ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which Chaucerian pilgrim gets drunk as if on monkey-wine ("dronken han wyn ape") and has his tale cut short when its barely even begun?

2.

Which Chaucerian pilgrim was either a gelding, or a mare?

3.

Which Christian sect, with Quaker origins, was founded in the 18th century by Manchester girl Mother Ann Lee?

4.

Which pantheist Christian sect may or may not have existed in the Civil War period?

5.

Part of the Panopticons public art project, the Singing Ringing Tree overlooks which Lancashire mill town?

6.

Also part of the Panopticons public art project, the Atom is situated in which area of Lancashire with a proud heritage of witchcraft?

7.

Of what are the hammered dulcimer, the Appalachian dulcimer, and the autoharp all varieties?

8.

The Oud is the Middle Eastern equivalent of which European instrument?

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

The theme occurs in a specific order.  Look for both verbal and factual clues.  In the last two questions the verbal clue is reversed.

1.

Some claim that Napoleon III's inspiration for the boulevards was the architecture of this British seaside resort's main thoroughfare, Lord Street. Identify this seaside town, where the future emperor lived for a period prior to 1848.

2.

Which Central American country is run by a Chinchilla and abolished its army in 1948?

3.

Identify the American rapper responsible for that enduring paean to the ample rear, Baby Got Back?

4.

What's the state capital of Alabama?

5.

The 142 bus from Piccadilly goes to which (specific) area of Manchester?

6.

Emperor of Russia from 1896 until his assassination in 1801, identify the unloved - and the only legitimate - son of Catherine the Great.

7.

Members of the ratite family of birds native to South America, the 'American' and 'Darwin's' are both species of what?

8.

Which South Korean automobile manufacturer has a name which literally translates as 'rising out of Asia'?

Sp.

Former Darlington defender Franz Burgmeier hails from which tiny European principality?

1.

Identify this English cathedral.

2.

Identify this French cathedral.

3.

Identify this King of England.

4.

Identify this Holy Roman Emperor.

5.

Identify this US State.

6.

Identify this US State.

7.

Identify this letter used in Old English and still used in Icelandic.

8.

Identify this letter used in Old English and still used in Icelandic and Faroese.

ROUND 4 - Compulsory Meat Questions Raffle

Contestants take it in their usual turns to pick raffle tickets out of the envelope in order to be given the corresponding question... about famous Matts or Matthews

1.

Which journalist and former Tory MP, who is married to the Guardian political correspondent Julian Glover, is notable for having outed Peter Mandelson on Newsnight in 1998?

2.

Identify the former Blackburn striker who was on the fringes of the England squad around the time of the 2002 World Cup before suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle crash in Rome from which he never quite recovered.  He is currently playing for Chorley in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

3.

Which bird's feather is the symbol of the Egyptian goddess Maat?

4.

Former Friends star Matt Le Blanc starred alongside Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Grieg in a much hyped but slightly rubbish sitcom on BBC2 earlier this year.  What was it called?

5.

Identify the cartographer and navigator who popularised the use of the word 'Australia' to refer to the then newly discovered continent in his A Voyage to Terra Australis, an account of his exploration of the Australian coastline.

6.

Identify the American naval officer who compelled the opening of Japan with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.

7.

Identify the Gothic novelist who wrote The Monk while still in his teens.

8.

Matthew Island and Hunter Island, two small uninhabited islands that stand 70km apart from each other in the South Pacific, are the the source of a sovereignty dispute (never acted upon) between two nations.  Name either of them.

9.

Evil PR executive Matthew Freud's father was the late, lovable public wit Clement Freud.  Which man with a radically different public image (and who unfortunately still walks amongst us) is his father-in-law?

10.

Which Australian cricketer's score of 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003 was briefly a Test record?

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Which Cornish scientist, President of the Royal Society from 1820 to 1827, was also a keen angler who, shortly before his death, wrote a book inspired by The Compleat Angler called Salmonia, or Days of Fly-Fishing?

2.

This naturalist took part in Captain Cook's first great voyage and served as President of the Royal Society for over 40 years.  Who is he?

3.

What is the name of Apu's brother in The Simpsons?

4.

 Who is Maggie Simpsons's arch enemy?

5.

Which British X-Men heroine was transformed into a Japanese ninja assassin at some point in the 1980s?

6.

Name either of Magneto's daughters in the X-Men Universe.

7.

Theodora, a former showgirl who apparently used to perform a particularly impressive mock-up of the Leda and the Swan legend on her back using some barley and some geese, was the wife of which Byzantine emperor?

8.

The Byzantine emperor Basil II had which menacing nickname?

ROUND 6 - AA Treasures of Britain 1968

Identify the landmarks featured in the AA's Treasures of Britain from 1968

1.

Which English cathedral is described in the guide as "an outstanding exception to the rule that cathedrals dating back to Saxon times have hardly a vestige of the original building apart from the foundation's" in reference to the crypt, which was built around 670 AD for St Wilfred?

2.

Which Neolithic site on the Wiltshire Downs is pictured on p.496, and is described as dating from a time "certainly earlier than Stonehenge"?

3.

Which Staffordshire attraction is described anachronistically as "a 19th century neo-Gothic mansion with a splendid park and pleasure gardens ?

4.

The Percy Tomb at this large church is described as "one of the masterpieces of medieval art", and its misericords as "some of the best in England".  Which church is it?

5.

This unattractive and largely personality-free city on the south coast must have bribed someone .to write that "a splendid civic centre has arisen out of the ruins resulting from the Second World War".  Which city is it?

6.

"Once a considerable port, with monastic houses, hospitals and many churches'' this Suffolk site now lies "at the bottom of the still-encroaching sea".  What is it?

7.

What is described as "probably the best known piece of architecture in Oxford, since it is the sight which greets travellers by road from London as they enter the city"?

8.

"Built in 1830 this is the oldest railway station in the world.  The original building, which is scheduled as an ancient monument, is intact."  Which Manchester railway station, now part of the Museum of Science and Industry, does this passage refer to?

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Pot luck

Pick a category

1.

Defunct Polities

What was the capital of South Yemen?

2.

Our National Parks

Having become fully operational on 1st April 2011, and stretching from Hampshire to East Sussex, what is England's newest National Park?

3.

Euro Right-wing Populists

The right-wing populist True Finns party swept to prominence in the Finnish elections last month.  Which English football club does their leader, Timo Soini, support?

4.

Agricultural Distinctions

Alresford, near Winchester in Hampshire, is famed in the useless agricultural epithets world as the capital of growing which leaf vegetable?

5.

History

What is the historical name for the area of north and eastern England that was controlled by the Danes in Anglo-Saxon times?

6.

Televison

Which bizarre US sitcom from the mid-60s starred Dick Van Dyke's brother Jerry as a man who discovers the spirit of his late mother is inhabiting a second-hand car?

7.

Music

Which Wagner opera features Parzival poet Wolfram van Escenbach as a character?

8.

Royal Weddings

In 1919, the marriage of Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught, was the first royal wedding to be what?

9.

Defunct Polities

Which two present-day countries comprised the United Arab Republic between 1958 and 1961?

10.

Weird Fiction

Which British writer and academic was responsible for such antiquarian ghost stories as Canon Alberic's Scrapbook and Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad?                  

11.

History of Science

Which element was thought by alchemists to be the First Matter, from which all metals were formed?

12.

Euro Right-wing Populists

Which section of society do the crazed nutjobs who run Hungary, Fidesz, want to give additional votes to?

13.

Cryptozoology

This talking animal appeared in a farmhouse in the Isle of Man in the 1930s and said his name was Gef.  What species did he belong to?

14.

Our National Parks

In which future National Park was William Rufus killed in 1100?

15.

Music

Which internet sensation and rapper is also known as 'The Based God'?

16.

Royal Weddings

Kate Middleton's dress inexplicably excited many last Friday.  Who designed it?

17.

Weird Fiction

Identify the English writer of sci-fi and fantasy responsible for works such as The Dancers At The End of Time and Behold The Man.

18.

History of Science

"The revolution does not need chemists" declared Robespierre in 1794, upon the execution of which world-famous scientist?

19.

Agricultural Distinctions

Although this minor US state's official nickname is 'the Gem State', it is perhaps most famous for its potatoes, producing almost one third of the country's crop.  What is it?

20.

Football

Which Argentina international striker, who plays for Atletico Madrid, is married to Diego Maradona's daughter Giannina?

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which Chaucerian pilgrim gets drunk as if on monkey-wine ("dronken han wyn ape") and has his tale cut short when its barely even begun?

The Cook

2.

Which Chaucerian pilgrim was either a gelding, or a mare?

The Pardoner

3.

Which Christian sect, with Quaker origins, was founded in the 18th century by Manchester girl Mother Ann Lee?

Shakers

4.

Which pantheist Christian sect may or may not have existed in the Civil War period?

Ranters

5.

Part of the Panopticons public art project, the Singing Ringing Tree overlooks which Lancashire mill town?

Burnley

6.

Also part of the Panopticons public art project, the Atom is situated in which area of Lancashire with a proud heritage of witchcraft?

Pendle

7.

Of what are the hammered dulcimer, the Appalachian dulcimer, and the autoharp all varieties?

Zither

8.

