ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

What is the name of the character played by Marcia Cross in the television programme Desperate Housewives?

2.

In 2008, which tennis player was mistakenly reported to have purchased the world’s supply of donkey cheese, known as pule?

3.

Which film title is translated roughly into a phrase meaning He’s a Ghost! in Chinese?

4.

Which book's title is said to have been translated into Japanese as meaning the equivalent of The Angry Raisins?

5.

Which South American animal makes sounds known as ‘orlges’ and gives birth to young known as ‘crias’?

6.

Which South American animal has species that include Brazilian, Baird’s and Mountain?

7.

Which pop band, whose songs include SOS and Burnin’ Up, is made up of siblings Kevin, Joe and Nick?

8.

Which band, whose songs include The Wire and Don’t Save Me, is made up of siblings Este, Danielle and Alana

Sp1

Name the book with the back-cover outline: 'The story tells of the eponymous character’s adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the Earth in a quest for the Babylonian Noah and the secret of immortality.'

Sp2

Name the book with the back-cover outline: 'The story of the two Dashwood sisters, who embody the conflict between the oppressive nature of civilised society and the human desire for romantic passion.'

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme with a hint: 'Do you know your Pekes from your Pollicles?'

There are sound-alikes.

1.

Which 1970s British rock group had the first single In the Summertime, their largest hit and only hit outside the UK? They experienced a resurgence when Shaggy covered the above song in 1995.

2.

Which alcoholic beverage is believed to have originated in ancient China and India?  It features in many cocktails, such as daiquiris and Dark ‘n’ Stormy.

3.

The Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire annually hosts a week-long festival for which vegetable, eaten green here and white on the Continent?  The world’s largest producer is China, producing 21 times more than Peru, the second largest.

4.

Commissioned by Henry VIII and built on the site of a former leper hospital, which is the most senior royal palace in the UK and remains the official residence of the Sovereign?

5.

What is the name of the demon that appears in the Faust legend?  He has since become a stock feature of German folklore and features in songs by the Metal bands Moonspell, Arch Enemy and Cradle of Filth’.

6.

What description does Sherlock Homes repeatedly apply to his arch-enemy Professor James Moriarty?  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle took the phrase from a real-life Scotland Yard’s description of Adam Worth, a Victorian criminal mastermind.

7.

Periander (one of the Seven Sages of Greece) is credited with inventing what system of transportation?

8.

In which book of the Old Testament would you find Moses addressing the Israelites on the plains of Moab and Joshua being installed as Moses’ successor?

Sp.

Which actress is the female lead in the film adaption series The Hunger Games and won a the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress this year?

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes.

1.

Which author of an extremely famous novel which was subsequently made into an Oscar-winning film, created a famous heroine, one half of an iconic couple, whose less well-known beaux include Ashley Wilkes and Charles Hamilton?

2.

Which American author is best known for his Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy of novels, the most famous of which was first published in 1826, and featured the characters Natty Bumppo (also known as Hawkeye) and Chingachgook?

3.

Which morose musician and author performed with bands such as the Auteurs, The Servants and Baader Meinhof, before forming Black Box Recorder with vocalist Sarah Nixey and The Jesus and Mary Chain's John Moore, with whom he enjoyed his greatest commercial success with the album and single Facts of Life.  His autobiography, published in 2006, which refers to his antagonistic relationship with Britpop, which he is sometimes credited with helping to inspire, is entitled Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall.

4.

What is the name of the late 20th century pizza delivery boy who finds himself transported to the 31st century in Matt Groening's cartoon series Futurama?

5.

Which woman holds the dubious distinction of having delivered the longest Oscar acceptance speech at 5 minutes and 30 seconds, which she gave when collecting her Best Actress award for her role in Mrs Miniver?

6.

For which 1966 film, the first in which he starred with Jack Lemmon, did Walter Matthau win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor?

7.

Which Shakespearian comic heroine becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle when she falls in love with Cesario, who is in fact a girl called Viola disguised as a boy, who in turn is in love with her master, Duke Orsino, who has sent her to attempt to woo the heroine in question on his behalf?

8.

Which pretender to the English throne during the reign of Henry VII, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville?

ROUND 4 - Paired Picture Round

1.

Name this constellation, also an astrological sign of the Zodiac.

2.

Name the indicated star in this constellation, in which the diameter of the stars as shown indicates the apparent magnitude (brightness) of the star in the night sky.

3.

Name this Japanese broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower, the second tallest structure in the World.

4.

Name this cathedral, the tallest building in the world for 238 years until its spire fell off.  It was the first man-made structure to surpass the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza which had held the record for almost 4,000 years.

5.

Name this British river, 134 miles long from source to sea.

6.

Name this motorway. Other nearby motorways are indicated with dashed lines.

7.

Name the American Hip Hop artist born 1977 who re-popularised this style of shutter shade sunglasses when he wore them in the music video for a song from his third studio album Graduation in 2007.

8.

Name the fictional Lieutenant Commander born 2335 portrayed by LeVar Burton who wore this Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement VISOR.

ROUND 5 - Paired Picture Round

1.

Name the bombastic piece of music whose opening bars are given here.

2.

Name this dramatic piece of music and its composer, whose opening bars are given here.

3.

Name this Pokémon, an electric type, ranked second best person of the year in 1999 by Time, behind Ricky Martin but ahead of J K Rowling.

4.

Name this character, the eponymous star of a children’s television programme originally aired from 2004-12.

5.

Name this World War Two Lockheed fighter aircraft.

6.

Give the alpha-numeric name for this Northrop Grumman bomber, planned to remain in service with the US Air Force until 2058.

7.

Name this motor racing circuit in the South East of England that was used for the 2012 Paralympic Road Cycling.

8.

Name this racing track in California, famous for its 'corkscrew' at turn 8.

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

A Glaswegian group of artists, which included Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair, was given which name because of the spectral appearance of figures in many of their works?

2.

Originally named Elizabeth Carr, which pin-up girl appeared in several Richard Kern films, as well as on the cover of Sonic Youth's album EVOL?

3.

The largest of what optical device in the world can be found on Constitution Hill, in Aberystwyth?

4.

Which novel by Cécile Aubry, later serialized for TV, describes the life of a young boy and his dog in a small village on the Franco-Italian border?

5.

In which Texan county, named after the leader of the Texan forces at the Alamo, is the city of Austin found?

6.

Who might have survived an assassination attempt had Leopold Lojka not mistakenly turned onto Franz Josef Street?

7.

Owing to its importance to the economy of the state, what is the official state beverage of Florida?

8.

Which sexual aid may have derived its name from similar devices used to mate certain breeds of horses?

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

What is the name of the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology?

2.

What is the pen name of the feminist author and activist, real name Gloria Jean Watkins, whose published works include Ain't I a Woman?: Black Women and Feminism and We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity?

3.

What is the name of Kate Bush's comeback album, released in 2005, 12 years after her last studio album The Red Shoes?

4.

What is the name of The Griffin family's teenage daughter in the Seth Macfarlane animated comedy series Family Guy?

5.

What is the common nickname given to the popular protests in Tunisia in 2011 which led to the resignation of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and which are widely credited with sparking the Arab Spring?

6.

Who, on her marriage to early English settler, tobacco farmer and exporter John Rolfe in 1614, became known by the name Rebecca Rolfe?

7.

Which journalist and former Radio 4 news reader and continuity announcer, who had previously dated Sandi Toksvig, married TV and radio presenter Clare Balding in 2006?

8.

Which doomed French literary heroine, who first appeared in a novel published in 1831, had a clever pet goat called Djali?

ROUND 8 - 'That Was The Week That Was'

1.

J K Rowling has upset many fans this week by proclaiming that Harry Potter should have ended up with Hermione, instead of Ginny and Ron Weasely respectively.  However, who was Harry Potter’s first girlfriend?

2.

The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment on Sunday.  In which 2009 film, directed by Richard Curtis film, did he star alongside Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans?

3.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is revving up to start this weekend.  In which country and in what year was the first Winter Olympics held?

4.

Sunday saw the Super Bowl XLVIII, with the Seattle Seahawks trouncing the Denver Broncos.  How many players are on the pitch at one point?

5.

This week, the musician Prince performed two secret gigs in London with his new band 3rd Eye Girl.  What is the name of his 1978 debut album?

6.

Prince Charles went to visit the flood-hit areas of Somerset on Tuesday.  What is the title of the watery-themed children’s book that Charles wrote, published in 1980, that was turned into a ballet in 2007?

7.

Michael Gove put the cat among the pigeons yet again by not re-appointing Baroness Morgan as Ofsted’s chairwoman, claiming his actions weren’t due to her being a Labour supporter.  For which seat has Gove been the MP of since 2005?

8.

Strike action today has bought mass disruption to the London Underground services.  What association does Harry Beck have with the London Tube?

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

What is the name of the character played by Marcia Cross in the television programme Desperate Housewives?

Bree Van de Kamp

(accept Bree)

2.

In 2008, which tennis player was mistakenly reported to have purchased the world’s supply of donkey cheese, known as pule?

Novak Djokovic

3.

Which film title is translated roughly into a phrase meaning He’s a Ghost! in Chinese?

The Sixth Sense

4.

Which book's title is said to have been translated into Japanese as meaning the equivalent of The Angry Raisins?

The Grapes of Wrath

5.

Which South American animal makes sounds known as ‘orlges’ and gives birth to young known as ‘crias’?

Llamas

(accept alpacas, vicunas or guanacos)

6.

Which South American animal has species that include Brazilian, Baird’s and Mountain?

Tapir

7.

Which pop band, whose songs include SOS and Burnin’ Up, is made up of siblings Kevin, Joe and Nick?

The Jonas Brothers

8.

Which band, whose songs include The Wire and Don’t Save Me, is made up of siblings Este, Danielle and Alana

HAIM

Sp1

Name the book with the back-cover outline: 'The story tells of the eponymous character’s adventures with the wild man Enkidu, and of his arduous journey to the ends of the Earth in a quest for the Babylonian Noah and the secret of immortality.'

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Sp2

Name the book with the back-cover outline: 'The story of the two Dashwood sisters, who embody the conflict between the oppressive nature of civilised society and the human desire for romantic passion.'

Sense and Sensibility

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme with a hint: 'Do you know your Pekes from your Pollicles?'

There are sound-alikes.

1.

Which 1970s British rock group had the first single In the Summertime, their largest hit and only hit outside the UK? They experienced a resurgence when Shaggy covered the above song in 1995.

Mungo Jerry

2.

Which alcoholic beverage is believed to have originated in ancient China and India?  It features in many cocktails, such as daiquiris and Dark ‘n’ Stormy.

Rum

3.

The Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire annually hosts a week-long festival for which vegetable, eaten green here and white on the Continent?  The world’s largest producer is China, producing 21 times more than Peru, the second largest.

Asparagus

4.

Commissioned by Henry VIII and built on the site of a former leper hospital, which is the most senior royal palace in the UK and remains the official residence of the Sovereign?

St James’s Palace

5.

What is the name of the demon that appears in the Faust legend?  He has since become a stock feature of German folklore and features in songs by the Metal bands Moonspell, Arch Enemy and Cradle of Filth’.

Mephistopheles

6.

What description does Sherlock Homes repeatedly apply to his arch-enemy Professor James Moriarty?  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle took the phrase from a real-life Scotland Yard’s description of Adam Worth, a Victorian criminal mastermind.

'The Napoleon of Crime'

7.

Periander (one of the Seven Sages of Greece) is credited with inventing what system of transportation?

Railways

8.

In which book of the Old Testament would you find Moses addressing the Israelites on the plains of Moab and Joshua being installed as Moses’ successor?

