2023–4 Season: Week 9 – 30 January 2024

Specialist Rounds

1	Sport – Voices of Sport	2	British Butterflies
3	History	4	Science
5	Middle Names	6	Geography
7	Arts & Entertainment	8	The X Factor

Round 1: Sport – Voices of Sport

1	Which Dewsbury–born rugby league commentator was famous for sayings including "It's an up–and–under" and "He's goin' for an early bath"?
	Eddie Waring
2	Which football commentator said "Some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over" during the 1966 World Cup Final?
	Kenneth Wolstenholme
3	Which darts commentator has been nicknamed "The Voice of Darts" and "The Thief of Bad Gags"? The PDC World Championship trophy has been named for him since 2013.
	Sid Waddell
4	Which snooker commentator was also the first presenter of A Question of Sport?
	David Vine
5	Which Sky Sports football pundit is known for his catchphrase "Unbelievable, Jeff" and once said that Tottenham Hotspur were "fighting like beavers"?
	Chris Kamara
6	Which BBC cricket commentator, who was born in Macclesfield, once famously said to Brian Johnston that Ian Botham had failed to "get his leg over"?
	Jonathan Agnew
7	The 2002 autobiography of which Formula One commentator was entitled "Unless I'm very much mistaken"?
	Murray Walker
8	Which Cheshire–born sports presenter and commentator was renowned for his gaffes, such that a sports bloopers column in Private Eye was named for him?
	David Coleman

Supplementaries:

1	Who provided BBC commentary for the Grand National between 1947 and 1997, as well as owning racehorses including Be Friendly and Attivo?
	Peter O'Sullevan
2	Which snooker commentator once infamously said "for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green"? His nickname will suffice.
	'Whispering' Ted Lowe (accept Whispering Ted)

Round 2: British Butterflies

1	According to the Big Butterfly Count, which large butterfly was spotted the most during summer 2023?
	Red admiral
2	The name of which brown and orange butterfly, which was the most spotted in 2022, is also a word for a person who controls access to something?
	Gatekeeper
3	What colour follows 'common', 'large', 'holly' and 'Adonis' in the names of British butterflies?
	Blue
4	Which butterfly shares its name with a punctuation mark? It has white markings underneath its wings that are shaped like this punctuation mark.
	Comma
5	What alternative name for the 'small white' butterfly derives from the tendency of its caterpillars to eat the leaves of a member of the Brassica family of plants?
	Cabbage White
6	What colour precedes 'emperor' and 'hairstreak' in the names of two British butterflies?
	Purple
7	Which large, colourful butterfly has distinctive eyespots at each wingtip and shares its name with a male ornamental bird?
	Peacock
8	Which butterfly shares its name with an archaic term for sulphur, likely owing to the strong yellow colour of the males' wings?
	Brimstone

Supplementaries:

1	Which butterfly, found only in the Norfolk Broads, is Britain's largest butterfly?
	Swallowtail
10	The Lulworth skipper, one of the smallest British butterflies, is found only in which county?
	Dorset

Round 3: History

1	In which country was the world's first female prime minister elected in 1960?
	Sri Lanka (accept Ceylon) (her name was Sirima (or Sirimavo) Bandaranaike)
2	At which battle of 1513 did King James IV of Scotland become the last monarch from Great Britain to die in battle?
	Flodden (accept Branxton or Brainston)
3	The Teapot Dome scandal occurred during the administration of which US President?
	Warren G. Harding
4	The Wetherspoons pub in Halifax is named the Percy Shaw. What is Percy Shaw known for having invented in 1934?
	Cats' eyes (accept reflective road studs or similar descriptions)
5	Which American World War 2 general famously said "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country"?
	General George S. Patton
6	Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme and Sara Jane Moore both attempted to assassinate which US president?
	Gerald Ford
7	The British lieutenants Chard and Bromhead were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions in which 1879 battle?
	Battle of Rorke's Drift
8	In 1983, who drove Thrust 2 at up to 650 miles per hour to break the land speed record at Black Rock Desert, Nevada? Andy Green set a new record at the same site fourteen years later.
	Richard Noble

Supplementaries:

1	In which battle of 1757 did Robert Clive lead the British East India company to a decisive victory?
	Battle of Plassey
10	In 1900, Keir Hardie became one of the first two British Labour MPs. Who was the other?
	Richard Bell

