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GK 43
Quiz
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who became the first Aga Khan in 1866? | Hasan Ali Shah |
| In the nine-fold celestial hierarchy of beings, which beings rank third-highest, behind seraphim and cherubim? | Thrones |
| In the nine-fold celestial hierarchy of beings, which beings rank third-lowest, coming after angels and archangels? | Principalities |
| In the nine-fold celestial hierarchy of beings, where angels are lowest and seraphim highest, name any of the ranks that are 4th, 5th or 6th in order of rank. | Powers, Virtues, Dominions. |
| At a height of 893m, the summit of which hill is the highest point on the Pennine Way? | Cross Fell |
| Relapsing fever, trench fever and typhus are all spread by Pediculus Humanis Corporus, an insect better known by what name? | (Body) Louse |
| The hoolocks are three species of which primate? | Gibbons |
| Which Noble gas takes its name from the Greek for "something strange"? | Xenon |
| A ring of fifty-six (56) chalk pits at Stonehenge, are named after which seventeenth-century antiquarian? | John Aubrey (Aubrey Holes) |
| Which children's book published in 1960 uses no more than fifty words in total and features the persistently enthusiastic Sam-I-am? | Green Eggs and Ham (by Dr Seuss) |
| Which American racehorse trainer trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Kentucky Derby winner Justify? | Bob Baffert |
| Which Pope was assassinated in 882 by his own clerics - the first pope to suffer such a fate? | John VIII |
| Whose first album was 1969's "Empty Sky"? | Elton John |
| Where - a site of one of the Seven Wonders - was Herodotus born? | Halicarnassus |
| Somersby Rectory in Lincolnshire was the birthplace, in 1809, of which poet? | Alfred, Lord Tennyson |
| Whose performance in the revue Un Vent de Folie in 1927 caused a sensation in Paris? Her costume, consisting of only a girdle of bananas, became her most iconic image and a symbol of the Jazz Age and the 1920s. | Josephine Baker |
| As opposed to plankton - minute aquatic organisms which drift in currents - which word describes the ecological division of aquatic animals that swim actively by their own efforts? | Nekton |
| What nationality was the 20th century composer Gerald Finzi? | British/English |
| Which prominent British humourist and cartoonist's best-known cartoon character is Old Bill, who with his pals Bert and Alf featured in his weekly "Fragments from France" cartoons published in "The Bystander" magazine during the First World War? | Bruce Bairnsfather |
| Which line of the London Underground opened in January 1863 and originally ran from Bishop's Road to Farringdon Street? | Metropolitan Line (which was the first line) |
| The unusual Basque sport of segalaritza involves what? | Cutting grass with a scythe |
| Which US long jumper won gold at the men's event at the 2016 Olympics? | Jeff Henderson |
| Irving Saladino, who won gold at the men's long jump at the 2008 Olympics, was which nation's first ever Olympic gold medallist? | Panama |
| Name any two events of the four where Fanny Blankers-Koen won Olympic gold in 1948? | 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, 4x100m Relay |
| Which US athlete won Triple Jump gold at the men's event in both the 2014 and 2018 Olympics? | Christian Taylor |
| At which Olympics did Jonathan Edwards win gold for the UK at the Triple Jump? | 2000 Long Jump |
| Which Swede won the men's gold at the Triple Jump at the 2004 Olympics? | Christian Olsson |
| From 1984 to 2016 at the Olympics, the Men's Steeplechase gold went to an athlete representing which country? | Kenya |
| The winners of the gold at the men's steeplechase at the 2016 and 2008 share what surname? | Kipruto (Brimin and Conseslus) |
| Which female athlete was the 2002 BBC Sports Personality of the Year? | Paula Radcliffe |
| Taking its name from the Portuguese for 'kite' which South American toad's tadpoles develop in a membrane on their mother's back? | Pipa toad |
| Which French philosopher, priest, astronomer, and mathematician was also an active observational scientist, publishing the first data on the transit of Mercury in 1631? | Pierre Gassendi |
| Chalcopyrite and bornite are minerals of which metal? | Copper |
| How is 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine better known? | Mescaline |
| In a cell, what does RER stand for? | Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum |
| Aqua Regia is formed from which two acids? | Nitric and hydrochloric |
| Aplysia vaccaria, a large sea slug, has a common name that references which terrestrial animal? | Hare (black sea hare) |
| Which element, atomic number 22, is a lustrous transition metal with a silver colour, low density, and high strength? | Titanium |
| Cassowaries are native to which island? | New Guinea |
| Which genus of frogs from Australia can survive in a bone-dry desert for up to 2 years? | Cyclorana |
| A round of which cheese is chased in the Cooper’s Hill cheese roll? | Double Gloucester |
| Which American labour leader (1927-93) popularised the slogan “Si, se puede!” (“Yes, it can be done!”)? | Cesar Chavez |
| Which name for peaty wetland is derived from the Old Irish for “soft”? | Bog |
| Alfred Molina is married to which actress, who played DI Maggie Forbes in The Gentle Touch? | Jill Gascoine |
| The 15th century Chateau de Milandes in the Dordogne was the home from the 1940s onwards of which American singer and dancer? | Josephine Baker |
| Found in tea, nuts, cocoa and spinach which chemical compound of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen is present in toxic levels in rhubarb leaves? | Oxalic Acid |
| According to the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, which term should properly only be used to designate those vehicles manufactured between 1919 and 1930? | Vintage |
| What is the name of a niche or slab in a mosque that is used to indicate the direction of Mecca? | Mihrab (plural Maharib) |
| Can you name both of Bertie Wooster's aunts who appear regularly in the PG Wodehouse novels? | Agatha and Dahlia |
| Which London building, demolished in 1902, was known with great irony, as the "City College"? | Newgate Prison |
| The sequel to "Paradise Lost", "Paradise Regained" of 1671, deals with which episode in the New Testament? | Christ's Temptations in the Wilderness |
| When Penguin paperbacks first came out, which specific subject were published in a green colour? | Crime fiction |
| Occurring in November 1520, The Swedish Bloodbath is the name given to the invasion of Sweden by Danish forces under the command of which King? | Christian II |
| Which peak of the Monte Rosa massif is, at 15,203 feet (4,634 metres), the highest point in Switzerland? | Dufourspitze |
| What replaced the rouble as the Ukrainian unit of currency in 1992 before itself being replaced by the hryvnia in 1996? | Karbovanets |
| The Lateran Palace that was the home of Popes from 324 to 1309 was located on which of Rome’s seven hills? | Caelian Hill |
| Which 20th Century Estonian minimalist composer, born in 1935, is best known for his choral works such as 'Kanon Pokajanen' (1997)? | Arvo Pärt |
| Which island, 15 kilometres off the west coast of County Kerry, is an important nature reserve and is home to a Celtic monastery built in 588 AD that became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996? | Skellig Michael |
| What was erected in Rome in 315 AD to commemorate the defeat of Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28th 312 AD? | Arch of Constantine |
| Which artist, the brother of a famous poet, produced the first cartoon strip version of Sherlock Holmes in 1894? | Jack Butler Yeats |
| Which patriotic song was first performed at Cliveden, country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales (father of the future George III), on 1 August 1740, to commemorate the accession of George II and the third birthday of the Princess Augusta? | Rule, Britannia |
| Home to 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, the Vigeland Sculpture Park is found inside which larger public park in Oslo? | Frogner Park |
| Song of Summer is a 1968 black-and-white television film written, produced, and directed by who, about the last 6 years of Frederick Delius' life? | Ken Russell |
| Who was the governor of Louisiana shot dead in 1935 by Carl Weiss, a physician from Baton Rouge? | Huey Long |
| Which band's first UK hit was "Night of Fear", a 1966 number 2? | The Move |
| Which cyclist is best known for winning the inaugural Tour de France in 1903, and for being stripped of his title in the second Tour in 1904 along with eight others, for cheating? | Maurice Garin |
| The character Mr Gresham was modelled on which 19th century politician? | William Ewart Gladstone |
| At which educational establishment was the year's best student awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal? | RADA |
| Which poem by Wilfred Owen begins "What passing bells for those who die as cattle"? | Anthem for Doomed Youth |
| Brian Gamlin of Bury, whose existence has never been proven, allegedly devised which numbering system? | That on a dartboard |
| The QE2 is, as of 2018, a floating hotel off the shore of which city? | Dubai |
| What name is given to a tool for the cleansing of the body by scraping off dirt, perspiration, and oil that was applied before bathing in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures? | Strigil |
| Spiny, clawed and slipper are types of which creature? | Lobster |
| Weapons have been developed to release a high energy blast of EMP something also released by nuclear explosions - what is EMP? | Electromagnetic pulse |
| In astronomy, what is the ESO? | European Southern Observatory |
| What name is given to a modern group of garden roses that was developed by crossing hybrid teas with polyantha roses, and have large sprays or clusters of flowers? | Floribunda |
| Which word represents 'K' in the phonetic alphabet? | Kilo |
| Which word represents 'P' in the NATO phonetic alphabet? | Papa |
| How many years of anniversary is a tin wedding anniversary? | Ten |
| Which class of animals takes its name from the Ancient Greek for "both kinds of life"? | Amphibians |
| In Wagner's Ring Cycle, which personification of the Earth mates with Wotan to produce the Valkyries? | Erda |
| Which prominent Irish Unionist was also a famous barrister and led the Marquess of Queensbury's defence against the libel action brought by Oscar Wilde? | Edward Carson |
| For which film did the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci win the Academy Award for Best Director in 1988? | The Last Emperor |
| The Customs House, the Four Courts and King's Inns, all in Dublin, were all designed by which 18th/19th Century London-born architect of Huguenot descent? | James Gandon |
| Meaning 'hollow of the quern', what is the name of the Neolithic portal tomb in the Burren in County Clare? | Poulnabrone Dolmen |
| Which Spanish explorer, credited with the discovery of the Mississippi River, died in modern-day Lake Village in Arkansas in 1542? | Hernando de Soto |
| What is the English name for Tír na nÓg, the most popular of the Otherworlds of Irish mythology | Land of Eternal Youth |
| 'In varietate concordia' is the motto of which organisation? | European Union |
| According to Christian tradition, John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelation while exiled on which island in the Aegean Sea? | Patmos |
| Which Swedish canal links Gothenburg on the west coast with Söderköping on the Baltic Sea? | Göta Canal |
| Named after the French mathematician who described it in 1835, what name is given to the apparent deflection of objects moving in a straight line caused by the Earth’s rotation, that is responsible for the direction of the rotation of large hurricanes? | Coriolis Effect |
| Which Pre-Socratic philosopher supposedly died by hurling himself into a volcano, and a large underwater volcano located 40 km off the southern coast of Sicily is named after him? | Empedocles |
| Which architect designed the Liverpool Roman Catholic Cathedral (Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral)? | Frederick Gibberd |
| How was the country of Benin known until 1975? | Dahomey |
| In 1903 which English architect won the competition to design Liverpool Anglican Cathedral? | Giles Gilbert Scott |
| Which Scottish architect (1907-76), is most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand? | Basil Spence |
| Ubangi-Shari is a former name of which present-day country? | Central African Republic (CAR) |
| During the Vietnam War, Operation Popeye was an American military project that aimed to extend the Monsoon Season over the Ho Chi Minh Trail by seeding the clouds above northern Vietnam with which chemical compound? | Silver Iodide |
| The only mainland breeding colony of gannets in England is at which RSPB reserve in Yorkshire? | Bempton Cliffs |
| Which association of Greek city-states, under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Plataea, was named after the island where its treasury was first located? | Delian League |
| Which musical tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry? | Oklahoma! |
| Kinloch Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Cheann Locha) is a late Victorian mansion located on which island? | Isle of Rùm |
| Founded in 1725, the Sobrino de Botín in Madrid is the world's oldest example of which type of establishment still in existence? | Restaurant |
| In which northern town or city is the British Lawnmower Museum? | Southport |
| Momofuku Ando invented which foodstuff in 1958? | Instant noodles/cup noodles |
| In which decade did Copernicus publish De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) and De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body)? | 1540s (in fact, both 1543) |
| Give a year in the life of Christiaan Huygens. | 1629-95 |
| Which "crooner"'s group were called The Connecticut Yankees? | Rudy Vallée |
| What name was given to style of news writing and journalism developed in the 1960s and 1970s that incorporated literary techniques, associated with Tom Wolfe? | New journalism |
| Wordsworth's "The Prelude" was intended as a prelude to which long three-part epic and philosophical poem, which was never finished? | The Recluse |
| Tommie Smith and John Carlos did famous Black Power salutes at the 1968 Olympics medals ceremony for which event? | 200m |
| Which actor, now world famous for his roles in sci-fi films and TV, played the role of Sejanus in the 1970s TV series "I, Claudius"? | Patrick Stewart |
| Sharing her first name with a month of the year, which actress played Betty Francis (née Hofstadt, formerly Draper) in "Mad Men"? | January Jones |
| Which actress played "Mrs Big Nose" in the film "The Life of Brian" and went on to star in her own sitcom called "Barbara"? | Gwen Taylor |
| The first German book ever to top the New York Times best-seller list, Der Vorleser (The Reader) was a 1995 novel by which law professor and judge? | Bernhard Schlink |
| Who was the ancient Greek muse of astronomy? | Urania |
| On 29th May of which year did the Turks decisively capture Constantinople, an event that helped start the Renaissance because of the move of learned men and knowledge westward? | 1453 |
| The name of Ptolemy's work "Almagest" comes from an Arabic term meaning what? | The Greatest |
| The Ptolemaic model of the solar system, where the planets and sun revolved around the Earth, required which "circles within circles" to explain apparent retrograde motion? | Epicycles |
| A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions have occurred. The first such reactor was discovered in 1972 in Oklo province in which African country? | Gabon |
| Which 1990 British drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Paul Bowles? | The Sheltering Sky |
| Who played Little Siddhartha in the 1993 Italian-French-British drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci "Little Buddha"? | Keanu Reeves |
| The two brown properties on a Monopoly board are Old Kent Road and which other? | Whitechapel Road |
| Who directed the dark romantic comedy film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), the melodrama High Heels (1991) and the romantic drama thriller Live Flesh (1997)? | Pedro Almodóvar |
| The US poet TS Eliot was born in which city? | St Louis |
