Quiz #97

Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey Jr., and Benedict Cumberbatch are four of the many actors who have played what fictional character on screen?

Question 2

Sunday August 30 was ‘cutdown day’ in which US professional sports league, a day when approximately 1200 people lose their jobs as final rosters are decided for the upcoming season?

Question 3

Shutterfly, Flickr, and Pixieset are all websites aimed at people with what profession or hobby?

Question 4

The Buddy Program, Imagination Library, and My People Fund are all charitable initiatives run by a foundation started by which musician who died on August 25 at the age of 80?

Question 5

On August 23, Belgian anarchist prankster Noël Godin passed away at the age of 80. With what type of item was Godin associated, his act being to throw it in the face of celebrities he deemed pompous?

Question 6

The Prime Meridian is the line at 0° longitude that runs through Greenwich, London. At what degree, whether counted east or west, is the antimeridian, the line on the opposite side of the world from the Prime Meridian?

Question 7

Which two capital cities complete the titles in the film series ‘An American Werewolf in___’?

Question 8

What were the first names of the three Gibb brothers who found fame as the musical group the Bee Gees?

Question 9

As well as milk, Dairy UK, the UK trade association for dairy products, promotes what four milk-derived products?

Question 10

Make the longest word possible from the following letters: ACEHILPRS

Round 1 points
(Maximum: 24)

Round 2

Question 1

On August 28, 1963, Daisy Bates, Whitney Young, and Roy Wilkins were amongst the dozen speakers to address an event in Washington, D.C.. Who was the headline, final speaker?

Question 2

What musical instrument shares its name with an Italian architect who helped designed the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London, and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia?

Question 3

On Thursday, Charles Miles, a schoolmaster at the London campus of the New York private school Dwight School, was banned from teaching indefinitely after a panel deemed his smoking of what substance was affecting his abilities at work, despite his defence he did it in his own time and was not addicted?

Question 4

What type of animal was Incitatus, so favoured by 1^st century Roman emperor Caligula that legend says he contemplated making it a consul of the Roman Republic?

Question 5

Paul Simon’s Graceland album is celebrated its 40^th anniversary in August 2026. What is the name of the South African musical group that featured on the album, having been performing since the early 1960s and which has over 60 studio and live albums to its name?

Question 6

Your cousin, or first cousin, is the child of one of your parents’ siblings. What name is given to the relationship between you and your cousin’s child?

Question 7

The Great Northern War was an 18^th-century conflict that lasted over 20 years and was fought between which two cold-weather European nations?

Question 8

In the 1960s, economist Milton Friedman proposed a system in which governments did not only receive money from taxpayers based on people’s earnings, but also paid out tax to low- or non-earners, thus theoretically removing the need for benefits. Known as NIT, for what did these letters stand?

Question 9

Open since the 19^th century, but connected to a tavern that opened in the 16^th century, Bianyifang is a Chinese restaurant specialising in Peking duck (Beijing duck). As well as duck, what four components are generally served to diners to create a Peking duck meal at the restaurant?

Question 10

Since 1994, Disney has produced live action remakes of several of its animation feature films. Which five of the original animations have led to multiple live action films, whether by having both a live action remake and live action sequel; starting a live action franchise; or, in one case, being remade twice?

Round 2 points
(Maximum: 20)

Total points
(Maximum: 44)

Round 3

Question 1

On August 27, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that the US was now going to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. As pointed oout by various critics of the move, the change would mean the mnemonic to remember the five Great Lakes would no longer be HOMES, but what less salubrious word?

Question 2

The ‘bamboo sea’ of Anji, the Gobi desert, and the bridge-tower hall suspended above a canyon at Mount Canyang near Shijiazhuang were all filming locations for what 2000 film that won Academy Awards for best cinematography and best art direction, as well as the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Score?

Question 3

Following similar earlier trends in ancient China and ancient Greece, 16^th and 17^th-century Europe saw a trend of royal courts keeping people with what sort of condition for entertainment purposes, with examples being Angiola Biondi in Italy, Jeffrey Hudson in England, and Gaspar de Crayer in Spain?

Question 4

The ‘Alawi, or Alaouite, dynasty has ruled which African country since the 17^th century, with the country’s current king being Muhammad VI?

Question 5

What can be described as lanugo, vellus, terminal, or androgenic depending on when it appears during a human body’s development?

Question 6

What royal title was held by the dead lover of a knight met in a dream by a character in a 14^th-century Geoffrey Chaucer poem; a murdered woman from Malfi in a many-death 17^th century play by John Webster; and a probably deceased woman who ambiguously had ‘all smiles stopped’ by the narrator of a 19^th-century Robert Browning poem?

Question 7

What two Canadian state or territory capitals include colours in their names?

Question 8

On US diner menus, for what do the letters GAC stand when listing the ingredients in a meal?

Question 9

What four artists, bands, or musical acts have been the subject of special editions of the Just Dance computer game series? The first special was for a global star known for his dance moves who had hits from the 1970s to 2000s; the second was a children’s version of the game based around European comic and cartoon characters who have been the face of many critically-panned but highly successful songs and albums; the third was for an American group whose party music led to a series of hits between 2003 and 2011; and the fourth for a European group whose hits from the 1970s and early 1980s are the soundtrack to the game.

Question 10

Defined by rapid economic growth in emerging markets, East Asia’s original ‘tiger economies’ were South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Which five East Asian countries were later dubbed ‘tiger cub economies’ due to their subsequent development?

Round 3 points
(Maximum: 20)

Total points
(Maximum: 64)

Round 4

Question 1

On August 18, Angélique Kidjo became the first black African and first African singer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. From which country, formerly known as French Dahomey, is Kidjo?

Question 2

Which US state is believed to get its name from a Spanish term for Easter which translates as ‘the feast of flowers’, as that was the time of year when explorer Ponce de León first saw the area in 1513?

Question 3

What women’s clothing brand was developed by 29-year old American door-to-door fax machine saleswoman Sara Blakely in 2000, leading her to become a billionaire only 12 years later?

Question 4

What letter of the Greek alphabet is used to describe the rhythm of brain waves generally observed in the hippocampus and which are linked to memory formation and learning?

Question 5

Which 3^rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor ruled an area that covered much of modern-day India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, was a major cause for the spread of Buddhism in the region, and now has his chakra ‘wheel’ on the flag of India?

Question 6

On August 26, a rapid and devastating flood ran along the Lhende Khola river in Tibet and Nepal, resulting in what could be ultimately be multiple thousands of deaths. Broadly reported as a ‘flash flood’, early evidence suggests a glacier collapsed over a thousand meters into a valley, both releasing water and debris from above and momentarily trapping the river below, in turn leading to an ‘outburst flood’. What name is given to a sequential chain of events or disasters that often amplify the final impact? 

Question 7

Operational since late December 2025, the 760km Viking Link is the world’s longest subsea cable. Between which two countries does it move electricity?

Question 8

The popular modern literary genre of romantasy fiction, known for its ‘spice’ or ‘smut’ levels, is supported by a large online community which makes use of many acronyms in describing the types of characters and plots that feature in the books. Within this community, for what do the acronyms HEA, E2L, and RH stand?

Question 9

What are the only four of New Zealand’s 20 most populous urban areas to be situated on the country’s South Island?

Question 10

The athletics Diamond League Final begins in Brussels on September 4, and eight people who won their discipline’s title in 2025 were the top qualifiers for the 2026 event. In which disciplines do Emmanuel Wanyoni, Karsten Warholm, Armand Duplantis, Audrey Werro, Faith Cherotich, Leyanis Pérez, Jessica Shilder, and Valerie Sion respectively compete?

Round 4 points
(Maximum: 23)

Total points
(Maximum: 87)

Round 5

In Round 5, there is only one answer. The fewer 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.

What film includes the following cast?

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: 97)