<![CDATA[Questions by Georgetown
Edited by Joseph Wu
Toss-Ups
1. It's the largest state east of the Mississippi River, and has
produced exactly one president and one World Series
Champion. Cotton and textile production is still one of its major
industries, although for one fortnight,
tourism probably brought in the most money this year. FTP, name state
home to Fort Benning.
Answer: _GEORGIA_
2. He was accused of being a proto-fascist, a racist, and a
sadomasochist. Despite such allegations, he won the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. FTP, name this author of Soldiers
Three, Stalky and Co., and Barrack-
Room Ballads.
Answer: Rudyard _KIPLING_
3. After being asked why twenty-seven appeared often in his songs, this
artist replied that "Twenty-seven is a
pretty funny number". FTP, name the artist whose albums include Polka
Party, Off the Deep End, and Even
Worse.
Answer: "Weird Al" _YANKOVIC_
4. Every national team save one which has won the World Cup has won it
again - save one. FTP, name the team
which hosted this summer�s European Championships and won the World Cup
on its home turf in 1960, and.
beating Holland 4-2 in overtime.
Answer: _ENGLAND_ (Do not accept Great Britain (which includes Scotland
and Wales) or the United
Kingdom (which includes the above plus Northern Ireland, as they all
field separate teams.)
5. It is a landlocked country in Asia, home to the Tarai plain. Its
constitution of 1990 reduced King Birenda�s
powers, forcing him to appoint a prime minister. FTP, name this
kingdom, the only nation in the world
without a rectangular flag, where "Namaste" (Nah-mahs-tay) means
"Hello."
Answer: _NEPAL_
6. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Score and Best
Screenplay based on material from another
medium, although it didn't win any of them. Its stars included James
Earl Jones, Kevin Costner, and a long-
dead baseball player. FTP, name this male-bonding movie.
Answer: _FIELD OF DREAMS_
7. According to CIA reports, this nation is constructing a chemical
weapons facility near Tarhunah. That bit of
skulduggery, of course, would be nothing new for this nation, whose
previous attempt at such a facility near
Rabta was destroyed by fire. FTP, name this African nation with the
"Gulf of Death".
Answer: _LIBYA_
8. It's common knowledge that the Green Bay Packers won the first two
Super Bowls by defeating Kansas City
and Oakland. However, it is less well known that Green Bay beat the
same opponent to get to the Super Bowl
in both years. FTP, name this team which returned the favor and beat
Green Bay last year to get to Super
Bowl XXX.
Answer: Accept _DALLAS_ or _COWBOYS_ or _DALLAS COWBOYS_
9. He is buried in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., and his
tomb has three seals on it: that of the
United States, the state of New Jersey, and of Princeton University.
FTP, name this esteemed Hopkins
graduate and the only president to be buried in our nation's capital.
Answer: Woodrow _WILSON_
10. Born in 1922, he died in 1969 of "drink and angry sickness". He
was married three times and divorced twice.
FTP, name this author of _Sutori in Paris_, _The Dharma Bums_, and _The
Town and the City_.
Answer: Jack _KEROUAC_
11. In the presence of bromine and carbon tetrachloride, it becomes a
vic-dibromide. They can be syn-
hydroxylated by the addition of cold potassium permanganate and can be
cleaved to form carboxylic acids by
the addition of hot potassium permanganate. FTP, give the general name
for this hydrocarbon group, which
possess a double bond.
Answer: _ALKENE_
12. He was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but later moved to Detroit and
signed with Motown Records in 1961. His
hits have included "You are the sunshine of my life", "Superstition",
and "I Just Called to Say I Love You".
FTP, name this musician who has been blind since birth.
Answer: Stevie _WONDER_
13. Early 1996 saw a huge change in India's government, when the
Congress Party, which has ruled India since
independence, lost a majority in the Lok Sabha (Lawk Sab-hah). FTP,
name the party which received the
plurality of seats.
Answer: _BJP_ or _BHATRIYA JANATA PARTY_ (Ba-hah-tree-ya Jah-nah-tah)
14. Samuel took a heifer and invide Jesse and his sons to sacrifice in
Bethlehem. When he arrived, he saw Eliab,
Jesse�s oldest, but could not anoint him. After passing up seven of
Jesse's sons, Samuel sent for the eighth and
youngest and anointed him to succeed Saul as king of Israel. FTP, name
tender of sheep, harpist, and the
second king of Israel.
