Round one: Events of 2009
1. Which online mapping feature caused national controversy over privacy fears in
March 2009?
Google Street View
2. Which all-rounder announced his retirement from international test match cricket
before the second Ashes test at Lords?
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff
3. Harry Patch died in July 2009. What was he famous for?
He was the last soldier to have fought in the First World War
4. Who became the world’s most expensive football transfer of all time in an
estimated £80 million deal?
Cristiano Ronaldo (accept last name only)
5. Which record company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009?
Island Records
6. During the G20 protests, which bank was stormed after riots erupted?
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
7. Name the candidate who became the fifth winner of Sir Alan Sugar’s
The Apprentice?
Yasmina Siadatan (accept first name)
8. At which London venue was Michael Jackson due to perform 50
sold-out concerts?
The O2 Arena
9. Which famous singer caused a media circus when he was arrested in connection
with the alleged assault of his singer girlfriend Rihanna?
Chris Brown
10.Which Texan billionaire was arrested in June and charged with fraud?
Sir (Robert) Allen Stanford
Round two: General knowledge
1. What toppings would you expect to find on a Hawaiian pizza?
Ham and pineapple
2. What colours make up the 5 Olympic Rings?
Black, blue, red, green and yellow (will accept gold)
3. The phrase ‘rhyme nor reason’ comes from which Shakespeare play?
As You Like It
4. What bird is used as the ancient symbol of peace?
Dove
5. Which Tube line goes to Heathrow Airport?
Piccadilly line
6. What is the most viewed broadcast ever on UK television?
1966 World Cup Final
7. Which cocktail consists of Cointreau, vodka, cranberry juice & lime?
Cosmopolitan
8. Which BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning English comedienne is married
to Adrian Edmondson?
Jennifer Saunders
9. In Greek mythology, what kind of creature was Medusa, defeated by Perseus?
Gorgon
10.In geometry, how many sides does an Isosceles trapezium have?
Four
Round three: The Arts
1. What is the name of the dog in Peter Pan?
Nana
2. Which actor caused controversy by taking the lead role in the 2007 West End revival
of the play Equus?
Daniel Radcliffe
3. Who wrote the epic poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
4. The following is the first line from which book? ‘It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog
was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears’ house. Its eyes
were closed’.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
5. Which author used the pseudonym, or pen-name ‘Boz’?
Charles Dickens
6. Ralph, Jack and Piggy are all characters in which famous novel?
Lord of The Flies
7. In which art museum is the Mona Lisa kept?
The Louvre
8. In which musical would you hear the songs ‘Popular’, ‘As Long As You’re Mine’
and ‘Defying Gravity’?
Wicked
9. Which French artist is famous for abandoning Europe for Tahiti, where he created
his most influential pieces of work including Where Do We Come From? What Are We?
Where Are We Going?
Paul Gauguin
10.In 1935 Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev famously adapted which Shakespeare
play into a ballet?
Romeo and Juliet
Round four: Science and nature
1. How many stomachs does a cow have?
One (which has four digestive compartments)
2. What is unusual about a Manx cat?
It has a very short or no tail (accept either)
3. E
ntomology is the study of what?
Insects
4. W
hat bird can fly backwards?
The humming-bird
5. In Newton’s Second Law of motion, F=m a, where F is the force acting on a body,
what do the other two letters represent?
Mass and acceleration
6. W
hat measurement is used to measure the height of horses?
Hands
7. W
hat are x and y equal to in the following simultaneous equations?
3x + 4y = 19; 2x – y = 9?
x=5, y=1
8. W
hich animal can travel faster – a cheetah or a falcon?
Falcon
9. B
y what name is the species of animal Orca better known?
Killer whale
10.Which 16th century scientist was the first to suggest that the Sun, not the Earth,
was the centre of our solar system?
Nicolaus Copernicus
Round five: Geography and history
1. Who ruled England for 9 days in July 1553?
Lady Jane Grey
2. In which city would you find the areas of Selly Oak and Yardley?
Birmingham
3. What are the modern day names for the two countries formerly known as Abyssinia?
Ethiopia and Eritrea
4. Which county is famous for its cheese-rolling competition on the Spring Bank Holiday?
Gloucestershire
5. What is the highest mountain in England?
Scafell Pike
6. During which war did the infamous ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ take place?
Crimean war
7. What are the three capital cities of South Africa?
Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Pretoria
8. In what year did Christopher Columbus land in the Americas?
1492
9. Which language has the second largest number of native speakers in the world,
behind only Mandarin?
Hindi
10.Who did Ronald Reagan describe as ‘the best man in England’?
Margaret Thatcher
Round six: Film and television
1. What animal is Dangermouse’s assistant Penfold?
Hamster
2. Who directed the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom?
Baz Luhrmann
3. What is the highest grossing film at box office of all time? (Not adjusted for inflation)
Titanic
4. Following the 1996 split of Take That, who was the only member not to pursue a solo
musical career – instead he studied acting and later attended college?
Jason Orange
5. Which actor lent his name to the final corner of the Top Gear test track after spectacularly
crashing around it?
Sir Michael Gambon
6. Can you name all six actors that have officially played the role of James Bond in the
James Bond films?
George Lazenby, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan
and Daniel Craig
7. Which world famous musician was born Farrokh Bulsara in 1946?
Freddie Mercury
8. Who hosted the BAFTA British Academy Children’s Awards in 2007 and 2008?
Keith Chegwin
9. Which reality TV show consists of seven teams of two travelling around Europe together
for 30 days, while attempting to avoid being voted off and replaced along the way?
Coach Trip
10.What is the only animated film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Picture?
Beauty and the Beast
Round seven: Sport and leisure
1. How many balls are on a snooker table at the start of the game?
22 (made up of 15 reds, six other colours and the white)
2. In boxing, whose nickname (amongst others) was ‘Kid Dynamite’?
Mike Tyson (need full name)
3. Which football team plays its home games at Carrow Road?
Norwich City
4. In what sport do players take long and short corners?
Hockey
5. How many different types of chess pieces are there?
Six
6. What is the abbreviation LBW in cricket short for?
Leg before wicket
7. In which ‘sport’ would you associate competitors known as ‘The Count’, ‘Darth Maple’
and ‘Wolfie’?
Darts
8. In badminton, the shuttlecock is also known as a…what?
Bird
9. Which Olympian has won the most overall Olympic Gold Medals?
Michael Phelps (11)
10.If a boxer is a ‘southpaw’ what does this mean?
They are left-handed
Round eight: Nostalgia round – 1966
1. Tofik Bakhramov was thrust from obscurity into the public eye for what reason?
He was ‘The Russian linesman’ in the World Cup Final (accept just linesman)
2. The BBC announced Britain would be the first country in Europe to offer which
new technological advance?
Colour television
3. The Moors Murderers, sentenced to life imprisonment in May 1966, gained their
name due to their disposal of bodies on which moor?
Saddleworth Moor
4. Which space exploration first was achieved in January 1966 by the Soviet Union’s
probe Luna 9?
Landing on the moon
5. On 15 December 1966 Walt Disney died at the age of 65, whilst in the middle of producing
which classic animated film?
The Jungle Book
6. Which 1966 drama directed by Ken Loach was voted in 2000 as the second-greatest
British television programme of all time?
Cathy Come Home
7. Throughout 1966 who held the positions of British Prime Minister and President
of the United States?
Harold Wilson and Lyndon B. Johnson
8. 1966 saw the debut of which television programme which would later spawn five more
spin-off TV series and eleven films?
Star Trek
9. Which famous actor was born on 2 November 1966 and has starred in hit comedy
show Friends and films including Apt Pupil and Madagascar?
David Schwimmer
10.Which Beatles album, often cited as their best, was released in July 1966?
Revolver