Set 11 Flashcards
Considered by many critics to be one of the greatest horror films ever made, which 1977 Dario Argento film stars Jessica Harper as a young, American ballet student?
Suspiria
Published in 1964, Weep Not, Child was the first English-language novel to be published by an East African. Dealing with the relationship between Africans and the British colonists, it was written by which Kenyan author whose best known works include the novel A Grain of Wheat and the essay Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature?
Ngugi wa Thiong’o or James Ngugi
The Japanese sport of hanetsuki is very similar to which sport of Western origin but for its lack of a net?
Badminton
Which class of fundamental particle consists of six “flavours”: the electron, the muon, the tauon, the electron neutrino, the muon neutrino, and the tauon neutrino?
Lepton
According to Greek mythology, which son of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete was the founder and first king of Ephyra, later to become known as Corinth?
Sisyphus
Which variety of sherry, that is darker than fino but lighter than oloroso, is named after the region of Spain in which it originated in the 18th Century?
Amontillado
Embarking on the British ship HMS Adventure in 1773, which young Ra’iatean man, the subject of famous paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds and William Parry, was the first Pacific Islander to visit Europe?
Mai or Omai
All of the moons of Uranus are named after characters from Shakespeare or characters from Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. Which is the only one of the planet’s moons to be named after a character found in both The Rape of the Lock and a Shakespearean play?
Ariel
It has the motto Magen VeLo Yera’e, meaning ‘the unseen shield’. Officially known in English as the Israel Security Agency, what is the more common name of Israel’s internal security service?
Shin Bet
Released in 2005, the companion albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize were the last releases from which Armenian-American rock band prior to the band going on indefinite hiatus in 2006?
System of a Down
The Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi were all pupils of this 15th Century Italian sculptor, goldsmith and painter. Working at the court of Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence, whose best known works include The Baptism of Christ and Madonna with the Saints John the Baptist and Donatus?
Andrea del Verrocchio
In cycling, what is the literal meaning of ‘peloton’?
Little ball
From 2007, the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix has been hosted in alternate years by which two circuits (for half a point each)?
Fuji Speedway and Suzuka
Which oil company, founded in Beijing in 1999, is currently the world’s largest publicly traded company in terms of both market capitalisation and revenue?
PetroChina
The 1841 book Das Wesen des Christentums, which was translated into English as The Essence of Christianity by George Eliot, is the major work of which German philosopher, perhaps best known for his oft-quoted line, “Man is what he eats”?
Ludwig Feuerbach
One of Gustav Klimt’s best known works is a 1902 frieze created as a celebration of which composer for the 14th Vienna Secessionist exhibition?
Beethoven
Muhammad was reported to use which cosmetic every night before going to sleep?
Kohl
Which ingredient is added to a béchamel sauce to make Aurore sauce?
Tomatoes or Tomato purée
Human beings are members of a whole, In creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, Other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, The name of human you cannot retain. The above lines are found at the entrance to the Hall of Nations of the UN building in New York. They were written by which extraordinary 13th Century Persian poet, best known for his works Bustan and Gulistan?
Sa’adi
In the Hindu Puranas this role is taken by Manu, in Babylonian mythology by Utnapishtim. Who takes this role in the Bible?
Noah (All central characters of deluge myths)
Named, in part, after an Italian author, what is the title of the 1962 Italian portmanteau film, directed by Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio de Sica, that is an anthology of four episodes, each by one of the directors and each one concentrating on a different aspect of morality and love in modern times?
Boccaccio ’70
Named after a luxury automobile manufacturer, what is the name of the annual golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by a team representing Asia and a team representing the rest of the world?
Lexus Cup
In information theory, what name, after two American electronics researchers, is given to the theory that establishes the maximum amount of error-free digital data that can be transmitted over a communications channel with a specified bandwidth in the presence of noise?
Shannon-Hartley Theorem
Referring to the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as his prophet, which is the first and most important Pillar of Islam?
