Just for kicks, I'm posting this years' questions below. Many questions are about life at Germantown Academy, where I teach, but I hope the other questions will be fun for the world at large.
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| A shot from last year's Knowledge Bowl. I'm the smug ball of rage behind the piano in the lower right hand corner. |
ROUND ONE
In the first round, Dr. Rabuck will
ask a question. Once he is done reading,
your team will have fifteen seconds to write the correct answer on the marker
boards in front of you. If you gave a
correct answer, your team will earn five points. House reps will be behind you to verify your
answers. There are seven questions in
this round.
1) In the German folk song we all know and love,
what is the seventh word? Spell it
correctly. (zwei)
2) Into what body
of water does the mighty Wissahickon Creek flow? Spell your answer correctly.
(Schuylkill)
3) What is the capital of the South American country known for oil,
socialism, beauty pageant winners, and the world’s highest waterfall? (Caracas)
4) What is the name
of the school from which Holden Caufield was expelled at the beginning of
Catcher in the Rye (Pennsey Prep)
5)What winter
Olympics event has been in existence since the first winter games in 1924, but
will be a medal event for women for the first time in Sochi in 2014? (Ski
Jumping)
6) If you add the number of children raised by Mrs Negro, Ms Ayres,
Mr Mattern, and Mr. Rheam, how many will you have? (10)
7) What is the
heaviest naturally occurring noble gas? (Radon)
ROUND TWO
The second round is like the first,
only there will be more than one correct answer to each question. In the thirty seconds after Dr. Rabuck
finishes reading the question, you must write down as many correct answers as
your team can come up with. Your team
will earn two points for each correct answer, to a maximum of ten points per
question. House reps will provide
judging for each team.
1)
In this
year’s contests on GA/PC day, GA won five events. Name the head coaches of those sports teams.
(Dence, Krouse, Rader, Hoffmann, Fehrle)
2) As stated
earlier, the winter Olympics have been around since 1924 and have convened 21
times. Only six nations have medaled at
all 21 winter Olympics. Name them.
(Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway,
Sweden, the USA)
3) GA has
established good relations with a school in Krakow. Name the countries that
border the nation in which Krakow is located.
(Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine,
Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany)
4) Every manly man
knows the novels of Jane Austen. Now is
your chance to show your regency awesomeness by doing the same.
(Emma, Sense and Sensibility,
Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and the
unfinished Sanditon)
ROUND THREE
This is the buzzer
round. Dr. Rabuck will begin asking a
question. At any time, your team may
ring in and attempt to answer the question.
Dr. Rabuck will stop reading at that point. If you are correct, you earn ten points for
your team. If you are incorrect, you
score nothing but your team may not ring in again. If necessary, Dr. Rabuck will begin reading
the question from the beginning. There
are eight questions in this round, followed by ten rapid-response buzzer
questions built around a theme. At the
end of this round, the teams with the two lowest scores will be eliminated from
the competition.
1)
Our
upper school head is distantly related to this 12th president of the
united states. A member of the Whig
party, he was famous for leading the US to victory in the Mexican-American War.
Shortly into his presidency he died after eating a meal of raw cherries and ice
milk, to be succeeded by his fellow Whig Millard Fillmore. To this day, his
legacy lives on, as his last name is the first name of the pop singer and
songstress whose album “Red” topped the charts in 2012.
(Zachary
Taylor)
2)
This
novel, published in 1964, has twice been made into a major motion picture, once
as a musical. The idea for the book came
from the author’s experience with the rivalry between the Rowntree’s and
Cadbury’s companies, which often sent spies to investigate each others’
products. In 2010, an operatic version
titled “The Golden Ticket” premiered in St. Louis. In this book, Violet Beauregarde and Veruca
Salt meet untimely ends because of their particular vices, but Charlie Bucket
achieves his heart’s desire at the end. What children’s novel by Roald Dahl
features the oompa-loompas and chocolatier Willy Wonka?
ANSWER: Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory (do not accept WW and the CF)
3)
She
attended orientation at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and took classes at
Hawaii Pacific, North Idaho, and Matanuska-Susitna before graduating from the
University of Idaho in 1987. In 2003 and 2004, she chaired an Oil and Gas
Conservation Commission following an election loss. She has been investigated
by Steven Petumenos and Stephen
Branchflower for her firing of
Walt Monegan, who had refused to fire Mike Wooten, her former brother-in-law.
