a try is worth in rugby union.
Four
What term in architecture is given to objects or elements that consist of a double curve, sometimes described as serpentine or
sigmoid in shape? They are commonly seen in arches where two of these structures meet at an apex.
Ogee
Which artist from Siena is credited with developing the styles prevalent in the Trecento, or 14th century, and is known for his panel
painting the Rucellai Madonna?
Duccio
Which artist of the Trecento is known for his more naturalistic style evident in his panel painting Santa Trinita Maestà? He also
produced a Mosaic of St. John the Baptist for Pisa cathedral and, according to Vasari, was the teacher of Giotto.
CIMABUE
Having been introduced as far back as 1904, what is still the longest distance raced in the swimming pool at the Summer
Olympics? This distance was added to the women’s programme in 2020 with 800 metres being added to the men’s.
1500m
Netflix has finally opened the Mothergate. After years of secrecy, the streamer has unveiled its data. What 2023 thriller was the most-watched show on the platform, globally?
THE NIGHT AGENT
Who played title character in Netflix hit THE NIGHT AGENT?
Gabriel Basso
What Paramount+ show, set in the “Yellowstone” universe, has been nominated for Best Drama Television Series and Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series?
1923
What Paramount+ show was the first Yellowstone spin-off set in the 19th century?
1883
What is the surname of the Montana based family in Yellowstone tv show?
Dutton
What is the title of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, referencing a 1937 novel of the same name by Genzaburō Yoshino?
THE BOY AND THE HERON
Which member of BTS released solo single “Seven” featuring Latto in 2023?
Jung Kook
Netflix TV show started in 2021 starring Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey in title roles?
Ginny & Georgia
Obsessed gamer Arisu suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive. NETFLIX TV SHOW?
Alice in Borderland
Colombian thriller drama, Valeria, Simón’s wife, is murdered by a crime syndicate in order to remove her intact and compatible heart and transplant it into another person. This person is Camila, the wife of a wealthy man, who remains unclear about the true origin of her new heart. Streaming on Netflix.
The Marked Heart
American action-adventure mystery teen drama premiered in 2020, series set in namesake North Carolina community and follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in search of a lost treasure.
Outer Banks
American author of young adult fiction and children’s fiction. She is best known for writing the To All the Boys series and The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, which were adapted into a film series and TV series, respectively. Also XO, Kitty Netflix tv show.
Jenny Han
It is a spin-off of the To All the Boys film series (itself an adaptation of Han’s book trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), and marks the first Netflix television series to be spun-off from a Netflix original film. Stars Anna Cathcart as title character.
XO, Kitty
2023 American action thriller film directed by Sam Hargrave based on the graphic novel Ciudad. In the film, Tyler Rake is initially hired to rescue the family of an abusive crime lord from a prison in Georgia.
Extraction 2
The series centers on Kate Wyler, the new United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, as she helps defuse an international crisis, forges strategic alliances and adjusts to her new place in the spotlight. She also manages her deteriorating marriage to fellow career diplomat Hal Wyler. Keri Russell title character and Rufus Sewell as husband.
The Diplomat
South Korean TV show A former victim of school violence plans and seeks revenge on her bullies after taking up a job as a homeroom teacher at the elementary school of the bully leader’s child (ye-sol).
The Glory
Netflix streaming Colombian drama streaming television series created by Pablo Illanes. follows Camilla after “meeting her Prince Charming through a dating app. After an idyllic romance, she plans to surprise him — only to end up trapped in a false paradise.”
Fake Profile
American action-comedy television series created by Nick Santora for Netflix. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role in a scripted live-action television series and Monica Barbaro as his on-screen daughter.
FUBAR
Spanish comedy television series created by brother-and-sister team Alberto and Laura Caballero, for Netflix. The series follows four men in their forties who begin to notice their male privilege disappearing with social change and the empowerment of women, and they are forced to adapt, each in their own way.
Alpha Males
The eight-part series, unique for its shuffled order, centers on master thief Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) and his crew attempting an epic heist worth $7 billion, but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans.
Kaleidoscope
Which British fashion model, who has a Ghanaian father and an English aristocrat mother, founded the organisation
Gurls Talk, which provides mental health resources for young women?
Adwoah ABOAH
Which German army officer was executed by firing squad after a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at Wolf’s Lair on 20th July 1944?
Claus von STAUFFENBERG
The American electronic producer and DJ Christopher Comstock is better known by what stage name? He has featured on songs such as ‘Wolves’ with Selena Gomez and ‘Happier’ with Bastille
Marshmello
Famous for the shops built along it and by far the city’s best-known bridge, which is the oldest bridge to cross the Arno in Florence?
Ponte Vecchio
Which American tennis player won the women’s singles title at the 1979 US Open at the age of just 16? She won the title again in 1981, but only sporadically played after the age of 22 due to injury. More recently she has worked as a pundit for the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage.
Tracy Austin
In 2005, Durham University named a college after which Victorian feminist and social reformer who campaigned for greater access of women to jobs and higher education? She worked with W. T. Stead against child trafficking, and she led the campaign for the repeal of the Contagious Disease Acts, which allowed for the forced examination of alleged prostitutes.
Josephine Butler
Mainly found in the Andean forests of South America, which tree is the natural source of quinine? They are sometimes
known as ‘fever trees’ due to quinine’s antimalarial properties.
Cinchona
Which American photographer worked with Man Ray for three years, travelling to Paris in 1929 to become his apprentice? In later years, she became better known as a war photographer and was famously pictured by a colleague in the
bathtub of Adolf Hitler’s Munich apartment.
Lee MILLER (accept Elizabeth
PENROSE)
In the 2023 John Lewis Christmas advert a young boy plants what he believes to be the perfect Christmas tree but it ends
up growing into a giant example of what plant?
Venus Fly Trap
Featured on the soundtrack of the 2009 film 500 Days of Summer, ‘Sweet Disposition’ was a 2008 song by which Australian indie rock band?
TEMPER TRAP
After over a decade of success with Chelsea, Emma Hayes recently accepted a job to coach which national football team?
In the role she will guide the careers of players such as Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Lindsey Horan.
USA
Simple Comforts and Fantastic Feasts are cookery series hosted by which TV cook, one of the original judges on The Great
British Bake Off before her departure in 2016?
Mary Berry
What is the name of the steel arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge that connects the US and Canadian Niagara Falls?
Rainbow Bridge
