ROUND 1 - The 'A' Round

All the answers in this round start with the letter ‘A’

1.

Kandahar is the second-largest city in Afghanistan.  It is suggested that its name evolved from ‘Iskandar’, the local dialect version of the name of its founder.  Who was that founder?

2.

The love letters of this 12th century philosopher and theologian and his student Heloise, so moved Josephine Bonaparte that she ordered that they be entombed together at Père Lachaise cemetery.  Who was this philosopher?

3.

From 2008 until his death in 2009, the comedy magician William Wallace was President of the Magic Circle.  He also acted as a magic consultant for David Nixon, Paul Daniels, and David Copperfield among others.  What was his stage name?

4.

This drink, famously painted by Degas, is said to have originated as an all-purpose patent remedy in Switzerland in about 1792.  Various countries banned it, including France in 1914.  Never formally banned in the UK, what is it called?

5.

This botanically infused mixture was first produced in 1824 in what is now Ciudad Bolívar, in Venezuela. In 1876, production was moved to Trinidad and Tobago.  What is it called?

6.

Shias believe that Muhammad named Ali as his successor.  Sunnis however don’t believe that Muhammad appointed any successor.  Instead, by consensus, who did they appointed as Caliph?

7.

‘The Round Table’ was a celebrated group of writers, actors, and wits, including Dorothy Parker, the humorist and actor Robert Benchley, and the editor of ‘The New Yorker’, Harold Ross.  From 1919 until about 1929, they met each day for lunch at a New York hotel.  What was the hotel called?

8.

Paul Allen and Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, in the most populous city in the state of New Mexico. What is the city called?

Sp1

Who has released record albums called 19, 21, and 25?

Sp2

Owned by the Duchess of Westminster, this racehorse was named after a Scottish mountain, which bordered her Sutherland estate.  He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964, 1965, and 1966, the King George VI Chase in 1965 and the Irish Grand National in 1964.  What was his name?

Sp3

Robert E Lee's first invasion of the North was checked at the Battle of Sharpsburg on September 17th 1862.  It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.  By what other name is this battle known?

1.

Which 1960 film links a real-life event of May 1941, with a Withquiz participant?

2.

In the Beano, The Bash Street Kids centres around the 10 students of Class 2B.  Who is missing from this list: Danny, 'Erbert, Fatty, Sidney, Smiffy, Spotty, Toots, Wilfrid, and Cuthbert?

3.

The first recipient of this award was the actor Rupert Davies in 1964, and the last was Stephen Fry in 2003. Other recipients included Harold Wilson (the only person to win it twice), Eric Morecambe, Fred Truman, James Galway, and Malcolm Bradbury.  What was this award?

4.

The Quadrantids, Perseids, Leonids and Geminids are in January, August, November and December respectively. What are they?

5.

The process of ‘Human capital flight’ began after WW2, and became a particular concern in the UK in the early 1960s.  By what term, coined in the Evening Standard in 1963, is ‘Human capital flight’ better known?

6.

What name links a city recognised as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the composer of Out of the Blue (the theme music of radio’s Sports Report since it started in 1948); and a local webmeister?

7.

What is the national airline of Portugal called?
 

8.

Beyoncé released an album on 4th September 2006.  What was it called?

Sp1

Which New Orleans thoroughfare runs from Canal Street to Orleans Avenue, and is commemorated by a jazz standard, written in 1926 and famously recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1928?

Sp2

This phrase was first recorded in the early 1960s, but with reports of its colloquial use before then.  Tony Blair's spin doctor, Alistair Campbell notably used it in February 2001 to describe comprehensive schools.  What is this phrase?

1.

Opened on 10th January 1863, with gas-lit wooden carriages and steam locomotives, the Metropolitan Railway in London was the world's first underground railway.  Name any of the seven original stations.

2.

Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro.  In which UK city is it?

3.

The RAF's worst peacetime disaster was on the Mull of Kintyre on 2nd June 1994.  The crash killed 25 passengers and four crew, including almost all the UK's senior Northern Ireland intelligence experts.  Taken from a Native American nation, what is the name of the US twin-engine, heavy-lift helicopter?

4.

The prototype of the world's first commercial supersonic transport aircraft first flew on 31 December 1968, first went supersonic on 5 June 1969, and on 26 May 1970 became the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.  Name the designer.
 

