1.

The sinking of the SS Politician inspired which comic book and film?

2.

In which year did Party Politics appropriately win the Grand National?

3.

Which actor played Alan B’stard MP?

4.

Which actor played Jim Hacker MP?

5.

Michelle Gildernew MP is a member of which political party?

6.

Eleanor Laing MP is a member of which political party?

7.

Of whom did Harold Wilson say: “He immatures with age”?

8.

Who, in response to a jibe, described Harold Wilson as: “The fourteenth Mr Wilson”?

1.

Which British monarch was known as 'The Sailor King'?

2.

Who wrote the Pulitzer prize winning novel The Shipping News?

3.

Which ship was first on the scene after the Titanic sank, rescuing 706 people?

4.

Who wrote the poem The Wreck of the Deutschland?

5.

Who made a solo circumnavigation of the world in the boat 'Spray'?

6.

In which European capital is the Vasa Museum featuring the restored warship Vasa which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628?

7.

Who captained the boat PT109 that was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer in 1943?

8.

Who was the fictional owner of the ship 'Charlotte Rhodes'?

ROUND 3 - 'A Good Read'

Answers are books that featured in the Top 100 in the recent BBC2 survey

1.

Which novel opens with the line: “Dr Iannis had enjoyed a satisfactory day in which none of his patients had died or got any worse”?

2.

Which novel opens with the line: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice”?

3.

Which novel, set in August 1929, features the Walker and the Blackett children?

4.

Which novel, mostly set in 1935, features the Finch children?

5.

Which is the only Stephen King novel to make the Top 100?

6.

Which is the only Jeffrey Archer novel to make the Top 100?

7.

Which 1966 novel ends with following untranslated Latin lines which apparently explain the preceding 656 pages of mysterious goings-on: “Cras amet qui numquam amavit quique amavit cras amet”?

8.

Which novel ends with the line: “My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my old friends under the apple trees”?

ROUND 4 - Picture Round

1.

Name this structure and the city in which it is found.

2.

Name this building and the city in which it is found.

3.

Name this shaded US New England state.

4.

Name this shaded US state.

5.

Name this city.

6.

Name this city. 

7.

Which explorer followed this route?

8.

Which explorer followed this route?

1.

In which year was the first Wembley FA Cup Final?

2.

Who scored the last Wembley goal in a competitive match in October 2000?

3.

In Bridge what name is given to a hand with no card higher than a nine?

4.

In which card game can you score 'one for his Nob'?

5.

Who is the youngest player to have scored a goal in the Premiership?

6.

Who was the youngest player at the 1982 soccer World Cup Final stages?

7.

On which golf course did Jean van der Velde memorably self-destruct at the final hole of the 1999 Open Golf Championship when 3 shots ahead?

8.

On which golf course was Tiger Woods memorably punished by the elements in the third round of the 2002 Open Golf Championship (his worst ever round in a Major)?

1.

How did Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones die?

2.

How did Pliny the Elder die?

3.

Which car company manufactures the Berlingo van?

4.

Which car company manufactures the Rascal van?

5.

How is the singer Marvin Aday better known?

6.

How is the singer Vincent Furnier better known?

7.

What was the former occupation of DJ and presenter Terry Wogan?

8.

What was the former occupation of comic and entertainer Benny Hill?

1.

In which year (+ or – 10) did white Australian women (if of English descent) get the vote?

2.

In which year (+ or – 10) did Aboriginal Australian women get the vote?

3.

Douglas Hyde was the first president of which country?

4.

Canaan Banana was the first president of which country?

5.

Which comic created the character Sir Les Patterson?

6.

Which comic created the character Paul Calf?

7.

Who discovered and named the chemical element Polonium in 1898?

8.

Which element derives its name from the German for devil’s copper?

1.

Who won Best Actor Oscar in 1986 for Kiss of the Spiderwoman?

2.

For which film did Meryl Streep win Best Actress Oscar in 1983?

3.

Why was Bradley Murdoch in the news last week?

4.

What nickname was given to the serial killer Donald Nielson?

5.

If Cassius Taylor is No 26 and Arthur Chatto is No 16, who is No 1?

