Match 6 - 2010  P177 and P178  QUESTIONS UNLIMITED
1. (5) What is the Highland Fling: is it a kind of tree, bird, drink, or dance?
Ans. Dance
2. (20) The world's longest breakwater is the 6.7-mile-long granite South Breakwater, located at what Texas
city?
Ans. Galveston
3. (10) They are chemical substances produced by microorganisms that destroy or control the growth of other
microorganisms. Medical use began in the Far East and was noted in Classical Greece and Rome. The modern
era began when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. Name these substances.
Ans. Antibiotics
4. (10) Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Niger, Mali, and Chad. These are now all independent African states.
They were once ruled by the same colonial power. Which one?
Ans. France
5. (20) Find the volume of a sphere whose radius is 6 inches. Let pi = 3.14.
Ans. 904.78 square inches
6. (10) From Shakespeare's Antony And Cleopatra, what is the meaning of the expression salad days?
Ans. Time of youth and inexperience
7. (5) "On a Grecian Urn," "On Melancholy," and "To a Nightingale" are all what kind of poem?
Ans. Ode
8. (10) Who painted 15 variations on Delacroix's Women Of Algiers in 1954 and 1955?
Ans. Picasso
9. (15) State the mathematical expression which is both the invariant of a second degree equation and the
discriminant of a quadratic equation.
Ans. B squared - 4AC
10. (10) What was the religion of Mahatma Gandhi?
Ans. Hindu
11. (5) What coast of Australia is Sydney on?
Ans. East
12. (15) Who or what is standing in the shade "Under the spreading chestnut tree" in the poem by Longfellow?
Ans. The Village Smithy (the blacksmith shop)
13. (10) A woman buys two dozen apples and one dozen oranges. She makes a pie with half of the apples and
squeezes six oranges for juice. Next time she goes to the store, she buys half as many apples and oranges as she
has left. How many pieces of fruit does she then have altogether?
Ans. 27
14. (15) Cheops is the Greek name for the Egyptian monarch who built the greatest of the pyramids. What is
his Egyptian name?
Ans. Khufu
15. (20) The FNMA, nicknamed "Fannie Mae," is a private, federally chartered corporation. For what do the
initials stand?
Ans. Federal National Mortgage Association
16. (5) Which river carries as much water in a day as the Thames carries in a year?
Ans. Amazon
17. (15) In Greek mythology, Cassandra was placed under a curse by Apollo. The story of Cassandra thereafter
is the basis for a modern-day usage of the name. What is meant by referring to a person as a Cassandra?
Ans. A person who makes prophecies that won't be believed.
18. (10) How many Jews was Adolf Hitler accused of murdering during World War II?
Ans. 6 million
19. (10) Which New England state has been called "Arsenal of the Nation" since the Civil War?
Ans. Connecticut
20. (5) What afternoon nap is derived from the Spanish sexta, meaning sixth?
Ans. Siesta
21. (15) Putting an end to 30 years of hostility in 1979, President Carter resumed full diplomatic relations with
what nation?
Ans. People's Republic of China
22. (5) Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth. It is also one of the two elements found in the most
common compound on Earth. Name it.
Ans. Water
23. (15) Which heavenly bodies aside from the moon exhibit phases?
Ans. Mercury and Venus
24. (5) Who was the Roman Catholic missionary who traveled with trapper Louis Joliet?
Ans. Father Marquette
25. (10) Matrimony is the state of being married. What is acrimony?
Ans. Harshness of temper; bad manners; bitterness
26. (20) The basic format of Plutarch's Parallel Lives is to compare the life of a Greek with that of a Roman.
I'll give you eight men analyzed by Plutarch, and you match up the Greek to the corresponding Roman. Greeks:
Theseus, Alexander, Demosthenes, Aristides. Romans: Cicero, Romulus, Cato, Caesar.
Ans. Theseus--Romulus, Alexander--Caesar, Demosthenes--Cicero, Aristides--Cato
27. (10) Wienerschnitzel, that favorite German entree, is made with: pork, fish, veal, or chicken?
Ans. Veal
28. (15) How do you spell WIENERSCHNITZEL?
29. (15) What does the Latin question, Quo vadis, ask?
Ans. Where are you going?
30. (20) After Mark Twain, who was the most popular writer in America at the turn of the century? Hint: He
was not an American.
Ans. Rudyard Kipling
31. (5) First marketed in 1935, a board game now has a world championship contest. A book about it analyzes
tactics, gives advice on what property to buy, and even tells you that Illinois Avenue is the property most
frequently landed on. What is the game?
Ans. Monopoly
32. (15) Two operas, both based on Shakespeare's Othello, composed in the 19th century, both by Italian
composers--name either of the composers.
Ans. Verdi or Rossini
33. (10) This ancient Semitic language was spoken throughout the ancient Near East from 700 B.C. to A.D.
