ROUND 1

1.

What did Friendship, Aurora, Sigma and Faith have in common?

2.

What was a virgate?

3.

The battle of Naseby in June 1645 was a decisive defeat for the Royalists; in which county is Naseby?

4.

Going upstream from the mouth of the Thames, which is the first bridge you meet?

5.

Which Czech village was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich?

6.

After 1917, how was the Canadian William Maxwell Aitken better known?

7.

Wackford Squeers ran which unpleasant institution?

8.

In golf, what is a bisque?

1.

In which country do 100 fillér equal 1 forint?

2.

What is the minimum age for the US President?

3.

What is cantillation?

4.

Except for about 50 miles of coastline, Gambia is entirely surrounded by which other country?

5.

In 1642, Charles I tried to arrest the 'Five Members'. Two of them were Pym and Hampden; name any other.

6.

In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night who was Olivia's steward?

7.

W G Grace was a renowned cricketer; for what did the initials 'W G' stand?

8.

Operatically, who was Lohengrin's father?

1.

What is a tylopod?

2.

When is St David's Day?

3.

What is the principal port on the delta of the Volga?

4.

Which poet married Anne Milbanke in 1815? 

5.

Which is the longest athletic event (in distance) in the Olympics?

6.

The French call it Mont Cervin; what do the Germans call it? 

7.

What would you normally do with a cataplasm?

8.

Which English cathedral city stands on the River Ure?

ROUND 4

1.

Who wrote these lines in 1902:

“I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I know); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who”?

2.

When two dice are rolled, what total has the highest probability of being produced?

3.

What are the two main constituents of coal gas?

4.

What Royal appointment did Sir Walford Davies hold between 1934 and 1941?

5.

In which Scottish town does the club Queen of the South have its ground?

6.

According to John Keats, who "stood silent upon a peak in Darien"?

7.

Which famous ballet has the sub-title The Girl with the Enamelled Eyes?

8.

After how many years of marriage would you celebrate a Pearl wedding?

ROUND 5

1.

In the symbols used on clothing labels, what does a crossed-out triangle signify?

2.

What kind of creature is a Boomslang?

3.

On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space; name his spacecraft.

4.

The Taj Mahal stands on the bank of which river?

5.

Who composed the music for the ballet Billy the Kid?

6.

Which ITV series was shown in France as Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir?

7.

In Islam, what is the Adhan?

8.

Undershot, overshot and breastshot are types of what mechanical device?

1.

Which Welsh actor who died in 1999 played 'Q' in 17 Bond films?

2.

Who was the first Women's World Chess champion (1927–1944)?

3.

In the Daily Mirror cartoon, what is the name of Andy Capp's wife?

4.

In the kitchen, what is a mandoline used for?

5.

In 1969 which king did Colonel Qadaffi depose?

6.

Wobbegong is an Australian name for what creature?

7.

Verdi based three of his operas on Shakespeare plays; name one of these operas.

8.

The TV cooks Si King and Dave Myers are generally known as what?

ROUND 7

1.

What is meant by the Latin phrase 'caveat emptor'?

2.

Which British coin (currently in circulation) weighs exactly 5 grams?

3.

What is the modern name of the Adriatic seaport formerly called Ragusa?

4.

Which settlement near Los Angeles was founded in 1887 by the prohibitionist Horace Wilcox, as a community based on sober religious principles?

5.

How was the blues singer and guitarist McKinley Morganfield (1915–1983) better known?

6.

Who was the only British swimmer to win a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics?

7.

What kind of insects belong to the order Odonata?

8.

Which British city is served by Rhoose airport?

ROUND 8

1.

What was the former name of the Zimbabwean city of Harare?

2.

Which was the first country to give women the vote?

3.

In which country is Mount Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest?

4.

In heraldry, what is an animal doing if it is described as 'urinant'?

5.

In 1940 who was assassinated on the orders of Pavel Sudoplatov?

6.

Which ancient measurement was taken from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger?

7.

How many Gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

8.

In Greek myth, which goddess is the avenger of crime and dispenser of justice?

Spares

1.

Which 1959 film ended with these lines: Gerry: “We can't get married at all…I'm a man”;  Osgood: “Well, nobody's perfect”?

2.

Which Swiss artist painted Twittering Machine in 1922?

3.

What is the common name for the flower myosotis?

4.

What is the literal meaning of 'Kyrie eleison' in Christian church services?

5.

On a weather map, what are shown by isohyets?

6.

Many Sikh women take the name 'Kaur'; what does this mean?

7.

Which famous detective writer was jailed in 1951 for 'un-American activities'?

8.

Cassiterite is an ore of which metal?

ROUND 1

1.

What did Friendship, Aurora, Sigma and Faith have in common?

They were the first four American manned spacecraft

2.

What was a virgate?

A medieval measure of land

(approx 30 acres)

3.

The battle of Naseby in June 1645 was a decisive defeat for the Royalists; in which county is Naseby?

Northamptonshire

(12 m NNW of Northampton)

4.

Going upstream from the mouth of the Thames, which is the first bridge you meet?

QE2 Bridge

(or ‘Dartford Crossing’)

5.

Which Czech village was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich?

Lidice

6.

After 1917, how was the Canadian William Maxwell Aitken better known?

Lord Beaverbrook

7.

Wackford Squeers ran which unpleasant institution?

Dotheboys Hall

(school in Nicholas Nickelby)

8.

In golf, what is a bisque?

The right to deduct a stroke at any hole

1.

In which country do 100 fillér equal 1 forint?

Hungary

2.

What is the minimum age for the US President?

35

3.

What is cantillation?

Chanting or intoning

(especially Hebrew scriptures in the Jewish liturgical service)

4.

Except for about 50 miles of coastline, Gambia is entirely surrounded by which other country?

Senegal

5.

In 1642, Charles I tried to arrest the 'Five Members'. Two of them were Pym and Hampden; name any other.

(one from)

Haselrig, Strode or Holles

6.

In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night who was Olivia's steward?

Malvolio 

7.

W G Grace was a renowned cricketer; for what did the initials 'W G' stand?

William Gilbert

8.

Operatically, who was Lohengrin's father?

Parsifal

1.

What is a tylopod?

An animal with padded toes

(e.g. camel or llama)

2.

When is St David's Day?

March 1st

3.

What is the principal port on the delta of the Volga?

Astrakhan

4.

Which poet married Anne Milbanke in 1815? 

Lord Byron

(he left her in 1816)

5.

Which is the longest athletic event (in distance) in the Olympics?

50 kilometre walk

(Marathon is 42.195 km)

6.

The French call it Mont Cervin; what do the Germans call it? 

Matterhorn

7.

What would you normally do with a cataplasm?

You would apply it to an inflamed part of the body

(It's a poultice)

8.

Which English cathedral city stands on the River Ure?

Ripon

ROUND 4

1.

Who wrote these lines in 1902:

“I keep six honest serving men (they taught me all I know); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who”?

Rudyard Kipling

2.

When two dice are rolled, what total has the highest probability of being produced?

Seven

3.

What are the two main constituents of coal gas?

Hydrogen (c.50%),

Methane (30-35%)

(Carbon monoxide ~8%; Nitrogen ~6%)

4.

What Royal appointment did Sir Walford Davies hold between 1934 and 1941?

Master of the King's Musick

5.

In which Scottish town does the club Queen of the South have its ground?

Dumfries

6.

According to John Keats, who "stood silent upon a peak in Darien"?

Cortez

7.

Which famous ballet has the sub-title The Girl with the Enamelled Eyes?

Coppélia

8.

After how many years of marriage would you celebrate a Pearl wedding?

Thirty

ROUND 5

1.

In the symbols used on clothing labels, what does a crossed-out triangle signify?

Do not use bleach

2.

What kind of creature is a Boomslang?

Snake

(Afrikaans for ‘tree-snake’)

3.

On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space; name his spacecraft.

Vostok 1

4.

The Taj Mahal stands on the bank of which river?

Jumna

(aka Jamuna or Yamuna)

5.

Who composed the music for the ballet Billy the Kid?

Aaron Copland

6.

Which ITV series was shown in France as Chapeau Melon et Bottes de Cuir?

The Avengers

(translates as ‘bowler hat and leather boots’)

7.

In Islam, what is the Adhan?

The call to prayer

8.

Undershot, overshot and breastshot are types of what mechanical device?

Waterwheel

1.

Which Welsh actor who died in 1999 played 'Q' in 17 Bond films?

Desmond Llewellyn

2.

Who was the first Women's World Chess champion (1927–1944)?

Vera Menchik

3.

In the Daily Mirror cartoon, what is the name of Andy Capp's wife?

Florrie or Flo

4.

In the kitchen, what is a mandoline used for?

Slicing vegetables

5.

In 1969 which king did Colonel Qadaffi depose?

King Idris

6.

Wobbegong is an Australian name for what creature?

A shark

(specifically a carpet-shark)

7.

Verdi based three of his operas on Shakespeare plays; name one of these operas.

(one of)

Macbeth,

Otello,

Falstaff

8.

The TV cooks Si King and Dave Myers are generally known as what?

The Hairy Bikers

ROUND 7

1.

What is meant by the Latin phrase 'caveat emptor'?

'Let the buyer beware'

2.

Which British coin (currently in circulation) weighs exactly 5 grams?

20 pence piece

3.

What is the modern name of the Adriatic seaport formerly called Ragusa?

Dubrovnik

(Italians still call it Ragusa)

4.

Which settlement near Los Angeles was founded in 1887 by the prohibitionist Horace Wilcox, as a community based on sober religious principles?

Hollywood

5.

How was the blues singer and guitarist McKinley Morganfield (1915–1983) better known?

Muddy Waters

6.

Who was the only British swimmer to win a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics?

Duncan Goodhew

(100m breaststroke)

7.

What kind of insects belong to the order Odonata?

Dragonflies and damselflies

(accept either)

8.

Which British city is served by Rhoose airport?

Cardiff

ROUND 8

1.

What was the former name of the Zimbabwean city of Harare?

Salisbury

2.

Which was the first country to give women the vote?
 

New Zealand

(1893)

3.

In which country is Mount Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest?

Turkey

4.

In heraldry, what is an animal doing if it is described as 'urinant'?
 

Diving or head down

(Latin: urinare = ‘to dive’)

5.

In 1940 who was assassinated on the orders of Pavel Sudoplatov?

Leon Trotsky

6.

Which ancient measurement was taken from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger?

The cubit

7.

How many Gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

Four
(100m; 200m; long-jump; 4x100m relay)

8.

In Greek myth, which goddess is the avenger of crime and dispenser of justice?

Nemesis

Spares

1.

Which 1959 film ended with these lines: Gerry: “We can't get married at all…I'm a man”;  Osgood: “Well, nobody's perfect”?

Some Like It Hot

2.

Which Swiss artist painted Twittering Machine in 1922?

Paul Klee

3.

What is the common name for the flower myosotis?

Forget-me-not

4.

What is the literal meaning of 'Kyrie eleison' in Christian church services?

'Lord have mercy'

5.

On a weather map, what are shown by isohyets?

Areas of equal precipitation

6.

Many Sikh women take the name 'Kaur'; what does this mean?

Princess

7.

Which famous detective writer was jailed in 1951 for 'un-American activities'?

Dashiell Hammett

8.

Cassiterite is an ore of which metal?

Tin