| Which 1982 British film written and directed by Peter Greenaway is a form of murder mystery, set in rural Wiltshire, England in 1694? | The Draughtsman's Contract |
| Which Irish and American actress's breakthrough came with the part of a precocious teenager in Atonement (2007), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress? | Saoirse Ronan |
| Which controversial 1993 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway starring Ralph Fiennes, Julia Ormond and Philip Stone is about town cursed with barren women and famine, saved by a miracle birth to an old, ugly woman? | The Baby of Mâcon |
| Who played John Shaft in the 1971 film "Shaft"? | Richard Roundtree |
| What is the second film in the Shaft trilogy? | Shaft's Big Score |
| Which 1996 drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, stars Vivian Wu as Nagiko, a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers? | The Pillow Book |
| Which 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway is about a father and son who open their own private harem in their family residence in Geneva? | 8 1/2 Women |
| Which type of mechanical game originating in Japan is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming? | Pachinko |
| In the title of a 2015 biographical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, which film director is "...in Guanajuato"? | Eisenstein |
| Which 2006 Spanish drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar has a title meaning "To Go Back" in Spanish? | Volver |
| Which heavy metal band were originally known as "Earth"? | Black Sabbath |
| Which 2003 romantic drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci had a screenplay by Gilbert Adair, based on his own novel The Holy Innocents? The film tells the story of an American university student in Paris who becomes entangled in an erotic triangle. | The Dreamers |
| Who wrote 1972 novel "The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman"? | Angela Carter |
| What are the three orange properties on a Monopoly board? | Bow Street, Vine Street, Marlborough Street |
| The most expensive properties on a Monopoly board, Park Lane and Mayfair, are what colour? | Dark Blue |
| Rob Halford and Glen Tipton are most famous as members of which band, formed in West Bromwich in 1969? | Judas Priest |
| Which German-Jewish poet's radical views (1797-1856) led to many of his works being banned by German authorities - he spent the last 25 years of his life as an expatriate in Paris? | Heinrich Heine |
| What was the only year of the 20th century where box office receipts in the UK were higher for British than US films? | 1946 |
| What is the capital and, after Cologne, second most populous city of the most populous German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia? | Düsseldorf |
| Often apocryphally attributed to Napoleon, which 1776 work actually first calls the UK a "nation of shopkeepers"? | The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith) |
| Which English composer (1944-2013) was known for his extensive output of religious works, including The Protecting Veil, Song for Athene and The Lamb? | John Tavener |
| "Be Delicious" is a perfume made by which fashion house? | DKNY |
| C.R. Ashbee is most associated with which artistic movement? | Arts & Crafts |
| Who was the author of the essay "Raffles and Miss Blandish"? | George Orwell |
| Who made his directorial debut with 2018's "A Star Is Born"? | Bradley Cooper |
| Who played the Young Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which focuses on the early years of the character, before the events of A New Hope? | Alden Ehrenreich |
| J. Arthur Rank, head of the Rank Organisation, made his fortune in which industry? | Milling/Flour |
| Which British film-making partnership made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) & The Red Shoes (1948)? | (Michael) Powell and (Emeric) Pressburger |
| Who plays Sidney Stratton, the titular "The Man In The White Suit" in the 1951 Ealing Studios film? | Alec Guinness |
| The siege of Harfleur was part of which war? | The Hundred Years War |
| What is the surname of "Lucky Jim" in Kingsley Amis's novel? | Dixon |
| The phrases "Once More Unto The Breach, Dear Friends" and ""We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" are taken from which Shakespeare play? | Henry V |
| One of the ten most popular newspapers in Europe by circulation (in the late 1980s it had the seventh largest circulation in the world), which daily tabloid has a near monopoly on newspaper readership in Austria? | Kronen Zeitung |
| Which musical is an adaptation of Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria? | Sweet Charity |
| In 2014, which avant-garde Japanese artist - seemingly obsessed with polka dots - became the then-most expensive living female artist at auction when White No. 28 (from her signature Infinity Nets series) sold at Christie's in New York for $7.1 million? | Yayoi Kusama |
| Who wrote the poetry collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924)? | Pablo Neruda |
| In the first week of December 1997, representatives from 121 countries, but not the USA, China or Russia, signed the Ottawa Treaty, an agreement restricting the deployment and usage of what? | Anti-personnel landmines (accept landmines) |
| The second-most populous state and third-largest state by area in India, Mumbai and Nagpur are joint capitals of which state? | Maharashtra |
| Supposedly housing a tooth of the Buddha, Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in which city in Asia? | Kandy |
| Listed #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 53 best reviewed sports movies of all time, which 1988 comedy sports film tells the story of a minor league baseball team from North Carolina? | Bull Durham |
| Which Czech former track and field athlete set the world record for the women's 800 metres in 1983, a record that still stood as of 2019? | Jarmila Kratochvílová |
| Which influential US film critic died in 2013 - he formed a powerful double act with fellow critic Gene Siskel and coined the phrase "two thumbs up" when they both liked a work? He was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. | Roger Ebert |
| Which Canadian, who had been an official war artist in WW2, painted "Pacific" (1967), a work that inspired a critical scene in the 1995 film "Heat"? | Alex Colville |
| Separated from the mainland by the Hecate Strait, what is the former name of the Canadian archipelago which was officially renamed Haida Gwaii in 2010? | Queen Charlotte Islands |
| Considered one of the greatest ever field hockey players of all time, which Pakistani legend (who won 350 caps between 1998 and 2012) became the first man ever to score 300 international goals? | Sohail Abbas |
| Hawke's Bay is a wine producing area in which country? | New Zealand |
| Who directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video? | John Landis |
| Robertson and Constantia are wine producing areas in which country? | South Africa |
| Traditionally, what colour was Judas Iscariot's hair said to be? | Red |
| What name, from the Greek for "false ascription" refers to an assorted collection of Jewish religious works thought to be written c. 300 BC to 300 AD? | Pseudepigrapha |
| Who composed the oratorio "The Martyr of Antioch" and the cantata "The Golden Legend"? | Arthur Sullivan |
| What are the two most used papal names? | John (23), Gregory (16) |
| Which Hindi festival marks winter's end and the arrival of spring, and involves throwing coloured water or powder? | Holi |
| What was the birth name of Lulu? | Marie Lawrie |
| Which foodstuff has the Latin name Allium sativum? | Garlic |
| Which Sanskrit word that means inner self or soul is a philosophical concept common to all schools of Hindu philosophy and is held to be is the first principle, the true self of an individual beyond identification with phenomena? | Atman |
| Who was the Sumerian god of water, knowledge, mischief, crafts, and creation? | Enki |
| Dame Moura Lympany DBE (18 August 1916 – 28 March 2005) was known for playing which instrument? | Piano |
| Georg Solti (1912-1997) found fame in which profession? | Orchestral conductor |
| By international convention, musical pitch is standardised at 'A' at how many vibrations per second? | 440 |
| Described as horizontal, linear, or melodic, in musical theory what name is given to the difference in pitch between two sounds? | Interval |
| The range of the cello and trombone roughly correspond to which woodwind instrument? | Bassoon |
| Which musical command means lively and fast (156–176 bpm)? | Vivace |
| Which musical command means at a walking pace (76–108 bpm)? | Andante |
| In music, what is the English name for what Americans call a whole note? | Semibreve |
| Usually grey or black, which breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France takes its name from the former region of which it was a part? | Percheron (from Perche) |
| Name any two of the three stars in Orion's belt. | Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka |
| In maths, what is the name given to the point of intersection of the x and y axes? | Origin |
| The adjective 'pavonine' refers to which creature? | Peacock |
| Scots Dumpy, Brahma, Silkie and Maran are all breeds of what? | Chicken |
| Which phenomena was first accurately measured by Hippolyte Fizeau in 1849? | Speed of Light |
| How is the Avtomat Kalashnikova rifle better known? | AK-47 |
| What is the name of the typical, traditional, and feminine body-hugging dress of Manchu origin that has a stand-up collar and a slit in one side? | Cheongsam |
| What name from the Greek for hand divination is given to palm reading? | Chiromancy |
| What was the first item sold on eBay, then called Auctionweb, in 1995? | Broken Laser Pointer |
| Which poet, whose most enduring work is 1893's "Dark Angel", was a member of the Rhymers' Club, and - to his regret - in June 1891 introduced his cousin Lord Alfred Douglas to his friend Oscar Wilde? | Lionel Johnson |
| Which literary figure married Georgie Hyde-Lees (1892–1968) in 1917? | W.B. Yeats |
| Which author's family business and fortunes were ruined by the flooding of the sulphur mines of Aragona, Sicily in 1903? | Luigi Pirandello |
| "I Am a Cat" is a satirical novel of 1905-6 by who? | Natsume Sōseki |
| Give a year in the life of Marcel Proust. | 1871-1922 |
| Which brilliant Kiev-born classical pianist is probably best-known for his work with Arturo Toscanini, with whom he recorded Brahms' second piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto with the NBC Symphony? | Vladimir Horowitz |
| What is the largest transboundary lake in Europe, lying on the border between Estonia and Russia? | Lake Peipus |
| What is the third-largest lake entirely in Europe, and the largest outside Russia? | Vanern (Sweden) |
| Which 1947 British film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Alastair Sim, Harry Fowler and Joan Dowling is generally considered to be the first Ealing comedy? | Hue and Cry |
| Which American actress played Haley Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family and has had two kidney transplants? | Sarah Hyland |
| What is the longest river in Albania? | River Drin |
| What two word name is given to the region around Cambridge, England, which is home to a large cluster of high-tech businesses focusing on software, electronics and biotechnology? | Silicon Fen |
| Once the preserve of Communist bigwigs only, and previously unmarked on many maps, Ish-Blloku is a neighbourhood in which capital city? | Tirana |
| What was the capital of French West Africa from 1902-1960? | Dakar |
| Zurich lies at the head of which lake? | Lake Zürich |
| Unani, Ayurveda and Siddha are alternative forms of what? | Medicine |
| Which 1915 PG Wodehouse short story marked the first appearance of Jeeves and Wooster? | Extricating Young Gussie |
| What is the classical Latin name for the island of Ireland? | Hibernia |
| In which British city is the Barber Institute of Fine Arts? | Birmingham |
| A luxury brand, albeit positioned beneath just below Cadillac, what is the oldest active US car make, being first established in 1908? | Buick |
| The "Maroons" (Queensland) play the "Blues" (New South Wales) in which sporting contest? | State of Origin series (Australian rugby league) |
| Which athlete was the first man to win consecutive Olympic 1500m titles? | Sebastian Coe (1980 and 1984) |
| Which character, played by actor Frank Vincent, was the final chief antagonist on "The Sopranos"? | Phil Leotardo |
| Who was a presenter on the first series of the rebooted Top Gear in 2002, before being replaced by James May? | Jason Dawe |
| Fred Armisten and Carrie Brownstein were the main stars of which Oregon-based sketch show, that ran from 2011 to 2018? | Portlandia |
| The founder of the Kyoto School, he is widely considered the foremost Japanese philosopher of the 20th century. Which philosopher attempted to unite Eastern and Western philosophical traditions in such works as An Inquiry into the Good (1911)? | Kitaro Nishida |
| In which decade of the 20th Century did Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge open? | 1930s (1932) |
| Since 1992 the UK's one and two pence pieces have been made from steel plated with copper - prior to that they were composed of which metal? | Bronze |
| What holy city was called Yathrib in pre-Islamic times? | Medina |
| Which British pop group's second Number 1 single was 1977's "Angelo"? | Brotherhood of Man |
| What nickname - inspired by his gruesome modus operandi - is given to the American serial killer, Dennis Rader, who murdered 10 people in and around Wichita between 1974 and 1991? | BTK killer (Bind, Torture, Kill) |
| Which tech firm has used the slogan "THINK" since 1911? | IBM |
| Assuming office in December 2017 Andrej Babiš was a controversial PM of which EU country? | Czech Republic |
| What colour beret is worn by the US Army Special Forces? | Green |
| Which Brazilian actor learned Spanish to play Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series Narcos? | Wagner Moura |
| Which Swiss watch manufacturer introduced the Carrera in 1963 and Monaco in 1969? | TAG Heuer |
| Which cellist became principal conductor of The Hallé Orchestra in 1943? | John Barbirolli |
| Which subscription-based music streaming service was acquired by Jay-Z in 2015, but in 2018 faced controversy for intentionally falsifying streaming numbers for Beyoncé's Lemonade and Kanye West's The Life of Pablo albums? | Tidal |
| The 2009 novel "The Troubled Man" was the twelfth and final novel to feature which detective? | Kurt Wallander |
| Which Formula One team won its first constructors championship in 1974? | McLaren |
| What is the currency of Jamaica? | Jamaican Dollar |
| Which prize awarded for work done in the service of European unification has been awarded annually since 1950 by the German city of Aachen? | Charlemagne Prize |
| In which decade of the 20th century were first class carriages last used on the Paris Metro? | 1990s (1991) |
| The titan arum is a flowering plant famous for having the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The plant is endemic to which island? | Sumatra |
| Referring to their hands, which monkeys derive their name from the Greek for "maimed"? | Colobus monkeys (which lack thumbs, unlike most primates) |
| The invention of which local area networking technology is credited to Australians in 1991, a by-product of a Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) failed experiment to detect exploding mini black holes the size of an atom? | Wi-fi |
| Born in Paris 1878, as a young man he was a cycling champion. What is the name of this man, whose name is now synonymous with the spark plug used in combustion engines? | Albert Champion |
| Which fir tree is named after a Scottish botanist who died in Hawaii in 1834? | Douglas fir (after David Douglas) |
| Which gamebird's "grey" species has the Latin name perdix perdix? | Grey partridge |
| The Whispering Gallery can be found in which London building? | St Paul's Cathedral |
| Playing Hellboy in the 2019 reboot, who became known for his role as Jim Hopper in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things? | David Harbour |
| Wrynecks belong to which family of birds? | Picidae/woodpeckers |
| Leading the LA Rams in Super Bowl LII he became the youngest coach in Super Bowl history, having previously become the youngest coach in NFL history - who? | Sean McVay |
