ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

“We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world” is the opening line of which 1988 best-selling non-fiction book.

2.

3.

Francis Aungier Packenham, a member of an old, landed Anglo-Irish family and one of the few aristocratic hereditary peers to have ever served in a senior capacity within a Labour government was the 7th Earl of where?

4.

The 1690 kerfuffle, now fondly remembered as the Battle of the Boyne, took place in the townland of Oldbridge in which Irish county?

5.

In 2007 who became the first Spaniard to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in No Country for Old Men?

6.

One year after Bardem's Oscar success his future wife became the first Spaniard to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  Who is she?

7.

Perhaps fittingly in a traditionally commercial context, which famous opera is subtitled The Useless Precaution?

8.

You will all be aware that Figaro got married. But who did he marry?  She shares her name with a later eponymous operatic heroine who smoked in secret.

Sp1

If it was decided with immediate effect to shake up English football's Premier League by determining the final league positions by using alphabetical order rather than the number of spondulicks in the team's bank account or the number of teeth in the manager's mouth which team would finish this season in 5th position.

Sp2

And if the same immediate change was applied to this season's race for the Championship which two teams would come first and second to win automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - 'Girl Power'

Each question or answer refers to or includes the name of a female monarch

1.

Which 1712 poem by Alexander Pope includes these lines:

“Here thou, great Anna!  Whom three realms obey, /

Dost sometimes counsel take - and sometimes tea” (pronounced back then as 'tay')?

2.

Founded in 1820 by British settlers, this large coastal city is situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa some 478 miles east of Cape Town.  Often simply known as 'The Bay' and nicknamed, like Chicago, 'The Windy City' what is its official name?

3.

This 1973 American action-comedy film involves a black female Bond-like heroine who is an undercover agent for the US government while posing as a model to track down international drug traffickers.  Directed by Jack Starrett and played by Tamara Dobson in the title role with Shelley Winters as her chief enemy and Antonio Fargas as the male lead, what is the name of this film?

4.

In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights which female character elopes with and marries the chief male character, Heathcliff?  (full name required)

5.

Who was described by this, perhaps unfair, contemporary lampoon: "She was a queen without a realm, a Christian without a faith, and a woman without shame"?

6.

Catherine Bernadette Costello was the first wife and probable second known victim of which notorious serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 12 other known female victims (and probably many more) between 1967 and 1987?

7.

Margaret Bondfield, Britain's first female cabinet minister, was appointed Minister of Labour by the Labour government of 1929-31.  Earlier she had become the first woman to chair the General Council of which organisation?

8.

Which former French female tennis player, a winner of 2 Grand Slams including the French Open, is one of three former players scheduled to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the institution's site in Newport, Rhode Island this July?

Sp1

Combine a generic term for a head covering, with the name of a dog in a song composed by Red Foley and Arthur Williams in 1933, with a substance formed by combustion or separated from fuel during combustion, to give the name of this ancient female ruler.

Sp2

Combine this term meaning 'half of', with a word meaning to strike with violence, with the third person singular present indicative of the verb 'to be', to give the name of a legendary Middle Eastern queen?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

Born on this day in 1929, this Swedish-born actor has appeared in many European and American films.  One of his most recognized roles was his portrayal of Lassefar Karlsson in Pelle the Conqueror, which earned him several awards and accolades, including his first Academy Award nomination.  Who is he?

2.

Deceased on this day in 1585 at the age of 83, this person was responsible for the introduction of perhaps the greatest change to the way most of the world now views time.  How is he best known to history?

3.

In the 1933 Marx Brothers' Film Duck Soup, Groucho, playing Rufus T Firefly, comments to the other two Marx Brothers on the lead female character played by Margaret Dumont: ”Remember, you're fighting for this woman's honor which is probably----------------”.  Complete the final 5 words.

4.

In the 1933 Marx Brothers' Film, Duck Soup, Rufus T Firefly, in his capacity as President of Freedonia, comments to his ministers about his aide Chicolini (played by Chico Marx).  He tells them ”Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot. But don't let that fool you. --------------”.  Complete the final 5 words.

5.

After discovering the four largest moons of Jupiter in 1609, Galileo originally named them in honour of his patrons, the ruling family of Florence and Tuscany.  What did he call them?

6.

