ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Who was President of the USA when Spencer Perceval, became the first and so far only (though watch this space) British Prime Minister to be assassinated?

2.

Who was British Prime Minister when Abraham Lincoln became the first US President to be assassinated?

3.

Starting in a single room in Stepney, East London and now covering over five acres of prime real estate whose motto is 'Omnia Omnibus Ubique'?

4.

The Romans chose its route to run mostly parallel to the nearby Stanegate and called it Vallum Aelium.  What did the British call it?

5.

What was the title of American journalist Michael Leigh's 1963 study of wayward sexual proclivities between consenting adults?  A few years later a member of an obscure New York band called the Falling Spikes suggested the title as the band's new name.  Under their new name the band were later ranked 19th in Rolling Stone's list of the '100 Greatest Artists Of All Time'.

6.

Still going today which long-lived English band have gone through many incarnations and different styles of rock music since their original formation in 1969?  They chose their name to pay homage to original band member Nik Turner's 'prodigious habit of spitting and flatulence'.

7.

At the beginning of his novel Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray sets out to shock his educated Victorian readers by having anti-heroine Becky Sharpe wilfully throw which book out of the window of her coach as she leaves Miss Pinkerton's academy for the final time

8.

Which novel was finished with difficulty in 1877, being described by its author as a "tawdry story of adulterous love"?  Posterity disagreed and it is often described as the greatest work of literature ever.

Sp1

If you get on a train at Shrub Hill station and travel a distance of just over 24 miles before getting off at Snow Hill station you would be travelling between which two English cities?

Sp2

Which small English cathedral city is served by two train stations: City in the centre and Trent Valley about a mile to the north of the centre?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

In the new BBC adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials what animal represents the soul (or daemon) of Lord Asriel (played by James McAvoy)?

2.

With reference to the classics rather than to any political manifestos or promises, what can be defined as 'a state of absurdly, over-optimistic fantasy or an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect'?

3.

Which double international in both Rugby League and Rugby Union recently played for New Zealand in the Rugby Union World Cup in Japan and has now signed to play Rugby League for Toronto Wolfpack?

4.

Born in Oslo in 1962 this sometimes travel writer and art critic is also a presenter of both TV and radio shows including the Radio 4 show Open Book.  Her distinctive voice can be heard in lifts on the London Overground.  Name her.

5.

Name the 1971 American neo-noir psychological thriller film, starring Clint Eastwood, which was also his directorial debut.

6.

Based on Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of The Lake (published 1810), what 1812 song by James Sanderson is most closely associated with the President of the United States?

7.

Name the plain, some 200 by 50 km lying in the north of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, near the border with Eritrea.  It is about 125 m (410 ft) below sea level and is bordered to the west by the Ethiopian Plateau.  The area is often referred to as the 'Cradle of Humanity' and is where the famous Australopithecus fossil Lucy was found in 1974.

8.

What country is the third smallest in Asia by area at 765sq km and has a population of 1.49 million (2017)?  Its currency is the dinar and it is a constitutional hereditary monarchy.

Sp.

The inventor Trevor Bayliss who died in 2018 at the age of 80 was best known for what invention which improved the lives of millions in the developing world, particularly in rural Africa?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

With possible reference to the Boy Scout movement, what according to the Urban Dictionary, would you call people who are overly prepared or overly keen for something?

2.

With obvious reference to their personal characteristics, what according to the Urban Dictionary would you call the male equivalents of cougars, i.e. older men on the prowl for younger women?

3.

Although voted the most influential British car of the 20th Century in 1999, the Mini (in it’s pre-BMW incarnation) had only the 9th biggest total sales.  What car tops the list for highest total sales in Britain?

4.

The Ford Fiesta remains the highest selling car in Britain (69,000 sold in the first half of 2019).  What car is the second highest seller?

5.

