ROUND 1 - 'On this Day'

A round of things that happened on February 12th

1.

The son of Claudius and Messalina was born on this day in 41AD.  Born Tiberius Claudius Germanicus, the name he is best known by was given later - after events in 43AD.   He was probably poisoned soon after his father’s death, as his claim to the throne was far stronger than that of Nero.  What was his better known name?

2.

Another person considered a threat to a throne was executed on this day in 1554.  A monarch’s will named them as their successor.  Who was this direct descendent of Henry VII?

3.

Emilie Charlotte Le Breton died aged 75 on this day in 1929.  After marriage, she became known as a ‘professional beauty’, a royal mistress, actress, racehorse owner, squanderer of fortunes, and collector of lovers.  How is she better known?

4.

Today is the 91st birthday of which BAFTA-winning actress whose middle names are Ross McLeod?  Her breakthrough roles (and BAFTAs) were for playing queens in various historical dramas in the 1970s but her best known role was alongside a compatriot in a TV comedy series which ran from 1990 to 2000.

5.

Born on this day, whose face has been on the US one cent coin since 1909, although Trump has recently mandated that no more will be minted?  Some states celebrate today with a bank holiday.

6.

Born on exactly the same day as Lincoln, this man - who married his own first cousin - has also appeared on coins and stamps around the world.  He also has a celebration day named after him (first organised in 1909) which is particularly celebrated by the scientific community, and humanists. Who is he?

7.

On this day in 1818, Bernardo O’Higgins formally approved the declaration of independence of which country, a year to the day after the decisive Battle of Chacabuco?

8.

What is the name of the Irish defence lawyer murdered in front of his family by the UDA, in collusion with the British security services, on this date in 1989?

Sp1

Which Belgian-born French composer’s Symphony in D minor was first performed on this day in
1889?  It was his only symphony, and it remains in the repertoire with over 70 recordings.

Sp2

The Convention Parliament was dissolved on this day in 1689.  It had established the Bill of Rights
which is still a key part of British Constitutional law.  But what specific issue was immediately
resolved the following day?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

Which song, subtitled The Quest from the musical Man of la Mancha was used in a 2005 advertising campaign for Honda?

2.

Which 1986 song by the group Europe is their only number 1 in the UK?

3.

What is the title of the 1979 book by Tom Wolfe that tells the stories of the first astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury program?

4.

The title of which 1928 novel by Aldous Huxley contains a number of interlinked story lines and recurring themes whose title is a reference to the flow of arguments in a debate?

5.

Which planet was the birthplace of the fictional character Kal-El?

6.

Which American comedian and actor took his nickname from an area of hunting land in a range of hills mainly in Northumberland National Park?

7.

Which song by The Sweet contains the warning "You better beware"?

8.

Which song written by Cole Porter for a 1956 film ends with the phrase "All I want is you"?

Sp1

In a US presidential election, in a list of states ordered by decreasing margin of victory, what
term is given to the first state where the combined electoral votes of all states up to that point
give the winning candidate a majority in the Electoral College?

Sp2

Which idiom about teamwork and organisations first appeared in Thomas Reid’s Essays on the
Intellectual Powers of Man, published in 1786?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Gloucestershire-born drummer played for bands including The Jeff Beck Group, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Whitesnake?  He died in a car crash in 1998 whilst using his mobile phone.

2.

Born in 1948, which 'Godfather of Shock Rock' has sold over 50 million records in a career spanning six decades?  Wayne and Garth were not worthy.

3.

Which 1970s literary and television character lived at 52, Festive Road, London?

4.

This feline comic book villain debuted in 1940 and became one of Batman’s most prominent enemies in comic strips and on both the small and large screen.  What is Catwoman’s name when out of costume?

5.

Which English criminal masterminded the 1963 Great Train Robbery?  He was played by Larry Lamb in the 1988 film Buster.  Later in life he performed with the band Alabama 3 in which his son plays.

6.

