Northern Kentucky Academic League
Freshman – Packet 6
-First Half1. This creator of Bathsheba at Her Bath and Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild is known for his use of chiaroscuro to
draw the viewer’s attention to central figures. Who was this Baroque painter of the Dutch Golden Age, the creator
of such works as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and The Night Watch?
Rembrandt (Harmenszoon van Rijn)
2. This type of plant typically grows much taller than its counterpart. This is possible because of their ability to
move nutrients throughout the plant. What is this classification of plants that possess xylem, a type of tissue that
allows for the movement of water and other important resources?
Vascular (Plants)
3. How many real solutions does the quadratic equation two x squared plus eight x plus eight equals zero have?
One
4. Characters in this book of the Pentateuch include Isaac, Joseph, Abraham, and Noah. What is this first book in
the Christian Bible that tells the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as a part of the creation story?
(Book of) Genesis
5. Examples of this form of government include military juntas, aristocracies, and plutocracies. As many of China’s
governmental powers are located within a committee of seven people, it is often considered to have this type of
rule. What form of government has a name taken from the Greek for “rule by the few”?
Oligarchy
6. This portion of the human eye controls the amount of light that enters the organ via the constricting and
opening of the pupil. What is this visible portion of the eye, which can be blue, brown, hazel, or green?
Iris
7. This artistic movement of the early 20th century is divided into an analytic and synthetic phases. The PostImpressionist painter Paul Cezanne is considered one of this movement’s greatest influences. Pieces appeared to
be a reassembled image from a broken image. What was this movement that included the works of Henri Le
Fauconnier, Geroges Braque, and Pablo Picasso?
Cubism
8. This fictional group from an epic poem by Homer is named for their primary food source, a narcotic plant that
forced them to sleep quite often and peacefully. Who were these islanders that Odysseus and his men
encountered after his ship had blown off course?
Lotus Eaters
9. What is the only element in the matrix resulting from the multiplication of the row matrix three, five by the
column matrix negative one, four?
Seventeen
10. The only member of this political party to serve as President of the United States was John Adams. What was
this first American political party that was created by Alexander Hamilton in 1792 and supported a strong
centralized government?
Federalist (Party)
11. Attached to a large structure such as a building at one end, this construction is created to provide an overhang.
One of the best known examples is found in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which overlooks a stream. What is
this architectural term that can be either supported or unsupported?
Cantilever
12. Examples of this group of animals include the Tasmanian devil, opossums, and wombats. They are not found in
Europe, Asia, or Africa, and seventy percent are found in Australia and the surround islands. What is this group of
infraclass of mammals whose most recognizable feature is a pouch used to carry around their young?
Marsupials
13. Many of the stories in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales are strikingly similar to those found in this work
from earlier in the 14th century. Also structured as a frame story, what is this book by Giovanni Boccaccio that
features seven women and three men telling ten tales each while seeking refuge from the Black Death?
The Decameron
14. Consider the following sets: Set A contains the elements three, four, five, six, seven, and eight. Set B contains
the elements six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. What are the elements in the intersection of sets A and B?
Six, Seven, Eight (accept in any order)
15. This case resulted from the Secretary of State’s refusal to deliver an appointment of a justice of peace that had
been appointed to his post in the last hours of the previous president’s administration. What was this Supreme
Court case, made famous by the court’s first use of judicial review?
Marbury v. Madison
16. Their bodies are composed largely of mesoglea. Members of this phylum exist in either a medusa or polyp
form. What is this phlyum of invertebrate that includes animals with stinging cells such as jellyfish, Portuguese
Man O’ Wars, and hydras?
Cnidaria
17. This architect was knighted in 1673 by King Charles the Second. His magnum opus is generally considered to be
St. Paul’s Cathedral. Who was this English architect, best remembered for designing many buildings, especially
churches during the rebuilding of London following the Great Fire of 1666?
(Christopher) Wren
18. This man’s love affair with Helen is well-known in part due to his publication of Sonnets for Helen. Who is this
16th century Frenchman, the author of Les Amours and Les Odes?
(Pierre de) Ronsard
19. Solve the following system of equations for y. Negative three x plus two y equals eight and three x plus four y
equals ten.
(Y equals) Three
20. This man has authored many books including Syntactic Structures, Manufacturing Consent, and Pax Americana
and the Weaponization of Space. A socialist, he is very outspoken on his political beliefs but is best known for his
work in another field. Who is this American that is often referred to as the father of modern linguistics?
(Noam) Chomsky
21. Much of this man’s 19th century work fell by the wayside until it was rediscovered in the early 20 th century after
Carl Correns and Hugo de Vries had made progress in the study of inheritance. Who was this Austrian monk that
studied pea plants to study the passing of dominant and recessive genes from one generation to another through
heredity?