Rugby Union 2019 World Cup hosts Japan were much lauded by teams and fans alike and the Japan team went further in the competition than ever before under the guidance of their New Zealand coach and Australian captain.  Name either.

6.

Italy played in the Rugby World Cup 2019 under which Irish coach?

7.

Natalie Evans is/was (depending on electoral vicissitudes) Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.  What more well-known governmental post does/did she also hold?

8.

Kier Starmer, the current/former Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union held 2 held two closely related offices from 2008 to 2013 prior to his entry into politics.  Name either.

Sp.

The regular BBC radio 4 program The Life Scientific is hosted by which University of Surrey professor?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Name this 1984 American film written and directed by Robert Benton about a US Depression-era Texas widow who tries to save the family farm with the help of a blind white man and a poor black man.  The role of the widow gave Sally Field her second Academy Award for Best Actress at the 1985 Oscars.

2.

A former Australian tennis player, once ranked as high as number 2 in the world, he won the 1966 French Championships (the precursor to the French Open) and was also runner-up to Rod Laver at 1968 Wimbledon (the first one played in the Open Era).  After retirement he coached various prominent tennis players such as Ivan Lendl, Pat Rafter, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt.  Who was he?

3.

This British-Iranian businessman was notorious for his part in an insurance fraud of 1993 involving a faked robbery.  He was also known for his friendships with such luminaries as Earl Spencer (brother of the Princess of Wales) and Boris Johnson.  Who was he?

4.

What name was given to this manuscript collection of scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci which currently holds the record for the second highest sale price of any book, as it was sold to Bill Gates at Christie's auction house on 11 November 1994 in New York for over 30 million US dollars. It received its name from the peerage title of Englishman Thomas Coke who first purchased the work in 1719.

5.

Born in 1933 in London he is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century and played a significant role in improving the public perception of the classical guitar as a respectable instrument.  Who is he?

6.

Caused by high altitude atmospheric waves what common name is given to the appearance of a sky with rows of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds displaying an undulating, rippling pattern similar in appearance to scales on this creature?

7.

One of the wealthiest and oldest colleges in Oxford, it was founded in 1438 by Henry VI and Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury.  It is primarily today a graduate research institution with no undergraduates in its student body and admitted women for the first time only as recently as 1979. Name the college.

8.

Born in London in1979 this English actress first came to attention with television roles in Wives and Daughters (1999) and Love in a Cold Climate (2001).  She received international recognition for her film debut as Bond girl Miranda in Die Another Day (2002) and, among later roles, portrayed Jane Bennet in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice.  Who is she?

Sp1

Measured at 2,655 metres or 8,711 ft, Mount Gerlach is the highest peak in which range of European mountains?

Sp2

In a Season 5 episode of the popular 1970s US sitcom Happy Days what did The Fonz do that later became a meme for something that was once popular but that no longer warrants the attention it previously received.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Offset pairs

1.

What was the name of the legendary dog, slain in error by his owner, Prince Llywelyn, who thought it had killed his child when he had actually saved it from a wolf.?

2.

Which crime fighting duo had the forenames David Michael and Kenneth Richard?

3.

In 1995 Blur won the 'Battle of Britpop' with Country House.  Which song did they beat into second place?

4.

Which nickname was common to Charles Martel ,Edward I and Harald III of Norway?

5.

Sulieman l of the Ottoman Empire and Lorenzo di Medici share which epithet?

6.

Tim and Neil Finn were founder members of which band?

7.

Which crime fighting duo had the first names Jeff and Marty?

8.

Which mythical hunter -warrior created the Giant’s Causeway and the Isle of Man (although not at the same time)?

Sp1

Superbus, meaning proud, was the epithet of which King of Ancient Rome?

Sp2

Which of King Arthur’s knights fought The Green Knight?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Run Ons

The answer to the first clue is always the name of a film and to the second clue is always the name of a song

1.

1964 musical featuring the songs I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face and With a Little Bit of Luck;

1968 number 1 - the last Beatles song on the Parlophone label.