Who is the long-serving food critic for the Observer?  He once declined to review the steakhouse of internet phenomenon Salt Bae, opting instead to review the kebab shop next door by saying:

“A Sunday lunchtime and I am sitting outside a restaurant in London’s Knightsbridge famed for serving a £1,450 steak, eating an £8.50 kebab.  It is a ludicrous gesture, but then the Nusr-Et Steakhouse is a ludicrous restaurant, and one stupid turn deserves another.”

7.

Having shot to fame in 1998 as a member of a boy band, who has since released four solo albums including Irish Son and The Irish Connection?  He teamed up with a former member of another boyband in 2016 to form the duo Boyzlife.

8.

Which Salford-born English actress is known for her roles as Janeece Bryant in Waterloo Road and, for nearly a decade so far, as Goldie McQueen in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks?

Sp1

Who is the Leader of the DUP in the House of Lords since 2001?  He previously served as leader of the DUP in the House of Commons from 2010-2019, making him a regular fixture in heated Brexit debates.

Sp2

Who is the investigative journalist known as the 'fake Sheikh'?  Those caught in his net included John Higgins, Sven-Goran Erikson and the Pakistan cricket team.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

What portmanteau term is used for the three British university cities known as the Golden Triangle?

2.

The ten oldest extant universities in are all in Europe.  Italy has 4, while Germany and France (maybe surprisingly) have none.  Two countries have 2 each; one is England; which is the other?

3.

Which actress has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role?  She also won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Tea with Mussolini.

4.

Two actors hold the record for BAFTA nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role.  One is from each side of the pond and their first names begin with the same letter.  Who is the American?

5.

Which is the only Grand Slam singles title that Carlos Alcaraz hasn't won?

6.

Which Grand Slam singles title has Serena Williams won the least?

7.

Which two capital cities are the closest in the world?  (Rome and Vatican City don’t count, obviously)

8.

With a distance of approximately 4000 miles from each other, which two capital cities of bordering countries are the furthest apart?

Sp1

Which actress born in the same year as Maggie Smith has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role?

Sp2

Which Grand Slam Singles titles has Venus won the most?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - 'It's a Punny Old World'

A bit of light relief after the drinks break: a set of GK questions with an extra clue in the form of a pun on the answer

1.

The pouch connected to the junction of the small and large intestines;

&

Surname of a son of Swansea who was one of a quartet originally called "Those Crazy People".

2.

The best possible winning hand in Texas Hold'em Poker;

&

What Charles does after doing his business.

3.

A word in popular use when discussing politics taken from the informal name for the body of the Catholic Church that is known as the 'Congregation for Propagating the Faith';

&

A well-behaved male of the Anatidae family.

4.

A novel published in 1937 about two displaced migrant ranch workers that takes its title from a poem by Robert Burns;

&
A reference to some of the residents of a town 16 miles NW of Dresden.

5.

1960 film with an Oscar-nominated score by Elmer Bernstein;

&
The amazing 220 miles from Plynlimon to Sudbrook could be described thus.

6.

A group of more than 20 species of small-to-medium-sized, largely nocturnal, marsupials whose name means 'pig rat';

&
Bow-legged water birds with black plumage and a white bill.

7.

Voted the 'Nation's Best-loved Novel' in the BBC's The Big Read in 2003;

&
If Seb Coe succeeds Thomas Bach, he could be called this.

8.

Chemical compound that has the molecular formula CuN2O6;

&
A bobby's antisocial hours remuneration.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Declared theme - 'Band on the Run'

Each answer contains the name of a well-known band.

In this context the band The The are not an intentional theme link, even if the word ‘the’ is in some answers. Usual caveats apply

1.

Named after the Hungarian-American physics professor who devised it, what is the name of the rating system for calculating the relative skill level of players in various games and sports, but particularly chess?

2.

What is located at the L2 Lagrange point between the Sun and the Earth?

3.

How is the Latin phrase "tu quoque" translated?

4.

