BINGO QUIZ

Choose you own question from 1 to 70

1.

According to the proverb, who asks questions which wise men cannot answer?

2.

What bridge connects the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens?

3.

Who were the legendary sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia?

4.

Which TV Western of the l950s and ‘60s was centred around melodramatic weekly events on the Ponderosa ranch?

5.

Which future Prime Minister of Britain was Lord Mayor of Birmingham between the years of 1915 and 1916?

6.

What is the common name for the Pyracantha, an evergreen shrub with yellow, red or orange berries?

7.

Turkey’s longest land border is shared with which country?

8.

In January this year Harold Shipman died in which prison?

9.

Which undertaking, first proposed in 1534, is being described here:      

“The Spanish had the imagination to think of it, the French the confidence to begin it, and the Americans the cash to finish it”?

10.

Which city will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games?

11.

Which pop singer died in a car crash in Barnes, West London on the same day as Maria Callas died?

12.

Which poet presents the Radio 4 programme Poetry Please?

13.

In which recent film does Colin Firth play the Dutch artist Vermeer?

14.

What connects Asher, Dan, Ephraim and Gad?

15.

Who was riding Devon Loch when he stumbled and fell within sight of the winning post in the 1956 Grand National?

16.

The much praised 2003 film Touching The Void tells of a failed attempt to scale a mountain in which country?

17.

Which type of stamps were first issued by The Royal Mail on January 15^th 2004?

18.

Who was the first person to be described in Private Eye with its now famous euphemism as being ‘tired and emotional’?

19.

Since coming to the Premiership which manager has made 4 attempts to win the FA Cup only to be knocked out on each occasion by the same team?

20.

Which European city was known to the Romans as Massilia?

21.

Who used to dance on Annette Mills’ piano?

22.

What now clichéd but still popular opening line for a story was first used by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the 19^th century?

23.

The most decorated American GI in World War Two went on to become a successful film star (but never a great actor).  Who was he?

24.

Which pop diva once said:

“Whenever I see starving kids I cry.  I’d love to be skinny but not with flies, and death, and stuff”?

25.

What name is given to the earth-covered dwellings of the North American Indian tribe, the Navajo?

26.

Which was the heaviest of the dinosaurs, weighing in at around 50 tonnes despite being a herbivore?

27.

The independent breweries Greene King, Tolly Cobbold and Nethergate are all found in which English county?

28.

Which element takes its name from the Greek word for green?

29.

In which year was Halley’s Comet last visible to the naked eye?

30.

The following is an excerpt from a 1959 episode of which classic BBC comedy series:

“Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you?  Did she die in vain?  That Hungarian peasant girl who forced King John to sign the pledge and shut the pubs at half past ten?”

31.

According to Philip Knightly, what is always the first casualty of war?

32.

The large island of Borneo is divided between which 3 countries?

33.

What kind of creature is a goldeneye?

34.

There is a blue plaque in Longsight commemorating the scientist James Chadwick.  For which discovery was he awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize for Physics?

35.

Which English rock band took their name from a track on the True Stories album by Talking Heads?

36.

Which 2 African capital cities face each other on opposite bank of the Congo river?

37.

Name 2 of the 3 children in Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children.

38.

Which 3 words loosely follow each other in the dictionary and mean:

a) a flamboyant swordsman,

b) an ancient religious emblem derived from a Greek cross and sometimes called a fylfot

c) a sample strip of cloth?

39.

Who, in 1999, became the first Briton to be appointed principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra?

40.

Which British city has a cathedral whose full name is the Cathedral Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George?

41.

What is the sum of the interior angles in a pentagon?

42.

In Turner’s painting Rain Steam and Speed what kind of animal is seen running alongside the track?

43.

Between 1970 and 1980 Peter Gilmore played the lead role in which BBC TV historical drama?

44.

29 years ago this week an underground rail accident claimed the lives of 29 people.  In which London tube station did this accident occur?

45.

What was the name of the civilization that dominated Italy before the Romans?

46.

Which Glasgow born psychiatrist revolutionized his profession with his book The Divided Self in 1960 and with his controversial doctrine of 'anti-psychiatry'?

47.

Who in Private Eye is  The Vicar of St Albions?

48.

How old is Frank Libby’s carbon 14 method of determining the age of an object (plus/minus 5 years)?

49.

What position was held by Benjamin Briggs, whose fate has been much debated since he was last seen in November 1873?

50.

In which English Cathedral would you find the tomb of King John and the ashes of Stanley Baldwin?

51.

With which football club did the Yorkshire County Cricket Club share its ground until 1973?

52.

Which trade union activist and former president of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (AUEW) died on January 27^th 2004?

53.

The narrator of which award winning novel introduces himself thus:

“My name is Christopher John Francis Boone.  I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and very prime number up to 7,507”?

54.

There is a make of light bulb called Osram.  The name Osram is a contraction of which two words?

55.

Where in London was the Scottish leader William Wallace hanged, drawn and quartered in 1305?

56.

Which chat show host once asked George Best the following:

“Did you ever think, George, that if you hadn’t raced around so much playing football you might never have become so thirsty”?

57.

Who was the Germanic goddess of the dawn, and of fertility, whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox?

58.

Which ancient city could you have entered through the Ishtar Gate and worshipped at the temple of Marduk?

59.

Give the year Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier, the Hungarian revolt was violently suppressed by the USSR and the Olympic Games were held in Melbourne.

60.

What do the following have in common: Creepy Coupe, Compact Pussycat, Crimson Haybaler and Bouldermobile?

61.

When John Smith died suddenly in 1994 who was appointed acting Leader of the Labour Party?

62.

Who was hanged in 1962 for killing Michael Gregsten after the longest murder trial in English legal history?

63.

What one surname do the following have in common (slightly different spellings in each case):

a) English feminist and pacifist writer, and mother of Shirley Williams

b) Conservative politician, Home Secretary 1983-5, resigned from the cabinet 1986

c) English composer born in Lowestoft 1913, died 1976?

64.

Which ever popular fairy story was originally collected and published by the Grimm Brothers under the title The Little Briar Rose?

65.

The city of Seville currently has 2 football teams playing in the Primera Liga (Premier League).  Sevilla is one of them.  Name the other.

66.

Who played the title role in the 2003 film version of Dennis Potter’s play The Singing Detective?

67.

In medieval genealogy a symbol resembling a crane’s foot was used to indicate lines of descent.  What current word derived from this symbol and is still used to denote a line of descent?

68.

Of what are these the statistics:

First class 62%; Second class 41%; Third class 25%; Crew 23%?

69.

The Grampian town of Keith is home to the oldest working distillery in the Highlands.  Founded in 1786 what is the name of this distillery?

70.

Which cheese is made in reverse?

BINGO QUIZ

Choose you own question from 1 to 70

1.

According to the proverb, who asks questions which wise men cannot answer?

Fools

2.

What bridge connects the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens?

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge

3.

Who were the legendary sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia?

Romulus & Remus

4.

Which TV Western of the l950s and ‘60s was centred around melodramatic weekly events on the Ponderosa ranch?

Bonanza

5.

Which future Prime Minister of Britain was Lord Mayor of Birmingham between the years of 1915 and 1916?

Neville Chamberlain

6.

What is the common name for the Pyracantha, an evergreen shrub with yellow, red or orange berries?

Firethorn

7.

Turkey’s longest land border is shared with which country?

Syria

8.

In January this year Harold Shipman died in which prison?

Wakefield

9.

Which undertaking, first proposed in 1534, is being described here:      

“The Spanish had the imagination to think of it, the French the confidence to begin it, and the Americans the cash to finish it”?

Panama Canal

10.

Which city will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games?

Beijing

11.

Which pop singer died in a car crash in Barnes, West London on the same day as Maria Callas died?