2.

1998 film starring Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Wilkinson;

A 1975 hit for both Nazareth and Jim Capaldi.

3.

2013 film starring Matthew Mc Connaghy as an Aids patient and his attempts to get unapproved treatment in Texas;

1983 Wham song.

4.

1966 British historical drama with John Hurt and Orson Welles in the cast;

1961 song voted the 7th worst of the 70’s by Rolling Stone Magazine (should have been the worst in my opinion).

5.

1950’s film starring Gloria Swanson;

Song by Green Day which begins “My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me”.

6.

2013 film based on the book by Solomon Northup;

Grace Jones’s first hit in 1985.

7.

1989 animated film featuring Prince Eric, Scuttle and Flounder;

1989 song with the chorus: ” Sometimes I fantasise, when the streets are cold and lonely and the cars they burn below me”

8.

1986 Comedy Drama with Michael Caine and Carrie Fisher in the cast;

1985 song by The Eurythmics - covered by Aretha Franklin.

Sp1

1987 film starring Christian Bale and John Malkovitch;

1961 song about Billy Ray “Stealing kisses from me on the sly”.

Sp2

1985 mystery drama based on a novel by Martin Cruz Smith;

1994 song featuring actor Phil Daniels.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme - 'The Regeneration Game'

1.

Ingram Frizer, described as 'a property speculator, commodity broker, fixer and confidence trickster' is remembered for his reported killing of which playwright in the home of Eleanor Bull on May 30th 1593?

2.

A small museum in the Staffordshire village of Shallowford commemorates whose life and writings? His one famous book is really a compendium of various pieces he wrote over many years.  He did not consider himself master of the fly, much preferring to make use of the live worm, the grasshopper and the frog.

3.

Who was queen of Great Britain and the wife of King George the Second from 1727 until her death in 1737?  On her death bed a heart-broken George vowed to her that he would never remarry and would make do with keeping mistresses.

4.

Which son of Thetford in Norfolk is commemorated by a plaque in Paris, part of which, translated into English, reads: “English by birth: American by adoption: French by decree”?

5.

Who is the only person to feature on both the front and on the back of a USA currency note?

6.

Who is commemorated throughout much of western Europe but most movingly by a statue in the grounds of Norwich cathedral where her repatriated body now lies?  A London memorial quotes the words she spoke the night before she was executed: “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone”.

7.

“I’m always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I’ve been”.  This quote aptly sums up the final years of which legendary American singer who died from liver failure in 1959?  Born Eleanora Fagan she achieved worldwide fame when Artie Shaw hired her to front his band and also caused much controversy as a black woman working with a white orchestra.

8.

Who won an Oscar for Best Supporting actress in 2018 for playing LaVona Golden, the volatile mother of controversial figure skater Tonya Harding in the film I, Tonya?

Sp1

“I don't really understand that process called reincarnation but if there is such a thing I'd like to come back as my daughter's dog”.  Who said that before his death on November 7th 2016?

Sp2

Under a law passed in 2007 'to institutionalize the management of reincarnation', where are Buddhist monks forbidden to reincarnate without first getting government permission?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Born 'Jeanne Antoinette Poisson' in France in 1721, she scandalised the French and European society of her day.  How was she better known?

2.

Born 'Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert' in Ireland in 1821, she scandalised the German and European society of her day.  How was she better known? 

3.

In medical science the causes, treatment and prevention of what physical condition is defined by the term Bariatrics?

4.

In medical science, the structure, function and diseases of what part of the body is defined by the term Stomatology?

5.

Which popular ballad with lyrics first penned in 1910 by English lawyer and songwriter, Frederic Weatherly, has these words as its fourth and final verse:

6.

The answer to the last question formed the refrain to a 1997 pop music hit that reached number 2 in the UK charts.  Name the song?

7.