The Oud is the Middle Eastern equivalent of which European instrument?

Lute

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

The theme occurs in a specific order.  Look for both verbal and factual clues.  In the last two questions the verbal clue is reversed.

1.

Some claim that Napoleon III's inspiration for the boulevards was the architecture of this British seaside resort's main thoroughfare, Lord Street. Identify this seaside town, where the future emperor lived for a period prior to 1848.

Southport

2.

Which Central American country is run by a Chinchilla and abolished its army in 1948?

Costa Rica

(the 'Chinchilla' is its President, Laura Chinchilla)

3.

Identify the American rapper responsible for that enduring paean to the ample rear, Baby Got Back?

Sir Mix-A-Lot

4.

What's the state capital of Alabama?

Montgomery

5.

The 142 bus from Piccadilly goes to which (specific) area of Manchester?

East Didsbury

(do NOT accept just 'Didsbury' - the question is really asking you to remember which one is which between the 142 and the 143 something that l for one can never do)

6.

Emperor of Russia from 1896 until his assassination in 1801, identify the unloved - and the only legitimate - son of Catherine the Great.

Paul

(the first)

7.

Members of the ratite family of birds native to South America, the 'American' and 'Darwin's' are both species of what?

Rhea

8.

Which South Korean automobile manufacturer has a name which literally translates as 'rising out of Asia'?

Kia

Sp.

Former Darlington defender Franz Burgmeier hails from which tiny European principality?

Liechtenstein

1.

Identify this English cathedral.

Peterborough

2.

Identify this French cathedral.

Chartres

3.

Identify this King of England.

Henry IV

(accept Bolingbroke)

4.

Identify this Holy Roman Emperor.

Rudolf II

5.

Identify this US State.

Kansas

6.

Identify this US State.

Michigan

7.

Identify this letter used in Old English and still used in Icelandic.

Thorn

8.

Identify this letter used in Old English and still used in Icelandic and Faroese.

(accept 'Edd' which it is called in Faroese)

ROUND 4 - Compulsory Meat Questions Raffle

Contestants take it in their usual turns to pick raffle tickets out of the envelope in order to be given the corresponding question... about famous Matts or Matthews

1.

Which journalist and former Tory MP, who is married to the Guardian political correspondent Julian Glover, is notable for having outed Peter Mandelson on Newsnight in 1998?

Matthew Parris

2.

Identify the former Blackburn striker who was on the fringes of the England squad around the time of the 2002 World Cup before suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle crash in Rome from which he never quite recovered.  He is currently playing for Chorley in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

Matt Jansen

3.

Which bird's feather is the symbol of the Egyptian goddess Maat?

Ostrich

4.

Former Friends star Matt Le Blanc starred alongside Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Grieg in a much hyped but slightly rubbish sitcom on BBC2 earlier this year.  What was it called?

Episodes

5.

Identify the cartographer and navigator who popularised the use of the word 'Australia' to refer to the then newly discovered continent in his A Voyage to Terra Australis, an account of his exploration of the Australian coastline.

Matthew Flinders

6.

Identify the American naval officer who compelled the opening of Japan with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.

(Commodore) Matthew Perry

7.

Identify the Gothic novelist who wrote The Monk while still in his teens.

Matthew Lewis

8.

Matthew Island and Hunter Island, two small uninhabited islands that stand 70km apart from each other in the South Pacific, are the the source of a sovereignty dispute (never acted upon) between two nations.  Name either of them.

(either)

France

(or)

Vanuatu

9.

Evil PR executive Matthew Freud's father was the late, lovable public wit Clement Freud.  Which man with a radically different public image (and who unfortunately still walks amongst us) is his father-in-law?

Rupert Murdoch

10.

Which Australian cricketer's score of 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003 was briefly a Test record?

Matthew Hayden

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Which Cornish scientist, President of the Royal Society from 1820 to 1827, was also a keen angler who, shortly before his death, wrote a book inspired by The Compleat Angler called Salmonia, or Days of Fly-Fishing?

Humphrey Davy

2.

This naturalist took part in Captain Cook's first great voyage and served as President of the Royal Society for over 40 years.  Who is he?

Joseph Banks

3.

What is the name of Apu's brother in The Simpsons?

Sanjay

4.

 Who is Maggie Simpsons's arch enemy?

Gerald, the Baby with One Eyebrow

(accept either title)

5.

Which British X-Men heroine was transformed into a Japanese ninja assassin at some point in the 1980s?

Psylocke

(accept Betsy Braddock)

6.

Name either of Magneto's daughters in the X-Men Universe.

(either)

Polaris

(or)

 The Scarlet Witch

(accept Lorna Dane or Wanda Maximoff)

7.

