Northern Kentucky Academic League
Freshman Packet #2
-First Half1. The generosity of this emperor was legendary. During his pilgrimage to Mecca, he brought thousands
of pounds of gold with him, which he handed out to the poor along the way. He also traded and built
mosques in the cities he encountered. Who was this “king of kings” of the Mali Empire that reigned from
1312 to 1337?
(Mansa) Musa
2. Prior to the 16th century, this was the most often used method for creating paintings. What is this
permanent painting medium, often made with an egg yolk binder, which dries extremely fast?
Tempera
3. Three dice are rolled. What is the probability of rolling a sum of 18?
1/216
4. This is the study of a certain kingdom of organisms. Topics within the discipline would include the use
of penicillin, the creation of cheese, and the toxicity of some of the organisms to humans. Elias Magnus
Fries was among the topic’s forerunners. What is the scientific study of fungi?
Mycology
5. During the Second World War, this British author of George’s Marvellous Medicine served in the Royal
Air Force as a fighter pilot. After the war, he began writing, often for children, but also exhibiting a dark
humor in his work. Who is this 20th century British novelist, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory and James and the Giant Peach?
(Roald) Dahl
6. This artist created two paintings with the title Virgin on the Rocks, depicting the Madonna, and two
children, Jesus and John the Baptist. He is considered one of the forerunners in the use of sfumato as he
did in his most famous work, which is sometimes referred to as La Gioconda. Who was this master of the
Italian Renaissance, the creator of such works as The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa?
(Leonardo) da Vinci
7. This empire’s founding in 330 coincides with the creation of its capital, a city that is named for its first
emperor. The end of the empire is marked by the capital’s fall to the Ottomans. What was this empire,
which lasted from 330 to 1453 with only one interruption lasting 57 years that had its capital at
Constantinople?
Byzantine Empire
8. Find the mode of the following set of numbers: 25, 14, 16, 18, 22, 18, 12.
18
9. Cytokinesis occurs after the final step in this process, resulting in the new nucleus being taken into a
newly formed cell. The stages of this process are prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and
telophase. By what process do the chromosomes in an animal cell divide to create new nuclei?
Mitosis
10. This early 20th century novel depicts the mental and physical effects of war on the people that fight.
The narrator of this work, Paul Baumer, is killed at the end of the book in a short epilogue written in the
third person. Written with the author’s own experiences in mind, what is this realistic view of World
War One by Erich Maria Remarque?
All Quiet on the Western Front
11. This nation is a constitutional monarchy with King Phillippe having taken the throne in July of 2013
after his father Albert the Second abdicated. In recent years, its government has been reformed due to
political strife between the people of Flanders and Wallonia. What is this Western European nation that
is bordered to the south by France and to the north by the Netherlands?
Belgium
12. This style of art developed in the United States following the Second World War and included the
works of action painters and color field painters. What was this art movement of the twentieth century
that was undertaken by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko?
Abstract Expressionism
13. The molecular formula for this molecule is C-four-H-four-N-two-O-two. It pairs with adenine during
the transcription process. What is this nucleotide that appears in RNA but not in DNA?
Uracil
14. This man’s first three Pulitzer Prizes were for his plays Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie, and
Strange Interlude. Who is this four-time Pulitzer Prize for drama winner and author of Desire Under the
Elms and Long Day’s Journey Into Night?
(Eugene) O’Neill
15. What is the surface area of a sphere with radius measuring 3 inches long?
36 pi square inches (or inches squared)
16. Parts of the various types of these structures include a volute, a capital, and a base. Featured on the
White House and the Parthenon, what are these important structures in classical and neoclassical
architecture that are typically Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian in style?
Column(s)
17. This phylum’s name means “pore bearers” and they possess a water flow system that provides both
minimal movement as well as a source of food. What is this animal phylum that includes the world’s
sponges?
Porifera
18. Thirteen years before it became a state, it had a border dispute with Missouri an event that has
become known as the Honey War. Joining the Union in 1846, it became the 29th state. The only state to
have no consonants in its postal code abbreviation, what is this state whose eastern border is formed by
the Mississippi River, Illinois, and Wisconsin?
Iowa
19. What is the measure of an exterior of a regular dodecagon?
30 degrees
20. Characters in this play include Harry Hope, the owner of the saloon, Ed Mosher, a former circus man,
and Piet Wetjoen and Cecil Lewis, both former military men. Hickey, a hardware salesman, admits to
killing his wife prompting a visit by the police. What is this Eugene O’Neill play about a group of bar
patrons awaiting the return of a guest that always adds excitement to the occasion?
The Iceman Cometh
21. This genre of music developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries using brass instruments and is
known for its rhythm and, in live shows, improvisation. Emerging from ragtime, what is this style of
music whose greatest performers include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie?
Jazz
22. Cyanobacteria were the first organisms to undertake this process, and thus were the first
photoautotrophs. What is this process by which plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen to release back
into the atmosphere and sugar for usage by the plant?
Photosynthesis
23. Opposite angles of a parallelogram have measures of 3x plus 10 degrees and 2x plus 40 degrees.
What is the measure of one of these two angles?
100 degrees
24. When this man read his colleague’s work The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, he
became convinced of the coming revolution whereby the proletariat would rise up against their
capitalist oppressors. Who is this 19th century German author of Das Kapital and co-author of The
Communist Manifesto, a treatise he wrote with Friedrich Engels?
(Karl) Marx
25. This man’s first poetry collection, published in 1923 at the young age of 18, is translated as Book of
Twilights, but it was his next collection for which this Chilean gained worldwide fame. Who was this
winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature, the author of the collection, Twenty Love Poems and a
Song of Despair?
(Pablo) Neruda
26. This dance movement often involves a sweeping kick outward after the leap and prior to landing.
What is this ballet term whereby the dancer lands on two feet simultaneously, despite having leapt from
either one or two feet?
Assemble
27. This human organ is the sight of the anterior chamber, ciliary process, and conjunctiva. It is also
where the vitreous body, a clear gel can be found. What is this organ that most humans have two of,
and which contain cells that are called rods and cones?
Eye
28. Solve the following equation for x: seven to the x power plus thirteen equals three-hundred fifty-six.
X equals three
29. Often the author will reveal a future event or outcome in a sly fashion earlier in the work through
some means. What is this literary device which often comes in the form of a prediction made by a
character, which then through a series of events, comes to pass?
Foreshadowing
30. Operant conditioning is an example of this approach to psychology in which the psychologist
attempts to learn about an individual’s thought processes and how those thoughts lead to their actions
through experiment and observation. What is this approach to psychology that was further developed in
the 20th century by such individuals as Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, and John Watson?
Behaviorism
-End of First Half-Second Half1. It was Albert Einstein’s discovery of these subatomic particles in his paper on their effect on a blackbody that led to the quantum revolution in physics. What is this subatomic particle that can act as both
a wave and particle, travels at the speed of light, and in fact is the carrier of light energy?
Photon
2. What is the area of a rhombus with diagonals measuring 14 centimeters long and 18 centimeters
long?
126 square centimeters (or centimeters squared)
3. Headquartered in Langley, Virginia, George Herbert Walker Bush served as the director of this
independent agency in 1976 and 1977. As of the summer of 2014 the director of this organization is
John Brennan. What is this secretive governmental body that is responsible for intelligence gathering,
analysis and other covert operations?
Central Intelligence Agency (Accept: CIA)
4. These plays typically come in pairs and are performed with a Kyogen play occurring between the two.
In this dramatic form men played both men and women and both genders’ characters wore masks.
What is this form of Japanese drama that emerged in the 13th century?
Noh
5. The second half of this ancient work details a king’s response to his friend’s death and his attempt to
achieve immortality in the face of his friend’s mortality. What is this Sumerian work which tells the story
of a King of Uruk and his relationship with his friend, a wild man named Enkidu?
Epic of Gilgamesh
6. It affords a defendant the right to face their accuser, which also makes hearsay inadmissible in a
criminal trial. What is this amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees a person’s right to due
process when accused of a crime?
6th (Amendment)
7. What is the circumference of a circle with a volume of 45 pi square centimeters?
6 radical 5 pi centimeters
8. This Latin poet wrote two collections of love poems in couplet form entitled Amores and Ars
Amatoria. However he is best remembered today for a narrative poem that includes hundreds of myths
telling a history through the author’s contemporary figures. Who was this Roman author of
Metamorphoses?
Ovid
9. This is equal to 6.241 times 10 to the 18th power electrons passing a point on an electric currect per
second. Named for a turn of the 19th century Frenchman who did profound work on electricity, what is
this Si unit of electric current?
Ampere (accept: Amp(s))
10. This Greek god was the god of thieves, trade, and athletes. It was this god that protected King Priam
of Troy when he set out to the Greek camp to fetch his son’s body. Who was this Greek Messenger god,
the equivalent of the Roman god, Mercury?
Hermes
11. A 30-30-120 degree triangle has congruent sides measuring 12 inches long each. What is the
perimeter of this triangle?
24 plus 12 radical 3 inches
12. The Idylls of the King and The Once and Future King have both used this 15th century work as its
primary source of information. Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere serve as the focus of this work’s Book
VII. What is this work about a king and his knights that was written by Sir Thomas Mallory and first
published in 1485?
Le Morte d’Arthur
13. This alliance was signed in 1882 and would last for the next thirty-two years when it was broken by
one of its members, Italy, who did come to the aid of Austria-Hungary militarily at the beginning of
World War I. What was this alliance that opposed the Triple Entente during the war and also included
Germany?
Triple Alliance
14. In thermodynamics this measure is typically denoted by a capital letter S though the word does not
contain that letter. It is the subject of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. What is this measure of the
disorder in an isolated system that will continue to increase with time?
