Round 1
Question 1
Of what does an acoustic guitar usually have 18 to 20, and a electric guitar 21 to 24?
1 point
Question 2
When setting up a chessboard, does the king or queen start on its own coloured square?
1 point
Question 3
‘Man Crush Monday’ was a social media trend in which people posted pictures on a Monday of men they found attractive or inspiring. What was the equivalent trend for posting about attractive or inspiring women?
1 point
Question 4
A unit fraction is a fraction in which the numerator is what specific number?
1 point
Question 5
This summer, after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup Final, Spanish footballer Ferran Torres joined Paris St. Germain, meaning that the last three men’s World Cup Finals have all featured at least one goalscorer who has played for PSG at some point in his career, as well as at least one goalscorer who has played for which Spanish football club at some point in his career?
*Both Torres and Lionel Messi (who scored in 2022) moved from Barcelona to PSG, while the 2018 edition saw Kylian Mbappe (once of PSG) and Antoine Griezmann (once of Barcelona) score. Six of the last eight finals have had a goalscorer who has at some point played for Barcelona.
1 point
Question 6
At 3am on Sunday August 16, five teenagers died and three women and a child were left in critical condition after a road accident in Kildare, Ireland. What had the five teenagers been doing that led to the crash, raising serious concerns about people undertaking dangerous acts to garner attention on social media?
*The teenagers were aged between 15 and 18 and were filming themselves driving a stolen BMW the wrong way down the M9 motorway, copying a trend that has reportedly grown on social media platform TikTok. The three women and child in the car that the teenagers hit were driving to the airport to attend a family wedding. TikTok declined an invitation to appear before an Irish Parliamentary Committee, stating it would be being asked to comment on an on-going investigation. The following Sunday, again at just after 3am, a similar incident occurred in Cleveland, England, when five people aged between 16 and 23 trying to evade a police chase turned the wrong way up a dual carriageway, hitting a non-pursuit police car patrolling for them approximately 10 seconds later. Both police officers in the police car died, as did all five of the people in the car driving the wrong way – at least one of whom had previously posted videos of himself joyriding.
1 point
Question 7
In which US states are the US Space Force bases Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg, the main space launch centres for America’s ‘Eastern Range’ and ‘Western Range’?
*An increase in the number of rocket launches has prompted speculation about future congestion at both Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg, as Cape Canaveral has gone from around 20 launches to 109 launches in only five years. Vandenberg had 72 launches in 2025, up from 51 the year before.
California
2 points
Question 8
In business and organisation terminology, an NGO is a non-governmental organization and a PLC is a public limited company. For what do each of the letters stand in an MNC?
National
Corporation
3 points
Question 9
What four countries comprise the European Free Trade Association, being countries that are not part of the European Union but do participate in the European Single Market and the Schengen Area?
Norway
Liechtenstein
Switzerland
4 points
Question 10
Make the longest word possible from the following letters: HILLSSTYY
Up to 9 points
(*length of word equates to points awarded)
Round 1 points
(Maximum: 24)
Round 2
Question 1
What type of item is associated with the French town of Cherbourg in the title of a 1964 musical directed by Jacques Demy, with it being the item sold in the shop run by the film’s main character Geneviève and her mother?
*The music of Michel Legrand and the film’s colour palette, including the aerial view of multicoloured umbrellas in the opening credits sequence, helped make The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) an international success and launched the career of Catherine Deneuve outside her native France.
1 point
Question 2
What 21st-century word for an obsessive fan comes from the title of a 2000 Eminem song about a fictional fan committing an act of murder-suicide after Eminem doesn’t reply to his letters?
*Similar to the word fan (originally from fanatic), the word stan is an example of how words can shift from a negative to positive meaning: to be compared to the Stan character in the Eminem song was once negative due to the character’s violence, but then became common enough parlance that the original connotation was lost, leaving it now simply meaning an obsessive fan. The belief that stan is a portmanteau of stalker and fan is a false etymology. Another word for a fan, tifosi, has become common in the 21st century having also lost its original connotation: it is derived from the Italian words for typhoid patient, whose fever was seen as comparable to that of a fan.