Theodora, a former showgirl who apparently used to perform a particularly impressive mock-up of the Leda and the Swan legend on her back using some barley and some geese, was the wife of which Byzantine emperor?

Justinian (I)

8.

The Byzantine emperor Basil II had which menacing nickname?

The Bulgar-Slayer

ROUND 6 - AA Treasures of Britain 1968

Identify the landmarks featured in the AA's Treasures of Britain from 1968

1.

Which English cathedral is described in the guide as "an outstanding exception to the rule that cathedrals dating back to Saxon times have hardly a vestige of the original building apart from the foundation's" in reference to the crypt, which was built around 670 AD for St Wilfred?

Ripon Cathedral

2.

Which Neolithic site on the Wiltshire Downs is pictured on p.496, and is described as dating from a time "certainly earlier than Stonehenge"?

Woodhenge

3.

Which Staffordshire attraction is described anachronistically as "a 19th century neo-Gothic mansion with a splendid park and pleasure gardens ?

Alton Towers

4.

The Percy Tomb at this large church is described as "one of the masterpieces of medieval art", and its misericords as "some of the best in England".  Which church is it?

Beverley Minster

5.

This unattractive and largely personality-free city on the south coast must have bribed someone .to write that "a splendid civic centre has arisen out of the ruins resulting from the Second World War".  Which city is it?

Southampton

6.

"Once a considerable port, with monastic houses, hospitals and many churches'' this Suffolk site now lies "at the bottom of the still-encroaching sea".  What is it?

Dunwich

7.

What is described as "probably the best known piece of architecture in Oxford, since it is the sight which greets travellers by road from London as they enter the city"?

Magdalen College Tower

8.

"Built in 1830 this is the oldest railway station in the world.  The original building, which is scheduled as an ancient monument, is intact."  Which Manchester railway station, now part of the Museum of Science and Industry, does this passage refer to?

Liverpool Road Station

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Pot luck

Pick a category

1.

Defunct Polities

What was the capital of South Yemen?

Aden

2.

Our National Parks

Having become fully operational on 1st April 2011, and stretching from Hampshire to East Sussex, what is England's newest National Park?

South Downs National Park

3.

Euro Right-wing Populists

The right-wing populist True Finns party swept to prominence in the Finnish elections last month.  Which English football club does their leader, Timo Soini, support?

Millwall

4.

Agricultural Distinctions

Alresford, near Winchester in Hampshire, is famed in the useless agricultural epithets world as the capital of growing which leaf vegetable?

Watercress

5.

History

What is the historical name for the area of north and eastern England that was controlled by the Danes in Anglo-Saxon times?

The Danelaw

6.

Televison

Which bizarre US sitcom from the mid-60s starred Dick Van Dyke's brother Jerry as a man who discovers the spirit of his late mother is inhabiting a second-hand car?

My Mother the Car

7.

Music

Which Wagner opera features Parzival poet Wolfram van Escenbach as a character?

Tannhauser

8.

Royal Weddings

In 1919, the marriage of Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught, was the first royal wedding to be what?

Held at Westminster Abbey

9.

Defunct Polities

Which two present-day countries comprised the United Arab Republic between 1958 and 1961?

Egypt and Syria

10.

Weird Fiction

Which British writer and academic was responsible for such antiquarian ghost stories as Canon Alberic's Scrapbook and Oh Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad?                  

M R James

11.

History of Science

Which element was thought by alchemists to be the First Matter, from which all metals were formed?

Mercury

12.

Euro Right-wing Populists

Which section of society do the crazed nutjobs who run Hungary, Fidesz, want to give additional votes to?

Mothers

13.

Cryptozoology

This talking animal appeared in a farmhouse in the Isle of Man in the 1930s and said his name was Gef.  What species did he belong to?

Mongoose

14.

Our National Parks

In which future National Park was William Rufus killed in 1100?

The New Forest

15.

Music

Which internet sensation and rapper is also known as 'The Based God'?

Lil B

16.

Royal Weddings

Kate Middleton's dress inexplicably excited many last Friday.  Who designed it?

Sarah Burton

17.

Weird Fiction

Identify the English writer of sci-fi and fantasy responsible for works such as The Dancers At The End of Time and Behold The Man.

Michael Moorcock

18.

History of Science

"The revolution does not need chemists" declared Robespierre in 1794, upon the execution of which world-famous scientist?

Antoine Lavoisier

19.

Agricultural Distinctions

Although this minor US state's official nickname is 'the Gem State', it is perhaps most famous for its potatoes, producing almost one third of the country's crop.  What is it?

idaho

20.

Football

Which Argentina international striker, who plays for Atletico Madrid, is married to Diego Maradona's daughter Giannina?

Sergio Aguero