Deuteronomy

Sp.

Which actress is the female lead in the film adaption series The Hunger Games and won a the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress this year?

Jennifer Lawrence

Theme: Each answer contains the name of one of the cats featured in T S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats:

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes.

1.

Which author of an extremely famous novel which was subsequently made into an Oscar-winning film, created a famous heroine, one half of an iconic couple, whose less well-known beaux include Ashley Wilkes and Charles Hamilton?

Margaret Mitchell

2.

Which American author is best known for his Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy of novels, the most famous of which was first published in 1826, and featured the characters Natty Bumppo (also known as Hawkeye) and Chingachgook?

James Fennimore Cooper

3.

Which morose musician and author performed with bands such as the Auteurs, The Servants and Baader Meinhof, before forming Black Box Recorder with vocalist Sarah Nixey and The Jesus and Mary Chain's John Moore, with whom he enjoyed his greatest commercial success with the album and single Facts of Life.  His autobiography, published in 2006, which refers to his antagonistic relationship with Britpop, which he is sometimes credited with helping to inspire, is entitled Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall.

Luke Haines

4.

What is the name of the late 20th century pizza delivery boy who finds himself transported to the 31st century in Matt Groening's cartoon series Futurama?

Philip J Fry

(accept Fry)

5.

Which woman holds the dubious distinction of having delivered the longest Oscar acceptance speech at 5 minutes and 30 seconds, which she gave when collecting her Best Actress award for her role in Mrs Miniver?

Greer Garson

6.

For which 1966 film, the first in which he starred with Jack Lemmon, did Walter Matthau win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor?

The Fortune Cookie

7.

Which Shakespearian comic heroine becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle when she falls in love with Cesario, who is in fact a girl called Viola disguised as a boy, who in turn is in love with her master, Duke Orsino, who has sent her to attempt to woo the heroine in question on his behalf?

Olivia

8.

Which pretender to the English throne during the reign of Henry VII, claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville?

Perkin Warbeck

Theme: Each answer contains the name of famous alumni of the Cambridge footlights:

ROUND 4 - Paired Picture Round

1.

Name this constellation, also an astrological sign of the Zodiac.

Scorpius

(accept Scorpio)

2.

Name the indicated star in this constellation, in which the diameter of the stars as shown indicates the apparent magnitude (brightness) of the star in the night sky.

Sirius

3.

Name this Japanese broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower, the second tallest structure in the World.

Tokyo Skytree

4.

Name this cathedral, the tallest building in the world for 238 years until its spire fell off.  It was the first man-made structure to surpass the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza which had held the record for almost 4,000 years.

Lincoln Cathedral

5.

Name this British river, 134 miles long from source to sea.

River Wye

6.

Name this motorway. Other nearby motorways are indicated with dashed lines.

M6 Toll

(or Birmingham North Relief Road)

7.

Name the American Hip Hop artist born 1977 who re-popularised this style of shutter shade sunglasses when he wore them in the music video for a song from his third studio album Graduation in 2007.

Kanye West

8.

Name the fictional Lieutenant Commander born 2335 portrayed by LeVar Burton who wore this Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement VISOR.

Geordi LaForge

ROUND 5 - Paired Picture Round

1.

Name the bombastic piece of music whose opening bars are given here.

1812 Overture

(by Tchaikovsky)

2.

Name this dramatic piece of music and its composer, whose opening bars are given here.

Beethoven’s 5th Symphony

3.

Name this Pokémon, an electric type, ranked second best person of the year in 1999 by Time, behind Ricky Martin but ahead of J K Rowling.

Pikachu

4.

Name this character, the eponymous star of a children’s television programme originally aired from 2004-12.

Peppa Pig

5.

Name this World War Two Lockheed fighter aircraft.

P38

(Lightning)

6.

Give the alpha-numeric name for this Northrop Grumman bomber, planned to remain in service with the US Air Force until 2058.

B2 Spirit

(do not accept 'Stealth Bomber')

7.

