1. Irene and Jose came before her; Lee and Maria came after her. Who am I talking about?
2. During the Great Depression, an unemployed architect called Alfred Mosher Butts spent several months studying the front page of the New York Times, counting letters and words. He used this data to invent something, which he called ‘Lexiko’. His invention is extremely popular today: by what name do we know it?
3. An Italian immigrant named Candido J____ had a family member who suffered from arthritis. He invented a device to treat this person’s symptoms; later, a nephew of Candido’s named Roy J____ took this invention and marketed it to the masses. Today, this invention can be found in millions of homes across the country. What is it?
4. (Visual) Simple and straightforward: identify the structure shown on the right.5. The first part was a tribute to a famous British military commander from the Second World War. The second part was chosen because it "sounded slippery". What am I talking about?
6. If noble rot is a disease afflicting grapes and a noble gas is one that does not combine with other elements, what is the noble science?
7. This substance was first commercially marketed by Robert Chesebrough, who gave it a name that was a compound of the German word for water and the Greek word for oil. Chesebrough was a great believer in this substance’s healing properties; he lived to the age of 96 and claimed this was because he ate a spoonful of this stuff every day. What?
8. In January 1937, a retired Cleveland motorman named Ernest Ackerman received the grand sum of 17 cents from the government. Why?
9. (Visual) The Minnetaree tribe of Native Americans called the river shown on the right ‘Mitsiadazi’ because of the peculiar rock formations lining its valley. What does ‘Mitsiadazi’ mean?10. In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was the goddess of war; she was usually portayed as a woman with the head of a lioness. Sekhmet was said to be one of twins; who was her sister?
11. On a certain date late in the 19th century, a gentleman named Alexander Grantham Yorke staged an amateur play at Windsor castle. What resulted?
12. In 1970, a young graduate named Paul Orfalea started a company to cater to a widespread need he had observed in his college days. He chose his company’s name based on a nickname he had acquired due to his curly red hair. Today, his firm is the undisputed leader in its field. Can you name it?
13. (Visual) The image to the right is the cover of a Phish album titled ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’. The album itself was never released, but the cover is interesting. Can you name the cover artist?14. In 1970, a young lady named Norma McCorvey filed a suit against the District Attorney of Dallas County in Texas. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments by Sarah Weddington (representing the plaintiff) and Jay Floyd (representing the defendant). The Court found 7-2 in favour of the plaintiff; the final opinion was written by Justice Harry Blackmun. Enough clues; what was this case about?
15. (Visual) Connect the three people pictured on the right. The connection is another person.16. There are many elements named after countries, such as Francium (named after France) and Polonium (named after Poland). Can you give me an example of a country named after an element?
17. (Audio) The audio clue you just heard ["Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield - ed.] was from the very first album released by a certain recording company. This recording company took its name from the fact that its founders "were all new to business -- just like _______". Fill in the blank with the company name.
18. In 1858, a schoolgirl named Bernadette Soubirous witnessed a miraculous apparition at a certain spot in the French Pyrenees. Soon, large crowds of people were making pilgrimages to this location, in the hope of seeing the apparition. Can you name this spot?
19. Connect the answers to the above four questions. The connection is a personality.
20. (Visual) Identify the location shown on the right, which inspired the poet John Burgon to write:Match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
A rose-red city – half as old as time!
21. This landmark gets its name from the Spanish word for the gannet (a kind of seabird, similar to a pelican). Its period of prominence extended form 1934 to 1963; Al Capone was a famous visitor. In 1969, after it had fallen out of regular use, a group of Native Americans attempted to reoccupy this location as part of their heritage. Their claim was rejected, and today this spot is a tourist favorite. Identify, please.
22. The Berber general Tariq ibn-Ziyad conquered Spain in 711, laying the foundations for the Moorish empire. His armies landed at a spot that was subsequently called ‘Jebel Tariq’, which means ‘Tariq’s Mountain’. How do we know this spot today?
23. Connect the answers to the above three questions. The connection is a common English word.
24. The French word ‘trombone’ has two meanings. One, of course, is the musical instrument. What’s the other?
25. In Oxford and Cambridge, the open space between college buildings is called the ‘quad’, because it’s quadrangular. In Harvard, this space is called the ‘yard’. In Princeton, the corresponding term comes from the Latin word for field. What is this term?
Click here for the answers. Questions from the finals will follow... eventually.
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1 comment:
Well, my man, where are the finals??!
No pressure, really. :)
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