1.

The German city of Bremen stands on which river?

2.

Who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the 1983 film Tender Mercies?

3.

Richard Wallace is the editor of which Sunday national newspaper?

4.

In 2009, who was dropped as the face of Iceland supermarkets after pictures appeared of her taking cocaine?

5.

What are the three main colours on the flag of Afghanistan?

6.

Which current cabinet minister is the MP for Doncaster North?

7.

Sphalerite is the most exploited ore of which metal?

8.

Who will captain the United States team at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor?

9.

According to the popular song what is “…the toddling town….the town that Billy Sunday could not shut down”?

10.

In which year did the following events take place: Jeremy Thorpe is acquitted of conspiracy to murder; there is a radiation leak at Three Mile Island; Lord Mountbatten is assassinated in Ireland?

11.

Timperly Early and Cawood Delight are varieties of which edible plant?

12.

Give a year in the life of the composer Antonio Vivaldi.

13.

Name the last old Etonian to become British Prime Minister?

14.

In which city was the painter Francis Bacon born?

15.

In which Cambridge College is the Mathematical Bridge?

16.

The French port of Bordeaux stands on which river?

17.

Who won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 1994 film Blue Sky?

18.

Will Lewis is the editor of which daily national newspaper?

19.

In 2005, who was dropped as the face of H&M, Burberry and Chanel after pictures appeared of her taking cocaine?

20.

What are the three main colours on the flag of Iraq?

21.

Which current cabinet minister is the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood?

22.

Bornite and Chalcocite are important ores of which metal?

23.

Who carried the British flag at the 2010 Winter Olympics?

24.

If you leave Pennsylvania Station about a quarter to four where will you have your ham and eggs?

25.

In which year did the following events take place: Olaf Palme is assassinated in Stockholm; Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson; Spain and Portugal join the EEC?

26.

Early Sulphur and Careless are varieties of which fruit?

27.

Give a year in the life of the composer Rossini.

28.

Who was the last British Prime Minister prior to Gordon Brown and Tony Blair not to have been born in England?

29.

In which city was the painter Lucien Freud born?

30.

In which Oxford College is the Bridge of Sighs?

1.

What links 10^-36 seconds after the Big Bang, and CPI ?

2.

Since 1987 which pair of names is missing: Denis/Glenys, Norma/Glenys, Norma/Cherie, Sandra/Cherie, Samantha/Sarah?

3.

Expressed as a fraction, what is the probability of getting 2 heads and 2 tails in 4 coin spins?

4.

What musical form is this an example of:

C7 F7 C7 C7 F7 F7 C7 C7 G7 F7 C7 G7?

5.

In the traditional song what was: “too large for the shelf so it stood 90 year on the floor”?

6.

What were the colours of the four horses of the apocalypse?

7.

Who is the best selling writer of books of all time?

8.

In contrast, who is the Hollywood superstar actress whose film Motherhood had only 11 people turning up to its opening weekend in the UK last week (with only one turning up on the Sunday), taking in total £88?

9.

Complete this 1996 Tony Blair quote: “My project will be complete when the Labour Party learns to love ....”.

10.

What is the difference in points scored for a Formula 1 win between the 2009 and 2010 seasons?

1.

The same brewery makes 4 well-known cask beers, three of which are Ruddles County, Old Speckled Hen, and an IPA.  What is the 4th?

2.

Which Beirut-born Canadian Actor starred as Neo in a very successful film Trilogy?

3.

Which beer, first brewed in Bremen in 1873, was not sold in Germany until 1949?

4.

What are creatures of the family Formicidae called in English?

5.

NASA launched the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer last year. What is it more commonly known as (amongst astronomers at least)?

6.

Which English writer published A Pair of Blue Eyes in 1873, the first novel to be published under his proper name?

7.

What soubriquet did his supporters give to John Graham of Claverhouse, 1^st Viscount of Dundee, who died at the battle of Killiecrankie in 1689?

8.

What was the last pitched battle between England and the nation of Scotland, fought in 1547 near Musselburgh (and resulting, as usual alas, in a crushing defeat for the Scots)?

