Warm-up Round (10 Questions, 500 Points each, 14 seconds to answer after posting of Question & 5 Choices; No Clues):1. A stubbornly defiant person would best be described as:_________________________.
[Choices: Recalcitrant, Ambivalent, Excoriated, Morose, Pusillanimous ]
2. Which city is located on Lake Michigan?_____________________
[Choices: Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland ]
3. The Wars of the Roses were fought between the Houses of Lancaster and:___________________.
[Choices: Westeros, Tudor, Windsor, York, Dorne ]
4. Which statement about the dachshund is true?__________________________
[Choices: Originated in Russia, Drooping ears, Long legs, Tiny front paws, Easy to train ]
5. For the Diamond Jubilee of 2012, the Clock Tower containing ___________________ was renamed Elizabeth Tower.
[Choices: Madame Tussauds, Wembley Stadium, Big Ben, Hyde Park, The Crown Jewels ]
6. About 63 percent of Swiss citizens speak:____________________.
[Choices: German, Maltese, Hungarian, Dutch, Spanish ]
7. Hurricane _____________________ wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and Florida in 2017.
[Choices: Norman, Gabriela, Irma, Zachariah, Pluto ]
8. ___________________ animation is the art of creating 2D animation by hand on sheets of clear plastic.
[Choices: Cham, Cel, Pen, Slot, Nich ]
9. What European city was selected this year to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics?_________________________
[Choices: Edmonton, Milan, Beijing, Innsbruck, Buffalo ]
10. It's a slang term for a gossipy or overly talkative person:_________________________.
[Choices: Milquetoast, Muckety-muck, Blue nose, Sockdolager, Flibbertigibbit ]
Countdown Round (12 Questions, 1000 Points each, Points decrease rapidly from 4 to 16 seconds, and with 3 Clues): 11. The oil of the shells of these nuts is toxic:___________________________.
[Choices: Black walnut, Pecan, English walnut, Filbert, Cashew ]
12. The Blandings Castle series was written by this British humorist:______________________.
[Choices: Kingsley Amis, Jerome K. Jerome, Peter Ustinov, P.G. Wodehouse, Jonathan Swift ]
13. The first woman who ran for U.S. President was Victoria Woodhull, who ran versus ______________________ in 1872.
[Choices: Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses Grant, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman ]
14. Which of these cheeses comes from England?_______________________
[Choices: Edam, Stilton, Gouda, Colby, Feta ]
15. Who plays the role of Mysterio in this year's "Spider-Man" movie?_________________________
[Choices: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Paul Rudd ]
16. The rulers of the Ottoman Empire were called:______________________.
[Choices: Emirs, Rajahs, Sultans, Sheiks, Maliks ]
17. In medicine, a _________________ is a small medical device installed beneath the skin.
[Choices: Scow, Beam, Hull, Stay, Port ]
18. Which unusual item is used in making a Black Stripe Rum Cocktail?________________________
[Choices: Dr Pepper, Unsweetened chocolate, Coca-Cola, Molasses, Powdered ginger ]
19. The Chandrayaan-2 was a lunar exploration mission launched this year in:____________________.
[Choices: India, Belgium, Japan, Kazakhstan, Brazil ]
20. Atlas, Kona and Ascent are the names of three:__________________________.
[Choices: Mountain bike brands, Automobile models, Chanel perfumes, Stars in the Pleiades, Rare coffee beans ]
21. What SEC school's baseball team won this year's College World Series?____________________
[Choices: Florida, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Auburn, Montana State ]
22. Hiiumaa, an island in the Baltic Sea, is this nation's second largest island:_________________________.
[Choices: Norway, Belarus, Estonia, Slovenia, Sweden ]
Category Round (6 Questions, 1000 Points each, Points decrease from 4 to 20 seconds & with 3 Clues; Category chosen by majority vote at each Site): 23.(a) MONARCHS OF THE PAST v New TV shows: King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I are known in history as the ___________________ Monarchs.
[Choices: Merry, Catholic, Andalusian, Moorish, Enlightened ]
24.(a) Who wrote it? v WORLD GEOGRAPHY: Mansel, Coats and Tukarak are islands located in what body of water?________________________
[Choices: Baffin Bay, Labrador Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Hudson Bay, Beaufort Sea ]
25.(a) Italian cuisine v NAME THAT TREE: The __________________ tree is also known as the Maidenhair tree.
[Choices: Juniper, Ginkgo, Bamboo, Eucalyptus, Spanish moss ]
26.(a) World geography v MONARCHS OF THE PAST: A student of English royalty would know that the father of Charles I was:_____________________.
[Choices: William III, Henry IV, James I, Oscar II, Albert V ]
27.(a) Name that tree v WHO WROTE IT?: "The Captain's Doll" and "The Prussian Officer" are acclaimed short stories by:______________________.
