ROUND 1

1.

With which other international cricket team did England compete for the first time this day in 1930?

2.

By what name are the family of drugs, known more technically as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and used to lower cholesterol, familiarly known?

3.

Who played Sir Thomas More in the 1966 Oscar-winning film A Man for All Seasons?

4.

Which major river with an estimated length of 2500 miles flows through seven different countries and empties into the South China Sea?

5.

If the Duke of Edinburgh is 'Keith' and Prince Charles is 'Brian' who is the Queen?

6.

At the beginning of a game of chess which piece would be found on b1, b8, g1 and g8?

7.

By what name is the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 now commonly known?

8.

Which one-word slogan was said to be a permanent feature of IBM offices around the world until the late 1970’s?

ROUND 2

1.

With which TV satirical show would you associate these words: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife... and that's when I called Claims Direct!”

2.

In which town was the QE2, launched in 1967, built?

3.

In the Old Testament which character was ordered by God to preach at the city of Nineveh but refused with unfortunate consequences?

4.

Which book of 1965, subtitled A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences, opens with the words, “The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there’”?

5.

Which Scottish golfer was the captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 1991, 1993 and 1995?

6.

What is unusual about the dog breed the Basenji?

7.

Which politician, MP for Lewisham Deptford, was first elected to the House of Commons in 1987 and was Chair of the CND from 1981 to 1985?

8.

Which Savoy opera by Gilbert and Sullivan is subtitled The Merryman and His Maid?

ROUND 3

1.

Which common product is obtained from the bush or plant Camellia Sinensis?

2.

Who was US President at the time of the Wall Street Crash?

3.

Which football team were the last winners of an FA Cup final at Wembley?

4.

Which composer lived between 1810 and 1856 and composed four symphonies, the first of which was named the Spring Symphony?

5.

Who in 1995 succeeded Peter Preston as editor of the Guardian and still holds the post?

6.

Which Grade II listed building was designed by Henry Price, was opened by the Manchester Corporation in 1906 and became known nationally after a TV series of 2003?

7.

For directing which film of 2003, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was Sofia Coppola nominated for an oscar?

8.

Where in the human body would you find the muscle the brachioradialis?

ROUND 4

1.

What was the real name of the Artful Dodger?

2.

Which song which featured Eric Clapton on lead guitar was a number one in the UK in 1971 and, on its re-release, a number one in 2002?

3.

What is the second most frequently used letter in the English language?

4.

Operation Thunderbolt (or Thunderball) was famously carried out in Africa on the night of July 3rd and the morning of 4th 1976; what was its purpose?

5.

Which BBC TV drama series, made between 1992 and 1994 centred around the eventful life of Detective Superintendent Tony Clark, played by Neil Pearson?

6.

Which future king of England was born in Pembroke Castle in 1457?

7.

Who is currently world women’s record holder in both 100m and 200m, having set both records in 1988?

8.

Which surname connects a great middle-distance runner, a former Conservative cabinet member, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 and a singer who contributed to UK number 1 hits of 1965 and 1966?

ROUND 5

1.

In which TV satirical programme would you have heard a police sergeant berating Constable Savage for ethnic bigotry and saying, “I know he's a jailbird, Savage, he's down in the cells now! We're holding him on a charge of being caught in possession of curly black hair and thick lips!”?

2.

Which ship arrived at the scene of the sinking of the Titanic after working her way through dangerous ice fields and was able to save 706 people?

3.

In the Old Testament which character hid from impending doom at the brook of Cherith where he was fed by ravens?

4.

In which novel of 1953 would you read the words, "Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That's our official slogan.”?

5.

Which golfer won the US Masters a record six times between 1963 and 1986?

6.

How did the dog breed the dachshund get its name?

7.

Which politician, now MP for Normanton, served as chief economic adviser to HM Treasury from 1999 to 2004, in which post he was once named the most powerful unelected person in Britain?

8.

