ROUND 1 - 'A Look Back at 2017'

1.

Sales of George Orwell’s 1984 rocketed after which Donald Trump advisor used the phrase “alternative facts”?

2.

Who said that he wanted Theresa May “chopped up in bags in my freezer”?

3.

Cycling UK encouraged car drivers and passengers to use the 'Dutch Method'.  What is this?

4.

Which Commonwealth country faced a 'chipocalypse' due to a potato shortage?

5.

Which American city of about two million people was flooded during Hurricane Harvey?

6.

What did Michael Bloomberg say was the “stupidest thing any country had done” apart from electing President Trump?

7.

Pope Francis was given an all-white sports car by which company?

8.

What did Today presenter John Humphreys describe as “deeply, deeply boring”?

Sp1

The Bank of England recently raised its interest rates from what to what?

Sp2

The rarity of AK47 and AA01 hit the headlines.  What are they?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

'Ten Forward' was the name of a bar which featured in which science fiction TV series?

2.

Andrew Lloyd Webber made his 'acting' debut playing himself in which long-running TV soap?

3.

The Mason-Dixon Line, previously considered the unofficial boundary between the North and the South in USA, marked the boundary between which two states?

4.

The Canadian province of Manitoba has borders with which two US states?

5.

Which Turner Prize winning artist created the Arcelormittal Orbit sculpture at the London Olympic Park?

6.

Which American contemporary artist’s balloon sculpture Tulips was sold at auction for 33 million dollars in 2013?

7.

Which three football clubs were founder members of both the Football League and the Premier League?

8.

Who, in 2013, became the first player from outside Britain and Ireland to make 500 Premier League appearances?

Sp

Which English writer (1672 to 1769) published the rules for many card games, most notably whist?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

Which Mexican film director made the film The Shape Of Water which has the greatest number of nominations for this year’s Oscars?

2.

Mexican film director Alejandro Inarritu won consecutive Best Director Oscars in 2014 and 2015 for Birdman and which other film?

3.

Which London Underground line has the most stations (with 60)?

4.

With over 80 million passengers per year, which is the busiest London Underground station?

5.

In September 2017 which American group became the first in UK chart history to reach Number One with their first five ‘regular’ album releases?

6.

Whose number one album from October 2017 became the fastest-selling vinyl release for 25 years in the UK, with 18,000 copies sold in its first week?

7.

An Act of Treachery, The Clematis Tree and Father Figure are novels by which former MP who retired from politics in 2010?

8.

What is the title of Edwina Currie’s 1994 debut novel which allegedly includes ill-disguised references to her relationship with John Major?

Sp

Which scientific theory postulates that subatomic particles are tiny one-dimensional loops?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - 'Top to Tail'

The first letter of each answer is the same as the last letter of the previous answer - ignore definite articles if they might appear - to be fair to whoever bats first, Q8 ends with the letter 'M'

1.

Which Shakespeare play, set in Vienna, deals with a moral dilemma for the novice nun Isabella?

2.

Who is missing from the list of Foreign Secretaries: Halifax, Eden, --------, Morrison, Eden?

3.

Which city boasts the second highest hotel capacity in France as well as the third busiest airport?

4.

What cause célèbre has excited the attention of such diverse figures as William G Stewart and Melina Mercouri?

5.

Which herb, rumex acetosa, is used in soups, stews and salads where oxalic acid is responsible for the sour flavour it imparts?

6.

This city, known as Lemberg in the Habsburg days, has had a few names since.  How is it now known? (either the Ukrainian or Russian version is acceptable)

7.

Give the name of element number 23, discovered in 1830 and named after a Scandinavian goddess.

8.

Under what name did Kingsley Amis write the James Bond novel, Colonel Sun, in 1968? (surname only needed)

Sp

How was Prince Adam better known in a 1980s cartoon series, currently having an ironic rediscovery in some (bloody awful) TV adverts?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

What is the numerical range, in base ten, that can be represented by one byte?

2.

Subtract the number of bytes in an SI defined kilobyte from the number of bytes in a kibibyte, and how many bytes remain?

3.

Two people have won both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar.  Bob Dylan is one, who is the other?

4.

Among Oscar winners for best leading performance, which performer had the longest role as measured by on-screen time?

5.

If you are suffering from the neurodegenerative disorder Wilson's disease, of what metal is your body storing too much?

6.

If you are suffering from haemochromatosis, of what is your body storing too much?

7.

The value of the mathematical constant 'pi' (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) to one decimal place, is 3.1.  What is the value of the mathematical constant 'e' (the base of natural logarithms) to one decimal place?

8.