Many things link the current US president and the current British PM: populist credentials, a penchant for pulling out of international agreements, being somewhat economical with the truth (some might say) and sporting silly blond haircuts.  However their links go back much further than that. In what way?

8.

Two successive 19th century French rulers fled the wrath of their people and ended up living out the rest of their lives in England.  Name either one of them.

Sp1

Which European capital city is served by Arlanda Airport?

Sp2

Which European capital city is served by Zaventem Airport?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Who was President of the USA when Spencer Perceval, became the first and so far only (though watch this space) British Prime Minister to be assassinated?

James Madison

2.

Who was British Prime Minister when Abraham Lincoln became the first US President to be assassinated?

(Viscount) Palmerston

(who died in office 5 months later)

3.

Starting in a single room in Stepney, East London and now covering over five acres of prime real estate whose motto is 'Omnia Omnibus Ubique'?

Harrods

('All Things for Everyone, Everywhere')

4.

The Romans chose its route to run mostly parallel to the nearby Stanegate and called it Vallum Aelium.  What did the British call it?

Hadrian's Wall

5.

What was the title of American journalist Michael Leigh's 1963 study of wayward sexual proclivities between consenting adults?  A few years later a member of an obscure New York band called the Falling Spikes suggested the title as the band's new name.  Under their new name the band were later ranked 19th in Rolling Stone's list of the '100 Greatest Artists Of All Time'.

The Velvet Underground

6.

Still going today which long-lived English band have gone through many incarnations and different styles of rock music since their original formation in 1969?  They chose their name to pay homage to original band member Nik Turner's 'prodigious habit of spitting and flatulence'.

Hawkwind

7.

At the beginning of his novel Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray sets out to shock his educated Victorian readers by having anti-heroine Becky Sharpe wilfully throw which book out of the window of her coach as she leaves Miss Pinkerton's academy for the final time

 (Dr) Johnson's Dictionary

8.

Which novel was finished with difficulty in 1877, being described by its author as a "tawdry story of adulterous love"?  Posterity disagreed and it is often described as the greatest work of literature ever.

Anna Karenina

Sp1

If you get on a train at Shrub Hill station and travel a distance of just over 24 miles before getting off at Snow Hill station you would be travelling between which two English cities?

Worcester and Birmingham

Sp2

Which small English cathedral city is served by two train stations: City in the centre and Trent Valley about a mile to the north of the centre?

Lichfield

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

In the new BBC adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials what animal represents the soul (or daemon) of Lord Asriel (played by James McAvoy)?

Snow leopard

2.

With reference to the classics rather than to any political manifestos or promises, what can be defined as 'a state of absurdly, over-optimistic fantasy or an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect'?

Cloud cuckoo land

3.

Which double international in both Rugby League and Rugby Union recently played for New Zealand in the Rugby Union World Cup in Japan and has now signed to play Rugby League for Toronto Wolfpack?

Sonny Bill Williams

4.

Born in Oslo in 1962 this sometimes travel writer and art critic is also a presenter of both TV and radio shows including the Radio 4 show Open Book.  Her distinctive voice can be heard in lifts on the London Overground.  Name her.

Mariella Frostrup

5.

Name the 1971 American neo-noir psychological thriller film, starring Clint Eastwood, which was also his directorial debut.

Play Misty for Me

6.

Based on Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of The Lake (published 1810), what 1812 song by James Sanderson is most closely associated with the President of the United States?

Hail to the Chief

7.

Name the plain, some 200 by 50 km lying in the north of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, near the border with Eritrea.  It is about 125 m (410 ft) below sea level and is bordered to the west by the Ethiopian Plateau.  The area is often referred to as the 'Cradle of Humanity' and is where the famous Australopithecus fossil Lucy was found in 1974.

The Danakil Depression

8.

What country is the third smallest in Asia by area at 765sq km and has a population of 1.49 million (2017)?  Its currency is the dinar and it is a constitutional hereditary monarchy.

Bahrain

Sp.

