Round 1
Question 1
What colour is the cat owned by supervillian Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film franchise?
1 point
Question 2
What type of musical instrument appears in the logo of Irish beer company Guinness?
*The harp is based on the Brian Boru Harp, which is kept in Trinity College in Dublin and is said to have belonged to the11th century Irish king Brian Boru, but is more likely to be from the 14th century.
1 point
Question 3
The most expensive non-natural history documentary feature film in history, about which film released on January 30th did producers Amazon claim ‘We licensed it for one reason and one reason only: because we think customers are going to love it’?
*The film about 20 days in the life of Melania Trump has been widely called a bribe to the current US administration, as $28m of the $40m licensing rights fee is going directly to the First Lady. With another $35m being spent on marketing, and Amazon engaging in ‘four-wall distribution’ – that is, renting entire cinemas to ensure a film gets shown – the film’s budget dwarfs all documentaries outside multi-year natural history films such as the BBC’s $47m Earth and the $80m French project Oceans. In comparison, the 17 hours of Ken Burns’s The Vietnam War documentary would cost $39m today, the 26-part Laurence Olivier-fronted The World at War would cost $17.1m, and Michael Moore’s Oscar Winning Bowling for Columbine $7.7m. Melania is expected to make between $1m and $5m in revenue, almost all from the US despite a global release.
1 point
Question 4
What foodstuff has been being given away free in 174 locations around Berlin in January after over-production and a cancelled order left 400 tonnes of it needing disposed of by agriculture company Osterland Agrar?
*While many residents, charities, and organisations have enjoyed receiving free potatoes, local farmers have bemoaned the giveaway due to its detrimental effect on their sales and produce price.
1 point
Question 5
In what are the savoiardi biscuits, or ‘ladyfingers’, of the Italian dessert tiramisu soaked?
1 point
Question 6
On March 15, 1938, Adolf Hitler made a speech from the balcony of the Hofburg palace in which city to announce that city’s nation was now a member of the German Reich?
*The House of Austrian History has long discussed what to do with the balcony, as Hitler’s speech is seen as a moment of national shame. Currently closed to the public, there have been discussions about opening it for select tours in order to demystify the location after it began to appear in videos for the youth wing of the far-right Freedom Party.
1 point
Question 7
In tennis, which Kazakh woman and Spanish man won the Australian Open women’s singles and men’s singles titles on January 31 and February 1 respectively?
*Alcaraz’s win made him, at 22, the youngest ever male player to win all four grand slam tournaments. Known for her understated demeanour, Rybakina celebrated winning matchpoint at the Australian Open as she did her Wimbledon title in 2022: a shortly-held clenched fist and then walk to the net to shake hands with her opponent. Rybakina has seen a dramatic upturn in form since her controversial coach Stefano Vukov returned from a suspension in August after multiple allegations of abusive conduct were made against him: since October she has won 20 of her last 22 matches to claim the Ningbo Open, WTA Finals tournament, and now Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz
2 points
Question 8
The Union Chain Bridge, designed by Samuel Brown, was the world’s first suspension bridge designed to carry vehicular traffic. Between what two countries in the UK does it stand?
*The bridge crosses the River Tweed west of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Scotland
2 points
Question 9
Noting that Mickey Mouse has his own meet-and-greet at Town Square Theatre, which four Disney characters – two male and two female – are the hosts at Pete’s Silly Sideshow, a circus-themed character meet-and-greet in Fantasyland in Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom?
Goofy (The Great Goofini)
Daisy Duck (Madame Daisy Fortuna)
Minnie Mouse (Minnie Magnifique)
4 points
Question 10
Make the longest word possible from the following letters: CDEGINORR
Up to 9 points
(*length of word equates to points awarded)
Round 1 points
(Maximum: 23)
Round 2
Question 1
What television show will have a one-off special on Disney+ on February 4, with pop singer Sabrina Carpenter continuing the tradition of there being a guest star on its show within the show, the tradition having started when Juliet Prowse appeared in episode one in 1976?