(Gregor) Mendel
22. This man’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, his final concerto, is considered his greatest. He is also known for his
opera, Rusalka, and his American String Quartet. Who was this Czech composer of the symphony From the New
World?
(Anton) Dvorak
23. This humanist was the subject of a work of art by Hans Holbein on more than one occasion. He wrote Adagia, A
handbook on manners for children, and Colloquia. Who was this humanist, the author of The Praise of Folly?
(Desiderius) Erasmus
24. Solve the following equation for all real values of x: x squared plus eleven x plus thirty equals zero.
(x=) -5, -6 (accept in any order)
25. As fossil fuels begin to run low on supply, their price will continue to increase because this measurement of the
availability of these resources will continue to rise. What is this economics term, beginning with the letter “s” that
refers to the rarity of a product or good in a specific location or market?
Scarcity
26. In the early 18th century Bartolomeo Cristofori invented this instrument. It consists of a series of taut strings
that are struck by a hammer when a key is pressed. What is this instrument that is often associated with Ludwig
van Beethoven and Sergei Rachmaninoff?
Piano
27. The tonicity of a solution will determine in which direction the pressure will force this process to take place. By
what process does water or another solvent pass through a semipermeable membrane resulting in the two
separated solutions having a similar concentration?
Osmosis
28. She had two novels published after her death, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. She also published Mansfield
Park and Emma in the final few years of her life. Who was this 19th century British author of Pride and Prejudice
and Sense and Sensibility?
(Jane) Austen
29. What is the only function that exists as its own inverse?
F of x equals x
30. Much of the western theatre of the French and Indian War was fought in this river’s valley which at the time,
was the western frontier of the burgeoning colonies. This tributary of the Mississippi River meets it at Cairo,
Illinois. What is this major American river that begins in Pittsburgh before passing through Cincinnati and
Louisville?
Ohio (River)
-End First Half-Second Half1. This short story by Edgar Allan Poe serves as an allegory about the inability of the rich, or anyone else, to hide
from death, as in the end, all of the ball’s guests are dead. What is this short story in which Prince Prospero throws
a masquerade ball to entertain his noble friends while they seek refuge from a spreading plague?
The Masque of the Red Death
2. It is the largest structure in the world to have been created by organisms. Appropriately located in the Coral Sea,
what is this large ecosystem off the northeastern coast of Australia?
Great Barrier Reef
3. The decision at the center of this musical is the Jellicle choice. Songs from this musical include “Mr.
Mistoffelees”, “The Rum Tum Tugger”, and “Memory.” What is this Andrew Lloyd Webber production, the secondlongest running musical in the history of Broadway?
Cats
4. The second largest barrier reef in the world can be found off of this nation’s eastern shore on the Caribbean Sea.
Its capital, Belmopan, is located approximately 50 miles inland. What is this only Central American nation that
considers English to be its national language?
Belize
5. What is the value of the following logarithmic expression: 2 log base 2 of 128?
14
6. This English romantic poet died at the young age of 25 at the hands of tuberculosis. Before his death he
established himself among the greats with such poetry as “The Eve of St. Agnes”, “Endymion”, and “Hyperion.”
Whose work may best be exemplified by his odes, including “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode on a Grecian Urn”?
(John) Keats
7. It is believed that this virus jumped from simians to humans in three different instances in West Africa during
the first decades of the 20th century. What is this virus that attacks the human body, eventually leading to a
syndrome that results in the permanent disruption of the immune system, allowing for the smallest illness to
become fatal?
HIV (accept: Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
8. A variety of this style of dance is called soft shoe and often uses the spreading of sand to produce additional
sounds when the performer slides his or her feet. What is this style of dance performed by Gregory Hines and
Savion Glover, the latter of whom taught Elmo how to tie his shows and dance on Sesame Street?
Tap (Dancing)
9. Seneca the Younger served as his teacher, and later as he became emperor, his advisor. This man served as
Roman Emperor from 54 to 68 when his death prompted the year of the Four Emperors. Who was this mentally
disturbed Emperor of Rome who, according to an anachronistic legend, fiddled while Rome burned?
Nero
10. Convert the degree measure 330 degrees to radians.
11 pi over 6 (radians)
11. His works Master of the World and Off on a Comet have not yet panned out to be prophetic, but many of this
author’s other works demonstrate his great insight. Who is this 19 th century science fiction writer often acclaimed
for being ahead of his time as exemplified in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and From the Earth to the
Moon?
(Jules) Verne
12. This man is considered to be the most important prophet in Judaism and is said to have written the Torah. Who
was this figure of the Abrahamic religions that led the Jewish people out of Egypt and delivered the Ten
Commandments to humanity after receiving them while atop Mount Sinai?
Moses
13. A sound heard when a chemical reaction takes place indicates that it was this type of reaction. A flash of light
would do the same. What type of reaction is one that releases energy in the form of sound, light, or heat?
