ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which American board game company, now owned by Hasbro, were the original publishers of Monopoly and are the current producers of Trivial Pursuit and Risk?

2.

Who first appeared in the Land of the Soviets, before visiting the moon, finding the yeti, and assisting a revolution in a small Central American republic?

3.

Which battle cruiser, the only of the Admiral Class to be completed, was sunk at the the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941?

4.

Which explorer, who died on the 29th of March 1912, was the commander of the Discovery, and has a research institute named after him in Cambridge?

5.

Which Roman poet, who appears in Dante’s Divine Comedy, wrote a poem following the journey of a Trojan refugee which ultimately takes him, via Tunisia, to Italy?

6.

Which general, instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion, was killed by the forces of Muhammad Ahmad in a Sudanese city?

7.

Which Greek queen was courted by, amongst others, Antinous and Amphinomus, and wove a funeral shroud for Laertes while awaiting the return of her husband?

8.

Prion diseases, such as Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are spread by eating what?

Sp.

Which ten-year-old children’s home resident was created by Jacqueline Wilson?

1.

Which spoof TV news programme, which featured Chris Morris, Rebecca Front, David Schneider, Doon Mackichan and Steve Coogan, was based on the Radio 4 comedy show On the Hour, where Alan Partridge made his debut appearance as a clueless sports reporter?

2.

Which mockumentary series, written by and starring Chris Morris along with Julia Davis and Kevin Eldon, parodied the media treatment of various hard-hitting social issues and caused a media storm with its Paedogeddon special, broadcast in 2001, which parodied the sensationalist media coverage of high profile child sex abuse cases?

3.

Which veteran politically-minded comedian has recently returned to Radio 4 with the eighth series of his eponymous comedy lecture series ______Speaks to the Nation?

4.

Which Glaswegian comedian and veteran of The News Quiz, has recently had a series of eponymous comedy lectures broadcast on Radio 4 entitled ______Is Convicted, in which she discusses subjects including equal marriage, capital punishment and depression?

5.

Vitriolic comedian and TV critic Charlie Brooker caused surprise in 2010 when he married which former Blue Peter presenter?

6.

The comedian David Mitchell married which author and TV host in 2012?

7.

What is the name of the new sitcom, written by and starring Sue Perkins, which began broadcasting on BBC Two in February this year and tells the story of a vet’s trials and tribulations in coming out to her family?

8.

What is the name of the Radio 4 comedy panel show, presented by Sue Perkins, which recently returned for its second series and which poses ethical dilemmas to celebrity panellists?

ROUND 3 - Cold War pairs

Let’s relive the Cold War, with an East v West themed round.  Each pair of questions will have one on the USA, and one on the Soviet counterpart

1.

Which American astronaut, the second American in space, smuggled a corned beef sandwich onto Gemini 3?  He would later die in the Apollo 11 fire.

2.

Which cosmonaut, and amateur skydiver, was the first woman in space?

3.

Which gaffe-prone Soviet premier became known for banging his shoe on a table at a UN conference, as well as making the incorrect prediction that "We will bury you"?

4.

Which gaffe-prone US vice-president from the tail-end of the Cold War became known for his inability to spell the word potato?

5.

Which American author, who wrote novels such as Herzog and Humboldt ’s Gift, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976?

6.

Which Russian author, an artillery officer in the Red Army, was arrested in 1945, and wrote several novels based on his experiences in the Gulags?  He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970.

7.

Which Russian city, which recently received a near miss from a meteor, was a major centre of Soviet heavy industry, leading to it being nicknamed 'Tankograd’ during WW2?

8.

Which American city, famous for its production of cars, was a major element of the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’?  Berry Gordy used a nickname for this city as the name of his record label, which created its characteristic sound in the 1960s.

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Who are the most successful team in English cricketing history, with 31 County Championship titles, and can claim Michael Parkinson among their supporters?

2.

Which author was recruited into MI6 by his own sister, being posted to Sierra Leone during the Second World War?  His best  known work is a piece of confectionery.

3.

Which 1961 film led to composer Henry Mancini winning his first Oscar for Best Song?

4.

The British Board of Film Classification currently gives the following consumer advice for which film classification:

"All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children.  May contain mild language and sex/drugs reference. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy)."?

5.

