Next 31 Flashcards
The British Museum is Falling Down is a comic novel by which British author about a 25-year-old poverty-stricken student of English literature who, rather than work on his thesis in the reading room of the British Museum, is distracted time and again from his work and who gets into trouble instead.
David Lodge
The Poorhouse Fair (1959) was the first novel by which American author?
John Updike
Which British space scientist has been a co-presenter on The Sky at Night since
2013? She became the show’s second female presenter after Lucie Green, and
has also presented children’s science programmes, such as Stargazing on CBeebies.
Maggie ADERIN-POCOCK
Also known as a ferry bridge, what type of movable bridge uses a gondola attached to wires or a frame to carry a small segment of roadway across the
span? The only two bridges of this type in the UK are in Newport and Middlesbrough.
Transporter Bridge
What type of movable bridge is characterised by a central span that rotates horizontally on a pivot near its centre? Examples include Glasgow’s Bell’s Bridge and several bridges over the Manchester Ship Canal, including the world’s only
aqueduct version at Barton.
SWING bridge
Ernest Rutherford had studied at Cambridge under which physicist and Nobel laureate, who discovered the electron, and posited the plum pudding model of the atom that was overturned by Rutherford?
JJ Thomson
The only ground apart from Old Trafford to see two total abandonments, including the most recent in 1998, is the Carisbrook ground in which New Zealand city? It is the southernmost test ground in the world, and Super Rugby’s Highlanders also play in this city.
Dunedin
One might use several urban lifts including the iconic Santa Justa lift to climb from the Baixa [BYE-shuh] de Pombalina neighbourhood to the higher Carmo Square in which European capital city?
Lisbon
Traditionally believed to have lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, there is little
evidence of whether he really existed. Which ancient Chinese philosopher is
traditionally considered the author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of Taoism?
Lao Tzu (accept
Laozi)
One might use one of numerous funicular railway systems, seven of which are
presently open, to climb the steep slopes in which Chilean city? It names the large conurbation it forms with Viña del Mar and three other cities
Valparaiso
Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door plays during the death scene of Slim
Pickens’ Sheriff Cullen Baker after he is shot by one of the title characters, played
by Kris Kristofferson, in which Sam Peckinpah film? Dylan had an acting role as Alias
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
James Coburn was Pat Garrett
Kris Kristofferson was Billy the Kid
In 1990, the second test between England and the West Indies was abandoned after sustained torrential rain fell at the Bourda Oval in which nation, the home of players like Colin Croft and Carl Hooper? In 1981, this ground also saw the first cancellation of a test for political reasons, when the government objected to the presence of England’s Robin Jackman.
Guyana
Which master sergeant in the Liberian armed forces seized power in a violent 1980 coup, formally becoming president in 1986 after a fraudulent election? He was overthrown by former ally, Charles Taylor, in the First Liberian Civil War.
Samuel Doe
Which British anthropologist, who was president of Humanists UK from 2019-22, has presented TV documentaries, including the BBC’s Coast and Digging for Britain, and two recent series on Channel 4 eponymously called: Ancient Egypt
by Train … and Fortress Britain with <blank>?</blank>
Alice ROBERTS
Which Jamaican reggae singer had a 1994 number three hit with You Don’t Love
Me (No, No, No)? This was the only UK hit for this singer who had returned to
music after a 20-year hiatus in 1992.
Dawn PENN
Which German-born physicist wrote a thesis on J.J. Thomson’s model of the atom after studying with him at the Cavendish Laboratory? This man developed the matrix mechanics formulation of quantum mechanics with his student, Werner
Heisenberg, and was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Max Born
Rewarded with the title Duke of Albemarle, which English general played a key
role in securing the Restoration of Charles II by leading his army from Scotland to
London? His regiment was immediately reinstated when the New Model Army was disbanded, and subsequently renamed the Coldstream Guards.
George Monck
What type of movable bridge is characterised by a single rigid structure that rotates up and down around two fixed endpoints in a direction parallel to the waterway? The Gateshead Millennium Bridge was the world’s first to be built.
Tilt bridge
Although he is believed to have lived in the 9th century BC, his existence has been disputed. Which legendary lawgiver of Sparta is credited with establishing the military-oriented reform of Spartan society?
Lycurgus
Shoemaking in the City of London traditionally centred on which ward located
south of Cheapside and north of Cannon Street? It contained, and shared a name with, a livery hall for craftsmen who made shoes from new leather.
Cordwainer
Which British science and wildlife presenter presented an eponymous BBC show
about <Her> Coastal Britain in 2021? Formerly on Springwatch and Autumnwatch, she has been a presenter of Animal Park since 2000.</Her>
Kate Humble
Which Russian author wrote the autobiographical trilogy My Childhood, In The World and My Universities? His other works include short stories like Twenty-six Men and a Girl, the novel Mother, and plays such as The Lower Depths.
Maxim Gorky
The term ‘security blanket’ was widely popularised in which comic strip?
Peanuts
Native to Southeast Asia, which carnivoran is the largest member of the Viverrid
or civet family? This only species in the genus Arctictis is sometimes known as the bearcat.
Binturong
Observed during Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, which major
Jewish holiday begins with a ritual feast known as the Seder? The festival celebrates the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt.
passover / pesach
Also known as the Day of Atonement, what is the holiest day in Judaism? It takes
place on the 10th day of the month of Tishrei, with observants fasting and confessing their sins.
Yom Kippur
The performance art of Gombey, which involves drumming, dancing and colourful costumes that often feature towering headdresses, is associated with which island in the North Atlantic?
Bermuda
Despite failing to be shortlisted as a candidate city for 2016 and 2020 Olympic and Paralympic hosting duties, what Middle Eastern city’s Khalifa International Stadium has staged the Asian Games, the Pan Arab Games and several major football tournaments since the 1990s?
Doha
Nicholas Trist was the US negotiator who secured considerable land gains at the
end of the Mexican-American War. These gains were enshrined in what treaty of 1848 named for a Mexican town that is now part of Mexico City?
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo
Directed by Luis Buñuel and co-written by Salvador Dalí, which comedy satirising the Catholic church and bourgeois society premiered in Paris in 1930 and had one of its first performances interrupted by the French League of Patriots?
L’Age d’Or
Which German composer, most famous for his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor
and his Scottish Fantasy, was conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic from 1880 to 1883?
Max Bruch
Which long-lived actress won consecutive Oscars in the 1930s for her roles in the
films The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth?
Luise Rainer
An attendee of the first Solvay Conference, which French physicist defined Avogadro’s number and won the 1926 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of sedimentation equilibrium, in which he verified Einstein’s theoretical explanation
of Brownian motion?
Jean Baptiste PERRIN
Which Welsh castle and UNESCO World Heritage Site was named Europe’s
most beautiful castle by Condé Nast Traveller magazine in 2023? It is part of its namesake north coast town’s extensive medieval fortifications.
Conwy
Another city with an Olympic stadium that is yet to make the candidate city shortlist, despite applying for both 2004 and 2008, which city has instead managed to host two Davis Cup finals, the 2024 UEFA Women’s Nations League final and the 1999 World Athletics Championships?
Seville
Which Jewish festival is commemorated with the lighting of a nine-branch candelabrum known as a menorah? Observed during the months of Kislev and Tevet, it marks the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
Hanukkah
Which treaty of 1993 was signed by the Rwandan government and the rebel
Rwandan Patriotic Front in an attempt to bring an end to the country’s civil war? It is named for the Tanzanian city in which it was signed.
Arusha Accords
Field Hockey player In 1988, he was a member of the gold medal-winning Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against Australia before Britain defeated West Germany 3–1 in the final, with him scoring once and Imran Sherwani twice.
Sean Kerly
Field hockey player won gold with the Great Britain squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He played on the left wing, and scored two of the three goals against West Germany in the 1988 final, making a significant contribution to the match.
Imran Sherwani
Centred on the city of Trujillo, the marinera is the national dance of which South
American country? It is a partner dance usually involving handkerchiefs and a box-shaped percussion instrument called a cajón.
Peru
Held in 1969 at a venue in California, which rock concert was marked by extensive crowd violence and four deaths, notably the killing of Meredith Hunter by a Hells Angel during a Rolling Stones set?
ALTAMONT
Dying in August 2023, which composer and conductor collaborated with Paul
McCartney on the Liverpool Oratorio? He wrote music for more than 100 television programmes (notably the landmark ITV series World At War (1973) and BBC’s Pride and Prejudice (1995). Married to Jean Boht (Nellie Boswell in Bread).
Carl Davis
In the 1970s Doctor Who story “The Sea Devils”, The Master is seen watching which children’s television programme? He is heard to remark that the programme depicts what “… seems to be a rather interesting extra-terrestrial lifeform”?
The CLangers
In 2023, Borjana Krišto became the first female Prime Minister of which European country? In 2007, she had become its first female President.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Which actor, also known for his stage performances in Eugene O’Neill
productions, won consecutive Oscars in the 1970s for All The President’s Men and Julia?
Jason Robards
With views of Lake Boyukshur, what city’s Olympic stadium is yet to host the Games after the application fell short for both 2016 and 2020? It did host the first ever European Games in 2015.
Baku
Commemorating the Jewish people being saved from annihilation by the Achaemenid royal vizier Haman, which holiday held during the month of Adar is also known as the Feast of Lots?
Purim
Who is Bertie Wooster’s newt-fancying friend in the novels of P. G. Wodehouse? His drunk prize-giving speech at Market Snodsbury Grammar School is a notable vignette.
Gussie Fink-Nottle
Who was the former Arkansas state employee who sued President Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994 and whose case provided the impetus for the lawyer Kenneth Starr to broaden his Whitewater investigation?
Paula Jones
Which actor voices Charles Muntz, an elderly explorer who was a childhood idol
of protagonist Carl Fredricksen, in the film Up? One of his final big-screen roles in a very long career was as the victim Harlan Thrombey in Knives Out.
Christopher Plummer
Which alliteratively named singer-songwriter won the Rising Star Award at the 2022 BRITs? Hailing from Lincolnshire, her 2023 debut album Paint My Bedroom Black reached number 5 in the UK and she has recorded an acoustic version of “Seventeen Going Under” with Sam Fender.
Holly HUMBERSTONE
Hero organisation in Gerry Anderson’s Fireball XL-5
World Space Patrol
Hero organisation in Gerry Anderson’s Stingray
World Aquanaut Security Patrol
Hero organisation in Gerry Anderson’s Thunderbirds
International Rescue
Hero organisation in Gerry Anderson’s Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Spectrum
Which alumnus of UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art was an official war artist in both world wars? His war paintings include Menin Road from the First, and Totes Meer from the Second World War.
Paul Nash
Macau currency
Pataca
A common form of antimicrobial resistance is MRSA. This is caused by bacteria
that have evolved a resistance to which type of antibiotic, what does MRSA stand for?
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Transcendental idealism and the analytic/synthetic distinction are concepts
originating in the work of which German Enlightenment philosopher? This lifelong resident of Königsberg credited David Hume with waking him from his “dogmatic slumber”.
Immanuel Kant
Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson shared the World Series MVP
award with Curt Schilling when they carried which team, based in Phoenix, to its first World Series victory, beating the Yankees in 2001?
Arizona Diamondbacks
What two-word name was given by Immanuel Kant to the supreme principle of practical morality, which he expressed as “act only according to a maxim which you can will should be a universal law”?
Categorical Imperative
The fall of which city on the Mississippi River is considered one of the turning points in the American Civil War? This city had been besieged from May to July 1863, when it was captured by Ulysses S Grant.