In Galileo's 1632 Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems one of the characters represents the case for the old Earth-centred or Ptolemaic Theory and is made to look foolish.  Which prominent person did Galileo then get into serious trouble with because the character's arguments closely resembled this person's own views which he had discussed with Galileo?

7.

When the subject of Switzerland recently came up during a lull in the interminable Brexit debates in Parliament what did Speaker of the House, John Bercow recently say was, in his view, the best thing about it to bemused MPs?

8.

When he delighted John Bercow by winning the Dubai Duty Free Championships in February for the 8th time, Roger Federer achieved something that only he and Jimmy Connors have ever achieved in the history of tennis.  What was it?

Sp1

Hassanal Bolkiah has been much in the news recently.  How is he better known ?

Sp2

In protest at the Sultan of Brunei's imposition of these harsh laws, a trio of major celebrities have taken the lead in calling for a boycott of the Sultan of Brunei's business interests by refusing for instance to patronise any hotels or other properties owned by him.  Name any 2 of these 3 celebrities.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme - 'A Good Year for the Roses'

1.

"I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing, by the wall (By the wall)
And the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (Nothing could fall)"

Which 1977 single, now considered a signature song for the singer in question, contains these lyrics?

2.

Which singer, songwriter, actor and producer was once described by President George W Bush as “the greatest threat to American children since polio”?

3.

In Christopher Isherwood's original novella and in the subsequent musicals and the film, Cabaret, what is the name of the seedy Berlin night club where Sally Bowles is employed as a singer?

4.

 Which Viking warrior and settler took control of a large area of Northern France in the 10th century AD?  His offspring and descendants became known as the Normans.

5.

In the Arab world they call it 'rahat al – hulqum' which means 'comfort for the throat'.  To the Turks it is just 'lokum' meaning 'morsel'.  What does the English speaking world call this delicacy?

6.

Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn was not an overnight success.  Which 1937 film was her fourth commercial flop in a row causing her for a time to be labelled as box-office poison?  The film was based on a popular J M Barrie stage play and told the story of Miss Phoebe Throssel, an English girl in search of an eligible bachelor during the Napoleonic Wars.

7.

On 16th February 2011 the Dorning Street factory of William Santus produced the two billionth what?  It was encased in resin and placed on display at the Museum of Wigan Life.

8.

Sounding divine but tasting of fermented weasel vomit, what pretentiously marketed product was first inflicted on an unsuspecting public in 1982?  It takes its name from its Piedmontese inventor (bad cess to him, should have been hung upside down like Mussolini) and a rocky grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes.

Sp1

The 'Raise the Bar' campaign was launched in 2010 by Green America and the International Labor Rights Forum to force which American company to eliminate with immediate effect all forced labour and all child labour from all of its cocoa supply routes?

Sp2

Bucking the apparent trend of ageing metropolitan men everywhere, Fr Megson has little time for Kylie Minogue (by no means the first tiny woman with tiny pants and a tiny talent to be refused absolution by him)?  But which song, sung by her in a duet with Nick Cave on the Bad Seeds 1996 album Murder Ballads, almost caused him to change his mind.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Andrew Gwynne, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is the MP for which local constituency?

2.

Who is the Shadow Secretary of State for Education?  She represents Ashton-under-Lyne.

3.

In which German city did Gutenberg set up his printing press and Jurgen Klopp begin his career in football management.

4.

EuroAirport is a tri-national airport situated just inside France but serving 3 local cities, one Swiss, one French and one German.  Name any two of these cities.

5.

In 1929 who made their transition from silent films to the talkies in the cleverly named film Unaccustomed As We Are?

6.

Near the end of which acclaimed 1977 film does Professor Josef Allen Hynek make a small cameo appearance?  He had acted as a consultant throughout the making of the film and had earlier devised the classification system from which the film took its title.

7.

8.

What had the code name 'Operation True Blue' and took place in London on April 17th 2013?

Sp1

In a 2003 Glasgow Herald contest to find "the most Scottish person in the world " Craig and Charlie Reid of the Proclaimers came joint fifth.  Under what name did Janette Tough win it?

Sp2

Yet another mournful season draws to a mediocre close for semi-professional Glenavon FC.  Yet it all started so promisingly last July when their ecstatic fans at Mourneview Park, Lurgan, saw them come from behind to win the first leg of their Europa League qualifier.  The defeated team's manager back then has since received a pay rise.  Who is he?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - 'A Recipe for Disaster'

No, it isn't about Brexit it's about cookery!