1 point
Question 2
Where on an animal would one find the rhinarium?
*The rhinarium is the furless part of an animal’s nose. On animals such as dogs this can be wet from a mucus that is believed to help the animal cool down and absorb scents, helping its sense of smell.
1 point
Question 3
Part of the post-atomic bomb trend for films featuring mutated giant monsters, Them! tells the story of what type of insects becoming giant carnivorous man-eaters due to nuclear radiation from a bomb test in New Mexico?
1 point
Question 4
With what country is 00 flour most associated?
*00 flour is particularly fine and is used for pizza bases and fresh pasta.
1 point
Question 5
What type of foodstuff are Pączki in Poland, Ponchik in Armenia, Sufganiyah in Jewish cuisine, bolas de Berlim in Portugal, and berlinesas or berlines in Latin America?
1 point
Question 6
In which mythology is the aos sí, pronounced ees shee, a race of elf-like spirits that walk among the living?
1 point
Question 7
What are the names of the two professional exhibition Harlem basketball teams, one started in 1926 and the other 1962, both of which have achieved winning streaks of thousands of games?
*Despite the name, the Harlem Globetrotters were established in Chicago, with the name Harlem used to emphasise the team’s connection to black culture in the 1920s. Whilst both teams play exhibition games featuring tricks and entertainment routines, the Wizards are marketed as leaning more into interactive community events, often visiting schools to play fundraising games with interactive elements. The stylised exhibition games for which the Globetrotters are famous contain heavily scripted sections and usually conclude with the Globetrotters winning, but do include ‘play one’ portions in which opponents are allowed to play hard and sometimes do try to claim a scalp; as a result the Globetrotters’ over 27000 wins also come against 345 defeats, including at least three to ‘rivals’ the Washington Generals, which has otherwise lost over 17000 times to the Globetrotters.
Harlem Wizards
2 points
Question 8
The adductor muscle group runs between which joints within the human body?
*The adductor muscles link the inner thigh with the hip, and are most widely known for their association with groin strains in sports.
Knee
2 points
Question 9
Of which three bands has British guitarist Noel Gallagher been a member, two of which have released multiple albums and one of which was specially formed with Paul McCartney and Paul Weller to release a cover of The Beatles’s Come Together for The Help Album, with the band’s name coming from a line in the song?
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
The Smokin’ Mojo Filters
3 points
Question 10
The original six featured dogs on the children’s cartoon Paw Patrol were Chase, Marshall, Skye, Rocky, Rubble, and Zuma. What vehicles did the six dogs respectively drive or pilot to help them in their emergency and rescue missions?
*Later additions to the series include Everest with her snow vehicle, and Captain Turbot with his boat.
Fire truck
Helicopter
Recycling truck (includes feature to pick up rubbish)
Tracked loader/bulldozer
Hovercraft (includes submarine feature)
6 points
Round 2 points
(Maximum: 19)
Total points
(Maximum: 42)
Round 3
Question 1
Whilst the word is also used for a wicker basket used to carry fish, the Scottish word ‘creel’ refers to what piece of industrial fishing equipment?
1 point
Question 2
Since 2015, China has been utilising an urban green infrastructure city planning model that uses green spaces and wetlands to reduce the strain on drainage systems. Known as 海绵城市 (Hǎimián chengshì) in Chinese, by what two-word term, which refers to its ability to absorb water, is this model known in English?
*Flooding is a major problem in many Chinese cities, in which the issue of sudden heavy rainfall is exacerbated by the use of large amounts of concrete that push water into often inadequate drainage systems. While the building of sponge cities reduces the amount of land available for real estate, cannot fully remove flooding, and has prompted its ‘inventor’ Kongjian Yu to say some cities have claimed to be sponge cities without properly implementing the ideas, the over 30 cities that have developed sponge city areas have generally regarded them as a success.
1 point
Question 3
First reported in late November, and relating to products made by the Ambriola Company which were distributed November 3-20, a US FDA contamination risk on what type of food product was upgraded to a Category I ‘highest risk’ in early January due to the discovery of the listeria bacteria?
