ROUND 1

1.

The roadrunner is the state bird of which US state?

New Mexico

2.

Of what is dromophobia the fear?

Crossing the street

3.

Who co-wrote the sit-com Black Books with Graham Lineham?

Dylan Moran

4.

Which Barcelona footballer moved to Real Madrid in July 2000 for £37million?

Luis Figo

5.

Which associate of Elvis Presley was born Andreas Cornelis van Kujik?

Colonel Tom Parker

6.

For achievement in which field is the Sterling prize awarded?

Architecture

7.

Who painted Beach at Touville and Towing of a Boat at Honfleur?

Claude Monet

8.

In the 1999 film Rogue Trader who plays Nick Leeson?

Ewan McGregor

ROUND 2

1.

From the young of which animal is the leather chevrette made?

Goat

2.

What is the main ingredient of chewing-gum?

Chičle (the gum of the sapodilla tree)

3.

What title did Cardinal Albino Luciani take in 1978?

Pope John Paul I

4.

Who directed the film Star Wars?

George Lucas

5.

Of what is pterononphobia the fear?

Feathers

6.

Which theme park is near Windsor in Berkshire?

Legoland

7.

Which writer created the Edinburgh policeman Inspector Rebus?

Ian Rankin

8.

What is Kevin Keegan’s first name?

Joseph

ROUND 3

1.

Which 20^th century head of state survived 31 assassination attempts?

De Gaulle

2.

Which unit describes/measures the fineness of silk/nylon/rayon etc. fibres?

Denier

3.

Which famous American author killed himself with a shotgun in July 1961?

Hemmingway

4.

Which game was invented by Charles Darrow in 1933?

Monopoly

5.

Which soup takes its name from the Tamil words for ‘pepper water’?

Mulligatawny

6.

Which organization, founded in 1865, has the motto ‘Blood and fire’?

Salvation Army

7.

Who, in 1909, was the first man to reach the North Pole?

Robert Paery

8.

The body of which mountaineer, who died in 1924, was found on Everest in 1999?

George Mallory

ROUND 4

“Call my bluff”

The 8 words below are listed alongside the definition for one of the other words in the list.  Teams should associate the words and their correct definitions.

1.

Himation

A tongue of land between too rivers

The ancient Greek outer garment

2.

Doab

A dance similar to a galliard

A tongue of land between too rivers

3.

Puteal

A coniferous tree of New Zealand

ROUND 5

1.

Which Shakespearean character has a daughter called Jessica?

Shylock

2.

In England and Wales, which official decides if something is treasure trove?

The Coroner

3.

Prior to John Paul II, the last non-Italian pope was Adrian VI in 1522.  What was his nationality?

Dutch

4.

Which hill, reputed in the 17^th century to be the home of witches, lies between Bumley, Clitheroe and Colne?

Pendle

5.

Anthony Hope’s first novel set in Ruritania was called The Prisoner of... What?

Zenda

6.

Which popular ornamental flower gets its name from the Turkish for turban?

Tulip (tulbend)

7.

What is the common name for the tower of the church of St Botolph, in Boston, Lincolnshire, the tallest parish church tower in England?

Boston Stump

8.

Who wrote the humorous novels: Wilt and Blott on the Landscape?

Tom Sharp

ROUND 6 

1.

Which chess piece cannot move backwards?

Pawn

2.

Whose office is at 12 Downing Street?

Government Chief Whip

3.

Hydrous aluminum silicate was used in the textile industry to absorb grease from wool.  What was its more common name?

Fuller’s Earth

4.

After the overthrow of the Manchu emperors in 1911, who became China’s first President?

Sun Yat Sen

5.

Yorkshire was divided into Ridings; what were the 5 parts of Kent called?

Lathes

6.

Who became the first prime minister of Israel in 1948?

David Ben-Gurion

7.

What was the first programme broadcast on Channel 4?

Countdown

8.

The Earl of Avon was PM in the 1950s; how was he known then?

Anthony Eden

ROUND 7

1.

In Greek myth, who killed the minotaur?

Theseus

2.

Which African state was formerly known as Upper Volta?

Burkina Faso

3.

Who wrote the opera Billy Budd?

Benjamin Britten

4.

The German military medal ‘pour le Merite’ is popularly called what?

Blue Max

5.

What was the surname of Napoleon’s general who became king of Sweden in 1818?

Bernardotte

6.

Which Shiite honorific title means ‘miraculous son of God’?

Ayatollah

7.

At the age of 80 Jessica Tandy won an Oscar for her role in which film?

Driving Miss Daisy

8.

What name is given to a document which modifies a will?

Codicil

ROUND 8

1.

There were ten of them altogether; number 3 was simple, 4 was fair (or bald), 5 was wise, 6 was foolish, and 10 gave it up altogether.  Who were they?

Each was a King Charles of France (Charles X abdicated in 1830)

2.

In which English-speaking city (besides London) can you find districts/areas called: Soho, Chelsea, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill?

New York

3.

Mlle Marie Soubirous has been better known by what name since 1933?

St Bernardette

4.

What was Peggy Hookham’s stage name?

Margot Fonteyn

5.

Which playwright once took the pseudonym Sebastian Melmoth?

Oscar Wilde

6.

The book, The Sea Cook, become a bestseller under what revised title?

Treasure Island

7.

Of what are Brown Argus, Silver Studded and Adonis all varieties?

Butterflies

8.

According to which song would you take a train ‘to Sugar Hill in Harlem’?

The A Train

SPARES

1.

The poet John Milton was secretary to which politician?           

Oliver Cromwell

2.

At Belshazzar’s feast who translated the writing on the wall?

Daniel

3.

In which city is the Topkapi Palace Museum?

Istanbul

4.

What is the name of the highest caste in Hindu society?

Brahmin

5.

The Bulgarian parliament and a brand of cigarette share a name.  What is it?

Sobranje

6.

What is the principal town of the Scilly Isles?

Hugh Town

7.

Of which group of islands in the Atlantic is Hamilton the capital?

Bermuda

8.

Kevin Moran of Manchester United achieved what dubious distinction in 1985?

The first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final