1.

The common flavour base for most French cookery (known as a mirepoix) consists of which three vegetables, slowly cooked in fat or oil?

2.

There are 5 classic sauces in French cookery, from which other sauces can be produced.  They include Béchamel, Hollandaise and Tomat.  Name either of the other sauces.

3.

Which celebrity chef frequently appeared in his TV shows with his Jack Russell dog Chalky, a statue of which can be seen outside his flagship restaurant? 

4.

Amol Rajan combines food criticism (formerly for The Independent and recently for Masterchef on BBC1) with what more demanding role? 

5.

The quotation “Do you think because you are virtuous, that there shall be no more cakes and ale?” appears in which Shakespeare play?

6.

The quotation “Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers” comes from which Shakespeare play?

7.

What somewhat dubious culinary delicacy is mentioned in the Beatles’ lyrics for Penny Lane?

8.

Written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks in 1953 and recorded many times, notably by Dean Martin, the song Amore warns of a possible attack by what type of food?

Sp.

The Nordic dish gravlax consists of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar and what herb?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Bingo names

Each answer is (or contains) a boy or girl's name

Beware there are puns!

1.

In the poem by Coleridge which sacred river ran through Xanadu, the summer residence of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan?

2.

Which dark fantasy children’s novel written by Neil Gaiman has recently been turned into a two act opera by English composer Mark- Anthony Turnage?

3.

Pierre is the state capital but what is South Dakota’s largest city?

4.

What name is both the surname of a fictional boy from Barnsley and a real life footballing legend in the town of Burnley?  It is also the first name of an International goalkeeper who plays in the Premier league.

5.

Tecumseh (1768 – 1813) one of the most celebrated leaders in the history of North American natives was a chief of which Algonquian speaking tribe and nation?

6.

Vanessa Redgrave is the only person to date to win a Best Supporting Actor/Actress award for playing the title role in a film. Name the film.

7.

BBC correspondent Orla Guerin is still very much alive and currently based in Cairo.  What was the first name of the journalist, also called Guerin and also Dublin born (but no relation) who was shot dead by Irish drug barons in 1996?

8.

In the Old testament who went to the tent of the Assyrian general Holofernes and 'delighted him'?  When she had finished 'delighting' him she hacked off his head and gave it to her maidservant to carry home.

9.

Which small British textile company expanded rapidly in the 1980s and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index before collapsing in 1991 with large debts outstanding?  Asil Nadir, its CEO later fled to Northern Cyprus after being accused of large scale theft and fraud.

10.

According to the Lerner and Loewe lyrics from the Paint Your Wagon musical if the rain is Tess and the fire is Joe what do they call the wind?

11.

What was the eastern-most city to act as a venue for the 2018 FIFA world Cup in Russia?  It was the only stadium to stand in Asian Russia.

12.

In the humble opinion of the setter, Pattie Boyd inspired two of the best songs written in the 20th century. Something by George Harrison was one.  What was the other, a hit for Derek and the Dominoes in 1971?

13.

In the 9th century AD the supposed remains of St Mark the Evangelist were stolen from which large Mediterranean city and placed in the recently built basilica in Venice?

14.

Harvard University, Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are all located along the banks of which 80 miles long river?

15.

In a popular song which eponymous girl’s beauty is “beyond compare / with flaming locks of auburn hair / with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green”?

16.

The British career of which American Blues musician took off virtually overnight after he appeared on Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve 2006?  His humour and laid back style is evident in the title of his first album on a major record label I Started out with Nothin and I still got Most of it Left.

17.

Who knows?

18.

Which boy’s first name owed much of its original popularity to the surname of an English admiral who defeated the Spanish at Cape Saint Vincent in 1780?

19.

Who is this?  She was born in obscurity but came to the notice of King Charles the
Second who employed her as a spy in Antwerp.  She travelled to Surinam and wrote about it.  She also wrote several plays and novels and was the first English woman to write under her own name and make a living from it.  She died in 1689 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

20.

Gabby Logan (nee Yorath) made her first appearance on television in 1991 when she represented Leeds in which non-sporting international competition?  The event is held annually and takes its name from a mawkish 19th century ballad written by a wealthy landowner about his love for Mary O’ Connor, a poor Catholic maid in service to his parents.

Go to Rounds 7 & 8 questions with answers

Tiebreakers

1.

When the SS Politician struck rocks off the coast of Eriskay and foundered in the shallows in 1941 how many bottles of whisky was she carrying as cargo bound for New York?

2.

Derby County knocked Finn Harps (the pride of Ballybofey) out of the UEFA Cup in the 1976-77 season.  What was the final aggregate score over two legs?  (answer this one without opening your Russian copy of the Rough Guide to Wiltshire)

3.

Calculate the difference between the height of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral and that of John Bercow the current speaker of the House of Commons.  Express your answer in feet and inches.

Go to Tiebreaker questions with answer

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

“We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world” is the opening line of which 1988 best-selling non-fiction book.

A Brief History of Time

(by Stephen Hawking)

2.

Three Men in a Boat.

3.

Francis Aungier Packenham, a member of an old, landed Anglo-Irish family and one of the few aristocratic hereditary peers to have ever served in a senior capacity within a Labour government was the 7th Earl of where?

Longford

4.

The 1690 kerfuffle, now fondly remembered as the Battle of the Boyne, took place in the townland of Oldbridge in which Irish county?

County Meath

5.

In 2007 who became the first Spaniard to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in No Country for Old Men?

Javier Bardem

6.

One year after Bardem's Oscar success his future wife became the first Spaniard to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  Who is she?

Penelope Cruz

7.

Perhaps fittingly in a traditionally commercial context, which famous opera is subtitled The Useless Precaution?

The Barber of Seville

8.

You will all be aware that Figaro got married. But who did he marry?  She shares her name with a later eponymous operatic heroine who smoked in secret.

Susanna

Sp1

If it was decided with immediate effect to shake up English football's Premier League by determining the final league positions by using alphabetical order rather than the number of spondulicks in the team's bank account or the number of teeth in the manager's mouth which team would finish this season in 5th position.

Cardiff City

Sp2

And if the same immediate change was applied to this season's race for the Championship which two teams would come first and second to win automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Aston Villa and Birmingham City

(fans of freshly relegated West Bromwich Albion would have very little to say in favour of this new system)

ROUND 2 - 'Girl Power'

Each question or answer refers to or includes the name of a female monarch

1.

Which 1712 poem by Alexander Pope includes these lines:

“Here thou, great Anna!  Whom three realms obey, /

Dost sometimes counsel take - and sometimes tea” (pronounced back then as 'tay')?

The Rape of the Lock

(Pope referring to Queen Anne, sovereign of England, Scotland and Ireland)

2.

Founded in 1820 by British settlers, this large coastal city is situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa some 478 miles east of Cape Town.  Often simply known as 'The Bay' and nicknamed, like Chicago, 'The Windy City' what is its official name?

Port Elizabeth

3.

This 1973 American action-comedy film involves a black female Bond-like heroine who is an undercover agent for the US government while posing as a model to track down international drug traffickers.  Directed by Jack Starrett and played by Tamara Dobson in the title role with Shelley Winters as her chief enemy and Antonio Fargas as the male lead, what is the name of this film?

Cleopatra Jones

4.

In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights which female character elopes with and marries the chief male character, Heathcliff?  (full name required)

Isabella Linton

5.

Who was described by this, perhaps unfair, contemporary lampoon: "She was a queen without a realm, a Christian without a faith, and a woman without shame"?

Queen Christina of Sweden

(who had abdicated her throne and lived the rest of her life in exile)

6.

Catherine Bernadette Costello was the first wife and probable second known victim of which notorious serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 12 other known female victims (and probably many more) between 1967 and 1987?

Fred West

7.

Margaret Bondfield, Britain's first female cabinet minister, was appointed Minister of Labour by the Labour government of 1929-31.  Earlier she had become the first woman to chair the General Council of which organisation?

The Trades Union Congress

8.

Which former French female tennis player, a winner of 2 Grand Slams including the French Open, is one of three former players scheduled to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the institution's site in Newport, Rhode Island this July?

Sp1

Combine a generic term for a head covering, with the name of a dog in a song composed by Red Foley and Arthur Williams in 1933, with a substance formed by combustion or separated from fuel during combustion, to give the name of this ancient female ruler.

Hatshepsut

(Hat-Shep-Sut/Soot)

Sp2

Combine this term meaning 'half of', with a word meaning to strike with violence, with the third person singular present indicative of the verb 'to be', to give the name of a legendary Middle Eastern queen?