Shahada
Released in 2007, this video game is the third title in its namesake series and was developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360. With sales of 8.1 million copies, it is already the best-selling first-person shooter console game of all time. Which game?
Halo 3 (accept Halo)
The Earth’s most severe extinction event occurred 251.4 million years ago and saw up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct. Forming the boundary between its namesake geologic periods, what is the name of this extinction event?
Permian-Triassic extinction event
Which 1928 crime movie, directed by Brian Foy and released by Warner Brothers, was the first all-talking feature film?
Lights of New York
Bajan is an English-based creole language spoken on which island nation?
Barbados
Which traditional Spanish sport, the object of which is to knock down a piece of wood from a distance of 14.5 meters with a metal cylinder called a marro, was developed in pre-Roman times by Celtiberian shepherds who threw stones at bull’s horns to entertain themselves?
Calva
Mixing Berber, Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms with modern Western musical styles, raï is a popular form of North African folk music that originated in and around which Algerian seaport during the 1930s?
Oran
In 2008, it was the world’s third most popular social networking site in terms of monthly unique visitors, behind only Facebook and MySpace. Particularly popular in the developing nations of Africa, Asia and South and Central America, which website was founded in the USA in 2003 by Ramu Yalamanchi?
Hi5
Sharing his surname with a more famous French artist, this Early Netherlandish painter is considered one of the last of the great masters of Bruges. Who is this painter of The Marriage at Cana, The Annunciation and The Virgin Among Angels?
Gerard David
Martin Scorsese’s 1997 film Kundun tells of the life of which living person?
Dalai Lama
This battle, part of the Northwest Indian War, is also known as the Battle of the Wabash or Battle of Wabash River and was fought on 4th November 1791. Of the 1,000 American troops who went into battle, 623 were killed, making the battle the greatest loss to Native American forces by the United States Army in history and the worst defeat that United States forces have ever suffered in battle in proportional terms of losses to strength. Taking it from the general who led the defeated American forces, by what name is this battle best known?
St. Clair’s Defeat
Boogie Chillen and Boom Boom, both named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, are two of the best known songs by which blues guitarist and singer-songwriter?
John Lee Hooker
Which brand of urban clothing, established in 1993 and named after its founding fashion designer, has a white rhino as its logo?
Ecko
Located 30 km from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra, which archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to 34 monumental Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples built between the 5th and 10th Centuries?
Ellora Caves
Its name deriving from the Greek for ‘serpent keys’, which type of conical bore, brass-keyed bugle, eventually succeeded by the tuba and euphonium, was employed in Mendelssohn’s Elias and Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique?
Ophicleide
First coming to prominence with their eurodisco hit single You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul, which synthpop duo, consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen, are the most successful German music act in history with record sales of 120 million?
Modern Talking
Becoming extinct approximately 40,000 years ago and about the size of a hippopotamus, which is largest known marsupial ever to have lived?
Diprotodon
Following the film’s premier at the 2009 Cannes Film festival, which film did the Ecumenical Jury describe as “the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world”?
Antichrist
Named after a city in Nigeria, which brimless, short, rounded cap, often made of kente cloth or mudcloth, is the traditional hat for men in much of West Africa?
Kufi
With a name deriving from the Italian for ‘ball’, which Tuscan ball game, similar to the French game jeu de paume, is played in various towns between Siena and Grosseto?
Palla
Formerly known as the the Shahyad Aryamehr, which large tower in Tehran, designed by Hossein Amanat and completed in 1971 in commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, is known as the ‘Gateway to Iran’?
Azadi Tower
The only Portuguese writer to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, he was first published relatively late in life, in his 50s, and is probably best known for the novel The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. Now in his eighties his latest work, Cain, a wry retelling of another Biblical story, has caused a fresh storm in his home country. Who?
Jose Saramago
This acclaimed Australian writer was awarded theNeustadt International Prize for Literaturein 2000, his 1993 novelRemembering Babylonwon theInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Awardin 1996, he won the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Awardin 2008, and he was shortlisted for theBooker Prize. Who?