Name this motor racing circuit in the South East of England that was used for the 2012 Paralympic Road Cycling.

Brands Hatch

8.

Name this racing track in California, famous for its 'corkscrew' at turn 8.

Laguna Seca Raceway

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

A Glaswegian group of artists, which included Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair, was given which name because of the spectral appearance of figures in many of their works?

The Spook School

2.

Originally named Elizabeth Carr, which pin-up girl appeared in several Richard Kern films, as well as on the cover of Sonic Youth's album EVOL?

Lung Leg

3.

The largest of what optical device in the world can be found on Constitution Hill, in Aberystwyth?

Camera Obscura

4.

Which novel by Cécile Aubry, later serialized for TV, describes the life of a young boy and his dog in a small village on the Franco-Italian border?

Belle and Sebastian

(or Belle et Sébastien)

5.

In which Texan county, named after the leader of the Texan forces at the Alamo, is the city of Austin found?

Travis (County)

6.

Who might have survived an assassination attempt had Leopold Lojka not mistakenly turned onto Franz Josef Street?

(Archduke) Franz Ferdinand

7.

Owing to its importance to the economy of the state, what is the official state beverage of Florida?

Orange Juice

8.

Which sexual aid may have derived its name from similar devices used to mate certain breeds of horses?

Arab Strap

Theme: Each answer is the name of a Scottish band

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

What is the name of the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology?

Aurora

2.

What is the pen name of the feminist author and activist, real name Gloria Jean Watkins, whose published works include Ain't I a Woman?: Black Women and Feminism and We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity?

Bell Hooks

3.

What is the name of Kate Bush's comeback album, released in 2005, 12 years after her last studio album The Red Shoes?

Aerial

4.

What is the name of The Griffin family's teenage daughter in the Seth Macfarlane animated comedy series Family Guy?

Meg

5.

What is the common nickname given to the popular protests in Tunisia in 2011 which led to the resignation of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and which are widely credited with sparking the Arab Spring?

Jasmine Revolution

6.

Who, on her marriage to early English settler, tobacco farmer and exporter John Rolfe in 1614, became known by the name Rebecca Rolfe?

Pocahontas

7.

Which journalist and former Radio 4 news reader and continuity announcer, who had previously dated Sandi Toksvig, married TV and radio presenter Clare Balding in 2006?

Alice Arnold

8.

Which doomed French literary heroine, who first appeared in a novel published in 1831, had a clever pet goat called Djali?

Esmeralda

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a Disney heroine:

ROUND 8 - 'That Was The Week That Was'

1.

J K Rowling has upset many fans this week by proclaiming that Harry Potter should have ended up with Hermione, instead of Ginny and Ron Weasely respectively.  However, who was Harry Potter’s first girlfriend?

Cho Chang

2.

The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment on Sunday.  In which 2009 film, directed by Richard Curtis film, did he star alongside Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans?

The Boat That Rocked

3.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is revving up to start this weekend.  In which country and in what year was the first Winter Olympics held?

France (in Chamonix) in 1924

4.

Sunday saw the Super Bowl XLVIII, with the Seattle Seahawks trouncing the Denver Broncos.  How many players are on the pitch at one point?

22 players

(two teams of eleven)

5.

This week, the musician Prince performed two secret gigs in London with his new band 3rd Eye Girl.  What is the name of his 1978 debut album?

For You

6.

Prince Charles went to visit the flood-hit areas of Somerset on Tuesday.  What is the title of the watery-themed children’s book that Charles wrote, published in 1980, that was turned into a ballet in 2007?

The Old Man of Lochnagar

7.

Michael Gove put the cat among the pigeons yet again by not re-appointing Baroness Morgan as Ofsted’s chairwoman, claiming his actions weren’t due to her being a Labour supporter.  For which seat has Gove been the MP of since 2005?

Surrey Heath

8.

Strike action today has bought mass disruption to the London Underground services.  What association does Harry Beck have with the London Tube?

He designed the iconic London Underground Tube map, used since 1933