ROUND 1 - ‘A Folksy Round’

Each answer contains a folk song title (or part of a folk song title) with a Roud Folk Song Index Number

1.

One of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, this comic actor presented the Academy Awards in 1987 and 1988, and appeared in a Paul Simon music video.  Who is he?

2.

Phoenix, Arizona is the largest city in which US time zone?

3.

The opening lines of which book are: “Riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”?

4.

 Which film, set in 1920s Ireland and directed by Ken Loach, won the Palme D’Or in 2006?

5.

Which American pharmacist, in the 1870s produced Vegetable Compound, a ‘Positive Cure for all those Complaints and Weaknesses so common to our best female population'?  (either full name, or nickname required)

6.

This title character of a poem and folk song is a personification of a cereal crop, and the alcoholic beverages made from it - beer and whiskey.  It is also a novel by Jack London, notable for having the first recorded use of ‘seeing pink elephants’ as a euphemism for drunken hallucinations.  Who is this character?

7.

Which explorer led an ill-fated journey to the Northwest Passage aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in 1845?

8.

A numbers station allegedly owned by MI6 that broadcast from the 1970s until 2008 from Cyprus, is known by what name?  The name is derived from the tune that is played before each broadcast.

Sp.

Which bagpipe tune is traditionally only played by bagpipers at funerals?  The song laments the fallen at the Battle of Flodden, and was covered by, among others, Mike Oldfield and also Fairport Convention.

1.

Which TV comedy character was married to Richard and had a sister, Daisy, and (at least to her) an embarrassing brother-in-law called Onslow?

2.

Which oddly-voiced character from the Goon Show was played by Peter Sellers?

3.

Which Star Wars character, who appears in The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones and The Revenge of the Sith, was very negatively received by critics, being accused both of being created solely to appeal to children and of being a racist caricature?

4.

Which Dickensian lawyer, nicknamed ‘jackal’, was executed as a result of mistaken identity?

5.

What three-letter word, common in Arabic names, means ‘son of’?  With a ‘t’ added, it means ‘daughter of’.

6.

Which vigorous music-hall dance is the best-known tune from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld?      

7.

What is the common name of the class Cubozoa, predatory marine invertebrates which produce highly potent venom?  The sting of some species can be fatal to humans.

8.

Which animated character appeared with his friends, in only 13 much repeated episodes - in colour when awake, and in sepia when asleep?

Sp.

Which one-act operetta by Sullivan, with a libretto not by Gilbert, becomes a rather old English idiom when its three-word title is reversed?

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

Each answer in part contains part of a thematic item

1.

Which North Staffordshire tourist attraction is named after the man who reputedly killed Richard lll?

2.

What is to be found on every item of Government property from warships to lavatory paper?

3.

Which poet wrote The Minstrel Boy, Believe me of all those Endearing Young Charms and The Last Rose of Summer?

4.

The highest point on the Isle of Wight is named after the patron saint of Germany. What is it called?

5.

In Tolkien’s The Hobbit what was the former home of the inhabitants of Esgaroth?

6.

George Augustus Frederic ll was the last king of which area of Central America?

7.

Titus Groan is the first novel in the Gormenghast series by which author? 

8.

The Road to the Isles, in Kenneth Macleod’s immortal words, goes by Tummel to where and where?

Sp.

Syon House is the London Home of which family?

1.

What rank in the British Royal Navy is equivalent to a field marshal in the British army?

2.

Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets play their home games at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. What is the only American football team in the NFL that plays its home games in the state of New York?

3.

A scene from which narrative poem is illustrated here? It was published in 1842 and is a combination of fact and fiction.

4.

This is a scene from which 1979 film directed by Don Siegel?  It was based on a real incident.

5.

Which song stands at number 42 in the list compiled by the music magazine Rolling Stone of the greatest 500 songs of all-time?  It was performed by Ray Davies at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

6.

A small pond in Queen Street Gardens, Edinburgh, as viewed from the author’s childhood bedroom; Fidra, a small uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, visible from the seaside resort of North Berwick; a tattered map of the island of Unst.  All these were described by the author as the early inspiration for which 1883 novel?

7.

Name this former president of the USA (both forename and surname required).  This daguerreotype was taken in 1845 a few months before his death.  As is evident from his happy-go-lucky expression he came from good Ulster Presbyterian stock.  He is remembered both as the founder of the modern Democratic Party and as one of America’s most controversial and bad-tempered presidents.  On leaving office he said that he had but two regrets: that he had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or to hang John C Calhoun.