1.

Name the actor in the picture who is playing John Lennon in Lennon Naked soon to be aired on BBC 4.

2.

Name the actor in the picture who has recently starred in the biopic of Ian Dury, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.

3.

4.

5.

This picture is of a football league club badge with the name removed.  Which club is it?

6.

This picture is of a football league club badge with the name removed.  Which club is it?

7.

8.

1.

The Mediterranean is divided into several smaller named seas.  What is the name of this one? (The bold lines are boundaries with other seas)

2.

The Mediterranean is divided into several smaller named seas.  What is the name of this one? (The bold lines are boundaries with other seas)

3.

Which River is marked by the black line?

4.

Which River is marked by the black line?

5.

What is the name of this dubiously shaped lake?

6.

This dubiously shaped island is found off the coast of which European country?

7.

By what politically incorrect name is this houseplant, Schizostylis Coccinea, native to South Africa, better known?

8.

By what politically incorrect name is this houseplant, Tradescantia Fluminensis often known?  It is a rambling trailing plant that can regenerate from the smallest fragment, and will thrive in unpromising environments.

1.

The play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall won the 2010 Olivier Award for best new play.  On whose last night is the play based?

2.

Which actress won the 2010 Olivier award for her role as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar named Desire?

3.

Which supermarket chain encourages us to: “Spend a little, live a lot”?

4.

Which supermarket chain encourages us to: “Try something new today”?

5.

Of what is Tokophobia the fear?

6.

Of what is Tomophobia the fear?

7.

In the 2010 Sports Relief campaign who was the Blue Peter presenter who set a world record by kayaking 2010 miles on the River Amazon?

8.

Who is missing from' the folrowing list: Ferne Cotton, Chris Moyles, Ben Shepherd, Ronan Keating, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Alesha Dixon and Denise Van Outen?

1.

Who is the British counterpart of the Frenchman Bernard Kouchner and the German Guido Westerwelle?

2.

What is the name of the inn in the Merry Wives of Windsor?

3.

What daily quoted international unit of measure is precisely 9702 cubic inches?

4.

What is the name of the dysfunctional family in the cartoon series Family Guy?

5.

What was the capital of the Assyrian Empire until its sacking by the Babylonians in 612 BC?

6.

Martine Aubry is the head of the French Socialist party, which had a resounding success in the recent French regional elections.  Who is her very well-known politician and European bureaucrat father?

7.

Which colour was first named in 1859 having been synthesised by William Perkin from analine in 1856?  The colour had been previously extracted naturally in 1848 and is derived from the name of the genus of the plants used for the extraction.

8.

If a ship is on a course of North-East and steers eight points to port what will be the new course?

9.

Which author's works include Elizabeth Costello, Diary of a Bad Year and The Life and Times of Michael K?

10.

Name the only country in whose forests the aye-aye can be found.

1.

The German city of Bremen stands on which river?

Weser

2.

Who won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the 1983 film Tender Mercies?

Robert Duvall

3.

Richard Wallace is the editor of which Sunday national newspaper?

Sunday Mirror

4.

In 2009, who was dropped as the face of Iceland supermarkets after pictures appeared of her taking cocaine?

Kerry Katona

5.

What are the three main colours on the flag of Afghanistan?

Black, Red and Green

6.

Which current cabinet minister is the MP for Doncaster North?

Ed Miliband

7.

Sphalerite is the most exploited ore of which metal?

Zinc

8.

Who will captain the United States team at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor?

Corey Pavin

9.

According to the popular song what is “…the toddling town….the town that Billy Sunday could not shut down”?

Chicago

10.

In which year did the following events take place: Jeremy Thorpe is acquitted of conspiracy to murder; there is a radiation leak at Three Mile Island; Lord Mountbatten is assassinated in Ireland?

1979

11.

Timperly Early and Cawood Delight are varieties of which edible plant?

Rhubarb

12.

Give a year in the life of the composer Antonio Vivaldi.

1678 to 1741

13.

Name the last old Etonian to become British Prime Minister?

Alec Douglas-Home

14.