1 point
Question 3
Most commonly associated with the country of Vietnam, but variations of which are used in several nations in East and Southeast Asia, what is a nón lá, or nón tơi?
1 point
Question 4
Since 2020 in the US, and 2023 in the UK, pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has stopped using the mineral talcum in its baby powder products due to health concerns, particularly statistical correlations between its use and cancer rates. With what other white powder has the company replaced talcum?
1 point
Question 5
Aida cloth, otherwise known as Java canvas, is used in what type of craft?
*Aida cloth is the mesh-style material through which the yarn is stitched to create a picture or pattern.
1 point
Question 6
The dance known as the Country Two Step is more commonly known by a name which refers to which state of the USA?
*Unlike the dance step called the two step, which involves taking two steps in a particular direction, the Texas Two Step is a full dance known for its ‘quick-quick-slow-slow’ steps that take couples counter-clockwise around the room, with a variety of holds and turns available as couples move. The dance has been called a ‘poor man’s foxtrot’, in that it follows the same form but is more of a social, easy-to-learn dance. Less common variations include the Arizona Two Step and California Two Step.
1 point
Question 7
The popular Indian vegetarian dish aloo gobi is based on what two types of vegetables, the names of which are aloo and gobi in the Hindi language?
Cauliflower
2 points
Question 8
During England’s War of the Roses, which ran from 1455 to 1487, three different kings ruled the country, with two of them reigning on two separate occasions. Ignoring their regnal numbers, what three names did these kings have?
*Henry VI of the House of Lancaster gave way to Edward IV of the House of York, before Henry was restored to the throne, only to lose it back to Edward less than a year later. Edward IV was then followed by Edward V and Richard III, before the House of Tudor took over at the end of the war.
Edward
Richard
3 points
Question 9
Which four US Presidents – all Democrats – have chosen to have poets read at their inauguration? The six poets who have read are, in chronological order, Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, Miller Williams, Elizabeth Alexander, Richard Blanco, and Amanda Gorman?
*Robert Frost, then aged 86, wrote a special poem for the 1961 inauguration of John F. Kennedy, but unable to read his paper due to glaring sunlight he opted to recite another from memory.
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
4 points
Question 10
Not including his upcoming second appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, what are the four film franchises in which Canadian actor Keanu Reeves has starred in more than one feature film?
*Reeves did not appear in the Speed sequel, and has only made one appearance in the Sponge Bob franchise to date. He joined the Toy Story cast for Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5. Although Reeves has often been mocked for his acting, including by himself, he has starred in Shakespeare plays on both screen and stage, having played the villain Don John in Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing (receiving poor reviews), and both Mercutio and Hamlet in his early career (the latter receiving positive reviews). A petition was once started to have Reeves named ‘the most wholesome person alive’, reflecting his reputation for good manners, modesty, maintaining an everyday lifestyle, and acts of kindness which have included using his film appearance fees to reward the crew, booking alternative travel for an entire stranded flight, sitting out with homeless people, and helping people whose cars have broken down.
The Matrix
John Wick
Toy Story
4 points
Round 2 points
(Maximum: 19)
Total points
(Maximum: 43)
Round 3
Question 1
Also known as phlebectomy, ligation and stripping are the surgical processes involved in removing what from the human body?
1 point
Question 2
The stories of Noah, the Tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Joseph all appear in which book of the Bible?
*Genesis also includes the stories relating creation, the Garden of Eden, and Abraham.
1 point
Question 3
What type of firearm shares its name with an architecture style of the southern US most associated with cheap elongated wooden shacks which include raised porches and linear room layouts?
*The origin of the term shotgun architecture, or shotgun shack, is debated, with it possibly derived from a Creole phrase rather than connection to the weapon.
1 point
Question 4
On a boat, what does the Plimsoll Line indicate?
*Seen around the hull, the Plimsoll line is also called the load line.
1 point
Question 5
In July, which African ethnic group’s royal family was once again caught up in controversy when it had to clarify that the 51-year old monarch King Misuzulu Sinqobile’s fourth wife, Sihle Mdluli, who is in her early 20s, had not been elevated to ‘Mother of the Nation’ status, which would have seen her future children become the monarchy’s preferred heirs?
*King Misuzulu’s marriages have become something of a soap opera to royal watchers, as in 2025 he filed for divorce from his first wife, Queen Ntokozo, after she attempted to legally block his marriage to his third wife, Nomzamo Myeni – a case that rested on South Africa not permitting polygamy, but which was dismissed because the wedding was deemed a custom marriage and the queen had permitted his similar marriage to his second wife, eSwatini Bank’s Managing Director, Nozizwe kaMulela (a marriage that itself is rumoured to be in trouble). Hierarchical status within the Zulu royal family is contentious, both because it allows polygamy despite that being illegal in South Africa, and because the ‘Mother of the Nation’ title is given to the wife with the most royal blood rather than by date of marriage – a claim the new young wife could make, being a Mawewe princess. While the current situation may be a headache for the king, he himself benefited from similar circumstances when he came to the throne in 2021 despite being born to his father’s third of six wives and facing legal objections from at least two of his 27 siblings and half-siblings.
1 point
Question 6
What simple two-word and very literal name is given to the Australian equivalent of the US’s ‘roadside giants’, those being large novelty artworks built in small towns to encourage people to stop in places they might otherwise drive through?
*Examples of big things are the big avocado in Duranbah, the big beer can in Cobar, the big lawnmower in Beerwah, the big rocking horse in Gumeracha, the big bush turkey in Kyogle, the big mango in Bowen, the big magpie eating a chip in a Canberra suburb, and the big penguin in Penguin.
1 point
Question 7
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which two near-neighbour countries – one in the Middle East and one in Africa – are the world’s largest producers of dates?
Egypt
2 points
Question 8
What three bones meet at the shoulder joint in a human?
Scapula
Clavicle
3 points
Question 9
Recently married actors Tom Holland and Zendaya Coleman have appeared on-screen together in two of 2026’s largest films, Spider-man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Which four characters did the actors play across these films?
*While still a love interest for Peter Parker, the MJ character in the new Marvel Spider-man films has a slightly different name and backstory than the original Mary Jane Watson character.
MJ (Michelle Jones)
Telemachus
Athena
4 points
Question 10
In the science fiction comedy book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, who are the book’s five characters who travel aboard the stolen spaceship Heart of Gold?
Ford Prefect
Zaphod Beeblebrox
Trillian (Tricia McMillan)
Marvin (Marvin the Paranoid Android)
5 points
Round 3 points
(Maximum: 20)
Total points
(Maximum: 63)
Round 4
Question 1
On August 18, the US Department of Justice issued subpoenas to investigate a retired schoolteacher named Dan J. Sullivan who is running to become a Senator in Alaska. Previously, in June, the Republican Party excluded Sullivan from the party’s primary list, a decision that was overturned by the Alaska Supreme Court. What about Sullivan’s running for office has made some argue he should be removed under laws against ‘frivolous’ candidates?
*Nicknamed ‘Decoy Dan’, Dan J. Sullivan appears to have had no connection to the Republican Party prior to registering to become its senate candidate, and is reported to have originally tried to register himself as Dan S. Sullivan – the same name as the current senator. However, despite claims he is trying to trick voters, or is even a plant by the Democratic Party, Dan J. Sullivan says he was inspired to run due to frustration with the incumbent who shares his name. An existing case of a candidate being removed from a US election due to trying to confuse the electorate with their name does exist: in 1999, an Illinois woman called Lauryn Valentine legally changed her named to Carol Moseley-Braun, the name of the recently defeated Democratic Party senator, but was kicked off the ballot despite claiming she did it to honour the senator.
1 point
Question 2
Minke whales have white bands on each of their flippers, believed to help guide poor-sighted fish towards the whale’s mouth. What affectionate alliterative name is given to these bands due to their placement on the whale’s ‘arms’?
*A less wholesome nickname connected to minke whales is ‘stinky minkes’, because they are said to smell, probably because of food stuck in their baleen plates.
1 point
Question 3
In which novel by English author Charles Dickens does the alcoholic nurse Mrs Gamp say ‘he would make a lovely corpse’?
1 point
Question 4
Created by radio stations appealing to fans of mature black music in the 1970s, and named for a 1975 Smokey Robinson album, what oxymoronic name is given to the r’n’b subgenre that mixes soulful, smooth ‘slow jam’ music with often sensual lyrics? Famous songs in the genre including Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, ‘Me and Mrs. Jones’ by Billy Paul, ‘Just the Two of Us’ by Grover Washington Jr., ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe’ by Barry White, Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’, and ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by Al Green.
1 point
Question 5
What character within the Harry Potter book and film franchise shares a name with a 12th-century Polish duchess who was canonized by the Catholic Church in the 13th century and whose bones were rediscovered in Silesia in 2020?
*Hedwig’s remains were actually found inside her own sarcophagus inside her tomb, but had been placed in a small silver casket hidden behind a slab. Also known as St. Jadwiga, it is said Hedwig lived a pious life, and when ordered to start wearing shoes did so by tying a pair around her neck.
1 point
Question 6
Also known as quadriplegia, what is the name given to the loss of motion and senses in all ‘quarters’ of the body below the neck, caused by damage to the spinal cord?
*Paraplegia is the loss of motion and senses below the waist, and hemiplegia is the loss of motion in senses in either the left or right side of the body.
1 point
Question 7
The Chinese provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Hebei, Henan, Hainan, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Shandong, and Guangdong all follow the same two-character etymological pattern in which an initial noun is followed by an adjective. Broadly speaking, to what do these nouns and adjectives refer?
*Many Chinese provinces and cities are named simply for a major geographical feature plus where it is located in the country. Hubei, for example, literally means ‘lake north’, while the province directly below it, Hunan, means ‘lake south’.
Cardinal direction (compass direction)
2 points
Question 8
Japanese ramen is generally divided into four types based on the type of broth it has, namely shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, or shio. All referring to a key ingredient in making or seasoning the broth, what do shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, and shio mean?
Miso (fermented bean paste)
Pork bone
Salt
4 points
Question 9
Based on receiving the most amount of US dollars in exchange for a single unit of the nation’s currency, the current four strongest currencies in the world belong to which four countries in the Middle East? Three of the currencies are called the dinar, and one is the rial.
*Currently one Kuwaiti dinar equals $3.24.
Bahrain (dinar)
Oman (rial)
Jordan (dinar)
4 points
Question 10
Which five people appeared on the final series of French franc banknotes before the currency was replaced by the Euro in 1998? The people were an aviator also known as a children’s author on the 50 franc; a painter on the 100 franc; an engineer on the 200 franc; and a pair of scientists on the 500 franc.
Paul Cézanne
Gustave Eiffel
Marie Curie
Pierre Curie
5 points
Round 4 points
(Maximum: 21)
Total points
(Maximum: 84)
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.
In what month of the year do the following events or holidays all occur?
Clue 1
Bounty Day on Pitcairn Island
10 points
Clue 2
Coming of Age Day in Japan
9 points
Clue 3
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
8 points
Clue 4
Republic Day in India
7 points
Clue 5
Australia Day
6 points
Clue 6
Burns Night in Scotland
5 points
Clue 7
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US
4 points
Clue 8
Epiphany
3 points
Clue 9
The end of the twelve days of Christmas
2 points
Clue 10
New Year’s Day on the Gregorian calendar
1 point