1.

Which premiership football team last week established a new goal scoring record by scoring four goals and yet lost?

2.

In which premiership football match last Saturday were both goalies substituted (name both teams)?

3.

In the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia what is the name of the Indian born astronaut who was killed?

4.

Name the Israeli Colonel who died in the same disaster.

5.

Why was Brandon Vedas in the news on Tuesday?

6.

Manchester’s new bishop was installed on Monday.  Who is he?

7.

Tony Blair met Jacques Chirac this week.  Where?

8.

Name the solicitor whose conviction for murder was quashed in the Court of Appeal.

1.

Eminem has starred in what recently released film?

2.

Who play the 60s groupies The Banger Sisters?

3.

In the film Cry Freedom who played the part of Steve Biko?

4.

Who played Gandhi in the film?

5.

Which BBC children’s series has been sold for screening in USA?

6.

Whose nephew has just started at Grange Hill?

7.

Who manufactures the Game Cube?

8.

Which games software company has just called in the Receiver?

1.

Who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?

2.

Who composed Nights in the Gardens of Spain?

3.

Where are the Butchart Gardens?

4.

Where are the Plains of Abraham?

5.

Who wrote Gorky Park?

6.

Who wrote McArthur Park?

7.

Who wrote Barefoot in the Park?

8.

Who wrote “…il faut cultiver le jardin”?

1.

Which famous work of literature begins with the words: “I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull”?

2.

Which famous work begins “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day”?

3.

Who wrote under the pseudonym of Acton Bell?

4.

Who illustrated Sketches by Boz?

5.

Which great work begins “1801 – I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.”?

6.

Which novel opens with the words “Now what I want is facts.”?

7.

Who lived at Manderley?

8.

Whose home was Pemberley?

1.

The extravagantly wide trousers popular between the two World Wars were first worn at which university?

2.

Which football team is nicknamed the Baggies?

3.

Why did sailors try not to let the cat out of the bag?

4.

In Australia what do the sheep shearers call their back packs?

5.

What is bagasse?

6.

What is distinctive about Northumbrian bagpipes?

7.

What to a coal miner is bagging?

8.

In the Lord of the Rings, Saruman took over the Shire and installed a nominal puppet ruler, who was this?

1.

What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

2.

What are the Roaring Forties? 

3.

What name is given to an area of ocean 55 to 85 degrees W and 30 to 40 degrees N, whose westernmost point is close to Melbourne, Florida?

4.

Which child appears at intervals of between 3 and 7 years?

5.

The Grauspitze is the highest peak in which European state?

6.

Mount Titano is the highest mountain of which European country?

7.

Where was the Queen when her father died?

8.

Where in Australia did Prince Charles go to school?

1.

This Indian city is now called Mumbai.  What was its previous name?

2.

This Indian city is now as Chennai.  What was its former name?

3.

This is the flag of a Caribbean Island which was devastated by a volcanic activity.  Name it.

4.

Two islands in this island group were recently devastated by a typhoon.  Name the country.

5.

This duo are number 1 in the hit parade and have had a video banned by Top of the Pops.  What is their name?

6.

Winner of Fame Academy, he was last week's number 1, who is he?

7.

Name this German, who recently lost in the final of the Australian Tennis Open Championship.

8.

This Austrian won the Super G in last week's Skiing World Championship in St Moritz.  What is his name?

1.

Seven left handed players have won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.  Name three of them.

2.

Who was the first left handed player to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon?

3.

Who is married to singer Patti Smith?

4.

Whom did Judy Nelson sue for palimony?

5.

Who wrote Bend Sinister?

6.

Who wrote the science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness?

7.

This naturally left handed player was told by her coach that no left hander had ever won Wimbledon, so she switched to right handed play and went on to win three titles, who was she?

8.

In which sport is it forbidden to play left handed ?

1.

What would you do with a Vienna Regulator?

2.

What would you do with a Cornish Rex?

3.

What would you do with a Kelvedon Wonder?

4.

What would you do with a rheostat?

5.

What you do with an arbalest?

6.

What would you do with a trebuchet?

7.

What would you do with a halberd?

8.

What would you do with a grayling?

1.

Which premiership football team last week established a new goal scoring record by scoring four goals and yet lost?

Sunderland

(three of the goals were own goals) 

2.

In which premiership football match last Saturday were both goalies substituted (name both teams)?

Manchester United v Southampton

(both keepers were injured)

3.

In the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia what is the name of the Indian born astronaut who was killed?

Kalpara Chawla

4.

Name the Israeli Colonel who died in the same disaster.

Llan Ramon

5.

Why was Brandon Vedas in the news on Tuesday?

He committed suicide over the Internet

6.

Manchester’s new bishop was installed on Monday.  Who is he?

Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch

7.

Tony Blair met Jacques Chirac this week.  Where?

Le Touquet

8.

Name the solicitor whose conviction for murder was quashed in the Court of Appeal.

Sally Clark

1.

Eminem has starred in what recently released film?

8 Mile

2.

Who play the 60s groupies The Banger Sisters?

Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn

3.

In the film Cry Freedom who played the part of Steve Biko?

Denzil Washington

4.

Who played Gandhi in the film?

Ben Kingsley

5.

Which BBC children’s series has been sold for screening in USA?

The Tweenies

6.

Whose nephew has just started at Grange Hill?

Tucker Jenkins

7.

Who manufactures the Game Cube?

Nintendo

8.

Which games software company has just called in the Receiver?

Rage

1.

Who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?

John Berendt

2.

Who composed Nights in the Gardens of Spain?

Manuel De Falla

3.

Where are the Butchart Gardens?

Vancouver

4.

Where are the Plains of Abraham?

Quebec City

5.

Who wrote Gorky Park?

Martin Cruz Smith

6.

Who wrote McArthur Park?

Jimmy Webb

7.

Who wrote Barefoot in the Park?

Neil Simon

8.

Who wrote “…il faut cultiver le jardin”?

Voltaire

1.

Which famous work of literature begins with the words: “I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull”?

Robinson Crusoe

2.

Which famous work begins “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day”?

Jane Eyre

3.

Who wrote under the pseudonym of Acton Bell?

Anne Bronte

4.

Who illustrated Sketches by Boz?

Phizz

5.

Which great work begins “1801 – I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.”?

Wuthering Heights

6.

Which novel opens with the words “Now what I want is facts.”?

Hard Times

7.

Who lived at Manderley?

The De Winters

(from Rebecca)

8.

Whose home was Pemberley?

Mr Darcy

(from Pride and Prejudice)

1.

The extravagantly wide trousers popular between the two World Wars were first worn at which university?

Oxford (bags)

2.

Which football team is nicknamed the Baggies?

West Bromwich Albion

3.

Why did sailors try not to let the cat out of the bag?

Because it meant a flogging

(the Cat o’Nine Tails was kept in a canvass bag by the boatswain)

4.

In Australia what do the sheep shearers call their back packs?

Shirilee

5.

What is bagasse?

The residue of sugar cane or sugar beet after extraction of juice

6.

What is distinctive about Northumbrian bagpipes?

They are inflated by means of a bellows under the player’s arm

7.

What to a coal miner is bagging?

Ventilation pipes

(now of course in metal but formerly tubes or pipes made of sack cloth as a form of trunking to lead air into the workings)

8.

In the Lord of the Rings, Saruman took over the Shire and installed a nominal puppet ruler, who was this?

Lotho Sackville-Baggins

(referred to as 'The Chief')

1.

What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

23.5 degrees S

(more exactly 23 degrees 27 minutes)

2.

What are the Roaring Forties? 

An  area of prevailing WNW winds 40 degrees south in the Southern Ocean

3.

What name is given to an area of ocean 55 to 85 degrees W and 30 to 40 degrees N, whose westernmost point is close to Melbourne, Florida?

The Bermuda Triangle

4.

Which child appears at intervals of between 3 and 7 years?

El Nino

5.

The Grauspitze is the highest peak in which European state?

Liechtenstein

6.

Mount Titano is the highest mountain of which European country?

San Marino

7.

Where was the Queen when her father died?

Treetops Hotel, Kenya

8.

Where in Australia did Prince Charles go to school?

Geelong Grammar School

1.

This Indian city is now called Mumbai.  What was its previous name?

Bombay

2.

This Indian city is now as Chennai.  What was its former name?

Madras

3.

This is the flag of a Caribbean Island which was devastated by a volcanic activity.  Name it.

Montserrat

4.

Two islands in this island group were recently devastated by a typhoon.  Name the country.

Solomon Islands

5.

This duo are number 1 in the hit parade and have had a video banned by Top of the Pops.  What is their name?

Tatu

(banned for a lesbian kiss)

6.

Winner of Fame Academy, he was last week's number 1, who is he?

Dave Sneddon

7.

Name this German, who recently lost in the final of the Australian Tennis Open Championship.

Rainer Schuettler

8.

This Austrian won the Super G in last week's Skiing World Championship in St Moritz.  What is his name?

Stephan Eberharter

1.

Seven left handed players have won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.  Name three of them.

(three from)

Norman Brookes, Jaroslav Drobny, Neal Fraser, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic

2.

Who was the first left handed player to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon?

Ann Jones

(beating Billie Jean King in 1969)

3.

Who is married to singer Patti Smith?

John McEnroe

4.

Whom did Judy Nelson sue for palimony?

Martina Navratilova

5.

Who wrote Bend Sinister?

Vladimir Nabokov

6.

Who wrote the science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness?

Ursula Le Guin

7.

This naturally left handed player was told by her coach that no left hander had ever won Wimbledon, so she switched to right handed play and went on to win three titles, who was she?

Maureen Connelly

8.

In which sport is it forbidden to play left handed ?

Polo

1.

What would you do with a Vienna Regulator?

Tell the time with it

(it is a type of clock)

2.

What would you do with a Cornish Rex?

Stroke it

(it is a type of cat)

3.

What would you do with a Kelvedon Wonder?

Plant it or eat it

(it is a variety of pea)

4.

What would you do with a rheostat?

Regulate the flow of electricity, fluids etc.

5.

What you do with an arbalest?

Fire it

(more accurately shoot with it - it is a kind of crossbow)

6.

What would you do with a trebuchet?

Knock a wall down with it

(it is a kind of siege engine or catapult)

7.

What would you do with a halberd?

Fight with it

(it is a combined battle axe and pike)

8.

What would you do with a grayling?

Catch it, maybe eat it, maybe photograph it

(it is a type of fish related to the salmon; it is also a variety of butterfly)