Semiramis

(Semi-Ram-Is)

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

Born on this day in 1929, this Swedish-born actor has appeared in many European and American films.  One of his most recognized roles was his portrayal of Lassefar Karlsson in Pelle the Conqueror, which earned him several awards and accolades, including his first Academy Award nomination.  Who is he?

Max von Sydow

2.

Deceased on this day in 1585 at the age of 83, this person was responsible for the introduction of perhaps the greatest change to the way most of the world now views time.  How is he best known to history?

Pope Gregory XIII (13th)

(who introduced the modern Calendar)

3.

In the 1933 Marx Brothers' Film Duck Soup, Groucho, playing Rufus T Firefly, comments to the other two Marx Brothers on the lead female character played by Margaret Dumont: ”Remember, you're fighting for this woman's honor which is probably----------------”.  Complete the final 5 words.

“.......more than she ever did”

4.

In the 1933 Marx Brothers' Film, Duck Soup, Rufus T Firefly, in his capacity as President of Freedonia, comments to his ministers about his aide Chicolini (played by Chico Marx).  He tells them ”Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot. But don't let that fool you. --------------”.  Complete the final 5 words.

“............he really is an idiot”.

5.

After discovering the four largest moons of Jupiter in 1609, Galileo originally named them in honour of his patrons, the ruling family of Florence and Tuscany.  What did he call them?

The Medicean Stars

(accept Medici)

6.

In Galileo's 1632 Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems one of the characters represents the case for the old Earth-centred or Ptolemaic Theory and is made to look foolish.  Which prominent person did Galileo then get into serious trouble with because the character's arguments closely resembled this person's own views which he had discussed with Galileo?

The Pope

(Urban VIII/8th)

7.

When the subject of Switzerland recently came up during a lull in the interminable Brexit debates in Parliament what did Speaker of the House, John Bercow recently say was, in his view, the best thing about it to bemused MPs?

Roger Federer

(Bercow being an avid tennis fan)

8.

When he delighted John Bercow by winning the Dubai Duty Free Championships in February for the 8th time, Roger Federer achieved something that only he and Jimmy Connors have ever achieved in the history of tennis.  What was it?

He reached triple figures by winning his 100th title

(since delighting Mr Bercow even further by winning Title 101 in Miami - Connors still holds the overall record with 109 titles)

Sp1

Hassanal Bolkiah has been much in the news recently.  How is he better known ?

The Sultan of Brunei

(currently attempting to impose harsh Sharia laws against gay people and adulterers)

Sp2

In protest at the Sultan of Brunei's imposition of these harsh laws, a trio of major celebrities have taken the lead in calling for a boycott of the Sultan of Brunei's business interests by refusing for instance to patronise any hotels or other properties owned by him.  Name any 2 of these 3 celebrities.

(Two of)

George Clooney, Elton John or Ellen Degeneres

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme - 'A Good Year for the Roses'

1.

"I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing, by the wall (By the wall)
And the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (Nothing could fall)"

Which 1977 single, now considered a signature song for the singer in question, contains these lyrics?

Heroes

(by David Bowie)

2.

Which singer, songwriter, actor and producer was once described by President George W Bush as “the greatest threat to American children since polio”?

Eminem

3.

In Christopher Isherwood's original novella and in the subsequent musicals and the film, Cabaret, what is the name of the seedy Berlin night club where Sally Bowles is employed as a singer?

The Kit Kat Club

4.

 Which Viking warrior and settler took control of a large area of Northern France in the 10th century AD?  His offspring and descendants became known as the Normans.

Rollo

5.

In the Arab world they call it 'rahat al – hulqum' which means 'comfort for the throat'.  To the Turks it is just 'lokum' meaning 'morsel'.  What does the English speaking world call this delicacy?

Turkish Delight

6.

Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn was not an overnight success.  Which 1937 film was her fourth commercial flop in a row causing her for a time to be labelled as box-office poison?  The film was based on a popular J M Barrie stage play and told the story of Miss Phoebe Throssel, an English girl in search of an eligible bachelor during the Napoleonic Wars.

Quality Street

7.

On 16th February 2011 the Dorning Street factory of William Santus produced the two billionth what?  It was encased in resin and placed on display at the Museum of Wigan Life.