The inventor Trevor Bayliss who died in 2018 at the age of 80 was best known for what invention which improved the lives of millions in the developing world, particularly in rural Africa?

The wind up radio

Theme: Each answer contains a term often used in a weather forecast

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

With possible reference to the Boy Scout movement, what according to the Urban Dictionary, would you call people who are overly prepared or overly keen for something?

Badgers

(was there ever a quizzing badge?)

2.

With obvious reference to their personal characteristics, what according to the Urban Dictionary would you call the male equivalents of cougars, i.e. older men on the prowl for younger women?

Rhinos

(because they are both horny and ugly?)

3.

Although voted the most influential British car of the 20th Century in 1999, the Mini (in it’s pre-BMW incarnation) had only the 9th biggest total sales.  What car tops the list for highest total sales in Britain?

The Ford Fiesta

(with over 4 million sold)

4.

The Ford Fiesta remains the highest selling car in Britain (69,000 sold in the first half of 2019).  What car is the second highest seller?

The VW Golf

(with sales of 50,000)

5.

Rugby Union 2019 World Cup hosts Japan were much lauded by teams and fans alike and the Japan team went further in the competition than ever before under the guidance of their New Zealand coach and Australian captain.  Name either.

(either)

Coach: Jamie Joseph

(or)

Captain: Michael Leitch.

6.

Italy played in the Rugby World Cup 2019 under which Irish coach?

Connor O’Shea

7.

Natalie Evans is/was (depending on electoral vicissitudes) Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.  What more well-known governmental post does/did she also hold?

Leader of the House of Lords

8.

Kier Starmer, the current/former Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union held 2 held two closely related offices from 2008 to 2013 prior to his entry into politics.  Name either.

(either)

Director of Public Prosecutions

(or)

Head of the Crown Prosecution Service

Sp.

The regular BBC radio 4 program The Life Scientific is hosted by which University of Surrey professor?

Jim Al-Khalili

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Name this 1984 American film written and directed by Robert Benton about a US Depression-era Texas widow who tries to save the family farm with the help of a blind white man and a poor black man.  The role of the widow gave Sally Field her second Academy Award for Best Actress at the 1985 Oscars.

Places In The Heart

2.

A former Australian tennis player, once ranked as high as number 2 in the world, he won the 1966 French Championships (the precursor to the French Open) and was also runner-up to Rod Laver at 1968 Wimbledon (the first one played in the Open Era).  After retirement he coached various prominent tennis players such as Ivan Lendl, Pat Rafter, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt.  Who was he?

Tony Roche

3.

This British-Iranian businessman was notorious for his part in an insurance fraud of 1993 involving a faked robbery.  He was also known for his friendships with such luminaries as Earl Spencer (brother of the Princess of Wales) and Boris Johnson.  Who was he?

Darius Guppy

4.

What name was given to this manuscript collection of scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci which currently holds the record for the second highest sale price of any book, as it was sold to Bill Gates at Christie's auction house on 11 November 1994 in New York for over 30 million US dollars. It received its name from the peerage title of Englishman Thomas Coke who first purchased the work in 1719.

Codex Leicester

(Thomas Coke subsequently became Earl of Leicester)

5.

Born in 1933 in London he is one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century and played a significant role in improving the public perception of the classical guitar as a respectable instrument.  Who is he?

Julian Bream

6.

Caused by high altitude atmospheric waves what common name is given to the appearance of a sky with rows of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds displaying an undulating, rippling pattern similar in appearance to scales on this creature?

Mackerel

7.

One of the wealthiest and oldest colleges in Oxford, it was founded in 1438 by Henry VI and Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury.  It is primarily today a graduate research institution with no undergraduates in its student body and admitted women for the first time only as recently as 1979. Name the college.

All Souls

8.

Born in London in1979 this English actress first came to attention with television roles in Wives and Daughters (1999) and Love in a Cold Climate (2001).  She received international recognition for her film debut as Bond girl Miranda in Die Another Day (2002) and, among later roles, portrayed Jane Bennet in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice.  Who is she?

Rosamund Pike

Sp1

Measured at 2,655 metres or 8,711 ft, Mount Gerlach is the highest peak in which range of European mountains?

Carpathians

Sp2

In a Season 5 episode of the popular 1970s US sitcom Happy Days what did The Fonz do that later became a meme for something that was once popular but that no longer warrants the attention it previously received.

He jumped over a shark

(whilst water-skiing;  'Jumping The Shark' has now become the popular term for such exaggerated and unlikely story twists)

Theme: Each answer contains the name - or the sound of the name - of a type of fish

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Offset pairs

1.

What was the name of the legendary dog, slain in error by his owner, Prince Llywelyn, who thought it had killed his child when he had actually saved it from a wolf.?

Gelert

2.

Which crime fighting duo had the forenames David Michael and Kenneth Richard?

Starsky and Hutch

3.

In 1995 Blur won the 'Battle of Britpop' with Country House.  Which song did they beat into second place?

Roll with It

(Oasis)

4.

Which nickname was common to Charles Martel ,Edward I and Harald III of Norway?

The Hammer

5.

Sulieman l of the Ottoman Empire and Lorenzo di Medici share which epithet?

The Magnificent

6.

Tim and Neil Finn were founder members of which band?

Crowded House

7.

Which crime fighting duo had the first names Jeff and Marty?

Randall and Hopkirk

8.

Which mythical hunter -warrior created the Giant’s Causeway and the Isle of Man (although not at the same time)?

Finn McCool

(Fionn MacCumhail)

Sp1

Superbus, meaning proud, was the epithet of which King of Ancient Rome?

Tarquin

(or Lucius Tarquinus - accept either)

Sp2

Which of King Arthur’s knights fought The Green Knight?

Gawain

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Run Ons

The answer to the first clue is always the name of a film and to the second clue is always the name of a song

1.

1964 musical featuring the songs I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face and With a Little Bit of Luck;

1968 number 1 - the last Beatles song on the Parlophone label.

My Fair Lady Madonna

2.

1998 film starring Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Wilkinson;

A 1975 hit for both Nazareth and Jim Capaldi.

Shakespeare in Love Hurts

3.

2013 film starring Matthew Mc Connaghy as an Aids patient and his attempts to get unapproved treatment in Texas;

1983 Wham song.

Dallas Buyers Club Tropicana

4.

1966 British historical drama with John Hurt and Orson Welles in the cast;

1961 song voted the 7th worst of the 70’s by Rolling Stone Magazine (should have been the worst in my opinion).

A Man for All Seasons in the Sun

5.

1950’s film starring Gloria Swanson;

Song by Green Day which begins “My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me”.

Sunset Boulevard of Broken Dreams

6.

2013 film based on the book by Solomon Northup;

Grace Jones’s first hit in 1985.

12 years a Slave to the Rhythm

7.

1989 animated film featuring Prince Eric, Scuttle and Flounder;

1989 song with the chorus: ” Sometimes I fantasise, when the streets are cold and lonely and the cars they burn below me”

The Little Mermaid of Stone

8.

1986 Comedy Drama with Michael Caine and Carrie Fisher in the cast;

1985 song by The Eurythmics - covered by Aretha Franklin.

Hannah and her Sisters are Doing it for Themselves

Sp1

1987 film starring Christian Bale and John Malkovitch;

1961 song about Billy Ray “Stealing kisses from me on the sly”.

Empire of the Sun of a Preacher Man

Sp2

1985 mystery drama based on a novel by Martin Cruz Smith;

1994 song featuring actor Phil Daniels.

Gorky Parklife

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Hidden theme - 'The Regeneration Game'

1.

Ingram Frizer, described as 'a property speculator, commodity broker, fixer and confidence trickster' is remembered for his reported killing of which playwright in the home of Eleanor Bull on May 30th 1593?