700. It is believed that Jesus spoke a dialect of it, as it was the popular tongue of Palestine. Name it.
Ans. Aramaic
34. (20) Edison invented a cylinder talking machine, called the phonograph. Emile Berliner invented a disk
talking machine, called what?
Ans. Gramophone
35. (5) What is the cube of 4?
Ans. 64
36. (15) Most of the earth's land area is in the Northern Hemisphere. What's the largest country entirely within
the Southern Hemisphere?
Ans. Australia
37. (5) What is said to be the coldest and most undesirable place in Russia?
Ans. Siberia
38. (15) This is an official of a state or municipal government. His chief duty is to be present at the signing of
official documents. The signer takes an oath that the information is correct and the official verifies that the oath
was taken. He then affixes a seal to the document. What is the official called?
Ans. Notary public
39. (10) If 10 fence posts are placed 10 feet apart in a straight line, what is the distance between the first and
last post?
Ans. 90 feet
40. (20) Child-bed fever killed many new mothers in hospitals in the 18th and 19th centuries. Name the cause
of this fatal disease.
Ans. Doctors not washing their hands
41-44. I'll give you the superstitious cause, and you supply the superstitious consequence.
41. If you break a mirror . . .
Ans. Seven years' bad luck.
42. If you catch a wedding bouquet . . .
Ans. Your wedding will be next.
43. If you walk under a ladder . . .
Ans. Bad luck is coming soon.
44. If you knock on wood . . .
Ans. An optimistic wish will be fulfilled.
45-49. Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky, but I have questions about good things that happened on
Friday the 13th.
45. Passed on July 13, 1787, what ordinance created a territory that was later divided into the states of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota?
Ans. Northwest Ordinance
46. On December 13, 1878, England inaugurated its first street-lighting system powered by what energy
source?
Ans. Electricity
47, On July 13, 1906, what French captain, wrongfully convicted of treason, was reinstated in the Army?
Ans. Alfred Dreyfus
48. On February 13, 1914, what society was formed for the purpose of collecting royalties to protect
composers and lyricists?
Ans. ASCAP
49. On April 13, 1928, Secretary of State Kellogg formally proposed banning what as an instrument of
national policy?
Ans. War
50-53. Answer these questions related to the theme "Beginnings."
50. (5) If the Montreal Expos come to Wrigley Field for a game against the Chicago Cubs, what two songs will
probably be played before the contest starts?
Ans. "O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner"
51. (10) Often silly fraternity or sorority initiation rites that in the extreme have killed some pledges are called .
..
Ans. Hazing
52. (15) What name is given to graduation ceremonies? Although it is the end of school, it is the beginning of a
new life.
Ans. Commencement
53. (20) What do we call the formal appointment to perform public religious acts, called Holy Orders in the
Catholic Church?
Ans. Ordination
54-57. Identify these words beginning with the prefix pre-.
54. It is a manufacturing term which means made beforehand.
Ans. Prefabricated
55. An introductory statement, preface, or introduction to a document.
Ans. Preamble
56. To hasten the occurrence of an event, to abet or meddle.
Ans. Precipitate
57. A commandment or directive such as a rule of conduct.
Ans. Precept
58-60. Give the nationalities of these writers:
58. (5) Hans Christian Andersen
Ans. Danish
59. (10) Virgil
Ans. Roman
60. (10) Alberto Moravia
Ans. Italian
61. (5) What results from applying 100,000 atmospheres of pressure at 2500 degrees C to graphite?
Ans. Diamond
62. (10) The oxide of what lightweight metal forms corundum, rubies, and sapphires?
Ans. Aluminum
63. (5) What is an edible flat seed native to India which is used for oil?
Ans. Sesame
64. (10) What tall, annual plant native to northern Asia yields a strong fiber used for ropes and the drug
cannabis?
Ans. Hemp
65. (10) Sodium explodes violently when mixed with what common substance?
Ans. Water
66. (20) What major North Vietnamese port was mined by the United States?
Ans. Haiphong
67. (20) If A + B = 45 degrees, what is the value of (1 + tan A) (1 + tan B)?
Ans. 2
68. (10) Bitter ones are used to flavor food extracts. Sweet ones are used in cosmetics and medicine, as well as
for cooking, roasting, and eating. Name this common nut.
Ans. Almond
69. (10) Match these Latin names -- atrium, hortus, culina -- with these parts of an ancient Roman house -kitchen, courtyard, garden.
Ans. Atrium -- courtyard, hortus -- garden, culina -- kitchen
70. (15) What Gilbert and Sullivan operetta poked fun at the Queen's navy?
Ans. H.M.S. Pinafore
71. (10) Identify any one of the years when Eugene Debs ran for the Presidency as a Socialist candidate and
lost.
