ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which pop star was originally called Paul Gadd?

2.

Which 1979 single by the Beach Boys was based on the J S Bach work Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring?

3.

Who is the MP for Camberwell and Peckham?

4.

Who is the MP for Birkenhead?

5.

Which opera, based on a work by Herman Melville, includes the characters Captain Vere and John Claggart?

6.

Which TV character drove the Compact Pussycat?

7.

In which 1992 film set in Aurora, Illinois featured Dana Carvey as Garth Algar?

8.

Which composer’s works include the concert overtures Cockaigne, Froissart and In the South?

1.

Which Greater Manchester team is currently bottom of the Conference Premier League having taken 3 points from 25 games?

2.

Which League One team plays its home matches at the Sixfields Stadium, Northampton?

3.

Who is the missing member from this seventies band: Don Powell, Dave Hill, Jimmy Lea….?

4.

Who is the missing member from this seventies band: Mick Tucker, Steve Priest, Andy Scott….?

5.

Bhumibol Adulyadej also known as Rama IX is currently the world’s longest serving head of state.  Of which country is he king?

6.

Who is the current embattled Prime Minister of Thailand?  Her brother was a previous Prime Minister with connections with Manchester. (full name needed)

7.

Give both solutions to the equation 3x² + 1 = 76. (3x squared plus 1 equals 76)

8.

Expand the brackets (3x + 1)(2x + 1).

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

It is 33 miles long and terminates at Sleepy Hollow.  What is it?

2.

Who delivered The Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4 in 2013?

3.

Between 1974 and 1987 Enoch Powell was the MP for which constituency in Northern Ireland?

4.

Which word links a Cambridge college, an Oxford college and a character in Shakespeare’s Henry the Sixth?

5.

Which actress performed Shelley’s The Masque of Anarchy at the Manchester International Festival in 2013?

6.

She was born Constance Ockelman in 1922.  Her films include Sullivan’s Travels and The Blue Dahlia. She was famous for her 'peek-a-boo-bang' hairstyle.  Who is she?

7.

Which is the largest ceremonial county in England (i.e. an area to which a Lord Lieutenant is appointed)?

8.

In a game of Monopoly which property costs £160 to buy?

Sp.

It has been described as the first significant BBC radio serial drama and it ran from 1948 to 1969.  Its main character was a doctor’s wife.  What was it called?

ROUND 4 - Pictures

1.

Name the TV comedy series.

2.

Name the TV series.

3.

What species of fish is this?

4.

What species of fish is this?

5.

What is the name of this knot?

6.

What is the name of this knot?

7.

Who won the Turner Prize in 1993 for this work?

8.

Who created this, part of a set of six?

Alternative ROUND 4

(Same answers as above but with text rather than picture questions)

1.

Which TV series has episodes entitled The Luminous Fish Effect, The Wheaton Recurrence and The 43 Peculiarity?

2.

Which TV series has episodes entitled The Show Where Lilith Comes Back, The Show Where Diane Comes Back and Roz’s Krantz and Gouldenstein are Dead?

3.

Commonly found in British waters, often near the surface, what is the second largest living fish species?

4.

Commonly found in British waters, sometimes on the surface, what is the world’s heaviest bony fish species?

5.

Which knot, sometimes called 'The King of Knots', is one of the four basic maritime knots and is used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope?

6.

Which knot (Knot No.1 in Ashley’s Book of Knots) is used to join two ropes of unequal thickness?

7.

Who, in 1993, became the first woman to win the Turner Prize?

8.

Whose The Vanity of Small Differences tells the story of Tim Rakewell?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

The first successful one was Number 7.  The last one was Number 17.  What are they?

2.

It was opened in 1761.  It is 41 miles long. It is crossed by the M60, the M602, the M6 and the M56.  What is it?

3.

Which London institution is based in Burlington House on Piccadilly?

4.

In which London institution did Margaret Thatcher die in April 2013?

5.

What word connects a member of Harold Wilson’s cabinet, a TV presenter and a novel by Franz Kafka?

6.

English examples can be found in Buxton, Tunbridge Wells and York.  What are they?

7.

Which Cole Porter song begins with the following lyrics: “Like the beat beat beat of the tom tom when the jungle shadows fall; Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock as it stands against the wall”?

8.