8.

This iconic American painting by Emanuel Leutze shows George Washington crossing which frozen river on Christmas Day 1776?  It was his first move in a surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey.

Sp1

In 1970 the BBC Sports Team of the Year was awarded to the team responsible for training and riding which racehorse?

Sp2

Lady Godiva’s blushes by giving the two words missing from this rhyming couplet from the song Lydia the Tattooed Lady: “Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon / Here’s Godiva but with her ------ ------“ 

1.

What was the surname of father-and-son Albert Neilson and Albert Henry?  Between them, they captained Lancashire County Cricket Club in more than 400 first-class matches between 1879 and 1914.  A street off Warwick Road in Old Trafford bears their name.

2.

Carlos Alberto Torres captained which country to victory in the FIFA World Cup Final in which year.  He scored the fourth goal in the final? (note both name and year required)

3.

Formed in Manchester in 1972, the comedy rock band known informally as The Albertos had a hit with Heads Down No Nonsense Mindless Boogie, described as a ‘Status Quo spoof’.  Give the last two words of the band’s full name.

4.

A recipient of the Military Medal in World War One, which fictional Albert was played from 1960 to 1984 by Jack Howarth?

5.

Born in 1240, Albert the Degenerate was a Margrave of which territory, now in the German state of Saxony?  A town of the same name is noted for its fine porcelain, bearing the symbol of crossed swords. 

6.

Albrecht von Wallenstein, a military commander of the Thirty Years War, gives his name to a palace that houses the national senate of which EU member state?

7.

The Albert Hall in London was opened at the start of which decade?  The year of its opening saw the suppression of the Paris Commune and the start of work on the first Tay Bridge, which was destroyed in high winds 8 years later.

8.

Albert the First succeeded his uncle, Leopold the Second as King of the Belgians (Leopold being infamous for his brutal and rapacious rule of the Congo Free State).  Give me any year when Albert was on the Belgian throne.

Sp.

A 1942 essay by Albert Camus concerns the myth of which Greek ruler, condemned to the endless task of pushing a heavy boulder up a hill only to see it roll down again?

1.

Which writer/actor’s creations include Admiral General Aladeen, Bruno Gehard and Borat Sagdiyev? (full name required)

2.

Born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in the Netherlands in 1909, he died in Las Vegas Nevada in 1997 twenty years after his most famous protégé.  How was he better known? (full name required)

3.

Which song, a jazz standard written in 1928, has been recorded by hundreds of artists including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Glenn Miller and takes its title from a notorious New Orleans red light district?

4.

Which US rock band formed in New Jersey in 2000, whose albums included Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade, caused controversy in the UK in 2008 when it was deemed to be responsible for the suicide of a young fan?

5.

Considered to be the first ‘non-fiction novel’, what is the title of Truman Capote’s 1966 work about the murder of four members of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1959?

6.

Which Australian became, in 2001, the first foreign born player to captain Yorkshire Cricket Club?  (full name required)

7.

What term is an honour conferred by the state of Israel on non-Jewish individuals or organisations who gave significant assistance to Jews during the Holocaust?

8.

Born in 1936, which writer, whose novels include The Green House and The War of the End of the World, is the only ever Peruvian Nobel laureate?  (full name required) 

Sp.

Which US-born virologist developed the first effective polio virus?  (full name required)

1.

In a German musical score, which instrument’s line would be labelled ‘Bratsche’?

ALBERT

2.

In a German musical score, which instrument’s line would be labelled ‘Posaune’?

ALBERT

3.

As at the end of March 2017 which two artists were occupying no fewer than 37 of the top 100 spots in the Top 100 Singles Charts?

THE OPSIMATHS

4.

As at the end of March 2017, having entered the Top 100 Album Charts on 60 separate occasions since its release, which band's Greatest Hits Album has spent a total of 779 weeks in this chart?

THE OPSIMATHS

5.

Douglas Carswell, former man of the people and soon to be ex-MP, may not be everyone's idea of the dashing hero in an adventure story - but the experiences of Wilson Carswell, his Paisley-born father, during his time spent in Africa were partly used as the inspiration for Dr Nicholas Garrigan, the narrator of which best-selling 1998 novel and subsequent Oscar winning film?

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

6.

Who wrote the 1910 novel L'Amante del Cardinale (The Cardinal's Mistress)?  It was first published in installments in the Trento Socialist newspaper Il Populo.  The novel was bitterly anticlerical and was withdrawn from circulation some years later when the author made a truce with the Vatican.

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

7.