5.

6.

Which classic Russian film, about a 1905 mutiny, did Sergei Eisenstein direct in 1925?

7.

Mary Ward was the first person in the world to achieve this traffic-related feat on 31st August 1869 in Ireland.  On 17th August 1896, Bridget Driscoll was the first in England to achieve the same feat.  What were they the first to achieve?

8.

Where was the astronomically high speed record of 11.2 mph set in 1972?

Sp

And now the last traffic related question....On September 19th 1960, 40 of these appeared in London.  In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, there were thousands, all over Britain.  Now there are only about 18 left, including five in Greater Manchester.  What are they?
 

ROUND 4 - Quote/Misquote Bingo Round

Each player picks a topic from the Bingo sheet. The QM will read out two quotations relating to that topic.

1.

Shakespeare

A. From Hamlet: "Methinks the lady doth protest too much"

B. From Henry IV, Part I: "Discretion is the better part of valour"

2.

OT Bible (King James version)

A. Genesis 4:16: "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."

B. Isaiah 11:6: "The lion shall lay down with the lamb."

3.

Films

A. From The Graduate: "Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?"

B. From Forrest Gump: "My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

4.

Moshe Dayan

A. By Moshe Dayan, Defence Minister during the Six-Day War in 1967: "If we lose this war, I'll just start another in my wife's name."

B. By Yigael Yadin, archaeologist and Deputy Prime Minister 1977-1981, about prominent figures who stole    important artefacts: "I know who did it, and I am not going to say who it is, but if I catch him, I'll poke out his other eye, too."

5.

English Food

A. By W. Somerset Maugham: "To eat well in England you should have lunch three times a day."

B. By John Kenneth Galbraith: "It takes some skill to spoil a breakfast - even the English can't do it."

6.

Classic Children’s Books

A. From Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton: "Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, radishes, mustard and cress, carrot grated up,… and lashings of hard-boiled eggs."

B. From Charlotte’s Web by E B White: ‘‘Where's Papa going with that axe?’ said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."

7.

Star Trek

(these Quotes/Misquotes relate to the original TV series)
A. By Mr Spock: "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it."

B. By Dr. McCoy: "Damn it, Jim! I'm a doctor not a..."

8.

Donald Trump’s Beauty

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of DT)
A. "Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich."

B. "My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body."

9.

Gary Lineker

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of GL)
A. "I’ve only got a Saturday job so my weekdays are generally pretty free."

B. "If somebody in the crowd spits at you, you’ve got to put up with it

10.

Michael Jackson

A. By Michael Jackson: "Yeah, ‘Wacko Jacko’.  Where'd that come from?  Some Canadian shock jock.  I have a heart and I have feelings, I feel that, when you do that to me.  It's not nice.  Don't do it.  I'm not a wacko."

B. By the musician Prince: "Michael Jackson’s album was only called Bad because there wasn’t enough room on the sleeve for Pathetic."

11.

Winston Churchill

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of WC)
A. About Russia: "It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

B. "I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears."

12.

Niccolò Machiavelli

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the works of NM):
A. "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."

B. "The ends justify the means."

ROUND 5 - 'Run Ons'

In this round of double questions, the last word of the first answer is the same as the first word of the second answer, and the phrases should be run together

1.

In 1992, which band’s debut album Up, and single Deeply Dippy both reached No.1 in the charts?
This steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in steam rollers and steam engines, was born and died in Bolton. Who was he?

2.

In the 1998-99 FA Cup, this club drew 0-0 with Leeds United at home, but lost the replay 3–1.  In 1999-2000, they drew 1–1 with Sheffield United away, and the replay was 1–1 after extra-time.  Name this, at the time, non-league side, who lost 6-5 on penalties.
Three title songs to James Bond films have been sung by Shirley Bassey.  What was the second called?

3.

For which four-volume novel did Mikhail Sholokhov win the 1965 Nobel prize?
Who was the manager of Leeds United in their glory years of 1961 to 1974?

4.

What is the title of the 1979 Australian dystopian action film starring Mel Gibson?
Who was the first journalist to enter Port Stanley during the Falklands War, later editor and editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph (1986-1995), and then, editor of the Evening Standard (1996-2002)?

5.