Which English artist was awarded the 2003 Turner Prize?  His work often contains images of his alter-ego Claire.

6.

What is the name of the Sultan’s daughter in Disney’s Aladdin?  She is officially the 6th Disney Princess.

7.

Which North Eastern Indian state has its capital at Dispur?  It is one of the so-called 'Seven Sister States' and is known for its silk production.

8.

What is the name for the wine shed used for storing casks in the Bordeaux region of France?  The New World equivalent is usually known as a barrel hall.

Sp.

What 2007 Wes Anderson film stared Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman?  It tells the story of three brothers reunited on a train for the first time since their father’s funeral.

ROUND 5 - Language pairs - Pictures

My favourite thing - this round will be about language and languages.  Not much more to it than that

1.

What is the name of the diacritic (the symbol above the letter) in this picture?

2.

What is the name of the diacritic (the symbol below the letter) in this picture?

3.

While you might not be able to read this, can you tell what language it is?

4.

While you might not be able to read this, can you tell what language it is?

5.

This map shows the area in which a certain language is spoken. What language is it?

6.

This map shows the area in which a certain language is spoken. What language is it?

7.

What was the mother tongue of this chap, a writer 1857-l924?

8.

What was this fellow’s mother tongue, a world leader 1782-1862?

ROUND 6 - Literature through the Ages

1.

Who was the first poet to have been buried in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey?

2.

Which 1945 novel was made into a 1981 British television serial for ITV?  It was overtaken as the most-watched television costume drama by Downton Abbey in 2011.

3.

The 1999 teen film 10 Things I Hate About You is a typical American high school rom-com.  However, it is based on a Shakespeare play.  Which one?

4.

Which Irish playwright and poet, born in 1751, was an MP for Stafford, Westminster and Ilchester between 1780 and 1812? His grandson of the same name was also an MP and is known for his campaigning to extend the right to vote.

5.

In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, what is the Christian name of the selfish wife of the Dashwood sisters’ half-brother, John?  It is the same name as the heroine of Austen’s Mansfield Park.

6.

Which Christian name is shared by the woman initially courted by Mr Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and the alcoholic Southern belle in Tennessee Williams 1948 Pulitzer Prize winning play?

7.

Who is the only person to have been awarded both the Nobel Prize for Literature and an Oscar (in 1925 and 1938 respectively)?  The person rejected the monetary reward, instead asking it be used to finance the translation of Strindberg’s works from Swedish to English.

8.

The 2012 ‘Man Booker Prize for Fiction’ was awarded to Hilary Mantel for her work Bring Up The Bodies, making her the first woman to have won the award twice.  Name any of the three men who have also been awarded the ‘Man Booker’ twice.

Sp.

Which 1871 poem features four anthropomorphic animals and tells the love story of the title characters, who eventually marry in the land "where the Bong-tree grows"?

ROUND 7 - Independent Rock and Pop - 1980s to the present day

Tired of all those questions about pre-1980 music?  Of course you are, hopefully these questions might remedy that

1.

Which front woman connects the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre?

2.

Which legendary indie pop musician and songwriter connects the bands Tallulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap?

3.

Kim Gordon is the only female member of which celebrated American band?

4.

Kim Deal is the only female member of which Boston-based band of the late 1980s and early 1990s?

5.

Suzannah Hoffs was a member of which 80s band who had hits with Manic Monday and Eternal Flame?

6.

Before going solo Belinda Carlisle was a member of which 1980s girl band who had a hit with Our Lips Are Sealed?

7.

Tracy Ann Campbell is the lead singer of which Scottish indie-pop band, who have released the singles Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken and Eighties Fan?

8.

Louise Wener fronted which Brit-pop band who released the singles ln Betweener and Statuesque?

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

French painter Henri Rousseau produced several works featuring this animal in exotic, woodland and jungle scenes, including one in which this animal attack a buffalo, and one in a tropical storm from a painted subtitled Surprised!  What animal was it?

2.

Author of relentlessly terrible books, Dan Brown has a new book due this year, alas.  But what was his first published attempt at stringing sentences together for our amusement?  (just to be clear we're after the name of his first novel)

3.

In Hindu mythology, Garuda, the mount of the god Vishnu, is depicted as being part man, and part what?  His name is in fact the Sanskrit word for this creature.