Round 4: Science

1	Where in the human body would you find the vitreous humour?
	Eye (s)
2	What is produced in the islets of Langerhans?
	Insulin
3	Which 16th–century Danish astronomer is known for the accuracy of his astronomical observations, and for having worn a prosthetic nose after his own was injured in a duel?
	Tycho Brahe
4	What surname was shared by a French physicist whose 'pendulum' demonstrated the Earth's rotation, and a French philosopher whose works include Madness and Civilization?
	Foucault (Leon and Michel – they were not related)
5	The red giant Betelgeuse is in what constellation?
	Orion
6	The name of which other star in the constellation of Orion derives from the Latin for 'female warrior'? It is also the forename of a villainous character in the Harry Potter series.
	Bellatrix (the Harry Potter character is Bellatrix Lestrange)
7	For what corrosive substance is HNO3 the chemical formula?
	Nitric acid
8	Sodium and potassium are two of the elements in Group I of the periodic table, also known as the "alkali metals". Name any of the other elements in this group.
	Lithium, rubidium, caesium, or francium

Supplementaries:

1	Pica pica is the scientific name of what bird?
	The magpie
10	The Greylag is a variety of what bird?
	Goose

Round 5: Middle Names

For each question, you will be given the middle name of a famous person and some clues as to their identity. Just give the person's surname.

1	Middle names Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills; Irish poet and playwright, 1854–1900
	Oscar Wilde
2	Middle name St. Leo; Jamaican athlete, born 1986
	Usain Bolt
3	Middle name DeForest; American actor and cultural icon, 1899–1957
	Humphrey Bogart
4	Middle names Denzil Xavier; British former Conservative party politician and TV presenter, born 1953
	Michael Portillo
5	Middle name Elias; American film–maker and studio founder, 1901–1966
	Walt Disney
6	Middle name Alva; American inventor, 1847–1931
	Thomas Edison
7	Middle name Klapka; English writer and humourist, 1859–1927
	Jerome K Jerome
8	Middle names John Huffam; English author, 1812–1870
	Charles Dickens

Supplementaries:

1	Middle name Robinette; American politician, born 1942
	Joe Biden
10	Middle name Boynton; Bradford–born novelist and playwright, 1894–1984
	J. B. Priestley

Round 6: Geography

1	Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao (MIN–da–now) are islands in which country?
	The Philippines
2	What name is shared by the second–longest river in Ireland and a port town in Cumbria?
	Barrow
3	What town in Yorkshire became a city as part of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations?
	Doncaster
4	Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in California and in all of the contiguous US, is part of which mountain range?
	The Sierra Nevada
5	The city of Derry (or Londonderry) stands on which river?
	The Foyle
6	What range of hills in Somerset, which are to the west of the Mendips, became England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956?
	The Quantocks
7	How are the Irish islands of Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer collectively known?
	The Aran Islands
8	Tamil and Sinhalese are the two main languages of what country?
	Sri Lanka

Supplementaries:

1	Nusantara is scheduled to become the new capital city of what country in August 2024?
	Indonesia
10	What is the name of the double–headed peninsula on which the Scottish towns of Stranraer and Drummore are located? (One–word answer sufficient.)
	The Rhinns of Galloway

Round 7: Arts & Entertainment

1	Who played the title character in the 1970s BBC adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius?
	Derek Jacobi
2	In which 1990s mystery TV series, set in 12th century England, did Derek Jacobi play the title character?
	Cadfael
3	Which 1986 film, starring Sean Connery and set in a 14th century Italian monastery, was adapted from Umberto Eco's debut novel?
	The Name of the Rose
4	In which 1983 film, which is not considered an 'official' Bond film, did Connery make his final appearance as agent 007?
	Never Say Never Again
5	Who wrote the 18th century plays School for Scandal and The Rivals, the latter of which featured the character Mrs Malaprop?
	Richard Brinsley Sheridan
6	What was the name of the all–female pop group that was created by the 2002 ITV talent show, Popstars: The Rivals? They will tour for the first time in over a decade later this year.
	Girls Aloud
7	Which 2023 blockbuster biopic was based on a book entitled American Prometheus?
	Oppenheimer
8	In the 1983 Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George, which French painter was George?
	Georges Seurat

Supplementaries:

1	Which actor and TV presenter played Pop Larkin in the 2021 series The Larkins?
	Bradley Walsh
10	In Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, what highly dangerous creature did the Snark turn out to be?
	A boojum

Round 8: The X Factor

No – not a round on reality TV pop music. Rather, each answer is a word or brand name that begins with the letter X.