Her daughter appeared on dancing with the stars, and she briefly starred in her
own reality show chronicling her life in Alaska. Name this Governor who was John McCain’s
running mate.
ANSWER: (Sarah) Palin (accept
Heath)
4)) This battle’s outcome was due in part to
Marshal Ney’s reckless charge. The losing side was also harmed by a delay
caused by strong rains the day before and by their General’s reluctance to use
the Imperial Guard. This allowed the British to hold their position until
Prussian support joined them, and the combined forces eventually
broke down the French Army. The
fighting took place on June 18th, 1815 in what is now Belgium. Name this
victory by the Duke of Wellington over Napoleon.
ANSWER: Waterloo
5) When his name is spelled in English,
this legendary figure from Greek mythology has a name that is nine letters
long. The first and third letters are
the same, and the 7th and 9th letters are the same. His brother was Menelaus, and he was king of
Mycaenae, the most powerful of the Greek city-states at the time. He led the expedition to recover his
sister-in-law from the Trojans. Upon
returning from that war, he was murdered at the command of his cheating wife
Clytemnestra. His name is one of the three
parts of Aeschylus’ trilogy, The Orestia.
ANSWER:
“AGAMEMNON”
6)
This
is the value of the definite integral from x equals 1 to x equals infinity of
dx over x squared. It also completes the square for the expression that starts
off four x squared plus four x. It equals the sum of the infinite geometric
series one-half plus one-fourth plus one-eighth, etcetera. Find this positive
number equal to its own factorial, its own square root, and its own reciprocal.
ANSWER: 1
7)
It
is one of five niyama—the other ones describe seasons, seeds, norms, and the
mind. This niyama is associated with intentional actions and is associated with
the actions of everybody except for those who are enlightened, who are not
impacted by cause and effect. This concept exists in Jainist, Sikh, Buddhist,
and Hindu belief systems. Give this
term that refers to the idea that
people are responsible for their own outcomes and future lives.
ANSWER: Karma
8)
This
book contains the sentence, “And so on a January evening in 1991, my wife of fifteen
months and I ate a quick dinner together and headed off to answer a classified
ad in the Palm Beach Post.”
Since it came out in 2005, there have been different versions, including a
children’s book and a picture book. The subject loves to steal grilled cheese sandwiches,
hates thunderstorms, and is a Labrador retriever. Name this book by John Grogan
that has inspired a movie starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Anniston, and a big,
clumsy dog.
ANSWER: Marley & Me
XXXXX
For the next five
questions, I am going to give the abbreviation for an element. You give me the atomic name. For instance, if I say “He” you need to say
“helium”, since Helium is abbreviated “He”.
Got it? Don’t care..
1) NA
(sodium)
2) Pb (lead)
3) Mn (manganese)
4) Kr (krypton)
5) Hg (mercury)
I give the superhero,
you tell me whether the rights to that hero are owned by Marvel or DC. So if I say “Batman”, you say “DC.” Got
it? Still don’t care.
1) Wonder Woman (DC)
2) Wolverine (Marvel)
3) Cyclops (Marvel)
4) Doctor Octopus (Marvel)
5) Nightcrawler (Marvel)
Tie Breaker
Historians and
rhetoricians have noted the similarities between this and the funeral oration
of Pericles, which was delivered in the first year of the Peloponnesian war,
thus belying the author’s claim that he had a rustic, homespun education. It followed an address by Edward Everett, who
spoke for over two hours, or over sixty times longer than this event. While its
primary purpose was to dedicate a new cemetery, it also made a strong case for
both emancipation and preserving the Union. What historic speech delivered by
Abraham Lincoln had its 150th anniversary this month?
(Gettysburg
address)
Another tie breaker
This country has
substantial populations of Tadjikis and Hazari, but the largest ethnic group is
the dominant Pashtuns. Invaded by the
British, Soviets, and Americans in recent centuries, this country has proven
incredibly difficult to govern. It is
the setting for Khaled Hosseini’s the Kite Runner and until 2003 was governed
by the religious fanatics known as the Taliban.
What is this central Asian country, whose president just asked all
American forces to leave by 2014?
(Afghanistan)
ROUND FOUR—
This is the second
buzzer round. Once again, each team that
answers a question correctly scores ten points.
However, after each correct answer, the team which gave that answer has
the exclusive right to attempt an answer to a follow up question worth five
points. There are ten questions in this round.
Once again, the two teams with the lowest scores will be eliminated from
the competition.
1)
What is the name of the dangly bit of flesh at the back of the
throat (uvula)
b. What member of the GA arts faculty has two
uvulae (Masters)
2) What member of the GA class of 1993was signed to play professional basketball with the Portland Trailblazers.
(Alvin
Williams)
b. Though Williams signed by the
Trailblazers, Williams spent most of his professional career with this
franchise (Toronto
Raptors)
3) The next-to-last
word of GA’s alma mater.
Answer: cannot
For five points, in what year did the composer of the
alma mater graduate?
Answer 1900
4) For ten points, name
this US
President, vice president under Eisenhower, owner of a dog named checkers, and
the person who normalized relations with China in 1972?
Answer: Nixon
[5] Nixon resigned
in disgrace after it was revealed that he had a role in a political scandal
named after this Washington hotel.
Answer: Watergate
5) This NFL
Franchise, currently in the AFC West, played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1995
before they moved back to their original city.
Answer: Oakland
Raiders
The Raiders currently play in a stadium named for this
discount online retailer.
Answer: overstock.com
6) The nemesis of
this semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of justice comes from Gimmelstup, according
to his backstory.
ANSWER: Perry the Platypus
For five points, what is the last name of the brothers
who act as owners of Perry in his non-secret agent identity?
ANSWER: Flynn-Fletcher
7) This 17th century French
mathematician and philosopher is known for both his “discourse on method” and
for the coordinate system named after him..
ANSWER: Descartes
ANSWER: Descartes
For five
points, what famous five word phrase summarizes Descartes’ belief that his own
doubt was the most certain proof of his own existence?
ANSWER: I
think therefore I am.
8) The First
Crusade ended when Western European Christians captured this city in the middle
east, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
ANSWER: Jerusalem
8a) For five points, what Christian empire, with
a capital at Constantinople, did the Crusaders have to march through to reach
their goal?
ANSWER: Byzantine
Empire
Tie Breaker
This French river
rises in the Langres plateau and travels 776 km before it empties into the
English Channel at Le Havre. It has been
painted by Monet, Matisse, and Seurat.
Vikings sailed up this river in the 9h century to sack the
city of Paris, which lies on its banks. (Seine)
ROUND FIVE
Red, Blue,
Black. The three remaining teams each
select a color-coded envelope which contains ten questions. The team has two minutes to answer all of the
questions, which are worth ten points each.
Only answers from the team captain will be scored. A team can choose to
pass and try the question later. The
team with the lowest score goes first.
|
|
Red
|
Black
|
Blue
|
|
Sports
|
This three time NBA Player of the Year once
scored 100 points for the Phialdelphia Warriors (Wilt Chamberlain)
|
Name the 1980 Phillies first baseman
nicknamed “Charlie Hustle”who spent most of his career with the Reds.
(Pete Rose)
|
With 124
sacks, this Minister of Defense is the all time Eagles leader.
(Reggie
White)
|
|
GA History
|
What is
Alexander Calder, who attended GA in 1910, best known for?.
Sculpture
|
Of Alcott, Truesdell, Kershaw, and Osborne,
the one who was not Headmaster.
(Truesdell)
|
GA
Students nicknamed this poet of Leaves of Grass “Santa Claus” when he visited
GA in the 1870s.
(Walt
Whitman)
|
|
Pop Culture
|
This British
sci-fi show just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Dr Who
|
In the Hobbit,
Bilbo
Baggins tangles with a dragon of this name.
(Smaug)
|
In the
recent star trek movies, Simon Pegg plays the engineer known by this name.
Scotty
|
|
Science
|
What was
the second of the three geological periods in which the dinosaurs lived?
(Jurassic)
|
This elementary particle is the quantum of
light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation.
(Photon)
|
This term
refers to a community of
living organisms in conjunction with the
nonliving components of
their environment like air and soil, interacting as a system
(Ecosystem)
|
|
History
|
Last week,
this Asian country scrambled fighter jets to assert its claim over formerly
neutral airspace.
(China)
|
This
Middle Eastern country just agreed to inspections of its nuclear facilities.
