1. Technology
Often classified as voiceband or cable, what type of device
is used to convert signals between digital and analog? Many are now the size of
credit cards. Identify these devices that allow computers to communicate with
each other serially.
ANSWER: Modem(s)
2. British Literature
Which poem in six-line stanzas was probably the first
published work by William Shakespeare? It
concerns a goddess who tries to win the love of a youth. Unfortunately, the
youth dies.
ANSWER: Venus and Adonis
3. Physics (10 Seconds)
Which French scientist used torsion balances to study
electrical forces during the 1780s? He discovered that electrical forces between
two objects vary directly with the product of the amounts of charge and
inversely with the square of the distance between them. The equation stating
this and the most common unit of electrical charge are both named after him.
ANSWER: (Charles de) Coulomb
4. Pop Culture
It was not the least bit memorable, but hopefully you can
remember the exact title. The plot involved a boy from Pennsylvania meeting a
girl from Texas in a Florida bathroom. Name this summer movie starring
contestants from the first season of American Idol.
ANSWER: From Justin To Kelly
5. Religion/Mythology
Who was the priestess of Aphrodite in Sestus on the
Hellespont? Her lover would swim to her every night until one lightless night
when he died trying to cross. This priestess killed herself upon finding the
body of her lover Leander.
ANSWER: Hero
6. United States History
Which Congressional Act from 1935 is overseen mostly by the
Department of Health and Human Services? It originally taxed incomes up to
$3000, but this amount has been raised significantly over the years. Though it
included state grants and unemployment insurance, it is most closely linked with
old-age insurance.
ANSWER: Social Security (Act)
7. Algebra (30 Seconds)
What is the log base three of 243?
ANSWER: 5
8. Current Events
In which state on Wednesday did Gary Leon Ridgway admit to
murdering forty-eight women? He claims that they were all prostitutes, and he
dumped many of their bodies into the Green River. Prosecutors are investigating
whether any of the murders took place in Oregon.
ANSWER: Washington
9. World Literature
Who was sentenced to death on December 22, 1849, which
luckily turned out to be the same date that Tsar Nicholas the First decided to
commute death sentences? After nine years in prison, he returned to his career
as a writer. Name this author of Notes From Underground, The Possessed,
and The Brothers Karamazov.
ANSWER: (Fyodor) Dostoyevsky
10. Biology
What is formed by a mutual symbiosis between fungi and
photosynthetic organisms? They sometimes look like moss but can survive almost
anywhere, including the arctic tundra. This term begins with an L.
ANSWER: Lichen(s)
11. Language Arts
Which eight-letter word refers to a continuous sequence or
range? It is commonly used to describe the colors found in the breakdown of
white light. Identify this word beginning with the letter S.
ANSWER: Spectrum
12. Music
From 1813 to 1815, which composer, at the insistence of his
father, worked as an elementary school aide? He once completed 146 songs in a
single year, but he might be remembered best for his eighth symphony, which he
did not finish.
ANSWER: (Franz Peter) Schubert
13. Geometry/Trigonometry (30 Seconds)
Expressing your answer as a fully simplified fraction,
convert 72 degrees into radians.
ANSWER: 2Pi/5 (or two-fifths pi) (Radians)
14. World History
Whose first term as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1852 and
first term as Prime Minister in 1868 lasted for only a few months each? He often
wrote novels when his party, the Conservative, was out of power. During his
second stint as Prime Minister, he brought the Suez Canal and India under
British control. Name this rival of William Gladstone.
ANSWER: (Benjamin) Disraeli
15. Astronomy/Earth Science/Geography
Which lake was first seen by Europeans in 1858 and had its
water level raised in 1954 by the Owens Fall Dam? It is fed by the Kagera River
and located on the border of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
ANSWER: (Lake) Victoria (Nyanza)
16. United States Literature
The Bentleys, the Hardys, the Kings, and the Willards are
all residents of which town? They appeared in a 1916 story collection subtitled
“A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life” written by Sherwood Anderson.
ANSWER: Winesburg(, Ohio)
17. Chemistry (10 Seconds)
Which Noble gas can form three different binary compounds
with fluorine and two different binary compounds with oxygen? Sometimes used in
bubble chambers, its molar mass is between that of Krypton and Radon. Name this
element abbreviated Xe.
ANSWER: Xenon
18. Calculus/Math History (30 Seconds)
Find the limit, as x approaches 2, of the fraction with
numerator 2x2+5x-18 and denominator x2+10x-24.
ANSWER: 13/14
19. Art/Architecture
Which impressive ancient display was built to please a
homesick wife? Created in the sixth century BC, it was irrigated by water pumped
from the Euphrates River, and it was built by King Nebuchadnezzar.
ANSWER: Hanging Gardens (of Babylon) (or Hanging Gardens of Nebuchadnezzar)
20. Nonfiction
Which eighteenth and nineteenth century British economist
wrote “An inquiry into the Nature and Progress of Rent”? He is most famous
for his “Essay on Population”, which argued that the world population would
eventually overrun its supply.
ANSWER: (Thomas Robert) Malthus
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 (30 Seconds)
Find the height of a rectangular prism if its length and
width are each 2 centimeters and its great diagonal is 3 centimeters.
ANSWER: 1 centimeter
Tiebreaker #2
Carvings of these creatures usually stand outside ancient
temples. They were peaceful except when the pharaoh was threatened. Identify
these creatures with the head of a man and body of a lion.
ANSWER: Sphinx(es)
Tiebreaker #3
Which state uses the postal abbreviation IA?
ANSWER: Iowa