6.

Which of these Europeans is nearest in the order of succession to the English throne: King of Norway, Queen of Denmark, King of Spain, ex-King of Greece, ex-King of Bulgaria, Queen of Netherlands or Grand Duke of Liechtenstein?

7.

Give the forenames of any 3 members of Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven.

8.

Give the forenames of any 3 members of the band S Club 8 (formerly known as S Club Juniors and not to be confused with S Club 7).

1.

What is the nickname of Mendelssohn’s 4^th Symphony?

2.

In which year was Mull of Kintyre a Christmas No 1 hit?

3.

What is the name of Postman Pat’s son?

4.

Who wrote the Buddy Holly classic It Doesn’t Matter Anymore?

5.

Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990?

6.

Who was the 100^th Archbishop of Canterbury?

7.

In which state did the Wrights make their first flight in 1903?

8.

Who is the patron saint for soldiers?

9.

Which country first gave the vote to women?

1.

The sinking of the SS Politician inspired which comic book and film?

Whiskey Galore

(by Compton McKenzie)

2.

In which year did Party Politics appropriately win the Grand National?

1992

(same month as the General Election)

3.

Which actor played Alan B’stard MP?

Rik Mayall

4.

Which actor played Jim Hacker MP?

Paul Eddington

5.

Michelle Gildernew MP is a member of which political party?

Sinn Fein

(for Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

6.

Eleanor Laing MP is a member of which political party?

Conservative

(for Epping Forest)

7.

Of whom did Harold Wilson say: “He immatures with age”?

Tony Benn

(or Anthony Wedgwood Benn as he was then)

8.

Who, in response to a jibe, described Harold Wilson as: “The fourteenth Mr Wilson”?

Alec Douglas-Home

(who was the fourteenth Earl of Home)

1.

Which British monarch was known as 'The Sailor King'?

William IV (fourth)

2.

Who wrote the Pulitzer prize winning novel The Shipping News?

Annie Proulx

3.

Which ship was first on the scene after the Titanic sank, rescuing 706 people?

The Carpathia

4.

Who wrote the poem The Wreck of the Deutschland?

Gerard Manley Hopkins

5.

Who made a solo circumnavigation of the world in the boat 'Spray'?

Joshua Slocum

(in 1895-8, the first to do it solo)

6.

In which European capital is the Vasa Museum featuring the restored warship Vasa which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628?

Stockholm

7.

Who captained the boat PT109 that was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer in 1943?

John F Kennedy

8.

Who was the fictional owner of the ship 'Charlotte Rhodes'?

James Onedin

ROUND 3 - 'A Good Read'

Answers are books that featured in the Top 100 in the recent BBC2 survey

1.

Which novel opens with the line: “Dr Iannis had enjoyed a satisfactory day in which none of his patients had died or got any worse”?

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

(by Louis de Bernieres)

2.

Which novel opens with the line: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice”?

One Hundred Years of Solitude

(by Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

3.

Which novel, set in August 1929, features the Walker and the Blackett children?

Swallows and Amazons

(by Arthur Ransome)

4.

Which novel, mostly set in 1935, features the Finch children?

To Kill a Mocking Bird

(by Harper Lee)

5.

Which is the only Stephen King novel to make the Top 100?

The Stand

6.

Which is the only Jeffrey Archer novel to make the Top 100?

Kane and Abel

7.

Which 1966 novel ends with following untranslated Latin lines which apparently explain the preceding 656 pages of mysterious goings-on: “Cras amet qui numquam amavit quique amavit cras amet”?

The Magus

(by John Fowles)

8.

Which novel ends with the line: “My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my old friends under the apple trees”?

Black Beauty

(by Anna Sewell)

ROUND 4 - Picture Round

1.

Name this structure and the city in which it is found.

CN Tower in Toronto

2.

Name this building and the city in which it is found.

Reichstag in Berlin

3.

Name this shaded US New England state.

Connecticut

4.

Name this shaded US state.

Wisconsin

5.

Name this city.

Shanghai

6.

Name this city. 

Singapore

7.

Which explorer followed this route?

(Francis) Drake

8.

Which explorer followed this route?

(Hernan) Cortez

1

In which year was the first Wembley FA Cup Final?

1923

(also known as the White Horse Final)

2.

Who scored the last Wembley goal in a competitive match in October 2000?

Dietmar Hamann

(England v Germany)

3.

In Bridge what name is given to a hand with no card higher than a nine?

A yarborough

4.

In which card game can you score 'one for his Nob'?

Cribbage

5.

Who is the youngest player to have scored a goal in the Premiership?

James Milner

(Leeds United)

6.

Who was the youngest player at the 1982 soccer World Cup Final stages?

Norman Whiteside

7.

On which golf course did Jean van der Velde memorably self-destruct at the final hole of the 1999 Open Golf Championship when 3 shots ahead?

Carnoustie

8.

On which golf course was Tiger Woods memorably punished by the elements in the third round of the 2002 Open Golf Championship (his worst ever round in a Major)?

Muirfield

1

How did Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones die?

He drowned in a swimming pool

2.

How did Pliny the Elder die?

In the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD

3.

Which car company manufactures the Berlingo van?

Citroen

4.

Which car company manufactures the Rascal van?

Vauxhall

5.

How is the singer Marvin Aday better known?

Meatloaf

6.

How is the singer Vincent Furnier better known?

Alice Cooper

7.

What was the former occupation of DJ and presenter Terry Wogan?

Bank clerk

8.

What was the former occupation of comic and entertainer Benny Hill?

Milkman

1.

In which year (+ or – 10) did white Australian women (if of English descent) get the vote?

1902

(accept 1892-1912; they were the second nation to enfranchise women)

2.

In which year (+ or – 10) did Aboriginal Australian women get the vote?

1962

(accept 1952-1972; Aboriginal men got the vote in 1962 too)

3.

Douglas Hyde was the first president of which country?

Republic of Ireland

4.

Canaan Banana was the first president of which country?

Zimbabwe

5.

Which comic created the character Sir Les Patterson?

Barry Humphries

6.

Which comic created the character Paul Calf?

Steve Coogan

7.

Who discovered and named the chemical element Polonium in 1898?

Marie Curie

(also accept the Curies)

8.

Which element derives its name from the German for devil’s copper?

Nickel

1.

Who won Best Actor Oscar in 1986 for Kiss of the Spiderwoman?

William Hurt

2.

For which film did Meryl Streep win Best Actress Oscar in 1983?

Sophie’s Choice

3.

Why was Bradley Murdoch in the news last week?

He’s been arrested for suspected murder of a British backpacker in Australia

4.

What nickname was given to the serial killer Donald Nielson?

The Black Panther

5.

If Cassius Taylor is No 26 and Arthur Chatto is No 16, who is No 1?

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

(order of succession to the throne)

6.

Which of these Europeans is nearest in the order of succession to the English throne: King of Norway, Queen of Denmark, King of Spain, ex-King of Greece, ex-King of Bulgaria, Queen of Netherlands or Grand Duke of Liechtenstein?

King of Norway

7.

Give the forenames of any 3 members of Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven.

(three from)

Colin, Pam, Barbara, George, Jack, Peter and Janet

(Susan, the younger sister, and Scamper the dog were NOT members)

8.

Give the forenames of any 3 members of the band S Club 8 (formerly known as S Club Juniors and not to be confused with S Club 7).

(three from)

Aaron, Calvin, Jay, Rochelle, Stacey, Frankie, Daisy and Hannah

1.

What is the nickname of Mendelssohn’s 4^th Symphony?

The Italian

2.

In which year was Mull of Kintyre a Christmas No 1 hit?

1977

3.

What is the name of Postman Pat’s son?

Julian

4.

Who wrote the Buddy Holly classic It Doesn’t Matter Anymore?

Paul Anka

5.

Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990?

Michael Gorbachev

6.

Who was the 100^th Archbishop of Canterbury?

Michael Ramsay

7.

In which state did the Wrights make their first flight in 1903?

North Carolina

8.

Who is the patron saint for soldiers?

Joan of Arc

9.

Which country first gave the vote to women?

New Zealand

(have you been wondering about that since Round 7?)

Go back to Spare questions without answers