ROUND 1 - Announced theme - 'Hit or Miss'

All questions relate to assassination attempts - some successful, some not

1.

In 1975, which American politician survived an assassination attempt by Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme?

2.

In August 1918, which major European political figure survived an assassination attempt by Fanny Kaplan?

3.

The king of which European country was assassinated in June 1903?

4.

The king of which European country was assassinated during a state visit to France in October 1934?

5.

In March 1933 Giuseppe Zingara was probably intending to assassinate an important US politician when just as he was about to pull the trigger, a bystander hit him with her handbag.  Thus distracted, he instead killed Anton Cermak, Mayor of Chicago.  Who was his intended victim?

6.

In March 1566 David Rizzio was dining in Holyrood Palace with his employer, to whom he was private secretary, when he was stabbed to death while his employer was held at gunpoint.  Who was the employer?

7.

In 1895, the queen of which Asian country was assassinated by Japanese agents?

8.

In 2003, the foreign minister of which European country was assassinated in the streets of its capital city?

Sp1

Which Latin American leader is alleged to have survived over 600 assassination attempts?

Sp2

Which assassinated political figure wrote The Motorcycle Diaries?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Random pairs

1.

What is the name of the diacritic mark seen above the 'š'of škoda?

2.

“These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.”

The speech which would have contained these words was never made.  For what event (which didn’t happen) was it prepared?

3.

Which weapon is the symbol for both Beretta and Maserati?

4.

What is the name of the diacritic mark seen above the 'ñ' in Spanish words such as señor?

5.

Cinnabar is an ore of which metal?

6.

Which porcelain factory is symbolised by crossed swords?

7.

“With a heavy heart, and in necessary fulfilment of my oath of office.”

The speech which would have contained these words was never made.  For what event (which didn’t happen) was it prepared?

8.

Malachite is an ore of which metal?

Sp1

Which two premier league football clubs have trees on their coats of arms?

Sp2

When were Manchester United last relegated?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Authors

Each question contains a quotation and its author. The next dozen or so words (or the previous dozen - you will be told) contain the title of a novel. The answer is the author of the novel (its title is not necessary).

For example, the answer to 'Burns: But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane / In proving foresight may be vain…' would be Steinbeck ('The best-laid schemes of mice and men / Gang aft a’gley).

1.

Shakespeare: "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate…"

2.

Bible: "Lead us not into temptation; / But deliver us from evil…"

3.

Gray: "Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray; / Along the cool sequester’d vale of life / They kept the noiseless tenor of their way"  (the title is in the previous line)

4.

Shakespeare: "O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! …"

5.

Donne: "Every man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore…"

6.

Howe: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…"

7.

Shakespeare: "And Ceasar’s spirit, raging for revenge / With Ate by his side come hot from hell / Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice…"

8.

Eliot: "And I will show you something different from either / Your shadow at morning striding behind you / Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you / I will show you fear…"

Sp1

Tennyson: "She saw the helmet and the plume, / She look’d down to Camelot…"

Sp2

Conan Doyle: "Gregory: The dog did nothing in the night-time / Holmes: That was the curious incident."  (the title is in the previous line)

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - 'Who lived at?'

Who is the most famous fictional resident of ...

1.

Brandybuck Hall?

2.

Manderley?

3.

Blandings Castle? (the human that is)

4.

742 Evergreen Terrace?

5.

Pemberley?

6.

Xanadu? (in the 20th century that is)

7.

7 Eccles Street?

8.

Thornfield Hall?

Sp1

Satis House?

Sp2

'The Laurels', Brickfield Terrace, Holloway?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - 'Somerset Bingo'

The return of the Albert’s much-loved series of rounds based on English counties is made all the more welcome this week by its being combined with bingo.

First names and surnames are required.

1.

Geography

What is the name of the coastal plain and wetland which runs from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills and is drained by the Parrett and the Axe?

2.

History

What was the name of the last, decisive engagement of the Monmouth Rebellion, which took place near Bridgewater on 6th July 1685?

