ROUND 1 - Paired (with Round 6)

1.

What name is shared by a Metrolink station and a US city?

2.

Which two current Premier League managers have managed at international level?

3.

Two US states have elements in the periodic table named after them.  One is California (Californium).  Which is the other state?

4.

Who is the only person to have led the Labour Party on three separate occasions?

5.

This mammal is the only extant species of the genus odobenus.  Its body length is between 2.2 and 3.6m.  It also features in the title of a song by The Beatles.  What is it?

6.

Which city in the world has the longest subway system?  It is 499 miles long.

7.

What connects Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama?

8.

A 20th century Prime Minister described another in the following terms:

"He would make a drum out of the skin of his own mother in order to sound his own praises.”

Who said it of whom?

Sp.

Who is the oldest winner of the Oscar for Best Director?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - (Not very) Hidden theme

1.

Which politically active folk musician was named after the then Governor of New Jersey, shortly to be elected as the 28th president of the United States?

2.

Founded in Leytonstone, which team comprised of players from many public schools, was an early dominant force in English football? They won the inaugural F.A. Cup in 1872.

3.

Incredibly selling 20 million copies worldwide, this British boy band were formed in 1997 by the same team that managed the Spice Girls.  What were they called?

4.

Built by the Romans between 142 and 154 AD, what was the name of this turf fortification between the firths of Forth and Clyde?

5.

Winning three Tonys and being blacklisted during the 1950s, which actor played Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof and Pseudolus on stage and screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?  His most famous role is omitted from this question.

6.

What was the name of the district of San Francisco which became a centre of counterculture in the late 1960s and which was home to many psychedelic bands and countless hippies?

7.

Born in New York City in 1971 to parents who were both Black Panther party members this artist sold more than 75 million records and despite his short career is considered one of the most influential artists of his genre of music.  Who was he?

8.

Sharing a birthday with Nikola Tesla, Mavis Staples and John Motson, this former England men’s football captain’s daughter has a lot to live up to.  Who is she?

Sp1

1984 Euros champion, this ‘gifted but inconsistent’ winger’s only English club was Aston Villa.  Who was he?

Sp2

During whose Presidency of France, between 1895 and his death in 1899, was Émile Zola's ‘J'Accuse’ letter written?

Sp3

His early work, alongside that of John Keats, was a major influence on a mid-Victorian artistic movement. He also wrote ‘Idylls of the King’, an allegorical narrative poem about the legend of King Arthur. Who was he?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - 'Triplets'

A single word or name connects each of the three parts in each question

1.

• A mass by Haydn,

• A town in Lancashire,

• The Radio 2 programme Rhythm Nation?

2.

• A play by Beaumarchais,

• A French newspaper,

• Brotherhood of Man?

3.

• A famous native of Genoa (probably),

• The currency of Costa Rica,

• The longest part of the large intestine?

4.

• 70s group with lead singer Ray Dorset,

• Forename of a 70s sitcom character with the surname Leadbetter,

• Half of a comedy duo who first appeared in 1940?

5.

• The 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs Muir,

• A 70s pop group,

• A breed of short haired cat originally from Devon?

6.

• A novel by Anthony Burgess,

• A rhyme scheme found in sonnets,

• The stars of the musical show Voyage?

7.

• The biggest selling UK 12 inch single of all time,

• Minister of the Middlesex New Synagogue between 1960 and 1963 who was a regular contributor to Thought for the Day for 25 years,

• A poem by A E Housman?

8.

• A satirical work by Samuel Butler,

• A satirical work by Thomas More,

• A track from Rubber Soul?

Sp.

• The Godfather,

• A novel by Mikhail Sholokov,

• A town in Yorkshire which became a city in November 2022?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUNDS 4 & 5 - Presidential Facts

You are given the names of eleven Presidents of the United States each of whom has a double letter in either their surname or first name (or in some cases both).

There are two questions connected to each President; the team member going first will be asked the first question for the President he or she chooses and his or her opposite number on the other team gets the companion question.  

Thomas Jefferson

1a

Designed by Jefferson, who was heavily influenced by French neoclassical architecture, and appearing on the reverse of the nickel, what is the name of his Virginia homestead?

1b

In 1826, Jefferson and his political rival died on the same day.  Who joined him on the slab?

William Henry Harrison

2a

How many days (leeway of three days either way) did William Henry Harrison serve as President?  He was the shortest serving president.

2b

The first of four presidents of this party, Harrison would have found much common ground with Charles James Fox.  Which party?

Millard Fillmore

3a

Fillmore’s term of office as President ended in 1853 but in 1856 he was the nominee for the American party, also known as what, after party supporters drilled reply to law enforcement?

3b

A self-declared but hideously ineffectually opponent of slavery, Fillmore signed in to law the Fugitive Slave Act.  By what name did abolitionists refer to this Act?

Ulysses S Grant

4a

During his world tour of 1877-79, Grant was the first US President to visit which ancient nation, from which he had substantial ancestry?

4b

Grant led the victorious Vicksburg Campaign.  Which strategic location did this secure for the Union?

Benjamin Harrison

5a

Harrison was elected President in 1888.  He was the third of five successful candidates to date to do what?

5b

Harrison’s presidency saw more states admitted to the Union than any other.  Six states joined, all between 2nd November 1889 and 10th July 1890.  Name four of them.

Theodore Roosevelt

6a

In a famous photograph, whose funeral cortege can an infant Theodore Roosevelt be seen observing?

6b

Who played Teddy in the Night at the Museum films?

Calvin Coolidge

7a

Coolidge is the only President to have been born on what day?  He shares his birthday with Ron Kovic.

7b

What was unique about Coolidge’s swearing in as President?

Herbert Hoover

8a

During and after the First World War, Hoover was in charge of the provision of what, during which he saved potentially millions of European lives?

8b

As Secretary of Commerce, Hoover’s handling of a catastrophic event gained him a positive national reputation, leading to his successful Presidential campaign.  Which event?

Franklin D Roosevelt

9a

Roosevelt’s birthplace shares its name with a famous part of London.  What is it called?

9b

In the 1936 election, Roosevelt received 523 electoral college votes, the most ever in a non-unanimous victory.  His opponent carried only two small states with a total of eight Electoral College votes.  Name either the opponent or the two states he carried?

Harry S Truman

10a

Who did Truman call a "cry baby" and say that he "never wanted to see that son of a bitch again"?

10b

Executive Order 9981 was issued by Truman.  What did it do?

John F Kennedy

11a

John F Kennedy was awarded the 1957 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for his book Profiles in Courage.  It is now believed that he did little of the writing and his speechwriter ‘helped choose the words of many of its sentences’.  This man also helped draft Kennedy's inaugural address and his 'We choose to go to the Moon' speech.  Who was this speechwriter?

11b

An image of Kennedy appears on the largest and heaviest US coin in circulation.  What monetary value does this coin have?

Go to Rounds 4 and 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Paired (with Round 1)

1.

Which is the only river to have an element in the periodic table named after it?

2.

In addition to Roy Hodgson, three current Premier League mangers have never played football at a professional level.  Name two of them.

3.

Two Metrolink stations share their name with a New York landmark.  One is Broadway (on the Eccles line).  What is the name of the other?

4.

Who is the only person to have led the Conservative party on two separate occasions?

5.

This mammal is the largest of the procyonid family.  Its body length is between 40 and 70cm and its is known for its extremely dexterous front paws.  It also features in the title of a song by The Beatles.  What is it?

6.

Which city’s subway system has the most stops?  It has 472.

7.

What is unique about James Buchanan, the 15th American President?

8.

A 20th century Prime Minister described another as:

“A shiver looking for a spine to run up.”

Who said it of who?

Sp.

What name links a mountain in the Lake District, a current English test cricketer and a brewery?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Paired

1.

Which Moravian born composer’s operas include Katya Kabanova, From the House of the Dead and The Makropulos Affair?

2.

In World War II three Gloster Gladiator biplanes became famous in the defence of Malta?  How were they popularly known?

3.

In World War II how was the Junkers Ju 87 better known?

4.

Which 1952 film featured the songs Good Morning, Make ‘Em Laugh and All I Do is Dream of You?

5.

Which city is the capital of the French department Cote-d’Ôr?  It is best known for a product made partly from the seeds of the Brassica juncea plant.

6.

Which Ukrainian born composer’s works include the operas War and Peace and The Gambler, and the cantata Alexander Nevsky?

7.

Which 1956 film featured the songs Well Did You Evah, I Love You Samantha and Now You Has Jazz?

8.

Which city is the capital of the Vaucluse department?  Its bridge is the subject of a famous French song.

Sp.

In World War II a group of which biplanes played a large part in the sinking of the Bismarck?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Paired

1.

The ingredients for which Provençale condiment include black olives, capers, anchovy fillets, olive oil and red wine vinegar?

2.

Which organisation, whose motto is 'Challenging religious privilege' was founded in 1866 by Charles Bradlaugh, who later became a Liberal MP for Northampton?

3.

In April 1942, which city was the target of the Doolittle Raid?

4.

The ingredients for which Italian condiment include flat-leaved parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil?