What is Yggdrasil, which connects the nine worlds in Norse mythology?

THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG

8.

What is Jörmungandr, which in Norse mythology kills, and is killed by Thor?

THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG

ROUND 8 - ‘…and in the End….’

Each answer contains a word that may be preceded or succeeded by the word ‘final’ to make a familiar two word phrase  (sound-alikes have been used)

1.

Based on Des Chiffres et Des Lettres what started on November 2nd 1982?

2.

Who founded the political blog Left Foot Forward and was executive director of the 2016 referendum campaign organisation ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’? (first name and surname required)

3.

In 2014 the postal delivery company TNT Post UK rebranded itself under which name?

4.

Billie Holiday’s nickname, Laurie Lee’s 1969 sequel to Cider with Rosie, the flower genus aster and the best known English Buddhist judge are all linked in which way?

5.

In economics what is defined as the graph depicting the relationship between the price of a certain commodity and the amount of it that consumers are willing and able to purchase at any given price?

6.

In Psalm 23 in the Bible (The Lord is my Shepherd) what phrase is missing in this quote: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; …………… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”?

7.

What do we call what the French call ‘point-virgule’?

8.

Over the past 60 years Len Martin, Tim Gudgin and Mike West have in turn played a significant role in which regular BBC TV programme?

Sp.

The SCAMP released in 1973 and the Osborne 1 released in 1981, were early versions of what?

1.

Three countries in South America have land borders with just two other countries.  Name two of them.

2.

Name the two countries in South America that have no land border with Brazil.

3.

In the song Waltzing Matilda, what geographical feature is a billabong?

4.

In the song Waltzing Matilda, who or what is ‘Matilda’?

5.

For what reason did Ireland boycott the 1936 Berlin Games?

6.

There were three boycotts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.  The Chinese boycotted them because Taiwan was allowed to compete and Cambodia, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon boycotted due to the Suez crisis.  For what reason did the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland refuse to attend?

7.

One Christmas when Labour MP Alan Johnson told Tony Blair that he had had 3 children by the time he was 20, how did Tony Blair reply?

8.

Winston Churchill was quoted as saying: “Democracy is the worst form of government except for…….." what?

Tiebreakers

The team giving the nearest to the correct answer to question one wins - but if both are equally close then use question 2

1.

On what date was the world's first ever compact disc (CD) released in Japan? (day, month and year required)

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

2.

The Canadian province of Alberta has an area of about 660,000 square kilometres. How many times would the United Kingdom fit into this area?  (to the nearest 3 places of decimals)

COMPULSORY MANTIS SHRIMP

ROUND 1 - ‘A Folksy Round’

Each answer contains a folk song title (or part of a folk song title) with a Roud Folk Song Index Number

1.

One of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, this comic actor presented the Academy Awards in 1987 and 1988, and appeared in a Paul Simon music video.  Who is he?

Chevy Chase

(Cornelius Chase was nicknamed Chevy by his grandmother in homage to The Ballad of Chevy Chase)

2.

Phoenix, Arizona is the largest city in which US time zone?

Mountain Time

(the folk song is Wild Mountain Thyme)

3.

The opening lines of which book are: “Riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”?

Finnegan’s Wake

4.

 Which film, set in 1920s Ireland and directed by Ken Loach, won the Palme D’Or in 2006?

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

5.

Which American pharmacist, in the 1870s produced Vegetable Compound, a ‘Positive Cure for all those Complaints and Weaknesses so common to our best female population'?  (either full name, or nickname required)

Lydia Pinkham or Lily the Pink

6.

This title character of a poem and folk song is a personification of a cereal crop, and the alcoholic beverages made from it - beer and whiskey.  It is also a novel by Jack London, notable for having the first recorded use of ‘seeing pink elephants’ as a euphemism for drunken hallucinations.  Who is this character?

John Barleycorn

7.

Which explorer led an ill-fated journey to the Northwest Passage aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in 1845?

(Lord John) Franklin

(HMS Erebus was found as recently as 2014, and HMS Terror was found in 2016)

8.

A numbers station allegedly owned by MI6 that broadcast from the 1970s until 2008 from Cyprus, is known by what name?  The name is derived from the tune that is played before each broadcast.

The  Lincolnshire Poacher

Sp.

Which bagpipe tune is traditionally only played by bagpipers at funerals?  The song laments the fallen at the Battle of Flodden, and was covered by, among others, Mike Oldfield and also Fairport Convention.

Flowers of the Forest

1.

Which TV comedy character was married to Richard and had a sister, Daisy, and (at least to her) an embarrassing brother-in-law called Onslow?

Hyacinth Bucket

2.

Which oddly-voiced character from the Goon Show was played by Peter Sellers?

 Bluebottle

3.

Which Star Wars character, who appears in The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones and The Revenge of the Sith, was very negatively received by critics, being accused both of being created solely to appeal to children and of being a racist caricature?

 Jar Jar Binks

4.

Which Dickensian lawyer, nicknamed ‘jackal’, was executed as a result of mistaken identity?

Sydney Carton

5.

What three-letter word, common in Arabic names, means ‘son of’?  With a ‘t’ added, it means ‘daughter of’.

Bin

6.

Which vigorous music-hall dance is the best-known tune from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld?      

Cancan

7.

What is the common name of the class Cubozoa, predatory marine invertebrates which produce highly potent venom?  The sting of some species can be fatal to humans.

Box jellyfish

8.

Which animated character appeared with his friends, in only 13 much repeated episodes - in colour when awake, and in sepia when asleep?

Bagpuss

Sp.

Which one-act operetta by Sullivan, with a libretto not by Gilbert, becomes a rather old English idiom when its three-word title is reversed?

Cox and Box

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

Each answer in part contains part of a thematic item

1.

Which North Staffordshire tourist attraction is named after the man who reputedly killed Richard lll?

Rudyard Lake

2.

What is to be found on every item of Government property from warships to lavatory paper?

A broad arrow

3.

Which poet wrote The Minstrel Boy, Believe me of all those Endearing Young Charms and The Last Rose of Summer?

Thomas Moore

4.

The highest point on the Isle of Wight is named after the patron saint of Germany. What is it called?

St Boniface Down

5.

In Tolkien’s The Hobbit what was the former home of the inhabitants of Esgaroth?

Dale

6.

George Augustus Frederic ll was the last king of which area of Central America?

The Mosquito Coast

7.

Titus Groan is the first novel in the Gormenghast series by which author? 

Mervyn Peake

8.

The Road to the Isles, in Kenneth Macleod’s immortal words, goes by Tummel to where and where?

“Loch Rannoch and Lochaber” (it is permitted to sing this answer)

Sp.

Syon House is the London Home of which family?

Dukes of Northumberland

Theme: Each answer contains at least part of the name of a UK National Park….

Lake District; Norfolk Broads; North York Moors; South Downs; Yorkshire Dales; Pembrokeshire Coast; Peak District; Loch Lomond and the Trossachs; Northumberland

1.

What rank in the British Royal Navy is equivalent to a field marshal in the British army?

Admiral of the Fleet

2.

Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets play their home games at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. What is the only American football team in the NFL that plays its home games in the state of New York?

Buffalo Bills

3.

A scene from which narrative poem is illustrated here? It was published in 1842 and is a combination of fact and fiction.

Wreck of the Hesperus

(by Longfellow)

4.

This is a scene from which 1979 film directed by Don Siegel?  It was based on a real incident.

Escape from Alcatraz

5.

Which song stands at number 42 in the list compiled by the music magazine Rolling Stone of the greatest 500 songs of all-time?  It was performed by Ray Davies at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Waterloo Sunset

6.

A small pond in Queen Street Gardens, Edinburgh, as viewed from the author’s childhood bedroom; Fidra, a small uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth, visible from the seaside resort of North Berwick; a tattered map of the island of Unst.  All these were described by the author as the early inspiration for which 1883 novel?

Treasure Island

7.

Name this former president of the USA (both forename and surname required).  This daguerreotype was taken in 1845 a few months before his death.  As is evident from his happy-go-lucky expression he came from good Ulster Presbyterian stock.  He is remembered both as the founder of the modern Democratic Party and as one of America’s most controversial and bad-tempered presidents.  On leaving office he said that he had but two regrets: that he had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or to hang John C Calhoun.

Andrew Jackson

8.

This iconic American painting by Emanuel Leutze shows George Washington crossing which frozen river on Christmas Day 1776?  It was his first move in a surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey.

The Delaware

Sp1

In 1970 the BBC Sports Team of the Year was awarded to the team responsible for training and riding which racehorse?

Nijinsky

Sp2

Lady Godiva’s blushes by giving the two words missing from this rhyming couplet from the song Lydia the Tattooed Lady: “Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon / Here’s Godiva but with her ------ ------“ 

“Pyjamas on”

Theme: Each answer relates to scenes depicted on the body of Lydia the Tattooed Lady....

as performed by Groucho Marx in the 1939 film At the Circus (music and excellent lyrics by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen)

1.