| The country's third largest city (after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi), which city is the only major port in North Vietnam? | Haiphong |
| In 1885, what was first tested on a nine year old boy called Joseph Meister? | Louis Pasteur's rabies vaccine |
| Symantec is one of the largest manufacturers in the world of what type of software? | Cybersecurity |
| When talking about computers and data storage devices, what does SSD stand for? | Solid state drive (accept solid state disk) |
| In finance, what is a CFD? | Contact For Difference |
| Giving its name to an 'uprising' of 1919, which Marxist revolutionary movement was founded in Germany in 1915 by Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, and Clara Zetkin? | Spartacus League |
| From 2010 to 2014 Steve Buscemi portrayed Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in which critically acclaimed series set in Atlantic City? | Boardwalk Empire |
| Carbon-14 is the isotope of carbon which forms the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby. But which is by far the most abundant carbon isotope, amounting to almost 99% of all carbon? | Carbon-12 |
| Nicknamed "The Bayonne Bleeder" (b.1939), which boxer claims to have inspired the film "Rocky"? | Charles "Chuck" Wepner |
| Which skier won the first two overall World Alpine Cup titles, in 1967 and 1968? | Jean-Claude Killy |
| Which knife with an inwardly curved blade is associated with the Gurkhas of Nepal? | Kukri |
| Which US actor (1919-93) is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, where he is commemorated in the name of the site's second theatre? | Sam Wanamaker |
| Who did James Joyce describe as "the one-handled adulterer" in his book "Ulysses"? | Lord Horatio Nelson |
| Wootz, Damascus and Noric are all types of what? | Steel |
| Sir Thomas Bertram appears in which 1814 novel? | Mansfield Park |
| A dingle arm, a lift arm and an elbow are all parts of which object? | Boomerang |
| What type of star is the Sun? | Yellow dwarf/G-type main-sequence star |
| Which Roman Road ran between London and York via Lincoln? | Ermine Street |
| In 2011 the art critic Brian Sewell published his memoirs, in which he claimed that he was which composer's illegitimate son? | Peter Warlock/Philip Heseltine |
| Which Italian-born perfumier from Germany (1685-1766)created the first Eau de Cologne? | Johann Maria Heseltine |
| What was Pope John Paul I's real name? | Albino Luciani |
| What term is used for someone who has undergone the first of the four steps to becoming a Saint in the Catholic Church? | Servant of God |
| Which Merseyside cartoonist created "The Cloggies, an Everyday Saga In The Life Of Clog-Dancing Folk" that ran in Private Eye from 1967-81? | Bill Tidy |
| Which Greek actress received an Oscar nomination and won a Cannes Film Festival Award for her performance in the 1960 film Never on Sunday, and starred in 1964's Topkapi? | Melina Mercouri |
| How is soothsayer Ursula Suthell, born in Knaresborough during a violent thunderstorm in 1488, better known? | Mother Shipton |
| The chemical element number 100 is named after whom? | Enrico Fermi |
| Which comedian is buried in the churchyard at Long Buckby together with his wife Frances? Their gravestone bears the headstone "Reunitey in the heavenly-bode - Deep Joy!". | Stanley Unwin |
| The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a governing body in which church? | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons |
| Which Jewish holiday is also called the Feast of Tabernacles? | Sukkot |
| According to Genesis, who were the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah? | Bera and Birsha |
| Which Austrian Empress was assassinated by anarchist Luigi Lucheni in 1898? | Elisabeth (Sisi) of Bavaria |
| Released in 1988, what was U2's first UK number 1 single? | Desire |
| The Raëlian Movement teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of humanoid extraterrestrials, which they call what? | Elohim |
| What is the capital of the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia? | Hohhot |
| Which 1945 JB Priestley play is set in the Birling family home? | An Inspector Calls |
| Hired in 1886, Mrs P.F.E. Albee of Winchester, New Hampshire, was the first ever what? | Avon Lady |
| Known for its small, square hamburgers called 'sliders', which American hamburger chain - founded in Wichita in 1921 - is generally credited as the first fast food chain in the USA? | White Castle |
| Richard Assmann and Léon Teisserenc de Bort discovered which layer of the atmosphere in 1902? | Stratosphere |
| The acronym STEM refers to which four academic fields? | Science, technology, engineering, mathematics |
| Launched in 1885, what was the world's first packaged and branded soap? | Sunlight Soap |
| The Edinburgh ornithologist George Waterston bought which remote island in 1948? | Fair Isle |
| Josh Meyers, Reggie Brown and Bobby Murphy created which messaging app in 2011? | Snapchat |
| What name is given to the aggression test for bulls in bullfighting? | Tienta |
| Which international women's rugby team are known as the Nomads? | Kazakhstan |
| Alexander Graham Bell was born in which town or city? | Edinburgh |
| Patrick Demarchelier is a famed name in which field? | Photography |
| Founded by Ulrich Dausien, which German outdoor wear brand uses a pawprint logo? | Jack Wolfskin |
| The ophicleide belongs to which family of musical instruments? | Brass |
| Which composer first visited London in 1791 at the invitation of Johann Peter Salomon? | Joseph Haydn |
| The first Three Choirs Festival (Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester) took place in which decade? | 1710s |
| The "Big Five" orchestras of the United States are the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia and which other? | Cleveland Orchestra |
| In 2017 Simon Rattle became music director of which orchestra? | London Symphony Orchestra |
| Who founded the Parisian music ensemble Ensemble InterContemporain in 1972? | Pierre Boulez |
| Which two players in the England squad for the 1986 Mexico football World Cup shared a full name? | Gary Stevens |
| Which horse gave Gordon Richards his only Derby winner, in 1953? | Pinza |
| What was the name of the horse that won the first 'official' Grand National, in 1839? | Lottery |
| Which jockey won back-to-back Grand Nationals in 2014 and 2015? | Leighton Aspell |
| Which commanding general was on the winning side at the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville? | Robert E. Lee |
| In which modern country is the ancient city-state known in antiquity as Lakedaímōn? | Greece (it was Sparta) |
| Who was prevented from finishing his mural "Man At The Crossroads" (for the Rockefeller Center in New York City) after he refused to remove an image of Vladimir Lenin from the work? | Diego Rivera |
| In which year did the Wall Street Crash see nearly 13 million shares change hands in one day? | 1929 |
| The area known as New Sweden, colonised in 1638, is now part of which US state? | Delaware |
| Born in New Brunswick, Canada, who replaced David Lloyd George as UK Prime Minister in 1922? | Andrew Bonar Law |
| They referred to themselves as the Be'ena'a (The Cloud People) - by what Nahautl exonym do we know this pre-Columbian civilisation that flourished in the valley of Oaxaca circa 700BCE to 1521CE? | Zapotecs |
| Sharing his name with an internationally famous ordained Southern Baptist minister (1918-2018) which African-American artist (1935-97) is best known for his work for Marvel comics? | Billy Graham |
| The first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) was signed in 1972 by which two world leaders? | Nixon and Brezhnev |
| Salamis, Aegina, Agistri, and Poros, and sometimes the islands of Hydra and Dokos are counted as the members of which group of Greek islands? | Saronic Islands |
| What generic name was given in the USA to the 1774 Acts that (inter alia) closed Boston harbour, revoked the charter of Massachussetts and allowed troops to be billeted in American homes? | Intolerable Acts |
| A winged lion is a symbol associated with which of the Christian evangelists? | St Mark |
| On 31st May 1942 three Japanese midget submarines attacked the cruiser USS Chicago and which southern hemisphere city's harbour? | Sydney |
| The former PM of Israel, Golda Meir, was born in which capital city? | Kiev |
| The first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903 lasted for how many seconds? | 12 |
| In which battle of January 3rd 1777 did the Americans under George Washington repel the English under Cornwallis? | Princeton |
| What was the name of the US Wall Street Journal journalist kidnapped and murdered by Muslim extremists in Pakistan in February 2002? | Daniel Pearl |
| The gospels of Matthew, Mark and John all use which Henrew-Aramaic word for "skull" to denote the place where Jesus was crucified? | Golgotha |
| Which year saw the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the transfer of power to his son, Kim Jong-Un? | 2011 |
| Which English photographer (1904-80) won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for both Gigi (1958) and My Fair Lady (1964)? | Cecil Beaton |
| The Strongest and Always Ready are football teams from which South American country? | Bolivia |
| Which murderer's infamous residence was 195 Melrose Avenue, London? | Dennis Nilsen |
| In which country is the Gaspé Peninsula? | Canada |
| Hanoi stands on which river? | Red River |
| On which island did Stella McCartney marry British publisher Alasdhair Willis in 2003? | Bute |
| Wilkes Land is part of Antarctica, claimed by which country? | Australia |
| Bridgetown is the capital of which country? | Barbados |
| What nationality was Marie Byrd, after whom a large, mostly unclaimed portion of Antarctica is named? | American |
| Limerick stands on which river? | Shannon |
| Daisuke Inoue invented which musical machine in 1971? | Karaoke machine |
| Which politician's autobiographies include "The Time of My Life" and "My Secret Planet"? | Denis Healey |
| Under what name did H. C. McNeile write books and short stories? | Sapper |
| What did the H.C. stand for in the name of writer H. C. McNeile? | Herman Cyril |
| Who wrote the Inspector Wexford books? | Ruth Rendell |
| What is the first name of the fictional character Inspector Wexford? | Reg(inald) |
| The Rupert Bear stories first appeared in which newspaper? | Daily Express |
| What one-word name refers to printed material from before the year 1501 in Europe? | Incunabula |
| Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953? | Winston Churchill |
| Which 1939 novel by Ernest Vincent Wright does not contain the letter 'e'? | Gadsby |
| In which year was Thomas a Becket murdered? | 1170 |
| Dawda Jawara was which country's first post-independence President? | Gambia |
| In which year did General Franco die and Angola gain independence? | 1975 |
| Which Roman wrote "Ab Urbe Condita Libri", usually translated as a "History of Rome"? | Livy |
| Who was Canadian PM from 2006 to 2015 before being replaced by Justin Trudeau? | Stephen Harper |
| Give a year in the life of St Louis (Louis IX of France)? | 1214-70 |
| Ahmed Sékou Touré was the first post-independence leader, and virtual dictator, of which country? | Guinea |
| Who was the first French King of the House of Bourbon? | Henry IV |
| Give the first names of either of Barack Obama's daughters, | Malia Ann or Natasha (Sasha) |
| In which year was the first UK general election dubbed a "khaki election" - it returned Lord Salisbury to office? | 1900 |
| Roosevelt and Churchill met in 1943 at which conference, codenamed SYMBOL? Stalin could not attend as he felt the Battle of Stalingrad required his presence in the USSR. | Casablanca Conference |
| Who was US Vice-President from 1969 to 1973? | Spiro Agnew |
| Of which country was Norman Kirk PM from 1972 to 1974? | New Zealand |
| Who was the first President of Israel, serving from 1949 to his death in 1952? | Chaim Weizmann |
| Founding a political dynasty that included a son and grandson who were also PMs, who served three terms as prime minister of Greece (1944–1945, 1963, 1964–1965)? | Georgios Papandreou |
| Who was the leader of the suicidal Waco cult of 1993? He was leader of the Branch Davidians sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. | David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell) |
| Gaiseric (c. 400– 25 January 477), also known as Geiseric or Genseric, was the king of which tribe, helping to establish their Kingdom in the Mediterranean? | Vandals |
| Who commanded the French fleet at the 1798 Battle of the Nile? | Admiral Brueys (François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys ) |
| Tokugawa Keiki was the last person to hold which title? | Shogun |
| Who commanded the French army at the 1346 Battle of Crecy? | King Philip VI of France |
| Which British PM had a second wife called Margot, who he married in 1894 after his first wife, Helen, had died? | H.H. Asquith |
| Which actor plays Osgood Fielding, who utters the famous closing line "Well, nobody's perfect" in the 1959 film "Some Like It Hot"? | Joe E. Brown |
| What was the name of the spacecraft that went to Jupiter in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey"? | Discovery One |
| Tony Britton and Nigel Havers played father and son doctors in which 1980s British sitcom? | Don't Wait Up |
| Which British actress, writer, radio announcer, television personality, game-show panellist and animal rights activist hosted the Eurovision Song Contest four times - in 1960, 1963, 1968 and 1974? | Katie Boyle |
| Which character was played by the late Maggie Jones in "Coronation Street"? | Blanche Hunt |
| Which comedy scriptwriting partnership wrote both "Hancock's Half Hour" and "Steptoe and Son"? | Galton and Simpson |
| Which Oscar-winning director helped edit the 1970 film "Woodstock"? | Martin Scorsese |
| Which Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, music composer, graphic artist, lyricist and author, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, made the film "Pather Panjali" (1955)? | Satyajit Ray |
| Which South African-born British stage, film and television actor is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, and its spin-off Softly, Softly? | Stratford Johns |
| Which film, inspired by the true story of a tour of the Deep South by Jamaican–American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley, won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards? | Green Book |
| Who played Mike in the anarchic 1980s comedy "The Young Ones"? | Christopher Ryan |
| Betty Hutton replaced who in the role of Annie Oakley in the 1950 film version of "Annie Get Your Gun", after she was fired one month into the role? | Judy Garland |
| The famous Groucho Marx line "either this man is dead, or my watch has stopped", comes from which film? | A Day At The Races |
| In which film does Lauren Bacall famously say to Humphrey Bogart "if you want me, just whistle"? | To Have and Have Not |
| Who was the first presenter of the UK TV gameshow "The Golden Shot", hosting the first 14 episodes? | Jackie Rae |
| Who served as Bill Clinton's Vice President from 1993 to 2001? | Al Gore |
| Callao is the chief seaport of which country? | Peru |
| Which architect was immortalised in song by Simon and Garfunkel - his works include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City? | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Who was the father of Leif Erikson, the first Norseman known to have set foot on North American soil? | Eric the Red |
| A small version of the Statue of Liberty stands on which man-made island on the Seine? | Île aux Cygnes |
| The Aymara people are indigenous to which continent? | South America |
| Which country was once known as Northern Rhodesia and attained independence in 1964? | Zambia |
| Who was President of Argentina from July 8, 1989 to December 10, 1999? | Carlos Menem |
| J. Edgar Hoover was director of the FBI right up until his death in 1972 - in which decade had he first taken up the post? | 1930s (1935) |
| What is the name used by the unknown person or people who developed bitcoin, authored the bitcoin white paper, and created and deployed bitcoin's original reference implementation? | Satoshi Nakamoto |
| What feminine forename is common to an uninhabited island in Canada's Nunavut territory, an inhabited, volcanic tropical island in the South Atlantic ocean and the capital of a US state? | Helena |