Vicksburg
Drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in 1993, which shortstop agreed to a
$252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2000 that was a record for pro sports? This player was once rumured to be in a relationship with Madonna and is an ex-fiancée of Jennifer Lopez.
Alex Rodriguez
What three-word name, one of them the definite article, is shared by a 1994 UK
Number One single for Tony Di Bart and a soul group who had topped the same chart in 1976?
The Real Thing
High-speed steel alloys, used in saw blades and drill bits, typically contain at least 7% of which element, although during the World Wars molybdenum was often substituted? In its pure form, this element, atomic number 74, has the highest melting point and tensile strength of any metal.
Tungsten
What one word links a 2012 UK Number One single for Little Mix and a band which had topped the same chart in 1977?
Wings
Which baseball Hall of Famer had two stints with the Seattle Mariners, from 1989-99 and 2009-10? This player, the son of an identically-named World Series winner with the Cincinnati Reds, was a 13-time All Star, hit 630 career home runs, and made MLB appearances in four different decades.
Ken Griffey Jr
Which battle of April-May 1863 was a Confederate victory that has been described as Robert E. Lee’s “perfect battle”? It led, however, to the death o ‘Stonewall’ Jackson when he was hit by friendly fire.
Chancellorsville (Virginia)
At which battle of December 1862 did the Union army under Ambrose Burnside make repeated frontal attacks on entrenched Confederate positions, resulting in disastrously heavy losses? Union soldiers cried out the name of this battle as they mowed down Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg six months later.
Fredericksburg (Texas)
The apsar is the currency of which partially recognised breakaway region of
Georgia? It is pegged to the Russian ruble, and Russia occupies this region, along with the other Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia.
Abkhazia
DNA in bacteria can be found not only in the cell nucleus but also in which other structures? These structures often carry genes that confer selective advantage, such as antibiotic resistance
Plasmids
Immanuel Kant’s theory of transcendental idealism is in part a challenge to which philosophical belief, associated with the ancient Greek Academic and Pyrrhonian schools, that questions the very possibility of knowledge? This belief shares its name with a more general term for doubt about something.
Scepticism
Located in Death Valley in California, what is the two-word alliterative name of the salt flats that are the lowest point in North America?
Badwater Basin
Which Slade School alumnus, who was associated with, but not a member of, the Bloomsbury Group, had a long-term relationship with Lytton Strachey? She became known after her death for her portraits, still lifes and landscapes, such as Spanish Landscape with Mountains.
Dora Carrington
Who was the Liberal Prime Minister of Australia from 1996-2007, when he lost the federal election as well as his own seat of Bennelong? He was succeeded as PM by Labour’s Kevin Rudd
John Howard
The 18 surviving plays of which ancient Greek tragedian include Medea, The
Suppliant Women and Iphigenia in Tauris?
Euripides
Language of the Flower Pot Men
Oddle Poddle
What was the name of the pope who, according to later legend, ruled for two years in the mid-ninth century, until being revealed as a woman when she
unexpectedly gave birth?
Pope JOAN
Perhaps the most bizarre in papal history, which event of 897 saw the trial and conviction of Pope Formosus? You may give the name by which this event is usually known, or simply describe what happened.
Cadaver Synod (Formosus was dead)
For the soundtrack of the 2022 biopic Elvis, Doja Cat recorded which song that interpolates a recording of Hound Dog by Shonka Dukureh? The title of this song is the single word commonly used to refer to an American city whose full name contains two words.
Vegas
Which author won the 1973 Booker Prize with The Siege of Krishnapur, set in a fictional Indian town during the 1857 Rebellion? Another book from the same author’s Empire trilogy, Troubles, posthumously won the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010
JG Farrell
Another controversial product of the early medieval papacy was which eighth century forgery, purporting to show the first Christian Roman emperor granting authority over the western empire to the pope? Three-word answer required.
Donation of CONSTANTINE
The Covered Market in which UK city has been in operation since 1774? No
building in this city can be taller than the 12th century Carfax Tower.
Oxford
Which Chelsea goalkeeper, nicknamed ‘the Cat’, saw his international career end
with the disastrous 1970 World Cup quarter-final defeat, when England relinquished a 2-0 half-time lead to lose 3-2 to West Germany?
Peter Bonetti
Andrew Gold’s sole top ten hit in the UK was which song from his 1978 album All
This and Heaven Too? British dance group Undercover also reached the top ten
with a cover of this song in 1992.
Never Let Her Slip Away
Al Pacino stars in the music video for which 2023 rap song by Bad Bunny? The
song is named for a European state, and heavily samples Hier encore by Charles Aznavour.
Monaco
The Tropic of Capricorn also unsurprisingly passes through the Australian electoral district of Capricornia in Queensland and the adjacent Capricorn Coast. The name of which city, the largest in this district, precedes ‘Rocket’ in the nickname of Rod Laver, its most famous son?
Rockhampton
Removed from the official cocktails list in 2020, a Godfather consists of Scotch whisky and which almond-flavoured, Italian liqueur?
Amaretto
Which prolific French artist of the 19th century is best known for his prints and wood-engravings? As well as producing illustrations for editions of the Bible and classic literature, his London: A Pilgrimage (1872) vividly depicted the poverty of contemporary London.
Gustav Dore
In the titles of a series of first-person shooters based on the dystopian novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, what word precedes 2033, Last Light and Exodus?
Metro
Which city in eastern England boasts one of the oldest and largest permanent
outdoor markets in the country? It moved from Tombland, centre of the AngloSaxon settlement, to its current site adjacent to St. Peter Mancroft church in the 11th century.
Norwich
Who played Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown? She has
also played Joséphine in Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon, and the White
Widow in the Mission Impossible franchise.
Vaanessa Kirby
The period from about 904-967 is considered the nadir of the papacy. This period
is usually known either as the Saeculum obscurum, or by which word, derived
from the Greek meaning ‘rule by prostitutes’?
Pornocracy
Marked by a monument that functions as a solar calendar, the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the airport of which city in Chile, closely associated with the mining industry? A copper mining multinational on the London stock
exchange is named after this city.
Antofagasta
The St. Nicholas Market, site of the first Berni Inn, can be found on Corn Street in which city in the southwest of England? The M-Shed is a museum located on Prince’s Wharf in this city.
Bristol
Nicknamed ‘the Cat’, which English Snooker player’s only ranking tournament
victory was the 1989 British Open? This member of the Matchroom Mob partnered Steve Davis to win the World Doubles Championship in four of the six
years it was contested.
Tony Meo
What two-word term describes US Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell in the title of a 2013 movie directed by Peter Berg? Mark Wahlberg plays the lead role in the movie, which is based on Luttrell’s earlier non-fiction account of the same name.
Lone Survivor
Which British actress and impressionist won Series 12 of Taskmaster in 2021? Her other television work includes an eponymous sketch show that featured a popular impression of ‘Sonia from EastEnders’, and roles as nymphomaniac Julie in House of Fools, and Pippa Middleton in The Windsors
Morgana Robinson
With a name deriving from a Hindi word meaning ‘twenty-five’, which Ancient Indian board game is played with cowrie shells on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross? Sorry! and Ludo are among the Westernised commercial versions of the game
Pachisi
Which Sanskrit royal title precedes Mac in the alliterative name of the Indian alternative to the Big Mac, made with chicken instead of beef?
Maharaja
Elizabeth Allen, a pupil at the Whyteleafe boarding school, is the central
character in The Naughtiest Girl, one of the lesser-known series by which author? She wrote the first four books in the series between 1940 and 1952.
Enid Blyton
What is the most populous settlement in the Irish province of Munster that has not been accorded city status? It is the county town of Clare.
Ennis
Wild Bluebell is a fragrance by which London designer also known for her range of candles?
Jo Malone
Depicting a skull, the 1982 work Untitled was sold at Sotheby’s in 2017 for $110.5 million, at that time the highest price ever paid at auction for artwork by an American. It is by which artist?
Jean-Michel Basquiat
A Mexican wrestler known for his iconic jaguar mask, what name is shared by two characters who, combined, have featured as a playable character in every main instalment of the Tekken fighting game series?
King
Born in Somerset in about 1220 and sometimes known as “Doctor Mirabilis”, which Franciscan friar was a noted philosopher and writer on optics and is credited with being the first European to record the formula for making gunpowder?
Roger Bacon
Which blonde actor, who played Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street and would later
also appear in Hollyoaks, had a Top 5 UK hit in 1999 with “I Breathe Again”?
Adam Rickitt
Comprising four books published between 1939 and 1951, which Enid Blyton series was set in an enchanted wood? The series title is absent from the first book in the series, but appears in the next three.
The Faraway Tree
Located in its namesake county, what is the most populous settlement in the Irish province of Connacht that has not been accorded city status? A statue of W. B. Yeats stands in the town centre.
Sligo
Which Dominican monk and painter of religious subjects in the early Renaissance
is best known for his frescoes and altarpiece in the friary of San Marco in Florence?
Fra Angelico
Elk and wild boar were among the menu choices of which left-handed Canadian at the 2004 US Masters Champions Dinner?
Mike Weir
The first privately funded attempt to land on the moon came in 2019, when SpaceIL’s Beresheet lander crashed into the surface. It was a mission launched by which Middle Eastern nation?
Israel
Which Neighbours actor, who has appeared in the soap on and off since 1985, had a Top 20 UK hit in 1989 with “Don’t It Make You Feel Good”?
Stefan Dennis
Perhaps better known for shoes, which fashion designer created the Blossom fragrance?
Jimmy Choo
Which less-heralded Enid Blyton series, with parallels with Malory Towers, follows the journey of twin heroines Pat and Isabel O’Sullivan at the eponymous boarding school, of which Miss Theobald [TY-bald] is headmistress?
St Clare’s
What is the name of the Irish professional assassin who has featured as a playable character in every main instalment of Tekken? She starred in her own spin-off game Death by Degrees and is known for her rivalry with her sister Anna. First name or surname acceptable.
Nina Williams
Straddling Counties Louth and Meath, what is the most populous urban settlement in the Republic of Ireland not to have been accorded city status?
Drogheda
What name is given to the Japanese sword-wielding ninja and leader of the Manji
clan who has featured as a playable character in every main instalment of Tekken? Other versions of this character have also appeared in the Soulcalibur series.
Yoshimitsu
Which actress, who played the much-married Kathy in Emmerdale, had a Top 20 UK hit with “Just This Side of Love” in 1990?
Malandra Burrows
Which capital city’s main airport is named after Jorge [HOR-hay] Chávez, who died as a result of injuries suffered on landing after achieving the first crossing of the Pennine Alps? The airport is located in the neighbouring port city of Callao.
Lima
Inspired by flowers in his own private garden, Rose Prick is a fragrance by which
American fashion designer?
Tom Ford
While his countryman Trevor Immelman had opted for bobotie three years earlier, which South African selected braai [BRY] as the main course at the 2012 US Masters Champions Dinner?
Charl Schwartzel
Consisting of 15 books written between 1943 and 1961, which lesser-known Enid
Blyton series saw a gang of schoolchildren in the fictitious village of Peterswood solve a mystery almost every school holiday, much to the annoyance of local policeman Theophilus Goon?
The FIVE FIND-OUTERS and Dog
An airport serving which city in Kansas is named after the aviator Amelia
Earhart? This city was the original eastern terminus of a railway also named for Topeka and Santa Fe.