Marc Bolan

(in 1977)

12.

Which poet presents the Radio 4 programme Poetry Please?

Roger McGough

13.

In which recent film does Colin Firth play the Dutch artist Vermeer?

The Girl with a Pearl Earring

14.

What connects Asher, Dan, Ephraim and Gad?

They are 4 of the lost tribes of Israel

15.

Who was riding Devon Loch when he stumbled and fell within sight of the winning post in the 1956 Grand National?

Dick Francis

16.

The much praised 2003 film Touching The Void tells of a failed attempt to scale a mountain in which country?

Peru

17.

Which type of stamps were first issued by The Royal Mail on January 15^th 2004?

Digital Stamps

(which can be downloaded and personalised from your own computer)

18.

Who was the first person to be described in Private Eye with its now famous euphemism as being ‘tired and emotional’?

George Brown

19.

Since coming to the Premiership which manager has made 4 attempts to win the FA Cup only to be knocked out on each occasion by the same team?

Claudio Ranieri

(whose Chelsea have fallen to Arsenal in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004)

20.

Which European city was known to the Romans as Massilia?

Marseilles

21.

Who used to dance on Annette Mills’ piano?

Muffin the Mule

22.

What now clichéd but still popular opening line for a story was first used by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the 19^th century?

“It was a dark and stormy night”

23.

The most decorated American GI in World War Two went on to become a successful film star (but never a great actor).  Who was he?

Audie Murphy

24.

Which pop diva once said:

“Whenever I see starving kids I cry.  I’d love to be skinny but not with flies, and death, and stuff”?

(The very caring....)

Mariah Carey

25.

What name is given to the earth-covered dwellings of the North American Indian tribe, the Navajo?

Hogan

26.

Which was the heaviest of the dinosaurs, weighing in at around 50 tonnes despite being a herbivore?

Brachiosaurus

27.

The independent breweries Greene King, Tolly Cobbold and Nethergate are all found in which English county?

Suffolk

(Bury St Edmunds; Ipswich; and, the very excellent Nethergate, is brewed in the village of Clare)

28.

Which element takes its name from the Greek word for green?

Chlorine

29.

In which year was Halley’s Comet last visible to the naked eye?

1986

30.

The following is an excerpt from a 1959 episode of which classic BBC comedy series:

“Does Magna Carta mean nothing to you?  Did she die in vain?  That Hungarian peasant girl who forced King John to sign the pledge and shut the pubs at half past ten?”

Hancock’s Half Hour

31.

According to Philip Knightly, what is always the first casualty of war?

Truth

32.

The large island of Borneo is divided between which 3 countries?

Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei

33.

What kind of creature is a goldeneye?

A Duck

34.

There is a blue plaque in Longsight commemorating the scientist James Chadwick.  For which discovery was he awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize for Physics?

The existence of the neutron

35.

Which English rock band took their name from a track on the True Stories album by Talking Heads?

Radiohead

36.

Which 2 African capital cities face each other on opposite bank of the Congo river?

Brazzaville and Kinshasa

37.

Name 2 of the 3 children in Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children.

(Two from)

Roberta, Phyllis and Peter

38.

Which 3 words loosely follow each other in the dictionary and mean:

a) a flamboyant swordsman,

b) an ancient religious emblem derived from a Greek cross and sometimes called a fylfot

c) a sample strip of cloth?

Swashbuckler, Swastika and Swatch

39.

Who, in 1999, became the first Briton to be appointed principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra?

(Sir) Simon Rattle

40.

Which British city has a cathedral whose full name is the Cathedral Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George?

Manchester

41.

What is the sum of the interior angles in a pentagon?

540 degrees

(the formula is (2n-4) x 90 where n is the number of sides)

42.

In Turner’s painting Rain Steam and Speed what kind of animal is seen running alongside the track?

A Hare

43.

Between 1970 and 1980 Peter Gilmore played the lead role in which BBC TV historical drama?

The Onedin Line

44.

29 years ago this week an underground rail accident claimed the lives of 29 people.  In which London tube station did this accident occur?

Moorgate

45.

What was the name of the civilization that dominated Italy before the Romans?

Etruscan

46.

Which Glasgow born psychiatrist revolutionized his profession with his book The Divided Self in 1960 and with his controversial doctrine of 'anti-psychiatry'?

R D Laing

47.

Who in Private Eye is  The Vicar of St Albions?

Tony Blair

(a pale imitation of a more famous cleric to be found in www.withquiz.dot.cotton)

48.

How old is Frank Libby’s carbon 14 method of determining the age of an object (plus/minus 5 years)?

57 years old

(accept 52 to 62 years)

49.

What position was held by Benjamin Briggs, whose fate has been much debated since he was last seen in November 1873?

Captain of the Mary Celeste

50.

In which English Cathedral would you find the tomb of King John and the ashes of Stanley Baldwin?

Worcester

51.

With which football club did the Yorkshire County Cricket Club share its ground until 1973?

Sheffield United

(Bramhall Lane)

52.

Which trade union activist and former president of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (AUEW) died on January 27^th 2004?

(Lord) Hugh Scanlon

53.

The narrator of which award winning novel introduces himself thus:

“My name is Christopher John Francis Boone.  I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and very prime number up to 7,507”?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

(by Mark Haddon)

54.

There is a make of light bulb called Osram.  The name Osram is a contraction of which two words?

Osmium and Wolfram

(from which its filaments are made)

55.

Where in London was the Scottish leader William Wallace hanged, drawn and quartered in 1305?

Smithfield

56.

Which chat show host once asked George Best the following:

“Did you ever think, George, that if you hadn’t raced around so much playing football you might never have become so thirsty”?

Mrs Merton

57.

Who was the Germanic goddess of the dawn, and of fertility, whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox?

Eostre

(hence our word Easter)

58.

Which ancient city could you have entered through the Ishtar Gate and worshipped at the temple of Marduk?

Babylon

59.

Give the year Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier, the Hungarian revolt was violently suppressed by the USSR and the Olympic Games were held in Melbourne.

1956

60.

What do the following have in common: Creepy Coupe, Compact Pussycat, Crimson Haybaler and Bouldermobile?

All are vehicles competing in The Wacky Races

61.

When John Smith died suddenly in 1994 who was appointed acting Leader of the Labour Party?

Margaret Becket

62.

Who was hanged in 1962 for killing Michael Gregsten after the longest murder trial in English legal history?

James Hanratty

63.

What one surname do the following have in common (slightly different spellings in each case):

a) English feminist and pacifist writer, and mother of Shirley Williams

b) Conservative politician, Home Secretary 1983-5, resigned from the cabinet 1986

c) English composer born in Lowestoft 1913, died 1976?

Brittain, Britten, Britten

64.

Which ever popular fairy story was originally collected and published by the Grimm Brothers under the title The Little Briar Rose?

The Sleeping Beauty

65.

The city of Seville currently has 2 football teams playing in the Primera Liga (Premier League).  Sevilla is one of them.  Name the other.

Real Betis

66.

Who played the title role in the 2003 film version of Dennis Potter’s play The Singing Detective?

Robert Downey Jnr

67.

In medieval genealogy a symbol resembling a crane’s foot was used to indicate lines of descent.  What current word derived from this symbol and is still used to denote a line of descent?

Pedigree

68.

Of what are these the statistics:

First class 62%; Second class 41%; Third class 25%; Crew 23%?

Survival rates on the Titanic

69.

The Grampian town of Keith is home to the oldest working distillery in the Highlands.  Founded in 1786 what is the name of this distillery?

Strathisla

70.

Which cheese is made in reverse?

Edam

(sorry - cryptic questions were strictly forbidden entrance to tonight’s quiz but this little bugger must have sneaked in when the bouncer nipped into the Gents to polish his head)