ROUND 1

1.

Which London Underground line is the longest?

2.

Prior to being done last, in 2005, what is the most recent year that the European Cup winning team was captained by an Englishman?

3.

Leila Williams and Christopher Trace were the first to present which TV show?

4.

Which were the UK’s first three designated National Parks?

5.

Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919?

6.

Which constituency did John Major represent from 1979 until 2001?

7.

Name three of the four countries that border Latvia?

8.

Who wrote the 2005 Booker Prize winning novel The Sea?

ROUND 2

1.

How many rooms are there in the original game of Cluedo?

2.

What are the four South American countries through which the Tropic of Capricorn passes?

3.

Who wrote the 1922 novel Aaron’s Rod?

4.

A painting of the crucifixion, in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery, was recently voted in a newspaper poll Scotland’s favourite painting.  Which Spanish-born artist painted it?

5.

Only two goalkeepers have ever been the PFA player of the year. Name them both.

6.

In Coronation Street how many different husbands has Gail had?

7.

Which is the UK’s largest cathedral by floor area?

8.

What does the name of the Soviet spacecraft Vostok mean when translated into English?

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

What song was a duet hit for Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams in 2002?

2.

Which legendary figure is believed to be buried in Hathersage?

3.

Which classic 1952 film directed by John Ford, concludes with the leading man having a prolonged fight with his brother-in­-law, played by Victor McLagen?

4.

Which 1986 novel by John Le Carré, tells the story of Magnus Pym?

5.

Where is the traditional centre of Newcastle town centre’s notorious nightlife?

6.

The Dutch leader, William I of Orange (1533-1584) was a counsellor to Philip II of Spain before rebelling against him.  By what name is he usually known?

7.

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, which famous ecclesiastic is the only English person encountered in heaven?

8.

Which company made the famous Sunderland warplane?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

In which UK town was the TV show, The Office, set?

2.

What phrase did Chairman Mao famously use to describe the atomic bomb threat?

3.

Which world leader was allegedly asked by J F Kennedy, “Don’t you find you get a headache if you don’t have sex every couple of hours?”

4.

How is Shengde Shengong Wenwu, Emperor of China, better remembered?

5.

How is the bird Corvus Corax more commonly known?

6.

Whose most celebrated weapon was the jawbone of an ass?

7.

In Greek mythology, which youth was put to sleep forever when the moon-goddess kissed him?

8.

A Bordelaise sauce contains, as its main ingredients, red wine and which vegetable?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

In Greek mythology, Hippolyta was the queen of which people?

2.

Which car company manufactured the Snipe?

3.

Which singer had hits in the early 60s with Runaway and Hats off to Larry?

4.

Which Rolling Stones album, critically panned on its release in 1972, is now rightly acclaimed as a classic?

5.

Which teletubby is red and rides a scooter?

6.

Which 1787 opera was originally titled The Rake Punished?

7.

What, after football, is the most watched sport on the Sky Sports channels?

8.

Who was Michael Flander’s partner in a musical comedy duo for many years?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

The film My Left Foot told the story of which writer?

2.

Who led the Mormons across America to their new home in Utah?

3.

What is the capital of Guyana?

4.

Which father and son inventors filed patents for everyday objects in 1848 and 1861 respectively of which the latter is for an object still in widespread use?

5.

Which was the first space shuttle to go into orbit?

6.

Which bandleader wrote the classic composition, Mood Indigo, first recorded in 1930?

7.

Where was Edward II brutally murdered?

8.

Which Irish composer (1852-1924) taught Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst whilst being Professor of Music at Cambridge University?

ROUND 7

1.

Which is Britain’s longest motorway?

2.

Who was the first player to captain an FA Cup winning team at Wembley who was neither British nor Irish?

3.

Which TV post has been held by Mr Starling, Mr Llewelyn, Mrs McClusky, Mrs Keele, Mr McNab, Mr Robson and Mrs Bassinger?

4.

Which is the only county in England to have two separate coastlines?

5.

Which two men shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize?

6.

Who has been MP for Macclesfield since 1971?

7.

With how many countries does Romania share a land border?

8.

Who wrote the 2007 Booker Prize winner The Gathering?

ROUND 8

1.

In Monopoly what is the missing orange property from this list: Vine St, Bow St and....?

2.