In which city was the painter Francis Bacon born?

Dublin

15.

In which Cambridge College is the Mathematical Bridge?

Queens' College

16.

The French port of Bordeaux stands on which river?

Garonne

17.

Who won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 1994 film Blue Sky?

Jessica Lange

18.

Will Lewis is the editor of which daily national newspaper?

Daily Telegraph

19.

In 2005, who was dropped as the face of H&M, Burberry and Chanel after pictures appeared of her taking cocaine?

Kate Moss

20.

What are the three main colours on the flag of Iraq?

Red, White and Black

21.

Which current cabinet minister is the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood?

Tessa Jowell

22.

Bornite and Chalcocite are important ores of which metal?

Copper

23.

Who carried the British flag at the 2010 Winter Olympics?

Shelley Rudman

24.

If you leave Pennsylvania Station about a quarter to four where will you have your ham and eggs?

Carolina

(from the song Chattanooga Choo Choo)

25.

In which year did the following events take place: Olaf Palme is assassinated in Stockholm; Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson; Spain and Portugal join the EEC?

1986

26.

Early Sulphur and Careless are varieties of which fruit?

Gooseberries

27.

Give a year in the life of the composer Rossini.

1792 to 1868

28.

Who was the last British Prime Minister prior to Gordon Brown and Tony Blair not to have been born in England?

Ramsay Macdonald

29.

In which city was the painter Lucien Freud born?

Berlin

30.

In which Oxford College is the Bridge of Sighs?

Hertford

(the one at St John's College is in Cambridge)

1.

What links 10^-36 seconds after the Big Bang, and CPI ?

Inflation

(when the universe started to inflate in the Theory of Inflation; Consumer Prices Index)

2.

Since 1987 which pair of names is missing: Denis/Glenys, Norma/Glenys, Norma/Cherie, Sandra/Cherie, Samantha/Sarah?

Ffion/Cherie

(Tory & Labour leader’s spouses in General Elections)

3.

Expressed as a fraction, what is the probability of getting 2 heads and 2 tails in 4 coin spins?

3/8

(three eighths)

4.

What musical form is this an example of:

C7 F7 C7 C7 F7 F7 C7 C7 G7 F7 C7 G7?

12 Bar Blues

5.

In the traditional song what was: “too large for the shelf so it stood 90 year on the floor”?

My Grandfather's Clock

6.

What were the colours of the four horses of the apocalypse?

Black, White, Red And Pale

(accept pale green for the last one)

7.

Who is the best selling writer of books of all time?

Agatha Christie

(4 billion copies!)

8.

In contrast, who is the Hollywood superstar actress whose film Motherhood had only 11 people turning up to its opening weekend in the UK last week (with only one turning up on the Sunday), taking in total £88?

Uma Thurman

9.

Complete this 1996 Tony Blair quote: “My project will be complete when the Labour Party learns to love ....”.

Peter Mandelson

10.

What is the difference in points scored for a Formula 1 win between the 2009 and 2010 seasons?

15

(25 In 2010, 10 In 2009)

1.

The same brewery makes 4 well-known cask beers, three of which are Ruddles County, Old Speckled Hen, and an IPA.  What is the 4th?

Abbot Ale

(Greene King Brewery)

2.

Which Beirut-born Canadian Actor starred as Neo in a very successful film Trilogy?

Keanu Reeves

3.

Which beer, first brewed in Bremen in 1873, was not sold in Germany until 1949?

Becks

4.

What are creatures of the family Formicidae called in English?

Ants

5.

NASA launched the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer last year. What is it more commonly known as (amongst astronomers at least)?

Wise

6.

Which English writer published A Pair of Blue Eyes in 1873, the first novel to be published under his proper name?

Thomas Hardy

7.

What soubriquet did his supporters give to John Graham of Claverhouse, 1^st Viscount of Dundee, who died at the battle of Killiecrankie in 1689?

Bonnie Dundee

8.

What was the last pitched battle between England and the nation of Scotland, fought in 1547 near Musselburgh (and resulting, as usual alas, in a crushing defeat for the Scots)?

Pinkie

1.

Name the actor in the picture who is playing John Lennon in Lennon Naked soon to be aired on BBC 4.

Christopher Eccelston 

2.

Name the actor in the picture who has recently starred in the biopic of Ian Dury, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.

Andy Serkis

3.

Lose Yourself from the film 8 Mile

(by Eminem)

4.

I Just Called To Say I Love You from the film Woman In Red

(by Stevie Wonder)

5.

This picture is of a football league club badge with the name removed.  Which club is it?

Bury 

6.

This picture is of a football league club badge with the name removed.  Which club is it?

Oldham Athletic

7.

They are the co-ordinates of the birthplaces of all her children, natural and adopted

8.

“What nourishes me, destroys me”

1.

The Mediterranean is divided into several smaller named seas.  What is the name of this one? (The bold lines are boundaries with other seas)

Tyrrhenian Sea

(bordered by Italy, Sicily, Tunisia, Sardinia, Corsica)

2.

The Mediterranean is divided into several smaller named seas.  What is the name of this one? (The bold lines are boundaries with other seas)

Balearic Sea

(bordered by Spain, Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca)

3.

Which River is marked by the black line?

Helmand River

4.

Which River is marked by the black line?

Kwai River

5.

What is the name of this dubiously shaped lake?

Lake Garda

6.

This dubiously shaped island is found off the coast of which European country?

Croatia

(Galesnjak Island)

7.

By what politically incorrect name is this houseplant, Schizostylis Coccinea, native to South Africa, better known?

Kaffir Lily

(Kaffir originally just meant 'native to South Africa')

8.

By what politically incorrect name is this houseplant, Tradescantia Fluminensis often known?  It is a rambling trailing plant that can regenerate from the smallest fragment, and will thrive in unpromising environments.

Wandering Jew

1.

The play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall won the 2010 Olivier Award for best new play.  On whose last night is the play based?

Martin Luther King

2.

Which actress won the 2010 Olivier award for her role as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar named Desire?

Rachel Weisz

3.

Which supermarket chain encourages us to: “Spend a little, live a lot”?

Aldi

4.

Which supermarket chain encourages us to: “Try something new today”?

Sainsbury's

5.

Of what is Tokophobia the fear?

Childbirth

6.

Of what is Tomophobia the fear?

Surgery or Surgical Procedures

7.

In the 2010 Sports Relief campaign who was the Blue Peter presenter who set a world record by kayaking 2010 miles on the River Amazon?

Helen Skelton

8.

Who is missing from' the folrowing list: Ferne Cotton, Chris Moyles, Ben Shepherd, Ronan Keating, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Alesha Dixon and Denise Van Outen?

Gary Barlow

(They are the celebrities who climbed Kilimanjaro for 2009 Comic Relief)

1.

Who is the British counterpart of the Frenchman Bernard Kouchner and the German Guido Westerwelle?

David Miliband

(They are all Foreign Secretaries)

2.

What is the name of the inn in the Merry Wives of Windsor?

The Garter Inn

3.

What daily quoted international unit of measure is precisely 9702 cubic inches?

A barrel of oil

(42 US gallons)

4.

What is the name of the dysfunctional family in the cartoon series Family Guy?

The Griffins

5.

What was the capital of the Assyrian Empire until its sacking by the Babylonians in 612 BC?

Nineveh

6.

Martine Aubry is the head of the French Socialist party, which had a resounding success in the recent French regional elections.  Who is her very well-known politician and European bureaucrat father?

Jacques Delors

7.

Which colour was first named in 1859 having been synthesised by William Perkin from analine in 1856?  The colour had been previously extracted naturally in 1848 and is derived from the name of the genus of the plants used for the extraction.

Mauve

(genus malva)

8.

If a ship is on a course of North-East and steers eight points to port what will be the new course?

North-West

(there are 32 points covering 360°)

9.

Which author's works include Elizabeth Costello, Diary of a Bad Year and The Life and Times of Michael K?

J M Coetzee

10.

Name the only country in whose forests the aye-aye can be found.

Madagascar

(It’s a type of lemur)

£13,332