Exothermic
14. Multiple answers required. Parallelogram ABCD is congruent to parallelogram STUV. What two sides of STUV
are congruent to BC?
TU and SV (accept in any order, but do not accept: ST and UV)
15. The Duke of Medina Sidonia was the commander-in-chief of this military force of the 16th century. It was built
to provide a balance of naval power in the face of the English who had been causing problems for the Spanish in
the Netherlands. What was this fleet of a Southwest European country that was defeated at the hands of Sir
Francis Drake of England?
Spanish Armada
16. The antagonists of this short story were Nag and Nagaina. Eventually they are both killed by the father of the
family and the title character respectively. What is this short story about a mongoose, by Rudyard Kipling?
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
17. This Goddess, sister of Hera, and mother was one of the most important figures in the Eleusinian Mysteries, a
cult ceremony held annually during the latter half of the second millennium BC in Greece. Who was this goddess of
fertility and grains whose daughter, Persephone, was taken to the underworld by Hades?
Demeter
18. One of this element’s uses is in the cooling of superconducting magnets in cryogenics. Its atomic mass is just
over four amu. What is this chemical element that comprises approximately twenty-four percent of the
understood matter in the universe?
Helium
19. An isosceles right triangle has a leg measuring 6 centimeters long. Find the perimeter of the triangle.
12 plus 6 radical 2 centimeters
20. During this man’s reign, the British fought the Seven Years’ War and attempted to stave off Napoleon’s
advances in a series of wars. On the home front he feuded politically with Charles James Fox and supported
William Pitt for Prime Minister. Who was this Hanoverian King of England that also ruled during the American
Revolution?
King George III
21. Set in West Egg on Long Island, the culminating event of this novel is the death of Myrtle who was struck by a
car that the title character was driving. Narrated by Nick Carraway, what is this 1925 novel, a quintessential look
into the roaring 20’s, by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
The Great Gatsby
22. The chemical formula of this essential vitamin is “C”-“6”-“H”-“8”-“O”-“6”. It can be found in many fruits and
vegetables including broccoli, peppers, guavas, and oranges. What is this vitamin that helps prevent scurvy and its
symptoms?
Abscorbic Acid (accept: Vitamin C)
23. This style of music relies heavily on the bass guitar and was influenced by jazz, ska, and calypso among other
styles. What is this music genre that was performed by Bob Marley and is most often associated with its home
nation of Jamaica?
Reggae
24. This term was first used to describe the violent riots that were held in Russia in opposition to the Jews that
lived in that nation. Beginning with the letter “p”, what word describes any such violent action, though it is usually
referred to in regard to attacks on those of the Jewish faith as occurred in Nazi Germany on Kristallnacht?
Pogroms
25. A tetrahedron has eight faces and six vertices. How many edges does it have?
12
26. Full name answer required. It is notable that this woman’s family has the record for most Nobel Prizes won
with five though to be fair she won alongside her husband. Who was this Poland-born chemist and physicist that
died as a result of the radioactivity that she helped to discover alongside her husband Pierre, and colleague Henri
Becquerel?
Marie Curie
27. The first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, this Minnesota-native authored a novel about a doctor
entitled Arrowsmith. Who is this author, known for depicting small town life in the Northern Plains states, as
depicted in Elmer Gantry and Main Street?
(Sinclair) Lewis
28. Overlapping with both the Baroque and Romantic periods, this period in Western music lasted from around
1730 through 1820 and included the work of Franz Schubert. What was this musical time period and style
exemplified in the works of Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Classical
29. The perimeter of a square is 13 inches long. Find the area of this square.
169/16 square inches (or inches squared)
30. As of July, 2014, Lorraine Miller is the CEO of this organization that was created in 1909 to help promote the
equality of the races and the education and opportunity for racial minorities. What was this organization created
by W. E. B. Du Bois and others in response to events such as the Race Riot of 1908 in Springfield, Illinois?
NAACP
-End Second Half-Tiebreakers1. A 15 liter volume of gas is under 12 atmospheres of pressure. If the pressure on that gas is raised to 36
atmospheres while the temperature is kept constant, what will be the new volume of the gas?
5 liters
2. In music, how many sixteenth notes are in a quarter note?
4
3. What is the surface area of a rectangular prism with sides measuring 10 inches, 5 inches, and 20 inches?
700 square inches (or inches squared)
4. Characters created by this man include Big Daddy Pollitt, Tom Wingfield, Blanche Dubois, and Stanley Kowalski.
Who is this Mississippi-born playwright of The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and A Streetcar Named
Desire?
(Tennessee) Williams
5. Its intention was nothing less than the overthrow of the sitting Cuban government, which had, two years prior,
overthrown the democratically elected government of Fulgencio Batista. What was this failed invasion of Cuba,
called for by John F. Kennedy and his administration in 1961 and carried out by the CIA-supported group Brigade
2506?
Bay of Pigs (Invasion)
-End of Tiebreakers-