What was the surname of father-and-son Albert Neilson and Albert Henry?  Between them, they captained Lancashire County Cricket Club in more than 400 first-class matches between 1879 and 1914.  A street off Warwick Road in Old Trafford bears their name.

Hornby

(NOT ‘Barlow’ which is the next street; Barlow was Hornby senior’s opening partner, as mentioned in the poem by Francis Thompson)

2.

Carlos Alberto Torres captained which country to victory in the FIFA World Cup Final in which year.  He scored the fourth goal in the final? (note both name and year required)

Brazil in 1970

3.

Formed in Manchester in 1972, the comedy rock band known informally as The Albertos had a hit with Heads Down No Nonsense Mindless Boogie, described as a ‘Status Quo spoof’.  Give the last two words of the band’s full name.

(Alberto y Lost) Trios Paranoias

(two words only to avoid adjudication problems with ‘Los’ / ‘Lost’)

4.

A recipient of the Military Medal in World War One, which fictional Albert was played from 1960 to 1984 by Jack Howarth?

(Albert) Tatlock

(in Coronation Street)

5.

Born in 1240, Albert the Degenerate was a Margrave of which territory, now in the German state of Saxony?  A town of the same name is noted for its fine porcelain, bearing the symbol of crossed swords. 

Meissen

6.

Albrecht von Wallenstein, a military commander of the Thirty Years War, gives his name to a palace that houses the national senate of which EU member state?

Czech Republic

7.

The Albert Hall in London was opened at the start of which decade?  The year of its opening saw the suppression of the Paris Commune and the start of work on the first Tay Bridge, which was destroyed in high winds 8 years later.

1870s

(1871)

8.

Albert the First succeeded his uncle, Leopold the Second as King of the Belgians (Leopold being infamous for his brutal and rapacious rule of the Congo Free State).  Give me any year when Albert was on the Belgian throne.

Any year between 1909 and 1934

Sp.

A 1942 essay by Albert Camus concerns the myth of which Greek ruler, condemned to the endless task of pushing a heavy boulder up a hill only to see it roll down again?

Sisyphus

(“il faut imaginer Sisyphe heureux” / “one must imagine Sisyphus happy”)

1.

Which writer/actor’s creations include Admiral General Aladeen, Bruno Gehard and Borat Sagdiyev? (full name required)

Sacha Baron Cohen

2.

Born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in the Netherlands in 1909, he died in Las Vegas Nevada in 1997 twenty years after his most famous protégé.  How was he better known? (full name required)

Colonel Tom Parker

(manager of Elvis Presley)

3.

Which song, a jazz standard written in 1928, has been recorded by hundreds of artists including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Glenn Miller and takes its title from a notorious New Orleans red light district?

Basin Street Blues

4.

Which US rock band formed in New Jersey in 2000, whose albums included Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade, caused controversy in the UK in 2008 when it was deemed to be responsible for the suicide of a young fan?

My Chemical Romance

5.

Considered to be the first ‘non-fiction novel’, what is the title of Truman Capote’s 1966 work about the murder of four members of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1959?

In Cold Blood

6.

Which Australian became, in 2001, the first foreign born player to captain Yorkshire Cricket Club?  (full name required)

Darren Lehmann 

7.

What term is an honour conferred by the state of Israel on non-Jewish individuals or organisations who gave significant assistance to Jews during the Holocaust?

‘Righteous Among The Nations’

8.

Born in 1936, which writer, whose novels include The Green House and The War of the End of the World, is the only ever Peruvian Nobel laureate?  (full name required) 

Mario Vargas Llosa

Sp.

Which US-born virologist developed the first effective polio virus?  (full name required)

Jonas Salk

Theme: Each answer contains a word that can precede ‘brothers’….

Coen, Parker, Blues, Chemical, Blood, Lehman, Righteous, Mario, Jonas

1.

In a German musical score, which instrument’s line would be labelled ‘Bratsche’?

ALBERT

Viola

2.

In a German musical score, which instrument’s line would be labelled ‘Posaune’?

ALBERT

Trombone

3.

As at the end of March 2017 which two artists were occupying no fewer than 37 of the top 100 spots in the Top 100 Singles Charts?

THE OPSIMATHS

Drake (21) and Ed Sheeran (16)

4.

As at the end of March 2017, having entered the Top 100 Album Charts on 60 separate occasions since its release, which band's Greatest Hits Album has spent a total of 779 weeks in this chart?

THE OPSIMATHS

Abba

(Gold)

5.

Douglas Carswell, former man of the people and soon to be ex-MP, may not be everyone's idea of the dashing hero in an adventure story - but the experiences of Wilson Carswell, his Paisley-born father, during his time spent in Africa were partly used as the inspiration for Dr Nicholas Garrigan, the narrator of which best-selling 1998 novel and subsequent Oscar winning film?

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

The Last King of Scotland

6.

Who wrote the 1910 novel L'Amante del Cardinale (The Cardinal's Mistress)?  It was first published in installments in the Trento Socialist newspaper Il Populo.  The novel was bitterly anticlerical and was withdrawn from circulation some years later when the author made a truce with the Vatican.

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

Benito Mussolini

7.

What is Yggdrasil, which connects the nine worlds in Norse mythology?

THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG

A tree

(specifically an ash tree)

8.

What is Jörmungandr, which in Norse mythology kills, and is killed by Thor?

THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG

A snake or serpent

ROUND 8 - ‘…and in the End….’

Each answer contains a word that may be preceded or succeeded by the word ‘final’ to make a familiar two word phrase  (sound-alikes have been used)

1.

Based on Des Chiffres et Des Lettres what started on November 2nd 1982?

Countdown

(the Channel 4 quiz show based on a French TV Show of similar format)

2.

Who founded the political blog Left Foot Forward and was executive director of the 2016 referendum campaign organisation ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’? (first name and surname required)

Will Straw

3.

In 2014 the postal delivery company TNT Post UK rebranded itself under which name?

Whistl

4.

Billie Holiday’s nickname, Laurie Lee’s 1969 sequel to Cider with Rosie, the flower genus aster and the best known English Buddhist judge are all linked in which way?

Quarter Days

(Lady Day, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, Michaelmas Daisy and Judge Christmas Humphries)

5.

In economics what is defined as the graph depicting the relationship between the price of a certain commodity and the amount of it that consumers are willing and able to purchase at any given price?

Demand Curve

6.

In Psalm 23 in the Bible (The Lord is my Shepherd) what phrase is missing in this quote: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; …………… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”?

“My Cup Runneth Over”

7.

What do we call what the French call ‘point-virgule’?

8.

Over the past 60 years Len Martin, Tim Gudgin and Mike West have in turn played a significant role in which regular BBC TV programme?

(they have been the successive readers of the football results each Saturday at 5pm)

Sp.

The SCAMP released in 1973 and the Osborne 1 released in 1981, were early versions of what?

Laptops

1.

Three countries in South America have land borders with just two other countries.  Name two of them.

(2 from) Ecuador, Uruguay and French Guiana

2.

Name the two countries in South America that have no land border with Brazil.

Chile and Ecuador

3.

In the song Waltzing Matilda, what geographical feature is a billabong?

An oxbow lake

(accept just ‘lake’)

4.

In the song Waltzing Matilda, who or what is ‘Matilda’?

A slang term for a bushman’s bundle of possessions

(used as his sleeping partner – accept backpack, bedroll, etc.)

5.

For what reason did Ireland boycott the 1936 Berlin Games?

The IOC had insisted that the Irish team needed to be restricted to just the Irish Free State

(rather than representing the whole island of Ireland)

6.

There were three boycotts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.  The Chinese boycotted them because Taiwan was allowed to compete and Cambodia, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon boycotted due to the Suez crisis.  For what reason did the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland refuse to attend?

Due to the repression of the Hungarian uprising by the Soviet Union

(they did send an equestrian delegation to Stockholm later, so presumably they were OK with the repression by then!!!) 

7.

One Christmas when Labour MP Alan Johnson told Tony Blair that he had had 3 children by the time he was 20, how did Tony Blair reply?

“So you really are working class!”

(accept anything close as long as it contains the phrase ‘working class’)

8.

Winston Churchill was quoted as saying: “Democracy is the worst form of government except for…….." what?

“All those other forms that have been tried from time to time”

Tiebreakers

The team giving the nearest to the correct answer to question one wins - but if both are equally close then use question 2

1.

On what date was the world's first ever compact disc (CD) released in Japan? (day, month and year required)

THE CHARABANCS OF FIRE

October 1st 1982

2.

The Canadian province of Alberta has an area of about 660,000 square kilometres. How many times would the United Kingdom fit into this area?  (to the nearest 3 places of decimals)

COMPULSORY MANTIS SHRIMP

2.716

(UK is about 243,000 sq km)