Ans. 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1920
72. (5) Who retreated from Moscow in 1812?
Ans. Napoleon
73. (15) Match these works about royalty with these authors. Titles: The Queen of Spades, The Faerie Queen,
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, King Lear. Authors: Mark Twain, Alexander Pushkin, William
Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser.
Ans. Queen of Spades --Pushkin, Faerie --Spenser, Connecticut --Twain, Lear --Shakespeare
74. (5) Does a kilogram weigh 1.24 pounds, 2.24 pounds, 3.24 pounds, or 4.24 pounds?
Ans. 2.24
75. (5) With what characteristic of the Earth is the value 23 ½ degrees associated?
Ans. Angle of axis tilt
76. (10) Which of the following is the oldest port on the North American Pacific coast: Acapulco, San Diego,
Los Angeles, or San Francisco?
Ans. Acapulco
77. (15) At the first Academy Awards ceremony, four of the five movies nominated for Best Picture were
Paramount productions. Which of them won?
Ans. Wings
78. (15) The salmoniformes include the pikes, salmon, and trout, among others. What is included in the
cetominiformes?
Ans. Sharks and whales
79. (10) In the Constitutional sense, which one of the following words is closest in meaning to impeachment:
removal, conviction, judgment, or indictment?
Ans. Indictment
80. (5) What member of the weasel family is known for its olfactory assault?
Ans. Skunk
81. (10) What conic section may be defined as the set of points in a plane such that for each point of the set, the
sum of its distances to two fixed points is a given constant?
Ans. Ellipse
82. (10) Which musical instrument is known as a "licorice stick"?
Ans. Clarinet
83. (20) Who composed a set of four overtures for his opera?
Ans. Beethoven (for Fidelio)
84. (10) All of the following may be caused by a virus except: poliomyelitis, influenza, malaria, or smallpox?
Ans. Malaria
85. (10) Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite had a great dispute over a golden apple that was inscribed, "To the
fairest." Paris was called on to arbitrate the argument -- to decide which goddess was the fairest. Hera offered
him power if he chose her. Athena offered him military success. But Aphrodite made him an offer he couldn't
refuse. With what did Aphrodite tempt him?
Ans. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world (who turned out to be Helen of
Troy).
86. (15) Match these four parties involved in the Presidential election of 1860--Republican, Democratic,
Southern Democrats, Constitutional Union--with these candidates--John Bell, John Breckenridge, Stephen A.
Douglas, Abraham Lincoln.
Ans. Republican--Lincoln, Democratic--Douglas, Southern Democrats--Breckenridge, Constitutional
Union--Bell
87. (5) Which is shortest, a tropical year, a sidereal year, or an anomalistic year?
Ans. Tropical year (It's equinox to equinox. Sidereal is with respect to fixed stars. Anomalistic is
between two perihelions.)
88. (5) What are a porcupine's needles called?
Ans. Quills
89. (5) American, slippery, rock, winged, cedar, and English are six varieties of a tree often plagued by a Dutch
disease. Identify this tree, under which Washington stood when he took command of the American army.
Ans. Elm
90. (10) What is wrong with the following sentence? "Please endorse this check by signing it on the back."
Ans. It's redundant; to endorse is to sign on the back.
91. (20) There were a number of French kings named Charles. Which one was the son of Catherine de'Medici?
Ans. Charles IX
92. (5) He seemed bigger than life. When he made an important speech he was like a schoolboy pounding with
one fist after the other. He was a soldier, rancher, and big game hunter, but most of all, a politician. He walked
with a fierce, determined stride that made newspaper reporters dog-trot to keep up with him. He said, "I'm only
an average man--but, by George, I work harder at it than the average man." When he became President, he
called his administration the Square Deal. Who was he?
Ans. Theodore Roosevelt
93. (10) What did Esau sell because he was hungry?
Ans. His birthright
94. (15) In political science, what do we call the right of people to form their own nations?
Ans. Self-determination
95. (20) A 10-kilogram ball rolls down an inclined plane, starting at a height of 5 meters. Neglecting air
resistance and friction, what velocity is the ball rolling at the bottom of the incline plane?
Ans. 9.9 meters per second
96. (15) Place these battles of the 15th century in England in proper chronological order: Bosworth, Agincourt,
St. Albans.
Ans. Agincourt, St. Albans, Bosworth
97. (5) If the digits of the number 102 are averaged, the result is 1, since the sum of 1, 0, and 2 yields 1 when
divided by 3. Give me any two of the other five 3-digit numbers whose average digit is 1.
Ans. 111, 120, 201, 210, 300
98. (10) Their first success was a series of prints depicting great disasters. Some of their work showed current
events, but their bestselling prints were pastoral scenes bought by the increasingly urban middle class. Name
this famous pair of artists.