4.

Released in 1978 what was the sixth Pink Panther film, the last in the series made before Peter Sellers' death in 1980?

5.

What word, that describes a military engagement by light infantry ahead of the main body of forces designed to disrupt and weaken the enemy before battle is met, was famously mispronounced by serial cretin Sarah Palin when questioned about the US role in the Libyan Uprising, and was also the name of Alan Partridge's military-based quiz show on UK Conquest?

6.

Which landmark 20th century novel published in 1929 takes its title from a soliloquy found in Act 5, Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth?

7.

Which English businessman was Chairman of the mighty Birmingham City Football Club until 2909, and is now co-owner of West Ham United?

8.

In Mikhail Bulgakoy’s classic novel The Master and Margarita, what is the true identity of Professor Woland who wreaks havoc on the bureaucrats of Soviet Moscow?

Sp1

Which single became The Jam’s first Top Ten hit when it reached Number 3 in the charts in 1979?  It is oddly one of David Cameron’s favourite songs, much to Paul Weller's bemusement.

Sp2

What event of 1529 marked the end of Ottoman westward expansion into central Europe and the pinnacle of their power?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which American board game company, now owned by Hasbro, were the original publishers of Monopoly and are the current producers of Trivial Pursuit and Risk?

Parker Brothers

2.

Who first appeared in the Land of the Soviets, before visiting the moon, finding the yeti, and assisting a revolution in a small Central American republic?

Tintin

3.

Which battle cruiser, the only of the Admiral Class to be completed, was sunk at the the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941?

HMS Hood

4.

Which explorer, who died on the 29th of March 1912, was the commander of the Discovery, and has a research institute named after him in Cambridge?

Robert F Scott

(of the Antarctic)

5.

Which Roman poet, who appears in Dante’s Divine Comedy, wrote a poem following the journey of a Trojan refugee which ultimately takes him, via Tunisia, to Italy?

Virgil

6.

Which general, instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion, was killed by the forces of Muhammad Ahmad in a Sudanese city?

General (Charles) Gordon

7.

Which Greek queen was courted by, amongst others, Antinous and Amphinomus, and wove a funeral shroud for Laertes while awaiting the return of her husband?

Penelope

8.

Prion diseases, such as Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are spread by eating what?

Brains

Sp.

Which ten-year-old children’s home resident was created by Jacqueline Wilson?

Tracy Beaker

1.

Which spoof TV news programme, which featured Chris Morris, Rebecca Front, David Schneider, Doon Mackichan and Steve Coogan, was based on the Radio 4 comedy show On the Hour, where Alan Partridge made his debut appearance as a clueless sports reporter?

The Day Today

2.

Which mockumentary series, written by and starring Chris Morris along with Julia Davis and Kevin Eldon, parodied the media treatment of various hard-hitting social issues and caused a media storm with its Paedogeddon special, broadcast in 2001, which parodied the sensationalist media coverage of high profile child sex abuse cases?

Brass Eye

3.

Which veteran politically-minded comedian has recently returned to Radio 4 with the eighth series of his eponymous comedy lecture series ______Speaks to the Nation?

Jeremy Hardy

4.

Which Glaswegian comedian and veteran of The News Quiz, has recently had a series of eponymous comedy lectures broadcast on Radio 4 entitled ______Is Convicted, in which she discusses subjects including equal marriage, capital punishment and depression?

Susan Calman

5.

Vitriolic comedian and TV critic Charlie Brooker caused surprise in 2010 when he married which former Blue Peter presenter?

Connie Huq

6.

The comedian David Mitchell married which author and TV host in 2012?

Victoria Coren

7.

What is the name of the new sitcom, written by and starring Sue Perkins, which began broadcasting on BBC Two in February this year and tells the story of a vet’s trials and tribulations in coming out to her family?

Heading Out

8.

What is the name of the Radio 4 comedy panel show, presented by Sue Perkins, which recently returned for its second series and which poses ethical dilemmas to celebrity panellists?

Dilemma

ROUND 3 - Cold War pairs

Let’s relive the Cold War, with an East v West themed round.  Each pair of questions will have one on the USA, and one on the Soviet counterpart

1.

Which American astronaut, the second American in space, smuggled a corned beef sandwich onto Gemini 3?  He would later die in the Apollo 11 fire.

Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom

2.

Which cosmonaut, and amateur skydiver, was the first woman in space?

Valentina Tereshkova

3.

Which gaffe-prone Soviet premier became known for banging his shoe on a table at a UN conference, as well as making the incorrect prediction that "We will bury you"?

Nikita Khrushchev

4.

Which gaffe-prone US vice-president from the tail-end of the Cold War became known for his inability to spell the word potato?

Dan Quayle

5.

Which American author, who wrote novels such as Herzog and Humboldt ’s Gift, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976?

Saul Bellow

6.

Which Russian author, an artillery officer in the Red Army, was arrested in 1945, and wrote several novels based on his experiences in the Gulags?  He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

7.

Which Russian city, which recently received a near miss from a meteor, was a major centre of Soviet heavy industry, leading to it being nicknamed 'Tankograd’ during WW2?

Chelyabinsk

8.

Which American city, famous for its production of cars, was a major element of the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’?  Berry Gordy used a nickname for this city as the name of his record label, which created its characteristic sound in the 1960s.

Detroit

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Who are the most successful team in English cricketing history, with 31 County Championship titles, and can claim Michael Parkinson among their supporters?

Yorkshire

2.

Which author was recruited into MI6 by his own sister, being posted to Sierra Leone during the Second World War?  His best  known work is a piece of confectionery.

Graham Greene

3.

Which 1961 film led to composer Henry Mancini winning his first Oscar for Best Song?

Breakfast at Tiffany's

4.

The British Board of Film Classification currently gives the following consumer advice for which film classification:

"All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children.  May contain mild language and sex/drugs reference. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy)."?

Parental Guidance

5.

Which English artist was awarded the 2003 Turner Prize?  His work often contains images of his alter-ego Claire.

Grayson Perry

6.

What is the name of the Sultan’s daughter in Disney’s Aladdin?  She is officially the 6th Disney Princess.

Jasmine

7.

Which North Eastern Indian state has its capital at Dispur?  It is one of the so-called 'Seven Sister States' and is known for its silk production.

Assam

8.

What is the name for the wine shed used for storing casks in the Bordeaux region of France?  The New World equivalent is usually known as a barrel hall.

Chai

Sp.

What 2007 Wes Anderson film stared Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman?  It tells the story of three brothers reunited on a train for the first time since their father’s funeral.

The Darjeeling Limited

ROUND 5 - Language pairs - Pictures

My favourite thing - this round will be about language and languages.  Not much more to it than that

1.

What is the name of the diacritic (the symbol above the letter) in this picture?

Tilde

2.

What is the name of the diacritic (the symbol below the letter) in this picture?

Cedilla

3.

While you might not be able to read this, can you tell what language it is?

Georgian

(it says 'Kartuli Ena', which means 'Georgian Language')

4.

While you might not be able to read this, can you tell what language it is?

Thai

(it says 'Phasa Thai', which means 'Thai Language')

5.

This map shows the area in which a certain language is spoken. What language is it?

Zulu

6.

This map shows the area in which a certain language is spoken. What language is it?

Pashto

(or Pashtu)

7.

What was the mother tongue of this chap, a writer 1857-l924?

Polish

(it's Joseph Conrad)

8.

What was this fellow’s mother tongue, a world leader 1782-1862?

Dutch

(it ’s the 8th President of the USA, Martin Van Buren)

ROUND 6 -  Literature through the Ages

1.

Who was the first poet to have been buried in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey?

Geoffrey Chaucer

(died 25th October 1400)

2.

Which 1945 novel was made into a 1981 British television serial for ITV?  It was overtaken as the most-watched television costume drama by Downton Abbey in 2011.

Brideshead Revisited

(by Evelyn Waugh)

3.

The 1999 teen film 10 Things I Hate About You is a typical American high school rom-com.  However, it is based on a Shakespeare play.  Which one?

The Taming of the Shrew

4.

Which Irish playwright and poet, born in 1751, was an MP for Stafford, Westminster and Ilchester between 1780 and 1812? His grandson of the same name was also an MP and is known for his campaigning to extend the right to vote.

Richard (Brinsley Butler) Sheridan

5.