Answer: _DAVID_
15. 98 percent of its upper atmosphere is comprised of hydrogen and
helium and its equatorial temperatures are
similar to that of its poles. Methane is responsible for this planet�s
blue green colour because it absorbs red
sunlight and condenses to form clouds of ice in its upper atmosphere.
FTP, name this planet, discovered by
Sir William Herschel in 1781.
Answer: _URANUS_
16. FAQTP, name the fixed cost of the following situation. Toss-Up
Health Club has a $800 nonrefundable
initiation fee, a $90 monthly fee, and a $4 cost per use of the tennis
courts.
Answer: _$90_ or _MONTHLY FEE_
17. It was established in 1816 as one of the Senate�s original eleven
standing committees and played a heavy role
in spurring the adoption of the Compromise of 1850. In 1868, the Senate
directed that all presidential
nominations of this type be referred to an appropriate committee for
review. FTP, name this Senate
committee which has decided the fates of such men as Abe Fortas, Douglas
Ginsburg, and Clarence Thomas.
Answer: _SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE_
18. He received an honoray doctorate from the University of Vienna in
1891, becoming the first musician so
honored. In 1868, he succeeded his teacher Sechter at the Vienna
conservatory. He dedicated his third
symphony to Wagner. FTP, name this composer whose works are usually
compared to Mahler and wrote a
zeroth symphony.
Answer: Anton _BRUCKNER_
19. Except for Oxygen, they are all solids. Sulfur and Oxygen are
classified as nonmetals, whereas Selenium and
Tellurium have some metallic properties. When combined with Hydrogen,
all compounds save for water are
gases at room temperature. FTP, name this family.
Answer: _CHALCOGENS_
20. They can have upt to six blades, but the traditional design of two
blades joining at a 100 degree angle is still
the most prevalent. They are used in competitions with names like
Fast-Catch and Maximum-Time-Aloft, as
well as in the William Tell Stunt, in which the wielder knocks an apple
off his own head. FTP, name this
sporting implement once used as a hunting tool in the wiles of
Australia.
Answer: _BOOMERANG_
21. It lies on the northeast coast of South America, with Guyana to the
west, French Guiana to the east, and
Brazil to the south. Its principal rivers are the Corantjin and the
Marowijne, as well as its namesake river, on
which the capital of Paramaribo is located. FTP, name this country,
formerly known as Dutch Guiana.
Answer: _SURINAME_
22. It has an inscription from Leviticus 25:10 on it. It has been in
London, Allentown, and Philadelphia. It
has probably been rung one too many times. FTP, name this famous symbol
located in Independence National
Historic Park in Philadelphia.
Answer: _LIBERTY BELL_
Bonuses
1. We all know that Texas has flown under the most international flags,
six to be exact. Well, answer these
questions about another state, which has flown under half as many flags.
a. First, for ten points, name this only one of the 13 original
colonies to have been ruled by three different
nations.
b. Secondly, for five points each, and five more for all correct, name
the three nations that ruled Delaware.
Answer: a) _DELAWARE_ b) _HOLLAND_ OR _NETHERLANDS_; _SWEDEN_; _UNITED
KINGDOM_
OR _ENGLAND_ OR _BRITAIN_
2. The position of U.S. poet laureate is a relatively new one, compared
to the eons that the British poet laureate
position has been around. How much do you know about the first U.S.
Poet Laureate? Answer the following
questions FTP each.
b. Who was the first U.S. poet laureate?
c. Warren won two Pulitzer Prizes for poetry. He won one other
Pulitzer in another field. Name it.
d. What year did Warren's appointment begin?
Answer: a) Robert Penn _WARREN_ b) _FICTION_ c) _1986_
3. Hopefully you aren�t furious right now because of your record in
this tournament. On that note, lets answer
some questions about the Furies in Greek Mythology.
c. First, give the names of the Three Furies in Greek Mythology for
five points each and five more for all
correct.
d. Secondly, for ten points, give me the name of their mother.
Answer: a) _ALECTO_ (Uh-LECK-to), _TISIPHONE_ (Tih-sih-FO-knee), and
_MEGAERA_ (Meh-gair-
UH) b) _GAEA)
4. I'll give you the periods of the Paleozoic Era. Put them in order
from oldest to youngest for five points apiece.
The periods are: Cambrian, Carboniferous, Devonian, Ordovician
(Or-do-veesh-un),Permian, Silurian.
Answer: (oldest) _CAMBRIAN_, _ORDOVICIAN_, _SILURIAN_, _DEVONIAN_,
_CARBONIFEROUS_,
_PERMIAN_ (youngest)
5. For five points each and five for all correct, given a composition,
name the composer.
a. Pictures at an Exhibition
b. The "Surprise" Symphony
c. The Isle of the Dead
d. The Love for Three Oranges
e. 4'33" (Four Minutes, Thirty-three Seconds)
Answer: a) Modest Petrovich _MUSSORGSKY_ b) Franz Josef _HAYDN_ c)
Sergei _RACHMANINOFF_
d) Sergei _PROKOFIEV_ e) John _CAGE_
6. Latin might help here, but so will a knowledge of the
constellations. I'll give you the English translation of the
constellation, and you will receive ten points apiece for each
constellation you can name.
f. The Archer
g. The Chained Maiden
h. The Swan
i. The Water Snake
j. The Charioteer
Answer: a) _SAGITTARIUS_ b) _ANDROMEDA_ c) _CYGNUS_ d) _HYDRUS_ e)
_AQUILA_
7. Name this famous 17th century figure on a 30-20-10 basis
30: His Provincial Letters, written in 1656-7, was an organized critique
of what he considered Jesuit distortion
of Christian teachings.
20: His Pensees (Pahn-saze) (or Thoughts), was published posthumously
and included reflections on
humankind and religion.
10: This French mathematician and physical scientist is best known for
his "wager" which said that believing
in God was, rationally speaking, the correct thing to do and for a
programming language named for him
Answer: Blaise _PASCAL_
8. Place the following pre-World War II events in chronological order
from first to last for five points each and
five extra for all correct. The events are:
Germany's annexation of Austria
Italy withdraws from the League of Nations
Mussolini's Italy attacks Ethiopia
The Spanish Civil War begins
Germany invades Czechloslovakia
Answer: (in this order) _ITALY ATTACKS AFRICA_ (October 1935), _SPANISH
CIVIL WAR_ (July
1936), _ITALY WITHDRAWS_ (Dec 1937), _GERMANY ANNEXES AUSTRIA_ (March
1938), _GERMANY
INVADES CZECHLOSLOVAKIA_ (March 1939)
9. Identify the author on a 30-20-10 basis.
30: He was born in 1799 and his literary career began with his epistle
�To my friend, the Poet.�
20: This Russian was killed in a 1837 in an attempt to defend his wife�s
honor.
10: He is considered the father of Russian literature, and his works
include Boris Gudonov and Eugene
Onegin.
Answer: Alexander _PUSHKIN_
10. Taiwan and China have never had especially rosy relations which has
led to tensions between China and the
U.S. However, in mid-1995, these tensions were increased by what was
percieved by action of the United
States. For fifteen points apiece:
j. Name the Taiwanese president who requested and was granted a visa by
the United States, thus angering
the Chinese.
k. Name Lee Teng-hui's New York state alma mater, which, upon being
requested to speak there, caused
him to request the visa.
Answer: a) _LEE TENG-HUI_ (Accept Lee) b) _CORNELL_ University
11. Split up the following words into two chemical element symbols.
For ten points each, which element's
symbols form the following words:
k. Care
l. Cube
m. Who
Answer: a) _CALCIUM_ and _RHENIUM_ (Ca and Re) b) _COPPER_ AND
_BERYLLIUM_ (Cu and Be)
c) Tungsten and Holmium (W and Ho)
12. Name each of the following National Weather Service warnings FTP
each.
l. An atmospheric circulation of one-minute sustained surface winds
within a range of 34-63 knots.
m. An atmospheric circulation of winds rotating counterclockwise in the
northern hemisphere and clockwise
in the Southern Hemisphere
n. A severe cyclone originating over tropical ocean waters and having
one-minute sustained surface winds of
64 knots or higher
Answer: a) _TROPICAL STORM_ b) _CYCLONE_ c) _HURRICANE_ or _TYPHOON_
13. One of the great things about The Simpsons is the variety of actors
who are animated as themselves. For 15
Points each, name:
a. The person who reads the tape version of The Bible in "One Fish, Two
Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish".
b. The crooner who helps Barney Gumble to sing the "Plow King" song in
"Mr. Plow".
Answer: a) Larry _KING_ b) Linda _RONSTADT_
14. Since there are only nine Supreme Court justices, it's surprising
that four of them received their undergraduate
degrees from Stanford. FTP apiece, name any three of the four, three
appointed by Reagan and one appointed
by Clinton.
Answer: Anthony M. _KENNEDY_, Sandra Day _O'CONNOR_, William H.
_REHNQUIST_, Stephen
_BREYER_
15. Liberals may not like the objective way that U.S. News and World
Report ranks liberal arts colleges, but they
still did. For fifteen points each:
o. What Massachusetts school, nicknamed the "Lord Jeffs" was dethroned
from its number one position in
the 1996 rankings?
b. Which tiny Pennsylvania school, nicknamed the "Little Quakers", took
the crown this year?
Answer: a) _AMHERST_ b) _SWARTHMORE_
16. Answer the following questions on Ellis Island and American
immigration for ten points apiece.
a. Name the poem by Emma Lazarus which includes the lines "Give me your
tired, your poor, your huddled
masses yearning to breathe free."
b. We all know that symbol of immigration to the U.S. is Ellis Island.
Do you know, however, the first name
of the Ellis who purchased the island?
c. Furthermore, within three years, what year was the Island opened?
Answer: a) _THE NEW COLOSSUS_ b) _SAMUEL_ c) _1892_ (Accept
1889-1895).
17. Ah, another World Series question. Answer these questions about
the Braves-Yankees series FTP each.
q. First, which 19 year old Atlanta left fielder slugged two home runs
in his first two at bats in Game 1.
r. Secondly, which Yankees player did Andrew Jones replace as the
youngest player to hit a home run in the
World Series.
s. Finally, in the last three games of the NLCS and the first game of
the World Series, how many runs did
the Braves� stellar pitching staff allow?
Answer: a) Andrew _JONES_ b) Mickey _MANTLE_ c) _2_
18. We all know a lot about food, but how much do you know about the
organ that digests what you eat. Answer
these questions about the stomach for the stated number of points.
r. First, for ten points, name the folds in the interior of the
stomach.
s. Secondly, for ten points, what is the only digestive enzyme of
significance that is secreted by the stomach
which cleaves food proteins.
t. Finally, for five points each, name the two valves of the stomach,
one leading into the stomach, and one
leading out of the stomach.
Answer: a) _RUGAE_ b) _PEPSIN_ c) _CARDIAC_ and _PYLORIC_ sphincters
19. 30-20-10: Name the playwright.
30: He attended the University of Missouri and Washington University in
Saint Louis before graduating in
1938 from the University of Iowa.
20: This disciple of Anton Chekhov wandered to such places as Key West
and New Orleans, before dying in
New York City on February 25, 1983.
10: His most famous works include _Suddenly Last Summer_, _Night of the
Iguana_, and _A Streetcar
Named Desire_.
Answer: Tennessee (also accept Thomas Lanier) _WILLIAMS_
20. Yes! It's an "Ace of Base" question!. FTP apiece, give me any
three members of this "Swedish Sensation".
Answer: _JENNY_, _JONAS_, _ULF_ and _MALIN_
21. We all know the various Greek and Roman gods. However, how well do
you know Norse mythology? Name
the following gods for five points each and five for all correct.
u. The thunder god
v. The god of evil and mischief
w. The god of war
x. The goddess of the sky
y. The goddess of love and beauty
Answer: a) _THOR_ b) _LOKI_ c) _TYR_ d) _FRIGG_ e) _FREYA_
22. The Peloponnesian War was one of the greatest conflicts ever fought
in the history of Ancient Greece. Answer
the following questions for the stated number of points.
a. For five points apiece, name the two major combatants in the war.
b. FTP, name the island that requested Corinthian aid, thus becoming a
major cause of the outbreak of the
war.
c. FTP, name the famous Athenian who gave the funeral speech early in
the war.
Answer: a) _ATHENS_ and _SPARTA_ b) _EPIDAMNUS_ c) _PERICLES_
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