ROUND 1

1.

Which canal in the north of Germany connects the North Sea to the Baltic?

Kiel Canal

2.

What sort of creature is a taipan?

Snake

3.

Which three sprinters have won a men’s 100m gold medal for Great Britain at the Olympic Games?

Linford Christie, Allan Wells and Harold Abrahams

4.

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, was the third surviving son of which English king?

Edward III

5.

In which 20th century novel would you read the words: “The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in.”?

1984

6.

Hillary Clinton is a senator for which American state?

New York

7.

“Before Sam was murdered, he told Molly he would protect her forever’’ is the tagline of which 1990 Jerry Zucker film?         

Ghost

8.

The location furthest from the sea in the British Isles lies in which English county?

Derbyshire

ROUND 2

1.

Where would you find the Swilcan Bridge, The Coffins and The Valley of Sin?

St. Andrews (the Old Course)

2.

Exposure to which substance turned hatters “mad’’?

Mercury vapour (which was used to make felt)

3.

What is the stage name of the London born singer-songwriter Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong?

Dido

4.

Which sportsman stood as Tory candidate for Cardiff South-East against Jim Callaghan in 1964, losing heavily?

Ted Dexter

5.

Which three words appearing consecutively in the dictionary mean: perfect or fully-skilled - sexual completion - a pulmonary disease?

Consummate – consummation - consumption

6.

In which battle were Commodore Henry Harwood and Captain Langsdorff pitted against each other?

The Battle of the River Plate

7.

Which country and western singer did Julia Roberts marry in 1993?

Lyle Lovett

8.

Which 1960s play is about a marriage breakdown caused by the ten year struggle to care for their brain-damaged daughter?

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (by Peter Nichols)

ROUND 3

1.

Which band had hit albums in the 1980s entitled Penthouse and Pavement, The Luxury Gap and How Men Are?

Heaven 17

2.

Which organisation was founded in 1961 by a British lawyer, Peter Berenson, and a Quaker, Eric Baker?

Amnesty (International)

3.

In the first episode of which classic TV sitcom did Lord Melbury direct a scam at the central character?

Fawlty Towers

4.

Which fruit, originating in China, has a name that literally means “golden orange” and is normally eaten whole, peel, pips and all?

Kumquat

5.

The Cambridge plot was an attempt to depose which English monarch?

Henry V (1415)

6.

Who wrote the novels The Purple Plain, Fair Stood The Wind For France and My Uncle Silas?

H E Bates

7.

Which orchestra is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year?

Royal Philharmonic

8.

In the 2005 Ashes series, who scored the highest individual score for one innings?

Michael Vaughan (166)

ROUND 4 – Themed Round

The answers are connected by a common theme

(N.B. Two of the theme words are part of larger words)

The theme is revealed beneath the answer to Question 8 and is concealed in the same way as the answers.

1.

Who played Joey Tribbiani in Friends?

Matt LeBlanc

2.

What is the English equivalent of the French surname, Ferrare, the Italian, Ferraro, the Spanish, Herraro and the Russian, Kuznetsov?

Smith

3.

Which rock band, formed in Cambridge in 1965, is thought to have sold 175 to 200 million albums worldwide?

Pink Floyd

4.

In the 1950s which actor had a recurring role as an Australian lodger in the BBC radio comedy series Hancock’s Half Hour?

Bill Kerr

5.

For directing which film was Sir Carol Reed awarded an Oscar?

Oliver

6.

Which international cricketer, who retired in 2004, was for many years regarded as the world’s best fielder, particularly when fielding in the cover point and backward point positions?

Jonty Rhodes

7.

Which writer won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962?

John Steinbeck

8.

Which duo formed in 1997 comprise Meg and Jack?

The White Stripes

All the answers contain surnames of famous chefs

ROUND 5

1.

On which river does Hamburg stand?   

River Elbe

2.

What is the largest living rodent?

Capybara

3.

Asafa Powell broke the world men’s 100m world record in Athens in 2005.  What country does he represent?

Jamaica

4.

Against which king of England did Simon de Montfort lead the Baron’s Revolt?

Henry III

5.

In which 20th century novel would you read the words: “Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ‘em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That’s our official slogan”?

Fahrenheit 451

6.

In which US state were both Presidents Kennedy and Bush senior born?

Massachusetts

7.

“This was the weekend they didn’t play golf” was the tagline of which 1972 John Boorman film?

Deliverance

8.

In which English county does the geographical centre of mainland Britain lie?

Lancashire (5.5 km south-west of Clitheroe)

ROUND 6 

1.

Where would you find Becketts, Maggotts and Copse?

Silverstone (F1 Grand Prix circuit)

2.

“Phossy Jaw” was a condition associated with which occupation?

Matchmaking (phosphorus caused necrosis of the jaw bone)

3.

What is the stage name of the London born R&B singer Niomi McLean-Daley?

Miss Dynamite

4.

Which writer and broadcaster stood as Liberal candidate for Epping in the General Elections of 1955 and 1959?   

John Arlott

5.

Which three words, appearing consecutively in the dictionary mean: salty – vigour - a small rounded sweet roll made with a light yeast dough?

Briny – brio - brioche

6.

In which year was the Battle of the River Plate?

1939

7.

In 2005, country and western singer Kenny Chesney announced that his three month marriage was over.  To which actress had he been married?

Renee Zellwegger

8.

Which 1935 play’s format is uniquely made up of part one and part two with an interlude separating them, the interlude comprising a monologue sermon?

Murder in the Cathedral (by TS Eliot)

ROUND 7

1.

Which band had hit albums in the 1980s entitled Organisation, Architecture and Morality and Junk Culture?

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

2.

Which organisation was founded on September 11, 1961, by, amongst others, Sir Julian Huxley, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Max Nicholson and Sir Peter Scott?

World Wildlife Fund

3.

In which classic sitcom did the central character have a wife called Isobel and a daughter named Ingrid?

Porridge

4.

Which French culinary term indicates vegetables, particularly and originally carrots, cut into long thin strips?

Julienne

5.

Sir Thomas Wyatt was executed for leading a rebellion against which English monarch?

Mary I (1554)

6.

Which author’s novels include: The Osterman Weekend, The Scarlatti Inheritance and The Bourne Identity?

Robert Ludlum

7.

What is the name of the concert hall in Glasgow that has just been renovated and is now home to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra?

City Halls

8.

In the 2005 Ashes series, who was the only batsman on either side to score two centuries?        

Andrew Strauss

ROUND 8 – Themed Round

All the answers have something in common

The theme is revealed beneath the answer to Question 8 and is concealed in the same way as the answers.

1.

Who was Labour MP for Redcar from 1987 to 2001?

Mo Mowlam

2.

Who was Labour MP for Livingston from 1983 to 2005?

Robin Cook

3.

Which woman initiated the Montgomery, Alabama, bus protests when she refused to give up her seat to a white person in 1955?

Rosa Parks

4.

Which American comedian was a host of Saturday Night Live and frequently starred opposite Gene Wilder in film roles, including Silver Streak?

Richard Pryor

5.

Which American singer sang back up vocals on David Bowie’s Young Americans, recorded a debut album Never Too Much in 1981 and had a 1989 hit with Here and Now?

Luther Vandross

6.

Which American author wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

Hunter S Thompson

7.

Who said of David Beckham: “He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn’t score many goals.  Apart from that he’s alright”?

George Best

8.

Which Yorkshire-born journalist secured the first interview with Margaret Thatcher after the Brighton Grand Hotel bomb, and then became widely known as a TV presenter, presenting more programmes than anyone else in British TV history?

Richard Whiteley

All the answers refer to people who died last year

SPARES

1.

Who was Emperor of Rome at the time of the conquest of Britain?

Claudius I

2.

Historically, who was known as Tumbledown Dick?

Richard Cromwell

3.

What are the names of Wales’ 5 cities?

Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor, Newport and St. Davids

4.

What is the name of the recently released film about a homosexual love affair between a ranch-hand and a rodeo rider in 1963 Wyoming?         

Brokeback Mountain

5.

Which City is hosting this year’s Commonwealth Games?

Melbourne

6.

Who, last weekend, won the Ladies Australian Open Tennis Championship?

Amelie Mauresmo

7.

What is the capital city of Fiji?

Suva

8.

Who did Steve Davis beat in the final when he became world champion in 1981?

Doug Mountjoy