Quiz #68

What, in metres, is the official length of an Olympic swimming pool?

Question 2

What time of the week completes the lyric from a 1977 hit by US group The Commodores: ‘I’m easy like ____’.

Question 3

Following a gaffe by US President Richard Nixon, who asked to see the original building despite it not existing for close to two thousand years, plans to build what sort of building in Alexandria in Egypt were put into motion in the 1970s, ultimately leading to a building resembling a tilted sundial opening in 2001?

Question 4

According to Article 3.7 of the United States Postal Service Engineering Standards and Specifications, on what side of a curbside mailbox must the mailbox flag be situated, if looked from the front?

Question 5

In 2003 a special recipe book featuring ideas from chefs including Rick Bayliss and Bobby Flay was compiled to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of what practical toy?

Question 6

From February 7 to 15, the Metrograph cinema in New York is showing a film strand dedicated to Orangey, the only animal that has won the Patsy (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) award twice. Featured in the films Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Rhubarb, The Comedy of Terrors, and Stranger on Horseback, amongst others, what type of animal is Orangey?

Question 7

From what two airlines were the four planes that were hijacked and then crashed in the US on September 11, 2001?

Question 8

For what does each letter stand in the medical qualification DPT?

Question 9

All having done so in the 21^st century, although three were arguably at their peak in the 20^th century, what four British and Irish bands have headlined the Superbowl halftime show?

Question 10

Make the longest word possible from the following letters: ABIILNOOT

Round 1 points
(Maximum: 24)

Round 2

Question 1

The scandal around appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK’s Ambassador to the US despite his closeness to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and subsequent revealing of Mandelson’s disclosure of sensitive financial information to Epstein, has put pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. Who is the current bookmaker’s favourite to be the next UK Prime Minister?

Question 2

With nearly 8000 dead and over 27000 wounded, plus at least another 11000 captured or missing, what was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War?

Question 3

What is the only move in chess in which a player takes an opponent’s piece but does not end the move with their piece on the square the opponent had occupied?

Question 4

So called because they are two common reactions athletes do when sitting there, what is the name given to the seating area at an ice rink in which skaters sit, often with coaches, while they await the judges’ scores?

Question 5

One with a white coat and one with a brown coat, and named for the two host cities, what species of animal are Tina and Milo, the mascots for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics?

Question 6

What family background is shared by the 2026 Winter Olympic athletes Richardson Viano and Stevenson Savart, representing Haiti; Mialitiana Clerc, representing Madagascar; and Kai Owens, representing the US?

Question 7

A 19^th-century American lawyer and part-time children’s book author named Ingersoll Lockwood has found renewed prominence online in recent years after elements of his books were found to resemble current events, including a novel called 1900; or The Last President which sees the US being thrown into turmoil and protest after a populist New York outsider is voted president. This followed an earlier series of books about a rich child with what name who lives in a castle named after himself? Additionally, what was the name of the child’s guide in the series?

Question 8

In September 1940, which three countries signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin?

Question 9

For ages 4-7, 7-10, 10-14, and 14-18 respectively, what are the four levels of girlguiding?

Question 10

All given names that started with the word ‘agent’, what six colours were the so-called ‘rainbow herbicides’ used by US military during the Vietnam War, as listed by the US National Library of Medicine?

Round 2 points
(Maximum: 21)

Total points
(Maximum: 45)

Round 3

Question 1

On February 5 a new theme park opened in the Tokyo suburb of Inagi dedicated to what game, anime, and entertainment franchise which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2026?

Question 2

Renowned for its horse racing, royal connections, manufacturing of lace, and château housing some of France’s most prized artworks, what is the name of the town north of Paris that is the site of the 186m long Les Grandes Écuries, or Great Stables?

Question 3

Which French painter’s most famous works include the 1884 and 1886 oil paintings Bathers at Asnières and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, both of which show people relaxing on the banks of the River Seine? 

Question 4

Which famous Shanghai waterfront district, which was the focus of foreign investment in the city until the 1920s, is colloquially known in Chinese as Waitan, or ‘foreigners’ beach’?

Question 5

Which London-based performing arts school has received additional media attention after its graduate Olivia Dean claimed the Best Newcomer Grammy in the US on February 1, putting her alongside RAYE, Lola Young, and FKA Twigs as successful recent alumni, who in turn followed earlier 21^st century graduates Adele, Jessie J, Cush Jumbo, Imogen Heap, Leona Lewis, and Katie Melua?

Question 6

What does Russell Hitchcock do for 16 seconds on Air Supply’s All Out Of Love, Bill Withers do for 18 seconds on Lovely Day, and Freddy Curci do for 19 seconds on Sheriff’s When I’m With You, which the Guinness Book of World Records lists as the longest example on a US hit single?

Question 7

Executed in 1867, Maximilian I was installed as emperor of Mexico by which European nation, having been an archduke in which other European country?

Question 8

Whereas most countries use two divisions of currency – such as dollars and cents – there are countries which divide their currency into three divisions. What are the three divisions of China’s renminbi?

Question 9

For what four television shows does Larry David have writing credits for more than two episodes, all of which he also acted in or guest presented?

Question 10

What five mammals have been nicknamed the ‘shy five’ due to the difficulty in seeing them on African safari? Four of the animals are nocturnal, and the fifth is known for quickly disappearing into its large burrows.

Round 3 points
(Maximum: 20)

Total points
(Maximum: 65)

Round 4

Question 1

In which modern day African country are the Nubian Pyramids, built by the Kushite people approximately 2500 years ago?

Question 2

In November 1983 the German Ulf Merbold became the first non-American to fly on a NASA space shuttle as part of an agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency through which the Americans allowed ‘payload’ European specialists to fly aboard its shuttles in exchange for Europe building what type of space facility?

Question 3

What is the name of the chemical phenomenon that sees the freezing point of a solvent lowered when a solute is mixed into it? Examples include the addition of sugar meaning gelato remains soft below 0°, and water on road surfaces not forming ice due to the presence of grit or salt?

Question 4

As well as machines and CO₂ canisters, the Sodastream company sells 440ml packs of syrup to make various PepsiCo soft drinks, including brands such as Pepsi, Mirinda, and Lipton Ice Tea. To the nearest full number, what is the ratio of water to syrup if 440ml of syrup makes 9 litres of liquid?

Question 5

What was the name of the 19^th-century Scottish geologist who wrote Principles of Geology, a work that promoted the theory of uniformitarianism, which states that the Earth’s surface continues to be shaped by slow and on-going changes that are consistent with physical laws, rather than relying on occasional extraordinary events?

Question 6

Orange wine, also known as amber wine, is made in a similar process to white wine except what item is not removed until later in the process?

Question 7

In the novel Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, which depicts the love of Heathcliff and Catherine and then his bitter cruelness after she marries a different man, what are the respective maiden and married names of Catherine?

Question 8

Launched in 2002, 2020, and 2024, what are the three spin-off stations of BBC radio station Radio 1?

Question 9

What are the four holy cities of Israel and Palestine?

Question 10

The ‘All the world’s a stage’ speech delivered by Jaques in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It describes the seven different ‘ages’ of man. Whilst the sixth is a shift ‘into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon’, and the last is a ‘second childishness and mere oblivion’, what stages, jobs and roles are used to describe the first five younger and middle-aged stages?

Round 4 points
(Maximum: 20)

Total points
(Maximum: 85)

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 city are the following are located?

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: 95)