What is the unit of energy which is approximately equivalent to 1.6 x 10(-19) joules?  (Note to QMs: that is said as "One point six times ten to the minus nineteen joules")

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Invented by the then Hydrographer to the Navy, it was officially approved and first used during the voyage of the Beagle by Captain Robert Fitzroy.  What was it?

2.

This question setter once shared a compartment on a train journey from London with one of this trio.  They entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving vocal group with an unchanged line up.  They had hits with Greensleeves, Little Drummer Boy and I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus.  Who are they?

3.

In 1917 the SS Mont Blanc, loaded with munitions, blew up in this port producing the largest non-natural explosion prior to the invention of nuclear weapons.  Whole distracts were flattened and thousands of lives were lost.  Where did this happen?

4.

One of the 5 members Charles I tried to arrest, he was later Commander of the Eastern Association Army and in overall command at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, only to be forced to resign his command under the Self-Denying Ordinance.  Who was he?

5.

William Suchard (aka Windy Bill) a theatre manager, who was very fond of tall tales and hamburgers, discovered that a character clearly based on him was appearing in a cartoon series, originally called Thimble Theatre, and also featuring a nautical character who required copious quantities of spinaca oleracea to keep up his strength.  Who was this cartoon character?

6.

Another of the 5 members, who was famously opposed to extra Parliamentary taxation and as such was referred to in Gray’s Elegy, was fatally wounded at an encounter at Chalgrove Field.  Who was he?

7.

Where would you find the greatest concentration of Amish people?

8.

Who in 1941 founded the Long-Range Desert Group which later evolved into the SAS?

Sp

Who disavowed his Irish birth, saying: “Just because one is born in a stable it does not make one a horse”?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

1.

Following Colonel Stirling’s capture who succeeded him as Commanding Officer of the Long-Range Desert Group?

2.

In the 18th Century the Bow Street Horse Patrol had what nickname?

3.

Ben Baun at 2392 feet is the highest point in what area of Ireland?

4.

Which philosopher and physician is known as the 'Father of Liberalism'?  He also propounded the theory of social contract.

5.

In musicians it is called Musicians’ Dystonia; in sport it is referred to as The Yips; this disorder is properly known as magigraphia.  What is the common term for it?

6.

Running for one mile between Hunslet Road, Leeds and Park Halt on the edge of an eponymous area of parkland is, what is claimed to be, the first commercial railway to use steam locomotives successfully.  What is it called?

7.

The Glienicke Bridge on the River Havel became known as the Bridge of Spies following several Cold War prisoner exchanges.  The first of these on 10th February 1962 involved the swopping of KGB Colonel Rudolf Abel for whom?

8.

In December 1895 Cecil Rhodes ordered an incursion from Cape Colony into the Transvaal.  By what name is this incursion now known?

Sp

His family home is now owned by Michael Flatley.  On 26 June 1938 this linguist, historian and scholar became the first President of his country.  What is his name?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Travel pairs

1.

According to the Sunday Times, what proportion of British babies are conceived on holiday?

2.

Likewise, what proportion of British babies are taken to a foreign beach before they see the British seaside?

3.

4.

Which former editor of the Times and son of a United Reform Church minister, once crossed the Atlantic on a Cunard liner, which he described as a “four-day orgy of booze and sex, though I was much too innocent to indulge in the latter”?

5.

Travelling on the Manchester tram system from Eccles to Bury via Market Street and not going via Media City, how far in kilometres would you go?

6.

On the same journey, how many tram stops would you visit including the first and last?

7.

County enclaves (that is to say an area of one county completely surrounded by another county) no longer exist.  In recent times there were two.  Name either of them identifying to which County the enclave belonged?

8.

Which enclave is enclosed within France?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - 'A Look Back at 2017'

1.

Sales of George Orwell’s 1984 rocketed after which Donald Trump advisor used the phrase “alternative facts”?

2.

Who said that he wanted Theresa May “chopped up in bags in my freezer”?

George Osbourne

3.

Cycling UK encouraged car drivers and passengers to use the 'Dutch Method'.  What is this?

Opening car doors with the hand furthest from the door

(this forces a driver to look backwards making it more likely they will see cyclists approaching the car)

4.

Which Commonwealth country faced a 'chipocalypse' due to a potato shortage?

New Zealand

5.

Which American city of about two million people was flooded during Hurricane Harvey?

Houston

6.

What did Michael Bloomberg say was the “stupidest thing any country had done” apart from electing President Trump?

Brexit

7.

Pope Francis was given an all-white sports car by which company?

Lamborghini

8.

What did Today presenter John Humphreys describe as “deeply, deeply boring”?

Thought for the day

Sp1

The Bank of England recently raised its interest rates from what to what?

0.25% to 0.5%

Sp2

The rarity of AK47 and AA01 hit the headlines.  What are they?

New £5 note serial numbers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

'Ten Forward' was the name of a bar which featured in which science fiction TV series?

Star Trek: The Next Generation

2.

Andrew Lloyd Webber made his 'acting' debut playing himself in which long-running TV soap?

Hollyoaks

3.

The Mason-Dixon Line, previously considered the unofficial boundary between the North and the South in USA, marked the boundary between which two states?

Maryland and Pennsylvania

4.

The Canadian province of Manitoba has borders with which two US states?

Minnesota and North Dakota

5.

Which Turner Prize winning artist created the Arcelormittal Orbit sculpture at the London Olympic Park?

Anish Kapoor

6.

Which American contemporary artist’s balloon sculpture Tulips was sold at auction for 33 million dollars in 2013?

Jeff Koons

7.

Which three football clubs were founder members of both the Football League and the Premier League?

Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Everton

8.

Who, in 2013, became the first player from outside Britain and Ireland to make 500 Premier League appearances?

Mark Schwarzer

Sp

Which English writer (1672 to 1769) published the rules for many card games, most notably whist?

Edmond Hoyle

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

Which Mexican film director made the film The Shape Of Water which has the greatest number of nominations for this year’s Oscars?

Guillermo Del Toro

2.

Mexican film director Alejandro Inarritu won consecutive Best Director Oscars in 2014 and 2015 for Birdman and which other film?

The Revenant

3.

Which London Underground line has the most stations (with 60)?

District Line

4.

With over 80 million passengers per year, which is the busiest London Underground station?

Waterloo

5.

In September 2017 which American group became the first in UK chart history to reach Number One with their first five ‘regular’ album releases?

The Killers

6.

Whose number one album from October 2017 became the fastest-selling vinyl release for 25 years in the UK, with 18,000 copies sold in its first week?

Liam Gallagher

7.

An Act of Treachery, The Clematis Tree and Father Figure are novels by which former MP who retired from politics in 2010?

Ann Widdecombe

8.

What is the title of Edwina Currie’s 1994 debut novel which allegedly includes ill-disguised references to her relationship with John Major?

A Parliamentary Affair

Sp

Which scientific theory postulates that subatomic particles are tiny one-dimensional loops?

String Theory

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - 'Top to Tail'

The first letter of each answer is the same as the last letter of the previous answer - ignore definite articles if they might appear - to be fair to whoever bats first, Q8 ends with the letter 'M'

1.

Which Shakespeare play, set in Vienna, deals with a moral dilemma for the novice nun Isabella?

Measure for Measure

2.

Who is missing from the list of Foreign Secretaries: Halifax, Eden, --------, Morrison, Eden?

Ernest Bevin

3.

Which city boasts the second highest hotel capacity in France as well as the third busiest airport?

Nice

4.

What cause célèbre has excited the attention of such diverse figures as William G Stewart and Melina Mercouri?

Elgin Marbles

5.

Which herb, rumex acetosa, is used in soups, stews and salads where oxalic acid is responsible for the sour flavour it imparts?

Sorrel

6.

This city, known as Lemberg in the Habsburg days, has had a few names since.  How is it now known? (either the Ukrainian or Russian version is acceptable)

Lviv (or Lvov)

7.

Give the name of element number 23, discovered in 1830 and named after a Scandinavian goddess.

Vanadium

8.

Under what name did Kingsley Amis write the James Bond novel, Colonel Sun, in 1968? (surname only needed)

(Robert) Markham

Sp

How was Prince Adam better known in a 1980s cartoon series, currently having an ironic rediscovery in some (bloody awful) TV adverts?

He-man

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

What is the numerical range, in base ten, that can be represented by one byte?

0 to 255

(a byte is eight binary digits long)

2.

Subtract the number of bytes in an SI defined kilobyte from the number of bytes in a kibibyte, and how many bytes remain?

24

(a kibibyte is 2 to the base 10 bytes, i.e. 1024, and an SI kilobyte is 1000)

3.

Two people have won both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar.  Bob Dylan is one, who is the other?

George Bernard Shaw

(Dylan won an Oscar for the song Things Have Changed, from the film Wonder Boys in 2000; Shaw won Best Adapted Screenplay for Pygmalion 1938; both won the Nobel prize for Literature)

4.

Among Oscar winners for best leading performance, which performer had the longest role as measured by on-screen time?

Vivien Leigh

(for Gone with the Wind)

5.

If you are suffering from the neurodegenerative disorder Wilson's disease, of what metal is your body storing too much?

Copper

6.

If you are suffering from haemochromatosis, of what is your body storing too much?

Iron

7.

The value of the mathematical constant 'pi' (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) to one decimal place, is 3.1.  What is the value of the mathematical constant 'e' (the base of natural logarithms) to one decimal place?

2.7

8.

