ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Peter Carey novel was made into a 1997 film starring Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett?

2.

Which current BBC drama series is based on a novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones?

3.

Which mathematical symbol is used to denote change?

4.

Which mathematical symbol is used to denote direct proportion?

5.

Which 1964 film, directed by Cy Endfield, contains the lines: “The army doesn’t like more than one disaster in a day.  Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast.”?

6.

Which notorious 1972 Bertolucci film contains the lines: “I’m awfully sorry to intrude but I was so struck with your beauty that I thought perhaps I could offer you a glass of champagne.  Is that seat taken?”?

7.

Often used for cover versions, which song begins with the words: “It was the third of September, that day I’ll always remember, yes I will – ‘cos that was the day my daddy died”?

8.

Which folk song begins with the words: “As I was going over the far famed Kerry Mountains I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was counting.”?

ROUND 2

1.

If you sailed due east from New York upon which country’s shore would you land?

2.

If you sailed due west from San Francisco upon which country’s shore would you land?

3.

Who wrote the best-selling philosophical text Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

4.

Who wrote the best selling manual The Joy of Sex?

5.

The tourist attraction, The Heights of Abraham, can be found in which British county?

6.

In which British county would you find a hill called The Wrekin?

7.

Alanine, Glycine and Tyrosine are all types of what?

8.

Amylases, Lipases and Proteases are all types of what?

ROUND 3

1.

What is the oldest British flat classic race?

2.

Which two of the five British classic horse races are restricted to fillies?

3.

Two boxing-themed films have won the best picture Oscar.  The first was Rocky in 1976.  What was the second?

4.

Last year Al Gore became only the second person to be awarded an Oscar as well as a Nobel prize.  Who was the first, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 and an Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 1938?

5.

Which strong, and usually dry wind, normally occurs in the winter and spring, and blows from the northwest or north of Europe through the valley of the Rhône River to the Mediterranean?

6.

Which Mediterranean wind comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe?

7.

The Fosse Way ran from Exeter to which other present city?

8.

Ermine Street ran from London to which other present city?

ROUND 4

1.

Which Oscar-winning actress adopted Maddox in 2002, and Zahara in 2005?

2.

Which rock star fathered his seventh child, Alastair, at the age of 60 in 2005?

3.

Turpentine is obtained mainly from which family of trees?

4.

To which family of trees does the osier belong?

5.

Which cricketer made his test debut for England in 1949 when aged 18, and played his last test in 1976 when aged 45?

6.

Which team won England’s County Cricket Championship in seven consecutive seasons between 1952 and 1958?

7.

Which word entered the English language during the 19th century Irish Land War, being derived from the activities of a former member of the British Army who became the estate agent of an absentee landlord?

8.

Which word entered the English language during the 19th century being derived from the activities of a Texas rancher who steadfastly refused to brand his cattle?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

The answers in this round are linked by two similar themes

1.

Which figure from the Wild West, born 1837 and died 1876, was a scout, a Marshal and a gunfighter?  He died when he was shot whilst playing a game of poker in Deadwood.

2.

What is the name of the infamous triptych work, painted about 1500, and housed in the Prado, which was described as “depicting the variety of the world illustrated with grotesqueries”?

3.

Which English-born actress won an Oscar for her performance as Gloria Wandrous in the 1960 film Butterfield 8?

4.

Whose long period of captivity as a hostage came to an end on 18 November 1991?

5.

“Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas”, found inscribed during excavations at Herculaneum, and translated as “The sower Arepo holds the wheels at work”, is a very early example of which literary form?

6.

Who is credited with being the first European to discover Greenland?

7.

Name the great amateur golfer who, despite never turning professional, won 13 major events including the amateur and professional grand slam in 1930?

8.

Who gained notoriety on 8 December 1980?

ROUND 6

1.

Which successful musical was based upon a novel by Gaston Leroux?

2.

Which musical is based on the 1931 play by Lynn Riggs, Green Grow the Lilacs?

3.

Who unsuccessfully stood for election as the Conservative candidate for Dartford in 1950 and 1951?

4.

Who did Margaret Thatcher beat on the second ballot for the election of Tory leader in 1975?

5.

From which meat is pancetta derived?

6.

Which herb is a crucial ingredient of pesto sauce?

7.

In Hinduism what is a mandira?

8.

In Judaism what is treifa?

ROUND 7

1.

What is Britain’s largest National Park, established in 2003

2.

What is Britain’s smallest National Park, established in 1989?

3.

Which album of 1977, which has sold more than 30 million copies, opens with Second Hand News and concludes with Gold Dust Woman?

4.

Which album of 1973, which has sold more than 40 million copies, opens with Speak to Me and concludes with Eclipse?

5.

Which character in The Archers has had several extramarital affairs including one with Caroline Bone, and one with Siobhan Hathaway (which produced his only son Ruairí)?