[Choices: Thomas Hardy, Sharon Gless, W. Somerset Maugham, D.H. Lawrence, J.B. Priestley ]
28.(a) New TV shows v ITALIAN CUISINE: Pastiera Napoletana, a dish associated with Easter, is made with cooked wheat and:____________________.
[Choices: Plums, Ricotta, Cherries, Almonds, Sausage ]
Lightning Round (7 Questions: 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 Points, but time to read & answer decreases from 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5 to 4 seconds): 29. The Cumberland River flows 688 miles before emptying into the ___________________ River.
[Choices: Red, Missouri, Ohio, Susquehanna, Connecticut ]
30. Who first recorded the popular song "Route 66"?_____________________
[Choices: Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Martin Milner, Pete Seeger ]
31. Ancient ________________________ was also known as the Kemet or Black Land civilization.
[Choices: Japan, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ireland, China ]
32. "A Confederacy of __________________" is an acclaimed novel by John Kennedy Toole.
[Choices: Hate, Dunces, Marzipan, Criminals, Youth ]
33. In the game of Scrabble, which letter is worth four points?______________
[Choices: C, A, F, K, X ]
34. When did manufacturers start selling the first wheeled suitcases?____________________
[Choices: 1980's, 2000's, 1970's, 1960's, 1990's ]
35. The most prestigious German film awards are nicknamed the ______________________ Awards.
[Choices: Lotte, Marlene, Jackie, Lola, Pamina ]
Dreaded Pyramid Round (5 Questions: 12000, 7000, 4000, 2000, 1000 Points for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Right out of 5; Time from post of Question & Choices = 16 seconds; No Clues):36. Which statement about the element phosphorus is true?______________________
[Choices: First isolated in 1875, Has 91 known isotopes, Chemical symbol: Ph, Atomic number: 37; Highly reactive ]
37. The "Gravedigging duet" can be heard in this early 19th Century opera:_______________________.
[Choices: Tosca, Fidelio, La Traviata, Parsifal, Cosi fan Tutte ]
38. Exactly how many toes does a rhinoceros have on each of its feet?__________________
[Choices: Six, Three, Four, Two, Five ]
39. This writer was a founder of the Romantic movement in England:_________________________.
[Choices: Samuel T. Coleridge, Ian Fleming, Christopher Wren, Ben Jonson, Samuel Pepys ]
40. The Niger River flows some 2,600 miles before emptying into the:__________________________.
[Choices: Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Aden, Bight of Benin, Madagascar Strait, Mediterranean Sea ]
Final Jeopardy Question on POISONOUS PLANTS (50% Bonus if Right Immediately; Points decrease rapidly from 4 to 20 seconds, and with 3 Clues; 50% Deduction if Final Choice is Wrong):41. An invasive species in North America, wild ___________________ contains poison in its sap.
[Choices: Parsnip, Rutabaga, Eggplant, Artichoke, Maize ]
Answers:1. Recalcitrant [see
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/recalcitrant ]
2. Chicago [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago ]
3. York [Dai (BLADOR) pre-called this first at Whispers Pub, Ottawa ON; because the room was filled with 3 separate groups (with another group downstairs), the noise level was so high that I could not make out all the calls, so I will credit only the outstanding right answers. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_the_Roses ]
4. Drooping ears [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachshund ; I (REACH) misread the Question as reading "false" instead of "true", and so screwed up. ]
5. Big Ben [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben ]
6. German [see the section "Demographics, Languages" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland ]
7. Irma [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma ]
8. Cel [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel ]
9. Milan [we guessed either Milan or Innsbruck; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Winter_Olympics ]
10. Flibbertigibbet [Andrew C (GRYFON) called this one; see
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/flibbertigibbet ]
11. Cashew [Dai called this one first; see the section "Habitat and growth" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew . As soon as I saw the molecular structure at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacardic_acids , I recognized that they are based on salicylic acid (see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid ), a "natural" painkiller long used by aboriginals, with aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a milder form marketed by the Bayer Corp. (see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin ). ]
12. P.G. Wodehouse [Dai pre-called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blandings_Castle ]
13. Ulysses Grant [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Woodhull ; Grant was the only Choice running in 1872. ]
14. Stilton [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilton_cheese ]
15. Jake Gyllenhaal [Patrick (MRRED) called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterio and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Far_From_Home ]
16. Sultans [Dai pre-called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... man_Empire ]
17. Port [a pre-call for "Stents" (not one of the Choices listed) delayed our Answer slightly; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_(medical) ]
18. Molasses [see
https://www.honeyandbirch.com/black-str ... -cocktail/ ]
19. India [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-2 ]
20. Automobile brands [We went with an early call for "Mountain bike brands", since see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_Bicycle_Company ,
https://www.ascentcycle.com/ and
https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/ ... s-XP,15401 . However, "Automobile brands" is also correct, since see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Kona ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Atlas and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Ascent . Any other Sites get screwed like us? ]
21. Vanderbilt [we had no chance, as we didn't even recognize that the SEC could be used to eliminate some of the Choices; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanderbil ... s_baseball ]
22. Estonia [We were looking for "Finland" (which did not appear as one of the Choices), so I went with nearby Estonia; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_i ... of_Estonia ]
23.(a) Catholic [Andrew C called this one, although others argued for Andalusian (which was too far south compared to Aragon and Castille); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Monarchs ]
24.(a) Hudson Bay [We missed this one, so unless Big Guys in Winnipeg MB or Broadway Nepean ON (a suburb of Ottawa ON) got it right, there was no advantage to Canadian Sites. "Tukarak" looked like an aboriginal name, so I guessed "Beaufort Sea", and others guessed "Baffin Bay" or "Gulf of Alaska" (which was eliminated in an early Clue). See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansel_Island ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coats_Island ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belcher_Islands and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tukarak_Island . ]
25.(a) Ginkgo [Pre-calls for "Weeping willow" slowed our responses, with Myfanwy (SPRAJO) guessing right; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba ]
26.(a) James I [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England (James VI of Scotland became King James I of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth I). ]
27.(a) D.H. Lawrence [we missed most of the Points on this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Captain's_Doll and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pruss ... er_Stories ]
28.(a) Ricotta [we missed this one too; see
https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/recip ... ana-recipe ]
29. Ohio [I guessed this, although others called for Susquehanna (we're Canadians and don't know any better); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_River ]
30. Nat King Cole [I wrongly called for "Frank Sinatra", another cool singer; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_66_(song) and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYApJtsyd0 (
NOW I remember this version) ]
31. Egypt [we struck out again, going with "Mesopotamia"; see the section "Kemet" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Egyptian_hypothesis ]
32. Dunces [Finally one we got Right! See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_Dunces ]
33. F [see the section "English" at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_ ... tributions . For an amusing clip of "Get the F Off My Lawn", an episode of "Corner Gas", see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euRE7PFBaNs ; a windstorm had knocked the letters "F" and "E" from the sign "CAFE" and part of the plot was trying to find the "F & E" (see
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403885/ ).]
34. 1970's [Myfanwy called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase ]
35. Lola [Dai pre-called "Golden Bear", which is the prize given at the Berlin International Film Festival (see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Bear ), but according to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutscher_Filmpreis the most prestigious prize is the LOLA, named after the character Lola Lola (in the film "The Blue Angel"; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Angel ). We guessed "Marlene" (Marlene Dietrich played Lola Lola in "The Blue Angel"). At this stage, there was a plaintive cry of despair "I don't want to play this game any more!"]
36. Highly reactive [It took me some time to eliminate the other Choices in time to call this Answer. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus , which states that there are at least 3 different allotropes of phosphorus (just as diamond, graphite, buckyballs and nanotubes are allotropes of carbon). White phosphorus, made up of tetrahedral P4 molecules, spontaneously bursts into flame in contact with air/oxygen. Red phosphorus, whose molecules are larger, ignites at 300 degrees Celsius (compared to 30 Celsius for white phosphorus). And black phosphorus is stable below 550 Celsius. So it could be argued that "highly reactive" as an answer is accurate for only 1 out of 3 allotropes.]
However, the other Choices are Wrong (phosphorus was first isolated in 1669, long before 1875; there are only 3 main isotopes; its chemical symbol is P; its atomic number is 15).]
37. Fidelio [a pre-call for "Hamlet" and calls for "La Traviata" prevented me from sharing my Answer of "Fidelio" (performed 1805); see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidelio and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty0XqkZ29x0 . The other Choices were the wrong time period (Tosca 1900; Parsifal 1882; Cosi fan Tutte 1790 (Mozart died in 1791); maybe La Traviata 1853 ). ]
38. Three [Andrew C pre-called this one; see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd-toed_ungulate and
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-spec ... ootprints/ ]
39. Samuel T. Coleridge [see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge ]
40. Gulf of Guinea [Andrew C pre-called this, but then there was a strong call for "Bight of Benin" which doomed us all. According to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_Delta , the Niger River flows into both the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Biafra which together form the Gulf of Guinea. So Bight of Benin is at least half right (just as white phosphorus is one-third right for "highly reactive" phosphorus). See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Guinea ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_River ,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bight_of_Benin and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bight_of_Biafra . We coulda, shoulda, mighta…. ]
41.Parsnip [a gimme for us in Ontario (and maybe others, too); see
https://www.invadingspecies.com/wild-parsnip/ ]
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