Entropy
15. This tenant of Buddhism is often represented with a dharma wheel where there number of spokes
play an important role. Gaining the right view, right intention, and right speech are the first three of the
steps along this way. According to Buddha, what was the way to the end of suffering and the initiation of
self-awakening?
Eightfold Path
16. Mary, Queen of Scots was a member of this royal house that developed out of her home of Scotland,
though unlike many members of her extended family, she never sat on the English throne. What was
this English dynasty that succeeded the Tudors following the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First?
Stuart Dynasty
17. Two chords, AB and CD, intersect within a circle at point F. AF is 4 inches long. BF is 12 inches long.
CF is 8 inches long. How long is DF?
6 inches
18. Radiation that is emitted across the event horizon from a black hole is named for this British
physicist. In 2014, he published a scientific paper claiming that our understanding of black holes needed
to be overhauled. Who is this author of A Brief History of Time and other achievements in astrophysics
that are made more impressive by the fact that he lives with ALS?
(Stephen) Hawking
19. She starred in the Royal Ballets performances of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Dying
Swan. Who was this English ballerina, the Prima Ballerina Assoluta of The Royal Ballet, who is often
associated with Rudolf Nureyev, with whom she danced for many years?
(Margot) Fonteyn
20. It is believed that Dido, Queen of Carthage was this man’s first drama. In 1587, he wrote
Tamburlaine the Great. Famously killed by being stabbed in the head during a bar fight, who was this
English author of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus?
(Christopher) Marlowe
21. What is the area of an ellipse with equation x squared over 25 plus y squared over 49 equals 1?
35 pi
22. His father, died before his grandfather, who was still on the throne of France, and thus, in 1771
when that grandfather died, he began an eighteen year reign that would see the end of the monarchy.
Who was this King of France, the husband of Marie Antoinette, both of whom were beheaded during
the French Revolution?
Louis XVI
23. Songs from this musical include “Mix Tape”, “Schadenfreude”, and “My Girlfriend, Who Lives in
Canada.” Among the longest running shows in Broadway history, what is this musical in which puppets
intermingle with humans in a coming of age story that depicts the difficult entrance into adulthood for
the main characters?
Avenue Q
24. This scale does not take into account the actual size of the event but rather the amount of damage
left in the wake of the tornado. What is this scale, named for its Japanese-American creator, which rates
tornados on a scale from F-Zero to F-Five?
Fujita Scale
25. This play has three witches and includes the line “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and
caldron bubble.” Its secondary characters include Banquo, Duncan, and the Thane of Cawdor, the later
of which lends his name to the drama. What is this play by William Shakespeare that has a Scottish King
as its title character?
Macbeth
26. Six coins are flipped. What is the probability that they will all show the same face?
1/32
27. This instrument was invented in the early 18th century by Johann Denner and it was based on the
pre-existing instrument known as the chalumeau. Famous players of this instrument include Benny
Goodman, Pete Fountain, and Don Byron. What is this single-reed, cylindrical, woodwind instrument
that has a flared bell?
Clarinet
28. The presence of one of these substances results in less energy being required to initiate the reaction.
What is this term that refers to a substance that accelerates the rate at which a reaction takes place
though it remains unchanged by the reaction?
Catalyst
29. In 1931, the nation in which this conflict was fought removed its monarchy in favor of a democratic
republic. Five years later, Francisco Franco attempted a coup that resulted in this war being fought over
the following three years. What was this conflict in which Franco received support from the German
Luftwaffe in solidifying his position as the head of state?
Spanish Civil War
30. This 18th century novel was sold by Samuel Johnson on behalf of the author for sixty pounds so that
the latter could make rent. The title character is Doctor Charles Primrose and he serves as the narrator.
Within this book’s pages, Primrose goes bankrupt and is saved from financial ruin. What is this 19th
century novel by Oliver Goldsmith?
The Vicar of Wakefield
-End of Second Half-Teibreakers1. This 1989 film was directed by Peter Weir. Set at a New England academy, it tells the story of English
teacher John Keating, who inspires students to seize the day. What is this winner of the 1990 Academy
Award for Original Screenplay starring Robin Williams?
Dead Poets Society
2. This element was first isolated by Humphry Davy in the early 19th century. At room temperature it is a
silvery white metal. With an atomic number of eleven, what is this alkali metal that has the atomic
symbol N-A?
Sodium
3. The sine of a first quadrant angle equals 7/25. What is the tangent of this angle?
7/24
4. The State of Maryland attempted to halt all operations taken by the Second Bank of the United States
within its borders by imposing large taxes on the bank. What Supreme Court case ruled that one level of
government was not allowed to tax another level within the United States?
McCulloch v. Maryland
5. “The song they just played is great, but the one I heard earlier today, the one that had a funky beat, is
even better.” The previous sentence demonstrates what type of sentence structure?
Compound-Complex (Sentence)
-End of Tiebreakers-