Which is the only country in the world through which the equator, and one of the tropics, passes?

3.

Who wrote the 1936 novel Eyeless in Gaza?

4.

Who responded to the sale of his artwork at Sotheby’s with a cartoon declaring, “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit”?

5.

Who was the first goalkeeper to captain a Football World Cup winning side?

6.

How many wives has EastEnder, Ian Beale, had?

7.

By enclosed volume, which is Europe’s largest Cathedral?

8.

What does the name of the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz mean when translated into English?

Spares

The first 4 have a theme

1.

Which former pop singer sculpted and then donated to the city, the statue of Eleanor Rigby located in Stanley Street, Liverpool?

2.

Which actor played Lee in The Magnificent Seven, and Senator Gary Parker in The Towering Inferno?

3.

Who was dubbed ‘The Astrologer Royal’ in 1978 after giving a consultation to the Queen Mother?

4.

Which Scottish port is known locally as The Broch and is Europe’s largest shell-fishing port?

5.

Which Libyan King did Colonel Gaddafi overthrow in 1969?

6.

Which American poet wrote the lines: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker” and “Why did the Lord give us agility, if not to evade responsibility”?

7.

One of the highest ranked prophets in Islam, is Eisa al-Maseeh.  How is he better known to non-Muslims?

8.

Of which religion is this the central coda: “There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity”?

ROUND 1

1.

Which London Underground line is the longest?

The Central Line

2.

Prior to being done last, in 2005, what is the most recent year that the European Cup winning team was captained by an Englishman?

1982

(by Dennis Mortimer of Aston Villa)

3.

Leila Williams and Christopher Trace were the first to present which TV show?

Blue Peter

4.

Which were the UK’s first three designated National Parks?

Lake District, Peak District and Dartmoor

5.

Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919?

Woodrow Wilson

6.

Which constituency did John Major represent from 1979 until 2001?

Huntingdon

7.

Name three of the four countries that border Latvia?

(3 from)

Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus

8.

Who wrote the 2005 Booker Prize winning novel The Sea?

John Banville

ROUND 2

1.

How many rooms are there in the original game of Cluedo?

9

(Kitchen, Dining room, Lounge, Hall, Study, Library, Billiard room, Conservatory, Ballroom)

2.

What are the four South American countries through which the Tropic of Capricorn passes?

Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile

3.

Who wrote the 1922 novel Aaron’s Rod?

D H Lawrence

4.

A painting of the crucifixion, in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery, was recently voted in a newspaper poll Scotland’s favourite painting.  Which Spanish-born artist painted it?

Salvador Dali

5.

Only two goalkeepers have ever been the PFA player of the year. Name them both.

Pat Jennings and Peter Shilton

6.

In Coronation Street how many different husbands has Gail had?

3

7.

Which is the UK’s largest cathedral by floor area?

Liverpool

(Anglican)

8.

What does the name of the Soviet spacecraft Vostok mean when translated into English?

East

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

What song was a duet hit for Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams in 2002?

Something Stupid

2.

Which legendary figure is believed to be buried in Hathersage?

Little John

3.

Which classic 1952 film directed by John Ford, concludes with the leading man having a prolonged fight with his brother-in­-law, played by Victor McLagen?

The Quiet Man

4.

Which 1986 novel by John Le Carré, tells the story of Magnus Pym?

A Perfect Spy

5.

Where is the traditional centre of Newcastle town centre’s notorious nightlife?

The Bigg Market

6.

The Dutch leader, William I of Orange (1533-1584) was a counsellor to Philip II of Spain before rebelling against him.  By what name is he usually known?

William the Silent

7.

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, which famous ecclesiastic is the only English person encountered in heaven?

The Venerable Bede

8.

Which company made the famous Sunderland warplane?

Short’s

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

In which UK town was the TV show, The Office, set?

Slough

2.

What phrase did Chairman Mao famously use to describe the atomic bomb threat?

“A paper tiger”

3.

Which world leader was allegedly asked by J F Kennedy, “Don’t you find you get a headache if you don’t have sex every couple of hours?”

Harold Macmillan

4.

How is Shengde Shengong Wenwu, Emperor of China, better remembered?

Kublai Khan

5.

How is the bird Corvus Corax more commonly known?

The Raven

6.

Whose most celebrated weapon was the jawbone of an ass?