Which song by Hank Williams has been most covered? It describes a night on the bayou eating crawfish pie and filé gumbo.

5.

Collectively, how might the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper, and Komodo Dragon be described?

6.

What is the name of the technology and new planet around which the plots of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock are based?

7.

Michael Winslow, ‘the man of 10,000 sound effects’, starred as recurring character Larvell Jones in every edition of which film franchise?

8.

What is the name of the set of portraits by Giuseppe Arcimboldo where the faces and clothing are made up from fruit, vegetables and plants?

Sp1

Which year saw the deaths of P G Wodehouse, Haile Selassie and William Hartnell?

Sp2

Which 1976 book and 1985 film, originally with Sonia Braga in the title role, has just been remade starring Jennifer Lopez - although the remake owes more to the 1992 stage musical than to the earlier film?

Sp3

What successful phone/tablet app-based game, first launched in 2012, has players building their own village with resources gained from attacking other players' villages, or by producing them in their own village?  Groups of friends can form alliances.  It is one of the few games with over 600 million downloads.

Sp4

What security measure was introduced to definitive and first- and second-class stamps in 2009?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'Election Fever'

64 countries across the globe held elections in 2024. This unprecedented 'year of elections' saw nearly half of the global population take part in votes.

1.

British election night coverage on the BBC last July kicked off with a familiar theme tune, used in every election night broadcast from 1979-2005 and then again in 'remixed' form in 2019 and 2024.  The tune is taken from whose 1975 rock concept album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?

2.

The 2024 Pakistan general election was widely regarded as rigged to prevent another victory for which 72-year-old sportsman turned politician, who served as Prime Minister from 2018-2022?

3.

In 2024, Parliamentary elections were held in which landlocked country with a fearsome military heritage which is now the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign state?

4.

Donald Trump returned to office after defeating a second female Democratic opponent.  The Democrats were the first party to put up a female candidate for Vice President as the running mate for Walter Mondale in 1984.  What was her name?

5.

Student uprisings following a flawed election in Bangladesh last year have ended a 35-year period during which its politics had been dominated by a feud between two 'begums' – one the daughter of Bangladesh’s first President, the other the widow of its sixth President.  Name either.

6.

Simon Harris succeeded Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader shortly before last year’s Irish election and briefly became Taoiseach.  Who was the Fine Gael leader who served as Taoiseach from 2011-2017?

7.

Mexico elected its first ever female President last year, who now has the fun task of negotiating with Donald Trump over migration and the border.  Who is she?

8.

History was made in last year’s South African general election, when the governing ANC lost its majority for the first time since apartheid ended.  They eventually negotiated a coalition with three smaller parties, and the ANC’s current leader was re-elected by Parliament for a second term as President.  Who is he?

Sp.

National elections of varying fairness took place in three mainland Latin American countries in
2024: Mexico, Venezuela and Uruguay.  Which of these countries declared independence first?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - 'Fantastic Beasts' (but do you know where to find them?)

A round on monsters, dinosaurs and other amazing beasts. For clarity (or maybe not) all answers are the type of creature rather than a named character.  So for example, we would want ‘Gorgon’ rather than ‘Medusa’, but ‘Sphinx’ would be acceptable, as it refers to a type of thing - even though some stories feature ‘The’ Sphinx.

1.

Which mythical creature from Turkey was said to be part goat, part lion and part serpent - and was killed by Bellerophon?

2.

Which mythical creature derives its name from the Norwegian word for a malformed or overgrown crooked tree?  It features in the title of a science fiction novel published in 1953.

3.

Which mythical creature comes from the dragon family, but is distinguished by having only two legs as opposed to four?  It features on various crests, including that of Leyton Orient FC.

4.

What name is given to the species of small feathered, toothless dinosaurs that were once assumed to eat the eggs of other creatures?

5.

Which large carnivorous dinosaur was first discovered shortly before WWI in Egypt?  It is considered to be the largest predator of all time and its most prominent features were its enormous sail and crocodilian head, along with large arms in contrast to the tiny useless ones of the T-Rex.