*The warning and product recall relates to Pecorino Romano products shipped to twenty US states.
1 point
Question 4
What animal currently has the highest confirmed bite strength in the animal kingdom, with a measurement of 16141 newtons or 3689 psi, about 20 times that of an average human – although the inability to get animals such as orcas and great white sharks to inflict maximum force bites on scientific equipment means the animal may not actually have the strongest bite in the animal kingdom?
*Bite strength has proven to be a difficult area for scientific study due to the need to get equipment into an animal’s mouth and then persuade it to aggressively bite, and even the confirmed saltwater crocodile bite has a caveat of only being by a 4.5m individual in a species that can grow to over 6m. An episode of the National Geographic television series Dangerous Encounters saw Dr Brady Barr register an unconfirmed 5000 psi bite by a large Nile crocodile, which would probably be equalled or surpassed by a similar sized saltwater crocodile.
1 point
Question 5
In 1978, in a move generally seen as trying to save face after an ill-advised occupation of foreign territory, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin challenged Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere to what sort of contest, stating that it should decide the conflict between the two nations about the invaded land?
*Amin was a national light heavyweight boxing champion before he rose up the military ranks and took charge of Uganda in a coup in 1971, before he himself had to flee into exile after Nyerere ignored the boxing offer and Tanzania ultimately defeated Uganda in combat in 1979. Amin once also suffered a genuine boxing defeat while in power: in 1974 a 46-year old Amin summoned military general and former Olympic boxer Francis Nyangweso, 35, to State House and challenged him to a fight. Nyangweso’s wife Naome said she was fearful as the fight unfolded, later saying ‘I wondered what Francis was thinking because he really gave Amin a beating’.
1 point
Question 6
Hyperacusis is the over-sensitivity to what?
*Hyperacusis can be caused by issues with the stapedius muscle, diminishing its ability to dampen sound and making sounds overbearingly loud.
1 point
Question 7
Which two former Presidents of the United States both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence?
*It is said that John Adams’s final words, before dying at 6.20pm, were ‘Thomas Jefferson survives’, unaware that Jefferson had died at around 1pm the same day.
Thomas Jefferson
2 points
Question 8
Which three Sahel Africa nations, which had all already been suspended due to coups and subsequent military junta governments, announced in 2024 that they were withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States and duly established their own federation, the Alliance des États du Sahel?
*Having largely cut ties with France, Chad – which suspended its constitution in 2021 and has since been run by the son of its former long-term leader – has been openly considering joining the AES.
Mali
Niger
3 points
Question 9
The most geographically spread of the competition’s history, the 2026 Winter Olympics will open on February 6. Based across four geographic ‘clusters’ – Milano, Cortina, Valtellina, and Val di Fiemme – plus with a closing ceremony in Verona, the games will take place in which three administrative regions of northern Italy?
Veneto
Trentino-Alto Adige (Südtirol)
3 points
Question 10
The traditional English dessert summer pudding, in which seasonal fruit is boiled and then placed in a casing of bread, was historically known as hydropathic pudding, amongst other names. What five types of fruit were suggested to be used in one of hydropathic pudding’s earliest known recipes, which appeared in the 1894 book Cassell’s New Universal Cookery Book?
*Modern equivalents made by TV chefs include Delia Smith limiting herself to just currants and raspberries; Nigella Lawson using the same three fruits plus cherries and blackberries; and looser ‘such as’ lists by Mary Berry and Jamie Oliver that also suggest the inclusion of strawberries (Oliver) and blueberries and loganberries (Berry). None of these chefs use plums.
Redcurrants
Blackcurrants
Strawberries
Plums
5 points
Round 3 points
(Maximum: 19)
Total points
(Maximum: 61)
Round 4
Question 1
Modal fabrics are made from the cellulose of what type of tree?
1 point
Question 2
What word, derived from the Greek word for ‘hand’, is given to objects that despite being mirage images cannot be superposed on top of each other? Examples include a human’s left hand and the right hand, which despite being mirage images are the opposite way around when placed one on the other; and numerous chemical compounds such as adrenaline which exist as isomers?
1 point
Question 3
The manga and adapted anime Jujutsu Kaisen tells the story of monsters and superhuman powers created by people’s ability to control, or not control, what?
1 point
Question 4
Named for Italian surgeon Mario Donati, the Donati surgical suture is also named for what furniture-related item?
*There are two types of mattress suture: the vertical mattress suture, named for Donati, and the horizontal mattress suture. The mattress name is due to the suture resembling the stitching on a mattress.
1 point
Question 5
Home to the La Voladora event, in which people race to sift through the waste produced by a mining company in search of overlooked gems, the Colombian town of Muzo proclaims itself the world capital of what precious stone, of which Colombia is the largest exporter by financial value in the world?
*The four-hour La Voladora, which has separate days for men and women, is held multiple times a month and consists of a cage being open into which guaqueros (‘treasure hunters’) race to sift through the dirt. The symbolism of a mining company selectively allowing poor Colombians onto its property to sift through its waste has drawn criticism, while Muzo has also been dealing with major environmental and regulatory problems connected to legal and illegal emerald mining.
1 point
Question 6
Which Western European country is the world’s most successful women’s field hockey team, having won nine of the 15 world championships in the sport – including the last three – alongside five of the 12 Olympics gold medals, including four of the last five?
*The Netherland’s men’s team has been slightly less successful, with only three world championship wins and three Olympic golds, although like the women’s team it is the reigning Olympic champion.
1 point
Question 7
What South American country is the only nation recognised by the United Nations to have a flag that has different images on each side, with the reverse maintaining the tricolour design but swapping the national coat of arms for a picture of a lion and a red hat? And what US state is the only state to have a different image on each side of its flag, with the reverse swapping the state escutcheon that includes a wagon, eagle, plough, and man-of-war for a single image of a beaver?
Oregon
2 points
Question 8
On January 28 a coltan mine collapse in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 227 people. Of what two minerals is the word ‘coltan’ a portmanteau?
*Used for capacitors and as a material in steel alloys, coltan is a major export for the DRC. The mine that collapsed had been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024.
Tantalite
2 points
Question 9
Inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s notion of government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’, but arguably closer to a socialist version of France’s ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’, Sun Yat-Sen’s 1911 Three Principles of the People are mínzú, mínquán, and mínshēng. How are these terms generally translated into English?
*The described democracy is different from ‘one person, one vote’, and instead promotes a country following the general will of the people through various controls. People’s livelihoods is the most socialist aspect of the principles, as it not only includes the idea of ensuring people’s livelihoods but also principles of government welfare via taxation.
Democracy
Livelihood (welfare)
4 points
Question 10
What six mythological creatures have statues at the six entrances to Parliament House in New Delhi, which was opened in 2023 as the new home to the Indian government? Four of the creatures are recognisable real world animals, while two are composites of multiple animals.
Ashwa (horse)
Hamsa (swan)
Garuda (eagle)
Makara (sea creature that combines many animals, including peacock, fish, crocodile, and dolphin)
Shardula (lion’s body with head of horse, elephant, and parrot)
6 points
Round 4 points
(Maximum: 19)
Total points
(Maximum: 80)
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.
The following are all books or compilations of writings by which author?
Clue 1
The Crack-up
10 points
Clue 2
The Pat Hobby Stories
9 points
Clue 3
All the Sad Young Men
8 points
Clue 4
This Side of Paradise
7 points
Clue 5
The Last Tycoon
6 points
Clue 6
Flappers and Philosophers
5 points
Clue 7
Tales of the Jazz Age
4 points
Clue 8
Tender is the Night
3 points
Clue 9
The Beautiful and Damned
2 points
Clue 10
The Great Gatsby
1 point
Round 5 points
(Maximum: 10)
Total points
(Maximum: 90)
