ROUND 1

1.

Which country’s peaceful transformation into a democracy was known as ‘The Velvet Revolution’?

Czechoslovakia

2.

Who played the role of Doctor Edward Fitzgerald in a highly acclaimed British TV series?

Robbie Coltrane (Fitz in Cracker)

3.

Which form of pasta takes its name from the Italian word for feathers?

Penne

4.

Which British Prime Minister was born in Canada?

Andrew Bonar Law

5.

Which animal appears on the flag of the Falkland Islands?

A sheep

6.

From which language do we get the word kiosk?

Turkish

7.

Which famous British novelist came up with the advertising slogan “Go to work on an egg”?

Fay Weldon

8.

What are the opening words of Psalm 137?

“By the rivers of Babylon”

ROUND 2

1.

In 2001 which American financier became the world’s first paying space tourist?

Dennis Tito

2.

How long is a standard NBA basketball court?

94 feet (allow 2 feet either way)

3.

Which historical figure was wrapped in gold and buried in a glass coffin?

Alexander the Great

4.

Place the following European cities in order of population size: Birmingham, Marseilles, Cologne, Turin - starting with the largest.

Birmingham (966k), Cologne (963k), Turin (904 k), Marseilles (797k) - figures taken from Collins Dictionary

5.

What is scotophobia a fear of?

Scottish people

6.

Who was the last owner of Punch magazine before it ceased publication?

Mohammed Al Fayed

7.

What is the collective name for a group of owls?

A parliament

8.

What is the name of the good witch in The Wizard of Oz?

Glinda

ROUND 3

1.

From which American State was Dorothy taken to the land of Oz?

Kansas

2.

What is the collective name for a group of larks?

An exaltation

3.

Which famous footballer wrote a regular column for Punch magazine shortly before it finally ceased publication?

George Best

4.

What is panophobia a fear of?

Everything

5.

Place the following European cities in order of population size: Bristol, Lyon, Geneva, Verona – starting with the largest.

Lyon (445k), Bristol (380k), Verona (255k), Geneva (173k) – figures taken from Collins Dictionary

6.

Which historical figure designed his own tomb in the form of a sphere inside a cylinder?

Archimedes (to commemorate his discovery that a sphere occupies two thirds of the space of a cylinder)

7.

How long is a standard ten-pin bowling lane?

60 feet (allow 2 feet either way)

8.

In 1965 who became the first man to go into space twice?

Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom

ROUND 4

1.

What are the opening words of Psalm 23?

“The Lord is my shepherd”

2.

Which famous British novelist came up with the advertising slogan “naughty but nice” for cream cakes?

Salman Rushdie

3.

From which language do we get the word alcohol?

Arabic

4.

Inspired by a soap opera character, what derogatory nickname was given by British Army personnel to the local inhabitants during the Falklands War?

Bennies (after Benny from Crossroads)

5.

Which British Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for Manchester Central Library?

Ramsey McDonald

6.

Which nut is used in the making of pesto sauce?

Pine nut

7.

In which British TV series does a character called Detective Superintendent Peter Boyle appear?

Waking the Dead

8.

Which country’s peaceful transformation to democracy was known as ‘The Orange Revolution’?

Ukraine

ROUND 5

1.

When George VI became king he broke a custom which had been established by the first five Georges.  What was it?

He was the first George to have a British born wife, rather than a German one

2.

What is the nationality of the Formula One racing driver Mark Webber?

Australian

3.

Which African country has the greatest land area?

Sudan

4.

Which feminist magazine was founded by Gloria Steinem in 1972?

Spare Rib

5.

In which Jane Austen novel does the character Anne Elliot appear?

Persuasion

6.

John Coltrane created a jazz piece containing hundreds of variations of which song from The Sound of Music?

My Favourite Things

7.

Which organisation for the registration of pedigree dogs was set up in London in 1873?

The Kennel Club

8.

Which Spanish word meaning ‘good weather’ is used in English for a rich source of wealth suddenly gained?

Bonanza

ROUND 6 

1.

Which element gets its name from the Greek for ‘light bearing’?

Phosphorus

2.

Which supermarket chain sells a range of food called 'Be Good to yourself'?

Sainsbury’s

3.

Mickle Fall is the highest point of which English county?

Durham

4.

Who has claimed that the British car industry is owned by Nazis?

Jeremy Clarkson

5.

Why have Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan been in the news recently?

They were accused of attempting to blackmail a minor member of the Royal Family

6.

Apart from being headmaster at a school for wizards what is a dumbledore?

A bumble bee

7.

What event was being referred to by the following quotation: “a great party is not to be brought down because of a scandal by a woman of easy virtue and a proved liar”?

The Profumo Affair (said by Lord Hailsham)

8.

In which sport is there an event called Devil Take the Hindmost'?

Cycling - on each lap of the velodrome the last placed rider is eliminated

ROUND 7

1.

The French call this sport ‘Ball-Trap’ – what is it known as in Britain?

Clay pigeon shooting

2.

What was the legal occupation of Stephen Ward who committed suicide during the Profumo Affair?

An osteopath

3.

By what name is the prairie wolf better known?

Coyote

4.

Why has Romuald Rat been in the news recently?

He is the photographer who sold the rights of pictures of the dying Princess Diana to The Sun

5.

In the interview, which got him fired by Marks and Spencer, what aspect of Nazism did the singer Brian Ferry claim to admire?

Their fashion sense (as seen in their parades and rallies)

6.

Cleeve Cloud is the highest point of which English county?

Gloucestershire

7.

Which supermarket chain sells a range of food called ‘Good for You’?

Asda

8.

Which element gets its name from the Greek phrase for 'bad smell'?

Bromine

ROUND 8

1.

Which area of South America is known by a name derived from the Portuguese for big forest?

Matto Grosso

2.

Which medical charity was set up in 1928 by the Reverend John Flynn?

The Flying Doctor Service

3.

The British jazz musician Stan Tracey composed a jazz suite based on which post-second world war verse play?

Under Milk Wood

4.

In which Jane Austen novel does the character Fanny Price appear?

Mansfield Park

5.

Which feminist publishing company was set up by Carmen Callill in 1977?

Virago

6.

The island of Zanzibar rose to economic importance as the centre of the trade in which spice?

Cloves

7.

What is the nationality of the Formula One racing driver Adrian Sutil?

Dutch

8.

Apart from their name what common experience links William I, William II and William III?

All met their deaths while riding horses

SPARES

1.

What was the last battle on British soil to be fought mainly in the streets of a city?

Battle of Worcester (1651)

2.

Who played W S Gilbert in Mike Leigh’s film Topsy Turvy?

Jim Broadbent

3.

In which book of the Bible does the death of Goliath occur?

First Book of Samuel

4.

Which bank has been the subject of a failed takeover bid by Barclays?

ABN AMRO

5.

What is the country of origin of Absolut vodka?

Sweden

6.

What is Canada’s national animal?

Beaver