| What three words follow "cape" in the name of the westernmost point on the mainland of the Americas? | Prince of Wales |
| What two-word nickname is given to October 24th 1929, when panic selling began in earnest on the New York stock exchange, leading to the Wall Street crash 5 days later? | Black Thursday |
| The Pentagon Barracks, also known as the Old United States Barracks, are located in which US state capital which was, in 1810, the birthplace of the short-lived Republic of West Florida? | Baton Rouge |
| In which US State is there a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in its Centennial Park? | Nashville |
| What is the two letter abbreviation of The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых Сил Росси́йской Федера́ции) - Russia's foreign intelligence agency? | G.U. |
| The George Cross was instituted in which year? | 1940 |
| What was former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower's actual first given name? | David |
| What did LDV stand for in the initial name of Britain's Home Guard, upon its creation in 1940? | Local Defence Volunteers |
| Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of which Pope? (papal name required) | Alexander VI |
| What connection did Lucrezia Borgia have with Buffalo Bill? | It was the name of his gun |
| Which historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, was the site of John Brown's abolitionist raid on an arsenal in 1859? | Harper's Ferry |
| What name was given to the 1856 event in reaction to the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas by pro-slavery forces, where John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five pro-slavery settlers in Franklin County, Kansas? | Pottawtomie Massacre |
| Former US President Jimmy Carter was born on October 1st 1924 in the town of Plains in which state? | Georgia |
| In which year did Grace Darling famously help survivors of the Forfarshire sinking? | 1838 |
| One of the first actions of the Great Leap Forward, the Four Pests Campaign began in 1958 and aimed to rid China of rats, flies, mosquitoes, and which birds which have given their name to a better-known name for the campaign? | Sparrows |
| The headwaters of the rivers Ob and Irtysh are to be found in which mountain range on the border of Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan? | Altai Mountains |
| Which French-Israeli folk pop duo scored a worldwide hit in 2014 after the German electronic record producer Robin Schulz remixed their song Prayer in C? | Lilly Wood and the Prick |
| Charles H. Townes shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics for his creation of which device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves through amplification by stimulated emission? | Maser |
| Brought into the national side to replace Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who were caught up in spot fixing allegations, which 7’1” Pakistani fast bowler became the tallest man ever to play first-class cricket? | Mohammed Irfan |
| Which nation topped the medal table at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics? | Norway |
| Which female American adventurer became - on her 63rd birthday in 1901 - the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel? | Annie Edson Taylor |
| Which gothic comic strip character - created by Norwegian cartoonist Lise Myrhe - first appeared in 1997? | Nemi |
| In later life he was charged with impiety, probably as a result of his friendship with Pericles, and went into exile in Lampsacus. Which pre-Socratic philosopher - who introduced the concept of nous - was the first person to bring philosophy to Athens? | Anaxagoras |
| Who released the album "Ye" on June 1st 2018? | Kanye West |
| Frances McDormand collected the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in which 2017 film? | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri |
| In meteorology, what kind of weather front is formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front? | Occluded Front |
| Whose 1968 debut album was "Music For The Big Pink"? | The Band |
| At what age do Japanese people celebrate "Coming of Age Day" (Seijin no Hi)? | 20 |
| In the DC Comics Universe, what was the former capital city of the planet Krypton? | Kandor |
| What was Mark Twain's real name? | Samuel Langhorne Clemens |
| What does the acronym BASE stand for in the name BASE jumping? | Building, antenna, span, and earth |
| How is the painter Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi better known? | Sandro Botticelli |
| In which year was the American Declaration of Independence? | 1776 |
| Kung-fu originated in which country? | China |
| Which unit of measurement is equal to exactly 9 inches? | Span |
| What name is given to a form of bronze with a higher tin content, usually in approximately a 4:1 ratio of copper to tin (typically, 78% copper, 22% tin by mass)? | Bell Metal |
| Which is the only species of monkey native to Europe? | Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) |
| Frank Sinatra got the the nickname 'the Chairman of the Board' after founding which American record label in 1960? | Reprise Records |
| According to legend, Naples was founded when, in a fit of jealousy, Zeus transformed which siren into the city? | Parthenope |
| Constructed by King Rana Kumbha in 1448 to commemorate a military victory, Vijay Stambha is the most famous monument in which fort - and World Heritage Site - in Rajasthan? | Chittorgarh |
| Which German women's football team won the first ever Women's Champions League Final in 2002? | Frankfurt |
| Which company built the C.III, D.III, and D.V fighter aircraft famously flown during World War I by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richtofen, before he switched to the Fokker Dr.I towards the end of the war? | Albatross |
| Which historical figure has been played by Carmen Ejogo in both the films Boycott (2001) and Selma (2014)? | Coretta Scott King |
| The only species of the genus Atelocynus, which elusive canid is endemic to the Amazon basin? | Short-eared dog or zorro |
| Which 1953 Biblical epic about the crucifixion of Jesus was the first CinemaScope film? | The Robe |
| Ann Darrow was played by Fay Wray in the 1933 film "King Kong", and by whom in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake? | Naomi Watts |
| Which 1967 American thriller film directed by Terence Young stars Audrey Hepburn as a young blind woman, Alan Arkin as a violent criminal searching for some drugs, and Richard Crenna as another criminal, supported by Jack Weston? | Wait Until Dark |
| The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Seagram Building in New York City are the work of which architect? | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
| Which famous architect created The Villa Savoye in Poissy? | Le Corbusier |
| Named after its principal archaeological site, which culture developed in the northern Andean highlands of Peru from 900 BCE to 200 BCE? | Chavín culture |
| The 2018 Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman was based on the memoir Black Klansman by which man, portrayed by John David Washington in the film? | Ron Stallworth |
| Stokely Carmichael adopted which name in 1969 to honour two African leaders? | Kwame Ture |
| Both Brutus and Cassius committed suicide following which battle, the final engagement of the Wars of the Second Triumvirate? | Battle of Philippi |
| Which Middle Eastern city gives its name to a once prestigious variety of steel - likely produced from ingots of wootz steel imported from India and Sri Lanka - which was immensely popular in sword-making until the middle of the 18th century? | Damascus |
| The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, what is the fourth-oldest television channel in the United Kingdom, after BBC One, ITV and BBC Two? | S4C |
| Who played commanding officer Maj. Giles Flack in the 1982 film "Privates on Parade"? | John Cleese |
| Which British radio comedian (1909-87) active throughout the 1950s and 1960s used the catchphrases "Right, Monkey!" and "You'll be lucky - I say, you'll be lucky!"? | Al Read |
| Who played the title role Reverend Charles Fortescue in the 1982 film "The Missionary"? | Michael Palin |
| Eric Fleming played Gil Favor in which 1960s TV series? | Rawhide |
| "Big John" Cannon, played by Leif Erickson, appeared in which 1960s TV series? | The High Chaparral |
| Provocatively dressed in the poster, which actress played Rio McDonald in the 1943 film "The Outlaw"? | Jane Russell |
| Which real life man, an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician (1863-1951) was the main inspiration for "Citizen Kane"? | William Randolph Hearst |
| What was the nickname of US tap dancer and actor Bill Robinson (May 25, 1877 – November 25, 1949)? | Bojangles |
| Who played Elizabeth I in the 1939 film "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex"? | Bette Davis |
| Which Canadian provincial capital was named in honour of Queen Victoria in 1882? | Regina |
| Tunney Hunsaker was whose first opponent as a professional boxer in 1960? | Cassius Clay |
| Meaning "mad words" or "wild speech" which form of traditional Japanese comic theater developed alongside Nō? | Kyōgen |
| How many constellations are recognised by the International Astronomical Union? | 88 |
| From the Latin for "help", what generic name is given to a supply ship that goes to sea to support combat vessels? | Auxiliary |
| The only major fictional work of Winston Churchill, "Savrola" is subtitled "A Tale of the Revolution in"? | Laurania |
| As of December 31, 2018, what was the world's third largest hamburger fast food chain with 6,711 locations, following Burger King and McDonald's? | Wendy's |
| In 1941, Soviet scientists discovered the tomb of which conqueror (1336-1405)? It's claimed an inscription said "When my tomb is opened, it shall unleash an invader more terrible than I". Coincidentally, Nazi Germany invaded the USSR that year. | Tamerlane |
| Which US city was given a new name in honour of the then-Prince James in 1664 after his brother, King Charles II, made him the 'proprietor' of the territory in which this city is situated when the English took it over? | New York |
| Located 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, what is the lowest-lying capital city in the world? | Baku |
| Launched as the BankAmericard credit card program in Fresno, California, how is this now known? | Visa |
| Who is the Greek god that King Midas offended with his harsh criticism of his music? He was so offended he cursed Midas into having donkey ears. | Apollo |
| Named for an American psychologist, which psychometric scale – commonly employed in questionnaires – asks respondents to specify their level of agreement or disagreement to a set of statements? | Likert Scale |
| Associated with Charlie Chaplin, Oliver Hardy and Adolf Hitler, what name is given to a moustache trimmed to the width of the nose? | Toothbrush moustache |
| Derived from the style of furniture in the club where they first performed, what is the name of the famous male entertainment troupe noted for performing bare-chested, wearing only shirt cuffs, collars and bowties? | Chippendales |
| Which English singer-songwriter died of an overdose of amitriptyline in rural Warwickshire aged 26 on 25th November 1974? | Nick Drake |
| Which 1970 British science fiction television series about the ongoing covert efforts of a government defence organisation to prevent an alien invasion of Earth was created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson? | UFO |
| Coatbridge, East Kilbride, Motherwell, Airdrie, Blantyre, Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Wishaw and Carluke are towns in which historic county? | Lanarkshire |
| Derived from a two-word expression (a refrain in a music hall song), which eight-letter derogatory noun comes from a nickname for supporters of Lord Beaconsfield in sending a British fleet into Turkish waters to resist the advance of Russia in 1878? | Jingoism |
| In which UK TV programme is there a pub called The Dog In The Pond? | Hollyoaks |
| Which Russian-American designed and flew the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration used by most helicopters today? | Igor Sikorsky |
| Azerbaijan's national football stadium is named after which Azeri referee who is best-remembered for being the linesman who controversially awarded Geoff Hurst's second goal in England victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final? | Tofiq Bahramov |
| Who released the 1960 album "Sketches of Spain"? | Miles Davis |
| Whose 1634-6 painting "A Dance To The Music of Time" inspired the title of the Anthony Powell novel cycle? | Nicolas Poussin |
| Ralph Rackstraw is the lead character of which Gilbert and Sullivan operatta? | HMS Pinafore |
| Which Scottish town sits at the head of the 31 mile long Loch Linnhe? | Fort William |
| Which Sunday newspaper was founded by Lord Beaverbrook in 1918? | Sunday Express |
| Which French aperitif was first made in 1846 and was a favourite of the Queen Mother, who would mix it with gin? | Dubonnet |
| The violinist and conductor André Rieu is which nationality? | Dutch |
| Which variety of rattlesnake shares its name with a missile that has been widely used since the 1950s? | Sidewinder |
| What did the K stand for in the name of the former US President James K Polk? | Knox |
| Which notorious gangster was shot by FBI agents after watching a gangster movie on July 22, 1934 at the Biograph Theater, Chicago? | John Dillinger |
| Who painted the 1654 work "The Goldfinch"? | Carel Fabritius |
| With a name meaning "People's Will", which Russian terrorist organisation was responsible for the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in March 1881, the event for which the group is best remembered? | Narodnaya Volya |
| Considered the father of the nation, who served between 1947 and 1952 as the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka? | DS Senanayake |
| Following the death of William Henry Harrison, who was the first US vice president to succeed to the presidency without election? | John Tyler |
| Which French sculptor (1864-1943), the elder sister of a poet and diplomat, is perhaps best known for her 1902 work "The Mature Age" that can now be seen in the Musee D'Orsay? | Camille Claudel |
| The son of Rangi and Papa, some say that the Maori god of forests and birds created the first man, named Tiki, from Earth. What was the god's name? | Tāne |
| Which officer of the US Navy is known for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay during the US Civil War: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"? | David Farragut |
| The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, whose domains were the first to be described as "an empire on which the sun never sets" decisively defeated the Schmalkaldic League at which 1547 battle in Saxony? | Battle of Mühlberg |
| Frequently advertised by Rolf Harris, which small keyboard instrument appears on David Bowie's "Space Oddity"? | Stylophone |
| Who wrote "Bad Penny Blues", the first track to get into the UK Top 20? | Humphrey Lyttleton |
| Who had the first Number 1 song for Motown in the USA, with "Please Mr Postman"? | The Marvelettes |
| Whose 1997 album was "The Healing Game"? | Van Morrison |
| Which song was a UK hit in 1967 for Eddie Floyd and a 1979 hit for "Amii Stewart"? | Knock On Wood |
| Which elongated suet crust dumpling, named after a county, has meat at one end and jam at the other? | Bedfordshire Clanger |
| Which song was a UK hit for Rose Royce in 1978 and Jimmy Nail in 1985? | Love Don't Live Here Anymore |
| Dennis Brain (1921-57) was a virtuoso on which instrument? | Horn |
| Who composed the "Coffee Cantata" between 1732 and 1735? | JS Bach |
| Which washed-rind cheese produced since 1972 by Charles Martell and Son at Hunts Court Farm, Dymock, Gloucestershire was brought to attention by the 2005 Wallace & Gromit movie, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit? | Stinking Bishop |
| Who attended Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School from 1936 to 1943, and was head girl in her final year? | Margaret Thatcher |
| Philip Sidney, the English poet, courtier, scholar, and soldier, who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age, died following which battle of 22 September 1586? | Battle of Zutphen |
| In which country did Che Guevara die? | Bolivia |
| Which Olympic rowing gold medallist (winning in 1924) later became a renowned childcare specialist? | Benjamin Spock |
| How was Intelsat 1, the world's first geostationary satellite, launched on April 6, 1965, more commonly known? | Early Bird |
| In Longfellow's poem, who is the lover of Hiawatha? | Minnehaha |
| When the M25 orbital motorway was planned, it was originally expected that only the stretch south of the Thames would have that number. What number was intended for the motorway north of the Thames? | M16 |
| Which of the original Star Trek crew was played by George Takei? | Mr (Hikara) Sulu |
| Which actor famously emerged out of a heat haze in Lawrence of Arabia, playing Sherif Ali, and was at one time one of the world's best contract bridge players? | Omar Sharif |
| In betting parlance, which music hall song gives its name to odds of 100-30? | Burlington Bertie |
| Which British runner held the men's outdoor 5000m record from 1982 to 1985? | David Moorcroft |
| On which river does Toulouse stand? | Garonne |
| Which sport is played by the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards? | Basketball |
| Which King of Scotland is said to have turned his face to the wall and died at Falkland Palace after hearing of the birth of a daughter? In any case, he definitely died on 14 December 1542. | James V of Scotland |
| Which Ingmar Bergman film ends with the Dance of Death, or Danse Macabre? | The Seventh Seal |
| Which food items were first displayed in the UK in the Holborn shop window of Thomas Johnson on 10th April 1633? | Bananas |
| What was first traversed by Roald Amundsen from 1903 to 1906? | Northwest Passage |
| In motoring, what does RAC stand for? | Royal Automobile Club |
| Which US state calls itself the "Show-Me" state? | Missouri |
| Which English conductor (1869-1944) was best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms? He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences. | Sir Henry Wood |
| Which actress's television roles include Caress Morell in Dynasty and the Rani in Doctor Who? | Kate O'Mara |
| What name is given to the eastern region of the Sahara Desert, spanning approximately 400,000 km² of northeastern Sudan and northern Eritrea, between the Nile and the Red Sea? | Nubian Desert |
| Which letter is represented by a single dash in Morse Code? | T |
| Which poem contains the lines: "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them"? | For the Fallen (by Lawrence Binyon) |
| Which Vice-Presidential candidate said to Dan Quayle: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."? | Lloyd Bentsen |
| Which two 19th century generals have statues in Trafalgar Square? | Charles James Napier and Henry Havelock |
| Who is the only monarch to have a statue in Trafalgar Square? | George IV |
| Who were the parents of actress Carrie Fisher? | Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds |
| Who, in 1988, was the first woman to be appointed to the Court of Appeal in the UK? | Elizabeth Butler-Sloss |
| In two athletics events, men throw an object weighing 16lb - which two? | Hammer Throw and Shot Put |
| Who was the Greek goddess of childbirth, the Moon and chastity? | Artemis |
| In Greek myth, Leto was the daughter of which two Titans? | Coeus and Phoebe |
| Which Biblical name means "Father is exalted" – the meaning offered in Genesis 17:5, "Father of a multitude", is also a popular etymology? | Abraham |
| Bohea is what type of beverage? | Tea |
| Which bandleader (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969) had the signature tune "Somebody Stole My Gal"? | Billy Cotton |
| In the Church of England, what was the name of the chief resident cleric of a cathedral or other collegiate church and the head of the chapter of canons? | Dean |
| Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, particularly what? | Pork |
| Hermes was the son of Zeus and which Pleiad? | Maia |
| Who had a 1970 UK number 1 with "When I Need You"? | Leo Sayer |
| Who, according to the Bible, was the first man to get drunk? | Noah |
| In Norse myth, whose chariot is drawn by Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr? | Thor |
| In Greek myth, Athena sprang fully formed from Zeus' head after he had swallowed which Titaness, his first wife? | Metis |
| The full title of which 1790 opera translates as "All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers"? | Cosi Fan Tutte (Mozart) |
| In Greek myth, which Titaness was the mother of the Hours, and in some sources, the Fates? | Themis |
| Which deity of ancient Greek religion worshipped at a sanctuary near the confluence of rivers called the Neda and the Lymax in classical Peloponnesus, was the mother of the Graces? | Eurynome |
| In Buddhist legend, what was the name of the favourite white horse of length eighteen cubits that was a royal servant of Prince Siddhartha, who later became Gautama Buddha? | Kanthaka |
| Who was the mother of the Muses in Greek myth? | Mnemosyne |
| Manuel de Falla wrote music for the 1919 work The Three-Cornered Hat. What type of work was it? | A ballet |
| Which composer wrote the 1976 opera "Einstein on the Beach"? | Philip Glass |
| Released in 1969, which band's debut album was "The Aerosol Grey Machine"? | Van der Graaf Generator |
| Which French Canadian film director and writer directed the thriller films Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), and the science fiction films Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)? | Denis Villeneuve |
| Rusty Baillie, Tom Patey and Chris Bonington were the first three men to climb what in 1966? | The Old Man of Hoy |
| If they are MPs in England, AMs in Wales, and MSPs in Scotland, what are they in Northern Ireland? | MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) |
| Hungarian and Estonian belong to which language family? | Finno-Ugric |
| What is the currency of Bolivia? | Boliviano |
| Which man, known as "Ukulele Ike", was best known as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio (1940) and Fun and Fancy Free (1947)? | Cliff Edwards |
| In the SI system, if something is prefixed with femto-, this represents a multiple of ten to the power of what? | Minus Fifteen |
| Who was the only man to be an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from 1946 to 1965, and awarded the Order of Lenin in 1965? | Kim Philby |
| The Peace of Utrecht ended which war? | The War of the Spanish Succession |
| Who was the first football manager to win the European Cup three times? | Bob Paisley |
| On June 15, 1904, which steamboat caught fire and sank in the East River of New York City, killing 1,021 people? | General Slocum |
| Named after its 18th century creator, what name is given to a type of hybrid balloon that has separate chambers for a non-heated lifting gas (such as hydrogen or helium) as well as for a heated lifting gas (as used in a hot air balloon or Montgolfière)? | Rozière balloon |
| While in prison in Genoa, Marco Polo dictated the stories of his travels to another inmate, who helped him co-write his autobiography. What was the name of this inmate? | Rustichello da Pisa |
| Which South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994 has 4 full members and 7 associate countries? | Mercosur |
| Makhachkala is the capital of which Russian autonomous republic? | Dagestan |
| What function was performed in Greek mythology by the horses Pyrois, Aeos, Aethon, and Phlegon, and in Norse mythology by the horses Árvakr and Alsviðr? | Horses that pulled the Sun's chariot |
| Who was the promoter of the world's first practical cable car system, the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco, and is often therefore regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system? | Andrew Smith Hallidie |
| 1874's Principles of Physiological Psychology was the first textbook about psychology and was written by which German, the first man to call himself a ‘psychologist’ and widely considered the "father of experimental psychology"? | Wilhelm Wundt |
| Often nicknamed "Versailles of the Jungle" due its lavish building projects, which city was the ancestral home and residence of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later self-styled as Mobutu Sese Seko, dictator of Zaire? | Gbadolite |
| In 1872, who was the first woman to run for President of the United States? While many historians and authors agree that she was the first woman to run for President, some have questioned that priority given issues with the legality of her run. | Victoria Woodhull |
| In which year did Harry Houdini die, and the General Strike take place? | 1926 |
| Which controversial figure became President of Brazil on 1st Jan 2019? | Jair Bolsonaro |
| Which EU member country, that joined in 2004, has been occupied in its history by Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Russia twice? | Estonia |
| What feat was achieved by Double Eagle II in 1978? | First hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic |
| In which city did Yasser Arafat die in 2004? | Paris |
| In WW2, what did the 'P' of 'ARP' stand for, if 'AR' was 'air raid'? | Preparations |
| What was the name of the legislative and consultative assembly that acted as an advisory body to the French monarchy under the Old Regime? | Estates General |
| Who did Erich Honecker succeed as East German leader in 1973? | Walter Ulbricht |
| Who was the first reigning British monarch to visit the USA? | George VI |
| Who was the head of state (Head of the Federal Military Government) of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975? He took power after one military coup d'état and was overthrown in another. | Yakubu Gowon |
| Who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody"? | Rami Malek |
| Which game was first marketed under its still current name by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe in 1956? | Yahtzee |
| The Blue Jackets are an NHL team that began life in 2000 and are based in which US city? | Columbus |
| From 2004 to 2019 Alexander Ovechkin has played for which NHL team? | Washington Capitals |
| In board games, what is the London equivalent of Paseo del Prado or Rue de la Paix? | Mayfair (costliest Monopoly property) |
| The NHL team the 'Wild' are based where? | Minnesota (accept Minneapolis-St Paul or St Paul) |
| In which decade were shirt numbers first used in an FA Cup Final? | 1930s (1933) |
| Which country's national football team was managed by Peter Reid from 2008-09? | Thailand |
| Which football league team was the first to be managed by Bill Shankly? | Carlisle United |
| The first international rugby union match took place in which town or city in 1871? | Edinburgh (Raeburn Place) |
| Which portmanteau word did Tiger Woods use to describe his ethnic makeup? | Cablinasian |
| At which gymnastics discipline did Nadia Comaneci score the first "10" at the Olympic Games? | Asymmetric Bars |
| From 2004, after the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington to become the Washington Nationals, who became the only Canadian MLB team? | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Who threw the first (and as of 2019 only) perfect game in the MLB World Series, for the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 8, 1956? | Don Larsen |
| In 1904, who pitched the third perfect game in baseball history, first in baseball's "modern era"? | Cy Young |
| Which rule, that allows another player to bat in place of the pitcher, has been in place since 1973 in baseball's American League, but not the National League? | Designated Hitter |
| In which year was the first baseball World Series played? | 1903 |
| In the rules of water polo, for how long can a team be in possession before they must shoot? | 30 seconds |
| What colour of cap is worn by goalkeepers in water polo matches? | Red |
| Which baseball team moved from the American League to the National League in 1998? | Milwaukee Brewers |
| In which city are the headquarters of the World Bank? | Washington DC |
| Apart from Stoke itself, name any two of the other five 'Six Towns' of Stoke? | Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Tunstall |
| What are Danebury, Hampshire and Maiden Castle, Cheshire? | Iron Age Forts |
| The Charente Basin in France is especially renowned for which alcoholic product? | Brandy |
| Which island of Japan is the city of Nagasaki on? | Kyushu |
| Which mountain on the border between County Fermanagh (in Northern Ireland) and County Cavan (in the Republic of Ireland) is the traditional source of the Shannon? | Cuilcagh |
| Which city of Ancient Egypt, on the Canopic branch of the Nile river, and 45 mi (72 km) southeast of the open sea and Alexandria was the only Greek colony in Egypt? | Naucratis |
| Which is the most northerly Ivy League university? | Dartmouth College |
| Which island on the east coast of Essex in England, which is separated from the mainland by narrow creeks, has two small settlements - Churchend and Courtsend? | Foulness Island |
| Which 0.9-acre (0.36 ha) clump of trees forming an ait (river island), in the River Thames in England in Hounslow is so called because of a legend that Cromwell took refuge there? | Oliver's Island |
| Which French photographer, who took pictures of the 1912 French Grand Prix, Suzanne Lenglen, and early flights of aviation pioneers such as Gabriel Voisin, Louis Bleriot and Roland Garros, was "rediscovered" by Charles Rado of the Rapho agency in 1963? | Jacques Henri Lartigue |
| Which French sculptor (1871-1936) achieved public renown with his statue La Parisienne shown at the Expo Universelle (1900) in Paris, and is now perhaps best known for his memorial wall to the Victimes des révolutions on Avenue Gambetta, Paris? | Paul Moreau-Vauthier |
| Containing a horse racing track, which park, located on the eastern edge of Paris, is the largest public park in the city? It was created between 1855 and 1866 by the Emperor Napoleon III, and is known for being a site for prostitution. | Bois de Vincennes |
| Known as "The Peacemaker" which Tsar of Russia reigned from 1881 to 1894, and has a bridge in Paris named after him? | Tsar Alexander III |
| Which battle, fought on 31 August 1823, was the only significant battle in the French invasion of Spain in support of King Ferdinand VII? French forces defeated the Spanish liberal forces and restored the absolute rule of Ferdinand. | Battle of Trocadero |
| He married the 27-year-old Hannah de Rothschild, only child and sole heiress of the Jewish banker Mayer Amschel de Rothschild, and the wealthiest British heiress of her day. Who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895? | (Archibald Primrose, 5th) Earl of Rosebery |
| First published by activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in 5 booklets, which 19th-century term referred to a person of a 3rd sex— someone with "a female psyche in a male body" who is attracted to men, later extended to cover homosexual gender variant females? | Uranian |
| What was the first name of Winston Churchill's father? | Randolph |
| Which man, known as "the Munshi", was an Indian attendant of Queen Victoria who served her during the final fourteen years of her reign, gaining her maternal affection over that time? | Abdul Karim |
| Who wrote the poem "Recessional" for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee? | Rudyard Kipling |
| How was painter Paolo Caliari (1528-88) better known? | Paolo Veronese |
| In Greek mythology, Cadmus who was the founder and first king of Thebes? He was the first Greek hero and, alongside Perseus and Bellerophon, the greatest hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles. | Cadmus |
| The American author Frederik Pohl died in 2013. He is perhaps best-known for which 1977 sci-fi novel telling of the titular alien space station exploited by humans? | Gateway |
| Which South African musical, by Mbongeni Ngema, depicting students involved in the Soweto Riots, was later adapted into a 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo? | Sarafina! |
| Unusual in that she has one brown eye and one green eye, which Ukrainian-born actress married her "That 70s Show" co-star Ashton Kutcher in 2015? | Mila Kunis |
| Mashonaland is part of which modern-day country? | Zimbabwe |
| What is the largest state of Malaysia? | Sarawak |
| Born in 1769, who was the first person to describe the phenomenon and cause of human-induced climate change, in 1800 and again in 1831, based on observations generated during his travels? | Alexander von Humboldt |
| What was known as Île Bourbon until 1793? | Réunion |
| In which English town are the HQ of the RNLI? | Poole |
| Who was the British Prime Minister in 1866, following the second term in office of Viscount Palmerston? | John Russell |
| Which book in the New Testament follows Corinthians? | Galatians |
| Which book in the Old Testament precedes the First Book of Samuel? | Ruth |
| Who was the British Prime Minister between 1801 and 1804, between two terms of office by Willam Pitt the Younger? | Henry Addington |
| Which fashion designer founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, which opened in 2003? | Zandra Rhodes |
| Give any year when the first series of the Rockford Files was on UK television? | 1974-80 |
| William C. Durant, co-founded what company with Frederic Smith after WW2? | General Motors |
| Robert W. Woodruff was President of which company from 1923 to 1954? | Coca-Cola |
| Which book is the first in the Dollanganger Series by V.C. Andrews and is followed by Petals in the Wind? | Flowers in the Attic |
| Which type of trees are also called sallows and osiers? | Willows |
| Who was the first husband of Mary Queen of Scots? | Francois II of France |
| In which year was Joan of Arc canonised? | 1920 |
| Who wrote the 2011 James Bond novel "Carte Blanche"? | Jeffrey Deaver |
| Gioachino Rossini's 1817 opera "La Cenerentola" was inspired by which fairy tale? | Cinderella |
| Who became the second British man to win UCI Road World Championships's Men's Road Race, in 2011? | Mark Cavendish |
| Which Slovak road bicycle racer was the winner of the points classification in the Tour de France, in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018, and was the first man to win the UCI Road World Championships's Men's Road Race three times consecutively? | Peter Sagan |
| Which US jazz saxophonist and composer came to prominence in the late 50s as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, then in the 60s he joined Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet before co-founding jazz fusion band Weather Report? | Wayne Shorter |
| Which policy of rapprochement was initially implemented by Willy Brandt in the 1970s to normalise relations between West and East Germany? | Ostpolitik |
| Which country has won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and "The Salesman"? | Iran |
| Which American politician and activist who became the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district also became the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress, and a target for alt-right trolls? | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez |
| Bohemian, Japanese and Cedar are the three species belonging to genus Bombycilla, better known under which colloquial name? | Waxwing |
| The title of which play by Lorraine Hansberry comes from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes? | A Raisin In The Sun |
| Which US abstract expressionist painter, once married to fellow artist Robert Motherwell, painted "Mountains and Sea" in 1952? | Helen Frankenthaler |
| Kunming is the capital and largest city of which Chinese province? | Yunnan |
| In 2018, which PM of New Zealand became the second world leader in modern history to give birth while in office? | Jacinta Ardern |
| Which 15th century Korean king, the 4th king of the Joseon dynasty, reinforced Confucian policies and personally created and promulgated the Korean alphabet Hangul? | Sejong the Great |
| In November 2018, the definition of the Kelvin was altered to one based on a fixed, exact numerical value of which constant? | Boltzmann constant |
| Which species from Madagascar, related to the African otter shrew, can possess up to 29 teats, the most of any mammal, because they can have up to 32 young? | Tenrecs |
| What is regulated by The Fédération Internationale des Échecs? | Chess |
| Which martial artist and actor has popularised the martial art known as Wing Chun by playing Ip Man, a Wing Chun grandmaster (Bruce Lee's teacher) in the eponymous film series? | Donnie Yen |
| Which British PM created the Palladian Houghton Hall in Houghton, Norfolk, the place of his birth? | Robert Walpole |
| Which British PM was described by Lord Rosebery (himself PM 1894-95) as "the favourite non-entity of George II"? | Spencer Compton |
| In 1764, which British PM had a scandalous affair with the courtesan known as Nancy Parsons, or Mrs Horton? | (Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd) Duke of Grafton |
| Which British PM died on 2nd July 1850, a few days after being thrown from a horse? | Robert Peel |
| With which treaty, signed on 11 April 1814 between Napoleon I and representatives from the Austrian Empire, Russia and Prussia, was Napoleon sent into exile on Elba? | Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814) |
| The actress Valerie Hobson (1917-98) was married to which disgraced Tory politician? | John Profumo |
| The song "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" features in which Disney film of 1946? | Song of the South |
| Which unit of length is named from the Latin for "elbow"? | Cubit |
| Founded in 1916, the US Brookings Institution is one of the world's leading examples of what alliterative term? | Think Tank |
| The defence of Pavlov's House was a key event in which 1942-43 battle? | Battle of Stalingrad |
| The unit prefix tera- indicates multiplication by a factor of what? | Twelve |
| Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan country house of the 1580s in which English city? | Nottingham |
| Which Elizabethan stately home was built by Sir John Thynne and was designed mainly by Robert Smythson? | Longleat |
| Sophia Dorothea of Celle was the consort of which English monarch? | George I |
| Which British TV show was presented by Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther, Michael Aspel, Ed Stewart and Stu Francis? | Crackerjack! |
| Laurence Payne portrayed which detective on ITV from 1967-71? | Sexton Blake |
| Who played the titular role in the 1956 musical comedy "The Girl Can't Help It"? | Jayne Mansfield |
| Which current TV channel is the fourth oldest in the UK? | Sky One |
| Existing in the Pleistocene, and with a name meaning "two forward teeth", what is the largest known marsupial to have ever lived? | Diprotodon |
| Which unit of pressure is defined as 101325 Pa (1.01325 bar)?It is sometimes used as a reference or standard pressure. | Atmosphere |
| Who wrote the novel "Yellow Dog"? | Martin Amis |
| Which French philosopher and political economist (1797-81) was known for his philosophical principle which he called the "triad"—a triplicity which he finds to pervade all things, and introduced the term "socialism" to French discourse? | Pierre Leroux |
| Which criminal gang was led by Butch Cassidy, and included his closest friend Elzy Lay, the Sundance Kid, Tall Texan, News Carver, Camilla "Deaf Charley" Hanks, Laura Bullion, Flat-Nose Curry, Kid Curry and Bob Meeks? | The Wild Bunch |
| Established in 1940 by a committee of the National Association of Broadcasters, which awards are the oldest major electronic media awards in the United States? | Peabody Awards |
| Who presented the UK's National Television Awards every year from 1996 to 2008? | Trevor McDonald |
| What is the English translation of "dentelle", which was the traditional industry of Calais? | Lace |
| Named after the Frenchman who invented it in 1804, what name was given to a device fitted to a power loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé by using punched cards? | Jacquard (loom) |
| How many citizens are depicted in the Rodin statue "Burghers of Calais"? | Six |
| The coast between Calais and Boulogne is named after which gemstone? | Opal |
| One of the largest terrestrial mammals that has ever existed, the extinct Paraceratherium most resembled which modern-day animal, minus horns? | Rhinoceros |
| What colour is the single star on the flag of Senegal? | Green |
| Which fictional character saw his former girlfriend and schoolmate become a 'Blair Babe' when she was elected MP for Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1997 at the age of 30? | Adrian Mole |
| Taking its name from a change in the appearance of the character William Riker between the first & second series of Star Trek: The Next Generation, what TV trope is the opposite of 'jumping the shark' and describes a show noticeably improving in quality? | Growing the Beard or Riker’s Beard or Finding the Beard |
| The name of which company known for their luxury pens is also the surname of the actor Dennis and the record producer Pete? | Waterman |
| The earliest of the statues on plinths in Trafalgar Square is an equestrian figure of which King of Great Britain and Ireland, sculpted by Sir Francis Chantrey and installed in 1844? | George IV |
| Which moon, the second largest moon of Saturn, shares its name with a type of large flightless bird native to South America? | Rhea |
| Which husband of Catherine the Great preceded her on the Russian throne,reigning for six months in 1762 before being deposed in a conspiracy led by his wife? | Peter the Great |
| Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, Kate Bosworth and Amy Adams have all portrayed which DC comics’ investigative journalist on screen? | Lois Lane |
| Which chain of carvery restaurants, named for a traditional figure and owned by Mitchell and Butlers, uses the slogan “Home of the Roast”? | Toby Carvery |
| Competing in her fourth Games, which judoka was the British flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Athens? | Kate Howey |
| Named after a French physicist, what is the SI unit of electric charge? | Coulomb |
| The title of which opera by Philip Glass based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi is a word that Gandhi coined for his form of non-violent resistance? | Satyagraha |
| The three-letter name of which type of fish is both an acronym for a type of radio technology and a dance move that involves putting the head into the crook of one elbow while extending the opposite arm? | Dab |
| Jamestown is the capital of which Atlantic island, famous as a place of exile in the 19th century? | St Helena |
| A monadnock is an American term for an isolated mountain in an otherwise flat area, named for the peak of that name in New Hampshire. In most of the rest of the world, these are known instead by what term of German origin? | Inselberg |
| Which type of shoe heel shares its name with the character played by Denis Lawson in the original Star Wars trilogy? | Wedge |
| Mostly in County Galway, with a small corner in Mayo, which lough is the largest lake (by area) in the Republic of Ireland? | Lough Corrib |
| Which art forger who copied the work of artists including Edgar Degas and Thomas Gainsborough was assisted in the distribution of his forgeries by his partner Jane Kelly? | Tom Keating |
| Which team won the inaugural men’s cricket world cup in 1975, defeating Australia in the final? They have only won it once again since, at the next tournament in 1979. | West Indies |
| What two-word title is shared by a 2000 TV series starring Jessica Alba as the genetically engineered super soldier Max Guevera and a 2016 mini-series featuring Joanne Froggatt as the serial killer Mary Ann Cotton? | Dark Angel |
| Which of Paul's Epistles has a Biblical position immediately after his letter to Romans? | Letter to the Corinthians |
| There were two General Elections in the UK in the 1960s - in which years? | 1964 , 1966 |
| Achieved against England in 2012, who was the first South African batsman ever to make a triple century in test cricket? | Hashim Amla |
| Who had his only UK top 10 hit with a song called Eve of Destruction in 1965? | Barry McGuire |
| Which father of a US President was the American Ambassador to the UK from 1938-1940? | Joseph Kennedy |
| Who wrote the 1999 collection of short stories called "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" which included "Brokeback Mountain"? | E. Annie Proulx |
| Which author wrote "Notwithstanding" in 2009, a short story collection that was inspired by Wormley, the Surrey village in which he grew up during the 1960s and 1970s? | Louis de Bernieres |
| Also called white mica, which pale, translucent, potassium-containing mineral of the mica group shares a name with a native or inhabitant of a prominent capital city? | Muscovite |
| George Crabbe, the poet and naturalist, was the author in seventeen-ninety of an essay on the natural history of which region on the borders of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire? | Vale of Belvoir |
| In which decade of the 20th century were liposuction, laser printer, post-it notes and magnetic resonance imaging invented? | 1970s |
| Which fictional country located in Sub-Saharan Africa, created by Marvel Comics, is home to the superhero Black Panther? | Wakanda |
| Who was the first British cyclist in forty-six years to win the World Road Racing Championship, and the first ever to win the Tour De France Green Jersey? He won BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2011? | Mark Cavendish |
| The crab family Ocypodidae includes ghost crabs, and a genus given what common name? | Fiddler crabs |
| Sometimes called the pallium, the layer of epidermal tissue that encloses the body of a mollusc and secretes the shell is commonly known by which name, originally meaning a cloak? | Mantle |
| In Greek myth, what collective name was given to the fifty daughters of the goddess Doris, derived from that of their father? | Nereids (from Nereus) |
| UNIPOM was a UN observation mission established in which two Asian countries from 15 to 1, to supervise the ceasefire along their shared border? | India and Pakistan |
| In which major US city are the districts of Mayfair, Civic Betterment, Swampoodle and the Palisades? | Washington DC |
| The Dryden comedy "Marriage a la Mode" is set on which island? | Sicily |
| What is the Arabic meaning of "algebra", via "al-jabr"? | Reunion of broken parts (accept similar)/bonesetting |
| Kingsley Amis' novel "The Old Devils" is set in which Welsh city? | Swansea |
| What birth sign are people born on December 1st? | Sagittarius |
| Which actor was one of three drivers who placed second overall in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans? | Paul Newman |
| How many UK monarchs belonged to the House of Hanover? | Six |
| Mary, Queen of Scots, was Queen Consort to which other country between 1559 and 1560? | France |
| What relation was Mary Tudor to Edward VI? | Half-sister |
| Which Scottish city gives its name to the style of waterproof cape particularly associated with Sherlock Holmes? | Inverness |
| George Valentin, played by Jean Dujardin, is the central character of which 2011 film directed by Michel Hazanavicius? | The Artist |
| Which former Secretary-General of the United Nations was born in Cairo in 1922? | Boutros-Boutros Ghali |
| Among his record 51 nominations, which film composer has won Oscars for the films Jaws, Star Wars and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial? | John Williams |
| What is the highest peak in Austria? | Grossglockner |
| Only 2 exercises are performed by both men and women in gymnastics – name them. | Vault, Floor |
| The largest champagne bottle is the Melchizedeck, how many normal bottles does it hold? | Forty |
| Which role was played on film by John Gielgud in the 1981 original and Helen Mirren in a 2011 remake? | Hobson ( the butler in Arthur) |
| There are three towns in England that have the right to use the prefix “Royal” – name them. | Leamington Spa, Tonbridge Wells, Wooton Bassett |
| Established in 1988, in which English city is the first branch of the Tate art gallery opened outside of London? | Liverpool |
| Written in 1771, Mercury is the alternative name of Symphony No. 43 in E flat major by which composer who wrote over 100 symphonies? | Haydn |
| Who played Sherlock’s landlady Mrs Hudson in the BBC TV show Sherlock? | Una Stubbs |
| Which fourteenth century King of England was the son of Edward the Black Prince and Joan, Countess of Kent? | Richard II |
| John McEnroe won four Wimbledon Men's Doubles Titles in the 1970s & 80s with which American partner? | Peter Fleming |
| In 1610, which Catholic zealot assassinated French King Henry IV in the Rue de la Ferronnerie in Paris? | Francois Ravaillac |
| One of the world’s biggest producers of copper is Antofagasta, a company named for a mining city in which country? | Chile |
| Similar in style to the Samba, but with a brushed leather upper - which famous brand of Adidas training shoe shared its name with a type of Antelope? | Gazelle |
| What is the fourth largest of the Balearic Islands? | Formentera |
| Which novel opens with the words: ‘The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way towards the lagoon.’? | The Lord of The Flies |
| The chess opening in which black responds to white’s first move of pawn e4 by moving his own pawn to e6 is named as which nationality’s ‘Defence’? | The French Defence |
| What is the minimum number of justices that can hear a case at the UK Supreme Court? | Five |
| Which town close to Bournemouth in Dorset shares its name with a city in New Zealand? | Christchurch |
| Which type of shell shaped pasta has a name that means ‘seashells’ in Italian? | Conchiglie |
| Which herb is traditionally used to make pesto? | Basil |
| Who was the first Asian tennis player to hold the number one ranking in singles in the male or female game? | Naomi Osaka |
| The Real Inspector Hound and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour are works by which playwright, born 1937? | Tom Stoppard |
| Sung by Zac Efron and Zendaya, "Rewrite the Stars" was a song from which 2017 musical film about a real-life 19th century figure? | The Greatest Showman |
| Who married actor Matthew Macfadyen in 2004? | Keeley Hawes |
| Which author’s first novel was HMS Ulysses, published in 1955? | Alistair Maclean |
| Although created by the German Otmar Gutman and with voices originally provided by the Italian Carlo Bonomi, the popular children's TV series Pingu was originally made in which European country? | Switzerland |
| Avianca, founded in 1919, the world’s second oldest passenger airline still trading under its original name, is the national airline of which South American country? | Colombia |
| Ilha da Qeuimada island in Brazil has been off limits to all but the military and selected researchers owing to the dangerously high concentration of which animals, with estimates ranging up to one per square metre? | Snakes |
| Which composer, often called The Father of the Symphony, spent much of his career as the court musician for the Esterházy family? | Joseph Haydn |
| Which author who died in 2019 at the age of 94, also wrote under the name Jane Fraser and is perhaps best known for her romantic novel The Shell Seekers? | Rosmaunde Pilcher |
| Who played taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney in Coronation Street? | Craig Charles |
| Blue Vinney cheese is made in Sturminster Newton in which English county? | Devon |
| At the start of the classic board game Diplomacy, Germany has armies based in Berlin and Munich, and a fleet in which territory, named after a port-city, and providing access to both the Baltic Sea and the Heligoland Bight? | Kiel |
| “Either that wallpaper goes or I do” is a quote attributed to whom on his deathbed in 1900? | Oscar Wilde |
| Who sang the theme tune to the James Bond film Licence to Kill? | Gladys Knight |
| Who was the Special Counsel whose report on Russian interference into the last US Presidential Election was submitted in March 2019, proving something of a damp squib when it was spun as exonerating Trump? | Robert Mueller |
| Which Biblical figure was betrayed by his lover to his Philistine enemies who gouged out his eyes? | Samson |
| In the 1960s TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., our heroes’ principal adversary was an organisation bent on world domination known by what acronym, which is also a type of bird? | THRUSH |
| Dover and Hastings are two of the original Cinque Ports; name one more. | New Romney, Hythe, Sandwich |
| Which derived SI unit is equal, in base units, to one kilogram-metre per second squared - that is mass times acceleration? | Newton |
| Which film director and Turner Prize winner produced the 2007 artwork Queen and Country, a set of 155 sheets of stamps, each commemorating a soldier killed in the Iraq War? | Steve McQueen |
| David Jason voiced Danger Mouse in the original 1981 TV series. Who voiced the character in the 2015 series? | Alexander Armstrong |
| On which part of the body would a buskin be worn? | Foot |
| What is the name of the Royal barge that was the lead vessel in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012? | Gloriana |
| What name was given by the RAF to the DC3 transport aircraft, first flown in the 1930s, but still in service in some parts of the world today? | Dakota |
| Which author’s first published novel was Call For the Dead, published in 1961? | John Le Carre |
| Pliny the Elder died trying to rescue people from which town destroyed in the 79AD eruption of Vesuvius? It was neither Pompeii nor Herculaneum. | Stabiae |
| Which major US city is located just south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers? | St Louis |
| Landing at Brixham, who was the last king to secure the English throne after an invasion, albeit one that proved largely bloodless? | William III |
| Which inn lends its name to the moorland road between Buxton and Macclesfield? | Cat and Fiddle |
| Pictures of Matchstick Men was, in 1968, the first UK hit single for which rock band? | Status Quo |
| Which golfer holds the record for most second-place finishes in the Open Championship - seven between 1964 and 1979? | Jack Nicklaus |
| Which Archbishop of Canterbury officiated at the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton? | Rowan Williams |
| The River Araguaia is in which country? | Brazil |
| On a horse, what ‘F’ is the name given to the joint on the back of the leg between the knee and hoof that bears a tuft of hair? | Fetlock |
| What name links the 22nd President of the USA and a non-metropolitan county of northern England which existed from 1974-1996? | Cleveland |
| Which ancient Greek artist, said to have died laughing at a portrait of Aphrodite, once painted a bunch of grapes so realistic that birds tried to eat them? | Zeuxis |
| In which team sport is the UK's Elite League divided into three conferences: the Gardiner Conference, the Patton Conference and the Erhardt Conference, each named after one of the relatively few British-born greats in the sport? | Ice Hockey |
| What was the surname of the Prussian general who led his army against Napoleon at the 1813 Battle of the Nations at Leipzig and at Waterloo in 1815? | Blücher |
| In mathematics, which single letter is used to denote the set of all integers? | Z |
| Home to a famous Plain that was the last home of this bird before its recent reintroduction, the flag of which English county is nicknamed the ‘Bustard Flag’, because it features a Great Bustard? | Wiltshire |
| For what purpose are aluminium chloride and hexachlorophene used in the field of personal hygiene, although the first one, marketed in 1888, consisted of a zinc compound in a cream base? | Deodorant/antiperspirant |
| In Greek myth, Talus, or the "man of brass" was the guardian of Crete - and had which novel method of killing his victims? | He made himself red hot and hugged his victims to death |
| What is the northernmost of the nine provinces of South Africa? | Limpopo |
| Name either US President who died on July 4th 1826. | John Adams or Thomas Jefferson |
| In Greek mythology who was the muse of astronomy? | Urania |
| Which British scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1921 for his work on isotopes, a term he coined? | Sir Frederick Soddy |
| Which large sea-bird is sometimes called the Solan goose? | Northern Gannet |
| Which character in "A Tale of Two Cities", when asked his name, replies "one hundred and five, north tower" on account of his being a prisoner in the Bastille for 18 years? | Dr Manette |
| In the standard symphony orchestral layout, which instruments are directly in front of the conductor? | Violas |
| Mr Creakle the magistrate appears in which Dickens novel? | David Copperfield |
| Formerly the Lord Chancellor, since 2006, who has sat on the Woolsack in the UK Parliament? | Lord Speaker |
| Which Biblical figure is traditionally regarded as the author of the Book of Psalms? | King David |
| Give either of the two words quoted by novelist Mary McCarthy in her comment on the playwright Lillian Hellman: "Every word she writes is a lie, including...."? | And or The |
| Which hero of the United States’ War with Mexico, nicknamed 'Old Rough and Ready', became the 12th President of the USA in 1849? | Zachary Taylor |
| By which ennobled name is Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset (1788 – 1855) better known? | Lord Raglan |
| A lying-in hospital is an archaic term for an institution providing what sort of medical treatment? | Maternity care |
| The entropy formula “S = k. log W” is inscribed on the gravestone of which Austrian physicist, who died in 1906? | Ludwig Boltzmann |
| On Your Feet! is a jukebox musical featuring the songs Rhythm is Gonna Get You and Dr Beat and based on the music of which singer and her husband Emilio? | Gloria Estefan |
| Which composer's Third Symphony, the Rhenish, was composed in 1850, four years before he threw himself into the River Rhine, and spent the last two years of his life in an asylum? | Robert Schumann |
| Played by the actor Bill Maynard, how was the character Fred Moffatt known in the title of a 1980's ITV sitcom? | The Gaffer |
| Which Indian state is surrounded to the north, west and south by Bangladesh? | Tripura |
| Dhaka lies on which river? | Buriganga |
| In which year did Bangladesh declare independence after a civil war with Pakistan? | 1971 |
| During whose reign - the sixth Mughal emperor - did the Mughal Empire reach its greatest extent? | Aurangzeb |
| His reign traditionally dated from 660-585 BC, Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of which Asian country? | Japan |
| In the party game Charades, what short conjunction is traditionally indicated with the mime of rowing a boat? | Or |
| The poem Not Waving but Drowning and the somewhat inaccurately titled book Novel on Yellow Paper are by which 20th century English author? | Stevie Smith |
| Played by the actor Nigel Havers, how was the character Ralph Ernest Gorse known in the title of a 1980's ITV drama? | The Charmer |
| In English law, known since 1999 as a Witness Statement, what Latin name was formerly applied to a sworn deposition used as legal evidence? | Affidavit |
| Who was the female vocalist of the San Francisco band Big Brother and the Holding Company, on their classic 1968 psychedelic album Cheap Thrills? | Janis Joplin |
| In Norse mythology what kind of creature was Fenrir? | Wolf |
| In Othello what was the name of Iago’s wife? | Emilia |
| First created by Catholic monks in Belem, what is the name of the Portuguese custard tart dusted with cinnamon? | Pastel de Nata |
| What was the name of the line of fortifications north of Lisbon built by the Duke of Wellington’s men in 1809? | Torres Vedra |
| Which Biblical figure was traditionally regarded as the author of the Old Testament's Book of Proverbs? | King Solomon |
| Julian Bream, John Williams and Xuefei Yang are all virtuosos on which musical instrument? | Guitar |
| What word for a heavy blow describes a form of archery that involves aiming at a flag in concentric scoring zones? | Clout |
| Which English comedy writer and performer best known for providing material for Morecambe and Wise died on 21st May 2013? | Eddie Braben |
| One of the Three Graces from Greek Mythology was Aglaea – name either of the other two. | Euphrosyne or Thalia |
| Which US features publication, bought in 1936 by Henry Luce publisher of Time magazine, was given exclusive access to the Mercury Seven astronauts? It ceased publication in 2000. | Life |
| With her own fashion company, DVF, which Belgian-born American fashion designer is best known for her iconic wrap dress which she introduced in 1974? | Diane Von Furstenberg |
| The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of powdered green tea. It is known in Japanese by what five-letter name? | Chado |
| Who reigned as Queen of Spain from the age of 3 in 1833 until she was deposed in 1868? | Isabella II |
| Bossa Nova is a style of music originating in which country? | Brazil |
| The citric acid cycle and the urea cycle were discoveries made by which scientist? | Hans Krebs |
| Which US Jewish writer won the Man Booker International Prize in 2011? His novels include "Nemesis," "I Married a Communist" and "Goodbye, Columbus." | Philip Roth |
| Which multiple Olympic medal winner started the Olympic Torch Relay at Land's End on May 19th 2012, prior to the London Olympics? | Ben Ainslie |
| In 1974, which Leeds United defender became the first winner of the PFA Player of the Year award? | Norman Hunter |
| From where did King Edward VIII broadcast his abdication speech in 1936? | Windsor Castle |
| In Homer's Iliad, who was the wife of Hector and mother of Astyanax? | Andromache |
| What name was given to the group of workers who in 1834 were convicted of swearing an oath of allegiance to the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers? | Tolpuddle Martyrs |
| In which English county will you find Royal Wootton Bassett? | Wiltshire |
| Which 20th Century British Prime Minister died on a voyage to South America shortly after leaving office? | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Which Swedish scientist gave his name to the unit that is used for measuring the wavelength of light? | Anders Angstrom |
| What was the name of Robert Falcon Scott's ship on his ill-fated 1911-12 Antarctic expedition? | Terra Nova |
| Where could you have heard Radio Avalon every June between 1983 and 2005? From 1983 to 1991 it was a pirate station before becoming legal in 1992. | Glastonbury Festival |
| What surname is shared by father and daughter composers Giulio and Francesca who pioneered opera in the early 17th century? They are the composers of Le nuove musiche, and La liberazione di Ruggiero respectively. | Caccini |
| Keri Hulme, Katharine Mansfield and Ngaio [NYE-oh] Marsh are all novelists from which southern hemisphere nation? | New Zealand |
| What is the name of the tar pits located around Hancock Park in urban Los Angeles, a source of natural asphalt and also a significant place for the discovery of fossilised dinosaurs and other animals? | La Brea Tar Pits |
| "My God Help Me To Survive This Deadly Love" was a graffiti on the Berlin Wall that depicted which two men kissing? | Brezhnev, Honecker |
| Which band had hit albums called "Steve MacQueen," "From Langley Park To Memphis" and "Jordan: The Comeback"? | Prefab Sprout |
| Which animal, with the scientific name Physeter Macrocephalus, is largest marine predator in the world? | Sperm Whale |
| On 11th August 1968, the last scheduled British Rail passenger steam train, known as the 15 Guinea Special, left Liverpool Lime Street and stopped at Manchester, and made a return journey to which city? | Carlisle |
| Which King of England made The Declaration of Breda? | Charles II |
| What is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio? | Antares |
| Which American psychologist published a famous hierarchy of needs in 1943? | Abraham Maslow |
| Orson Welles claimed that aliens had landed in what state in hisfamous radio hoax broadcast of "War of the Worlds" in 1938? | New Jersey |
| In Virgil's Aeneid, who was the father of Aeneas? | Anchises |
| Which Italian economist devised his eponymous 80-20 rule? | Vilfredo Pareto |
| When in October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonised Mary MacKillop, she became the first saint from which country? | Australia |
| The last European Cup Winners Cup Final between Lazio and Real Mallorca was played at which Premier League ground? | Villa Park |
| The Haagen-Dazs brand of ice cream originated in which country? | USA |
| What country has the alternative name Choson, which means "land of morning calm"? | Korea |
| Designed by Anthony Trollope, on which island was the first pillar box located? | Jersey |
| Who is credited with writing the poem "Piers Plowman" c 1377? | William Langland |
| Which band had hit albums called "Tons Of Sobs," "Fire And Water" and "Highway"? | Free |
| Who wrote screenplays of "When Harry Met Sally”, "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail"? | Nora Ephron |
| Which Gerry Anderson "Supermarionation" series featured Stanley Unwin as a country vicar/spy who could be shrunk in order to carry out espionage missions? | The Secret Service |
| The last trolleybus service in Britain closed in March 1972 and ran in which city? | Bradford |
| Who created the gilded bronze doors of the Baptistry of Florence Cathedral that were unveiled in 1452 and known as "The Gates of Paradise"? | Lorenzo Ghiberti |
| What US state and its capital were both named after the same English monarch? | New York (James II, who was Duke of York and Duke of Albany) |
| What official post was held by George, Prince of Wales, between 1905-1907, Sir Winston Churchill 1941-1965 and Sir Robert Menzies 1966-1978? As of 2004, the post was held by Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce. | Lord Warden of Cinque Ports |
| Which novel's eponymous hero marries his cousin Miriam Larkins and sets up an outfitter's shop in Fishbourne with his father's inheritance? | The History of Mr Polly |
| On which English river are the waterfalls Wain Wath Force, Catrake Force and Kisdon Force? | River Swale |
| The last European Inter Cities Fairs Cup winners played the first winners for the right to retain the cup. Which team defeated Leeds United and kept the trophy? | Barcelona |
| Which series of novels begins with Some Do Not..., published in 1924? | Parade's End - by Ford Madox Ford |
| In which discipline was Ralph Steinem awarded a Nobel Prize posthumously in 2011? | Physiology or Medicine |
| Who was the first PM to appear on Desert Island Discs while still office? | John Major |
| Named after a Shakespearean character, what was the name of the first satellite to have been successfully launched by Britain independently, having been launched from the Woomera rocket range in Australia atop a Black Arrow rocket in 1971? | Prospero |
| Which English writer, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher is considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, wrote "The Spirit of the Age: Or, Contemporary Portraits"? | William Hazlitt |
| Bastien und Bastienne was one of whose first operas, written in 1768 when he was only twelve years old? | Mozart |
| Who was the first non-quarterback to receive the MVP award at the Superbowl, and as of 2020, the only player on the losing team to win the award? | Chuck Howley |
| The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of which social movement and spoof religion founded by Bobby Henderson in 2005? | Pastafaraniasm |
| The Sardinian delicacy, casu marzu, involves which type of cheese being left to ferment beyond normal levels of decomposition, leading to maggots within the cheese? | Pecorino |
| The first Google Doodle in 1998 honoured which event? | Burning Man |
| Which Asian country is the world's largest producer of pistachio nuts, which feature prominently in its cuisine? | Iran |
| What South American country has a pair of cannons on its flag making it the one of four countries in the World with firearms on its flag? | River Barrow |
| Which distress call comes from the French for ‘Help Me’? | Mayday |
| Who is the only cricketer in history to play for both Australia and New Zealand? This wicketkeeper made four appearances for Australia in 2008 and went on to play for New Zealand in their 2015 World Cup Final defeat to Australia. | Luke Ronchi |
| The Sergeant’s Revolt took place in 1933 in which island country? | Cuba |
| Displayed at the Manchester City Art Gallery, who painted 1856's "Autumn Leaves"? | John Everett Millais |
| Believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593 and considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, what is certainly Shakespeare's first comedy? | The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| Believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele, which play is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries? | Titus Andronicus |
| In the poem "Kubla Khan" by Coleridge, which river ran "through caverns measureless to man/Down to a sunless sea"? | Alph |
| "Sir Vidia's Shadow: A Friendship Across Five Continents" is a 1998 book by who detailing his 30-year friendship with VS Naipaul? | Paul Theroux |
| Which synthetic element with the atomic number 99 has the symbol Es? | Einsteinium |
| Which alkaloid 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is an hallucinogen? | Mescaline |
| Which shrub, in the family Nyctaginaceae, is named after a French admiral who sailed round the world in 1763? | Bougainvillea |
| What name is given, on a ship, to a temporary mast that replaces a broken one? | Jury mast |
| What number describes a "violent gale" on the Beaufort scale? | Nine |
| Name either of the two men who climbed Mt Everest in 1956, the first Europeans to climb it. | Jürg Marmet or Ernst Schmied |
| Hong Xiuquan [shu-chuan] was the leader of which rebellion that established their own kingdom based in Tianjing (now Nanjing), in opposition to Qing [Ching] dynasty China? | Taiping Rebellion |
| Which month of the year represents one of the letters of the NATO phonetic alphabet? | November |
| Which type of study used in medicine and social sciences repeatedly observes the same group of people over a period of time, and has a name suggesting a type of line on a map? | Longitudinal |
| Musician, composer and conductor Daniel Barenboim was born in which South American capital city? | Buenos Aires |
| Named after the most frequently-cited foster-mother of Zeus, what is the fifth largest moon of Jupiter? | Amalthea |
| What is the third-largest satellite in the Solar System, after Titan and Ganymede? | Callisto |
| In Greek myth, who was the mother of King Minos of Crete? | Europa |
| In biology, which term signifies te condition where the two sexes of the same species exhibit different characteristics beyond the differences in their sexual organs? | (Sexual) Dimorphism |
| Andrés Manuel López Obrador became President of which country in 2018? | Mexico |
| Which English director directed musicals including Bugsy Malone, Fame, Pink Floyd – The Wall, The Commitments and Evita; true-story dramas, including Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, Come See the Paradise, and Angela's Ashes? | Alan Parker |
| What is he most geologically active object in the Solar System? | Io |
| Which spacecraft was launched in 2011 with the object of studying Jupiter? | Juno |
| Which doyen of US television, who died in 2020 at the age of 88, was the first host of the American version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"? | Regis Philbin |
| Sometimes referred to as the fifth Beatle who is the only artist to have his name credited alongside theirs on a Number 1 hit single? | Billy Preston |
| Which place name links the venue for the French Derby, a dish of whipped cream, and the most famous recording made by the Big Bopper? | Chantilly |
| What was the real name of The Big Bopper, who perished on board Buddy Holly's plane? | Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson Jr. |
| Eritrea and which other country's coastline borders Djibouti? | Somalia |
| Which type of study used in medicine and social sciences repeatedly observes the same group of people over a period of time, and has a name suggesting a type of line on a map? | Longitudinal study |
| Musician, composer and conductor Daniel Barenboim was born in which South American capital city? | Buenos Aires |
| The 1920s experiment which confirmed the De Broglie hypothesis of waveparticle duality is named after Clinton Davisson and which other American physicist? | Lester Germer |
| In which Shakespeare play does a dog called Crab appear? | The Two Gentleman With Verona |
| Which Ivy League University can be found in the city of Providence, Rhode Island? | Brown University |
| The Spanish gaita, the Balkan gaida and the French musette de cour are all varieties of which musical instrument? | Bagpipes |
| In 1900, which American doctor first discovered that yellow fever was spread by mosquito bites? | Walter Reed |
| In which Italian region are the ports of Taranto and Brindisi? | Apulia |
| What is the common English name of the freshwater fish Rutilus rutilus? | Roach |
| Of Jesus' disciples almost all met a violent end. Judas committed suicide and 10 of the others were executed. Who was the only disciple to die naturally - it is believed at the age of 100? | John |
| How long is each period of play in an Ice Hockey match? | 20 minutes |
| After a short spell playing for England, which fast bowler switched back to Ireland in 2016? Along with Ed Joyce, he was one of two players who had previously represented England to play in Ireland’s first ever test match. | Boyd Rankin |
| Who won both the Turner Prize for the best young British artist in 1993 and the K Foundation art award for the worst British artist in the same year? | Rachel Whiteread |
| Which 1968 UK number 1 hit for Tommy James & the Shondells was covered by Billy Idol in 1987? | Mony Mony |
| Starting with Duncan I and ending with Alexander III - which Royal House ruled Scotland from 1034 to 1286? | Dunkeld |
| The debut novel by who was "The Last King Of Scotland"? | Giles Foden |
| Sometimes called "Lord of the Fish and Birds of the Marshes", which Egyptian god of Nile flooding is typically depicted as an androgynous figure with a big belly and large drooping breasts? | Hapi |
| The Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe is held in which month? | October |
| Which German (and later American) architect was the last director of the Bauhaus art school, until its closure in 1933, having succeeded Hannes Meyer in 1930? | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
| Which 1960s US comedy television series starring Don Adams as Agent 86 and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 was made into a 2008 film of the same name starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway? | Get Smart |
| Which type of longitudinal study used in medicine and social sciences is based around a group of people who share some defining characteristic and has a name suggesting a unit of the Roman army? | Cohort Study |
| In mathematics, physics, and art, what name is given to large-scale interference patterns that can be produced when an opaque ruled pattern with transparent gaps is overlaid on another similar pattern? | Moiré pattern |
| MOSFETs and JFETs are types of transistors. In both of those abbreviations, what word is indicated by the letter F? | Fields |
| Which African country has the largest French-speaking population? | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| The world’s largest cancer research charity, Cancer Research UK, was formed in 2002 by the merger of two separate charities. Name either. | The Cancer Research Campaign or the Imperial Cancer Research Fund |
| What is the name of the longest river in N Ireland? | River Bann |
| The Economist's weekly opinion column on business is named for which 20th century Austrian political economist, who compared capitalism to a “gale of creative destruction” in which economic structure is incessantly revolutionised from within? | Schumpeter |
| The Amazon Tyris Flare, the barbarian Ax Battler, and the dwarf Gillius Thunderhead are the three playable characters in which 1989 sidescrolling beat ‘em up arcade game by Sega? | Golden Axe |
| The "Rucellai Madonna", commissioned in 1285 for a chapel in Santa Maria Novella in Florence; and the Maestà commissioned for the high altar of Siena Cathedral in 1308 are the only two dated works by which artist? | Duccio |
| At the end of which 1980 film does the main character recite the "I coulda been a contender" scene from the 1954 film On the Waterfront? | Raging Bull |
| Which artist, who once worked on the construction of the Panama Canal finished 11 known paintings during his subsequent stay in Martinique, many of which seem to be derived from his hut? | Paul Gauguin |
| What kind of animals appear in the 1852 painting Our English Coasts by William Holman Hunt? They also featured in its alternative title which suggests they have strayed. | Sheep |
| In US sport, what is a UFA? | Unrestricted Free Agent |
| In prison slang what is a shiv? | Improvised Blade or Knife |
| Which Super League rugby league team traditionally wears a white jersey with a red V? | St Helens |
| In 2006, which American speedskater became the first African American athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Olympics? | Shani Davis |
| With a population of over 1 million, what is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia? | Ufa |
| Before he found fame with his glove puppet Sooty, Harry Corbett started his entertainment career playing the piano in the Guiseley restaurant belonging to his uncle, also called Harry - what was his surname? | Ramsden |
| Who directed Dumbo, the 2019 live-action film adaptation of Walt Disney's 1941 animated film of the same name? | Tim Burton |
| In June 2019, who became the first ever female President of Slovakia? | Zusana Čaputová |
| Named after a district of London, which ankle-high boots became popular in the 1960s, particularly with mods? | Chelsea boots |
| In 1992, Labour MP Hilary Armstrong retained her seat in North-West Durham; the defeated Lib Dem and Conservative candidates both not only managed to win a seat at subsequent elections, but became leaders of their respective parties. Who were this duo? | Tim Farron and Theresa May |
| In plants and algae, photosynthesis takes place within which cell organelles? | Chloroplasts |
| Although the version by Marvin Gaye is the best known, the first released version of I Heard It Through the Grapevine was by which Motown group? Their name is often given as a backing band for their famous female lead singer. | (Gladys Knight and The) Pips |
| Primrose was the surname of the 34th Prime Minister of GB. What was his title? | Lord Roseberry |
| What does the word "Eintracht" mean in the name of German football team Eintracht Frankfurt? | Harmony/concord |
| In which Shakespeare play does Miranda fall in love with Ferdinand? | The Tempest |
| Martina Navratilova won five Wimbledon Women's Doubles Titles in the 1980s with which American partner? | Pam Shriver |
| Which piece of music was composed by the British composer Richard Addinsell for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight? | Warsaw Concerto |
| In 2019, Robert De Niro could be seen in the parody 'GoodBagels'. It was an advert for which food manufacturer based in Bolton? | Warburtons |
| For which novel did George Saunders win a Booker Prize in 2017? | Lincoln In The Bardo |
| Which comic Shakespearean character is a self-satisfied police constable in Much Ado About Nothing, characterised by his Mrs Malaprop-style misuse of language? | Dogberry |
| What twelve letter word beginning with T was coined by George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty Four and refers to a person's politically unorthodox thoughts, such as unspoken beliefs and doubts that contradict the prevailing orthodoxy? | Thoughtcrime |
| As well as co-writing the show, who plays Mycroft Holmes in the TV series Sherlock? | Mark Gatiss |
| Capital of Egypt for long periods during the Middle and New Kingdom eras, which city in Ancient Egypt stood on the site of modern-day Luxor? | Thebes |
| What was the first Christian name of author Rudyard Kipling? | Joseph |
| In 1995 Parker Bros apologised to the residents of which place in New Jersey because it was misspelt, with an "I" rather than an "E", in the US Monopoly Board? Uniquely among locations on the board, it is not in Atlantic City but in nearby Margate City. | Marven Gardens |
| Per an adage about political liberty first used by American legal scholar Zechariah Chafee, "Your right to swing your arms ends just where" another man's what object "begins"? | Nose |
| Which website was started with a 1989 post called 'Those Eyes', listing actresses with beautiful eyes? Its title still alludes to this original idea, and is now a subsidiary of Amazon, with over 10.4 million people in its database as at January 2020. | IMDb |
| What was the four word subtitle of the third Terminator film, released in 2003? | Rise Of The Machines |
| Who played Mr Bronson in Grange Hill, and Herr Grunwald, the German manager of a building site, in the first series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, as well as Hitler 5 times in his career and Himmler three times? | Michael Sheard |
| He had 3 UK top 10 singles in 2019 and appears on Dave’s single Location. By what name is Nigerian singer-songwriter Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu morecommonly known? | Burna Boy |
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