Quiz #21

Which cartoon character declared himself ‘smarter than the average bear’?

Question 2

What food is traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday in the UK?

Question 3

Built around 1AD, what is the only building in Jordan to receive an entry in the book 1001 Buildings to See Before You Die?

Question 4

In a standard pack of playing cards, which king has the nickname ‘the suicide king’ due to the position of his sword making him look like he is stabbing himself in the head?

Question 5

What piece of important DIY equipment was invented by engineer John Joseph Rawlings, who put his name to both the invention and the company he founded to manufacture it?

Question 6

Which 1992 film holds the record for the biggest selling film soundtrack of all time? As well as selling an estimated 45 million copies worldwide, it included multiple hit singles for one of the film’s stars, including one that stayed atop the US charts for 14 weeks, and two others which were nominated for Academy Awards.

Question 7

Due to its production using a combination of moulds, the name of the cheese cambozola is a portmanteau of what two other types of cheese?

Question 8

In 2023, artist Frances Bean Cobain married skateboarder Riley Hawk. Who are the couple’s respective fathers, both icons of 1990s culture?

Question 9

Which four letters of the alphabet have both vertical and horizontal axes of symmetry when in their upper case form?

Question 10

Make the longest word possible from the following letters: ABEEILQTU

Round 1 points
(Maximum: 23)

Round 2

Question 1

In 2005, Chinese computer company Lenovo spent approximately $1.8 billion to buy out and clear the debt of which pioneering US computer firm?

Question 2

Dua Lipa, Carla Bruni, Grace Jones, and Nico all had what profession prior to becoming famous in the music industry?

Question 3

By what name is the natural wonder Qomolangma known in English?

Question 4

In 2021, what British charity saw a 3000% increase in daily donations after right-wing politician Nigel Farage called it ‘a taxi service for migrants’?

Question 5

What type of stone is the primary building material used in the construction of the Pyramid of Giza?

Question 6

As revealed in an episode of the BBC TV show Inside the Factory in 2019, the filling of Kit Kat chocolate bars is made of what paradoxical ingredient?  

Question 7

Which two men have scored hat-tricks in a football World Cup final?

Question 8

In the impossible puzzle The Three Utilities Problem set by Henry Dudeney, three houses must be each connected to three utilities without any lines crossing. What are the three utilities?

Question 9

In literature, who were the two residents and landlady of 221b Baker Street?

Question 10

According to the US Foreign Agriculture Service, what are the four largest cotton producing nations, each producing close to or more than three times as much cotton as 5^th place Australia?

Round 2 points
(Maximum: 18)

Total points
(Maximum: 41)

Round 3

Question 1

What nickname has been given to the still unknown man who was famously photographed standing in front of a line of tanks in Beijing’s Avenue of Eternal Peace on June 5, 1989?

Question 2

In 2007, weightlifter Junpim Kuntatean changed her name to Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon because a fortune teller told it would increase her chance of winning an Olympic gold medal. In 2008 she did indeed win gold at the Beijing Olympics, becoming the person with the longest name to ever win an Olympic gold. What country did she represent?

Question 3

The British Cheese Awards 2025 take place on March 21. In which English county, well known for its cheesemaking, are the awards held?

Question 4

What name is given to the type of lake created when a river’s meander is cut off due to the river finding a more direct route?

Question 5

According to Gallup polls, Donald Trump has the top three largest partisan approval discrepancies in history, peaking in 2020 when 95% of Republicans approved of his performance compared to only 3% of Democrats. Which President has the next highest partisan approval discrepancy?

Question 6

Which dictator was once famously reported to have finished his first ever round of golf in only 34 shots, including five holes in one, only for it later to be claimed the 34 actually related to his score over par – still a highly unlikely score for a novice?

Question 7

Taking three weeks, passing through 13 countries, and requiring approximately fourteen changes of train, the longest possible east-to-west train journey in the world would theoretically start in East Asia and end on the west coast of Europe. Although currently impossible due to the war in Ukraine, in which countries would this theoretical journey start and stop?

Question 8

What are the three extant species of elephant?

Question 9

Friedrich Merz is set to become the fourth German chancellor to serve in the 21^st century. Who have been the other three?

Question 10

What were the five first names of the founding members of the girl group Girls Aloud?

Round 3 points
(Maximum: 19)

Total points
(Maximum: 60)

Round 4

Question 1

By what name are the American, Indian, and Bangladeshi versions of the television show Dragon’s Den known – itself a version of a Japanese show called Tigers of Money?

Question 2

In her 1760 book The Compleat Confectioner, for what part of a trifle did Hannah Glasse recommend using calves feet?

Question 3

Red tingle, blue gum, and brown top are all species within what genus of tree?

Question 4

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial is the remnants of one of the few buildings to survive the atomic bomb that hit the city in August 1945. What was the purpose of the building prior to the bomb being dropped?

Question 5

Which Russian ice hockey player, nicknamed ‘The Great 8’, is currently nine goals away from breaking the NHL career goals record, held by Wayne Gretzky since 1999?

Question 6

Which female singing group opened for The Beatles on their 1966 US tour, making it the only girl group to ever do so?

Question 7

What are the names of the two bones in the human forearm?

Question 8

Although eight grape varieties are legally permissible in the drink, what are the three varieties of grapes generally used in the production of champagne?

Question 9

Known as the Five Ks due to their Punjabi names, what are the five objects Khalsa Sikhs are expected to carry at all times?

Question 10

When originally released in 1860, the board game now known as The Game of Life was called The Checkered Game of Life and was played similar to Snakes and Ladders, with positive actions moving a player forward and immoral actions moving a player backwards. To what five single-word squares of shame could a player be sent through the actions of idleness, crime, ambition, intemperance, and gambling? And what sixth square would immediately disqualify the player from the entire game?

Round 4 points
(Maximum: 22)

Total points
(Maximum: 82)

Round 5

In Round 5, there is only one answer. The less clues you need to get it, the more points you receive. If you need only one clue, you receive 10 points; if you require two clues, you will receive 9 points, and so on.

However, you may only answer once. If you answer incorrectly, you receive zero points for the round.

In which sport have the following people all won Olympic gold medals?

Clue 1

Clue 2

Clue 3

Clue 4

Clue 5

Clue 6

Clue 7

Clue 8

Clue 9

Clue 10

Round 5 points
(Maximum: 10)

Total points
(Maximum: 92)