1	The former Liverpool FC player who is (as of 27 January 2024) the manager of Bayer Leverkusen is best known by what two–word name? He has been named as the favourite to take over from Jurgen Klopp when the latter departs as Liverpool manager.
	Xabi Alonso
2	What name for an opulent or idyllic place was first used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his poem Kubla Khan?
	Xanadu
3	What video games console manufactured by Microsoft was first released in North America in 2001?
	Xbox
4	What brand of ventilation products has been owned by Glen Dimplex UK Ltd since 2006?
	Xpelair
5	Which American company developed the first plain paper photocopier?
	Xerox
6	What word, spelled the same but pronounced differently, is both the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet and the name of a world leader?
	Xi (please be generous with pronunciation; Greek letter: 'ksaai', World leader: 'zhee' [Xi Jinping])
7	What percussion musical instrument takes its name from the Greek for 'wood sound'?
	Xylophone
8	What word describes a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries?
	Xenophobia

Supplementaries:

1	What noble gas is element number 54 on the periodic table?
	Xenon
10	Which Chinese province is home to most of the country's members of the Uighur (OY–gur) ethnic group?
	Xinjiang (Shin–JANG)

General Knowledge

1	Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol were founding members of which folk group?
	Fairport Convention
2	In the 1969 film The Italian Job, which comedian played the computer whizz–kid Professor Peach?
	Benny Hill
3	What was the name of the character, a lover of one of the title characters, who was played by Katharine Ross in Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid? (First name only is acceptable.)
	Etta Place
4	In which American TV series did James Gandolfini play the boss of the titular New Jersey crime family?
	The Sopranos
5	Which Belarusian tennis player won the women's singles at the 2024 Australian Open, retaining the title in doing so?
	Aryna Sabalenka
6	Kerry Katona was a member of which pop group, who had a 2001 #1 hit with Whole Again?
	Atomic Kitten
7	What name did the Goodies give to their martial art in which they used black puddings as weapons?
	Ecky Thump
8	What long–running soap is set in the county of Borsetshire?
	The Archers

 

9	The catchphrase "Let's be careful out there" is associated with what 1980s American TV series?
	Hill Street Blues
10	On which racecourse is there a sharp, left–hand bend called Tattenham Corner?
	Epsom
11	What nut is usually used to make marzipan?
	Almond
12	Which children's comic strip character was created by Mary Tourtel in 1920 and first appeared in the Daily Express?
	Rupert the bear
13	The name of what breed of dog means 'badger dog' in German?
	Dachshund
14	The emblem of which luxury carmaker features a bull?
	Lamborghini
15	The 'real name' of which mischievous Beano character was Hermione Makepeace?
	Minnie the Minx
16	Which Nintendo video game character was originally a carpenter called Jumpman?
	Mario

 

17	Pool cues are typically made of maple wood. What wood are snooker cues usually made of?
	Ash
18	Which British author, who died in November 2023, won the Booker Prize in 1990 for her novel entitled Possession: A Romance?
	A. S. Byatt
19	Who wrote the 1963 play Entertaining Mr Sloane??
	Joe Orton
20	By what title is the 88–year–old Tenzin Gyatso known worldwide?
	The Dalai Lama (he is the 14th)
21	The Egyptian god Anubis had the head of what creature?
	Jackal (accept any canine e.g. Dog, Wolf, etc., as depictions vary)
22	What colour is used to represent the Elizabeth Line on a London Underground map?
	Purple
23	What regular radio broadcast is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month?
	The Shipping Forecast (accept Weather Shipping, its original name)
24	Which book of the Bible has the shortest name?
	Job

 

25	In Greek mythology, how were Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos collectively known?
	The Fates (accept Moirai, their Greek name)
26	The statuettes for which annual television awards feature a winged woman holding an atom?
	Emmy Awards (accept Emmys) (the term 'Emmy' derives from TV industry slang for the tubes used in TV cameras)
27	Which actor played the title character in the ITV comedy–drama Doc Martin?
	Martin Clunes
28	For which fictional football team did Roy of the Rovers play?
	Melchester Rovers
29	Most episodes of the 1980s TV series Tales of the Unexpected were based on short stories by which author, who is best known for his children's books?
	Roald Dahl
30	The title character of which long–running BBC TV series was played by Jack Warner?
	Dixon of Dock Green
31	According to the Bible, on what mountain did Noah's Ark come to rest during the Great Flood?
	Mount Ararat
32	For what does the first 'A' stand in the acronym 'NASA'?
	Aeronautics (in full: National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