Which American singer and actress had four UK No. 1 singles, firstly with Saving All My Love for You in 1985, and lastly with I Will Always Love You in 1992?
What is the popular misquotation of a phrase spoken by Jack Swigert at 21:08 on April 13th 1970?

6.

In the Goon Show, what are almost the only words Little Jim ever says?
The word ‘whisky’ is derived from a Gaelic phrase meaning what?

7.

What is next in this list of Simon & Garfunkel album titles: Wednesday Morning 3am, Sounds of Silence and what?

With what three-word phrase did Zebedee conclude most episodes of The Magic Roundabout?

8.

Released in 1986, which song from the Graceland album was Paul Simon's first big solo hit?
The Pub Landlord, who first appeared in 1994 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was created by which stand-up comedian?

Sp1

In the cartoon strip If…, published in The Guardian, who did Steve Bell caricature throughout the 1990’s and beyond, as wearing his Y-fronts on the outside of his clothes, in a parody of Superman?
His name and rank is a chapter title in the novel Catch-22.  Give the full name and rank of the character, which Colonel Cathcart promotes from Captain.
 

Sp2

Which establishment links the following: the author Thomas de Quincey, the pianist John Ogden, the former MP for Manchester Withington John Leech, and the actors Robert Powell and Sir Ben Kingsley?
Inspired by the Gamesmanship series of books by Stephen Potter, which 1960 comedy film starred Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas?  It was remade in Hollywood in 2006.

Sp3

Which American won a Best Actor Oscar in 1966 for his twin role as Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn?
Which character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, has a "brain the size of a planet"? (name and nickname required)

ROUND 6 - 'A Bit of a Din'

All the answers in this round contain the consecutive letters D-I-N somewhere within them

1.

Sometimes described as the most famous Kurd in history, he became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1174, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty.  In 1187, he defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin.  Who was he?

2.

What immortal phrase did Brian Johnston supposedly utter while England played the West Indies at the Oval Test in 1976?

3.

Set in a fictitious LA suburb, this soap opera centred on four married couples in a cul-de-sac called Seaview Circle.  Running from 1979 until 1993, what was this soap called?

4.

In this list of 8 authors, the earliest is Rudyard Kipling in 1907, and the most recent is Doris Lessing in 2007.  Who is 6th in this list in 1983?
 

5.

Which breed of dog is named after a character in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering, who had two of these dogs, called ‘Pepper’ and ‘Mustard’?

6.

Which song from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in April 2013?


 

7.

Devised by an Austrian physicist in 1935, this thought experiment illustrates the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics applied to everyday objects.  The scenario presents a state known as a quantum superposition, as a result of being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not occur.  What is the common name of this paradox?

8.

In 1980, 9-week old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared from an Australian campsite.  Her mother was tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison.  In 2012, at the fourth inquest, what did the coroner finally announce to be the baby’s cause of death?
 

Sp1

'The Mighty Handful', also known as 'The Five' or 'The New Russian School', comprised: Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and who else?
 

Sp2

The escapologist Erik Weisz was born in Budapest in 1874, and died of peritonitis in Detroit in 1926.  By what name is he better known?

Sp3

What song covered by Chuck Berry in 1972, gave him his only ever No. 1 hits in the US and UK singles charts?

1.

What has 5 verses in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6, but only 3 in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 11?

2.

What honorific is conferred by Israel on non-Jews, who gave significant assistance to Jews during the Holocaust?
 

3.

Practiced by nearly 80% of the population, and with 81,000 shrines and 85,000 priests, what is the largest religion in Japan?

4.

This Tibetan Buddhist mantra, translates roughly as "(Homage to) the jewel in the lotus".  Recite this six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra.

5.

The last prophet to contribute to the Book of Mormon appeared in angelic form to Joseph Smith, told him where the golden plates on which it was written in ‘reformed Egyptian’ were hidden, and instructed him to translate it to English.  What was the name of this prophet and angel?

6.

The Five Classics form part of the traditional Confucian canon.  They comprise the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and which other book?   The Chinese name is required for the top to tail.

7.

In Sikhism, the first of the ten ‘strong and powerful’, Nanak was born 1469.  The last to be born was Gobind Rai, in 1666.  What title is applied by modern Sikhs to each of these men?

8.

Often referred to as Vedānta, meaning either the ‘last chapters, parts of the Veda’ or ‘the object, the highest purpose of the Veda’, by what other name is this collection of Sanskrit texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism known?

Sp

This person has access to the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits.  He typically enters into a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.  What word, used to describe him, probably originates from the Tungusic Evenki language of North Asia, and was introduced to the west after the Russians conquered the Khanate of Kazan in 1552?

1.

AYM

What term, coined by the Royal Court Theatre's press officer in 1956, was applied to a 1950’s group of British playwrights and novelists, which included Arnold Wesker and Kingsley Amis?

2.

PD

The MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is one of the UK’s most sensitive and secretive government facilities for military research, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence.  Where in Wiltshire is it based?

3.

MDF

He is probably best known for his 1917 ballet The Three-Cornered Hat, which was produced by Serge Diaghilev, with set design and costumes by Pablo Picasso.  Born in Cádiz, who was this composer?

4.

IT

Introduced in 1799, abolished in 1802, reintroduced in 1803, abolished again in 1816, reintroduced again in 1842, and still with us.  What is it?

5.

JT

Who is famous for his short stories and his cartoons of depressed dogs?

6.

SBDM

What name is applied to the slaughter of French Huguenots, which began on the night of 23rd and 24th August 1572?

7.

BHT

8.

ROBS

On April 20th 1968, an MP addressed a Conservative Political Centre meeting in Birmingham.  The orator always referred to it as ‘The Birmingham Speech’.  By what name is it better known?

9.

PAT

In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, what is the play within a play called?

10.

GM

What is the only venomous lizard native to the United States?

11.

SAC

In Greek mythology, which two sea monsters were sited on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina?

12.

It was founded in 1985 and has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, and Glastonbury Festival.  A typical concert might include Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights as a swing jazz number, the film theme for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Anarchy in the UK in the style of Simon and Garfunkel.  Who are they?

ROUND 1 - The 'A' Round

All the answers in this round start with the letter ‘A’

1.

Kandahar is the second-largest city in Afghanistan.  It is suggested that its name evolved from ‘Iskandar’, the local dialect version of the name of its founder.  Who was that founder?

Alexander the Great

(founded in 330 BC and named Alexandria in Arachosia)

2.

The love letters of this 12th century philosopher and theologian and his student Heloise, so moved Josephine Bonaparte that she ordered that they be entombed together at Père Lachaise cemetery.  Who was this philosopher?

(Peter) Abelard

3.

From 2008 until his death in 2009, the comedy magician William Wallace was President of the Magic Circle.  He also acted as a magic consultant for David Nixon, Paul Daniels, and David Copperfield among others.  What was his stage name?

Ali Bongo

4.

This drink, famously painted by Degas, is said to have originated as an all-purpose patent remedy in Switzerland in about 1792.  Various countries banned it, including France in 1914.  Never formally banned in the UK, what is it called?

Absinthe

5.

This botanically infused mixture was first produced in 1824 in what is now Ciudad Bolívar, in Venezuela. In 1876, production was moved to Trinidad and Tobago.  What is it called?

Angostura bitters

(Ciudad Bolívar was formerly called Angostura - the mixture does not contain angostura bark)

6.

Shias believe that Muhammad named Ali as his successor.  Sunnis however don’t believe that Muhammad appointed any successor.  Instead, by consensus, who did they appointed as Caliph?

Abu Bakr

7.

‘The Round Table’ was a celebrated group of writers, actors, and wits, including Dorothy Parker, the humorist and actor Robert Benchley, and the editor of ‘The New Yorker’, Harold Ross.  From 1919 until about 1929, they met each day for lunch at a New York hotel.  What was the hotel called?

The Algonquin Hotel

(Initially the group called itself ‘The Board’.  After being assigned a waiter named Luigi, they became ‘The Luigi Board’ and finally they became ‘The Vicious Circle’.  ‘The Round Table’ gained currency after a caricature portrayed the group sitting at a round table and wearing armour.)

8.

Paul Allen and Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, in the most populous city in the state of New Mexico. What is the city called?

Albuquerque

Sp1

Who has released record albums called 19, 21, and 25?

Adele

Sp2

Owned by the Duchess of Westminster, this racehorse was named after a Scottish mountain, which bordered her Sutherland estate.  He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964, 1965, and 1966, the King George VI Chase in 1965 and the Irish Grand National in 1964.  What was his name?