(Iran)
|
This
island nation off the southern coast of India used to be known as Ceylon and
Serendip.
(Sri
Lanka)
|
|
Pop Culture
|
Katy
Perry’s song “Roar” is the first track on this 2013 album
(Prism)
|
Last year, the megastar marriage of Beyonce
and Jay-z produced a child by this name.
(Blue Ivy)
|
A
question posed by Norwegian pop duo Ylvis wants to know what vocalization
this animal says.
(Fox)
|
|
Geography
|
This
northwesternmost PA county is named after the lake which it borders.
Erie
|
The Morris Road bridge over the wissahickon
was recently named in honor of this former GA coach.
Turner
|
Of Ocean
City, Sea Isle City, or Atlantic City, which one is furthest north?
(Atlantic
City)
|
|
Current Events
|
Which NJ
Governor just won reelection?
(Christie)
|
Of Walnut Street, Cherry St., and South
Street, the one that is furthest south?
|
I-476
the toll road between Plymouth Meeting and Scranton, used to be known as
what?
|
|
GA Culture
|
Name the
high school theatrical awards dominated in recent years by the Belfry club
(Cappies)
|
What GA alum is the library named after
(Roberts)
|
What is
the name of the head of the Middle School
(Rogers)
|
red
|
This three time NBA Player of the Year once
scored 100 points for the Phialdelphia Warriors (Wilt Chamberlain)
|
|
What is Alexander Calder, who attended GA
in 1910, best known for?.
Sculpture
|
|
This British sci-fi show just celebrated
its 50th anniversary.
Dr Who
|
|
What was the second of the three geological
periods in which the dinosaurs lived?
(Jurassic)
|
|
Last week, this Asian country scrambled
fighter jets to assert its claim over formerly neutral airspace.
(China)
|
|
Katy Perry’s song “Roar” is the first track
on this 2013 album
(Prism)
|
|
This northwesternmost PA county is named after
the lake which it borders.
Erie
|
|
Which NJ Governor just won reelection?
(Christie)
|
|
Name the high school theatrical awards
dominated in recent years by the Belfry club
(Cappies)
|
BLACK
|
Name the 1980 Phillies first baseman
nicknamed “Charlie Hustle”who spent most of his career with the Reds.
(Pete Rose)
|
|
Of Alcott, Truesdell, Kershaw, and Osborne,
the one who was not Headmaster.
Truesdell
|
|
In the Hobbit,
Bilbo
Baggins tangles with a dragon of this name.
Smaug)
|
|
This elementary particle is the quantum of
light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation.
(Photon)
|
|
This
Middle Eastern country just agreed to inspections of its nuclear facilities.
(Iran)
|
|
Last year, the megastar marriage of Beyonce
and Jay-z produced a child by this name.
(Blue Ivy)
|
|
The Morris Road bridge over the wissahickon
was recently named in honor of this former GA coach.
Turner
|
|
Of Walnut Street, Cherry St., and South
Street, the one that is furthest south?
(South Street)
|
|
What GA alum is the library named after
(Roberts)
|
|
Name the 1980 Phillies first baseman
nicknamed “Charlie Hustle” who spent most of his career with the Reds.
(Pete Rose)
|
|
|
BLUE
|
With 124 sacks, this Minister of Defense is
the all time Eagles leader.
(Reggie White)
|
|
|
|
GA Students nicknamed this poet of Leaves
of Grass “Santa Claus” when he visited GA in the 1870s.
Walt Whitman
|
|
In the recent star trek movies, Simon Pegg
plays the engineer known by this name.
Scotty
|
|
This term
refers to a community of
living organisms in conjunction with the
nonliving components of
their environment like air and soil, interacting as a system
(Ecosystem)
|
|
This island nation off the southern coast
of India used to be known as Ceylon and Serendip.
(Sri Lanka)
|
|
A question posed by Norwegian pop duo Ylvis
wants to know what vocalization this animal says.
(Fox)
|
|
Of Ocean City, Sea Isle City, or Atlantic
City, which one is furthest north?
(Atlantic City)
|
|
I-476 the toll road between Plymouth
Meeting and Scranton, used to be known as what?
(The Northeast Extension)
|
|
What is the name of the head of the Middle
School
(Rogers)
|
|
|
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