6.

Which eccentric character in The Archers is the owner of Lower Loxley Hall and is married to Elizabeth?

7.

Why did Sandra Rivett become nationally known in 1974?

8.

Who was acquitted of the murder of Rachel Nickell in 1994?

ROUND 8

1.

Give a year in the life of the philosopher René Descartes.

2.

Give a year in the life of the political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli?

3.

What links Chinstrap, Gentoo, Macaroni and Humboldt?

4.

What links Charlotte, Nadine, Nicola and Vanessa?

5.

According to Philip Larkin, in his poem Annus Mirabilis, what began in 1963 “between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP”?

6.

According to the poem by Jenny Joseph, what will she wear when she is an old woman?

7.

With which comedian would you associate the phrase: “My flabber has never been so gasted”?

8.

With which comedian would you associate the question: “Are you looking for a punch up the bracket”?

1.

Which German car company completed a takeover of which other German car company last week?

2.

Who is Her Majesty’s current Chief Inspector of Prisons?

3.

What name links a pub in Heaton Moor, an infamous aircraft of 50 years ago, and a description of a historical era?

4.

Whose flat vowels were the first regional accent heard on the BBC, his wartime broadcasts proving as popular as Winston Churchill’s?

5.

Which 1940 novel is set in Stalinist Russia and has as its central character Nicholas Rubashov, who is imprisoned and tried for treason by the Soviet government he once helped create?

6.

In which film of 2007, based on a real story and directed by Ridley Scott, does Detective Richie Roberts work to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Peter Carey novel was made into a 1997 film starring Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett?

Oscar and Lucinda

2.

Which current BBC drama series is based on a novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones?

Hotel Babylon

3.

Which mathematical symbol is used to denote change?

Delta

4.

Which mathematical symbol is used to denote direct proportion?

Alpha

5.

Which 1964 film, directed by Cy Endfield, contains the lines: “The army doesn’t like more than one disaster in a day.  Looks bad in the newspapers and upsets civilians at their breakfast.”?

Zulu

6.

Which notorious 1972 Bertolucci film contains the lines: “I’m awfully sorry to intrude but I was so struck with your beauty that I thought perhaps I could offer you a glass of champagne.  Is that seat taken?”?

Last Tango in Paris

7.

Often used for cover versions, which song begins with the words: “It was the third of September, that day I’ll always remember, yes I will – ‘cos that was the day my daddy died”?

Papa was a Rolling Stone

8.

Which folk song begins with the words: “As I was going over the far famed Kerry Mountains I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was counting.”?

Whisky in the Jar

ROUND 2

1.

If you sailed due east from New York upon which country’s shore would you land?

Portugal

2.

If you sailed due west from San Francisco upon which country’s shore would you land?

Japan

3.

Who wrote the best-selling philosophical text Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

(Robert M) Pirsig

4.

Who wrote the best selling manual The Joy of Sex?

(Alex) Comfort

5.

The tourist attraction, The Heights of Abraham, can be found in which British county?

Derbyshire

6.

In which British county would you find a hill called The Wrekin?

Shropshire

7.

Alanine, Glycine and Tyrosine are all types of what?

Amino acids

8.

Amylases, Lipases and Proteases are all types of what?

Enzymes

ROUND 3

1.

What is the oldest British flat classic race?

St Leger

2.

Which two of the five British classic horse races are restricted to fillies?

1,000 Guineas and the Oaks

3.

Two boxing-themed films have won the best picture Oscar.  The first was Rocky in 1976.  What was the second?

Million Dollar Baby

4.

Last year Al Gore became only the second person to be awarded an Oscar as well as a Nobel prize.  Who was the first, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 and an Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 1938?

George Bernard Shaw

5.

Which strong, and usually dry wind, normally occurs in the winter and spring, and blows from the northwest or north of Europe through the valley of the Rhône River to the Mediterranean?

Mistral

6.

Which Mediterranean wind comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe?

Sirocco

7.

The Fosse Way ran from Exeter to which other present city?

Lincoln

8.

Ermine Street ran from London to which other present city?

York

ROUND 4

1.

Which Oscar-winning actress adopted Maddox in 2002, and Zahara in 2005?

Angelina Jolie

2.

Which rock star fathered his seventh child, Alastair, at the age of 60 in 2005?

Rod Stewart

3.

Turpentine is obtained mainly from which family of trees?

Pine

4.

To which family of trees does the osier belong?

Willow

5.

Which cricketer made his test debut for England in 1949 when aged 18, and played his last test in 1976 when aged 45?

Brian Close

6.

Which team won England’s County Cricket Championship in seven consecutive seasons between 1952 and 1958?

Surrey

7.

Which word entered the English language during the 19th century Irish Land War, being derived from the activities of a former member of the British Army who became the estate agent of an absentee landlord?