In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, what is the Christian name of the selfish wife of the Dashwood sisters’ half-brother, John?  It is the same name as the heroine of Austen’s Mansfield Park.

Fanny

6.

Which Christian name is shared by the woman initially courted by Mr Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and the alcoholic Southern belle in Tennessee Williams 1948 Pulitzer Prize winning play?

Blanche

(lngram and DuBois respectively)

7.

Who is the only person to have been awarded both the Nobel Prize for Literature and an Oscar (in 1925 and 1938 respectively)?  The person rejected the monetary reward, instead asking it be used to finance the translation of Strindberg’s works from Swedish to English.

George Bernard Shaw

8.

The 2012 ‘Man Booker Prize for Fiction’ was awarded to Hilary Mantel for her work Bring Up The Bodies, making her the first woman to have won the award twice.  Name any of the three men who have also been awarded the ‘Man Booker’ twice.

(one of)

J M Coetzee

(in 1983 and 1999),

Peter Carey

(in 1988 and 2001),

J G Farrell

(in 1973 and 1970)

(although the last of these was awarded as the ‘Lost Booker' due to the 2010 change in rules about publication years)

Sp.

Which 1871 poem features four anthropomorphic animals and tells the love story of the title characters, who eventually marry in the land "where the Bong-tree grows"?

 The Owl and The Pussycat

(by Edward Lear)

ROUND 7 - Independent Rock and Pop - 1980s to the present day

Tired of all those questions about pre-1980 music?  Of course you are, hopefully these questions might remedy that

1.

Which front woman connects the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre?

Kathleen Hanna

2.

Which legendary indie pop musician and songwriter connects the bands Tallulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap?

Amelia Fletcher

3.

Kim Gordon is the only female member of which celebrated American band?

Sonic Youth

4.

Kim Deal is the only female member of which Boston-based band of the late 1980s and early 1990s?

The Pixies

5.

Suzannah Hoffs was a member of which 80s band who had hits with Manic Monday and Eternal Flame?

The Bangles

6.

Before going solo Belinda Carlisle was a member of which 1980s girl band who had a hit with Our Lips Are Sealed?

The Go Gos

7.

Tracy Ann Campbell is the lead singer of which Scottish indie-pop band, who have released the singles Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken and Eighties Fan?

Camera Obscura

8.

Louise Wener fronted which Brit-pop band who released the singles ln Betweener and Statuesque?

Sleeper

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

French painter Henri Rousseau produced several works featuring this animal in exotic, woodland and jungle scenes, including one in which this animal attack a buffalo, and one in a tropical storm from a painted subtitled Surprised!  What animal was it?

Tiger

2.

Author of relentlessly terrible books, Dan Brown has a new book due this year, alas.  But what was his first published attempt at stringing sentences together for our amusement?  (just to be clear we're after the name of his first novel)

Digital Fortress

3.

In Hindu mythology, Garuda, the mount of the god Vishnu, is depicted as being part man, and part what?  His name is in fact the Sanskrit word for this creature.

Eagle

4.

Released in 1978 what was the sixth Pink Panther film, the last in the series made before Peter Sellers' death in 1980?

Revenge of the Pink Panther

5.

What word, that describes a military engagement by light infantry ahead of the main body of forces designed to disrupt and weaken the enemy before battle is met, was famously mispronounced by serial cretin Sarah Palin when questioned about the US role in the Libyan Uprising, and was also the name of Alan Partridge's military-based quiz show on UK Conquest?

Skirmish

6.

Which landmark 20th century novel published in 1929 takes its title from a soliloquy found in Act 5, Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth?

The Sound and the Fury

(by William Faulkner)

7.

Which English businessman was Chairman of the mighty Birmingham City Football Club until 2909, and is now co-owner of West Ham United?

David Gold

8.

In Mikhail Bulgakoy’s classic novel The Master and Margarita, what is the true identity of Professor Woland who wreaks havoc on the bureaucrats of Soviet Moscow?

The Devil

Sp1

Which single became The Jam’s first Top Ten hit when it reached Number 3 in the charts in 1979?  It is oddly one of David Cameron’s favourite songs, much to Paul Weller's bemusement.

Eton Rifles

Sp2

What event of 1529 marked the end of Ottoman westward expansion into central Europe and the pinnacle of their power?

The Siege of Vienna