Questions by Randolph- Macon
Edited by George Huang
Tossups
1. It is situated on the site of a Roman town called Condivincum. It is
currently the capital of the Loire-
Atlantique Department, and is the seventh-largest city in France. It was
the center of the ebony and sugar
trade, and became France's leading port in the 18th century. FTP what
is this city at the head of the Loire
estuary that is more famous for a law signed there in 1598?
Answer: _NANTES_
2. Moise Tshombe and Albert Kalonji each led breakaway republics.
Premier Patrice Lumumba and President
Joseph Kasavubu tried to dismiss each other, but army leader Joseph D.
Mobutu took over, and changed his
name to Mobutu Sese Seko. FTP, this is the early history of what
African country?
Answer: _ZAIRE_ or _INDEPENDENT CONGO REPUBLIC_
3. This story is one of the first in English to use dialect for comic
effect. In it, two student clerks, speaking a
broad Northern dialect, confront a miller who has cheated them out of
some flour. They get their revenge by
sleeping with his wife and daughter. FTP, what is this Canterbury Tale?
Answer: the _REEVE'S TALE_
4. According to psychologist Kevin Leman, he was the first person to
suffer from firstborn jealosy. It just seemed
his younger brother could do no wrong; and when the Lord prefered his
brother's sacrifice to his own, that was
just too much -- he murdered his brother. FTP, who is this man who
answered the Lord's query about his
brother with the line: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
Answer: _CAIN_
5. They contain one or more unknown quantities. They have a degree,
which can be any integer greater than or
equal to one. They come in linear quadratic, cubic and polynomial
varieties. FTP, what are these objects in
mathematics, the statement that one mathematical expression is the same
as another?
Answer: _EQUATION_s
6. It was developed in Italy, it reached England in the 1530's, and was
developed on its own in the 1580's.
Originally, it was a short lyrical poem of amatory character. It is also
the title to a 2-minute Rush song. FTP,
what is this musical term now used to describe a type of part-song, or
short polyphonic composition, usually to
secular words and without instrumental accompaniment, whose masters
included Morley, Weekles and
Wilbye?
Answer: _MADRIGAL_
7. He was born near Coimbra, where he taught economics. In 1928, he
became the Minister of Finance, and
became premier in 1932, introducing the Estado Novo, which was an excuse
for him to exercise dictatorial
powers. FTP, who was this dictator who ruled Portugal with an iron fist
until 1968?
Answer: Antonio De Oliviera _SALAZAR_
8. Its official name is 2,2-dichlorodiethylsulphide
(die-KLOR-o-die-eth-ell-sull-FIDE). It is a light-yellow, oily
liquid which becomes a gas at above 14 degrees Centigrade, acting as a
powerful producer of blisters on the
skin, eyes and lungs. FTP, what is the poison gas that was first used at
Ypres by the Germans in July 1917?
Answer: _MUSTARD GAS_
9. He spent his entire life in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was an
invalid. His reputation as a skillful
writer of horror stories is almost entirely posthumous. FTP, name this
writer of the collection The Outsider
and Others, and the short stories The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, At
the Mountains of Madness and The
Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Answer: Howard Phillips _LOVECRAFT_
10. She was taping a comedy bit for an appearance on the Tonight Show
with Jay Leno when the horse she was
riding slipped and fell, dropping her on the parking lot. Fortunately,
this injury will have minimal impact on
this six-foot tall New Zealander's syndicated television show. FTP who
is Xena, the Warrior Princess?
Answer: Lucy _LAWLESS_
11. He rose from the top of the world to the bottom of a coffin -- all
within two days. He had graduated from the
University of Maryland, and was the first draft pick of the Boston
Celtics. NBA stardom seemed assured, until
tragedy struck. FTP, who was this man who was found dead from a cocaine
overdose on the morning of June
19, 1986?
Answer: LEN _BIAS_
12. It is a terpene-based lipid composed of three six-carbon rings and
one five-carbon ring. This molecule
functions in the body as an adrenocorticoid and as sex hormones. FTP,
name this type of chemical, commonly
associated with its abuse by athletes to increase muscle mass.
Answer: _STEROID_s
13. This composer was stung by Parisian criticism that he didn't know
his Shakespeare, and replied that "I have
had him in my hands from my earliest youth, and I have read and re-read
him constantly." His great project,
an attempt to make an opera out of King Lear, was never completed. FTP
name this composer of Macbeth,
Falstaff and Otello.
Answer: Giuseppe _VERDI_
14. In response to his firing, Attorney General Elliot Richardson
resigned in protest. Leon Jaworski was named
his successor. FTP, who was this Watergate Special Prosecutor fired on
October 20, 1973, for insisting that the
Administration turn over tapes of conversations between Nixon and his
aides?
Answer: Archibald _COX_
15. Lake Turkana is a major feature of this country's northern regions.
Lake Victoria forms a part of its western
border, and the port of Kisumu is this country's major port on that
lake. Mombassa is the country's largest port
on the Indian Ocean. FTP, what is this African country which the equator
nearly bisects?
Answer: _Kenya_
16. The soft and medium varieties of this personal item are readily
available, but the firm variety is hard to find.
Originally, Siberian hog bristles were used, but with the advent of
nylon, which stayed firmer and did not
spoil, nylon bristles relaced the hog hair. FTP, what is this item that
dentists recommend you use after every
meal?
Answer: a _TOOTHBRUSH_
17. Once a star runs out of nuclear fuel, it cools and contracts. Stars
of more than 1.5 solar masses shrink until
pressure between the subatomic particles balances the pull of gravity.
FTP, what are these objects which we
can only observe through their radio emissions as pulsars?
Answer: _NEUTRON STAR_s
18. This opera by Dmitri Shostakovich opened on January 13, 1930, in
Leningrad, and was based on a short story
by Nikolai Gogol, where a body part decides it has better things to do
than be attatched to the main character.
FTP, what is this opera, where Shostakovich introduced among other comic
sound effects, an orchestral
sneeze?
Answer: _THE NOSE_
19. Tabor College in Kansas had to forfeit this game this year due to a
lack of players. Nebraska's annual Friday
bonfire had to be cancelled again. In 1926, a cow got elected Queen at
Ohio State. Everyone knows that you
always play a weak opponent for this weekend. FTP, what is this weekend
when alumni are welcomed back on
campus?
Answer: _HOMECOMING_
20. When calculating this economic variable, fixed costs are not
allocated to the unit. A common example is the
discounting of airplane seats, because once the fixed costs are paid you
only have to pay for drinks and food for
the rest of the seats. FTP, what is this economic term for the cost of
producing one extra unit?
Answer: _MARGINAL COST_
21. This novel is a fictional account of the 1831 slave revolt in
Southampton County, Virginia. It is based on a
pamphlet of the same title published shortly after the revolt, but
author William Styron took tremendous
liberties with Nat Turner, his narrator. FTP, name this novel,
criticized by black critics because a white author
tries to tell a slave's story, that won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for
fiction.
Answer: _THE CONFESSIONS OF NAT TURNER_
22. Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad began operating this on November
2, 1920, with broadcasting returns of
the Harding-Cox Presidential election. FTP, what is this Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, radio station, the oldest in
the country?
Answer: _K.D.K.A._
Bonuses
1. It is a commonly known astronomical fact that 90% of the universe's
mass has been undetected.
a. FTP give the general name for the nonluminous substance that
comprises this mass.
b. There are two types of dark matter. FTP each name them.
Answer: a) _DARK MATTER_ b) _MASSIVE COMPACT HALO OBJECT_ or _MACHO_,
_WEAKLY
INTERACTING MASSIVE PARTICLE_ or _WIMP_
2. Answer these Biblical history bonuses FTP each.
a. Of course, you know the kingdom of Israel fell in 721 BC. But can
you tell me to whom it fell?
b. But you may not know when the kingdom of Judah finally fell. FTP,
give the year in which Jerusalem fell,
ending the kingdom of Judah. You get 5 pts for being within 5 years.
c. For an additional 10 pts, name the king of Babylon for whom the
writing on the wall was clear,
according to the book of Daniel -- Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
Answer: a) _SARGON II_ b) _587 BC_ (592-582 BC) c) _BELSHAZZAR_
3. Answer these Civil War questions, FTP each.
a. Give either of the dates of the Battle of Shiloh. You can get 5 pts
for getting the month and year
correct, however.
b. The siege of this city was Grant's attempt to cut off Richmond's
communication with the outside world.
When it fell in April 1865, Lee had to abandon the Confederate capital.
c. At this battle from June 1 to 3, 1864, Lee defeated Grant, by
inflicting thousands of casualties in a matter
of minutes.
Answer: a) _APRIL 6 & 7, 1862_ b) _PETERSBURG_, Virginia c) _COLD
(SPRINGS) HARBOR_
4. I will give a brief description of a Eugene O'Neill play, you name it
FTP each..
a. "Billy" Brown, a mediocre architect, and Dion Anthony, a talented
artist, are both in love with
Margaret, who is in love with a suit of clothes.
b. Ephraim Cabot abandons his farm and children, he returns with a new
wife, but the new wife, Abbie, is
impregnated by the eldest of his three sons.
c. This four-act drama was the sequel to Long Day's Journey Into Night,
and concerns the adventures of the
Hogan and Tyrone families.
Answer: a) _THE GREAT GOD BROWN_ b) _DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS_ c) _A
MOON FOR THE
MISBEGOTTEN_
5. Given a line from a TV commercial, name the product being advertised
FTP each.
a. (in a Southern accent) "Would ya please pass the jelly?"
b. "Hey McNeely! How many slices am I holding up?"
c. "The taste is gonna move ya when ya pop it in your mouth!"
Answer: a) _POLANER ALL-FRUIT_ b) Pizza Hut _STUFFED CRUST_ pizza c)
Wrigley _JUICY FRUIT_
chewing gum
6. FTP each, name the two Kurdish groups that are fighting in northern
Iraq, one supported by Saddam
Hussein, the other by Iran.
b. For 10 more pts, which parallel line is the southern border of the
northern "no-fly" zone in Iraq?
Answer: a) The _KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY_ (KDP) / The _PATRIOTIC
UNION OF
KURDISTAN_ (PUK) b) The _36th_ Parallel
7. Given a list of countries, identify the country that all of them
border FTP each.
a. The Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zaire.
b. Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq.
c. Romania and the Ukraine.
Answer: a) _UGANDA_ b) _SYRIA_ c) _MOLDOVA_
8. Answer these Jovial moon questions, FTP each.
a. The first Jovian moon to be discovered by someone other than Galileo
was named for the foster mother of
Zeus, sometimes portrayed as a she-goat suckling him, sometimes
portrayed as a nymph feeding him goat's milk.
Name it.
b. FTP for getting a right answer, and for 5 for being within one, how
many moons does Jupiter have?
c. Name the Galilean moon which is closest to Jupiter's surface.
Answer: a) _AMALTHEA_ b) _16_ (5pts for 15 or 17) c) _IO_
9. Name the painter, 30-20-10.
30: Ottorino Respighi wrote an orchestral triptych based on his
artworks.
20: He spent his entire life in Florence, except for a visit to Rome
from 1481 to 1482, where he painted wall
frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.
10: He painted many images of Greek and Roman legends, such as
Primavera and The Birth of Venus.
Answer: Sandro _BOTTICELLI_
10. Answer these questions about the late 19th century FTP each..
a. Name the only thing that Germans feared, "and nothing else in this
world."
b. In 1888, the old German emperor Wilhelm I died on March 9, followed
by his son, who died on June 15
of that year. FTP, name the son.
c. In that same year, this general went to Paris twice without leave,
and was promptly removed from
command. He was then elected to the Chamber for the Nord, despite being
wounded in a duel with
Charles Thomas Floquet.
Answer: a) _GOD_ b) _FRIEDRICH WILHELM_ c) Georges _BOULANGER_
11. Answer these questions about the Odyssey.
a. For 5 pts, name Odysseus' faithful son of twenty, who is watching
his mother's suitors eat him out of
house and home, literally.
b. FTP, name the island where Odysseus was kept for ten years by the
nymph Calypso.
c. For 15 pts, name the leader of the suitors, who gains Odysseus'
enmity by throwing a stool at him.
Answer: _TELEMACHUS_ b) _OGYGIAN_ Isle c) _ANTINOUS_
12. I will tell you a couple of Academy Award winners from a year; you
tell me the year, on a 15-5 basis.
a. 15: Michael Douglas won the Best Actor Award for Wall Street.
5: The Last Emperor wins Best Picture.
b. 15: Marisa Tomei wins the Best Supporting Actress Award.
5: Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman win Awards for Unforgiven.
Answer: a) _1987_ b) _1992_
13. Identify the book of the Bible from the quote for the stated number
of pts.
a. For 5: Yahweh answered ___ from the heart of the tempest.
b. For 10: The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate adn
burst into tears, and weeping said,
"My son Absalom! My son Absalom! Would I have died in your place!
Absalom, my son, my son!"
c. For 15: There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One
who gives me strength.
Answer: a) _JOB_ b) _2 SAMUEL_ c) _PHILLIPIANS_ (4:13)
14. Name the philosophical doctrine FTP each.
a. This doctrine holds that the future is as unalterable as the past,
that what will be will be, no matter what a
person may do to avert its passing.
b. This doctrine comes in casual, logical and theological varieties.
Its most famous theological proponent
was John Calvin.
c. It is characterized by its use of classical philosophy in the
service of Christianity, its use of ancient
authorities such as Aristotle and St. Augustine and its dialectical
method.
Answer: a) _FATALISM_ b) _DETERMINISM_ c) _SCHOLASTICISM_
15. Name these biological things FTP each.
a. Involved in transcription, it binds to one strand of the DNA and to
the growing chains of messenger RNA.
Name this enzyme necessary for messenger RNA synthesis.
b. These cells are responsible producing the myelin sheath and wrapping
it around the axons of nerves.
c. These drive movement in the cell and can be caused by energy,
temperature, or concentration.
Answer: a) _RNA POLYMERASE_ b) _SCHWANN CELLS_ c) _GRADIENT_
16. 1933 was a pivotal year in American and German history. Answer these
questions for the stated
number of pts.
a. For 5 pts, on what day did Hitler become chancellor of Germany?
b. FTP, this mayor of Chicago was assassinated by mistake on February
15; the actual target was
President-elect Roosevelt.
c. For 15 pts, name the Dutch communist who was blamed for the
Reichstag fire of February 27, 1933.
Answer: a) _JANUARY 30_ b) Anton _CERMAK_ c) Marinus _VAN DER LUBBE_
17. It's another name-the-artist-from-the-song bonus. Six of them F5P
each.
a. Moody River and Roses Are Red, My Love.
b. Africa and I Know I Can't Hold You Back Now.
c. Blue Yodel No. 1.
d. Pretty Vacant and God Save the Queen.
e. Holding Back the Years and If You Don't Know Me By Now.
f. Teddy Bear, It's Now or Never.
Answer: a) Pat _BOONE_ b) _TOTO_ c) Jimmy _ROGERS_ d) The _SEX
PISTOLS_ e) _SIMPLY RED_
f) The King Elvis _PRESLEY_
18. 30-20-10 name the dead Central American male.
30: From 1927-33, he led a resistance movement against the US Marines
who had been in his country since
1912.
20: He was murdered by Anastasio Somoza in February 1934.
10: This Nicaraguan lent his name to a later resistance movement
against the Somoza dynasty.
Answer: Cesar Augusto _SANDINO_
19. Name the biochemical process, 30-20-10.
30: It takes place in the cytosol and results in the production of
pyruvate.
20: It is the first step in cellular respiration.
10: It produces 2 ATP by the breakdown of glucose.
Answer: _GLYCOLYSIS_
20. I'll name the children's book, you name the author FTP each.
a. Where the Wild Things Are
b. Bedtime for Frances
c. The Little Engine that Could
Answer: a) Maurice _SENDAK_ b) Russell _HOBAN_ c) Watty _PIPER_
21. Answer these questions about post-World War II Europe FTP each.
a. Name the gang whose leaders staged a number of hunger strikes in
West German prisons during the
1970's. A branch of the Red Army Faction, they robbed banks and blew up
buildings.
b. On May 19, 1974, he was elected President of France, narrowly
defeating leftist Francois Mitterand, and
maintaining the Gaullist regime of Georges Pompidou.
c. On March 16, 1976, this Labor Prime Minister resigned, to be
replaced by Foreign Secretary James
Callaghan.
Answer: a) _BAADER-MEINHOF_ Gang b) Valery _GISCARD D'ESTAING_ c)
Harold _WILSON_
22. Answer these questions about this and other European right-wing
parties.
a. A right-wing party has made major gains in the recent Austrian
election. F5P each, name the party and its
charismatic leader.
b. For a final 10 pts, name the French leader of the National Front who
is constantly escaping charges of
anti-Semitism and whose vote-grabbing idea is abolishing the income tax.
Answer: a) The _FREEDOM PARTY_ / GEORG _HAIDER_ b) Jean-Marie _LE PEN_