1. Technology
The most promising type of these objects is the Proton
Exchange Membrane. By what two-word name are objects known which convert
hydrogen and oxygen into water, creating direct current with the excess energy?
Some scientists are hopeful that these objects can solve our energy problems.
ANSWER: (Hydrogen or Methanol) Fuel Cell(s) (accept Hydrogen Cell(s) or Methanol Cell(s))
2. British Literature
Which 1882 novel includes the characters Ben Gunn and Billy
Bones? It was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and narrated by Jim Hawkins, and
it featured Long John Silver.
ANSWER: Treasure Island
3. Physics (30 Seconds)
Give your answer using a single unit. How much energy is
stored in a spring that has a spring constant of 40 Newtons per meter and is
stretched by half a meter?
ANSWER: 5 Joules (accept -5 Joules)
4. Pop Culture
Which television show’s stars include Wilmer Valderrama,
Kurtwood Smith, Laura Prepon, and Ashton Kutcher? They play, respectively, Fez,
Red, Donna, and Kelso in this Fox sitcom.
ANSWER: (That) 70s Show
5. Religion/Mythology
French legend claims that this woman spent the last thirty
years of her life evangelizing in Provence and living in a cave. Give the last
name of the woman who was cleansed of seven sins and was the first person to see
Christ after his resurrection according to the New Testament.
ANSWER: (Mary) Magdalene
6. United States History
Although he was the leader of the Republican Party, whose
attempts at the party presidential nomination were turned down in 1856 and 1860?
He instead became the party’s first Secretary of State. He was stabbed in the
throat the same night that Lincoln was assassinated but survived. Name this man
often associated with the purchase of Alaska.
ANSWER: (William Henry) Seward
7. Algebra (30 Seconds)
There are no parentheses in this problem. Find all solutions to the equation:
5x3-35x2+50x=0
ANSWER: 0, 2, 5 (all three in any order, do not prompt or accept negative answers)
8. Current Events
What has been described by Donald Rumsfeld as “the least
worst place we could have selected”? Each year the United States tries to pay
$4000 in rent to use this area for our Navy, but the checks are never cashed. It
is now the home of six hundred sixty unlawful combatants who are being held
despite the lack of formal charges against them. Name this Cuban bay.
ANSWER: Guantanamo (Bay) (accept Gitmo) (prompt on Cuba, Camp X-Ray or Camp Delta)
9. World Literature
Who wrote the words, “For always night and day I hear
lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; while I stand on the roadway,
or on the pavements gray, I hear it in the deep heart’s core”? This 1923
Nobel Prize Winner died and was buried in 1939 in France but was moved in 1948
to Ireland.
ANSWER: (William Butler) Yeats
10. Biology
This genetic syndrome, whose name begins with the letter K,
affects about one-tenth of one percent of males, and it results in sterility and
some feminine body features. Identify this syndrome caused by an extra X
chromosome.
ANSWER: Klinefelter(‘s) (prompt on XXY)
11. Language Arts
The common meaning of this word comes from French, while
the religious meaning comes from Latin. The common meaning is an intense emotion
or ardent affection, while the religious meaning refers to the sufferings of a
martyr, especially Jesus. Name this word beginning with P.
ANSWER: Passion
12. Music
In the early 1960s, who became one of the first people to
direct major orchestras in different cities—Montreal and Los Angeles? He would
later direct the Israeli and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, and he was the
first conductor used by the Three Tenors. Name this son of the founder of the
Bombay Symphony Orchestra.
ANSWER: (Zubin) Mehta
13. Geometry/Trigonometry (30 Seconds)
What is the length of an arc that subtends two pi over
three radians in a circle if the circle has a radius of six centimeters?
ANSWER: Four Pi Centimeters
14. World History
Which royal house of England ended its reign with the
Houses of Lancaster and York? In
total, it reigned from 1154 to 1485 and included Henry the Second, Richard the
Lion-Hearted, and John.
ANSWER: Plantagenet (accept Anjou or Angevin)
15. Astronomy/Earth Science/Geography
Which astronomer was a Major in World War One and then an
attorney? He was the first person to find a star outside of the Milky Way Galaxy
and observed that other galaxies are moving away from us. A space telescope
named after him was sent into orbit in 1990.
ANSWER: (Edwin) Hubble
16. United States Literature
After finishing college, which writer made a living doing
laundry and then teaching English? He has not had to worry about finding work
since he became a bestselling author in 1974. One of his characters is Roland of
Gilead, the Last Gunslinger, who has been in The Dark Tower series. Name
this author of Carrie, The Shining, and The Green Mile.
ANSWER: (Stephen) King
17. Chemistry (10 Seconds)
What is the common name for the liquid alkaloid with
chemical formula C10H14N2? As a drug, it can
have either an invigorating or tranquilizing effect. Though it is very toxic,
most of the deaths it causes are due to its addictive powers. Identify this
chemical found in tobacco plants.
ANSWER: Nicotine
18. Calculus/Math History (10 Seconds)
Which French mathematician from the early eighteenth
century was a critic of calculus but discovered a basic calculus theorem? The
theorem states that if a function is continuous between two inputs and has the
same output for both inputs, then the derivative must equal zero at some point
between the two inputs.
ANSWER: (Michel) Rolle
19. Art/Architecture
This family made most of its money in the mining industry,
and its art collecting began with Solomon in the 1920s. Who started museums
named after themselves in Venice, Berlin, and Bilbao? Their New York City museum
was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
ANSWER: Guggenheim(s)
20. Nonfiction
Which real-life professor appears as a member of the Zion
Council in The Matrix Reloaded? He wrote Race Matters in 1993 and
has written many essays on Black-Jewish relations and African American
scholarship. His name was in the news a lot a year ago due to a public dispute
he had with the President of Harvard University.
ANSWER: (Cornel) West
NOTE: These questions are for breaking ties. If you need to replace a question, use the corresponding question from the Replacement packet. In a tiebreaker, the first correct answer wins the match.
Tiebreaker #1
What consists of a core of soft iron wound with two
separate coils of wire? Current supplied to the primary coil induces a current
in the secondary coil, and the number of windings is proportional to the
electrical potential of each coil. This term begins with the letter T.
ANSWER: Transformer
Tiebreaker #2
According to Herodotus, he was a freed slave who died at
Delphi in the sixth century BC. Some historians claim that he never existed, and
it is certain that he did not write at least some of the stories attributed to
him. Who is associated with the stories “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”,
“The Frogs Desiring a King”, “The Fox and the Grapes”, and “The Hare
and the Tortoise”? These are all fables.
ANSWER: Aesop
Tiebreaker #3
Which state uses the postal abbreviation SD?
ANSWER: South Dakota