Which Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera features eight ghosts all with the surname Murgatroyd?

ROUND 6

1.

Which cricketer hit six sixes off one over this day in 1985?

2.

By what trade name is the drug fluoxetine hydrochloride, introduced in the USA in 1988 and now used by millions around the world, most commonly known?

3.

In the 1969 Oscar-winning film who played the young Texan Joe Buck?

4.

Which major river, whose length is 1988 miles, empties into the Arabian Sea near Karachi?

5.

In early 1996, the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Fayed bought the rights to the name of which satirical magazine intending, apparently, to use it to attack Private Eye?

6.

In chess notation what does 0-0, or 0-0-0 indicate?

7.

Which battle of 1918, the last major German offensive in the Western Front, is also known as the battle of Reims?

8.

What is the one-word corporate slogan of Hewlett-Packard?

ROUND 7

1.

In A Tale of Two Cities which women do both Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton love?

2.

Which musician, who died in 2006 and was often dubbed, amongst others, the 'Fifth Beatle', played keyboards on the recording of My Sweet Lord?

3.

What is the second least frequently used letter in the English language?

4.

What was the purpose of Operation Nimrod famously carried out on Monday May 5 1980?

5.

Who played Sam Tyler the central character in the 2006 BBC TV drama Life on Mars?

6.

Which future king of England was born at Fotheringay Castle in 1452?

7.

Which then-Jamaican but now Slovenian ranks at number four on the list of the all time female athletes on the 100 metres, and number three on the corresponding 200 metres list?

8.

Which surname connects an Olympic gold medal winner, a British actress, a winner in 1906 of the Nobel Prize for Physics and an American writer who committed suicide in 2005?

ROUND 8

1.

Which company introduced teabags to Britain in 1953?

2.

Which US President was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize when he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards ending the Russo-Japanese War?

3.

Which was the last team to win the Football League Division One before it became the FA Premiership?

4.

Which composer who died in 1957 composed seven symphonies, having apparently destroyed the manuscript of his eighth in 1945?

5.

From which publicly listed company did the Guardian buy the Observer in 1993?

6.

1002 is Virgin Megastores, 1005 is Robert Owen, 1017 is Bury Hospice and 2004 is Salford Lads Club.  Of which feature of Manchester dating from 1992 are these examples?

7.

For their performances in which Clint Eastwood film of 2003 were Sean Penn and Tim Robbins awarded best actor and best supporting actor Oscars respectively?

8.

In human beings the small intestine is divided into three structural parts, the duodenum, the jejunum and which other?

1.

Oberon and Titania were in 1787, Ariel was in 1851 and Desdemona and Puck were in 1986; to what does this refer?

2.

What in 1956 was Elvis Presley’s first film?

3.

Which major Internet company merged with the media group Time Warner this day in 2000?

4.

Which public school in Edinburgh did Tony Blair, Michael Tippett, David Ogilvy and Ian MacLeod all attend?

5.

Which eminent philosopher, born 1889 and died 1951, worked as a hospital porter in Guy’s hospital during WWII

6.

On which river does Winchester stand?

ROUND 1

1.

With which other international cricket team did England compete for the first time this day in 1930?

New Zealand

2.

By what name are the family of drugs, known more technically as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and used to lower cholesterol, familiarly known?

Statins

3.

Who played Sir Thomas More in the 1966 Oscar-winning film A Man for All Seasons?

Paul Scofield

4.

Which major river with an estimated length of 2500 miles flows through seven different countries and empties into the South China Sea?

Mekong

5.

If the Duke of Edinburgh is 'Keith' and Prince Charles is 'Brian' who is the Queen?

Brenda

(Private Eye nicknames)

6.

At the beginning of a game of chess which piece would be found on b1, b8, g1 and g8?

Knight

7.

By what name is the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 now commonly known?

Passchendaele

8.

Which one-word slogan was said to be a permanent feature of IBM offices around the world until the late 1970’s?

Think

ROUND 2

1.

With which TV satirical show would you associate these words: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife... and that's when I called Claims Direct!”

Dead Ringers

2.

In which town was the QE2, launched in 1967, built?

Clydebank

3.

In the Old Testament which character was ordered by God to preach at the city of Nineveh but refused with unfortunate consequences?

Jonah

4.

Which book of 1965, subtitled A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences, opens with the words, “The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there’”?

In Cold Blood

5.

Which Scottish golfer was the captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 1991, 1993 and 1995?

Bernard Gallacher

6.

What is unusual about the dog breed the Basenji?

It doesn’t bark

(due to its unusually shaped larynx)

7.

Which politician, MP for Lewisham Deptford, was first elected to the House of Commons in 1987 and was Chair of the CND from 1981 to 1985?

Joan Ruddock

8.

Which Savoy opera by Gilbert and Sullivan is subtitled The Merryman and His Maid?

The Yeoman of the Guard

ROUND 3

1.

Which common product is obtained from the bush or plant Camellia Sinensis?

Tea

2.

Who was US President at the time of the Wall Street Crash?

Herbert Hoover

3.

Which football team were the last winners of an FA Cup final at Wembley?

Chelsea

(beat Aston Villa 1-0)

4.

Which composer lived between 1810 and 1856 and composed four symphonies, the first of which was named the Spring Symphony?

(Robert) Schumann

5.

Who in 1995 succeeded Peter Preston as editor of the Guardian and still holds the post?

Alan Rushbridger

6.

Which Grade II listed building was designed by Henry Price, was opened by the Manchester Corporation in 1906 and became known nationally after a TV series of 2003?

Victoria Baths

7.

For directing which film of 2003, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, was Sofia Coppola nominated for an oscar?

Lost in Translation

8.

Where in the human body would you find the muscle the brachioradialis?

The arm

ROUND 4

1.

What was the real name of the Artful Dodger?

John Dawkins

2.

Which song which featured Eric Clapton on lead guitar was a number one in the UK in 1971 and, on its re-release, a number one in 2002?

My Sweet Lord

(by George Harrison)

3.

What is the second most frequently used letter in the English language?

T

4.

Operation Thunderbolt (or Thunderball) was famously carried out in Africa on the night of July 3rd and the morning of 4th 1976; what was its purpose?

To free the Israeli hostages held at Entebbe Airport

5.

Which BBC TV drama series, made between 1992 and 1994 centred around the eventful life of Detective Superintendent Tony Clark, played by Neil Pearson?

Between the Lines

6.

Which future king of England was born in Pembroke Castle in 1457?

Henry VII

7.

Who is currently world women’s record holder in both 100m and 200m, having set both records in 1988?

Florence Griffith-Joyner

8.

Which surname connects a great middle-distance runner, a former Conservative cabinet member, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 and a singer who contributed to UK number 1 hits of 1965 and 1966?

Walker

(John, Peter, Alice and Scott)

ROUND 5

1

In which TV satirical programme would you have heard a police sergeant berating Constable Savage for ethnic bigotry and saying, “I know he's a jailbird, Savage, he's down in the cells now! We're holding him on a charge of being caught in possession of curly black hair and thick lips!”?

Not the Nine O’Clock News

2.

Which ship arrived at the scene of the sinking of the Titanic after working her way through dangerous ice fields and was able to save 706 people?

RMS Carpathia

3.

In the Old Testament which character hid from impending doom at the brook of Cherith where he was fed by ravens?

Elijah

4.

In which novel of 1953 would you read the words, "Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That's our official slogan.”?

Fahrenheit 451

5.

Which golfer won the US Masters a record six times between 1963 and 1986?

Jack Nicklaus

6.

How did the dog breed the dachshund get its name?

From the German dachs meaning badger and hund meaning dog

(it was originally bred to chase badgers underground)

7.

Which politician, now MP for Normanton, served as chief economic adviser to HM Treasury from 1999 to 2004, in which post he was once named the most powerful unelected person in Britain?

Ed Balls

8.

Which Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera features eight ghosts all with the surname Murgatroyd?

Ruddigore

ROUND 6

1

Which cricketer hit six sixes off one over this day in 1985?

Ravi Shastri

2.

By what trade name is the drug fluoxetine hydrochloride, introduced in the USA in 1988 and now used by millions around the world, most commonly known?

Prozac

3.

In the 1969 Oscar-winning film who played the young Texan Joe Buck?

Jon Voight

(in Midnight Cowboy)

4.

Which major river, whose length is 1988 miles, empties into the Arabian Sea near Karachi?

Indus

5.

In early 1996, the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Fayed bought the rights to the name of which satirical magazine intending, apparently, to use it to attack Private Eye?

Punch

6.

In chess notation what does 0-0, or 0-0-0 indicate?

Castling

7.

Which battle of 1918, the last major German offensive in the Western Front, is also known as the battle of Reims?

(second) Battle of the Marne

8.

What is the one-word corporate slogan of Hewlett-Packard?

Invent

ROUND 7

1.

In A Tale of Two Cities which women do both Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton love?

Lucie Manette

2.

Which musician, who died in 2006 and was often dubbed, amongst others, the 'Fifth Beatle', played keyboards on the recording of My Sweet Lord?

Billy Preston

3.

What is the second least frequently used letter in the English language?

Q

4.

What was the purpose of Operation Nimrod famously carried out on Monday May 5 1980?

To end the terrorist siege of the Iranian Embassy in London

5.

Who played Sam Tyler the central character in the 2006 BBC TV drama Life on Mars?

John Simm

6.

Which future king of England was born at Fotheringay Castle in 1452?

Richard III

7.

Which then-Jamaican but now Slovenian ranks at number four on the list of the all time female athletes on the 100 metres, and number three on the corresponding 200 metres list?

Merlene Ottey

8.

Which surname connects an Olympic gold medal winner, a British actress, a winner in 1906 of the Nobel Prize for Physics and an American writer who committed suicide in 2005?

Thompson

(Daley, Emma, Joseph and Hunter S)

ROUND 8

1.

Which company introduced teabags to Britain in 1953?

Tetley

2.

Which US President was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize when he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards ending the Russo-Japanese War?

Theodore Roosevelt

3.

Which was the last team to win the Football League Division One before it became the FA Premiership?

Leeds United

4.

Which composer who died in 1957 composed seven symphonies, having apparently destroyed the manuscript of his eighth in 1945?

Jean Sibelius

5.

From which publicly listed company did the Guardian buy the Observer in 1993?

Lonhro

(now Lonmin)

6.

1002 is Virgin Megastores, 1005 is Robert Owen, 1017 is Bury Hospice and 2004 is Salford Lads Club.  Of which feature of Manchester dating from 1992 are these examples?

Numbers and names of trams on the Metrolink

7.

For their performances in which Clint Eastwood film of 2003 were Sean Penn and Tim Robbins awarded best actor and best supporting actor Oscars respectively?

Mystic River

8.

In human beings the small intestine is divided into three structural parts, the duodenum, the jejunum and which other?

Ileum

1.

Oberon and Titania were in 1787, Ariel was in 1851 and Desdemona and Puck were in 1986; to what does this refer?

Discovery of (some of) the moons of Uranus

2.

What in 1956 was Elvis Presley’s first film?

Love Me Tender

3.

Which major Internet company merged with the media group Time Warner this day in 2000?

America Online

4.

Which public school in Edinburgh did Tony Blair, Michael Tippett, David Ogilvy and Ian MacLeod all attend?

Fettes College

5.

Which eminent philosopher, born 1889 and died 1951, worked as a hospital porter in Guy’s hospital during WWII

Wittgenstein

6.

On which river does Winchester stand?

Itchen

Go back to Spare questions without answers