Boycott

8.

Which word entered the English language during the 19th century being derived from the activities of a Texas rancher who steadfastly refused to brand his cattle?

Maverick

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

The answers in this round are linked by two similar themes

1

Which figure from the Wild West, born 1837 and died 1876, was a scout, a Marshal and a gunfighter?  He died when he was shot whilst playing a game of poker in Deadwood.

Wild Bill Hickock

2.

What is the name of the infamous triptych work, painted about 1500, and housed in the Prado, which was described as “depicting the variety of the world illustrated with grotesqueries”?

Garden of Earthly Delights

(by Hieronymus Bosch)

3.

Which English-born actress won an Oscar for her performance as Gloria Wandrous in the 1960 film Butterfield 8?

Elizabeth Taylor

4.

Whose long period of captivity as a hostage came to an end on 18 November 1991?

Terry Waite

5.

“Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas”, found inscribed during excavations at Herculaneum, and translated as “The sower Arepo holds the wheels at work”, is a very early example of which literary form?

Palindrome

6.

Who is credited with being the first European to discover Greenland?

Eric the Red

(not Lief Ericcson, his son, who discovered Newfoundland)

7.

Name the great amateur golfer who, despite never turning professional, won 13 major events including the amateur and professional grand slam in 1930?

Bobby Jones

8.

Who gained notoriety on 8 December 1980?

Mark Chapman

(when he shot John Lennon)

ROUND 6

1

Which successful musical was based upon a novel by Gaston Leroux?

Phantom of the Opera

2.

Which musical is based on the 1931 play by Lynn Riggs, Green Grow the Lilacs?

Oklahoma

3.

Who unsuccessfully stood for election as the Conservative candidate for Dartford in 1950 and 1951?

Margaret Thatcher

4.

Who did Margaret Thatcher beat on the second ballot for the election of Tory leader in 1975?

Willie Whitelaw

5.

From which meat is pancetta derived?

Pork

6.

Which herb is a crucial ingredient of pesto sauce?

Basil

7.

In Hinduism what is a mandira?

Temple

8.

In Judaism what is treifa?

Foods that are not kosher

ROUND 7

1.

What is Britain’s largest National Park, established in 2003

Cairngorms

2.

What is Britain’s smallest National Park, established in 1989?

The Broads

3.

Which album of 1977, which has sold more than 30 million copies, opens with Second Hand News and concludes with Gold Dust Woman?

Rumours

(by Fleetwood Mac)

4.

Which album of 1973, which has sold more than 40 million copies, opens with Speak to Me and concludes with Eclipse?

Dark Side of the Moon

(by Pink Floyd)

5.

Which character in The Archers has had several extramarital affairs including one with Caroline Bone, and one with Siobhan Hathaway (which produced his only son Ruairí)?

Brian Aldridge

6.

Which eccentric character in The Archers is the owner of Lower Loxley Hall and is married to Elizabeth?

Nigel Pargeter

7.

Why did Sandra Rivett become nationally known in 1974?

She was the nanny allegedly murdered by Lord Lucan

8.

Who was acquitted of the murder of Rachel Nickell in 1994?

Colin Stagg

ROUND 8

1.

Give a year in the life of the philosopher René Descartes.

1596-1650

2.

Give a year in the life of the political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli?

1469-1527

3.

What links Chinstrap, Gentoo, Macaroni and Humboldt?

They are all species of penguin

4.

What links Charlotte, Nadine, Nicola and Vanessa?

They are all varieties of potato

5.

According to Philip Larkin, in his poem Annus Mirabilis, what began in 1963 “between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP”?

sexual intercourse

6.

According to the poem by Jenny Joseph, what will she wear when she is an old woman?

“Purple (with a red hat that doesn’t go)”

(accept just purple)

7.

With which comedian would you associate the phrase: “My flabber has never been so gasted”?

Frankie Howerd

8.

With which comedian would you associate the question: “Are you looking for a punch up the bracket”?

Tony Hancock

1.

Which German car company completed a takeover of which other German car company last week?

Porsche took over Volkswagen

2.

Who is Her Majesty’s current Chief Inspector of Prisons?

Ann Owers

3.

What name links a pub in Heaton Moor, an infamous aircraft of 50 years ago, and a description of a historical era?

Elizabethan

4.

Whose flat vowels were the first regional accent heard on the BBC, his wartime broadcasts proving as popular as Winston Churchill’s?

J B Priestley

5.

Which 1940 novel is set in Stalinist Russia and has as its central character Nicholas Rubashov, who is imprisoned and tried for treason by the Soviet government he once helped create?

Darkness at Noon

6.

In which film of 2007, based on a real story and directed by Ridley Scott, does Detective Richie Roberts work to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas?

American Gangster

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