Samson

7.

In Greek mythology, which youth was put to sleep forever when the moon-goddess kissed him?

Endymion

8.

A Bordelaise sauce contains, as its main ingredients, red wine and which vegetable?

Shallots

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1

In Greek mythology, Hippolyta was the queen of which people?

The Amazons

2.

Which car company manufactured the Snipe?

Humber

3.

Which singer had hits in the early 60s with Runaway and Hats off to Larry?

Del Shannon

4.

Which Rolling Stones album, critically panned on its release in 1972, is now rightly acclaimed as a classic?

Exile on Main Street

5.

Which teletubby is red and rides a scooter?

Po

6.

Which 1787 opera was originally titled The Rake Punished?

Don Giovanni

7.

What, after football, is the most watched sport on the Sky Sports channels?

Darts

8.

Who was Michael Flander’s partner in a musical comedy duo for many years?

Donald Swan

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1

The film My Left Foot told the story of which writer?

Christy Brown

2.

Who led the Mormons across America to their new home in Utah?

Brigham Young

3.

What is the capital of Guyana?

Georgetown

4.

Which father and son inventors filed patents for everyday objects in 1848 and 1861 respectively of which the latter is for an object still in widespread use?

Linus Yale Senior & Linus Yale Junior

(accept Yale)

5.

Which was the first space shuttle to go into orbit?

Columbia

6.

Which bandleader wrote the classic composition, Mood Indigo, first recorded in 1930?

Duke Ellington

7.

Where was Edward II brutally murdered?

Berkeley Castle

8.

Which Irish composer (1852-1924) taught Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst whilst being Professor of Music at Cambridge University?

Charles V Stanford

ROUND 7

1.

Which is Britain’s longest motorway?

M6

(230 miles)

2.

Who was the first player to captain an FA Cup winning team at Wembley who was neither British nor Irish?

Eric Cantona

3.

Which TV post has been held by Mr Starling, Mr Llewelyn, Mrs McClusky, Mrs Keele, Mr McNab, Mr Robson and Mrs Bassinger?

Head Teacher of Grange Hill School

4.

Which is the only county in England to have two separate coastlines?

Devon

5.

Which two men shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize?

John Hume and David Trimble

6.

Who has been MP for Macclesfield since 1971?

Sir Nicholas Winterton

7.

With how many countries does Romania share a land border?

5

(Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia)

8.

Who wrote the 2007 Booker Prize winner The Gathering?

Anne Enright

ROUND 8

1.

In Monopoly what is the missing orange property from this list: Vine St, Bow St and....?

Marlborough Street

2.

Which is the only country in the world through which the equator, and one of the tropics, passes?

Brazil

3.

Who wrote the 1936 novel Eyeless in Gaza?

Aldous Huxley

4.

Who responded to the sale of his artwork at Sotheby’s with a cartoon declaring, “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit”?

Banksy

5.

Who was the first goalkeeper to captain a Football World Cup winning side?

Dino Zoff

6.

How many wives has EastEnder, Ian Beale, had?

4

7.

By enclosed volume, which is Europe’s largest Cathedral?

Seville

8.

What does the name of the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz mean when translated into English?

Union

1.

Which former pop singer sculpted and then donated to the city, the statue of Eleanor Rigby located in Stanley Street, Liverpool?

Tommy Steele

2.

Which actor played Lee in The Magnificent Seven, and Senator Gary Parker in The Towering Inferno?

Robert Vaughn

3.

Who was dubbed ‘The Astrologer Royal’ in 1978 after giving a consultation to the Queen Mother?

Russell Grant

4.

Which Scottish port is known locally as The Broch and is Europe’s largest shell-fishing port?

Fraserburgh

5.

Which Libyan King did Colonel Gaddafi overthrow in 1969?

King Idris

6.

Which American poet wrote the lines: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker” and “Why did the Lord give us agility, if not to evade responsibility”?

Ogden Nash

7.

One of the highest ranked prophets in Islam, is Eisa al-Maseeh.  How is he better known to non-Muslims?

Jesus Christ

8.

Of which religion is this the central coda: “There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity”?

Jedi

(it concludes: “There is no death; there is The Force”)

Theme: Each of the answers to questions 1 to 4 contains the name of an English cricketer

Go back to Spare questions without answers