What is the unit of energy which is approximately equivalent to 1.6 x 10(-19) joules?  (Note to QMs: that is said as "One point six times ten to the minus nineteen joules")

The electron volt

(allow eV)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Invented by the then Hydrographer to the Navy, it was officially approved and first used during the voyage of the Beagle by Captain Robert Fitzroy.  What was it?

The Beaufort Scale

2.

This question setter once shared a compartment on a train journey from London with one of this trio.  They entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving vocal group with an unchanged line up.  They had hits with Greensleeves, Little Drummer Boy and I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus.  Who are they?

The Beverley Sisters

(for the mildly curious it was Babs in the compartment and she was going to Blackpool)

3.

In 1917 the SS Mont Blanc, loaded with munitions, blew up in this port producing the largest non-natural explosion prior to the invention of nuclear weapons.  Whole distracts were flattened and thousands of lives were lost.  Where did this happen?

Halifax, Nova Scotia

4.

One of the 5 members Charles I tried to arrest, he was later Commander of the Eastern Association Army and in overall command at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, only to be forced to resign his command under the Self-Denying Ordinance.  Who was he?

Lord Montagu 2nd Earl of Manchester

5.

William Suchard (aka Windy Bill) a theatre manager, who was very fond of tall tales and hamburgers, discovered that a character clearly based on him was appearing in a cartoon series, originally called Thimble Theatre, and also featuring a nautical character who required copious quantities of spinaca oleracea to keep up his strength.  Who was this cartoon character?

J Wellington Wimpey

6.

Another of the 5 members, who was famously opposed to extra Parliamentary taxation and as such was referred to in Gray’s Elegy, was fatally wounded at an encounter at Chalgrove Field.  Who was he?

John Hampden

7.

Where would you find the greatest concentration of Amish people?

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

8.

Who in 1941 founded the Long-Range Desert Group which later evolved into the SAS?

Colonel David Stirling

Sp

Who disavowed his Irish birth, saying: “Just because one is born in a stable it does not make one a horse”?

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme

1.

Following Colonel Stirling’s capture who succeeded him as Commanding Officer of the Long-Range Desert Group?

Paddy Mayne

2.

In the 18th Century the Bow Street Horse Patrol had what nickname?

Robin Redbreasts

(because of their scarlet waistcoats - the Bow Street Runners did not wear such waistcoats and the Horse Patrol were instituted to counter highwaymen)

3.

Ben Baun at 2392 feet is the highest point in what area of Ireland?

Connemara

4.

Which philosopher and physician is known as the 'Father of Liberalism'?  He also propounded the theory of social contract.

John Locke

(1632 to 1704)

5.

In musicians it is called Musicians’ Dystonia; in sport it is referred to as The Yips; this disorder is properly known as magigraphia.  What is the common term for it?

Writers’ Cramp

6.

Running for one mile between Hunslet Road, Leeds and Park Halt on the edge of an eponymous area of parkland is, what is claimed to be, the first commercial railway to use steam locomotives successfully.  What is it called?

Middleton Railway

7.

The Glienicke Bridge on the River Havel became known as the Bridge of Spies following several Cold War prisoner exchanges.  The first of these on 10th February 1962 involved the swopping of KGB Colonel Rudolf Abel for whom?

(CIA U2 pilot) Gary Powers

8.

In December 1895 Cecil Rhodes ordered an incursion from Cape Colony into the Transvaal.  By what name is this incursion now known?

The Jameson Raid

Sp

His family home is now owned by Michael Flatley.  On 26 June 1938 this linguist, historian and scholar became the first President of his country.  What is his name?

Douglas Hyde

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Travel pairs

1.

According to the Sunday Times, what proportion of British babies are conceived on holiday?

1 in 18

(accept +/- 2 either way)

2.

Likewise, what proportion of British babies are taken to a foreign beach before they see the British seaside?

55%

(accept +/- 4 either way)

3.

John Simpson

(Simpson junior had to travel back alone - his real name is Fidler-Simpson)

4.

Which former editor of the Times and son of a United Reform Church minister, once crossed the Atlantic on a Cunard liner, which he described as a “four-day orgy of booze and sex, though I was much too innocent to indulge in the latter”?

Simon Jenkins

5.

Travelling on the Manchester tram system from Eccles to Bury via Market Street and not going via Media City, how far in kilometres would you go?

25.522 km

(allow +/-2 km)

6.

On the same journey, how many tram stops would you visit including the first and last?

26

(allow +/-1)

7.

County enclaves (that is to say an area of one county completely surrounded by another county) no longer exist.  In recent times there were two.  Name either of them identifying to which County the enclave belonged?

Dudley; part of Worcestershire

8.

Which enclave is enclosed within France?

(part of Spain)

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers