Season 1 - Week 5

Question 1

Starring Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney and Aisling Bea, which movie, released on Disney+ in November 2021, is the sixth film in the Home Alone franchise?

Answer 1

Home Sweet Home Alone

Question 2

Nowadays most often used to make ornaments and other decorative objects, which malleable metal alloy consists of 85-99% tin, with smaller amounts of antimony, copper, bismuth, and sometimes silver? In ancient times, this alloy also contained lead, before the toxicity of lead was well-understood.

Answer 2

Pewter

Question 3

Dave Gallaher, the captain of the “Original All Blacks” in the early 1900s, and William Campbell, joint winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, were both born in which County Donegal town? Located 11km north of Letterkenny, this town is also home to McDaids, the company who produce the cult soft drink Football Special.

Answer 3

Ramelton

Question 4

Which vitamin is responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphates? In humans, the major natural source of this vitamin is a chemical reaction in the lower layers of the epidermis that is dependent on sun exposure (specifically UVB radiation).

Answer 4

D

Question 5

The Canal des Deux Mers (“Canal of the Two Seas”) describes the path from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean across France. This route uses two canals: the Canal de Garonne, which is connected to the Gironde estuary, and the Canal du Midi, which enters the Mediterranean. At which city in southcentral France do these two canals meet?

Answer 5

Toulouse

Question 6

Grian Chatten, Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Tom Coll are the members of which post-punk band formed in Dublin in 2017? Their 2019 debut album Dogrel was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, while their follow-up, A Hero’s Death , was later nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Answer 6

Fontaines D.C.

Question 7

Originally commissioned to hang in the House of Lords, an 1854 painting by Daniel Maclise is now on permanent display in the National Gallery of Ireland. The painting depicts a romanticised version of the 1170 marriage between Aoife MacMurrough and whom? This wedding was a pivotal moment in the Norman conquest of Ireland.

Answer 7

Strongbow (also accept Richard de Clare)

Question 8

What two word name describes a stock fictional character, usually a young woman, who is portrayed as unrealistically free of weaknesses? The term was coined by writer Paula Smith in a 1973 short story which satirised the idealised female characters widespread in Star Trek fan fiction.

Answer 8

Mary Sue

Question 9

Following the sudden death of Alexander the Great, Macedonian unity collapsed and 40 years of war ensued. Which of Alexander’s successors took control of Egypt? The kingdom he founded, and which bore his name, lasted from 305 to 30 BCE.

Answer 9

Ptolemy I Soter (accept Ptolemaic Kingdom)

Question 10

It’s not their usual green, but in what colour jerseys did the Republic of Ireland men’s football team take to the field for their friendly match against Qatar on October 12th, 2021? The colour was chosen to mark the 100th anniversary of the Football Association of Ireland.

Answer 10

Blue

Question 11

Which country has topped the medals table at every Summer Paralympic games held since 2004?

Answer 11

China

Question 12

The first authenticated image of Abraham Lincoln, taken when he was a U.S. Congressman-elect in 1846, was produced using which early photographic process? This process was named after the French artist
who developed it in the 1830s.

Answer 12

Daguerreotype

Question 13

Which Irish singer from Castleblayney, County Monaghan, had three number ones on the Irish singles charts in the early 1970s? Between 1966 and 1975, his backing band were the Mainliners; after this date he performed with a different group, called the Travellers.

Answer 13

Big Tom McBride

Question 14

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, consisting of a carbonate or bicarbonate mixed with a weak acid. The first person to create a form of baking powder was which English chemist and food manufacturer in 1843? This man is also well known for his invention of egg-free custard.

Answer 14

Alfred Bird

Question 15

Upper case or capital letters are formally known by what name in typography? Letters in this grouping generally have the same height - although, depending on the typeface, there may be some exceptions, for example when Q and/or J have a descending element.

Answer 15

Majuscule

Question 16

Which British politician, born in Agra, India, served as President of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)? In January 2021, he resigned from his then-position as UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in order to focus on COP26.

Answer 16

Alok Sharma

Question 17

Which vitamin (also known as ascorbic acid) is used to prevent and treat scurvy? It is an essential nutrient involved in the repair of tissue, the formation of collagen and is important for immune system function

Answer 17

C

Question 18

Emma Stone starred as the title character in which 2021 Disney movie, the third live-action adaptation in the 101 Dalmatians franchise? The film was both a reboot of the franchise and an origin story for the title character.

Answer 18

Cruella

Question 19

Which Irish singer and accordion player from Athlone has achieved five Irish number one singles during his career, the best known of which is his 1979 hit Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down?

Answer 19

Brendan Shine

Question 20

Actor Ray McAnally and writer Frank McGuinness were both born in which County Donegal town, the largest on the Inishowen peninsula?

Answer 20

Buncrana

Question 21

Which country has finished second in the medals table at all but one Summer Paralympic games since the year 2000? Oddly, that year was 2012, when they finished third.

Answer 21

Great Britain (accept UK)

Question 22

Prior to the introduction of affordable film, which occurred between the late 1880s and late 1910s, what was the most common capture medium in photography? To be used, these items would be coated with a light-sensitive emulsion of silver salts.

Answer 22

Glass Plates

Question 23

Conor O’Brien is the founder and constant member of which Irish Indie band? To date, the group has released five albums, the first two of which (Becoming a Jackal and Awayland ) were both nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

Answer 23

Villagers

Question 24

Which British politician, a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, resigned from the House of Commons on the 5th of November 2021 following a report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that he had broken paid advocacy rules? The ensuing controversy has been referred to as the “second jobs” scandal.

Answer 24

Owen Paterson

Question 25

On permanent display in the National Gallery of Ireland is a 1923 portrait by William Orpen. Who is the subject of this painting: an Irish tenor born in 1884 in Athlone, County Westmeath?

Answer 25

John McCormack

Question 26

What two word term describes a literary stock character who embodies the concept of an outsider or ‘other’ who has not been ‘corrupted’ by civilization? In English, the phrase first appeared in John Dryden’s 1672 play The Conquest of Granada , while more recent examples of the character are found in works such as Tarzan , Conan the Barbarian and Dances with Wolves.

Answer 26

Noble Savage

Question 27

It’s not their usual green, but in what colour jerseys did the Ireland men’s Rugby Union team take to the field for their international match against Japan on November 6th, 2021? This was the first outing for their new alternate colour jerseys which had been unveiled the previous month.

Answer 27

Purple and black (accept either)

Question 28

In typography, what word is used to describe what are also commonly known as ‘lower case’ or ‘small’ letters? There is more variation in the height of this grouping, as some of them have parts higher (ascenders) or lower (descenders) than the typical size.

Answer 28

Miniscule

Question 29

Constructed by the forced labour of gulag inmates, Russia’s second-longest canal originally bore the name of Josef Stalin when it opened in 1933. Today it is simply known by the names of the two bodies of water at either end. One of these is the Baltic Sea. What is the other: an inlet of the Barents Sea on which
one can find the city of Arkhangelsk?

Answer 29

White Sea (White Sea–Baltic Canal)

Question 30

The alloy electrum, sometimes called “green gold”, was used to make the first metal coins, produced in Anatolia at the end of the 7th century BCE. Electrum is a naturally-occurring alloy of gold and what other metal?

Answer 30

Silver

Question 31

In the 1890s, which German pharmacist began to market and sell his own formulation of baking powder? It is still sold today under his name, along with cake mixes, frozen pizza and various other products.

Answer 31

Dr. August Oetker

Question 32

Which of Alexander the Great’s successors took control of the Macedonian region of Babylonia? The empire he founded, and which bore his name, existed from 312 to 63 BCE, and at its peak included territory in Anatolia, Persia, the Levant and Mesopotamia.

Answer 32

Seleucus I Nicator (accept Seleucid Empire)

Question 33

The German-language newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung and French-language Le Temps are both considered the papers of
record in which European country?

Answer 33

Switzerland

Question 34

First published in 1925 and sharing its name with a feature on its country’s flag, O Globo is a broadsheet newspaper in what country? It is considered a right-wing and conservative publication, due its support of the military dictatorship in effect in this South American country between 1964 and 1985.

Answer 34

Brazil

Question 35

First printed in July 1848 as a liberal bourgeois newspaper in support of the revolutions of that year, Die Presse still carries the slogan “Frei Seit 1848” (Free since 1848) on its masthead. In which country is Die Presse considered a paper of record?

Answer 35

Austria

Question 36

The paper of record in two neighbouring Asian countries have nearly-identical names. One is The Straits Times, founded in 1845, and the other is the New Straits Times, founded in 1965 after one of these countries split from the other. Appropriately, these two countries are indeed separated by a strait. Name both countries?

Answer 36

Malaysia and Singapore (need both)

Question 37

The logo for which extremely common memory card format was originally developed for the Super Density Disc, Toshiba’s
unsuccessful entry in the DVD format war? For this reason, one of the letters in this memory card’s logo resembles half of an optical disc.

Answer 37

SD card / Secure Digital card

Question 38

Three technology companies defined the standard for the SD card in 1999: Panasonic, Toshiba, and which American company? Appropriately, “SD” could be used as an abbreviation of this company’s name - they were purchased by Western Digital in 2016 but still operate as a standalone brand of memory cards, USB memory sticks and solid state hard drives.

Answer 38

SanDisk (also accept SunDisk)

Question 39

In 1994, SanDisk was the first company to manufacture devices compatible with which memory card format? This format was one of the most successful memory card formats of the late 1990s, and though ultimately eclipsed by SD Card, it is still used today by Canon and Nikon for their high-end digital still cameras.

Answer 39

CompactFlash

Question 40

Which memory card format was launched by Sony in late 1998? The company exclusively used this card on its products in the 2000s such as digital cameras, camcorders, VAIO PCs and the PlayStation Portable handheld game console. However, in 2010 Sony started to support the SD card format in its place.

Answer 40

Memory Stick

Question 41

The wreck of what British ocean liner was located in October 1935, just over 20 years after a German torpedo sank her 18 km off the coast of County Cork?

Answer 41

RMS Lusitania

Question 42

One of the largest ships in King Henry VIII’s navy, and sunk during the 1545 Battle of the Solent: the wreck of what English warship was discovered in 1971 and raised in 1982?

Answer 42

Mary Rose

Question 43

The wreck of what American battleship, sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor beneath a namesake memorial? This battleship was commissioned in 1916 and named after a territory that had become a US state four years prior.

Answer 43

USS Arizona

Question 44

The wreck of what Swedish warship, built on the orders of King Gustavus Adolphus, can nowadays be seen in her namesake museum in Stockholm? The ship capsized less than a mile into her maiden voyage in 1628.

Answer 44

Vasa / Wasa

Question 45

Galileo Galilei made several of his most significant discoveries while a member of staff at which Italian university, where he taught geometry, mechanics, and astronomy between 1592 and 1610? This university is located in a namesake city roughly 40 km west of Venice.

Answer 45

University of Padua

Question 46

Launched in 1989 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Galileo was an American robotic space probe designed to study which planet and its many moons? Galileo became the first spacecraft to orbit this planet, in December 1995

Answer 46

Jupiter

Question 47

Galileo (1998 - 2021) was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which only lasted eight races, he won his first six
including the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Which Irish flat racing jockey (born 1959 in Tipperary) was on board Galileo for seven of his eight races, including all three of his Grade One wins?

Answer 47

Michael Kinane

Question 48

Galileo (Someone Like You) was written and released by which Irish singer-songwriter in 2004? It also featured on his platinum-selling debut album Since Kyabram .

Answer 48

Declan O’Rourke

Question 49

Belleville, Bolivar and Invalides are stations that can be found as part of the extensive metro network of which European capital city, which first opened in 1900?

Answer 49

Paris

Question 50

People’s Square, Hongkou Football Stadium and East Nanjing Road are stations that can be found as part of the metro network of which Chinese city, the world’s largest by length, that first opened in 1993?

Answer 50

Shanghai

Question 51

Faisal, Sadat and St. Teresa are stations that can be found as part of the metro network of which African capital city, that first opened in 1987?

Answer 51

Cairo

Question 52

Altamira, Capuchinos and Miranda are metro stations in which capital city in the Americas, whose metro network first opened in 1983?

Answer 52

Caracas

Question 53

Usually made from tweed, which type of cap is typically worn in rural areas or used for hunting, but became iconic worldwide due to its association with fictional detective Sherlock Holmes?

Answer 53

Deerstalker

Question 54

Also known as a jipijapa or a toquilla straw hat, a traditional brimmed straw hat of Ecuadorian origin is more commonly referred to using the name of which other country?

Answer 54

Panama hat

Question 55

A square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft, is traditionally worn by Catholic clergy. What is the name of this hat? Those worn by a priest are black, while bishop’s are reddish-pink and cardinal’s are scarlet red and made of silk.

Answer 55

Biretta

Question 56

With a name deriving from the Russian word for “ears”, what is the name of the iconic fur cap which has been an enduring symbol of the Soviet Union and Russia for decades? It features ear-covering flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the cap, or fastened at the chin to protect the ears, jaw, and lower chin from the cold.

Answer 56

Ushanka

Question 57

Which Canadian novelist is one of five people to have won the Booker Prize twice? Nominated six times, her two winning novels were The Blind Assassin (2000) and The Testaments (2019).

Answer 57

Margaret Atwood

Question 58

As well as being one of the judges who decided on the 1990 award, which British writer is another of the five people to have won the Booker Prize twice? Her winning novels were Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012).

Answer 58

Hilary Mantel

Question 59

Which South African is another of the five authors to have won the Booker Prize twice? Nominated three times, his winning books were Life & Times of Michael K (1983) and Disgrace (1999).

Answer 59

JM Coetzee

Question 60

Which Australian novelist is another two-time winner of the Booker Prize? Nominated four times, his two winners were Oscar and Lucinda (1988) and True History of the Kelly Gang (2001).

Answer 60

Peter Carey

Question 61

Officially, Ireland’s first presidential election took place in 1938. However, when nominations closed on May 4th of that year, only one candidate had been nominated. Who was then elected unopposed into the office?

Answer 61

Douglas Hyde / Dubhghlas de hÍde

Question 62

Which founding member of the SDLP, who passed away on 9th November 2021, placed third in the 1990 Irish Presidential election, after being nominated by Fine Gael?

Answer 62

Austin Currie

Question 63

What man is the only person to have served two full terms in the office of President of Ireland without having to take part in an election before either term?

Answer 63

Patrick Hillery (1976 - 1990)

Question 64

Which Fine Gael politician, barrister and judge, who served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 1974 to 1985, was twice runnerup in Irish presidential elections? In 1966 he came within 1% of Éamon de Valera before losing the 1973 election by a 4% margin to Erskine Childers.

Answer 64

Tom O’Higgins