Arkle
 

Sp3

Robert E Lee's first invasion of the North was checked at the Battle of Sharpsburg on September 17th 1862.  It is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.  By what other name is this battle known?

1.

Which 1960 film links a real-life event of May 1941, with a Withquiz participant?

Sink the Bismarck!

(Bards’ QM Eric’s digit provided some key morse code messages in the film)

2.

In the Beano, The Bash Street Kids centres around the 10 students of Class 2B.  Who is missing from this list: Danny, 'Erbert, Fatty, Sidney, Smiffy, Spotty, Toots, Wilfrid, and Cuthbert?

Plug
 

3.

The first recipient of this award was the actor Rupert Davies in 1964, and the last was Stephen Fry in 2003. Other recipients included Harold Wilson (the only person to win it twice), Eric Morecambe, Fred Truman, James Galway, and Malcolm Bradbury.  What was this award?

Pipe Smoker of the Year (accept any answer that mentions Pipe Smoking)

4.

The Quadrantids, Perseids, Leonids and Geminids are in January, August, November and December respectively. What are they?

Meteor showers
 

5.

The process of ‘Human capital flight’ began after WW2, and became a particular concern in the UK in the early 1960s.  By what term, coined in the Evening Standard in 1963, is ‘Human capital flight’ better known?

The Brain Drain

6.

What name links a city recognised as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the composer of Out of the Blue (the theme music of radio’s Sports Report since it started in 1948); and a local webmeister?

Bath

7.

What is the national airline of Portugal called?
 

TAP

Air Portugal (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses)

8.

Beyoncé released an album on 4th September 2006.  What was it called?

B’Day

(it coincided with her 25th birthday)

Sp1

Which New Orleans thoroughfare runs from Canal Street to Orleans Avenue, and is commemorated by a jazz standard, written in 1926 and famously recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1928?

Basin Street

(as in Basin Street Blues)

Sp2

This phrase was first recorded in the early 1960s, but with reports of its colloquial use before then.  Tony Blair's spin doctor, Alistair Campbell notably used it in February 2001 to describe comprehensive schools.  What is this phrase?

Bog-standard

(as in "The day of the bog-standard comprehensive school is over")

Theme: Bathroom plumbing

1.

Opened on 10th January 1863, with gas-lit wooden carriages and steam locomotives, the Metropolitan Railway in London was the world's first underground railway.  Name any of the seven original stations.

(one from) Paddington (called Bishop’s Road at the time), Edgware Road, Baker Street, Portland Road, Gower Street, King’s Cross, Farringdon Street

2.

Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro.  In which UK city is it?

Glasgow
 

3.

The RAF's worst peacetime disaster was on the Mull of Kintyre on 2nd June 1994.  The crash killed 25 passengers and four crew, including almost all the UK's senior Northern Ireland intelligence experts.  Taken from a Native American nation, what is the name of the US twin-engine, heavy-lift helicopter?

(Boeing CH-47) Chinook (introduced in 1962)

4.

The prototype of the world's first commercial supersonic transport aircraft first flew on 31 December 1968, first went supersonic on 5 June 1969, and on 26 May 1970 became the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2.  Name the designer.
 

Tupolev

(the Tupolev Tu-144, aka ‘Concordski’, was built in the Soviet Union under the direction of the Tupolev design bureau, headed by Alexei Tupolev)

5.

The Black Pig

(Captain Pugwash)

6.

Which classic Russian film, about a 1905 mutiny, did Sergei Eisenstein direct in 1925?

7.

Mary Ward was the first person in the world to achieve this traffic-related feat on 31st August 1869 in Ireland.  On 17th August 1896, Bridget Driscoll was the first in England to achieve the same feat.  What were they the first to achieve?

Getting killed by a car

(MW was thrown from a car at Birr in County Offaly, fell under its wheels and died almost instantly.  BD received fatal injuries when she walked into the path of a car moving at 4mph, as it was giving demonstration rides in the grounds of Crystal Palace)

8.

Where was the astronomically high speed record of 11.2 mph set in 1972?

The Moon

(John Young of Apollo 16 driving the Lunar Rover in the Descartes Highlands)

Sp

And now the last traffic related question....On September 19th 1960, 40 of these appeared in London.  In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, there were thousands, all over Britain.  Now there are only about 18 left, including five in Greater Manchester.  What are they?
 

Traffic Wardens

(Numbers have declined since parking enforcement was decriminalised, and local authorities took over the role replacing them with civilian Parking Enforcement Officers)

1.

Shakespeare

A. From Hamlet: "Methinks the lady doth protest too much"

B. From Henry IV, Part I: "Discretion is the better part of valour"

A. Incorrect

("The lady doth protest too much, methinks")
B. Incorrect

("The better part of valour is discretion")

2.

OT Bible (King James version)

A. Genesis 4:16: "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."

B. Isaiah 11:6: "The lion shall lay down with the lamb."

A. Correct
B. Incorrect

("The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together.")

3.

Films

A. From The Graduate: "Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?"

B. From Forrest Gump: "My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

A. Incorrect

("Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?")
B. Correct

4.

Moshe Dayan

A. By Moshe Dayan, Defence Minister during the Six-Day War in 1967: "If we lose this war, I'll just start another in my wife's name."

B. By Yigael Yadin, archaeologist and Deputy Prime Minister 1977-1981, about prominent figures who stole    important artefacts: "I know who did it, and I am not going to say who it is, but if I catch him, I'll poke out his other eye, too."

A. Correct
B. Correct

5.

English Food

A. By W. Somerset Maugham: "To eat well in England you should have lunch three times a day."

B. By John Kenneth Galbraith: "It takes some skill to spoil a breakfast - even the English can't do it."

A. Incorrect

("To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.")
B. Correct

6.

Classic Children’s Books

A. From Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton: "Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, radishes, mustard and cress, carrot grated up,… and lashings of hard-boiled eggs."

B. From Charlotte’s Web by E B White: ‘‘Where's Papa going with that axe?’ said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."

A. Correct

("Lashings of ginger beer" originated in the 1982 TV programme Five Go Mad in Dorset, which was part of The Comic Strip Presents... series. It never appeared in the Famous Five series of books)
B. Correct

7.

Star Trek

(these Quotes/Misquotes relate to the original TV series)
A. By Mr Spock: "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it."

B. By Dr. McCoy: "Damn it, Jim! I'm a doctor not a..."

A. Incorrect

(The nearest equivalent in the series is "(There is) No life as we know it (here)")
B. Incorrect

(The only swear word used in the original Star Trek TV series was "hell")

8.

Donald Trump’s Beauty

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of DT)
A. "Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich."

B. "My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body."

A. Correct
B. Correct

9.

Gary Lineker

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of GL)
A. "I’ve only got a Saturday job so my weekdays are generally pretty free."

B. "If somebody in the crowd spits at you, you’ve got to put up with it

A. Correct
B. Incorrect

("If somebody in the crowd spits at you, you’ve got to swallow it.")

10.

Michael Jackson

A. By Michael Jackson: "Yeah, ‘Wacko Jacko’.  Where'd that come from?  Some Canadian shock jock.  I have a heart and I have feelings, I feel that, when you do that to me.  It's not nice.  Don't do it.  I'm not a wacko."

B. By the musician Prince: "Michael Jackson’s album was only called Bad because there wasn’t enough room on the sleeve for Pathetic."

A. Incorrect

(It was "Some English tabloid" not "some Canadian shock jock" - i.e. he meant The Sun in 1985)
B. Correct

11.

Winston Churchill

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the lips of WC)
A. About Russia: "It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

B. "I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears."

A. Correct

(BBC Broadcast, 1st October 1939)
B. Incorrect

("I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." - in the House of Commons on 13th May 1940)

12.

Niccolò Machiavelli

(both Quotes/Misquotes are from the works of NM):
A. "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."

B. "The ends justify the means."

A. Correct
B. Incorrect

(He actually wrote "One must consider the final result.")

1.

In 1992, which band’s debut album Up, and single Deeply Dippy both reached No.1 in the charts?
This steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in steam rollers and steam engines, was born and died in Bolton. Who was he?

Right Said Fred Dibnah
 

2.

In the 1998-99 FA Cup, this club drew 0-0 with Leeds United at home, but lost the replay 3–1.  In 1999-2000, they drew 1–1 with Sheffield United away, and the replay was 1–1 after extra-time.  Name this, at the time, non-league side, who lost 6-5 on penalties.
Three title songs to James Bond films have been sung by Shirley Bassey.  What was the second called?