Atchison
Originally depicted with a tall, blonde haircut, what is the name of the American martial artist who has featured as a playable character in every main instalment of Tekken? A regular entrant in the game’s King of Iron Fist tournament, he’s also known for his fights with the bear Kuma. First name or surname acceptable.
Paul Phoenix
Containing the name of a Spanish city, which oil tanker ran aground off the coast
of Brittany in March 1978, resulting in the largest oil spill of its kind to that date?
Amoco Cadiz
Pope Innocent IV appointed which Franciscan friar as the head of the first formal Catholic mission to the Mongol Empire? Written in the 1240s, a report on his trip is titled Ystoria Mongalorum.
GIOVANNI da Pian DEL
CARPINE (CARPINI)
Named for the country’s first prime minister, what is the most populous Urban Area in Northern Ireland not to be accorded city status? It is a ‘new town’ built from the 1960s onwards, although much of what was planned was never built.
Craigavon
The only time a roast dinner has been served at the US Masters Champions Dinner was in 2017. It was chosen by which Yorkshireman who had won the green jacket the year before?
Danny Willett
Which Japanese actor, who appears in Memoirs of a Geisha, Inception and Pokémon Detective Pikachu, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role as Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in the 2003 epic period
drama film The Last Samurai?
Ken WATANABE
Harriet Tubman, Simón Bolívar and Mary, Queen of Scots are the subjects of operas by which modern-day Scottish composer?
Thea Musgrave
Awarded by the sports newspaper Marca, what award is given to the season’s top scorer in the Spanish La Liga in men’s football? It is named in honour of a footballer who played for Athletic Bilbao during the 1910s and 1920s.
Trofeo Pichichi
A particular brand by which brewery sponsors the annual Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and the associated award for the best crime novel of the year, which has been presented since 2006?
Theakston’s (Old Peculier)
The neo-Palladian country houses Holkham Hall and Houghton Hall can be found in which English county? They are the respective ancestral homes of the Earls of Leicester and the Marquesses of Cholmondeley [CHUM-lee].
Norfolk
The Potala Palace is a fortress located in which prefecture-level city of Tibet?
Lhasa
What is the brand name for the cricket balls used in Test and First Class cricket in the UK, Ireland and the West Indies? It shares its name with a rank of British nobility.
Duke
Which retired Italian rugby union captain holds the record number of caps in the men’s Six Nations tournament, with 69? He also holds the unenviable world record of having lost more test matches than any other player.
Sergio Parisse
What woman became a crossbench peer after her husband, a former prime minister, died in 1965? She served in the House of Lords as Baroness of Chartwell until her death in 1977.
Clementine Spencer-CHURCHILL
Including reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in physiological
systems, what two-word term is given to an unstable and highly reactive molecular species with an unpaired electron in an atomic orbital?
Free RADICALS
The subject of a poem by Charles Wolfe, who was the British commander at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809? He was mortally wounded during the battle.
Sir John MOORE
The enzyme superoxide dismutase (or, SOD) breaks down harmful superoxide free radicals into normal molecular oxygen and which chemical compound? Catalase then further protects cells by decomposing this compound into water
and oxygen.
Hydrogen Peroxide
In ethical philosophy, what term is used to describe the theory that a course of action or inaction is right if, and only if, it will, or is intended to, produce a good outcome? The term was introduced by G.E.M. Anscombe in her 1958 article “Modern Moral Philosophy”.
Consequentialism
As a dig at critics who claimed it was too male-focused, Love Machine by Girls Aloud was the first song played on what rebranded radio station in 2015? It was played by Chris Moyles, who still hosts the station’s breakfast show nine years
later.
Radio X
Other than the Higgs Boson, all of the bosons in the Standard Model are “gauge bosons”, meaning they carry one of the fundamental forces. Which particles mediate the strong nuclear interaction?
Gluons
W and Z bosons carry which of the fundamental forces?
Weak Nuclear Interaction
What is the brand name for the cricket balls manufactured in Australia and used for all limited-overs international matches as well as for Test cricket in all other nations apart from England, Ireland, the West Indies and India?
Kookaburra
David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” was the opening track played on which radio station upon launch in 2019? It has enjoyed a huge increase in audience figures since April 2023 and is now the UK’s most-listened-to commercial radio station.
Greatest Hits Radio
At which July 1812 battle in western Spain was Wellington said to have beaten
40,000 Frenchmen in 40 minutes? The defeated French were commanded by Marshal Marmont.
Salamanca
Which Italian rugby player, primarily a flanker, played in five men’s Rugby World Cups between 1999 and 2015? He was selected at scrum half for a Six Nations match against England in 2009 but was replaced at the interval, having been blamed for England’s three tries. His younger brother, Mirco, did score a consolation try in the second half.
Mauro Bergamasco
Featuring at number 14 in the Guardian’s list of the best TV of 2023, what Australian comedy was written by and starred Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall as two people brought together after the titular dog was injured in a car accident?
Colin from Accounts
Which French chef and writer’s 1846 recipe for Lyonnaise potatoes calls for chopped parsley and lemon juice? Head chef of the Reform Club in London, he opened a soup kitchen in Dublin during the Potato Famine and invented a namesake stove for military use during the Crimean War.
Alexis Soyer
Located on a hilltop, the Mehrangarh Fort is a fort covering 1,200 acres in which northwest Indian city?
Jodhpur
Often contrasted with consequentialism and virtue ethics, what name is given to the theory that the morality of an action depends on whether the action itself is right or wrong based on a set of rules rather than the consequences of that action? It is sometimes referred to as duty-based ethics
Deontology
Who was the inaugural winner of the Theakston’s Old Peculier prize for his book Lazybones? He was also the first writer to win the award twice, with both recognised novels featuring his detective Tom Thorne.
Mark Billingham
The copper/zinc form of superoxide dismutase is a commonly mutated gene in familial forms of motor neurone disease. One of the early signs of this disease are spontaneous, involuntary movements known by which word beginning with ‘F’, the scientific name for a muscle twitch?
Fasciculations
In cricket, batters often use the GM brand of bats named after the founders of the company that manufactures them. What two names does GM stand for?
Gunn and Moore
Part of the virtue ethics of Aristotle, what two-word term describes the desirable
middle ground between two extremes? For example, courage would be the preferred character trait over recklessness or cowardice.
Golden Mean
Which author became the second double winner of the Theakston’s Old Peculier prize, when she won in successive years for The End of the Wasp Season and Gods and Beasts? Both winning books feature her Glasgow detective Alex Morrow.
Denise Mina
Scottish crime writer and playwright. She has written the Garnethill trilogy and another three novels featuring the character Patricia “Paddy” Meehan, a Glasgow journalist. Described as an author of Tartan Noir, she has also written for comic books, including 13 issues of Hellblazer.
Denise Mina
Which Italian prop forward who died in 2021 gives his name to the trophy awarded to the winners of the Six Nations match between Italy and Scotland? His twin brother, Marcello, is Italy’s record try scorer, with 26.
Massimo CUTTITTA
“Swimming Horses” was the lead single off which 1984 album by Siouxsie and the Banshees that shares its name with a wild animal?
Hyaena
The Higgs boson is the only Standard Model boson of what type, meaning that it has a value of 0 for spin? This term is also used more generally for a quantity that has magnitude but not direction.
Scalar Boson
Featuring at number 5 in the Guardian’s list of the best TV of 2023, what murder mystery series was created by Rian Johnson and stars Natasha Lyonne as a casino worker on the run who has an unerring ability to detect when someone is lying?
Poker Face
With fauna including lions, elephants and African wild dogs, Hwange [“WANghee”, also spell out] National Park is in which African country? The lion Cecil was shot and killed by dentist Walter Palmer in 2015 just outside the National Park.
Zimbabwe
An influence on Elizabeth David, which French chef, writer and restaurateur’s 1930 recipe for Lyonnaise potatoes adds the onions raw into the pan with the potatoes? He opened a namesake London restaurant in 1927 and was an early TV chef on shows such as Cook’s Night Out.
Marcel BOULESTIN
Constructed by Richard Fletcher on the orders of Wellington, the series of forts and other structures built to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War were known as the “Lines of” which town to the north of the Portuguese capital?
Torres Vedras
With fauna including black and white rhinos and mountain zebra, Etosha National Park is located in the Etosha Pan in the north of which African country?
Namibia
Which 2015 album by Disclosure shares its name with a type of wild animal? It includes the song “Omen”, with vocals by Sam Smith.
Caracal
What branch of ethics is concerned with how ethical principles can be used specifically in real-world domains? Bioethics, environmental ethics and business ethics are sub-branches of this area?
Applied Ethics
Currently Bishop of Gloucester, who became the first female Anglican bishop to sit in the House of Lords when she was ennobled as a Lord Spiritual in 2015?
Rachel TREWEEK
The first track played on which radio station was “Burn Baby Burn” by Ash in 2002? Eight years later, there was a high-profile campaign to save the station when there was talk of it being closed down.
BBC Radio “6 MUSIC”
Around 10-15% of patients with motor neurone disease also develop a particular type of dementia with the initialism FTD and characterised by apathy, disinhibited behaviour, loss of empathy and personality change. Referring to the brain structures affected, for what does the “FT” in the initialism FTD stand, if D denotes dementia?
Frontotemporal
2 Virat Kohli is most associated with what three-letter brand of cricket bat? Other leading players to have used this make of bat over the years include Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh.
MRF
Because news had not yet reached the warring armies, which battle of April 1814
was fought four days after Napoleon’s surrender formally ended the Peninsula war?
Battle of TOULOUSE
Which Argentine-born fly-half is Italy’s all-time leading points scorer in men’s
rugby union, with 983 points amassed between 1991 and 2003?
Diego DOMINGUEZ
With a park landscaped by Humphrey Repton, Attingham Park is a Classical-style country house in which English county? It was home to the Berwick family until the mid-20th century.
SHROPSHIRE
The Channel 5 soap Family Affairs, which ran between 1997 and 2005, was set
in which fictional suburb of London?
CHARNHAM
What was the name of the first Queen regnant of the Netherlands? She was on
the throne between 1890 and 1948.
Wilhelmina
Developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack, what is the name of the 2024 roguelike deck-building video game themed around poker? It has earned stellar reviews and generated more than $1m in gross revenue within eight hours
of release.
BALATRO
Which Italian publishing house was responsible for the Gialli [Jee-AL-ee] series of detective and crime novels, so named for their yellow covers? Since the early 1990s, it has been controlled by the Berlusconi holding company Fininvest.
Mondadori
Alofi is the capital of which island known as the ‘Rock of Polynesia’?
Niue (territory of New Zealand)
Cyrano de Bergerac and Pillow Talk are among the films of the 1950s directed by which man? His grandson is an actor and director who founded the online collaborative media platform HitRecord.
Michael Gordon
He achieved prominence for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the play of the same name, which earned him the inaugural Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1947. He reprised the role in a 1950 film version and won an Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the first Hispanic actor and the first Puerto Rican-born to win an Academy Award. Married Rosemary Clooney.
Jose Ferrer
Name the four credited actors and character names of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966 film directed by Mike Nichols.
Martha: Elizabeth Taylor
George: Richard Burton
Nick: George Segal
Honey: Sandy Dennis
Project FF, or Fat Fucker, was a CIA operation that resulted in the overthrow of
which King of Egypt in a military coup in 1952?
Farouk I
Which woman was the subject of two portraits by Gustav Klimt, the first also
known as The Woman in Gold? She may also be the model for The Kiss and Judith and the Head of Holofernes by the same artist.
Adele Bloch-Bauer
Which is the simplest and only a·chiral protein·ogenic amino acid, with its side
chain being a single hydrogen atom? Its name derives from the Greek for ‘sweet
tasting’.
Glycine
Another emotional moment shown on the BBC’s Tokyo Olympics montage was which rower being reunited with her daughter and two sons at the airport? Although she finished fourth in Tokyo, she and partner Heather Stanning won gold in the coxless pairs in both 2012 and 2016.
Helen Glover
The Time is Now, which featured as the intro to Sky’s Super Sunday from 2005-9,
was a 2000 hit for which Irish-English electronic pop duo, which also had UK top
10 hits with Sing It Back and Familiar Feeling?
Moloko
Known for wearing a pink bow-tie, Frank Muir appeared as a team captain on which TV game show, in which players tried to identify the real definition of obscure words?
Call My Bluff
What two-word name is given to the faint, inert stars formed after the explosion and collapse of a red giant? Sirius B is the closest known example of this type of star, which our Sun will one day become.
White Dwarf
One of the four female Doctors of the Church in Roman Catholicism, which German Benedictine abbess and polymath of the 12th century was known particularly for her musical compositions? Forename sufficient.
Hildegard of Bingen
Matt Berry played Douglas, who took over as boss of Reynholm Industries from his father at the start of the second series of The IT Crowd. Which satirist had played the previous boss, Denholm Reynholm?
Chris Morris
The 1951 Time Man of the Year, who was prime minister of Iran from 1951-53? He nationalised the Iranian oil industry, before being overthrown by a US and UK backed coup d’état.
Mohammad MOSSADEGH
Which amino acid has an imid·azole side chain and is a precursor to a vital inflammatory agent in human immune responses? Reflecting that, its name partly derives from the Greek for ‘tissue’.
Histadine
Which woman, an artist and author herself, was a frequent sitter for the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood, and was depicted as the title figure in John Everett
Millais’ Ophelia?
Elizabeth Siddall
Written at the same time as Claude Debussy’s opera, which Austrian-born composer wrote a symphonic poem titled Pelleas und Melisande? It is a tonal work by this composer, primarily associated with atonality and the twelve-tone technique.
Arnold Schoenberg
The 14th July Revolution was a 1958 military coup in Iraq that resulted in the
death of which king, marking the end of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq? Regnal
number not required.
Faisal II
Who was the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army who seized power in
Pakistan in a military coup in 1958? Two word name required.
Muhammad AYUB KHAN
Two of the original 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Ecuador. One is the city of Quito; lying 1,200 kilometres to the west, which is the other, where you could visit Santa Cruz and Isabela?
Galapagos
Another moment captured in the BBC’s Tokyo Olympics montage was an interview with which distraught athlete, whose 200 metres was wrecked by injury? This man was the first British athlete, and first athlete of Middle Eastern descent, to break both 10 seconds for the 100 metres and 20 seconds in the 200.
Adam Gemili
Which woman, herself an artist, sat for Édouard Manet for paintings including The Railway, Le Dejeuner Sur l’herbe, and Olympia?
Victorine Meurent
Which amino acid was named after the silvery-white appearance of its nitrate
crystals? Its side chain is a guanidino group, and like lysine it is positively charged.
Arginine
With the subtitle Shadows Die Twice, what 2019 action-adventure video game, developed by FromSoftware, is set in the early 17th century during Japan’s Sengoku period? Like many FromSoftware games, it was praised for its high difficulty level.
SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice
Which tree completes the Biblical quotation “each man under his own vine and
<what>”? This tree, a member of the Moraceae family that denotes peace and
prosperity, was used by Theodore Herzl in his depiction of a future Jewish homeland.
</what>
Fig tree / Ficus carica
Based on his own earlier incidental music to a staging of Maeterlinck’s play, which French composer wrote Pélleas and Mélissande, a popular instrumental suite that contains a Sicilliene and Fileuse among its four movements?
Gabriel Faure
What 2017 action RPG video game, developed by Team Ninja, was inspired by the Englishman William Adams, who became a samurai in Japan during the Sengoku period? It too was praised for its difficulty level, and a sequel was released in 2020.
Nioh
One of the four female Doctors of the Church in Roman Catholicism, which 19th century French nun is often known as ‘the Little Flower of Jesus’? Pope Pius X called this woman, who died aged just 24, “the greatest saint of modern times”. Forename and place required.
St Therese of Lisieux
Frank Muir voiced many TV adverts in the 1970s for which chocolate bar, with a tag-line stating that “everyone’s a <this> case”?</this>
Fruit and Nut
The side chain of which amino acid, with a name deriving from the Greek for ‘bladder’, is a thiol group? This and meth·ionine are the only proteinogenic amino acids to contain sulphur, while a non-standard analogue of this amino acid instead contains selenium.
Cysteine
Cimarron, winner of the Best Picture Oscar for 1931, and Giant, the film for which James Dean received his last Oscar nomination, were based on novels by which Michigan-born author, better known for Show Boat, the novel on which Jerome
Kern’s musical was based?
Edna FERBER
Another moment featured in the BBC’s Tokyo Olympic montage was the viral footage of which British swimmer’s friends and family roaring him to victory in the 200 metre freestyle? This swimmer pipped countryman Duncan Scott to the gold
medal in the event.
Tom DEAN
The period between the French revolutions of 1830 and 1848 is known as the ‘July monarchy’. Nicknamed ‘the Citizen King’, who was on the throne throughout that time? Napoleon III was France’s only subsequent monarch.
Louis Philippe I
Which Norwegian singer won the BBC’s Sound of 2018 poll? Her two studio albums to date – Sucker Punch and How to Let Go – have both reached the top five of the UK albums chart.
Sigrid
What name is given to the niche in the wall of a Mosque that indicates the ‘Qiblah’, or direction of Mecca?
Mihrab
Which port in Ireland was known as Kingstown from 1821-1921?
Dun Laoghaire [dunleery]
In October 2023, which San Francisco 49ers running back tied Lenny Moore’s
record for most consecutive games with a touchdown, at 17? He started his
career with the Carolina Panthers, who traded him to San Francisco in 2022.
Christian MCCAFFREY
In the structure of Vitamin B12, cobalt is found at the centre of a corrin ring
surrounded by four coordinated bonds of which other element?
Nitrogen
As well as being a book by Oliver Sacks, The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat is an opera by which English composer and pianist? He is perhaps best known for his film scores, particularly that for Jane Campion’s The Piano.
Michael Nyman
The most prestigious prize for Australian fiction is known as the Miles Franklin Award. Which word completes the titles of these two novels by Franklin: My Brilliant [Blank] and My [Blank] Goes Bung?
Career
Discovered by John Livingood and Glenn Seaborg, which isotope of cobalt is used as the primary source of radiation in radiotherapy because of its ability to emit gamma rays at a high intensity?
Cobalt 60
Atomic bomb uranium isotope
Uranium-235
Atomic bomb plutonium isotope
Plutonium-239
Smoke detector americium isotope
Americium-241
Reflecting the fact that they were chosen for good looks as well as sporting ability, what two-word name did the promoters David Dixon and Lamar Hunt give to the inaugural group of players whom they signed to launch the World Championship Tennis tour for male players in 1968?
Handsome Eight
In 1948, which Fife town became the second in Scotland to be designated a new town? It now serves as Fife’s administrative capital. Meaning ‘valley’, the first part of its name was added to avoid confusion with an existing town in Moray.
Glenrothes
Named for an 18th- and 19th-century French mathematician, what name is given to a
prime number ‘p’ if 2p+1 is also prime?
Sophie Germain
Who did Edward Enninful succeed as Editor at British Vogue? She was in post
between 1992 and 2017, making her the longest-serving Editor in the publication’s
history. She drew criticism for perceived glamourising of anorexic models.
Alexandra Shulman
Vogue UK editor after Edward Enninful
Chioma Nnadi
Among the artists at the Women in Revolt! exhibition is which Zanzibar-born Turner
Prize winner whose work Naming the Money presented 100 life-sized cutouts of
enslaved people?
Lubaina Himid
Which wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings was the NFL Offensive Player of the
Year in 2022, with 1,809 receiving yards? In 2020, he had set the NFL record for
most receiving yards by a rookie, with 1,400.
Justin Jefferson
Which German began his excavations at the modern-day Turkish site of Hisarlik,
thought to be the location of Troy, in 1870? The digging of his namesake trench
destroyed a large part of the site.
Heinrich Schliemann
In 1973, 81 men, including 12 of the 16 seeds, boycotted Wimbledon in protest at the
suspension of which Yugoslav, a member of the Handsome Eight?
Niki Pilic
Another actor to walk the Prada Villains Runway in 2012 was which man, whose
villainous screen roles include Luca Changretta in Peaky Blinders and Leveque in Ghosted?
Adrien Brody
Which writer from Western Australia has won the Miles Franklin Award a joint-record four
times, including in 1992 for Cloudstreet? He has twice been shortlisted for the Booker
Prize, for The Riders and for Dirt Music
Tim WINTON
Justin Jefferson’s rookie receiving yards record in 2020 was broken the following season
by which wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, who registered 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns?
Ja’Marr Chase
In 1966, which coastal town in North Ayrshire became Scotland’s fifth new town? Four
years later, Nicola Sturgeon was born there, and it is thought that Mary, Queen of Scots
once stayed at the town’s Seagate Castle.
Irvine
Excavations of Tell es-Sultan in Palestine, the site of ancient Jericho, were led by which
British archaeologist in the 1950s? She had previously accompanied Tessa and Mortimer
Wheeler on their excavations of the Roman settlement of Verulamium near present-day
St Albans.
Kathleen Kenyon
Meaning ‘saviour’, what was the epithet of Ptolemy I, the founder of the Ptolemaic
Kingdom in 305 BCE?
Soter
Among the artists at the Women in Revolt! exhibition is which photocollagist, who
designed the cover artwork of “Orgasm Addict” by the Buzzcocks? She was lead singer
of the post-punk band Ludus.
Linder Sterling
In 1852, which Russian mathematician proved a conjecture by Joseph Bertrand that for
any number n, greater than 1, there is at least one prime number greater than n but less than 2n?
Pafnuty Chebyshev
Among the artists at the Women in Revolt! exhibition is which Punjabi Liverpudlian who
lit up the Tate in 2020 with her work remembering a brave new world? She is a mixed
media artist also known for her giant glittery ice cream sculpture Eat Me Now.
Chila Kumari Singh BURMAN
Requiem was a 1976 breakthrough success at the Three Choirs Festival for which Ivor
Novello-winning English composer? In addition to scoring Monty Python’s Life of Brian,
he is known for his work for television, which included the theme music to the 1979
production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and 1981’s Brideshead Revisited.
Geoffrey Burgon
Cobaltite, one of the primary ores of cobalt, also contains sulphur and which other
element that results in the toxic fumes given off when the ore is smelted?
Arsenic
Which Miami Dolphins wide receiver, nicknamed “Cheetah” for his incredible speed, led
the NFL in receiving yards in the 2023 regular season, with 1,799? This man was traded
to the Dolphins in 2022, after winning a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.
Tyreek Hill
The other four-time recipient of the Miles Franklin Award is which Brisbane-born author?
Her wins began in 1962 with The Well Dressed Explorer and ended in 2000 with Drylands.
Thea Astley
The 2012 Prada Villains Runway also featured which actor, whose villainous cinema
roles include Bobby Peru in Wild at Heart and the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s SpiderMan trilogy?
Willem Dafoe
The River Almond passes through which of Scotland’s new towns, the fourth to be
designated? It is located in West Lothian around 15 miles west of Edinburgh.
Livingston
What Frenchman and fellow member of the Handsome Eight partnered Niki Pilić to
victory in the men’s doubles at the 1970 US Open? They defeated the Australian pairing
of Roy Emerson and Rod Laver in the final.
Pierre Barthes
Closely associated with the concept of Marxist archaeology, the Australian-born archaeologist V. Gordon Childe led the excavation of which British neolithic site between 1928 and 1930?
Skara Brae
Which English composer’s 1963 Kaddish Requiem was written in memory of the Jews who had died during the Holocaust? His TV work included the theme tunes to The Great War documentary series and the BBC’s adaptation of I, Claudius.
Wilfred Josephs
In 1874, which Polish mathematician published three results concerning the density
of prime numbers? These results are referred to as his three theorems.
Franz Mertens
Between 2012 and 2015, the Indian-born British businessman Anshu Jain was chief
executive of which multinational financial services company? Its distinctive twin tower headquarters can be found in a major European financial centre.
Deutsche Bank
What South African member of the Handsome Eight, a Wimbledon semi-finalist and
US Open runner-up in 1965, went on to become president of the ATP and, for four decades, a tennis commentator on ESPN in the United States?
Cliff Drysdale
Which novelist, who spent her adult life between Italy and the United States, won
both the Miles Franklin Award and the US National Book Award for Fiction in 2004, for The Great Fire? Like her previous two novels, The Bay of Noon and The Transit of Venus, it is a love story that opens in the aftermath of World War II.
Shirley Hazzard
The songs “Lemonade” and “Spotlight” appear on The State vs. Radric Davis, the sixth studio album by an Atlanta-based rapper with which stage name?
Gucci Mane
Cobalt was discovered in the 1730s by which Swedish chemist? He was the first person to discover a metal unknown in ancient times.
Georg Brandt
In April 2024, aged 111, which supercentenarian from Southport became the oldest
living man in the world?
John Tinniswood
Which sociologist and life peer was the main influence on the political approach
adopted by Tony Blair known as the Third Way? He was director of the London School of Economics between 1996 and 2003.
Anthony Giddens
What name is given to a garment, usually for women, that features a strap running
from the front of the garment around the back of the neck? The upper back and
shoulders are uncovered.
Halterneck
The Beatles are credited as The Beat Brothers alongside which rock and roll singer
on the original 1961 release of the track “My Bonnie”?
Tony Sheridan
The Rewa and Sigatoka rivers can be found on the largest island of which South
Pacific island nation?
Fiji
The Yannme’e [yan-may-eh] are an insectoid species in which video game franchise, where they make up part of The Covenant, a hegemonic alliance of alien races that wages a galactic holy war against humanity?
Halo
Will Beckett and Huw Gott founded which award-winning high-end steakhouse chain in 2006, opening the first branch on Commercial Street in Shoreditch?
Hawksmoor
British cinema’s new wave lasted from about 1959-63. One of its last films was John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar, starring Tom Courtenay in the title role. It was based on which writer’s novel of the same name?
Keith Waterhouse
The Zerg, a species of insectoid aliens with a hive mind social structure, are the primary antagonists in which video game franchise?
StarCraft
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, who died in 2023, is best known for his history of the French village of Montaillou in the early 14th century. Considered a precursor to microhistory, it is largely based on the records of the Inquisition trying to suppress which Christian dualist sect, who had been the target of a crusade in the previous century.
Cathars / Albigensians
Giuseppe Mascoli founded which Neapolitan sourdough pizza chain, which opened its first restaurant in Brixton Market in 2008?
Franco Manca
Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors draws heavily on Menaechmi, a play by which Roman writer of comedies? Along with Terence, this author of Miles Gloriosus is one of the most acclaimed Latin playwrights.
Plautus
Inspired by the Irani cafés popular in 1960s Mumbai, and known for its breakfast
naans and home meal kits, which chain of Indian restaurants opened its first branch in Covent Garden in 2010?
Dishoom
The second son of Hamilcar Barca, who commanded the Cathaginian army in Spain after his brother Hannibal left for Italy? He invaded Italy himself in 207 BC, but his army was soondestroyed at the Battle of Metaurus, and he was killed.
Hasdrubal Barca
What is the name of the top-level administrative divisions in the country where examples of them include Navarra and La Rioja [ree-o-ha]? You should give a two-word answer in either English or the country’s national language.
Autonomous Community
Hungary’s Aladár Gerevich is regarded as one of the greatest competitors in
which sport? He won seven Olympic gold medals in team and individual events
between 1932 and ’60.
Fencing
Due to its Gothic character, Kensal Green features in several films, including
which 1973 horror comedy? Starring Vincent Price, it sees a deranged actor murders critics in appropriately Shakespearean fashion.
Theatre of Blood
Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky died when “he got an ice-pick that made his
ears burn” according to the opening lines of which song by the Stranglers? The
singer also muses about the fate of “the great Elmyra and Sancho Panza”.
No More Heroes
In which sport is Hungarian-born Viktor Barna regarded as one of the greatest
players? He won a record 41 world championship medals between 1929 and ’54.
Table Tennis
Hungarian-born painter and art forger. It is claimed he was responsible for producing over a thousand forgeries that were sold to reputable art galleries all over the world. His activities garnered celebrity from a Clifford Irving book, Fake (1969), and a documentary essay film by Orson Welles, F for Fake (1974).
Elmyr de Hory
What word beginning with C, and probably derived from the Italian for ‘scaffolding’, refers to a bier or raised platform, often movable, used to support a coffin or body during a funeral or memorial ceremony? The Anglican chapel at Kensal Green has a hydraulic one that lowers coffins into its catacombs.
Catafalque
1 Existing on a construct known as The Citadel, the Keepers are a benign insectoid race found in which video game franchise? The rachni [rack-nye] and the Collectors are other, more aggressive, insectoid races in this franchise.
Mass Effect
Which Carthaginian noblewoman was married in turn to the Numidian kings Syphax and Masinissa? She is remembered for poisoning herself to avoid being degraded in a Roman triumph ordered by Scipio Africanus.
Sophonisba
Who wrote the play A Taste of Honey, adapted into a British new wave film,
directed by Tony Richardson, and starring Dora Bryan and Robert Stephens?
Shelagh Delaney
Another animal named after a woman is which species of mouse lemur, the smallest primate in the world with a body length of under 10 centimetres? The creature was named after a Madagascan primatologist.
Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur
Comprising the novels Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work, which
British author and literature professor wrote the Campus Trilogy?
David Lodge
Which of the Ivy League universities is the only one to be named for the municipality in which it is located?
Princeton
Born in Venice in 1707, which Italian playwright and librettist, probably best remembered for his farces, was inspired by Plautus’s Menaechmi to write The Venetian Twins? The Servant of Two Masters other famous one.
Carlo Goldoni
Which medium-sized falcon, belonging to the hobby group, breeds on islands in
the Mediterranean and was named after a local ruler and national heroine of Sardinia?
Eleonora’s Falcon
What is the name of the most common type of top-level administrative divisions in
the country where examples of them include Sverdlovsk and Rostov? This name derives from an Old East Slavic word meaning ‘power’.
Oblast
The Danish bakery chain Lagkagehuset [lau-kay-hoo-set] trades under what name in the UK, where it opened its first outlet on Haymarket in 2016?
Ole & Steen
The Indian historian Ranajit Guha also died in 2023. With works such as Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India, he pioneered the study of postcolonial societies from the perspective of the underclasses. What word beginning with S precedes Studies in the name of this approach?
Subaltern
The first British new wave film was Jack Clayton’s Room at the Top, starring Laurence Harvey as Joe Lampton, and based on which writer’s novel of the same name?
John Braine
Also known as Eliksni, The Fallen are an insectoid alien race who are nomadic
pirates that scavenge planets including the Earth in which online-only video game franchise?
Destiny
The Old Town of Lijiang, the Chengjiang Fossil Site, and the Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai are all UNESCO World Heritage sites in which province of Southwest China? It is known for producing Pu’er tea, and its capital is Kunming.
Yunnan
Which Swiss neoclassical painter (1741-1807), who painted portraits and historical scenes, was, along with Mary Moser, one of two women among the founding members of the Royal Academy?
Angelica Kauffman
Which organophosphorus compound, created in Germany in the 1930s, is an extremely toxic liquid that in gaseous form acts as a potent nerve agent? In 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo sect released an impure form of this substance in the Tokyo Metro, causing 12 deaths.
Sarin
Which AC Milan central defender, who never won the Ballon d’Or, finished third in 1994 behind Hristo Stoichkov and Roberto Baggio? This player, known as ‘Il Capitano’ in Italy, held the record for most appearances in Serie A prior to Gianluigi Buffon breaking his record in 2020.
Paolo Maldini
word which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the Book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly condemns practices that are associated with this Canaanite god, which are heavily implied to be child sacrifice. Often protrayed bull-headed idol.
Moloch
historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert’s principal source was Book I of the Histories, written by the Greek historian Polybius.
Salammbo
Boris Johnson recentish daughter name
Romy Iris Charlotte (Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson was the son born in office)
Before Tony Blair’s Leo was born who was last PM to have a baby at the No.10 while PM?
John Russell
former Romanian artistic gymnast. During his senior gymnastics career he won 31 medals at Olympic Games at World and European Championships. The handspring double front somersault with ½ turn is named after him in the Code of Points. Best was Silver at 2004 Athens Floor but won loads at world champs.
Marian Dragulescu
Sinamay, a fabric made from the stalks of the abaca tree, is typically used to make what wearable items?
Hats
Which winter sport is performed in the supine position at speeds of up to 80 mph?
Luge
In which sensory organ of the body can you find the lingual serous glands of von Ebner?
Tongue
Which English DJ had a hit in 2018 with Just Got Paid?
Sigala
Which patron saint wrote in his autobiography, Confessions, “I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers”?
St Patrick
Which month completes the title of the 1980 Stevie Wonder song Hotter Than ___?
July
In Glasgow in 2023, Emma Finucane became a world champion in which sport?
Cycling
According to a Spanish tradition on New Year’s Eve, how many grapes are eaten to bring good luck for the coming year?
12
Which orange-red food colouring is made using the seeds of the achiote tree?
Annatto
Which landlocked country earned a bronze medal in the women’s beach volleyball competition at the 2020 Olympics?
Switzerland
What does the “C” stand for in the international organisation OECD?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Which characters arc in Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” reflects the novel’s themes of resilience, solidarity and the quest for dignity?
Tom JOAD
Whose 1891 mathematical proof showed that there are infinite sets which cannot be put into one-to-one correspondence with the infinite set of natural numbers? His work on infinity raised religious and philosophical questions about the nature of the infinite and its relationship to God
Georg CANTOR
At one point during the Sensation Exhibition of Young British Artists, a large painting of which woman (who died in 2002) had to be placed behind perspex after being pelted with eggs?
Myra HINDLEY
What collective name could be given to Frank Wudekind’s plays “Earth Spirit” (1895) and “Pandora’s Box” (1904)? Neither of these plays were set in Dennistoun, Glasgow
The LULU plays
Which Hungarian man, known for his work in probability theory, is known for the quote “a mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems”?
Alfred RENYI
What species of Old World Monkeys are shown in the series of paintings known as “The Upper Room” by Chris Ofili? It is native to South, Central, and Southeast Asia and has the widest geographic range of all non-human primates. Two word answer
RHESUS MACAQUE
“Woman with a hat” (1905) is one of Matisse’s most famous works.His wife was the woman in the title. What was her first name? Her parents were part of the Humbert financial scandal
AMELIE
Well known to women in the Indian sub-continent, what are Jhumkas?
Earrings
Which composer who gained fame at the Hapsburg court introduced more drama by using orchestral recitative and cutting the usually long da capo aria? His greatest works include the opera “Alceste”
Christoph Gluck
Which German engineer, architect and archaeologist is credited with the discovery of the Pergamon Altar?
Carl Humann
Containing the same word three times in its title, what is the national anthem of Vanuatu?
Yumi Yumi Yumi
Which opera, left unfinished at the time of its composer’s death in 1924, was named after a Mongolian princess?
Turandot
Which cathedral in Krakow traditionally served as the coronation site for Polish monarchs?
Wawel Cathedral
Of which set of experiments conducted in 1887 did Albert Einstein say “If the (REDACTED) experiment had not brought us into serious embarrassment, no one would have regarded the relativity theory as a halfway redemption”?
Michelson-Morley Experiment
What was the name of The Verve’s magnum opus album which spawned 4 hit singles?
Urban Hymns
What is the collective name for the three small islands of Lampedusa, Lampione, and Linosa, located in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Tunisia?
Pelagie Islands
Regularly appearing on any list of the greatest German writers of all time, which man gave us the 1959 novel “Billiards at half past nine”? It examined themes of guilt and responsibility across 3 generations. Nobel Lit 1972.
Heinrich Boll
What is the actual first name of the American actress Stormy Daniels? The inventor of Kevlar had the same first name
Stephanie (Kwolek was Kevlar inventor)
Soon after the success of Sun Yat Sen’s 1911 revolution in China he quickly resigned as President of the newly formed republic in favour of what man? His death in 1916 plunged China into a period of warlordism
Yuan SHIKAI
Which American folk and blues singer, noted for his strong vocals, gave possibly the first recording of the phrase “Stay woke” on the 1938 recording of his “Scottsboro Boys” track?
Leadbelly
The modern form of Maxwell’s Equations in their most common formulation is credited to which English self-taught mathematician? His discovery of a reflective layer in the Earth’s atmosphere contributed to the development of radio technology
Oliver Heaviside
What 1764 work by Horace Walpole is regarded as the first ever Gothic novel?
Castle of Otranto
Please name all three species of Snake which are native to Britain
Adder, Grass, Smooth
The Bishop and Clerk Islets off which island mark the southernmost point of Australia (excluding the Australian Antarctic Territory)? This island is home to the entire royal penguin population during their annual nesting season
Macquarie Island
Which English actress who died in 1991 starred in Ken Loach’s “Cathy come home” and “Poor cow”?
Carol White
Which botched raid or invasion of late 1895 saw Cecil Rhodes replaced as the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony? The raid was intended to provoke an uprising by British workers in the Transvaal but it failed
The JAMESON raid
What food is mentioned in the common name of the popular hymn tune written by John Hughes in 1907? David Gates fronted a popular 1970s band which also were named after this food
BREAD of Heaven
The compilation album “Now That’s What I Call Music 1” was a huge success in 1983. That album contained the tracks “Only for love” by a solo singer and “Big Apple” by the band that singer fronted. Name either the solo star or his band
LIMAHL or KAJAGOOGOO
Which ancient Italic people scored a decisive victory over the Romans at the 321 BC Battle of Caudine Forks? Their defeat at the Battle of the Colline Gate in 82 BC led to their assimilation by the Romans and their eventual disappearance
Samnites
Which man, who has written various books on the subject of “Mind Mapping”, was one of the main organisers of the Mind Sports Olympiad tournament held in London in 1997?
Tony BUZAN
Which city, now part of France, was the birthplace of James I of Aragon (the Conqueror)? Rabelais and Nostradamus studied at the University in this city which is now the 3rd biggest on France’s Mediterranean coast
MONTPELIER
Which concept used in the analysis of magnetic circuits represents the opposition to magnetic flux, and depends on the geometry and composition of an object? This concept in a magnetic circuit is analagous to resistance in an electric circuit
Reluctance
From the 14th century onwards, the French tax known as the Gabelle was limited to which product?
Salt
The Frenchman René Belloq, played by Paul Freeman, is the main antagonist in which blockbuster adventure movie of 1981?
Raiders of the Lost Ark
In coordination chemistry, what name is given to an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex?
LIGAND
Which man cited in Bjørge Lillelien’s famous “Your boys took a hell of a beating” football commentary was actually born in Ontario in 1879 to a Scottish Presbyterian minister?
Lord BEAVERBROOK/ Max AITKEN
Playing home to one of the country’s most iconic lighthouses, what is Australia’s most eatern point?
Cape Byron
Sharing its name with a famed Indian ruined city, what was the title of the Magritte work which shows dozens of equally spaced men in overcoats and bowler hats seemingly floating?
Golconda
Most US state flags contain the colours red and blue, but what is the only US state that has a field of green? This state ranks second only to California in wine production
Washington
Who was the first officer on the RMS Titanic? He was in charge of the bridge at the time of the collision with the iceberg
William MURDOCH
Greystones, Arklow and Bray are towns in which Irish county?
County WICKLOW
Which cooper became the last leader of the Fifth Monarchy Men in the 17th century? His eponymous coup of 1661 came to nothing
Thomas VENNER
Which man’s famous work known as “The Birthday” depicts a scene from the Bible and features an embracing couple floating above a village?
Marc CHAGALL
What was the one-word name of the the fictional white supremacist and neo-fascist political party ruling the United Kingdom in Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta comic book/graphic novel series?
Norsefire
The musical duo “Two Tons of Fun” later became The Weather Girls, but they started off as backing singers for which star of the Disco Era?
SYLVESTER
What was the name of the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan during the 2021 United States withdrawal from the war in that country? His surname is very similar to that of the actress who starred in the Ken Russell movies The Lair of the White Worm (1988) and The Rainbow (1989).
Chris DONAHUE (Amanda DONOHOE)
Which Italian city provides the setting for Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew ?
Padua
Romeo visits what city in Romeo and Juliet so is the second city after Verona in the play?
Mantua
The Danish linguist Otto Jespersen coined which three-word term, which gives some explanation as to why many words in English differ in pronunciation from their spelling?
Great Vowel Shift
Which Holy Roman Emperor was painted on horseback by Titian following his victory at the 1547 Battle of Muhlberg?
Charles V
How was the city of Podgorica known between 1946 and 1992?
Titograd
What area of London gained notoriety for a series of poisionings which occurred in the 19th century? Julian Symons published a fictionalised account of the happenings in 1976
Blackheath
El Tigre island, the southernmost volcano of Honduras, lies within which Gulf?
Gulf of Fonseca
In Greek mythology which pair of lovers were drowned at sea and turned into birds after angering Zeus with their hubris?
Alcyone and Ceyx
In September 1814, after British forces burnt the White House during the War of 1812, which building served as the residence of United States president James Madison and first lady Dolley Madison? Like the White House, the Irishman James Hoban was also involved in the construction of this building
The Octagon House
In genetics, what word describes a functioning unit of DNA containing a cluster of genes under the control of a single promoter? For a long time these things were thought to exist solely in prokaryotes
Operons
Which Scottish investor, known for his work in physical optics, coined the term Kaleidoscope?
David BREWSTER
The Shard is the tallest building in the UK and the second tallest building in Europe outside of Russia. Who are the 95% owners of it? They also own the Hamad International airport amongst other things
State of QATAR
“The King Playing with the Queen”, “Petrified city” and “The Great Forest Keeper” are three of the most famous works by which German sculptor who lived from 1891 to 1976?
Max Ernst
What cape is situated at the Southern tip of Greenland? It marks the boundary between the Denmark Strait to the east and the Labrador Sea to the west
Cape Farewell
In Science, what word describes a variant of the sequence of nucleotides at a particular location, or locus, on a DNA molecule?
Allelle
Which Austrian-British psychoanalyst suggested that pre-verbal existential anxiety in infancy catalysed the formation of the unconscious? Alexander McCall Smith makes extensive use of this woman’s theories in his 44 Scotland Street series.
Melanie Klein
Peter Cooper, James Baird Weaver and Benjamin Butler all represented which political party in the US Presidential elections of the 1870s and 1880s? The party opposed a return to a bullion-based economy
The GREENBACK Party
Shimla served as the capital of British India from 1864 to 1939. In which modern day Indian state will you find the city of Shimla?
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Which Australian author burst onto the scene with her debut novel “Puberty Blues” in 1978? Her 2007 book “How to kill your husband” was made into an opera
Kathy LETTE
In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, how does Puck describe the six who perform the play-within-a-play Pyramus and Thisbe? They are a group of amateur and mostly incompetent actors from around Athens
Rude Mechanicals
Which man produced the 1959 epic movie “Ben Hur”? His other hits as a producer included “Quo Vadis” and “Mogambo”
Sam Zimbalist
Taking a look at three of the most famous females to leave a mark on Chinese history, what was Jung Chang’s bestseller published in 2019?
BIG SISTER, LITTLE SISTER, RED SISTER
What is the largest Norwegian settlement that lies within the Arctic Circle? The Nobel Prize winner Daniel Carleton Gajdusek died here
Tromso
Complete this poem by Wallace Steven: “If her horny feet protrude, they come, To show how cold she is, and dumb., Let the lamp affix its beam. The only emperor is the……….”?
Emperor of Ice Cream
Janet Philip, the school secretary at the LSE between 1920 and 1939, was the wife of which economist? She took a key role in producing and promoting his most famous work, which was published in 1942
William BEVERIDGE
“The Burial at Thebes” was a play by Seamus Heaney based on which fifth century BC tragedy?
ANTIGONE
Which city in the Shandong province of China was the birthplace of Confucius? The location of 3 UNESCO world heritage sites, it is now known by a 4-letter name
Qufu
What name is given to the natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on the shores of Mobile Bay, Alabama where many species of crab and shrimp swarm in shallow coastal areas? It is said that local people can fill the back of a pick up truck a foot deep with crabs at these events
JUBILEE
A 1933 referendum saw 68% of voters in which Australian state vote in favour of seccession? The federal government rejected the idea
Western Australia
Following the establishment of the Empire of Japan, what War saw the Tokugawa loyalists fight on until their final defeat at the Battle of Hakodate in 1869? This war is sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War
BOSHIN war
What was the name of the aspiring actress who filed a paternity suit against Charlie Chaplin in the early 1940s? Blood tests indicated that Chaplin was not the father but he still lost the case and had to pay child support for many years
Joan BARRY
Which Roman General was the father of Agrippina the Younger? He was the nephew and heir apparent of Tiberius. He died in Antioch in AD 19
Germanicus
What hyphenated hypothesis is a principle suggesting that the structure of a language influences its speakers’ worldview or cognition, and thus individuals’ languages determine or influence their perceptions of the world? The name is a misnomer as the two men mentioned never co-authored any works and never stated their ideas in terms of a hypothesis.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
In Islamic architecture, what name is given to a type of projecting window enclosed by latticework on the upper floor of a building? They were originally designed to allow women to peer out onto the street whilst remaining invisible
mashrabiya
There are 39 place settings on Judy Chicago’s famous artwork “The Dinner Party”. Which of these women served as the regent of Mantua during the absence of her husband Francesco II Gonzaga and during the minority of her son Federico. Diplomat Niccolò da Correggio hailed her as “The First Lady of the world”
Isabella D’Este
Mostly consisting of low, flat coral atolls, the majority of the Caroline Islands form part of what nation?
Micronesia
Which American writer wrote the essay collection called “Men explain things to me”, the origin of the term “Mansplaining”?
Rebecca SOLNIT
In calculus, what food related name is given to the theorem regarding the limit of a function that is trapped between two other functions? It was formulated in modern terms by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
The SANDWICH theorem
Which Scottish publishing house, probably best known for pubishing “Life of Pi”, share their name with the stretch of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile from the end of the High Street down to Holyrood Abbey?
Canongate
Britain recognised the French Republic in which treaty of 1802? The treaty was named after the city which is the capital of the Somme department
Amiens
Away from the guillotine executions at Paris, which city on the River Loire was noted for drowning those suspected of Royalist sympathies during the Terror? 300 to 400 people were drowned at each of 7 to 11 events
Nantes
What name was given to the committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet of France during the Reign of Terror?
the COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
During the French Revolution which group campaigned for the end of the monarchy, but then resisted the spiraling momentum of the Revolution? This caused a conflict with the more radical Montagnards
Girondins
Which young woman murdered the French Revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat at his some in July 1793?
Charlotte Corday
Charlotte Corday herself was executed in July 1793. As per the usual procedure her decapitated head was held up to show the crowd. What rather more unusual thing happened next?
Her FACE WAS SLAPPED by the executioner. Something he got in trouble for
The English author Thomas Paine started out as a supporter of the French Revolution however his objection to the beheading of Louis XVI led to a period in French Jail. Which future American President, an ambassador to France at the time, had to secure Paine’s release?
James Monroe
Which woman, the last chief mistress of Louis XV? She was executed on the suspicion of helping aristocrats flee the revolution
Madame du Barry
Times Square New York is formed by the junction of Broadway and two other streets. Please name either of those other streets.
SEVENTH AVENUE and FORTY SECOND STREET
What was the name of the German aviator who illegally flew into the USSR and landed a light aircraft near Moscow in 1987? His action helped end the Cold War as it allowed Gorbachev to dismiss officials who were against his reforms
Matthias RUST
Which Italian man, credited with creating the Baroque style of sculpture, is responsible for collonades around St Peter’s Square, Rome?
Gianlorenzo Bernini
Formally known as Plaza de la Constitución, what is the common name of the main square in Mexico city? It has been a gathering place for Mexicans since Aztec times
ZOCALO
What is the name of the sports shop which has been located at 25 Regent Street on Picadilly Circus since 1925?
LILLYWHITES
What is the name of the central square of Athens, which lies in front of the Greek Parliament? It has been the site of many political events over time
SYNTAGMA Square
Glynn Williams was the Sculptor of which British Prime Minister’s statue in Parliament Square, London?
David Lloyd George
In 1919, which square in the United Kingdom was occupied by tanks, with the local Police believing a Bolshevik Revolution was about to begin?
George Square
In which comic book did Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster’s creation “Superman” first appear in June 1938?
Action Comics
“Oh, Superman, where are you now, When everything’s gone wrong somehow? The men of steel, the men of power, Are losing control by the hour”. These are lyrics from which Genesis hit of 1986?
Land of Confusion
Klark Kent is a pseudonym used by which American drummer? As well as being part of an extremely successful US/ American trio of the late 70s/ early 80s he also provided the music for the movie “Wall Street”
Stewart Copeland
In the Black Lace novelty song “Superman”, what instruction always comes immediately before “Superman”?
Wave Your Hands
Which man, born 1965, starred alongside Charlie Sheen in both the movie “Hot Shots” and the TV series “Two and a half men”? He was also Lex Luthor’s nephew in Superman IV
Jon Cryer
In Superman media, what is the name of Lois Lane’s younger sister?
Lucy
In the Godfather part 2 Michael and Fredo Corleone attend a sex show with an act called “Superman”. This all takes place in the run up to the tumultuous events on New Year’s Eve 1958 in which country?
Cuba
“Superman and Paula Brown’s New Snowsuit” and the unfinished Double Exposure are among the prose works of which poet?
Sylvia Plath
“Is Superman ______?” (11) won the Diagram Prize for oddest book title in 2021. What word fills the blank? This would certainly be the case for someone who had taken part in the Brit milah ceremony
Circumcised
Max Verstappen gets all the headlines but who is his Red Bull-Honda driving partner in the 2024 F1 season?
Sergio Perez
Racing for Haas, who is the only German F1 driver in the 2024 season? Back in 2015 he won the 24 hours Le Mans race at his first attempt
Nico Hulkenberg
Which Australian/ Italian F1 driver is nicknamed “The Honey Badger”?
Daniel Ricciardo
All teams in the 2024 F1 Season compete on tyres provided by which company?
Pirelli
In 2024 the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix takes place at what course?
Imola
Which Australian man, born 2001, is the youngest driver in the 2024 F1 season? He drives for McLaren
Oscar Piastri
What two-word French term means a secure area at a motor racing circuit where the cars are kept at some times during a race meeting?
Parc Ferme
What name was given to the Public Inquiry which began in 2011 and which looked into the conduct of the British press and in particular into the News of the World phone hacking scandal?
Leveson Inquiry
Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry was set up to investigate a Northern Ireland political scandal which brought down the Government for a long period. By what rhyming name was this scandal ofter referred to?
Cash for Ash
Hugh Pennington, a Professor of Biology at the University of Aberdeen, has twice headed up inquiries into outbreaks of which rod-shaped coliform bacteria? An outbreak in Lanarkshire in 1996 killed 21 people
E-Coli
In 2013, the Home Office announced it was to hold an independent inquiry into the axe murder of which Private Investigator in a pub car park in London in 1987?
Daniel Morgan
What was the name of the British public inquiry which looked into the Iraq War? The head of the inquiry shared his surname with a former rugby player who played for Bath and England
CHILCOT Inquiry
Which green Italian condiment is made of chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic? It is often served with ossobuco alla milanese?
GREMOLATA
Typically served as a dip, which Egyptian condiment is a mixture of herbs, nuts (usually hazelnut), and spices?
DUQQA
What 5-letter word was the name of a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, ancient Greece, Rome,Carthage and later Byzantium?
GARUM
What savoury paste with a salty and slightly fishy taste was created in 1828 by an Englishman named John Osborn?
GENTLEMEN’S RELISH
Which condiment, popular throughout Yugoslavia since the end of the Second World War, is made principally from sweet bell peppers and eggplants?
AJVAR
What was the two word name of the silent movie which included the scene where Harold Lloyd seems to dangle dangerously from the arms of a clock?
Safety Last
Which swashbuckling silent movie actor hosted the first Oscars ceremony? Many years later it was revealed his son was the “Headless Man” in the Duchess of Argylle divorce case
Douglas FAIRBANKS
What hairstyle was popularised by the silent film star Louise Brooks?
The BOB
Actually Canadian, who was known as “America’s Sweetheart” during the silent film era?
Mary Pickford
Which silent film star, a mentor to the likes of Charlie Chaplin, saw his career falter when he was tried for the murder of a woman named Virginia Rappe? Although acquitted, his behaviour was regarded as an example of Hollywood’s poor morals
Fatty/Roscoe Arbuckle
In which silent movie of 1921 did Rudolph Valentino play a character called Ahmen Ben Hassan?
The SHEIK
While performing in the 1916 Follies, which nineteen-year-old silent film actress met the fifty-three-year-old newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and became his mistress?
Marion DAVIES
For a short period between 1973 and 1975 Henry Kissinger was one of the only people to hold which two high-level positions in the US giovernment at the same time? Both required
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER and SECRETARY OF STATE
Which American author is famous as the biographer of Henry Kissinger, Elon Musk and, possibly most famously, Steve Jobs?
Walter ISAACSON
Henry Kissinger was originally favourable of the idea when which country wished to start their own nuclear programme in the early 1970s? Emilio Medici was the leader of this country at the time
Brazil
Lord Byron is mentioned alongside Sir Walter Scott in which 1817 novel, the last by Jane Austen?
Persuasion
Which woman, the spouse of a man who would later become British Prime Minister, had an affair with Lord Byron and became the first to call him “Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know”?
Lady Caroline LAMB
Also the name of one of Byron’s most famous works, what was the name of the boat Percy Bysshe Shelley was sailing on when he drowned?
The DON JUAN
What was the name of Lord Byron’s sister who some people think he was incestuous with? This is also the name of the New England city which is the 3rd least populous state capital in the United States
Augusta
Much admired by Lord Byron, which Frenchman wrote the controversial 1791 novel “Justine”?
Marquis de Sade
In 1809 Lord Byron visited Albania in order to meet which man? Although a subject of the Ottoman Empire, this man ruled his territory with a very high degree of automony
ALI PASHA
Since 2006, the actress Amanda Peet has been married to which man? He was the co-creator of the Game of Thrones TV series alongside his collaborator D. B. Weiss
David BENIOFF
Including the name of a German city, what is the name of the musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione?
Dresden Dolls
What is the first name of the character played by Amanda Seyfried in the musical movie “Mamma Mia”? This is also the first name of the Duchess of Edinburgh
Sophie
Eventually declared a wrongful conviction, Amanda Knox originally served 4 years in prison for the murder of Meredith Kercher in which city?
PERUGIA
Which actress, first name Amanda, was Martin Freeman’s partner between 2000 and 2016? She quit the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing under controversial circumstances
Amanda ABBINGTON
Which woman, first name Amanda, was a co-presenter on “The Word” in the 1990s? In the same decade she was married to John Taylor of Duran Duran
Amanda DE CADANET
Which British business executive, first name Amanda, helped a Saudi consortium take over Newcastle United in October 2021?
Amanda STAVELEY
In Star Trek, which woman, first name Amanda, is the mother of Mr Spock?
Amanda GRAYSON
“Amanda Woodward “ from the popular 1990s TV series “Melrose Place”, is one of the most iconic characters from the show. Which actress played her? She was previously Sammy Jo Carrington in Dynasty
Heather LOCKLEAR
In the TV show called “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” who played the suburban housewife Amanda King? Her biggest role was most probably as Sabrina in the late 1970s run of Charlie’s Angels
Kate JACKSON
Which German writer won the 2024 International Booker Prize for the translation of her 2021 novel Kairos?
Jenny ERPENBECK
What is the name of the horse that won the 2024 Preakness Stakes?
Seize the Grey
What is the name of the teenage Italian website designer who is set to become the first canonised millennial in the Roman Catholic Church? He documented Eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions in a website he created before he died from leukemia.
Carlo ACUTIS
The phylum Ctenophora comprises the largest animals to swim with the help of cilia. They are commonly known by what name?
Comb Jellies
The Ems Ukaz was a secret decree issued in 1876 banning the use of the Ukrainian language in print except for reprinting old documents. It was issued by which Russian emperor?
Alexander II of Russia
Vaned and down are the two basic types of what epidermal growths on birds and some dinosaurs?
Feathers
In ancient Roman architecture, what do you call a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town’s forum?
Basilica
Families in Uvalde, Texas sued against which video game developer in May 2024 for promoting the DDM4 V7 gun through the game Call of Duty?
Activision Blizzard
What Japanese system of close combat was used to develop many modern martial arts such as judo, aikido, and sambo among others?
Jujutsu
German chemist Hermann Kolbe was the first to apply what term in a chemical context through his artificial gathering of acetic acid from carbon disulfide?
Synthesis
The Tower of Blue Horses and Blue Horse I were some of the notable works of which German painter who co-founded Der Blaue Reiter?
Franz Marc (killed at verdun)
The Narva flows into which two European countries?
Estonia and Russia
Menma is a condiment made from lacto-fermented bamboo shoots. A common topping for noodle soups, this condiment is originated from which Asian country?
Japan
In May 2024, Argentinian President Javier Milei labelled marketing expert Begoña Gómez corrupt, sparking a diplomatic crisis. Gómez is the wife of the prime minister of which country?
Spain
Actor Glen Powell portrayed which real-life astronaut in the 2016 film Hidden Figures?
John Glenn
Christine Baranski portrayed Diane Lockhart in what legal-political TV drama series from 2009 to 2016?
The Good Wife (spin off The Good Fight started in 2017)
English broadcaster, journalist and author. He has presented several national television series in the UK including Channel 4’s late-night entertainment show The Word and six series of ITV1 moral issues talk show It’s My Life.
Terry Christian
spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 19 November 1999 and the first crewed launch was on 15 October 2003.
Shenzhou
ROBOT WARS EXAMPLE CHAMPIONS ONLY CONNECT
Roadblock
Panic Attack
Chaos 2
Razer
Tornado
Typhoon 2
Apollo
Carbide
Eruption
Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters surname Quin. Their most recent album, Crybaby, was released on October 21, 2022. Their memoir, High School, was released on September 24, 2019, and in the fall of 2022, the TV series based on the memoir was released on Amazon Freevee.
Tegan and Sara
Which philosopher (980-1037) of the Islamic Golden Age used the “floating man” or “flying
man” argument to prove the existence of the soul?
Avicenna / Ibn Sina
Gertrude Stein said that this Spanish-born artist was the only one who made Picasso feel
threatened and one of his important works is a 1912 Cubist portrait of Picasso. This artist
(1887-1927), born José Victoriano González-Pérez, moved to France at age 19 and adopted
what French-inspired name by which he is best known?
Juan Gris
Set in Ruritania, Rupert of Hentzau is the sequel of which novel?
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
This artwork was begun in 1993 but will only be completed in the year 3183. Started by
Manfred Laber, it can be visited in Wemding, Germany and consists of a number of 6.5
tonne concrete blocks. Every 10 years another block is added, until there are 120 of them.
What is the name of this work of art?
Time Pyramid
Son of Parvati and Shiva and brother of Ganesha, which Hindu god of war is often depicted
riding a peacock and is especially revered in Tamil Nadu, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Singapore?
KARTIKEYA
Tropical Modernism is a term applied to a style of architecture that arose in the 20thcentury in post-colonial Africa and Asia. Among the architects closely associated with this style is Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003), who trained in London but did most of his major projects in which South Asian country, including the Seema Malaka temple (1978) and the New Parliament Building (1982)?
Sri Lanka
What Swahili word meaning “familyhood” did Tanganyikan (and future Tanzanian
president) and noted political philosopher Julius K. Nyerere describe as “the basis of African
Socialism” in a 1962 text? The same word, defined as “cooperative economics”, is one of the
seven principles of the holiday of Kwanzaa.
Ujamaa
During Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in the Shi’a Muslim community it
is customary to stage theatrical plays commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali
(Imam Husayn) in the 7th century CE. What is the name for these plays of mourning that
UNESCO lists as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iran?
Ta’ziyeh
A beloved painter of the Australian landscape, Kevin Charles Hart (1928-2006) from Broken
Hill, New South Wales, is best known by what three-letter nickname that is said to refer to
his ingenuity and inventiveness?
PRO Hart
Tenjōname (The Ceiling Licker), shown here in a 1781 illustration by Toriyama Sekien, is one of the hundreds of spirits and demons found throughout Japanese mythology. Sometimes called Mononoke, Bakemono, Mamono, or Ayakashi, these “strange” and “suspicious” spirits are most often known collectively by what five-letter name?
Yokai
At the 2024 Venice Biennale, the Golden Lion for the main curated exhibition was awarded to four Māori artists: Bridget Reweti, Erena Arapere-Baker, Sarah Hudson, and Terri Te Tau. By what name are they known when they collaborate as a group on large-scale installations?
Mataaho Collective
Shinto priest, philanthropist, student and teacher of Noh theatre, composer and
conductor of opera, author, visual artist, founder of the Japan-based International
Foundation for Arts and Culture and the Japanese Blind Golf Association, and the namesake
sponsor of an annual opera festival held at Sydney Harbour. What is the name of this man
(b. 1951)?
Haruhisa HANDA
Based on a thesis project he completed at McGill University in 1961, which IsraeliCanadian architect designed Habitat 67, a futuristic housing project that has become an architectural icon in the city of Montreal?
Moshe Safdie
An important artifact in the permanent collection of the Museum Ulm in Germany,
which 12-inch-tall (31 cm) part animal/part human figure carved from the tusk of a
mammoth was reconstructed from fragments found in a cave in Germany and is said to be
between 35,000 and 41,000 years old?
Lion Man
The Wynwood Art District, home to galleries, museums, and numerous street
artists, can be found in which US city?
Miami
What name, literally meaning “wind wall”, is given to Japanese folding screens,
made of paper or silk, that often show decorations or calligraphy that are used to separate
rooms in Japanese houses?
Byobu
Some people use tiny brushes to create art, but this American uses bulldozers.
What is the name of this American proponent of Land Art known for his mile long artwork
‘City’ and for the ‘Double Negative’ (1969)?
Michael Heizer
Through the use of handwritten tables of numbers and large groups of individual works in small frames, which German conceptual artist (1941-2009) was known for her mathematically inspired installations that visualise time in various contexts–such as her ‘Kulturgeschichte 1880–1983’ (Cultural History 1880–1983) (shown here) as well as 1970s
works ‘Ein Jahrhundert’ (A Century) and ‘Bismarckzeit’ (Bismarck era)?
Hanne DARBOVEN
Its fourth series premiered on Netflix in March 2024; which South African teen crime drama, set in Cape Town, follows Puleng, a high school student who suspects she has found her sister who was abducted as a baby?
Blood & Water
In 2010, which Romanian DJ and musician became the first of his country to feature in the
US Billboard Hot 100 and even topped the charts of the Dance Airplay with his hit ‘Stereo
Love’ in collaboration with Moldovan-Romanian singer Vika Jigulina?
Edward Maya
Serenay Sarikaya stars as Leyla Taylan, a lawyer who takes over the divorce case of the
famous third wife of entrepreneur Cem Murathan, in which Turkish TV series that is in the
Top 10 in 63 countries on Netflix (as of May 2024)?
Thank You Next
Performance of a 1961 orchestral tone poem composed by Jón Leifs (1899-1968) involves a
22-person percussion section, four sets of rocks hit with hammers, heavy metal chains, anvils, steel plates, sirens, and several dozen cannon shots to replicate the eruption of which volcano in southern Iceland?
Hekla
A collaboration with NPR that is broadcast on over 600 radio stations around the world and
as a free podcast, which three letters precede ‘Radio Hour’ in the name of the hour-long
weekly shows that each explore a theme through three to four related “talks”, plus interviewes and additional content hosted by Manoush Zomorodi since 2019?
TED
‘The Dice Man’ is a novel from 1971 by Luke Rhinehart in which the main character makes
all his decisions by rolling a dice, leading him to commit serious crimes. In 1984, a song based on this novel reached the top 10 in many hit parades. What is the title of this son gthat contains the lines, ‘The dice decide my fate, (…), In these trembling hands, My faith tells me to react, I don’t care, Maybe it’s unkind that I should change, A feeling that we share’?
Such a Shame (Talk Talk)
Which hard rock band from Los Angeles, with a rhyming name, formed by Randy Rhoads in
1973, one of the first Glam Metal bands, were especially known for their Slade cover ‘Cum
On Feel the Noize’?
Quiet Riot
What is the name of the drumming pattern that follows this left/right hand pattern: LRLL
RLRR LRLL RLRR?
paradiddle
Stu Phillips is a name you might not be familiar with, but he is a prolific musician who is
particularly associated with which TV producer, writing scores for his series including,
‘Knight Rider’, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’, and ‘Battlestar Galactica’?
Glen A Larson
It’s said that the construction of Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil, was funded by rubber
company owners who wanted to lure Enrico Caruso to perform there. Although it’s not clear
whether Caruso ever graced its stage, Teatro Amazonas opened on 7 January 1897, with a
performance of which opera by Ponchielli about a Genoese nobleman in love with a singer?
La Gioconda
What is the one-word stage name of the South Korean singer with real name Kim Yoon-ho,
previously member of The Koxx, who topped many charts with his tropical housedance
track ‘Way Back Home’ in 2018? He shares his name with a character from the Wallace &
Gromit universe.
Shaun
In his native language his name is written ⴱⵓⵎⴱⵉⵏⵓ, but under what seven-letter name does this songwriter and guitarist from Niger, of Touareg descent, record albums like ‘Nomad’ that went to number one on the iTunes World Chart in 2013 and about whom the documentary ‘Agadez the Music and the Rebellion’ was made?
Bombino
Although the band stopped playing in 1999, they later acquired an international cult following largely because of internet discussion boards. Their album ‘Long Season’ is highly regarded as well as their live album ‘98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare’. Initially fronted by singer Shinji Sato which dub band is now regarded as an important part of the Japanese
rock canon?
Fishmans
‘Music Sounds Better With You’ (1998) was the biggest international hit for which French
house trio with vocalist Benjamin Diamond, DJ Alan Braxa and producer Thomas Bangalter?
The group shares its name with a single from 1927 from American musician Hoagy Carmichael.
Stardust
Ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the 33rd best rock singer of all time, which
Argentinian musician (1959-2014), once vocalist of Soda Stereo, who was influenced by The
Beatles and The Police, is considered one of the most influential artists of Latin Rock?
Tributes after his death were played by Shakira, Roxette, Coldplay, U2 and many others
Gustavo Cerati
Born in Vietnam and spending her first months in an orphanage, who is this
actress? She starred in the TV series ‘High School Lover’ (2017), and ‘Boo, Bitch’ (2022), as
well as playing Jubilee in the X-Men universe?
Lana Condor
Created by German graphic designer Joerg Zuber, which virtual influencer was signed to Warner Bros in 2023, and became the first-ever digital popstar, launching her first single ‘Dominoes’ in the same year?
Noonoouri
In which science fiction drama-comedy series from 2021, Alan Tudyk plays the role
of an alien who after crashing his ship takes the form of Doctor Harry Vanderspeigle, and
learns the human ways, while trying to reconstruct a device to end all human life?
Resident Alien
Name of Wombat who is Alexandr Orlov’s Australian cousin in Compare the Meerkat?
Carl
The Opera ‘Calandro’ - by composer Giovanni Alberto Ristori - became the first Italian opera
performed in Russia when it was used for the musical festivities celebrating the coronation
of which Empress who ruled from 1730 to 1740? (First name is sufficient)
Anna
In 1862, the deadliest one-day battle in US military history occurred; in which US State was
the American Civil War Battle of Antietam (aka Battle of Sharpsburg) fought?
Maryland
Which US politician, best known for being the Senate leader for the Republican Party since
2007, a position in which he was successful in blocking many initiatives by Democratic
presidents including stalling the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland,
has announced his retirement from the Senate with effect from November 2024?
Addison “Mitch” McConnell