Which jockey won the Grand National on Papillon in 2000 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009?

Sp.

Which animal has subspecies named the western lowland, the eastern lowland and the mountain?

ROUND 6 - Theme

The answers, or parts thereof, share something in common

1.

What term meaning aggressive door-to-door selling can also be a sport involving wild animals, believed to have originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC?

2.

Who was the founder of the Lotus sports car company?

3.

Who was the cook on The Hispaniola?

4.

Which British band’s albums include In Search Of The Lost Chord, On The Threshold Of A Dream and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour?

5.

Which pioneer and soldier from Kentucky commanded the defending volunteer forces at the battle of The Alamo?

6.

Who held the Royal Warrant as dressmaker to both The Queen and the Queen Mother and designed The Queen’s coronation dress in 1953?

7.

In European legend what is the King of Serpents which can cause death with a single glance?

8.

Who was the first wife of Michael Jackson?

Sp.

What was the title of Chumbawamba’s 11th studio album released in 2004?

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

1.

Which book of the Old Testament traditionally follows the Book of Jeremiah?

2.

Roman legions were divided into ten groups of approximately 480 men each.  What were these groups called?

3.

What is the term for the vertical distance between a ship’s waterline and its keel?

4.

What is considered to be the original and most serious of the Seven Deadly Sins?

5.

According to Paradise Lost what is the capital of Hell?

6.

What term is used to describe the entire alumni of a college or university or the assemblies of the Church of England Provinces of Canterbury and York?

7.

What is missing from this list: Topness; Strangeness; Isospin; Bottomness?

8.

What word can mean a narcotic drug, a small decked or half decked vessel or a broad stroke made with the open hand?

Sp1

What is the term for a wound ball of yarn with a centre pull strand?

Sp2

How do some describe Michael Gove?

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

What 1962 novel opens with the following lines: “They’re out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them.”?

2.

What 1966 novel opens with the following line: "They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did."?

3.

Who led the Visigoth Sack of Rome in 410AD?

4.

Who was the Roman emperor at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum?

5.

Where could you have heard Radio Avalon every June between 1983 and 2005?

6.

Which pirate radio station broadcast from the MV Mi Amigo off the coast of Essex and from an eponymously named ship off the Isle of Man during the 1970s?

7.

Who was named as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2013?

8.

What was named as The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2013?

Spares

1.

On how many occasions have horses with the word 'Red' in their name won the Grand National?

2.

Where did Hannah Dadds become the first woman driver in 1978?

3.

Which TV cook’s real first name was Phyllis?

4.

Who, in 1938, made 364 as England declared at 903-7 against Australia at the Oval and went on to win by an innings and 579 runs?

5.

In which Cypriot city is the district of Varosha, which has been sealed off and deserted since the Turkish invasion in 1974?

6.

What type of creature is an aasvogel, the second animal (after aardvark) in standard dictionaries?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which pop star was originally called Paul Gadd?

Gary Glitter

2.

Which 1979 single by the Beach Boys was based on the J S Bach work Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring?

Lady Linda

3.

Who is the MP for Camberwell and Peckham?

Harriet Harman

4.

Who is the MP for Birkenhead?

Frank Field

5.

Which opera, based on a work by Herman Melville, includes the characters Captain Vere and John Claggart?

Billy Budd

6.

Which TV character drove the Compact Pussycat?

Penelope Pitstop

7.

In which 1992 film set in Aurora, Illinois featured Dana Carvey as Garth Algar?

Wayne’s World

8.

Which composer’s works include the concert overtures Cockaigne, Froissart and In the South?

Edward Elgar

Theme: Each answer contains two words beginning with the same letter

1.

Which Greater Manchester team is currently bottom of the Conference Premier League having taken 3 points from 25 games?

Hyde United

2.

Which League One team plays its home matches at the Sixfields Stadium, Northampton?

Coventry City

3.

Who is the missing member from this seventies band: Don Powell, Dave Hill, Jimmy Lea….?

Noddy Holder

(Slade)

4.

Who is the missing member from this seventies band: Mick Tucker, Steve Priest, Andy Scott….?

Brian Connolly

(Sweet)

5.

Bhumibol Adulyadej also known as Rama IX is currently the world’s longest serving head of state.  Of which country is he king?

Thailand

6.

Who is the current embattled Prime Minister of Thailand?  Her brother was a previous Prime Minister with connections with Manchester. (full name needed)

Yingluck Shinawatra

(be generous with the forename)

7.

Give both solutions to the equation 3x² + 1 = 76. (3x squared plus 1 equals 76)

5 and -5

8.

Expand the brackets (3x + 1)(2x + 1).

6 x 2 + 5x + 1

(or any expression involving the same terms but in a different order)

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

It is 33 miles long and terminates at Sleepy Hollow.  What is it?
 

Broadway

(in New York state)

2.

Who delivered The Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4 in 2013?

Edward Snowden

3.

Between 1974 and 1987 Enoch Powell was the MP for which constituency in Northern Ireland?

South Down

4.

Which word links a Cambridge college, an Oxford college and a character in Shakespeare’s Henry the Sixth?

Pembroke

5.

Which actress performed Shelley’s The Masque of Anarchy at the Manchester International Festival in 2013?

(the divine) Maxine Peake

6.

She was born Constance Ockelman in 1922.  Her films include Sullivan’s Travels and The Blue Dahlia. She was famous for her 'peek-a-boo-bang' hairstyle.  Who is she?

Veronica Lake

7.

Which is the largest ceremonial county in England (i.e. an area to which a Lord Lieutenant is appointed)?

North Yorkshire

8.

In a game of Monopoly which property costs £160 to buy?

Northumberland Avenue

Sp.

It has been described as the first significant BBC radio serial drama and it ran from 1948 to 1969.  Its main character was a doctor’s wife.  What was it called?

Mrs Dale's Diary

Theme: Each answer contains the name or part of the name of a National Park in England or Wales:

Snowdonia; the Peak District; the South Downs; the Pembrokeshire coast; the Broads; the Lake District; the North York Moors; Northumberland; and the Yorkshire Dales

ROUND 4 - Pictures

1.

Name the TV comedy series.

The Big Bang Theory

2.

Name the TV series.

Frasier

3.

What species of fish is this?

Basking Shark

4.

What species of fish is this?

Sunfish

5.

What is the name of this knot?

Bowline

6.

What is the name of this knot?

Sheet bend

7.

Who won the Turner Prize in 1993 for this work?

Rachel Whiteread

8.

Who created this, part of a set of six?

Grayson Perry

Alternative ROUND 4

(Same answers as above but with text rather than picture questions)

1.

Which TV series has episodes entitled The Luminous Fish Effect, The Wheaton Recurrence and The 43 Peculiarity?

The Big Bang Theory

2.

Which TV series has episodes entitled The Show Where Lilith Comes Back, The Show Where Diane Comes Back and Roz’s Krantz and Gouldenstein are Dead?

Frasier

3.

Commonly found in British waters, often near the surface, what is the second largest living fish species?

Basking Shark

4.

Commonly found in British waters, sometimes on the surface, what is the world’s heaviest bony fish species?

Sunfish

5.

Which knot, sometimes called 'The King of Knots', is one of the four basic maritime knots and is used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope?

Bowline

6.

Which knot (Knot No.1 in Ashley’s Book of Knots) is used to join two ropes of unequal thickness?

Sheet bend

7.

Who, in 1993, became the first woman to win the Turner Prize?

Rachel Whiteread

8.

Whose The Vanity of Small Differences tells the story of Tim Rakewell?

Grayson Perry

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

The first successful one was Number 7.  The last one was Number 17.  What are they?

Apollo missions

2.

It was opened in 1761.  It is 41 miles long. It is crossed by the M60, the M602, the M6 and the M56.  What is it?

Bridgewater canal

3.

Which London institution is based in Burlington House on Piccadilly?

Royal Academy of Arts

(accept Royal Academy)

4.

In which London institution did Margaret Thatcher die in April 2013?

Ritz Hotel

5.

What word connects a member of Harold Wilson’s cabinet, a TV presenter and a novel by Franz Kafka?

Castle

(Barbara Castle, Andrew Castle and The Castle)

6.

English examples can be found in Buxton, Tunbridge Wells and York.  What are they?

Opera Houses

7.

Which Cole Porter song begins with the following lyrics: “Like the beat beat beat of the tom tom when the jungle shadows fall; Like the tick tick tock of the stately clock as it stands against the wall”?

Night and Day

8.

Which jockey won the Grand National on Papillon in 2000 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009?

Ruby Walsh

Sp.

Which animal has subspecies named the western lowland, the eastern lowland and the mountain?

Gorilla

Theme: Each answer contains the name, or part of the name, of a Manchester music venue:

The Apollo; The Opera House; The Academy; The Ritz; The Bridgewater Hall; The Castle Hotel (on Oldham Street); Night and Day (also on Oldham Street); The Ruby Lounge; and Gorilla (on Whitworth Street)

ROUND 6 - Theme

The answers, or parts thereof, share something in common

1.

What term meaning aggressive door-to-door selling can also be a sport involving wild animals, believed to have originated in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC?

Hawking

2.

Who was the founder of the Lotus sports car company?

Colin Chapman

3.

Who was the cook on The Hispaniola?

Long John Silver

4.

Which British band’s albums include In Search Of The Lost Chord, On The Threshold Of A Dream and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour?

The Moody Blues

5.

Which pioneer and soldier from Kentucky commanded the defending volunteer forces at the battle of The Alamo?

James Bowie

6.

Who held the Royal Warrant as dressmaker to both The Queen and the Queen Mother and designed The Queen’s coronation dress in 1953?

Sir Norman Hartnell

7.

In European legend what is the King of Serpents which can cause death with a single glance?

Basilisk

8.

Who was the first wife of Michael Jackson?

Lisa Marie Presley

Sp.

What was the title of Chumbawamba’s 11th studio album released in 2004?

Un

Theme: Each answer refers to someone who was born on January 8th:

Stephen Hawking; Graham Chapman; David Silva; Ron Moody; David Bowie; William Hartnell; Shirley Bassey; Elvis Presley and Kim Jong Un

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

1.

Which book of the Old Testament traditionally follows the Book of Jeremiah?

Lamentations

2.

Roman legions were divided into ten groups of approximately 480 men each.  What were these groups called?

Cohort

3.

What is the term for the vertical distance between a ship’s waterline and its keel?

Draught

4.

What is considered to be the original and most serious of the Seven Deadly Sins?

Pride

5.

According to Paradise Lost what is the capital of Hell?

Pandemonium

6.

What term is used to describe the entire alumni of a college or university or the assemblies of the Church of England Provinces of Canterbury and York?

Convocation

7.

What is missing from this list: Topness; Strangeness; Isospin; Bottomness?

Charm

8.

What word can mean a narcotic drug, a small decked or half decked vessel or a broad stroke made with the open hand?

Smack

Sp1

What is the term for a wound ball of yarn with a centre pull strand?

Skein

Sp2

How do some describe Michael Gove?

Knob

Theme: Each answer is a collective noun:

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

What 1962 novel opens with the following lines: “They’re out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them.”?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

(by Ken Kesey)

2.

What 1966 novel opens with the following line: "They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did."?

The Wide Sargasso Sea

(by Jean Rhys)

3.

Who led the Visigoth Sack of Rome in 410AD?

Alaric (I)

4.

Who was the Roman emperor at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum?

Titus

5.

Where could you have heard Radio Avalon every June between 1983 and 2005?

Glastonbury Festival

6.

Which pirate radio station broadcast from the MV Mi Amigo off the coast of Essex and from an eponymously named ship off the Isle of Man during the 1970s?

Radio Caroline

7.

Who was named as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2013?

Pope Francis

8.

What was named as The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2013?

Selfie

Spares

1.

On how many occasions have horses with the word 'Red' in their name won the Grand National?

Five

(Red Alligator in 1968, Red Rum in 1973, 1974 and 1977 & Red Marauder in 2001)

2.

Where did Hannah Dadds become the first woman driver in 1978?

London Underground

3.

Which TV cook’s real first name was Phyllis?

Fanny Craddock

4.

Who, in 1938, made 364 as England declared at 903-7 against Australia at the Oval and went on to win by an innings and 579 runs?

Len Hutton

(thought we might need a reminder of better times!)

5.

In which Cypriot city is the district of Varosha, which has been sealed off and deserted since the Turkish invasion in 1974?

Famagusta

6.

What type of creature is an aasvogel, the second animal (after aardvark) in standard dictionaries?

Vulture