6.

First discovered in Colombia in the early 2000s, what name is given to the extinct enormous anaconda that could grow up to 15m long and 2m wide?  Its portmanteau name contains a reference to a member of a group of twelve gods.

7.

Which mythical creature from Persian Mythology (whose name derives from the fact it ate humans) was said to be part lion, human and scorpion and, in some incarnations, had wings?

8.

Which mythical creature with the head of a rooster had a death stare to all creatures except the weasel - and poisonous breath?  It could be killed by showing its reflection in a mirror- or by it hearing a rooster crow. (there are two different names, either will do)

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - 'On this Day'

A round of things that happened on February 12th

1.

The son of Claudius and Messalina was born on this day in 41AD.  Born Tiberius Claudius Germanicus, the name he is best known by was given later - after events in 43AD.   He was probably poisoned soon after his father’s death, as his claim to the throne was far stronger than that of Nero.  What was his better known name?

Britannicus

2.

Another person considered a threat to a throne was executed on this day in 1554.  A monarch’s will named them as their successor.  Who was this direct descendent of Henry VII?

Lady Jane Grey

(nominated by Edward VI)

3.

Emilie Charlotte Le Breton died aged 75 on this day in 1929.  After marriage, she became known as a ‘professional beauty’, a royal mistress, actress, racehorse owner, squanderer of fortunes, and collector of lovers.  How is she better known?

Lillie Langtry

4.

Today is the 91st birthday of which BAFTA-winning actress whose middle names are Ross McLeod?  Her breakthrough roles (and BAFTAs) were for playing queens in various historical dramas in the 1970s but her best known role was alongside a compatriot in a TV comedy series which ran from 1990 to 2000.

Annette Crosbie

5.

Born on this day, whose face has been on the US one cent coin since 1909, although Trump has recently mandated that no more will be minted?  Some states celebrate today with a bank holiday.

Abe Lincoln

(The Lincoln cent was issued for his 100th anniversary and is still in use today; Trump issued his edict after this question was compiled.  Given that each cent costs 3.94 cents to manufacture, it is perhaps one of DT’s more sensible decisions.)

6.

Born on exactly the same day as Lincoln, this man - who married his own first cousin - has also appeared on coins and stamps around the world.  He also has a celebration day named after him (first organised in 1909) which is particularly celebrated by the scientific community, and humanists. Who is he?

Charles Darwin

7.

On this day in 1818, Bernardo O’Higgins formally approved the declaration of independence of which country, a year to the day after the decisive Battle of Chacabuco?

Chile

8.

What is the name of the Irish defence lawyer murdered in front of his family by the UDA, in collusion with the British security services, on this date in 1989?

Pat Finucane

Sp1

Which Belgian-born French composer’s Symphony in D minor was first performed on this day in
1889?  It was his only symphony, and it remains in the repertoire with over 70 recordings.

Cesar Franck

Sp2

The Convention Parliament was dissolved on this day in 1689.  It had established the Bill of Rights
which is still a key part of British Constitutional law.  But what specific issue was immediately
resolved the following day?

The declaration that James II had technically abdicated on 23/12/1688 by going into exile, and that William III and Mary II should both take the throne

(flexibility required by the QM in dealing with this answer)

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

Which song, subtitled The Quest from the musical Man of la Mancha was used in a 2005 advertising campaign for Honda?

The Impossible Dream

2.

Which 1986 song by the group Europe is their only number 1 in the UK?

The Final Countdown

3.

What is the title of the 1979 book by Tom Wolfe that tells the stories of the first astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury program?

The Right Stuff

4.

The title of which 1928 novel by Aldous Huxley contains a number of interlinked story lines and recurring themes whose title is a reference to the flow of arguments in a debate?

Point Counter Point

5.

Which planet was the birthplace of the fictional character Kal-El?

Krypton

6.

Which American comedian and actor took his nickname from an area of hunting land in a range of hills mainly in Northumberland National Park?

Chevy Chase

7.

Which song by The Sweet contains the warning "You better beware"?

Block Buster!

8.

Which song written by Cole Porter for a 1956 film ends with the phrase "All I want is you"?

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Sp1

In a US presidential election, in a list of states ordered by decreasing margin of victory, what
term is given to the first state where the combined electoral votes of all states up to that point
give the winning candidate a majority in the Electoral College?

'Tipping-point (State)'

Sp2

Which idiom about teamwork and organisations first appeared in Thomas Reid’s Essays on the
Intellectual Powers of Man, published in 1786?

"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link"

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a TV or radio quiz show

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Gloucestershire-born drummer played for bands including The Jeff Beck Group, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and Whitesnake?  He died in a car crash in 1998 whilst using his mobile phone.

Cozy Powell

2.

Born in 1948, which 'Godfather of Shock Rock' has sold over 50 million records in a career spanning six decades?  Wayne and Garth were not worthy.

Alice Cooper

3.

Which 1970s literary and television character lived at 52, Festive Road, London?

Mr Benn

4.

This feline comic book villain debuted in 1940 and became one of Batman’s most prominent enemies in comic strips and on both the small and large screen.  What is Catwoman’s name when out of costume?

Selina Kyle

5.

Which English criminal masterminded the 1963 Great Train Robbery?  He was played by Larry Lamb in the 1988 film Buster.  Later in life he performed with the band Alabama 3 in which his son plays.

Bruce Reynolds

6.

Who is the long-serving food critic for the Observer?  He once declined to review the steakhouse of internet phenomenon Salt Bae, opting instead to review the kebab shop next door by saying:

“A Sunday lunchtime and I am sitting outside a restaurant in London’s Knightsbridge famed for serving a £1,450 steak, eating an £8.50 kebab.  It is a ludicrous gesture, but then the Nusr-Et Steakhouse is a ludicrous restaurant, and one stupid turn deserves another.”

Jay Rayner

7.

Having shot to fame in 1998 as a member of a boy band, who has since released four solo albums including Irish Son and The Irish Connection?  He teamed up with a former member of another boyband in 2016 to form the duo Boyzlife.

Brian McFadden

8.

Which Salford-born English actress is known for her roles as Janeece Bryant in Waterloo Road and, for nearly a decade so far, as Goldie McQueen in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks?

Chelsee Healey

Sp1

Who is the Leader of the DUP in the House of Lords since 2001?  He previously served as leader of the DUP in the House of Commons from 2010-2019, making him a regular fixture in heated Brexit debates.

Nigel Dodds

Sp2

Who is the investigative journalist known as the 'fake Sheikh'?  Those caught in his net included John Higgins, Sven-Goran Erikson and the Pakistan cricket team.

Mazher Mahmood

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a member of Keir Starmer's cabinet

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

What portmanteau term is used for the three British university cities known as the Golden Triangle?

Loxbridge

(London, Oxford, Cambridge)

2.

The ten oldest extant universities in are all in Europe.  Italy has 4, while Germany and France (maybe surprisingly) have none.  Two countries have 2 each; one is England; which is the other?

Spain
(... Salamanca, Valladolid; Italy - Bologna, Padua, Naples, Perugia;

UK - Oxford, Cambridge; Czechia - Prague;

Portugal - Coimbra)

3.

Which actress has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role?  She also won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Tea with Mussolini.

Maggie Smith

4.

Two actors hold the record for BAFTA nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role.  One is from each side of the pond and their first names begin with the same letter.  Who is the American?

Dustin Hoffman

(Daniel Day Lewis is the Brit)

5.

Which is the only Grand Slam singles title that Carlos Alcaraz hasn't won?

Australian Open

6.

Which Grand Slam singles title has Serena Williams won the least?

French Open (3)
(Aus x7, Wimb x7, US x6)

7.

Which two capital cities are the closest in the world?  (Rome and Vatican City don’t count, obviously)

Kinshasa and Brazzaville

8.

With a distance of approximately 4000 miles from each other, which two capital cities of bordering countries are the furthest apart?

Moscow and Pyongyang

Sp1

Which actress born in the same year as Maggie Smith has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role?

Judi Dench

Sp2

Which Grand Slam Singles titles has Venus won the most?

Wimbledon (5)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - 'It's a Punny Old World'

A bit of light relief after the drinks break: a set of GK questions with an extra clue in the form of a pun on the answer

1.

The pouch connected to the junction of the small and large intestines;

&

Surname of a son of Swansea who was one of a quartet originally called "Those Crazy People".

Caecum

(Secombe)

2.

The best possible winning hand in Texas Hold'em Poker;

&

What Charles does after doing his business.

Royal Flush

3.

A word in popular use when discussing politics taken from the informal name for the body of the Catholic Church that is known as the 'Congregation for Propagating the Faith';

&

A well-behaved male of the Anatidae family.

4.

A novel published in 1937 about two displaced migrant ranch workers that takes its title from a poem by Robert Burns;

&
A reference to some of the residents of a town 16 miles NW of Dresden.

Of Mice and Men

(of Meissen men)

5.

1960 film with an Oscar-nominated score by Elmer Bernstein;

&
The amazing 220 miles from Plynlimon to Sudbrook could be described thus.

The Magnificent Seven

(Severn)

6.

A group of more than 20 species of small-to-medium-sized, largely nocturnal, marsupials whose name means 'pig rat';

&
Bow-legged water birds with black plumage and a white bill.

Bandicoots

(bandy coots)

7.

Voted the 'Nation's Best-loved Novel' in the BBC's The Big Read in 2003;

&
If Seb Coe succeeds Thomas Bach, he could be called this.

Lord of the Rings

8.

Chemical compound that has the molecular formula CuN2O6;

&
A bobby's antisocial hours remuneration.

Copper nitrate

(copper night rate)

(Cupric nitrate and Copper dinitrate are acceptable alternatives but they don't fit the pun)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Declared theme - 'Band on the Run'

Each answer contains the name of a well-known band.

In this context the band The The are not an intentional theme link, even if the word ‘the’ is in some answers. Usual caveats apply

1.

Named after the Hungarian-American physics professor who devised it, what is the name of the rating system for calculating the relative skill level of players in various games and sports, but particularly chess?

The Elo rating system

2.

What is located at the L2 Lagrange point between the Sun and the Earth?

The James Webb space telescope

3.

How is the Latin phrase "tu quoque" translated?

"You Too" 

4.

Which song by Hank Williams has been most covered? It describes a night on the bayou eating crawfish pie and filé gumbo.

Jambalaya

5.

Collectively, how might the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper, and Komodo Dragon be described?

Red Hot Chili Peppers

6.

What is the name of the technology and new planet around which the plots of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock are based?

Genesis

(project/planet)

7.

Michael Winslow, ‘the man of 10,000 sound effects’, starred as recurring character Larvell Jones in every edition of which film franchise?

Police Academy

8.

What is the name of the set of portraits by Giuseppe Arcimboldo where the faces and clothing are made up from fruit, vegetables and plants?

The Four Seasons

Sp1

Which year saw the deaths of P G Wodehouse, Haile Selassie and William Hartnell?

1975

Sp2

Which 1976 book and 1985 film, originally with Sonia Braga in the title role, has just been remade starring Jennifer Lopez - although the remake owes more to the 1992 stage musical than to the earlier film?

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Sp3

What successful phone/tablet app-based game, first launched in 2012, has players building their own village with resources gained from attacking other players' villages, or by producing them in their own village?  Groups of friends can form alliances.  It is one of the few games with over 600 million downloads.

Clash of Clans

Sp4

What security measure was introduced to definitive and first- and second-class stamps in 2009?

Slits

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'Election Fever'

64 countries across the globe held elections in 2024. This unprecedented 'year of elections' saw nearly half of the global population take part in votes.

1.

British election night coverage on the BBC last July kicked off with a familiar theme tune, used in every election night broadcast from 1979-2005 and then again in 'remixed' form in 2019 and 2024.  The tune is taken from whose 1975 rock concept album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?

Rick Wakeman

2.

The 2024 Pakistan general election was widely regarded as rigged to prevent another victory for which 72-year-old sportsman turned politician, who served as Prime Minister from 2018-2022?

3.

In 2024, Parliamentary elections were held in which landlocked country with a fearsome military heritage which is now the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign state?

Mongolia

4.

Donald Trump returned to office after defeating a second female Democratic opponent.  The Democrats were the first party to put up a female candidate for Vice President as the running mate for Walter Mondale in 1984.  What was her name?

Geraldine Ferraro

5.

Student uprisings following a flawed election in Bangladesh last year have ended a 35-year period during which its politics had been dominated by a feud between two 'begums' – one the daughter of Bangladesh’s first President, the other the widow of its sixth President.  Name either.

(either)

Sheikh Hasina

(or)

Khaleda Zia

6.

Simon Harris succeeded Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader shortly before last year’s Irish election and briefly became Taoiseach.  Who was the Fine Gael leader who served as Taoiseach from 2011-2017?

Enda Kenny

7.

Mexico elected its first ever female President last year, who now has the fun task of negotiating with Donald Trump over migration and the border.  Who is she?

Claudia Sheinbaum

8.

History was made in last year’s South African general election, when the governing ANC lost its majority for the first time since apartheid ended.  They eventually negotiated a coalition with three smaller parties, and the ANC’s current leader was re-elected by Parliament for a second term as President.  Who is he?

Cyril Ramaphosa

Sp.

National elections of varying fairness took place in three mainland Latin American countries in
2024: Mexico, Venezuela and Uruguay.  Which of these countries declared independence first?

Mexico

(declared independence from Spain in 1821)

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - 'Fantastic Beasts' (but do you know where to find them?)

A round on monsters, dinosaurs and other amazing beasts. For clarity (or maybe not) all answers are the type of creature rather than a named character.  So for example, we would want ‘Gorgon’ rather than ‘Medusa’, but ‘Sphinx’ would be acceptable, as it refers to a type of thing - even though some stories feature ‘The’ Sphinx.

1.

Which mythical creature from Turkey was said to be part goat, part lion and part serpent - and was killed by Bellerophon?

Chimera

2.

Which mythical creature derives its name from the Norwegian word for a malformed or overgrown crooked tree?  It features in the title of a science fiction novel published in 1953.

Kraken

(the etymology is probably via 'krake', a many armed /branched drag anchor, made from the top of a tree)

3.

Which mythical creature comes from the dragon family, but is distinguished by having only two legs as opposed to four?  It features on various crests, including that of Leyton Orient FC.

Wyvern

4.

What name is given to the species of small feathered, toothless dinosaurs that were once assumed to eat the eggs of other creatures?

Oviraptor

5.

Which large carnivorous dinosaur was first discovered shortly before WWI in Egypt?  It is considered to be the largest predator of all time and its most prominent features were its enormous sail and crocodilian head, along with large arms in contrast to the tiny useless ones of the T-Rex.

Spinosaurus

6.

First discovered in Colombia in the early 2000s, what name is given to the extinct enormous anaconda that could grow up to 15m long and 2m wide?  Its portmanteau name contains a reference to a member of a group of twelve gods.

Titanaboa

7.

Which mythical creature from Persian Mythology (whose name derives from the fact it ate humans) was said to be part lion, human and scorpion and, in some incarnations, had wings?

Manticore

8.

Which mythical creature with the head of a rooster had a death stare to all creatures except the weasel - and poisonous breath?  It could be killed by showing its reflection in a mirror- or by it hearing a rooster crow. (there are two different names, either will do)

Cockatrice or Basilisk

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