Ans. Nathaniel Currier and James Ives
99. (10) Name this Canadian province, which is bounded by Maine to the west, Quebec to the north, and
touches Nova Scotia on the south.
Ans. New Brunswick
100. (15) Huge deposits of sediment at the mouths of ravines in Death Valley are called: (a) moraines, (b)
alluvial fans, (c) drumlins, (d) sand dunes, or (e) deltas?
Ans. (b) alluvial fans
101. (5) Triple and then double three. What is the result?
Ans. 18
102. (5) U.S. participation in the Korean War was under the sponsorship of what organization?
Ans. United Nations
103. (5) Which of these literary forms developed last: biography, essay, novel, sonnet, or short story?
Ans. Short story
104. (15) What peninsula was called Chosen by the Japanese when it was their puppet state from 1392 to 1910?
Ans. Korea
105. (5) How do you spell IMMORTALITY?
106. (5) 84% of a raw apple is what substance?
Ans. Water
107. (20) An English writer of the 17th century, author of poems, plays, and other writings, had as his last great
work Fables: Ancient and Modern, paraphrases of tales by Chaucer, Boccaccio, and Ovid. Among his poems is
one called "Alexander's Feast." Who was he?
Ans. John Dryden
108. (5) Does nurture mean the same as foster, feed, provide, or furnish?
Ans. Feed
109. (5) Of the 5continents symbolized by the Olympic rings, only one has never held games. Name it.
Ans. Africa
110. (10) After the Romans attained supremacy over the Greeks, the chief caravan routes from the east ended
at: (a) Constantinople, (b) Rome, (c) Antioch, or (d) Alexandria?
Ans. (c) Antioch
Current Events 1st Half: 0909-4
111. (5)
What media company agreed to buy Marvel Comics for $4 billion?
Ans. Disney
112. (20) Why did Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez say he plans to break off diplomatic relations with
Colombia?
Ans. Colombia will let the U.S. use its military bases.
113. (5)
Diane Sawyer was recently selected to replace Charles Gibson as the anchor of which network’s
evening news?
Ans. ABC’s
114. (15) The U.S. government is condemning Israel's reported plans to build new settlement homes in which
Palestinian territory?
Ans. The West Bank
115. (15) What country in Oceania was recently suspended from the Commonwealth?
Ans. Fiji
116. (15) In addition to arson, California fire authorities have added what charge to a massive wildfire that has
scarred 226 square miles?
Ans. Homicide
117. (10) European and American officials marked which anniversary of World War II?
Ans. 70th
118. (10) North Korea sent a letter to the United Nations announcing that “reprocessing of spent fuel rods is at
its final phase and extracted ____ is being weaponized.” Fill in the blank.
Ans. Plutonium
119. (10) China is what neighboring country’s No. 1 defender in international forums, its chief weapons
supplier, its biggest foreign investor, and a key supporter of its ruling military junta?
Ans. Myanmar
120. (10) A new report has listed the top areas for jobs between now and 2016. Name any one of the three top
areas.
Ans. Health care, computer technology and education
Current Events 2nd Half: 0909-6
121. (15) Which retired Boston athlete has indicated that he may run for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat?
Ans. Curt Schilling
122. (5)
American intelligence agencies have determined in recent months that this nation has
created enough nuclear fuel to make a quick, if risky, push for a nuclear weapon. But new intelligence reports
received by the White House indicate that the country has deliberately stopped short of the crucial last steps to
make a bomb. Name the nation.
Ans. Iran
123. (10) What two gambling methods or establishments in most states are reporting a decrease in revenue for
the first time, resulting in a downturn in the money collected by state and local governments?
Ans. Casinos and lotteries
124. (10) In June 2009, a man named Apa went where for a record 19th time?
Ans. The summit of Everest
125. (5)
Who was the first to hold the cabinet position now held by Hillary Rodham Clinton?
Ans. Thomas Jefferson
126. (15) One year after collapse of this investment firm set off a series of federal interventions, the
government is the nation’s biggest lender, insurer, automaker and guarantor against risk for investors
large and small. Name that firm.
Ans. Lehman Brothers
127. (15)
measure?
The price of gold recently rose above $1,000. That's a thousand bucks for what unit of
Ans. Ounce
128. (20) The Obama administration suffered an embarrassment over one of its appointments when an adviser,
Van Jones, resigned following allegations that he had a record of disparaging remarks about
Republicans and had signed a petition alleging government involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks (he
denied ever signing such a document). What role did Jones play in the White House?
Ans. An adviser on “green” jobs
129. (5)
After several weeks of speculation, the producers of “American Idol” picked another judge to
replace the departed Paula Abdul. Who was selected to take Abdul’s place at the adjudicators’ desk?
Ans. Ellen DeGeneres
130. (5)
Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepped back into the spotlight on Sept. 9 to support the launch of which
product’s new line?
Ans. iPod