5.

Who comes next in this series: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, ….?

6.

In April and May 1942, German bombers attacked a number of ‘cultural’ targets, including Norwich, Canterbury, Bath and York.  What nickname, taken from a popular guide book of the time, was given to these raids?

7.

Members of which ‘religion’ worship The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

8.

Who comes next in this series: Galba, Otho, Vitellius….?

Sp1

Who is the District attorney for Manhattan?

Sp2

On January 2nd 2021, Donald Trump asked Brad Raffensperger to find 11780 what?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Paired (with Round 6)

1.

What name is shared by a Metrolink station and a US city?

Anchorage

(a station on the Eccles line and a city in Alaska)

2.

Which two current Premier League managers have managed at international level?

Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace)

and

Julen Loepetgui (Wolves)

3.

Two US states have elements in the periodic table named after them.  One is California (Californium).  Which is the other state?

Tennessee

(Tennessine)

4.

Who is the only person to have led the Labour Party on three separate occasions?

Arthur Henderson

(January 1908 to February 1910, August 1914 to October 1917 and August 1931 to October 1932)

5.

This mammal is the only extant species of the genus odobenus.  Its body length is between 2.2 and 3.6m.  It also features in the title of a song by The Beatles.  What is it?

Walrus

(the song is I Am The Walrus)

6.

Which city in the world has the longest subway system?  It is 499 miles long.

Shanghai

7.

What connects Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama?

They are the four American Presidents who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

8.

A 20th century Prime Minister described another in the following terms:

"He would make a drum out of the skin of his own mother in order to sound his own praises.”

Who said it of whom?

Lloyd George describing Winston Churchill

(both names required)

Sp.

Who is the oldest winner of the Oscar for Best Director?

Clint Eastwood

(in 2004 at the age of 74 for Million Dollar Baby)

ROUND 2 - (Not very) Hidden theme

1.

Which politically active folk musician was named after the then Governor of New Jersey, shortly to be elected as the 28th president of the United States?

Woody Guthrie

(Woodrow Wilson Guthrie)

2.

Founded in Leytonstone, which team comprised of players from many public schools, was an early dominant force in English football? They won the inaugural F.A. Cup in 1872.

The Wanderers

3.

Incredibly selling 20 million copies worldwide, this British boy band were formed in 1997 by the same team that managed the Spice Girls.  What were they called?

Five

4.

Built by the Romans between 142 and 154 AD, what was the name of this turf fortification between the firths of Forth and Clyde?

The Antonine Wall

5.

Winning three Tonys and being blacklisted during the 1950s, which actor played Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof and Pseudolus on stage and screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum?  His most famous role is omitted from this question.

Zero Mostel

6.

What was the name of the district of San Francisco which became a centre of counterculture in the late 1960s and which was home to many psychedelic bands and countless hippies?

Haight-Ashbury

7.

Born in New York City in 1971 to parents who were both Black Panther party members this artist sold more than 75 million records and despite his short career is considered one of the most influential artists of his genre of music.  Who was he?

Tupac (2Pac) Shakur

8.

Sharing a birthday with Nikola Tesla, Mavis Staples and John Motson, this former England men’s football captain’s daughter has a lot to live up to.  Who is she?

Harper Seven Beckham

Sp1

1984 Euros champion, this ‘gifted but inconsistent’ winger’s only English club was Aston Villa.  Who was he?

Didier Six

Sp2

During whose Presidency of France, between 1895 and his death in 1899, was Émile Zola's ‘J'Accuse’ letter written?

Félix Faure

(pronounced Felix Four)

Sp3

His early work, alongside that of John Keats, was a major influence on a mid-Victorian artistic movement. He also wrote ‘Idylls of the King’, an allegorical narrative poem about the legend of King Arthur. Who was he?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Theme: Each answer contains a number between 1 and 10 - or at least the sound of such a number

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - 'Triplets'

A single word or name connects each of the three parts in each question

1.

• A mass by Haydn,

• A town in Lancashire,

• The Radio 2 programme Rhythm Nation?

Nelson

(Nelson Mass, Trevor Nelson)

2.

• A play by Beaumarchais,

• A French newspaper,

• Brotherhood of Man?

Figaro

(Marriage of Figaro, Le Figaro, single by Brotherhood of Man)

3.

• A famous native of Genoa (probably),

• The currency of Costa Rica,

• The longest part of the large intestine?

Colo

(real name of Columbus)

4.

• 70s group with lead singer Ray Dorset,

• Forename of a 70s sitcom character with the surname Leadbetter,

• Half of a comedy duo who first appeared in 1940?

Jerry

(Mungo Jerry, The Good Life, Tom and Jerry)

5.

• The 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs Muir,

• A 70s pop group,

• A breed of short haired cat originally from Devon?

Rex

(Rex Harrison was the male star, T. Rex, Devon Rex)

6.

• A novel by Anthony Burgess,

• A rhyme scheme found in sonnets,

• The stars of the musical show Voyage?

Abba

(Abba Abba by Burgess, ABBA, show featuring avatars of Abba)

7.

• The biggest selling UK 12 inch single of all time,

• Minister of the Middlesex New Synagogue between 1960 and 1963 who was a regular contributor to Thought for the Day for 25 years,

• A poem by A E Housman?

Blue

(Blue Monday by New Order, Rabbi Lionel Blue, Blue Remembered Hills)

8.

• A satirical work by Samuel Butler,

• A satirical work by Thomas More,

• A track from Rubber Soul?

Nowhere

(Erewhon, meaning of Utopia and Nowhere Man)

Sp.

• The Godfather,

• A novel by Mikhail Sholokov,

• A town in Yorkshire which became a city in November 2022?

Don

(Don Corleone, And Quiet Flows the Don, Doncaster)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUNDS 4 & 5 - Presidential Facts

You are given the names of eleven Presidents of the United States each of whom has a double letter in either their surname or first name (or in some cases both).

There are two questions connected to each President; the team member going first will be asked the first question for the President he or she chooses and his or her opposite number on the other team gets the companion question.

Thomas Jefferson

1a

Designed by Jefferson, who was heavily influenced by French neoclassical architecture, and appearing on the reverse of the nickel, what is the name of his Virginia homestead?

Monticello

1b

In 1826, Jefferson and his political rival died on the same day.  Who joined him on the slab?

John Adams

(4th July)

William Henry Harrison

2a

How many days (leeway of three days either way) did William Henry Harrison serve as President? He was the shortest serving president.

31

2b

The first of four presidents of this party, Harrison would have found much common ground with Charles James Fox.  Which party?

Whig

Millard Fillmore

3a

Fillmore’s term of office as President ended in 1853 but in 1856 he was the nominee for the American party, also known as what, after party supporters drilled reply to law enforcement?

Know Nothing Party

("I know nothing")

3b

A self-declared but hideously ineffectually opponent of slavery, Fillmore signed in to law the Fugitive Slave Act.  By what name did abolitionists refer to this Act?

Bloodhound Bill

(after the dogs that were used to track down people fleeing slavery)

Ulysses S Grant

4a

During his world tour of 1877-79, Grant was the first US President to visit which ancient nation, from which he had substantial ancestry?

Scotland

4b

Grant led the victorious Vicksburg Campaign.  Which strategic location did this secure for the Union?

Mississippi River

Benjamin Harrison

5a

Harrison was elected President in 1888. He was the third of five successful candidates to date to do what?

Lose the popular vote but win the Presidency

(John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B Hayes, Harrison, George W Bush and Donald Trump)

5b

Harrison’s presidency saw more states admitted to the Union than any other.  Six states joined, all between 2nd November 1889 and 10th July 1890.  Name four of them.

(four from)

North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming

Theodore Roosevelt

6a

In a famous photograph, whose funeral cortege can an infant Theodore Roosevelt be seen observing?
 

Abraham Lincoln

6b

Who played Teddy in the Night at the Museum films?

Robin Williams

Calvin Coolidge

7a

Coolidge is the only President to have been born on what day?  He shares his birthday with Ron Kovic.

4th July

(Ron Kovic wrote his memoir Born on the 4th July on which Oliver Stone based his film)

7b

What was unique about Coolidge’s swearing in as President?

He was sworn in by his father

(while visiting his family home in Vermont; his father was a Justice of the Peace)

Herbert Hoover

8a

During and after the First World War, Hoover was in charge of the provision of what, during which he saved potentially millions of European lives?

Food

(as Director of the American Relief Administration)

8b

As Secretary of Commerce, Hoover’s handling of a catastrophic event gained him a positive national reputation, leading to his successful Presidential campaign.  Which event?

The Great Mississippi Flood

(of 1927)

Franklin D Roosevelt

9a

Roosevelt’s birthplace shares its name with a famous part of London.  What is it called?

Hyde Park

9b

In the 1936 election, Roosevelt received 523 electoral college votes, the most ever in a non-unanimous victory.  His opponent carried only two small states with a total of eight Electoral College votes.  Name either the opponent or the two states he carried?

(either)

Alf Landon

(or)

Maine and Vermont

Harry S Truman

10a

Who did Truman call a "cry baby" and say that he "never wanted to see that son of a bitch again"?

J Robert Oppenheimer

10b

Executive Order 9981 was issued by Truman.  What did it do?

Abolished discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion or national origin in the United States Armed Forces

(accept anything similar)

John F Kennedy

11a

John F Kennedy was awarded the 1957 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for his book Profiles in Courage.  It is now believed that he did little of the writing and his speechwriter ‘helped choose the words of many of its sentences’.  This man also helped draft Kennedy's inaugural address and his 'We choose to go to the Moon' speech.  Who was this speechwriter?

Ted Sorensen

11b

An image of Kennedy appears on the largest and heaviest US coin in circulation.  What monetary value does this coin have?

Fifty Cents

Go back to Rounds 4 and 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Paired (with Round 1)

1.

Which is the only river to have an element in the periodic table named after it?

The Rhine

(Rhenium)

2.

In addition to Roy Hodgson, three current Premier League mangers have never played football at a professional level.  Name two of them.

(two from)

Steve Cooper (Nottingham Forest),

Thomas Frank (Brentford)

Ruben Selles (Southampton)

3.

Two Metrolink stations share their name with a New York landmark.  One is Broadway (on the Eccles line).  What is the name of the other?

Central Park

(on the Oldham and Rochdale line)

4.

Who is the only person to have led the Conservative party on two separate occasions?

Andrew Bonar Law

(from December 1916 to March 1921 and from October 1922 to May 1923. On both occasions he resigned due to ill health. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister of the Twentieth Century.  He died in October 1923.)

5.

This mammal is the largest of the procyonid family.  Its body length is between 40 and 70cm and its is known for its extremely dexterous front paws.  It also features in the title of a song by The Beatles.  What is it?

Raccoon

(the song is Rocky Raccoon)

6.

Which city’s subway system has the most stops?  It has 472.

New York

7.

What is unique about James Buchanan, the 15th American President?

He is the only one who was unmarried

8.

A 20th century Prime Minister described another as:

“A shiver looking for a spine to run up.”

Who said it of who?

Harold Wilson describing Edward Heath

(both names required)

Sp.

What name links a mountain in the Lake District, a current English test cricketer and a brewery?

Robinson

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Paired

1.

Which Moravian born composer’s operas include Katya Kabanova, From the House of the Dead and The Makropulos Affair?

Janacek

2.

In World War II three Gloster Gladiator biplanes became famous in the defence of Malta?  How were they popularly known?

Faith, Hope and Charity

3.

In World War II how was the Junkers Ju 87 better known?

Stuka

4.

Which 1952 film featured the songs Good Morning, Make ‘Em Laugh and All I Do is Dream of You?

Singing in the Rain

5.

Which city is the capital of the French department Cote-d’Ôr?  It is best known for a product made partly from the seeds of the Brassica juncea plant.

Dijon

6.

Which Ukrainian born composer’s works include the operas War and Peace and The Gambler, and the cantata Alexander Nevsky?

Prokofiev

7.

Which 1956 film featured the songs Well Did You Evah, I Love You Samantha and Now You Has Jazz?

High Society

8.

Which city is the capital of the Vaucluse department?  Its bridge is the subject of a famous French song.

Avignon

Sp.

In World War II a group of which biplanes played a large part in the sinking of the Bismarck?

Swordfish

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Paired

1.

The ingredients for which Provençale condiment include black olives, capers, anchovy fillets, olive oil and red wine vinegar?

Tapenade

2.

Which organisation, whose motto is 'Challenging religious privilege' was founded in 1866 by Charles Bradlaugh, who later became a Liberal MP for Northampton?

National Secular Society

3.

In April 1942, which city was the target of the Doolittle Raid?

Tokyo

(by B25 bombers which took off from an aircraft carrier and landed in China)

4.

The ingredients for which Italian condiment include flat-leaved parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil?

Gremolata

5.

Who comes next in this series: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, ….?

Marcus Aurelius

(the Five ‘Good’ Emperors of Rome)

6.

In April and May 1942, German bombers attacked a number of ‘cultural’ targets, including Norwich, Canterbury, Bath and York.  What nickname, taken from a popular guide book of the time, was given to these raids?

Baedeker raids

7.

Members of which ‘religion’ worship The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Pastafarianism

8.

Who comes next in this series: Galba, Otho, Vitellius….?

Vespasian

(the one who survived the ‘Year of the 4 Emperors’)

Sp1

Who is the District attorney for Manhattan?

Alvin Bragg

Sp2

On January 2nd 2021, Donald Trump asked Brad Raffensperger to find 11780 what?

Votes

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers