In order to separate the sheep from the super sheep we present some easy, some moderate and some hard questions (but, we hope, all interesting).  Only round 7 has a vague theme, everything else is general knowledge and we hope fairly paired. May the better team win!

ROUND 1

1.

Who was the immediate predecessor to Peter Maxwell Davies as Master of the Queen’s Music?

Malcolm Williamson

2.

What is the collective name for Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thaleia?

The Three Graces

3.

Which band consists of the siblings: Jim, Sharon, Caroline and Andrea?

The Corrs

4.

Which woman was appointed to the Order of Merit last week?

Betty Boothroyd

5.

Name any two of the four siblings who feature in C S Lewis’s Narnia novels.

(Two from) Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy

6.

In which village does Postman Pat have his rounds?

Greendale

7.

Two books of the Bible start with the words: “In the beginning….”  Name both.

Genesis & The Gospel of John

8.

The 1940 musical The Boys from Syracuse is based on which Shakespeare play?

The Comedy of Errors

ROUND 2

1.

The 1991 film Prospero’s Books is based on which Shakespeare play?

The Tempest

2.

Two books of the Bible are named after women.  Name both.

Ruth &Esther

3.

In which Welsh village does Fireman Sam live?

Pontypandy

4.

Name two of the four Walker siblings who appear in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series of novels.

(Two from) John, Susan, Roger and Titty

5.

Which Grenadan born soldier received his Victoria Cross last week?

Johnson Beharry

6.

Which band consisted of the siblings: Delroy, Deniece, Doris, Lorraine and Stedman?

Five Star

7.

What is the collective name for Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera?

The Three Furies

8.

Who was the immediate predecessor of Brendan Barber as General Secretary of the TUC?

John Monks

ROUND 3

1.

How many years are celebrated by a sapphire wedding?

45

2.

Who, in 1970, was the last Chancellor of the Exchequer to die in office?

Iain MacLeod

3.

The Queen became the fourth longest serving English monarch in 2002 when she passed the 50 year reign of which mediaeval king?

Edward III (third)

4.

Which composer’s symphonies include the London, the Pastoral and the Antarctica?

Ralph Vaughan Williams

5.

Charlottetown is the capital of which Canadian province?

Prince Edward Island

6.

Which chemical element is named after a Scottish village?

Strontium (Strontian)

7.

Which county cricket team play their home games at Chester-le-Street?

Durham

8.

A Postillion Struck By Lightning was the highly acclaimed first volume of autobiography by which actor?

Dirk Bogarde

ROUND 4

1.

The Coal Miner’s Daughter was the highly acclaimed autobiography of which singer?

Loretta Lynn

2.

Which county cricket side play their home games at Sophia Gardens?

Glamorgan

3.

Which chemical element is named after a moon goddess?

Selenium

4.

Frederictown is the capital of which Canadian province?

New Brunswick

5.

Which composer’s symphonies include the October, the First of May, and the Year 1905?

Dmitry Shostakovich

6.

If the Queen still reigns in 2008 she will pass the 56-year reign of which mediaeval king?

Henry III (third)

7.

Who, in 1977, was the last Foreign Secretary to die in office?

Anthony Crosland

8.

How many years are celebrated by an emerald anniversary?

55

ROUND 5

1.

Who is the youngest player, so far, to score a goal in the Premiership?

James Vaughan (Everton)

2.

In which modern country is Nicaea where the Nicene Creed was formulated?

Turkey

3.

Who wrote the book Journal of the Plague Year?

Daniel Defoe

4.

Which country did Alfredo Stroessner lead from 1954 to 1989?

Paraguay

5.

Who designed the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851?

Sir Joseph Paxton

6.

In which city did composer George Frederick Handel die?

London

7.

Which is the longest river in the Iberian peninsula?

Tagus

8.

Which actress played Juliet to Leonardo di Caprio’s Romeo in the film Romeo and Juliet?

Clare Dane

ROUND 6 

1.

Which Hollywood actress is playing the role of Roxie Hart in the West End production of the musical Chicago?

Brooke Shields

2.

Which is the largest island in the Dutch Antilles?

Curacao

3.

In which city was Al Capone born?

Naples

4.

Which baroque architect’s work includes Queen’s College, Oxford and a number of London churches including St Mary Woolnoth?

Nicholas Hawksmoor

5.

Omar Bongo is the long-serving leader (38 years so far) of which country?

Gabon

6.

Who wrote the book La Peste?

Albert Camus

7.

In which modern country are the ruins of Nineveh?

Iraq

8.

Who, at the age of 51, was the oldest player to play a cricket Test match for England?

Wilfred Rhodes

ROUND 7

The answers are linked by a theme which is revealed after the answer to Question 8

1.

Who was the wife of James I?

Anne of Denmark

2.

Rachel Stephens recently had a hit with a cover version of More, More, More but which US porn star first charted with this song in April 1976?

Andrea True (with the group name Andrea True Connection)

3.

Following the death of Len Martin in 1995 who now reads the classified football scores on BBC 1?

Tim Gudgeon

4.

Which 1958 film directed by J Lee Thompson starred John Mills, Sylvia Sims, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews?

Ice Cold in Alex

5.

Which footballer, PFA player of the year 1985, who won 13 England caps, was featured in a fly-on the-wall documentary during a particularly tense season when he was managing a Premiership club?

Peter Reid

6.

Who was the only Australian to win the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Championship between 1972 and 2001?

Pat Cash (in 1987)

7.

Which artist’s masterpieces include Oath of the Horatii, Death of Socrates and Death of Marat?

Jacques Louis David

8.

Who wrote the poetical work Sonnets from the Portuguese?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Connection: The answers contain the forename of members of the Historymen who have either played (Anne, Andrea, Tim, Alex, Peter and David) or been QM (Pat and Liz) this season.

OK, it’s obscure, but it is a quiz final!!

ROUND 8

1.

What happened to Giacomo della Chiesa on September 3rd 1914?

He was elected Pope (as Benedict XV)

2.

In which historical event did dressmaker Abraham Zapruder play a key, but unplanned, role?

The Kennedy assassination - he was the amateur photographer who recorded the event on his home movie camera

3.

Which comedian had the theme song Thanks for the Memory?

Bob Hope

4.

Which comedian had the theme song Don’t Laugh at Me?

Norman Wisdom

5.

Which politician said: “We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glow-worm”?

Winston Churchill

6.

Which Roman’s last words were: “What an artist the world is losing in me”?

Nero

7.

Give a year in the Prime Ministership of Henry Campbell Bannerman.

1905-1908

8.

Give a year in the Prime Ministership of Arthur Balfour.

1902-1905

SPARES

1.

How are the singing sisters Monica and Gabriella better known?

The Cheeky Girls

2.

Who was the first African American to win a Wimbledon Singles title?

Althea Gibson

3.

What is Ricky Gervais’s character’s name in The Office?

David Brent

4.

How many legs has a lobster?

Ten

5.

From which ship was Lemuel Gulliver shipwrecked?

The Antelope

6.

What were the names of Harry Potter’s parents?

James and Lily

7.

Which constituency in the forthcoming election has the largest number of voters?

Isle of Wight

8.

Which city is nicknamed “The Athens of Ireland”?

Belfast