 

33	At which racecourse is the King George VI chase run, usually on Boxing Day?
	Kempton Park
34	What deep blue coloured pigment was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder?
	Ultramarine
35	In Norse mythology, what is 'Mjöllnir' (Mee–ol–NIR) ?
	Thor's hammer
36	Which sea area, located between the Shetland Islands and Norway, is the first to be named during the Shipping Forecast?
	Viking
37	Who is (as of 27 January 2024) the current Prime Minister of Australia?
	Anthony Albanese
38	What biscuit, first manufactured by the Bermondsey company Peek Freans, takes its name from an Italian general?
	Garibaldi
39	What's the longest river that empties into the Caspian Sea?
	The Volga
40	How is the Greek island of Kerkyra (Ker–key–ra) known in English?
	Corfu

 

41	Which nursery rhyme character was eating "curds and whey"?
	Little Miss Muffet
42	Which outlaw was killed by Robert Ford in 1882?
	Jesse James
43	Parotitis is the medical name for what illness?
	Mumps
44	Which American tennis player defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win the women's singles at the 2023 US Open tennis tournament, aged just 19?
	Coco Gauff
45	Name either of the bodies of water that are linked by the Welland Ship Canal.
	Lake Erie or Lake Ontario
46	Blepharitis is the inflammation of what specific part of the body?
	Eyelid(s)
47	In the Nintendo game series, what is the name of Mario's younger brother who usually wears green clothes?
	Luigi
48	Where would you be most likely to find a muselet (mooz–lay)?
	On a bottle (it's a wire cage that fits over a cork)

 

49	For what 2023 film has Ryan Gosling controversially been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar?
	Barbie (it is controversial because director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie did not receive nominations in those categories)
50	Carl the Wombat features in advertisements for what UK website?
	Compare the Market.com (accept Compare the Meerkat)
51	Who was the last male winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award?
	Lewis Hamilton (in 2020. The last three winners were Emma Raducanu, Beth Mead and Mary Earps)
52	What term is used for the opening through which light enters a camera?
	The aperture
53	In Open All Hours, which character drove a white Morris Minor (first name only is acceptable)?
	Nurse Gladys Emmanuel
54	The name of which Beano character, a boy who could run very fast, was also the nickname of rugby union player Jason Robinson?
	Billy Whizz
55	In what city was Martin Luther King assassinated?
	Memphis, Tennessee
56	Which former Call the Midwife actress wrote and directed the films Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023)?
	Emerald Fennell

 

57	In August 1926, Gertrude Ederle (Edder–lee) became the first woman to do what?
	Swim the English Channel
58	In Italian cuisine, what four–letter word is used to describe a meat–based sauce?
	Ragú
59	The Roman province of Lusitania predominantly occupied which modern–day country?
	Portugal
60	What post in the US government is held (as of the 27 th of January 2024) by Lloyd Austin?
	Secretary of Defense
61	What is the name of the block of sandstone that is placed beneath the Coronation Chair (most recently in May 2023) and was famously stolen in 1950?
	Stone of Scone
62	Who is the only Spanish driver to have won the Formula One World Driver's Championship?
	Fernando Alonso
63	In 2023, who became only the second England cricketer (after Alastair Cook) to score more than 11,000 Test runs?
	Joe Root
64	A statue of which comedian and pianist, who died aged 62 in 2016, can be found in Church Gardens, Bury?
	Victoria Wood

 

65	Arabica and robusta are the two main types of what?
	Coffee beans
66	In what North Wales town does the International Eisteddfod take place each July?
	Llangollen
67	Then known as Park Hospital, which hospital in the North West of England is considered to be the first National Health Service hospital?
	Trafford General Hospital
68	Roberta (or 'Bobbie'), Peter and Phyllis are the title characters of what early 20th century novel, which was adapted for a family film in 1970?
	The Railway Children
69	With reference to wine, what does the serving instruction 'chambré' indicate?
	Serve at room temperature
70	The word 'marmalade' derives from the Portuguese word for what fruit, which is similar in appearance to a pear?
	Quince
71	Which Birmingham–born poet and Peaky Blinders actor died aged 65 in December 2023?
	Benjamin Zephaniah
72	Which song by Aretha Franklin begins "The moment I wake up / before I put on my make up"?
	I Say a Little Prayer

 

73	Which Canadian–born American architect designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao?
	Frank Gehry
74	By what nickname was the Last of the Summer Wine character played by Brian Wilde known?
	Foggy (Walter 'Foggy' Dewhurst)
75	Which song was a hit in 1964 for Martha and the Vandellas, and in 1985 for David Bowie and Mick Jagger?
	Dancing in the Street
76	In which 1990s BBC sitcom did Martin Clunes play a character called Gary Strang?
	Men Behaving Badly
77	In the name of the 2022 NASA mission DART, the 'R' stood for 'Redirection'. What did the 'A' stand for?
	Asteroid (Double Asteroid Redirection Test)
78	The name of which school of Buddhism derives originally from a Sanskrit word meaning 'meditation' or 'contemplation'?
	Zen Buddhism
79	Frances Gumm was the real name of which actress and singer?
	Judy Garland
80	The 1904 Olympic Games were the first not to be held in a national capital city. In what city were they held?
	St Louis (Missouri, United States)

 

81	The 1928 animated short film Steamboat Willie was the first film featuring which character to be distributed? Its copyright expired at the beginning of 2024.
	Mickey Mouse
82	Which punk band, whose singles included Germfree Adolescents, were fronted by Poly Styrene?
	X–Ray Spex
83	In Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat, what invented adjective describes the spoon used to eat slices of quince?
	Runcible
84	According to Greek mythology, who was the first woman on Earth?
	Pandora
85	Which British biscuit company, now owned by United Biscuits, has made chocolate digestives since 1925?
	McVities
86	In what 1980s film would you see a car with the registration number ECTO–1?
	Ghostbusters
87	Hong Kong Garden was a single by which new wave band, whose lead singer's real name was Susan Ballion?
	Siouxsie & the Banshees (prompt on Siouxie Sioux)
88	According to the traditional rhyme, what is Monday's child?
	Fair of face

 

89	Philip Pirrip is the central character of which Charles Dickens novel?
	Great Expectations (Pip)
90	What word links a planet, a Roman god, a metallic element, and an annual pop music award?
	Mercury
91	The slogan "taste the rainbow" has been used by what confectionery brand since 1994?
	Skittles
92	The name of what alcoholic spirit comes from the Dutch for 'burnt wine'?
	Brandy
93	In which 1980s film did Christopher Lloyd play the villainous Judge Doom?
	Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
94	Which Roald Dahl character ate 'snozzcumbers'?
	The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)
95	Which English king was known as 'the Merry Monarch'? (Name and regnal number required.)
	Charles II
96	From what port did the Spanish Armada set sail in 1588?
	Lisbon

Supplementaries:

1	Which 16th century Scottish mathematician is credited with discovering logarithms?
	John Napier
2	Moor Street and Snow Hill are railway stations in what city?
	Birmingham
3	What oil gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavour?
	Bergamot
4	In bingo, what number is traditionally associated with the nickname 'the Brighton line'?
	59 (it originates from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest)
5	In 1986, Giotto became the first spacecraft to make close–up observations of what?
	A comet (specifically, Halley's Comet)
6	What colour boots is Mickey Mouse usually depicted as wearing?
	Yellow
7	Which BBC crime drama series is set on the Caribbean island of Sainte Marie?
	Death in Paradise
8	Which shipping forecast area in the North Sea is named for its depth, as measured in fathoms?
	Forties
9	One of several theories for the origin of the name of which British teacake is that it is derived from the French for 'sun and moon'?
	Sally Lunn bun (Soleil et Lune)
10	On UK racecourses, what two words are used to announce that the final result of a race has been confirmed and bets can be settled?
	Weighed In!
11	TV adverts for which mobile phone network operator feature 'Mat from Macclesfield'?
	Lebara
12	Advertisements for which carmaker feature fictional businesses called 'Hawaiian Tie', 'High End Pie' and 'Highland Eye'?
	Hyundai (Hyun–day)

© Macclesfield Quiz League 2024