Uncle Joe's Mint Ball

8.

Sounding divine but tasting of fermented weasel vomit, what pretentiously marketed product was first inflicted on an unsuspecting public in 1982?  It takes its name from its Piedmontese inventor (bad cess to him, should have been hung upside down like Mussolini) and a rocky grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes.

Ferraro Rocher

Sp1

The 'Raise the Bar' campaign was launched in 2010 by Green America and the International Labor Rights Forum to force which American company to eliminate with immediate effect all forced labour and all child labour from all of its cocoa supply routes?

The Hershey Company

Sp2

Bucking the apparent trend of ageing metropolitan men everywhere, Fr Megson has little time for Kylie Minogue (by no means the first tiny woman with tiny pants and a tiny talent to be refused absolution by him)?  But which song, sung by her in a duet with Nick Cave on the Bad Seeds 1996 album Murder Ballads, almost caused him to change his mind.

Where The Wild Roses Grow

Theme: Each answer contains a reference to a confectionery brand

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Andrew Gwynne, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is the MP for which local constituency?

Denton and Reddish

2.

Who is the Shadow Secretary of State for Education?  She represents Ashton-under-Lyne.

Angela Rayner

3.

In which German city did Gutenberg set up his printing press and Jurgen Klopp begin his career in football management.

Mainz

4.

EuroAirport is a tri-national airport situated just inside France but serving 3 local cities, one Swiss, one French and one German.  Name any two of these cities.

(Two from)

Basel, Mulhouse and Freiburg (im Breisgau)

5.

In 1929 who made their transition from silent films to the talkies in the cleverly named film Unaccustomed As We Are?

Laurel and Hardy

6.

Near the end of which acclaimed 1977 film does Professor Josef Allen Hynek make a small cameo appearance?  He had acted as a consultant throughout the making of the film and had earlier devised the classification system from which the film took its title.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

7.

A referendum

8.

What had the code name 'Operation True Blue' and took place in London on April 17th 2013?

The funeral of Margaret Thatcher

Sp1

In a 2003 Glasgow Herald contest to find "the most Scottish person in the world " Craig and Charlie Reid of the Proclaimers came joint fifth.  Under what name did Janette Tough win it?

Wee Jimmy Krankie

Sp2

Yet another mournful season draws to a mediocre close for semi-professional Glenavon FC.  Yet it all started so promisingly last July when their ecstatic fans at Mourneview Park, Lurgan, saw them come from behind to win the first leg of their Europa League qualifier.  The defeated team's manager back then has since received a pay rise.  Who is he?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

(whose Molde team from Norway went on to win the tie 6-3)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - 'A Recipe for Disaster'

No, it isn't about Brexit it's about cookery!

1.

The common flavour base for most French cookery (known as a mirepoix) consists of which three vegetables, slowly cooked in fat or oil?

Onions, carrots and celery

2.

There are 5 classic sauces in French cookery, from which other sauces can be produced.  They include Béchamel, Hollandaise and Tomat.  Name either of the other sauces.

(One of)

Veloute or Espagnole

3.

Which celebrity chef frequently appeared in his TV shows with his Jack Russell dog Chalky, a statue of which can be seen outside his flagship restaurant? 

Rick Stein

4.

Amol Rajan combines food criticism (formerly for The Independent and recently for Masterchef on BBC1) with what more demanding role?

5.

The quotation “Do you think because you are virtuous, that there shall be no more cakes and ale?” appears in which Shakespeare play?

Twelfth Night

(Act 2 Scene 3)

(though Othello was given as the answer in the original paper)

6.

The quotation “Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers” comes from which Shakespeare play?

Romeo and Juliet

(Act 4, Scene 2)

(though Twelfth Night was given as the answer in the original paper)

7.

What somewhat dubious culinary delicacy is mentioned in the Beatles’ lyrics for Penny Lane?

Fish and finger pie

(some leniency allowed)

8.

Written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks in 1953 and recorded many times, notably by Dean Martin, the song Amore warns of a possible attack by what type of food?

A pizza pie

("The moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie")

Sp.

The Nordic dish gravlax consists of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar and what herb?

Dill

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Bingo names

Each answer is (or contains) a boy or girl's name

Beware there are puns!

1.

In the poem by Coleridge which sacred river ran through Xanadu, the summer residence of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan?

The Alph

2.

Which dark fantasy children’s novel written by Neil Gaiman has recently been turned into a two act opera by English composer Mark- Anthony Turnage?

Coraline

3.

Pierre is the state capital but what is South Dakota’s largest city?

Sioux Falls

4.

What name is both the surname of a fictional boy from Barnsley and a real life footballing legend in the town of Burnley?  It is also the first name of an International goalkeeper who plays in the Premier league.

Casper

(Billy, Frank and Schmeichel)

5.

Tecumseh (1768 – 1813) one of the most celebrated leaders in the history of North American natives was a chief of which Algonquian speaking tribe and nation?

Shawnee

6.

Vanessa Redgrave is the only person to date to win a Best Supporting Actor/Actress award for playing the title role in a film. Name the film.

Julia

7.

BBC correspondent Orla Guerin is still very much alive and currently based in Cairo.  What was the first name of the journalist, also called Guerin and also Dublin born (but no relation) who was shot dead by Irish drug barons in 1996?

Veronica

8.

In the Old testament who went to the tent of the Assyrian general Holofernes and 'delighted him'?  When she had finished 'delighting' him she hacked off his head and gave it to her maidservant to carry home.

Judith

9.

Which small British textile company expanded rapidly in the 1980s and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index before collapsing in 1991 with large debts outstanding?  Asil Nadir, its CEO later fled to Northern Cyprus after being accused of large scale theft and fraud.

Polly Peck (International)

10.

According to the Lerner and Loewe lyrics from the Paint Your Wagon musical if the rain is Tess and the fire is Joe what do they call the wind?

Maria

(pronounced Mariah – accept either)

11.

What was the eastern-most city to act as a venue for the 2018 FIFA world Cup in Russia?  It was the only stadium to stand in Asian Russia.

Yekaterinburg

12.

In the humble opinion of the setter, Pattie Boyd inspired two of the best songs written in
the 20th century. Something by George Harrison was one.  What was the other, a hit for Derek and the Dominoes in 1971?

Layla

(not all good news as she also inspired Clapton’s cloyingly awful Wonderful Tonight)

13.

In the 9th century AD the supposed remains of St Mark the Evangelist were stolen from which large Mediterranean city and placed in the recently built basilica in Venice?

Alexandria

14.

Harvard University, Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are all located along the banks of which 80 miles long river?

The Charles River

15.

In a popular song which eponymous girl’s beauty is “beyond compare / with flaming locks of auburn hair / with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green”?

Jolene

(by Dolly Parton)

16.

The British career of which American Blues musician took off virtually overnight after he
appeared on Jools Holland’s annual Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve 2006?  His humour and laid back style is evident in the title of his first album on a major record label I Started out with Nothin and I still got Most of it Left.

Seasick Steve

17.

Who knows?

Not me, mate

18.

Which boy’s first name owed much of its original popularity to the surname of an English admiral who defeated the Spanish at Cape Saint Vincent in 1780?

Rodney

19.

Who is this?  She was born in obscurity but came to the notice of King Charles the Second who employed her as a spy in Antwerp.  She travelled to Surinam and wrote about it.  She also wrote several plays and novels and was the first English woman to write under her own name and make a living from it.  She died in 1689 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Aphra Behn

20.

Gabby Logan (nee Yorath) made her first appearance on television in 1991 when she represented Leeds in which non-sporting international competition?  The event is held annually and takes its name from a mawkish 19th century ballad written by a wealthy landowner about his love for Mary O’ Connor, a poor Catholic maid in service to his parents.

The Rose of Tralee 

(Festival)

Go back to Rounds 7 & 8 questions without answers

Tiebreakers

1.

When the SS Politician struck rocks off the coast of Eriskay and foundered in the shallows in 1941 how many bottles of whisky was she carrying as cargo bound for New York?

245,000

(of which approx 25,000 were spirited away by the locals)

2.

Derby County knocked Finn Harps (the pride of Ballybofey) out of the UEFA Cup in the 1976-77 season.  What was the final aggregate score over two legs?  (answer this one without opening your Russian copy of the Rough Guide to Wiltshire)

16-1

3.

Calculate the difference between the height of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral and that of John Bercow the current speaker of the House of Commons.  Express your answer in feet and inches.

398 feet and 6 inches

(404 feet minus 5 feet 6 inches)

Go back to Tiebreaker questions without answer