3.

Politics

Who was the MP for Yeovil from 1983 to 2001?

4.

Literature

When writing Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was interrupted by a visitor from a Somerset village, causing him to forget the bulk of the poem, which had come to him in a dream. Which village?

5.

Maugham

In Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch says to Malvolio:

“Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more…”

Which novel by Maugham takes its name from the continuation of the quotation?

6.

Television

Which Taunton-born businesswoman, former owner of West Country holiday park operator Weststar, has been a dragon since 2006?

7.

Science

Which Ilchester-born philosopher, scientist and theologian, also known as Doctor Mirabilis, is considered one of the greatest polymaths of his period?

8.

Sport

Whose gold medal winning Olympic performance is commemorated by a plaque of the Olympic rings, 6.76 metres long, set into the pavement of the market place in Wells?

9.

Celebrity

Which famous Dame, who turns 90 this month, is the daughter of a former mayor of Bath?

10.

Music

Which guitarist, born in Weston-super-Mare in 1945, was a founder member of both Deep Purple and Rainbow?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Run-ons

Beware soundalikes et cetera; definite and indefinite articles may, indeed should, be ignored.

First names and surnames required unless otherwise specified.

1.

Operetta with music by Kurt Weill, vaguely based on Pygmalion,

&

5-time winner of Wimbledon singles title (and 4-time losing finalist).

2.

American comedienne, singer and actress on whose life story the musical Funny Girl is loosely based,

&

US National Park in southern Utah which contains the densest concentration of hoodoos (rock columns) in the world.

3.

Oratorio by Sir Michael Tippett, first performed in 1944,

&

1981 film starring, amongst other, Sean Connery and John Cleese, with John Gielgud as The Supreme Being.

4.

1980 musical film including cameo performances from, amongst others, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles which includes a phenomenally destructive car chase,

&

1985 album by Dire Straits.

5.

17th century tragedy by John Ford, controversial because of its sympathetic treatment of incest but which ends with the main character’s brother brandishing her heart on a dagger,

&

surname of Minister of Transport after whom an important feature of pedestrian crossings was named.

6.

Number from the 1964 film Mary Poppins, based on a myth concerning sweeps, which won the Oscar for best original song despite the atrocious accent of its main singer,

&

barrister, King’s Counsel and daughter of the 'Scouse git' from Till Death Us Do part.

7.

Largest of the three Crown Dependencies,

&

large mammal, native to Africa, known for its brightly coloured face and posterior.

8.

Stage musical, winner of a Tony on Broadway and an Olivier in London, using some songs from a 1933 film of the same name, and some from other films of around the same time, which is set around auditions and rehearsals for a stage show,

&

play by Tennessee Williams whose lead character is a Southern belle, fallen on hard times.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Anagrams

Each question has two parts; the answers are anagrams of each other

1.

Surname of English classical guitarist who died in 2020,

&

first name of the Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018.

2.

Common name for a hordeolum,

&

a website selling overpriced crap.

3.

Individual components of a chemical reaction,

&

subject of the first of the Carry on films.

4.

Metric unit of area, equal to roughly 2.5 acres,

&

last word of the title of the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus…

5.

Modern name of the Roman town Deva,

&

plural of one who produces images by selectively applying acid to metal or glass.

6.

Inflammation of the testis,

&

adjective meaning of great or lasting importance.

7.

Alternative name for Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus,

&

a holiday.

8.

Abrasive rod used to hone a blade,

&

upright stone with an inscribed or sculpted surface.
 

Sp1

Indian clay oven,

&

violent rotating storm.

Sp2

1995 film, directed by David Fincher,

&

betting odds with a 100% return (on a win).

Sp3

Permanent mark on wood, fabric or skin,

&

a smooth, shiny fabric.

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Pot pourri

1.

Which professor of mathematics at Harvard wrote and performed, amongst many other songs, We’ll All Go Together When We Go, National Brotherhood Week and Poisoning Pigeons in the Park?

2.

Talaq and Get are religious forms of what?

3.

What are, or perhaps in due course will be, Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox?

4.

What was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in around 2008?

5.

Stephanie Gregory brought a lawsuit in 2024, against a very famous individual.  By what name did she also become very well-known indeed?

6.

Which long-running TV show used the song I Could Be So Good For You as its theme tune?

7.

The title of the film and TV series which used the tune, but not the words, of the song Suicide is Painless as its theme was an acronym.  For what did the letters stand?

8.

The Chagos archipelago is, at the time of writing, part of the BIOT.  For what does BIOT stand?

Sp1

In the world of finance, what is meant by a basis point?

Sp2

Which recent event was featured on Private Eye’s front cover with the headline:

“Man in hat sits on chair”?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Announced theme - 'Hit or Miss'

All questions relate to assassination attempts - some successful, some not

1.

In 1975, which American politician survived an assassination attempt by Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme?

Gerald Ford

2.

In August 1918, which major European political figure survived an assassination attempt by Fanny Kaplan?

Lenin

3.

The king of which European country was assassinated in June 1903?

(Alexander of) Serbia

4.

The king of which European country was assassinated during a state visit to France in October 1934?

(Alexander I of) Yugoslavia

5.

In March 1933 Giuseppe Zingara was probably intending to assassinate an important US politician when just as he was about to pull the trigger, a bystander hit him with her handbag.  Thus distracted, he instead killed Anton Cermak, Mayor of Chicago.  Who was his intended victim?

Franklin Roosevelt

6.

In March 1566 David Rizzio was dining in Holyrood Palace with his employer, to whom he was private secretary, when he was stabbed to death while his employer was held at gunpoint.  Who was the employer?

Mary, Queen of Scots

7.

In 1895, the queen of which Asian country was assassinated by Japanese agents?

Korea

8.

In 2003, the foreign minister of which European country was assassinated in the streets of its capital city?

Sweden

(Anna Lindh)

Sp1

Which Latin American leader is alleged to have survived over 600 assassination attempts?

Fidel Castro

Sp2

Which assassinated political figure wrote The Motorcycle Diaries?

Che Guevara

ROUND 2 - Random pairs

1.

What is the name of the diacritic mark seen above the 'š'of škoda?

Caron

(or hacek)

2.

“These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.”

The speech which would have contained these words was never made.  For what event (which didn’t happen) was it prepared?

The failure of Apollo 11 moon landing

(written by Safire for Nixon)

3.

Which weapon is the symbol for both Beretta and Maserati?

Trident

(it is the symbol of Bologna, where both companies started)

4.

What is the name of the diacritic mark seen above the 'ñ' in Spanish words such as señor?

Tilde

5.

Cinnabar is an ore of which metal?

Mercury

6.

Which porcelain factory is symbolised by crossed swords?

Meissen

7.

“With a heavy heart, and in necessary fulfilment of my oath of office.”

The speech which would have contained these words was never made.  For what event (which didn’t happen) was it prepared?

The invasion of Cuba by USA

(written for Kennedy)

8.

Malachite is an ore of which metal?

Copper

Sp1

Which two premier league football clubs have trees on their coats of arms?

Nottingham Forest and Southampton

Sp2

When were Manchester United last relegated?

1974

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Authors

Each question contains a quotation and its author. The next dozen or so words (or the previous dozen - you will be told) contain the title of a novel. The answer is the author of the novel (its title is not necessary).

For example, the answer to 'Burns: But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane / In proving foresight may be vain…' would be Steinbeck ('The best-laid schemes of mice and men / Gang aft a’gley).

1.

Shakespeare: "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate…"

Bates

("Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May")

2.

Bible: "Lead us not into temptation; / But deliver us from evil…"

Greene

("For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory")

3.

Gray: "Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray; / Along the cool sequester’d vale of life / They kept the noiseless tenor of their way"  (the title is in the previous line)

Hardy

("Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife")

4.

Shakespeare: "O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! …"

Huxley

("O brave new world, that hath such people in’t")

5.

Donne: "Every man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore…"

Hemingway

("Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee")

6.

Howe: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…"

Steinbeck

("He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored")

7.

Shakespeare: "And Ceasar’s spirit, raging for revenge / With Ate by his side come hot from hell / Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice…"

Forsyth

("Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war")

8.

Eliot: "And I will show you something different from either / Your shadow at morning striding behind you / Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you / I will show you fear…"

Waugh

("in a handful of dust")

Sp1

Tennyson: "She saw the helmet and the plume, / She look’d down to Camelot…"

Christie

("Out flew the web and floated wide / The mirror crack’d from side to side / The curse is come upon me cried / The Lady of Shallott")

Sp2

Conan Doyle: "Gregory: The dog did nothing in the night-time / Holmes: That was the curious incident."  (the title is in the previous line)

Hadden

(Holmes: "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - 'Who lived at?'

Who is the most famous fictional resident of ...

1.

Brandybuck Hall?

Merry Brandybuck

(accept 'Merry and Pippin')

2.

Manderley?

Rebecca

(and Maxim de Winter)

3.

Blandings Castle? (the human that is)

Lord Emsworth

(not the Empress of Blandings: she wasn’t human)

4.

742 Evergreen Terrace?

The Simpsons

5.

Pemberley?

Mr Darcy

(Pride and Prejudice)

6.

Xanadu? (in the 20th century that is)

Charles Foster (“Citizen”) Kane

7.

7 Eccles Street?

Leo Bloom

(Ulysses)

8.

Thornfield Hall?

Mr Rochester

(Jane Eyre)

Sp1

Satis House?

Miss Havisham

(Great Expectations)

Sp2

'The Laurels', Brickfield Terrace, Holloway?

The Pooters

(Charles and Carrie; The Diary of a Nobody)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - 'Somerset Bingo'

The return of the Albert’s much-loved series of rounds based on English counties is made all the more welcome this week by its being combined with bingo.

First names and surnames are required.

1.

Geography

What is the name of the coastal plain and wetland which runs from the Mendips to the Blackdown Hills and is drained by the Parrett and the Axe?

Somerset Levels

2.

History

What was the name of the last, decisive engagement of the Monmouth Rebellion, which took place near Bridgewater on 6th July 1685?

The Battle of Sedgemoor

3.

Politics

Who was the MP for Yeovil from 1983 to 2001?

Paddy (accept Jeremy) Ashdown

4.

Literature

When writing Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was interrupted by a visitor from a Somerset village, causing him to forget the bulk of the poem, which had come to him in a dream. Which village?

Porlock

5.

Maugham

In Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch says to Malvolio:

“Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more…”

Which novel by Maugham takes its name from the continuation of the quotation?

Cakes and Ale

6.

Television

Which Taunton-born businesswoman, former owner of West Country holiday park operator Weststar, has been a dragon since 2006?

Deborah Meaden

7.

Science

Which Ilchester-born philosopher, scientist and theologian, also known as Doctor Mirabilis, is considered one of the greatest polymaths of his period?

Roger Bacon

8.

Sport

Whose gold medal winning Olympic performance is commemorated by a plaque of the Olympic rings, 6.76 metres long, set into the pavement of the market place in Wells?

Mary Rand

9.

Celebrity

Which famous Dame, who turns 90 this month, is the daughter of a former mayor of Bath?

Mary Berry

10.

Music

Which guitarist, born in Weston-super-Mare in 1945, was a founder member of both Deep Purple and Rainbow?

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Run-ons

Beware soundalikes et cetera; definite and indefinite articles may, indeed should, be ignored.

First names and surnames required unless otherwise specified.

1.

Operetta with music by Kurt Weill, vaguely based on Pygmalion,

&

5-time winner of Wimbledon singles title (and 4-time losing finalist).

One Touch of Venus Williams

2.

American comedienne, singer and actress on whose life story the musical Funny Girl is loosely based,

&

US National Park in southern Utah which contains the densest concentration of hoodoos (rock columns) in the world.

Fanny Bryce Canyon

3.

Oratorio by Sir Michael Tippett, first performed in 1944,

&

1981 film starring, amongst other, Sean Connery and John Cleese, with John Gielgud as The Supreme Being.

A Child of our Time Bandits

4.

1980 musical film including cameo performances from, amongst others, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles which includes a phenomenally destructive car chase,

&

1985 album by Dire Straits.

The Blues Brothers in Arms

5.

17th century tragedy by John Ford, controversial because of its sympathetic treatment of incest but which ends with the main character’s brother brandishing her heart on a dagger,

&

surname of Minister of Transport after whom an important feature of pedestrian crossings was named.

’Tis Pity she’s a Whore / Hore-Belisha

6.

Number from the 1964 film Mary Poppins, based on a myth concerning sweeps, which won the Oscar for best original song despite the atrocious accent of its main singer,

&

barrister, King’s Counsel and daughter of the 'Scouse git' from Till Death Us Do part.

Chim Chim Cher-ee / Cherie Blair (or Booth)

7.

Largest of the three Crown Dependencies,

&

large mammal, native to Africa, known for its brightly coloured face and posterior.

Isle of Man / Mandrill

8.

Stage musical, winner of a Tony on Broadway and an Olivier in London, using some songs from a 1933 film of the same name, and some from other films of around the same time, which is set around auditions and rehearsals for a stage show,

&

play by Tennessee Williams whose lead character is a Southern belle, fallen on hard times.

42nd Street / Streetcar Named Desire

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Anagrams

Each question has two parts; the answers are anagrams of each other

1.

Surname of English classical guitarist who died in 2020,

&

first name of the Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018.

(Julian) Bream

Amber (Rudd)

2.

Common name for a hordeolum,

&

a website selling overpriced crap.

Stye

Etsy

3.

Individual components of a chemical reaction,

&

subject of the first of the Carry on films.

Reagents

Sergeant

4.

Metric unit of area, equal to roughly 2.5 acres,

&

last word of the title of the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus…

Hectare

teacher

5.

Modern name of the Roman town Deva,

&

plural of one who produces images by selectively applying acid to metal or glass.

Chester

etchers

6.

Inflammation of the testis,

&

adjective meaning of great or lasting importance.

Orchitis

historic

7.

Alternative name for Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus,

&

a holiday.

Octavian

vacation

8.

Abrasive rod used to hone a blade,

&

upright stone with an inscribed or sculpted surface.
 

Steel

stele

Sp1

Indian clay oven,

&

violent rotating storm.

Tandoor

tornado

Sp2

1995 film, directed by David Fincher,

&

betting odds with a 100% return (on a win).

Seven

evens

Sp3

Permanent mark on wood, fabric or skin,

&

a smooth, shiny fabric.

Stain

satin

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Pot pourri

1.

Which professor of mathematics at Harvard wrote and performed, amongst many other songs, We’ll All Go Together When We Go, National Brotherhood Week and Poisoning Pigeons in the Park?

Tom Lehrer

2.

Talaq and Get are religious forms of what?

Divorce

3.

What are, or perhaps in due course will be, Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox?

Ferries

4.

What was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in around 2008?

Bitcoin

(accept cryptocurrency)

5.

Stephanie Gregory brought a lawsuit in 2024, against a very famous individual.  By what name did she also become very well-known indeed?

Stormy Daniels

6.

Which long-running TV show used the song I Could Be So Good For You as its theme tune?

Minder

7.

The title of the film and TV series which used the tune, but not the words, of the song Suicide is Painless as its theme was an acronym.  For what did the letters stand?

Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

8.

The Chagos archipelago is, at the time of writing, part of the BIOT.  For what does BIOT stand?

British Indian Ocean Territory

Sp1

In the world of finance, what is meant by a basis point?

One hundredth of one percent

Sp2

Which recent event was featured on Private Eye’s front cover with the headline:

“Man in hat sits on chair”?

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers