From jplevy@sas.upenn.edu Sun Jan 26 15:47:02 1997 Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 22:24:15 -0500 From: Josh Levy To: zuckerma@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu Subject: Penn Packet Toss ups Resent-Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 11:46:42 -0500 (EST) Resent-From: David Zuckerman Resent-To: Trivia Club Here they are. If you need anything else, just let me know. See you all at NAQTs. ---Josh Science Tossups TOSSUP 1 This mixture is made up of three parts hydrochloric acid and one part nitric acid. It was a favorite of alchemists because it had the power to dissolve gold. The name comes from the latin for "Royal Water" because it had that power. FTP, give that name. Answer: _AQUA REGIA_ (prompt if royal water is answered before it is said in the question.) TOSSUP 2 This nucleic acid is a nucleotide present in most living cells. When hormones travel to cells, they alter the concentration of this nucleotide, which then does the work of the hormone inside the cell. For this reason it has been called "The second messenger." FTP, name this nucleotide, discovered by Earl W. Sutherland in the late 1950's; and believed to be responsible for the regulation of gastric secretion, water reabsorption in the kidney, and the transmission of electrical impulses in nerve tissue and heart muscle. Answer: _CYCLIC AMP_ (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) TOSSUP 3 There are three species: the common, white-winged, and hairy-legged. They lack a tail membrane used in flight by their closest relatives, and as a result, they spend more time on the ground than in the air. They also have a substance in their saliva that prevents the coagulation of blood. For ten points, identify this group of flying mammals that feed off of the blood of birds and herd animals. Answer: _VAMPIRE BATS_ TOSSUP 4 This a disease of cultivated cereals, caused by fungi of the genus Claviceps. The most prevalent form is produced by C. purpurea, which infects rye grain. Humans and domestic animals that eat contaminated grain develop _____ poisoning, which has such symptoms as convulsions, gangrene, and hallucinations. Some attribute the actions of some people in the Salem Witch Trials to this kind of poisoning. FTP, name this fungus that LSD-25 (lysergic acid diethylamide) is derived from. Answer: _ERGOT_ Literature Tossups TOSSUP 1 He was "elegantly drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk" throughout his years at Terwellinger College, and though he was able to curb his drinking to some degree while at Mizpah Theological Seminary in the state of Winnemac, he was still very much an adulterer and atheist. For ten points, name this hypocritical preacher, the title character of a work by Sinclair Lewis. Answer _ELMER GANTRY_ TOSSUP 2 His first success as a writer was achieved in art criticism, in which he excelled. After publication, his most famous work and the trial that resulted in his condemnation for immorality, his reputation as a gifted and original poet was established, at least among literary persons. In 1864, He left Paris to take up residence in Belgium, where he remained until his condition worsened in early 1866. Suffering from paralysis and brain damage, he was returned to a clinic in Paris, where he died after slightly more than a year's illness. FTP, Name this author of the Flowers of Evil. Answer: Charles _BAUDELAIRE_ TOSSUP 3 He was the only one to face the Green Knight's Challenge. After he cut off the knight's head, the knight picked it up, reattached it, and told him to present himself at the knight's castle for a similar stroke in a year. He does, but the Green knight spares him. FTP, name this Arthurian knight and subject of an anonymous 15th century poet. Answer: Sir _GAWAIN_ TOSSUP 4 In ancient Greece, this type of play was a brief, burlesque comedy presented after a tragic trilogy at the festivals honoring the god Dionysus. Myths were enacted in an earthy, ribald spirit, with the chorus dressed in animal skins and tails to represent the figures after which the genre was named. The only known complete play of this type is Euripides' Cyclops. Answer: _SATYR PLAY_ History Tossups TOSSUP 1 The centuries-old stadium in this city was closed for repairs for three years due to damage incurred to its foundations by the volume of a Guns N' Roses concert. The Temple of Artemis, too, was severely damaged here, but by Goths, not boorish Americans. For ten points, name this former port near Seljuk on the Aegean Sea, site of Mary's ascention to heaven. Answer: _EPHESUS_ or _EFES_ TOSSUP 2 By the end of his rule, he was prone to falling asleep at any moment and had become addicted to sleeping pills to the extent that he often had to beg for them from his staff. He was a mere remnant of the energetic and quick-minded man who had pursued a coexistence policy between the USSR and USA and who had crushed dissent in Czechoslovakia. For ten points, name this Soviet leader who died in 1982. Answer: Leonid Ilich _BREZHNEV_ TOSSUP 3 This city was located Northeast of Cairo, Egypt. Old Kingdom (royal princes were high priests in this city, and its temples were renovated and richly endowed during the Middle and New kingdoms. It benefitted from its position on a trade route running to Asia and from its proximity to a quartzite quarry. It was the center of the ancient cult of Ra the sun-god, and was the source of a famous myth identifying Atum as the creator-god. Little of the site remains, as it has been engulfed by the suburbs of Cairo. FTP, name it. Answer: _HELIOPOLIS_ TOSSUP 4 In Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick offered to go fetch a hair off of his beard rather than face Beatrice. He would have been gone for a long time, because this man never actually existed. Accounts of his heroic struggles against the Muslims were first recorded by Bishop Otto of Freising in 1145. FTP, Name this man, who the legends had it, ruled a kingdom in what Southeast Asia or Northwest Africa. Answer: _PRESTER JOHN_ (also accept _PRESBYTER JOHN_) Current Events Tossups TOSSUP 1 One of the newest and trendiest cold remedies on the market, this remedy may someday take the place of gargling salt water or simply waiting it out. A study by the cleveland clinic stated that lozenges containing this substance appeared to help people beat colds faster. FTP, name this medication, studied under the brand name of Cold-Eeze. Answer: _ZINC_ TOSSUP 2 The anti-Milosevic movement in Serbia has buried its first martyr, a man trampled by the supporters of the government. On this day, over 250,000 people gathered in central Belgrade to protest against Milosevic's refusal to recognize the results of national elections. FTP, name the day when most people were not protesting, but drinking and singing "Auld Lang Syne." Answer: _DECEMBER 31_ (grudgingly accept New Years Eve) TOSSUP 3 At present, 74 hostages are being held by this group in the Japanese Ambassador's Villa in Lima, Peru. Their demands include the release of over 400 Peruvian prisoners, including the leader's wife. FTP, name this marxist guerilla group, led by Nestor Cerpa Cartolini. Answer: The _TUPAC AMARU_ (tu-pack ah-mah-ru) Revolutionary Movement. TOSSUP 4 "That sounds like an excellent way to pay tribute to a man who has devoted a lifetime to public service." said Mary Ellen Glynn, a White House spokesperson. President Clinton will be giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to this man at a ceremony unveiling the winning design for a World War II Monument. The move, which is partially an attempt at reconciliation, comes in the wake of polls saying that Americans want more civility in politics. FTP, name this man, a World War II veteran, and Clinton's opponent in the recent elections. Answer: Robert _DOLE_ Tossup 5 They revised their original resolution, dropping suggestions that Ebonics is genetically based, and cut wording that implies that students would be taught in both Ebonics and Standard English. They also changed a phrase that stated that Black English is the "primary language" of many black students. FTP, name the school district that passed the original resolution. Answer: the _OAKLAND_, California school district. General Knowledge Tossups TOSSUP 1 The first and last sets of stripes are called guard bars; they mean nothing, but bracket the actual information. The second pair of stripes correlate to a category-type number. The second-to-last pair of stripes are a secret check digit that prevents couterfeiture or tampering. All of the rest of the stripes translate to inventory number. For ten points, name this identity code scanned at checkout counters everywhere. Answer: _UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE_, or _UPC_ TOSSUP 2 Pencil and paper ready....Take the number of the Seven Dwarves who's names end in "Y", and add the number of letters in the names of the remaining two dwarves. FTP, What's the answer? Answer: _15_ (5 + 7 + 3) TOSSUP 3 The Case of the Speluncean Explorers is a famous hypothetical case featured in the Harvard Law review. It is a collection of 5 judicial opinions, discussing whether a group of people trapped in a cave were justified in eating one of their number in order to survive. FTP, Spell Speluncean. Answer: _S-P-E-L-U-N-C-E-A-N_ Geography Tossups TOSSUP 1 It includes San Mateo, Foster City, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Fremont, Santa Clara, and San Jose, all of which are located to the south of San Freancisco. For ten points, name this industrial area that gained its colloquial name from its previously high concentration of computer chip manufacturing. Answer: _SILICON VALLEY_ TOSSUP 2 This small nation has a strong petroleum industry, both in drilling and in refining crude oil from Saudi Arabia and Colombia. Its petrochemical industry is overshadowed, however, by Venezuela, from which it is separated only by the Dragon's Mouth to the west and the Serpent's Mouth to the south. For ten points, name this Caribbean island nation that gained independence from Britain in 1962 and whose capital is Port-of-Spain. Answer: _TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO_ (Prompt on partial answer) Pop Culture Tossups TOSSUP 1 "Raymond, why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?" This was the verbal trigger that turned a Congressional Medal of Honor winner into the brainwashed servant of The Queen of Diamonds in the employ of Communist China. For ten points, name the film that centered around this plot, based on a book by Richard Condon, starring Angela Lansbury, Janet Leigh, and Frank Sinatra. Answer: _THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE_ Tossup 2 "Starring", "Also", "Not to mention", and "plus" are the way that this show's opening credits introduce its stars, accompanied by a punched up version of bethoven's Ode to Joy. FTP, name this NBC Show, put on hiatus for at least six weeks, starring Nestor Cambell, Judd Nelson, and Brooke Shields. Answer: _SUDDENLY SUSAN_ Sports Tossups TOSSUP 1 It stands forty-seven and one half inches tall, is sixteen feet long, and only four inches wide. Yet, competitors are able to spend up to two minutes on it walking, running, jumping, turning, sitting, lying, or otherwise being dexterous. For ten points, identify this element of women's gymnastics apparatus. Answer: _BALANCE BEAM_ TOSSUP 2 Originally built as the centerpiece of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, it opened on April 28th, 1923. Despite its exciting history, plans have been made to replace it in favor of a more modern version. FTP, name this building, originally known as "The Empire Stadium" which is located in Central London, and has been known as the home of English sports. Answer: _WEMBLEY STADIUM_ Fine Arts Tossups TOSSUP 1 This painting technique comes from an Italian word meaning "clear and obscure" (or "dark"). It refers to the technique of painting three dimensional figures and space through the distribution of light and shadow. The technique's development was initiated in the 14th century by artists of the international style. FTP, name this style, used by Manuscript illustrators who used the contrast between dark and light passages to suggest a three-dimensional image. Answer: _CHIAROSCURO_ TOSSUP 2 Born July 24, 1860 in the tiny Moravian town of Ivanice, he later became one of the most fashionable decorative artists in Paris at the turn of the century. FTP name this man, known for such works as La Tosca, Ivy, Laurel, and Gismonda, a major participant in the Art Nouveau movement and principle advertiser of Sarah Bernhardt. Answer: Alphonse Marie _MUCHA_ Religion/Philosophy Tossups TOSSUP 1 This classical Indian epic written in Sanskrit is traditionally ascribed to a legendary sage named Vyasa. It was actually compiled by many anonymous poets and Hindu priests between the 5th century BC and the 4th century AD. The poem is composed of more than 90,000 couplets that relate the turbulent history of the ancient kingdom of Kurukshetra (kew ruk-sheh-tra) and contains the teaching of the god Krishna, the Bhagavad Gita. With the Ramayana, it is the principal source of Hindu social and religious doctrine. Answer: _MAHABHARATA_ TOSSUP 2 The chaplin in Joseph Heller is one. This group was an offshoot of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation, FTP name this sect, characterized by Adult Baptisms, whose members are also known as REBAPTIZERS. Answer: _ANABAPTISTS_ Social Science Tossups TOSSUP 1 In 1945, he published a paper proving that governments must take into account unknown productivity information in order to correctly apply tax rates. In the 1960s, James Mirrlees improved on this, proposing that governments adopt tax systems that encourage productive workers to work harder, an idea that recently earned a Nobel Prize. For ten points, name this man, the first Canadian to win a Nobel Prize in Economics. Answer: William _VICKERY_ TOSSUP 2 This type of learning first involves the pairing of two unrelated stimuli, one that already elicits a response, and one that does not. Once the unrelated stimulus is conditioned, it is used to condition a third response. FTP, name this variant of classical conditioning. Answer: _SECOND-ORDER CONDITIONING_ (Also accept _HIGHER-ORDER CONDITIONING_) TOSSUP 3 Born in Maryland in 1915, he was educated at Yale and served as a naval officer in World War II. He was largely unsucessful as a politician, failing to receive his party's bid in 1976, and as the running mate of an unsuccessful George McGovern. FTP name this man, who was known for his work with minority groups, most notably as director of the Peace Corps. Answer: Sargent Robert _SHRIVER_ Jr.