Christopher Marlowe

2.

A small museum in the Staffordshire village of Shallowford commemorates whose life and writings? His one famous book is really a compendium of various pieces he wrote over many years.  He did not consider himself master of the fly, much preferring to make use of the live worm, the grasshopper and the frog.

Izaak Walton

3.

Who was queen of Great Britain and the wife of King George the Second from 1727 until her death in 1737?  On her death bed a heart-broken George vowed to her that he would never remarry and would make do with keeping mistresses.

Caroline of Anspach

4.

Which son of Thetford in Norfolk is commemorated by a plaque in Paris, part of which, translated into English, reads: “English by birth: American by adoption: French by decree”?

Thomas Paine

5.

Who is the only person to feature on both the front and on the back of a USA currency note?

Abraham Lincoln

(portrait on front of the 5 dollar bill and the Lincoln Memorial on the back)

6.

Who is commemorated throughout much of western Europe but most movingly by a statue in the grounds of Norwich cathedral where her repatriated body now lies?  A London memorial quotes the words she spoke the night before she was executed: “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone”.

Edith Cavell

7.

“I’m always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I’ve been”.  This quote aptly sums up the final years of which legendary American singer who died from liver failure in 1959?  Born Eleanora Fagan she achieved worldwide fame when Artie Shaw hired her to front his band and also caused much controversy as a black woman working with a white orchestra.

Billie Holiday

8.

Who won an Oscar for Best Supporting actress in 2018 for playing LaVona Golden, the volatile mother of controversial figure skater Tonya Harding in the film I, Tonya?

Allison Janney

Sp1

“I don't really understand that process called reincarnation but if there is such a thing I'd like to come back as my daughter's dog”.  Who said that before his death on November 7th 2016?

Leonard Cohen

Sp2

Under a law passed in 2007 'to institutionalize the management of reincarnation', where are Buddhist monks forbidden to reincarnate without first getting government permission?

Tibet

(under a law passed by the Chinese government)

Theme: Each answer is the name of a person who was born in the year that the person who was the answer to the previous question died

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Born 'Jeanne Antoinette Poisson' in France in 1721, she scandalised the French and European society of her day.  How was she better known?

(Marquise or) Madame de Pompadour

(overly influential mistress of King Louis XV who accurately predicted the coming revolution)

2.

Born 'Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert' in Ireland in 1821, she scandalised the German and European society of her day.  How was she better known? 

Lola Montez

(overly influential mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria whose affair with her forced him to abdicate)

3.

In medical science the causes, treatment and prevention of what physical condition is defined by the term Bariatrics?

Obesity

(an answer of 'being overweight' is not sufficient)

4.

In medical science, the structure, function and diseases of what part of the body is defined by the term Stomatology?

The mouth

5.

Which popular ballad with lyrics first penned in 1910 by English lawyer and songwriter, Frederic Weatherly, has these words as its fourth and final verse:

Danny Boy

6.

The answer to the last question formed the refrain to a 1997 pop music hit that reached number 2 in the UK charts.  Name the song?

Tubthumping

(by Chumbawamba)

7.

Many things link the current US president and the current British PM: populist credentials, a penchant for pulling out of international agreements, being somewhat economical with the truth (some might say) and sporting silly blond haircuts.  However their links go back much further than that. In what way?

Both began life in New York City

(Trump in 1946, Johnson in 1964)

8.

Two successive 19th century French rulers fled the wrath of their people and ended up living out the rest of their lives in England.  Name either one of them.

Louis-Philippe

(Citizen King of the French who fled the 1848 revolution and died at Claremont, Surrey in 1850; and Napoleon III who fled after defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and died at Chislehurst, Kent in 1873)

Sp1

Which European capital city is served by Arlanda Airport?

Stockholm

Sp2

Which European capital city is served by Zaventem Airport?

Brussels

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers