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Questions
2016–17 Season
Week

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Specialist Rounds
General Knowledge

2016–17 Season: Week 16 – 7 March 2017

The League was in sombre mood on the evening that these questions were asked, as it was the day after the funeral of Matt Rogers – originally a "squad member" for the Robin Hood team, playing more recently for the Waters Green Lemmings. Although a relatively recent entry into the MQL community, Matt had quickly established himself as a knowledgable, enthusiastic and witty participant. He will be sadly missed.

The questions didn't go down well – particularly the General Knowledge set, which proved to be the most difficult of the season. There was criticism of the number of questions on transport – not only a round in the Specialists (which is, to be fair, not unreasonable), but no fewer (by my reckoning) than 18 in the General Knowledge (plus one supplementary).

For more details, please refer to the General Knowledge section of this page.

Specialist Rounds

Set by the Nags Head; vetted by the Sutton Mutton and the Dolphin Dragons.

Round 1: Science

1 Which planet in our solar system has the shortest day? (9 hours 55 minutes Earth time)
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2 Which optical instrument is used by surveyors to measure angles in the horizontal and vertical planes?
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3 What is the name of the longest bone in the human body?
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4 Not a scorpion at all ... what is the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion's claim to fame?
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5 Which metal has the highest melting point (3,410 degrees C)?
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6 Who is credited with inventing the wind–up radio?
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7 What substance, obtained from the dried swim bladder of fish, is used for the clarifying and fining of some wines and beers?
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8 What name is given to a cow which has not had a calf?
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Supplementaries:

1 If cats are feline and dogs are canine, what are apes and monkeys?
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2 What name is given to a mechanical model of the solar system that illustrates or predicts there relative positions and motions of the planets and moons?
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Round 2: Transport

1 In which country would you take a train journey aboard the 'Ghan'?
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2 What was the first port of call of the Titanic on her fateful voyage?
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3 What type of boat has underwater wings that develop lift in the water?
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4 The Vespa motor scooter takes its name from the Italian for what?
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5 From which UK port would you travel by ferry to Roscoff?
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6 In which city are the Fiat motor company headquarters?
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7 Which comedy film, starring Steve Martin, was all about him trying to get home for thanksgiving?
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8 What was the name of the spacecraft which took Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961?
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Supplementaries:

1 What was the name of the specially designed capsule used to rescue the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days in 2010?
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2 Which English city, in October 2002, became the first in the UK to introduce a congestion charge?
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Round 3: Geography

1 Rotterdam is the busiest container port in Europe. Which German city is the 2nd busiest?
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2 Which European country has a name which means 'black mountain'? .
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3 Juba is the capital city of which country?
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4 With its highest point only 2.4 metres above sea level, what is the smallest Asian country, by both land area and population?
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5 Which Asian capital city was known as Batavia until 1949?
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6 The Pan–American Highway runs from Alaska to Argentina, with the exception of about 100 miles of rain forest called the Darién Gap. In which country is the Darién Gap?
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7 Which English city's castle and its cathedral became, in 1986, one of the first sites in the UK to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
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8 The smallest capital city of all the US states only has about 8,000 inhabitants. Name either the city or the state.
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Supplementaries

9 Which country, with 51, has the most World Heritage Sites?
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10 Which Asian sea with an area of about 2 million square miles, is the largest sea (not ocean) in the world?
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Round 4: Sport

1 Boston Red Sox play at the oldest ballpark in the Major League Baseball. Can you name it?
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2 Which American football team play their home games at Sports Authority at Mile High Stadium?
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3 Serena Williams recently won the Ladies' Singles title at the Australian Open tennis tournament and in so doing has now won 23 Grand Slam titles, one behind the all–time record which is held by whom?
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4 In the 1966 football World Cup, one of the semi–finals was played at Wembley. Where was the other semi held?
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5 Cricket: On February 1st 2017, England collapsed spectacularly in a T20 match v India. How many runs did they score whilst losing their last 8 wickets?
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6 In January 2017, who became the first British male skier for 35 years to get a podium placing in a World Cup skiing event, when he finished second in the slalom at Kitzbuhel?
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7 Football. In the January transfer window, which player's transfer commanded the highest fee between two Premier League clubs?
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8 On 29th January 2017 Roger Federer won the Australian Open Singles tennis title. Who did he defeat in the final?
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Supplementaries:

9 Who won the men's individual golf gold medal at last year's Olympics?
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10 Name the former performance director of the British cycling team and currently the general manager or team principal of Team Sky.
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Round 5: History

1 Who was known as Hitler's Architect?
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2 Who was the last Plantagenet king?
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3 In which US city was Martin Luther King assassinated in 1968?
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4 Who led the besieged British forces at the Siege of Mafeking?
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5 In what year was BBC 2 launched?
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6 Who did Britain fight in the War of Jenkins' Ear?
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7 In which century did Ivan the Terrible live?
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8 Who was Prime Minister at the time of Edward Vlll's abdication?
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Supplementaries:

1 What was Operation Sealion during WWII?
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2 Which US general was known as 'Old Blood and Guts'?
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Round 6: Hobby Horses

1 Which hobby is pursued by 'twitchers'?
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2 With which hobby is a series of books by Stanley Gibbons associated?
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3 What is the name of the society that recreates battles from the English Civil War?
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4 Slip, purl and pick–up are all terms associated with which hobby?
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5 Which hobby could be pursued at Snow Hill, Pen Mill and Temple Meads?
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6 What do phillumenists collect?
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7 When Peter Adolph was unable to trademark the name Hobby for his table top game, he used part of the Latin name for the Eurasian hobby bird instead. What is the game called?
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8 If someone collected Matchbox, Dinky and Corgi, what are they most likely to be collecting?
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Supplementaries:

1 What is the name of the hobby in which participants use a GPS device to hide and seek containers?
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2 With which hobby do you associate the terms reflex, ASA and ISO?
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Round 7: Arts & Entertainment

1 Whose plays include Look Back in Anger, The Entertainer and A Patriot for Me?
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2 Which band consisted of the following musicians behind a rather more well known lead singer – Clem Burke, Gary Valentine, Chris Stein and Jimmy Destri?
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3 In 1962, Andy Warhol produced a series of paintings of Campbell's Soup cans. How many pictures were in the series?
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4 Robert Gunningham was identified by the Daily Mail in 2016 as the real name of which cultural icon?
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s Meryl Streep has more Academy Award nominations than any other actor or actress. Name either of the films for which she won the Best Actress Oscar?
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6 Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated 5 times for the Best Actor Oscar, finally winning it in 2016 for The Revenant. Which increasingly ubiquitous English actor was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the same film?
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7 Who released the rather aptly named album You Want It Darker just weeks before his death in 2016?
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8 Ed Sheeran recently became the first artist ever to have two singles debut in the official UK singles chart at numbers 1 and 2. Name either song.
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Supplementaries:

1 Which band consisted of the following musicians behind a rather more well known lead singer – Brian Eno, Paul Thompson, Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay?
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2 Whose plays include Lettice and Lavage, Equus and Amadeus?
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Round 8: All President and Correct

Events in America following the inauguration of the 45th President seem to be causing a modicum of interest around the globe. So here's a round on all things Presidential.

1 Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President, but he is only the 44th person to take office. Which President served two non–consecutive terms?
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2 What links John Tyler, Millard Filmore, Chester Arthur and Andrew Johnson?
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3 Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest President when he was inaugurated (at the age of 42). Who was the oldest?
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4 Who was the last President before Donald Trump to be elected President without having previously held political office?
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S What links father and son Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum to US Presidents?
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6 Which African country was established as a colony for released slaves? Its capital takes its name from the American President in office between 1817 and 1825 who was a prominent supporter of the colonisation.
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7 For which state did Richard Nixon serve as a Senator before becoming Vice President and then President?
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8 For which state did John F Kennedy serve as a Senator before becoming President?
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Supplementaries:

1 The number of electoral college votes that a state can have in the Presidential election depends on its population; what is the minimum number that any state can have?
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2 What is the minimum age qualification for a President?
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General Knowledge

Set by the Sutton Mutton.

As mentioned at the top of this page, there was some criticism of the number of questions on transport in these General Knowledge questions – in addition to one round in the Specialist set.

By my reckoning, no fewer than 18 of these 96 'General Knowledge' questions are on the subject of transport. They break down into railways (4 questions), cars (4), roads (3), the Highway Code (2), motor cycles (1), aircraft (2), airports (1), and canals (1). In addition there was one question on railways in art, one on a foreign word for a bicycle, two on motor sport, and two (including one supplementary) on toy cars. That's almost exactly one in every four questions that was either about transport or transport–related.

If you want to check, the questions that I class as being about transport were nos. 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 27, 28, 35, 37, 44, 52, 54, 55, 60, 75, 81, 87 and 91. And the transport–related ones were nos. 5, 66, 73, 80, 82 (and S3).

In response to an anonymous comment on Nick's blog, about "an obsession with transport", John Stein wrote: "one must remember we spend a lot of time these days getting about".

1 In which sport was David Bryant a six times World Champion in two different competitions?
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2 In what year was Trentabank reservoir in Macclesfield Forest completed?
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3 Which American first lady's maiden name was Bouvier?
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4 Author Terry Pratchett died at his home on the morning of 12 March 2015 from what according to his publisher?
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5 What car was Jim Clark driving when he was killed at Hockenheim in 1968?
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6 Highways England's proposals to upgrade the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down would reduce the amount of traffic passing close to which English Heritage property?
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7 Radiocarbon dating uses the properties of which carbon isotope?
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8 Car manufacturers SEAT and Triumph have both produced a model with the same common name. What is this model name?
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9 Falmouth Kearney, one of Barak Obama's ancestors, left Kings County in Ireland for America in 1850. What is King's County now known as following its renaming after the establishment of the Irish Free State?
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10 Who was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers to whom Japan surrendered in September 1945 (thereby ending the second world war and preventing the death of the question setter's father)?
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11 Which of the FIFA confederations (the umbrella organisations of the national football associations on each continent) has the fewest nations?
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12 Who was married to Lynne Frederick, Miranda Macmillan, Britt Ekland and Anne Howe?
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13 How many times was the actress Elizabeth Taylor married?
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14 What did chairman Sir William Lyons rename SS Cars Limited to after the second world war?
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15 What organisation's world summit conference took place at the Celtic Manor resort in South Wales in September 2014?
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16 Crown, Royal, Double Crown and Elephant are old English sizes of what?
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17 What was the number of the section of the M60 between Eccles and Stretford in 1997? Renumbering started in 1998, and was completed in 2000 according to Highways England.
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18 What sort (i.e. manufacturer and type) of aircraft crashed at the Shoreham air show in August 2015?
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19 Who lived at the fictional address of 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam?
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20 Who invented the seed drill?
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21 The decorating business of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., when founded in 1861, was associated with which artistic genre?
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22 Name any of the three prisons in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
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23 Which cartoon character was born at Daisy Hill Puppy Farm?
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24 What does the German word 'Sitzpinkler' mean?
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25 Who composed the opera The Mastersingers of Nuremberg?
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26 How did Field Marshal Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener die? (cause of death needed)
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27 In which London Borough are the railway termini Euston and St Pancras situated?
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28 Which motorway runs from a point four miles north–northeast of Tewkesbury for 21 miles to a point just northeast of Ross–on–Wye?
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29 Which famous "Potter" owned a large house that was later sold and used as offices for the Shelton Iron and Steel Company before becoming a hotel?
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30 Which band were pictured feeding goats in San Diego Zoo on the cover of their May 1966 album?
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31 Which 1047 km long river flows into the Baltic Sea near Gdansk?
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32 What was the Heptarchy?
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33 Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley was co–founder of what organisation?
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34 How many hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time is Indian Standard Time?
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35 In 1900 Emil Jellinek was the Austrian Consul General in Nice. He also had a seat on the board of the German car company Daimler, raced their cars and sold them in France. What was his daughter's name, after whom a car brand was named?
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36 Cow Roast and Hogpits Bottom are places near Berkhamsted. In which county are they?
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37 In Britain, what vehicles should obey speed limits shown in kilometres per hour on a diamond shaped road sign?
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38 What memorial in Surrey, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, was erected in 1957 by the American Bar Association?
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39 What was the date of the day after the 2nd September 1752? (There is some leeway.)
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40 Which essayist and biographer went out to buy oysters for his cat?
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41 What substance was responsible for the phrase "As mad as a Hatter"?
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42 In which building in Paris is the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte?
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43 Slovakia has borders with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and which other country?
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44 Which company makes the Africa Twin motorcycle?
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45 In which castle was deposed King Edward II of England murdered in 1327?
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46 Who described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma"?
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47 What are getting old when they are worn down to monadnocks and peneplains?
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48 What is the disease which was sometimes known as St. Anthony's fire?
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49 Which is the only US state that is home to four American Football teams?
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50 The Froglets and the Iron Chicken feature in which children's TV series?
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51 AM and FM are different ways of radio broadcasting. What does the 'M' stand for?
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52 According to section 126 of the Highway Code, what is the typical stopping distance in feet when travelling at 60mph?
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53 According to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, what is the world's most heavily traded commodity after oil?
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54 Painted on each end of a paved airport runway is a large two–digit number, called the runway designation marking. What does this indicate?
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55 The Bosley flight of locks on the Macclesfield Canal raises the level of the waterway from 400 feet to 518 feet. How many locks are there in the flight?
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56 What was the vital factor that caused the distinctive change in the way of life of the Plains Indians of North America after the arrival of European visitors?
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57 In which English county is the village of Borstal, where the first youth detention centre was opened in 1902?
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58 What is the name usually given to the mounted herdsmen or cowboys of the pampas of South America?
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59 Who had a No. 5 hit single in October 1963 with Just Like Eddie, a tribute to Eddie Cochran?
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60 The largest wholly industrial railway system in the British Isles is in the Republic of Ireland. It has over 570 kilometres of permanent narrow gauge track and carries over 3 million tonnes per year. What industry does it serve?
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61 In what year did Cardiff become formally recognised by the British government as the capital of Wales?
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62 Which British chemist and physicist was the first person to identify and describe colour blindness scientifically?
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63 What is a Saltarello?
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64 What is the first day of Lent known as?
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65 Who was the actress who played Madeleine in the 1958 Hitchcock film Vertigo?
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66 Brunel's Maidenhead railway bridge, across the River Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead, is identifiable as the location for which famous J. M. W. Turner painting?
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67 The Adi Granth is a holy book in which religion?
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68 From what fruit is the liqueur kirsch distilled?
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69 Which Shakespeare play starts with the words "Who's There"?
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70 What does the Latin phrase tabula rasa mean?
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71 What is the more familiar name for Calcimine?
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72 Which cocktail's ingredients are white or dark rum, Coca Cola, lime juice and ice?
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73 What does the German word "rad" mean in English?
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74 What is the currency of Uganda?
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75 What is the highest railway station on any type of railway in the British Isles?
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76 What is the medical term for drilling a hole in the skull?
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77 What sport is Toxophily?
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78 Rock Salmon is another name for what fish?
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79 What is the name of the Macclesfield Wetherspoons Pub?
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80 Which brand of precision made die–cast scale model toys was made by Mettoy at a factory in Fforestfach, Swansea?
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81 According to the Office of Rail and Road, what distinction did Shippea Hill railway station in Cambridgeshire achieve in the year 2015–16?
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82 Sam Sunderland became first British rider to win what when he took victory in the motorbikes classification on 14th January 2017?
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83 Who were the winners of the sporting competition sponsored by the Total Oil company and marketed as Total Afcon 2017?
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84 In which American state was Superbowl LI (Superbowl 51) held on the 5th February 2017?
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85 Which regiment was the brainchild of Scots Guards Lieutenant (later Colonel) David Stirling?
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86 Sultan Qaboos bin Said al·Said is ruler of which country?
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87 What was the name of the engine that powered the majority of Avro Lancaster bombers?
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88 Which former runner became a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 2017 New Year Honours?
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89 Which comedian, knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours, was charged with tax evasion in 1989 but acquitted at the subsequent trial?
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90 What was actor and comedian Vic Oliver the first of, 75 years ago (in January 1942)?
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91 What car was Mike Hawthorn, the United Kingdom's first Formula One World Champion, driving when he died in 1959?
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92 Which side, losing semi–finalists at Total Afcon 2017, are nicknamed the Black Stars?
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93 What crime was Scottish footballer David Goodwillie accused of in 2011?
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94 Who was found guilty of the murder of Edward Evans and Lesley Ann Downey?
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95 Who was charged with the murders of Irene Turner, Ivy Lomas, Muriel Grimshaw, Norah Nuttall, Winifred Mellor and 10 others by lethal injections of diamorphine?
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96 Which radio station began broadcasting on 1500 metres long wave on 30th September 1967?
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Supplementaries:

S1 Whose targets were the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe?
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S2 The A628 trunk road crosses the Pennines by way of which pass?
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S3 Which company had a factory at 29 Binns Road, Liverpool 13 between 1914 and 1980?
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S4 Pristina is the capital of which republic?
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S5 The Official Report of all parliamentary debates in both houses of parliament is known as what?
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S6 Which band's 1972 debut single finishes with the words "What's the name, Virginia Plain"?
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S7 Whose sacking did Gary Lineker recently describe as "inexplicable, unforgivable and gut–wrenchingly sad"?
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S8 Horace, Virgil and Terence wrote their works in which language?
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