Rushden & Diamonds Are Forever
 

3.

For which four-volume novel did Mikhail Sholokhov win the 1965 Nobel prize?
Who was the manager of Leeds United in their glory years of 1961 to 1974?

And Quiet Flows the Don Revie

(accept any reasonable approximation of the book title e.g. Quietly Flows the Don)

4.

What is the title of the 1979 Australian dystopian action film starring Mel Gibson?
Who was the first journalist to enter Port Stanley during the Falklands War, later editor and editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph (1986-1995), and then, editor of the Evening Standard (1996-2002)?

Mad Max Hastings
 

5.

Which American singer and actress had four UK No. 1 singles, firstly with Saving All My Love for You in 1985, and lastly with I Will Always Love You in 1992?
What is the popular misquotation of a phrase spoken by Jack Swigert at 21:08 on April 13th 1970?

Whitney "Houston, we have a problem"

(the actual quotation was "OK Houston, we've had a problem here")

6.

In the Goon Show, what are almost the only words Little Jim ever says?
The word ‘whisky’ is derived from a Gaelic phrase meaning what?

"He's Fallen in the Water" of Life

7.

What is next in this list of Simon & Garfunkel album titles: Wednesday Morning 3am, Sounds of Silence and what?

With what three-word phrase did Zebedee conclude most episodes of The Magic Roundabout?

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme/"Time for Bed"

8.

Released in 1986, which song from the Graceland album was Paul Simon's first big solo hit?
The Pub Landlord, who first appeared in 1994 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was created by which stand-up comedian?

You Can Call Me Al Murray
 

Sp1

In the cartoon strip If…, published in The Guardian, who did Steve Bell caricature throughout the 1990’s and beyond, as wearing his Y-fronts on the outside of his clothes, in a parody of Superman?
His name and rank is a chapter title in the novel Catch-22.  Give the full name and rank of the character, which Colonel Cathcart promotes from Captain.
 

John Major Major Major Major

(The Catch-22 character is named Major Major, has the middle name Major, and is promoted to Major.  Most people probably don’t know that his middle name is Major, so we’d advise the QM not to be too picky if the answer is a Major short.)

Sp2

Which establishment links the following: the author Thomas de Quincey, the pianist John Ogden, the former MP for Manchester Withington John Leech, and the actors Robert Powell and Sir Ben Kingsley?
Inspired by the Gamesmanship series of books by Stephen Potter, which 1960 comedy film starred Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas?  It was remade in Hollywood in 2006.

Manchester Grammar School for Scoundrels

(apologies to Michael Atherton, Dave Rainford, et al.)

Sp3

Which American won a Best Actor Oscar in 1966 for his twin role as Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn?
Which character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, has a "brain the size of a planet"? (name and nickname required)

1.

Sometimes described as the most famous Kurd in history, he became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1174, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty.  In 1187, he defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin.  Who was he?

Saladin

(accept An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)

2.

What immortal phrase did Brian Johnston supposedly utter while England played the West Indies at the Oval Test in 1976?

"The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey"

(accept also "The batman’s Holding, the bowler’s Willey" - there is no firm evidence Brian Johnston ever said either of these things)

3.

Set in a fictitious LA suburb, this soap opera centred on four married couples in a cul-de-sac called Seaview Circle.  Running from 1979 until 1993, what was this soap called?

Knots Landing
 

4.

In this list of 8 authors, the earliest is Rudyard Kipling in 1907, and the most recent is Doris Lessing in 2007.  Who is 6th in this list in 1983?
 

William Golding

(UK winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature)

5.

Which breed of dog is named after a character in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering, who had two of these dogs, called ‘Pepper’ and ‘Mustard’?

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

6.

Which song from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in April 2013?


 

Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead

(Margaret Thatcher died of a stroke in London on 8 April 2013 aged 87)

7.

Devised by an Austrian physicist in 1935, this thought experiment illustrates the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics applied to everyday objects.  The scenario presents a state known as a quantum superposition, as a result of being linked to a random subatomic event that may or may not occur.  What is the common name of this paradox?

Schrödinger's cat
 

8.