David Malouf
Which 2009 film is a satirical look at New York’s contemporary art galleries featuring former footballer Vinnie Jones as a conceptual art genius?
(Untitled)
Which film festival is held in the Turkish city of Antalya?
Golden Orange
Claude Mackay wrote a poem in 1919 in response to race riots across American cities. It was a poem of such quality that it became an anthem of resistance everywhere and was used by Sir Winston Churchill to encourage troops in the second world war. What was it called?
If We Must Die
Gabriel, grandson and namesake of which classical composer, has written a DJ concerto for turntables and orchestra. What’s his surname?
Prokofiev
Which famous word in the Tshiluba language of southwest Congo means ‘a person ready to forgive and forget a first offence, tolerate a second one but never forgive or forget a third one’?
Ilunga
What is the name of the group of disabled musicians from Kinshasa?
Staff Benda Billi
Iraq’s Post War Art and Culture Festival is being held in which notorious jail in Iraqi Kurdistan which, during Saddam Hussein’s regime was used to imprison, torture and murder Kurdish people?
Red Jail
By which acronym is Zaha Hadid’s National Museum of XXI Century Art in Rome usually known?
MAXXI
30 years after his death, his last novel The Original of Laura is finally to be published. But should it be? On the eve of his death, fearing it was imperfect, he instructed his wife to destroy the manuscript. Who?
Vladimir Nabokov
Which small Andean stringed instrument is made from the shell of the armadillo?
Charango
In 2009, which country offered Hollywood directors a 25% tax credit to film there?
Georgia
Jeff Tweedy heads which Chicago-based double Grammy award winning band?
Wilco
Keorapetse Kgositsile holds which position in South Africa?
Poet Laureate
Literally meaning “The Abode of Clouds” inSanskrit, which hilly state is India’s northeasternmost and has its capital at Shillong?
Meghalaya
Which country music star is a massive-seller in the USA but relatively unknown around the rest of the world. His aggressive pro-military Bush-era foreign policy anthem ‘Courtesy of the Red White and Blue’ was a controversial radio hit?
Toby Keith
Pirate Latitudes was a novel found after whose death, and published posthumously?
Michael Crichton
Which 2001 film by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, set in Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban, is based on a story of a successful Afghan-Canadian (played by Nelofer Pazira) who returns to Afghanistan after receiving a letter from her sister, who was left behind when the family escaped, that she plans on committing suicide on the last solar eclipse of the millennium?
Kandahar
Which Maltese-American comics artist and journalist achieved international fame through the 1996 American Book Award-winning Palestine, and his graphic novel on the Bosnian War, Safe Area Goražde?
Joe Sacco
The 2009 film Machan is based on the real story of the not-so-real Sri Lankan national team who travelled to Germany in 2004 to take part in a championship, and promptly vanished. When the authorities tried to track down the players they soon discovered that there is no Sri Lankan National team for the sport; in fact the game isn’t even played there. Which sport?
Handball
After the 1959 revolution, Castro gave Che Guevara which position?
Head of the National Bank
In 2009, Arabella Dorman became the first female holder of which British post?
Official war artist
Who starred in the title role in the 1982 BBC adaptation of The Woman in White?
Jenny Seagrove
Which American composer of modern and avant-garde music, noted as an explorer of unusual timbres, alternative forms of notation, and extended technique, shares his full name with the inventor of the potato crisp?
George Crumb
Two days after their appearance on Ed Sullivan, the Beatles performed live at their first ever US venue- which one?
Washington Coliseum
Literally “fallen words”, which Japanese verbal entertainment consists of a lone storyteller sitting on the stage, depicting a long and complicated comical story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters, the difference between the characters depicted only through change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head?
Rakugo
Which sandals made from straw rope that in the past were the standard footwear of the common people in Japan are now mostly worn by traditional Buddhist monks?
Waraji
Giving 30 percent more power output than ethanol, which biofuel is a by-product of the whisky distillation process?
Butanol
Which football player lives in an eco-friendly flower-shaped underground house near Bolton?
Gary Neville
Which was the most expensive film ever made, in 2010- $258 million (c.f. $237 million for Avatar)?
Spiderman 3
Which Parisian artist and sculptor has sold part of himself, in the form of cameras capturing him working in his studio and projecting this into a cave in Tasmania for the rest of his life?
Christian Boltanski
Which Chilean author of the apocalyptic 2666 and also The Savage Detectives died in 2003 of liver failure, possibly as a result of drug abuse earlier in his life?
Roberto Bolano
Who played Lennon’s mother Julia in Nowhere Boy?
Anne-Marie Duff
Dancer Marge Champion was the model for which Disney character?
Snow White
What is the name of the Georgian-language equivalent of the Simpsons?
The Samsonadzes
Which style of art that flourished in India during the British Raj in the early 20th century was associated with Indian nationalism, but was also promoted and supported by British arts administrators?
Bengal School
Which style of art , based in Bombay, was established post-independence as a reaction against the Bengal School?
Progressive Artist’s Group
Who directed both ‘Chicago’ and ‘Nine’?
Rob Marshall
Which Italian quick-change artist is described in the Guinness Book of Records 2006 and 2007, he is described as the fastest quick change artist in the world? Born in Turin, his career covers a wide artistic range and has made him an international name. The change from one costume to another is performed in a matter of seconds, often by throwing a sheet up and completely changing costume by the time it falls. In his current show, he performs 80 characters in one evening?
Arturo Brachetti
At which British football club would you find the Lisbon Lions stand?
Celtic
The Art of Commercials event is an annual exhibition celebrating art in adverts held in which city’s Arts Centre?
Hong Kong
Which German artist (1902-1975) is best known for the life-sized pubescent female dolls he produced in the mid-1930s. Historians of art and photography also consider him a Surrealist photographer?
Hans Bellmer
Held in the oasis town of Essakane and attended by Paul Oakenfold among others, in which country is the Festival of the Desert held?
Mali
A giant bronze statue to the ‘African Renaissance’, The newly built 50-metre high monument of a man, woman and child perched on a hill-top looking out to sea dominates the sky-line of the capital. The project has already caused anger because of its cost, its $27 million price tag deemed excessive for a poor country. Now there’s been outrage because of the skimpy clothing worn by the female figure with architects considering whether they can cover up her bare legs in some way. Where?
Senegal
The last of the French New Wave directors to become established. He worked as the editor of the Cahiers du cinéma periodical from 1957 to 1963. In his obituary in The Daily Telegraph he was described as “the most durable film-maker of the French New Wave”, outlasting his peers and “still making movies the public wanted to see” late in his career. He directed Pauline A La Plage and The Marquise of O….?
Eric Rohmer
Which French sculptor who developed a rough hewn, primitive style of direct carving (e.g. Redstone Dancer) moved to London in 1910, where he fell in with Vorticism and became a founder of the London School? With him came a Polish writer over twice his age whom he had met at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, and with whom he began an intense symbiotic relationship, annexing her surname.
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
One of Ukraine’s richest men is establishing an international arts prize through his foundation. The Future Generation Arts Prize is calling for all artists - under the age of 35 - from around the world to enter, regardless of location, gender, nationality, race or artistic medium. The winner will receive US$100, 000 prize money. What’s the name of the man?
Viktor Pinchuk
What is the pen name of a Mainland Chinese writer born in Suzhou who is now based in Nanjing. His real name is Tong Zhonggui and he wrote Wives and Concubines, adapted into Raise The Red Lantern?
Su Tong
In 1986, doctors told one of the best known European exponents of abstract expressionism - that he was terminally ill. In the remaining three years of his life, he produced 650 paintings… accelerating to almost one canvas a day in the last 12 months. Which Franco-German man?
Hans Hartung
Which American R&B/soul singer and songwriter (1950-2010) first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade. In 1982, he was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the waist down. After his injury, the affable entertainer founded an eponymous Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries?
Teddy Pendergrass
Which Australian crime writer, known for his Melbourne-set Jack Irish novels, became the first Australian to win the Golden Dagger in 2007 with The Broken Shore?
Peter Temple
Granted French citizenship in 1997, who is so far the only Chinese man to win the Nobel Prize for literature, doing so in 2000?
Gao Xingjian
This photojournalist was best known for his documentation of Andy Warhol’s infamous Factory in the 1960s. Warhol saw him as a fellow artist and a kindred spirit and gave him unrivalled and unlimited access to his entourage. As a result the photos he took expose both the seedy reality as well as the glamorous veneer of the Factory and its faithful. Who?
Nat Finkelstein
“School” is a hard-hitting new TV drama that premiered on Channel One television in January 2010. Set in a secondary school the characters indulge in fistfights, drink beer during the break and there are plentiful references to sex and internet pornography. In which country?
Russia
Chow-Yun Fat plays the title role in which 2010 biopic directed by Hu Mei?
Confucius
The biggest literature festival in Asia and the biggest completely free festival of literature in the world is held in which Indian city?
Jaipur
A sculpture that was found in one of the eponymous caves near Bethlehem, which is considered to be 11,000 years old and to be the oldest known representation of two people engaged in sexual intercourse. What’s it called?
The Ain Sahkri lovers
In which country is the Giller Prize a top literary award?
Canada
Her 2002 book Open was a commercial and critical breakthrough, earning a nomination for the Giller Prize. Her first novel, Alligator (2005), was also nominated for the Giller Prize. It won the 2006 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award, Caribbean and Canada Region. Moore often incorporates her Newfoundland heritage in her work; Alligator, for example, is set in St. John’s. February is her newest work. Which Eastern seaboard of Canada writer?
Lisa Moore
Called “Ku Yakin Sampia Di Sana” (I’m Certain I’ll Get There), the CD features some of Indonesia’s most popular singers. Which Indonesian president released it in 2010?
S. Bambang Yudhoyono
Which book by Andrea Levy is the follow-up to Small Island?
The Long Song
American sculptor James Turrell uses light and space to create installations that have moved even the harshest critics to wonder at the beauty and simplicity of his work. The only museum dedicated to his work is in which country?
Argentina
Which Independent film awards are held in Santa Monica the day before the Oscars?
Spirit
Who directed The Empire Strikes Back and Never Say Never Again, dying aged 87 in 2010?
Irvin Kershner
Which American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four? He holds NFL records for consecutive seasons with over 4,000 yards passing and the most total seasons with 4,000 or more yards passing in a career. In 2009, he was listed by The Sporting News as the No. 1 player in the NFL today. Also in 2009, Fox Sports named him player of the decade?
Peyton Manning
In which Hitchcok film is the director’s cameo winding the clock in the songwriter’s apartment?
Rear Window
In which Hitchcock film is his cameo a man with two white terriers?
The Birds
In which 1976 was Hitchcock’s last cameo, seen in profile through a glass door?
Family Plot
Which newspaper, which ceased publication in 1932, was called the pink ‘un?
The Sporting Times
What is the name of the trophy you get if you win the Indianapolis 500?
Borg-Warner
On which circuit is the Le Mans 24 Hours run?
Circuit de la Sarthe
The traditional Le Mans start where drivers run across the tracks to their cars was abandoned in 1970 for safety reasons and replaced with a ‘rolling start’, which is named for which city?
Indianapolis
Dedicated to the composer’s daughter ‘Chou-Chou’, which 1908 suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy consists of six pieces including Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, and Jimbo’s Lullaby?
Children’s Corner
Reading this text is a fulfillment of the scriptural commandment to each Jew to “tell your son” about the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus. With a name meaning ‘telling’ in Hebrew, which Jewish religious text sets out the order of the Passover Seder?
ANS: Haggadah
The rock group They Might Be Giants took their name from the 1971 Hollywood film of the same name that was, in turn, taken from a line in which 17th Century literary masterpiece?
Don Quixote
The lake and wetlands of Ichkeul National Park are an important stopping-over point for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds each year. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, in which country could you find it?
Tunisia
Based on one of Aesop’s fables, this German-style strategic race board game was designed by David Parlett in 1974 and has sold 2 million copies in over 10 languages. In which game do players pay carrots in order to move forward towards the winning line?
Hare and Tortoise
The logical work Begriffsschrift and the philosophical work Über Sinn und Bedeutung are two of the best-known works of which German logician considered to be the father of analytic philosophy?
Gottlob Frege
Deriving from the Italian word for ‘yellow’, what name is given to the 20th Century genre of Italian literature and film that includes elements of horror, crime and eroticism?
Giallo
He is perhaps best known for his 1966 collection of essays and lectures entitled Écrits and for his wide-reaching influence on post-modernist thought. Which French psychoanalyst and original interpreter of Freud emphasized the primacy of language as the mirror of the unconscious mind, and attempted to introduce the study of language into psychoanalytic theory?
Jacques Lacan
In 1999, Vitali Klitschko became, at 6’7”, the tallest heavyweight champion in boxing history. He took this record from which 6’6½” Kansas-born boxer who had become heavyweight champion 84 years earlier?
Jess Willard
No Promises, a 2007 album containing poems by William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, W. H. Auden, Dorothy Parker, Walter de la Mare, and Christina Rossetti set to music, was released by which woman?
Carla Bruni
Telling the story of young boy’s upbringing in wartime Tuscany, Tea with Mussolini was a 1999 film directed by, and based on the autobiography of, which Italian filmmaker?
Franco Zeffirelli
Used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later used by the North Vietnamese to house, torture and interrogate captured servicemen, mostly American pilots shot down during bombing raids, what is the name of the prison nicknamed ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by American prisoners of war?
Hoa Lo Prison
Replaced in adulthood by the spinal column in most species, what is the name of the flexible, rod-shaped structural element present in the embryos of all members of the phylum Chordata?
Notochord
Perhaps best known for his namesake series that involves linear combinations of sines and cosines and which approximates a given function on a specified domain, which French mathematician and physicist was appointed governor of Lower Egypt by Napoleon in 1798 and is credited with the discovery of the greenhouse effect?
Joseph Fourier
Which German-born American pianist, conductor, and composer won the Academy Award for Best Music in consecutive years for Gigi (1958) and Porgy & Bess (1959)?
André Previn
In March 2010, Jay Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show after a seven and a half month absence during which the iconic talk show was hosted by which comedian?
Conan O’Brien
Declared one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005, what is the name of the 15th Century Maya theatrical play that is performed annually in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala on 25th January?
Rabinal Achí
Which Russian terrorist organisation is best known for the successful assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881?
Narodnaya Volya or People’s Will
Its best-known products being its hugely successful sports games, its games based on popular movie licenses such as Harry Potter, and games from long-running franchises like Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, The Sims, and Battlefield, which international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games was founded by Trip Hawkins in 1982?
Electronic Arts or EA
What is the name of the French-Canadian engineer who co-invented the aqualung with Jacques Cousteau?
Émile Gagnan
Which American theatrical producer and director, associated with many of the best-known Broadway musicals of the second half of the 20th Century, has won twenty-one Tony Awards, more than any other individual?
Harold Prince
Makobo Constance Modjadji VI, who died in 2005, was the last holder of which 400 year old matrilineal title held by the ruler of the Balobedu, a people of the Limpopo Province of South Africa?
Rain Queen
First discovered in the 1950s and thought to be the most luminous objects in the universe, what name is given to a compact region in the centre of a massive galaxy surrounding a central supermassive black hole?
Quasar
Located within its namesake national park, what is the name of the 160 km long mountain range north of Nairobi that is home to the Rhino Charge, an annual cross-country race for 4x4 vehicles?
Aberdare Range
The best ice hockey player of his generation and widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, which defenceman won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1972 and 1974 and won the award for the NHL’s most valuable player in 1970, 1971 and 1972?
Bobby Orr
Who was the Chairman of Gazprom, the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and Russia’s largest company, until taking up his current post in May 2008?
Dmitry Medvedev
In 1961, which cubist painter became the first living artist to have his artworks exhibited at the Louvre?
Georges Braque
His government was overthrown in 1919 after Romanian forces, with the consent of the Allied powers, invaded the country and installed Miklós Horthy as Regent. The first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia was the short lived government of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, established from 21st March until 6th August 1919, under the leadership of which politician?
ANS: Béla Kun
Which famous astronomer died from a burst bladder after a royal banquet?
Tycho Brahe
Who created the Seed Cathedral for the UK pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010?
Thomas Heatherwick
Which Danish sports car company on the Danish island of Zealand is managed by Jesper Jensen, the founder and financier, and Troels Vollertsen. The name is derived from a combination of their names?
Zenvo
Fluoroantimonic acid (HSbF6) is a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride in various ratios. What is distinctive about it?
Strongest known acid
Why did Austen Chamberlain get the Nobel Peace Prize?
Negotiating the Locarno Pact
Arthur Henderson, who also got the Nobel Peace Prize, served in the cabinets of which Prime Minister?
Ramsay MacDonald
Sumer and Akkad were the two major cities of which part of Mesopotamia?
Babylonia
Which religious reformer wrote De Captivitate Babylonica Ecclesiasticae in 1520, the year of his excommunication?
Martin Luther
Liar’s Poker, based on his experiences as a bond salesman, Moneyball and the New New Thing about Silicon Valley were the works of which author?
Michael Lewis
Which part of the eye, located in the center of the macula region of the retina, is responsible for sharp central vision which is necessary in humans for reading, watching television or movies, driving, and any activity where visual detail is of primary importance?
Fovea
Which was the first ever Beatles track credited to all four Beatles?
Flying
Discovered accidentally by Eduard Benedictus and developed in Britain as Triplex by John C Wood. What?
Laminated glass/safety glass
In cars, air bags are usually referred to as SRS. What do these initials stand for?
Supplementary Restraint System
Gustave Liebau, George Caley, Edward J Claghorn and Nils Bohin are credited with the invention of what?
Seat belts
What name is given to a metal plate that controls the rate of combustion in a fire or stove?
Damper
Which author, who used to work for the US post office in LA, wrote six novels, starting with Post Office in 1971?
Charles Bukowski
What name was given by Jung to any of a number of prototypic phenomena, such as the Wise Old Man?
Archetype
Which is the simplest of the carboxylic acids, with the formula CO2H2?
Formic acid
What name, also that of a child’s game, were given to the riots against Mazarin from 1648 to 1653 in Paris?
The Fronde
Bryology or muscology is the study of what?
Mosses
Which science fiction writer created Ringworld?
Larry Niven
Its name meaning ‘little O’, what is the 15th lettter of the Greek alphabet?
Omicron
The novel Old School and the memoirs This Boy’s Life and In Pharoah’s Army are the works of which writer associated with Dirty Realism?
Tobias Wolff
Who wrote the Frank Bascombe series, which comprises The Sportswriter, Independence Day and the Lay of the Land?
Richard Ford
Who wrote Cathedral and Where I’m Calling From and was also associated with Dirty Realism?
Raymond Carver
Who played Ian Curtis in Control?
Sam Riley
The Bergius process of the hydrogenation of bituminous coal was used by Germany in WW2 to produce what?
Petrol
The contact process for making sulphuric acid superseded which other process in the 1830s?
Lead chamber
The sister of which poet wrote her Alfoxden Journals at Alfoxden House in Somerset?
William Wordsworth
Which term indicates a gas below its critical temperature which can be liquified by an increase of pressure alone?
Vapour
The phrase ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ occurs in which Tennyson poem?
In Memoriam AHH
Which is the largest known star?
VY Canis Majoris
The indoor practice facility of which NFL team collapsed, mid-practice session, in high winds in May 2009? Fortunately, no-one was killed.
Dallas Cowboys
Who was the lead singer of the band Black Flag?
Henry Rollins
In Britain, a GCSE is an educational qualification. In which country is it an honour, standing for (in the country’s own language) ‘The Order of St James of The Sword’?
Portugal
Which singer, 1920-1999 was known as the Rainha do Fado (Queen of Fado)?
Amalia Rodrigues
Nicknamed the Say Hey Kid, which Giants (NY and SF) baseball player, born in Alabama in 1931, is considered by many to be the greatest all-rounder ever?
Willie Mays
What is the home ground of the SF Giants?
AT&T Park
Baseball ballparks built or rebuilt of concrete and steel (albeit with wooden seats) after the days of the wooden ballpark are said by many to embody the golden age of baseball. They are known for their green seats, large roofs, intimate feel, and major use of exposed steel, brick, and stone. The first of these was Shibe Park, which opened in 1909 in Philadelphia and the only two remaining are Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. What is the name given to such buildings?
Jewel Boxes
In the 1990s, the ongoing trend started of trying to recreate the Jewel Boxes- what name is given to this new wave?
Retro ballparks
Which was the first of the ‘retro’ ballparks, home to the Baltimore Orioles?
Camden Yards
t occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on December 23, 1972. Late in the game, after Frenchy Fuqua, a Pittsburgh halfback, collided with Raiders Safety Jack Tatum as he tried to make a catch, Pittsburgh running back Franco Harris caught the deflected football just before it hit the ground, and ran in for a touchdown that won the game. What’s the name of this play, the most famous in American football history?
The Immaculate Reception
What is the term used by sportscasters and Philadelphia Eagles fans for a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978 NFL game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium. It was seen as miraculous because it occurred at a point in the game when the Giants were easily capable of running out the game’s final seconds?
The Miracle at the Meadowlands
The biggest-ever animated series to come out of Africa launched on UK TV in 2010. It’s a series of 52 ten minute films for children’s television made in Nairobi by traditional African artists working alongside animators and international voice actors- called what?
Tinga Tinga Tales
On which island’s airport did engineers extend the ocean-side runway to more than 9000 feet by building a massive girder bridge atop about 200 pillars in the 2000s? The bridge, which itself is over 3000 feet long and 590 feet wide, is strong enough to handle the weight of 747s and similar jets. It all had to be done as there is virtually no flat land on the island.
Madeira
Where would you find the airports Pegasus Field and Williams Field?
Antarctica
Only five miles from the city centre, and now hemmed in by buildings on all sides, which Sao Paulo airport is a challenge for pilots to land at?
Congonhas
The runway is about 1700 feet long, but the real surprise is the large hill toward the middle of the strip. You take off downhill and you land going uphill. The hill, which has an 18.5 percent grade, is so steep that small planes could probably gain enough momentum rolling down it with no engines to safely glide off the edge. This is the airport at which international ski resort?
Courcheval
What is the world’s northernmost airport that tourists can book tickets to?
Svalbard
The Sky City Nine Eagles Golf Course can be played at which major international airport while waiting for a plane?
Hong Kong
The notorious Toncontin International Airport has been the subject of scrutiny following several accidents, including a 2008 crash that killed five. Toncontin’s runway is just over 7000 feet long and situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. Despite the stubby runway, planes as large as Boeing 757s routinely land at the airport. Officials have launched an initiative to reroute commercial traffic to the safer Soto Cano Air Base. Which capital city’s airport is this?
Tegucigalpa
What’s the name of the world’s highest airport in Tibet, over 14,000 feet above sea level?
Qamdo Bangda
King Fahd International in Saudi Arabia is so large, it’s bigger than neighbouring Bahrain. Which city does it serve?
Dammam
Which is the largest airport in the USA by land area and has given over much of its area to solar panels?
Denver
