<![CDATA[Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 15:50:57 -0800 (PST)
From: "Matthew H. Baker" <baker@math.berkeley.edu>
To: psb@lbl.gov
Content-Description:
1995 Guy Fawkes Eve Buzzer Explosion
Questions by Cornell University
Author/Contact: Eric Tentarelli, tentarelli@iiiv.tn.cornell.edu.
Toss-ups:
1. This fictional character is hired by an elderly Wall Street
lawyer, but one day, to the dismay of his colleagues Turkey,
Nipper, and Ginger Nut, he suddenly stops working and refuses to
eat or move out. Thrown out by the office's next occupant, he's
arrested for vagrancy and dies in prison. For ten points, name
this copyist and Herman Melville title character.
Answer: _BARTLEBY_ the Scrivener
2. The hot new kinds of this class of materials are the nitrides,
such as aluminum nitride, which are candidates to supplant other
III-V [three-five] compounds such as indium phosphide and gallium
arsenide. For ten points, name this electronically vital class of
solids that also includes silicon.
Answer: _SEMICONDUCTORS_
3. This expression may have originated with American Indians or
with a Hungarian custom of adorning one's headwear for every kill
made in battle. Supposedly, Hungarian troops did this to count
the number of Turks each had slain. FTP, what is this expression
which appeared in _Tristram Shandy_ and is used to mean a minor
distinguishment?
Ans: _PUT A FEATHER IN ONE'S CAP_ (accept equivalents)
4. Despite a diameter only half that of Ceres, this is the
brightest asteroid, partly because it's close to the Sun but mostly
because of its high surface reflectivity of 38%. For ten points,
the fourth asteroid discovered and the third largest one is what
object, named for the Roman goddess of the hearth?
Answer: _VESTA_
5. His brother Allie died of leukemia, his brother D.B. writes
scripts for Hollywood, and his younger sister Phoebe attends
elementary school in New York City, where he visits her when
expelled from Pencey Prep. For ten points, this foe of all things
phony is what J. D. Salinger protagonist?
Answer: _HOLDEN CAULFIELD_ (prompt on "Catcher in the Rye")
6. Fair Oaks, White Oak Swamp, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, and
Malvern Hill were among the battles waged by George McClellan from
April to July, 1862. This series of battles resulted from
Johnston's retreat from McClellan after the Siege of Yorktown. For
ten points, McClellan's inland advance to Richmond between the York
and James rivers is appropriately known as what campaign?
Answer: the _PENINSULAR_ Campaign (prompt on early buzz of Seven
Days' Battles)
7. His latest work centers on the travels and reflections of Theo
Wuttke, and its title translates to "A Broad Field." Best known
for his Danzig trilogy, he also wrote _Local Anaesthetic_ and _The
Flounder_. For ten points, name this German author famous for
creating the character of Oskar Matzerath in his novel _The Tin
Drum_.
Answer: Gunter _GRASS_
8. When this type of substance is in the nematic state, its
molecules are distributed randomly but tend to orient themselves in
a particular direction, while in the smectic state, its molecules
are arranged in layers and are more rigidly oriented. For ten
points, name this type of substance, discovered by Friedrich
Reinitzer, that almost occupies a distinct state of matter.
Answer: _LIQUID CRYSTAL_
9. It contains the story of Lemminkainen, who was cut into pieces
and resurrected -- a legend that shows resemblance to the myths of
the Near East. Another story is that of Wainamoinen, a character
equivalent to Orpheus. The first edition was published in 1835,
and contained twelve thousand verses of collected folktales and
legends. Longfellow copied its form and style in his _Song of
Hiawatha_. FTP, name this masterpiece of philologist Elias
Lonnrott that is the national epic of Finland.
Answer: _The Kalevala_
10. A statue of him has finally been erected in front of the
Tennessee Capitol, alongside Andrew Jackson and James Polk, as he's
been forgiven for keeping his Senate seat when Tennessee seceded in
1862, the only Southern Senator to reject his state's secession.
For ten points, name this man even more resented for his actions as
president during Reconstruction.
Answer: _ANDREW JOHNSON_
11. In Germany and France it was primarily advocated by public
officials and was known as cameralism and Colbertism respectively,
while in Britain businessmen were the most vocal supporters of, for
ten points, what school of economics advocating a positive trade
balance in order to acquire gold at the expense of other nations?
Answer: _MERCANTILISM_
12. Characterized by erythema, or reddening, and preventable by
applying benzophorenes or para-aminobenzoic acid, it's caused by
exposure to radiation, between 260 and 320 nanometers in
wavelength, too suddenly and intensely for the body to produce a
protective layer of melanin. For ten points, identify this painful
summer ailment.
Answer: _SUNBURN_
13. His biographer, Porphyry, relates that he refused to eat meat
and that he attained a state of mystical union with God four times.
Toward the end of his life, he wrote several Enneads, groups of
nine treatises, in which expounded the philosophy handed down to
him from Ammonius. He persuaded his friend the Emperor Gallienus
to build a city for philosophers that would be governed according
to the laws of Plato. FTP, name this third-century founder of
Neoplatonism.
Answer: _Plotinus_
14. Born in Pergamum in Asia Minor around 130 A.D., his writings
consist of 83 treatises and 15 commentaries of Hippocrates. A
careful dissector of animals, he was the first to detect the pulse.
He was chief physician to the gladiators at Pergamum until he moved
to Rome, where he served as personal doctor to Marcus Aurelius,
Commodus, and Septimius Severus. FTP, name this Greek physician,
long regard as the standard authority on medical matters.
Answer: _Galen_
15. An attempted coup in this country began on February 26, 1936,
as young extremists in the army tried to establish a military
regime to set their country on an ambitious course of conquest.
They seized much of the capital before being suppressed, and their
suspected leaders, such as Ikki Kita, were executed. For ten
points, identify the island nation that suppressed this coup to the
great relief of Korea and China.
Answer: _JAPAN_
16. And you thought real-life Washington was corrupt--at least no
Supreme Court justice is helping the President blackmail a Senator
into covering up evidence that the nominee for Secretary of State
used to be a Communist subversive--or at least, not as far as we
know. But for ten points, that's the main plot of what Pulitzer
Prize-winning 1959 novel by Allen Drury?
Answer: _"ADVISE AND CONSENT"_
17. A quiet, patient, and methodical commander, he waged a war of
attrition or "nibbling". As chief of staff, he planned the victory
at the Battle of the Marne. He resigned in 1916 after defeat at
the Battle of Verdun, and was made a marshal of France, and later
president of the Allied War Council. FTP, name this commander in
chief of French armies from 1915-16.
Answer: Joseph Jacques _Joffre_
18. His songs included settings of texts written by Guillaume
Apollinaire and Eluard, while some of his operas are based on plays
by Cocteau. His first major success was _Les Biches_, composed for
Diaghilev�s Ballets Russes. In 1959, he completed _Voix Humaine_,
and in 1957, _Dialogs of the Carmelites_. FTP, name this composer
of _The Breasts of Tiresias_, the youngest of Les Six.
Answer: Francis _Poulenc_
19. From 1940-45, he was governor of the Bahamas. Hitler
supposedly hatched a plot to kidnap him, but this was never carried
out. In 1951, he wrote an autobiography, entitled "A King's
Story". It might have been more accurately titled "A Duke of
Windsor's Story", since that was the title he was given in 1936.
FTP, name this son of George V who abdicated to marry Wallis
Warfield Simpson.
Answer: _Edward VIII_
20. In 1644, it was demolished by the Puritans to make room for
houses. Located on the Bankside south of the Thames, it was built
in 1599 by Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, and rebuilt in 1614 after
it was destroyed by a fire during a presentation of _Henry VIII_.
FTP, name this octagonal playhouse, home theatre of the Lord
Chamberlain's Men and their playwright, William Shakespeare.
Answer: _The Globe_
21. The characters of this dramatic poem include the Abbot of St.
Maurice, the Witch of the Alps, Manuel, and Herman. The title
character is wracked with remorse for committing incest with his
sister Astarte, who has committed suicide. By rejecting an
agreement with the powers of darkness, he sets himself up as a
totally independent man, alone in his Alpine castle. FTP, name
this poem by Lord Byron.
Answer: _Manfred_
22. In 1787, he completed the monument of Pope Clement XIV. After
he finished his sculpture of Theseus in 1782, he was regarded as
the founder of a new school of sculpture. Twenty years later, Pope
Pius VII appointed him curator of works of art, and he was called
to Paris to create a statue of Napoleon. FTP, name this Venetian
sculptor, famous for his reclining nude of Pauline Borghese.
Answer: Antonio _CANOVA_
Bonuses.
1. Identify the following novels from their subtitles, for 10
points each, or for 5 if you need the author.
1. "Or, Fifty Years of Exile"
Author: Herman Melville A: "Israel Potter"
2. "Or Virtue Rewarded"
Author: Samuel Richardson A: "Pamela"
3. "Or, The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay"
Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes A: "The Deacon's
Masterpiece"
2. Identify the following dialogues of Plato, 5-10-15:
1. For 5 points: Socrates addresses the Athenian jury and defends
himself against the charge of corrupting the young which Meletus
has brought against him, but it convicted anyway and sentenced to
death. Answer: The _Apology_
2. For 10 points: Socrates discusses the nature of forms and the
theory of recollection in ethics, science and cosmology. The most
dramatic point is the end of the dialogue, when he drinks the
hemlock and speaks his final words, "Crito, I owe a cock to
Asclepius. Remember to pay it." Answer: _Phaedo_
3. For 15 points: Socrates accosts a young man who is on the way
to bring murder charges against his own father. The discussion
centers around a search for the essential definition of piety.
Answer: _Euthyphro_
3. (30) Given an equation in Cartesian coordinates, identify the
type of curve being described, ten points each.
1. X squared equals four minus two Y squared. (x^2 = 4 - 2 y^2)
Answer: _ELLIPSE_
2. X squared minus X equals Y plus three. (x^2 - x = y + 3)
Answer: _PARABOLA_
3. Square root of the quantity X times Y equals five.
(SQRT(xy) = 5)
Answer: _HYPERBOLA_
4. (30) I'll list three epithets used by different kings with the
same first name, you give the shared first name; the kings may be
from any country. The first set is worth five points, the second
set ten, the third fifteen.
5: the Bald, the Simple, the Well-Served
Answer: _CHARLES_
10: the Fair, the Bold, the Magnanimous
Answer: _PHILIP_
15: the Pious, the Iron, the Winter King
Answer: _FREDERICK_
5. Identify these Charles Dickens title characters, for ten points
each.
1. Assistant schoolmaster at an inhumane boarding school, this
orphan is rescued by the benevolent Cheeryble brothers.
Answer: _NICHOLAS NICKLEBY_
2. After unsuccessful land speculation in the American West, this
man is reconciled with his selfish grandfather and namesake,
despite machinations of the hypocritical Pecksniff.
Answer: _MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT_
3. This feeble-minded son of a double murderer narrowly escapes the
gallows for his alleged role in anti-Catholic riots.
Answer: _BARNABY RUDGE_
6. Identify the following scientists who invented devices for the
study of subatomic particles, for 15 points each.
1. Fascinated by the clouds on top of Great Britain's highest
mountain, Ben Nevis, this Scottish physicist conceived the idea
that droplets form around charged particles, thus leading to the
invention of the cloud chamber. He won the Nobel Prize in physics
in 1927.
Answer: Charles Thomson Rees _Wilson_
2. While watching bubbles form in a glass of beer, this
Berkeleyite conceived of ions causing a superheated liquid to boil,
thus forming drops of gas in an ocean of liquid. The invention of
the bubble chamber won him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1960.
Answer: Donald _Glaser_
7. Answer these questions about important editions and translations
of the Bible, ten points each.
1. The work of William Whittingham, this English translation
published in 1560 was the Bible of choice in Elizabethan England
and is named for the Continental European city where it was made.
Answer: the _GENEVA_ Bible
2. Probably printed at Mainz in 1455 by Fust and Schoffer, it is
often called the 42-line bible, and is commonly named for the
library in Paris where it was rediscovered in 1760.
Answer: The _Mazarin_ Bible
3. Translated from Latin and German sources, it is based on
Tyndale's translations of the New Testament and Pentateuch, and was
published in 1535. It was the first complete English Bible to be
printed. Answer: _Coverdale's_ Bible
8. Identify these parts of the human eye, 5-10-15.
5: This rounded structure of transparent fibers in front of the
anterior chamber protects the lens. Answer: the _CORNEA_
10: Located at the center of the retinal macula, this region of
the retina has neither rods nor blood vessels, only cones. Answer:
the _FOVEA_ (in full, the fovea centralis)
15: This fibrous tunic surrounding the retina and choroid is seen
as the white of the eye.
Answer: the _SCLERA_
9. In the Saturday Night Massacre of October 20, 1973, Nixon
ordered the Attorney General to fire Watergate special prosecutor
Archibald Cox. The Attorney General resigned rather than comply,
and his Deputy Attorney General followed suit, leaving the
solicitor general, as the highest remaining Justice Department
official, to do the dirty work. For ten points each, name, in
order, the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and solicitor
general.
Answer: Elliot L. _RICHARDSON_; William _RUCKELSHAUS_; Robert
_BORK_
10. Identify the mythological group, 30-20-10.
30: Named Pisinoe, Agalope, and Thelxiepia by Apollodorus, their
parents are usually given as the river-god Achelous and one of the
Muses.
20: Some say that these residents of the island of
Anthemoessa had been transformed into monstrous creatures for not
helping Persephone when she was abducted by Hades. Other versions
hold that they retained their forms as women.
10: Usually named Leucosia, Ligeia, and Parthenope, Odysseus is
the only mortal who lived to tell of their enchanting songs, though
perhaps Hugh Grant qualifies.
Answer: the _SIRENS_
11. (30) Identify these Matthew Broderick movies for ten points
each.
1. Broderick plays film student Clark Kellogg, who falls in love
with the daughter of a mafia boss played by Marlon Brando. Answer:
"The _FRESHMAN_"
2. Based on a Neil Simon play, Broderick plays Eugene, an aspiring
writer in boot camp. Answer: _"BILOXI BLUES"_
3. Broderick plays Philippe, a thief who helps two enchanted
lovers reunite with the help of an eclipse. Answer: _"LADYHAWKE"_
12. For a long stretch of time, Utah was denied admission to the
Union while less populous territories around her became states.
Finally Utah was admitted to the Union in 1896 as the 45th state.
For five points each, identify the previous six states all
admitted in 1889 or 1890.
Answer: NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WASHINGTON, MONTANA, (1889)
WYOMING, IDAHO (both in 1890)
{in that order of admission}
13. Did you resent it when the French would not let us fly over
their airspace to bomb Libya back in the 80's? If so, maybe you
should consider how much help the French would have been in such
matters, considering their military record since Napoleon. Given a
brief description of military action involving French armed forces,
identify them for the following number of points:
For 5: This 1954 defeat in Indochina proved the French have the
military mettle to show who is not in charge.
_DIEN DIEN PHU_
For 10: This 1871 defeat sealed Napoleon III's fate and that of the
French in the Franco-Prussian War. A French army was forced to
surrender to the Prussians and Napoleon was captured.
_SEDAN_
For 15: At this battle, the Mexicans defeated the French Foreign
Legion, killing almost all the French forces and decisively setting
back any hopes for emperor Maximilian I.
_CAMARONNE_
14. Only one World Series game has ever been a no-hitter. First,
for five points, in what year did the Yankees so out-pitch the
Dodgers? Answer: _1956_
For ten points, name the Yankee pitcher who accomplished this 1956
feat. Answer: Don _LARSEN_
For fifteen points, name the final Dodgers batter in that game,
whose third strike left Don Larsen assured of his place in baseball
history. Answer: Dale _MITCHELL_
15. Answer these questions about "America, the Beautiful", 5-10-15.
5: Who, inspired by a view from Pikes Peak, wrote the words?
Answer: Katherine Lee _BATES_
10: A existing tune by what composer was adopted as its music?
Answer: Samuel Augustus _WARD_
15: What's the one-word title of the original Samuel A. Ward
composition whose tune was borrowed? Answer: _"MATERNA"_
16. In the twentieth century, only three state governors have gone
on to serve as Secretary of State. For ten points each, name them,
given their states and the presidents they served.
1. The New York governor, who served Harding
Answer: Charles Evans _HUGHES_
2. The Massachusetts governor, who served Eisenhower.
Answer: Christian A. _HERTER_
3. The Maine governor, who served Carter.
Answer: Edmund S. _MUSKIE_
17. Give the common, or trivial, name of a chemical compound from
its official IUPAC nomenclature, ten points each.
1. trichloromethane
Answer: _CHLOROFORM_
2. 2-methylpropanol
Answer: _ISOBUTYL ALCOHOL_ (or _ISOBUTANOL_)
3. methylbenzene
Answer: _TOLUENE_
18. Identify the fictional protagonist, 30-20-10.
30: Important versions of his story have been written by Paul the
Deacon, Nivardus of Ghent, and Willem of Hulsterlo, as well as
Goethe and Chaucer.
20: His only real friend is Grimbard the badger, while Isengrim the
wolf is his most dire enemy.
10: This cunning animal is the hero of the best-known medieval
beast epic.
Answer: _REYNARD_ the Fox
19. When Japan's surrender ended World War II, who was prime
minister of each of the following countries? 5-10-15.
5: Canada Answer: Mackenzie _KING_
10: Britain Answer: Clement _ATTLEE_
15: Japan Answer: Kantaro _SUZUKI_
20. Identify the writer, 30-20-10.
30: In 1968 he resigned as his country's ambassador to India to
protest government crackdowns on student radicals.
20: His essays cover literary criticism, such as "The Labyrinth of
Solitude", and recent history, in "One Earth, Four of Five Worlds".
10: This Nobel laureate is best known as a poet, for collections
such as "Forest Moon", "Eagle or Sun?", and "Freedom Under Parole".
Answer: Octavio _PAZ_
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