In 1980, 9-week old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared from an Australian campsite.  Her mother was tried for murder and spent more than three years in prison.  In 2012, at the fourth inquest, what did the coroner finally announce to be the baby’s cause of death?
 

Being attacked and taken by a dingo

(accept any reasonable answer that mentions Dingo)

Sp1

'The Mighty Handful', also known as 'The Five' or 'The New Russian School', comprised: Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and who else?
 

Alexander Borodin

(all lived in Saint Petersburg, and collaborated from 1856 to 1870)

Sp2

The escapologist Erik Weisz was born in Budapest in 1874, and died of peritonitis in Detroit in 1926.  By what name is he better known?

Harry Houdini
 

Sp3

What song covered by Chuck Berry in 1972, gave him his only ever No. 1 hits in the US and UK singles charts?

My Ding-a-Ling

1.

What has 5 verses in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6, but only 3 in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 11?

The Lord's Prayer

(Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)

2.

What honorific is conferred by Israel on non-Jews, who gave significant assistance to Jews during the Holocaust?
 

'Righteous Among The Nations'

(e.g. Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler)

3.

Practiced by nearly 80% of the population, and with 81,000 shrines and 85,000 priests, what is the largest religion in Japan?

Shinto

4.

This Tibetan Buddhist mantra, translates roughly as "(Homage to) the jewel in the lotus".  Recite this six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra.

"Om mani padme hum" (pronounced "OHM MAH-nee PAHD-may HUMM" - accept any reasonable approximation)

5.

The last prophet to contribute to the Book of Mormon appeared in angelic form to Joseph Smith, told him where the golden plates on which it was written in ‘reformed Egyptian’ were hidden, and instructed him to translate it to English.  What was the name of this prophet and angel?

Moroni
 

6.

The Five Classics form part of the traditional Confucian canon.  They comprise the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and which other book?   The Chinese name is required for the top to tail.

I Ching

(also known as the Book of Changes)

7.

In Sikhism, the first of the ten ‘strong and powerful’, Nanak was born 1469.  The last to be born was Gobind Rai, in 1666.  What title is applied by modern Sikhs to each of these men?

Guru

8.

Often referred to as Vedānta, meaning either the ‘last chapters, parts of the Veda’ or ‘the object, the highest purpose of the Veda’, by what other name is this collection of Sanskrit texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism known?

The Upanishads

Sp

This person has access to the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits.  He typically enters into a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.  What word, used to describe him, probably originates from the Tungusic Evenki language of North Asia, and was introduced to the west after the Russians conquered the Khanate of Kazan in 1552?

1.

AYM

What term, coined by the Royal Court Theatre's press officer in 1956, was applied to a 1950’s group of British playwrights and novelists, which included Arnold Wesker and Kingsley Amis?

Angry Young Men

2.

PD

The MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is one of the UK’s most sensitive and secretive government facilities for military research, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence.  Where in Wiltshire is it based?

Porton Down

3.

MDF

He is probably best known for his 1917 ballet The Three-Cornered Hat, which was produced by Serge Diaghilev, with set design and costumes by Pablo Picasso.  Born in Cádiz, who was this composer?

Manuel de Falla

4.

IT

Introduced in 1799, abolished in 1802, reintroduced in 1803, abolished again in 1816, reintroduced again in 1842, and still with us.  What is it?

Income Tax

5.

JT

Who is famous for his short stories and his cartoons of depressed dogs?

James Thurber

6.

SBDM

What name is applied to the slaughter of French Huguenots, which began on the night of 23rd and 24th August 1572?

St Bartholomew's Day Massacre

7.

BHT

Badminton Horse Trials

8.

ROBS

On April 20th 1968, an MP addressed a Conservative Political Centre meeting in Birmingham.  The orator always referred to it as ‘The Birmingham Speech’.  By what name is it better known?

9.

PAT

In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, what is the play within a play called?

Pyramus and Thisbe

10.

GM

What is the only venomous lizard native to the United States?

Gila Monster

11.

SAC

In Greek mythology, which two sea monsters were sited on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina?

Scylla and Charybdis

12.

It was founded in 1985 and has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, and Glastonbury Festival.  A typical concert might include Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights as a swing jazz number, the film theme for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Anarchy in the UK in the style of Simon and Garfunkel.  Who are they?

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain