Jesse - Set 1
In monopoly, how much do you get from each player if it's your birthday?
10
All eight sculptures in Carl Andre's Equivalent series contain how many bricks?
120
Usually shorter than a chemise, which sleeveless women's undergarment covers the top half of the body, usually to the waist but sometimes to the midriff?
Camisole
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission started touring which country in 2009 to heal the scars of the 'residential schools system'?
Canada
Which famous Danish director directed The Passion of Joan of Arc?
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky films?
Carl Weathers
Who won the Tour De France in 2008?
Carlos Sastre
Which composer, born in 1810, compared his personality to a poisonous mushroom?
Chopin
Since 1960 who has the unfortunate record of losing in the women's singles final the most times (a total of seven)
Chris Evert
Which woman became the first female chef in Britain to run a 3-star restaurant when she took over from Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road?
Clare Smyth
Which disease is also called regional enteritis?
Crohn's Disease
Well-known players of which game include Richard Rodgers, Harpo Marx, Sam Goldwyn, Howard Hawks and Darryl Zanuck- all of whom are commemorated in its Hall of Fame?
Croquet
Which DJ and writer was Chris Evans and Billie Piper's best man?
Danny Baker
Who is represented in Rodin's sculpture 'The Thinker'?
Dante
Played on film by Ben Affleck, which comic book superhero is the alter ego of lawyer Matt Murdock?
Daredevil
The Ring cycle has been described as a cycle of three operas with a prologue. Which is the prologue?
Das Rheingold
Which British architect led the ten-year reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin, destroyed by bombs during the Second World War and subjected to decades of neglect?
David Chipperfield
Who created The Wire?
David Simon
Which British writer is director of the charity Kids in Museums?
Dea Birkett
Which US protest singer, a hero in the Soviet Union and Latin America, committed suicide in 1987 and is the subject of the film Red Elvis?
Dean Read
What was the profession of the evangelist Luke?
Doctor
Which series of Doctor Who episodes, released in 2010, are four interactive adventures?
Doctor Who:The Adventure Games
When Stephen Fry fled the production of Cell Mates in a 'fit of pique' in 1995, which real-life man had he been playing in the film?
George Blake
Who was American Chief of Staff in WW2?
George C Marshall
Martin Shaw played on TV in the 2000s Judge John Deed and which Inspector?
George Gently
Which English furnituremaker published the Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer's Guide, and had his workshop in St Giles Cripplegate?
George Hepplewhite
The Egoist and Diana of the Crossways are novels by which c19 author?
George Meredith
The Kristo Asafo, or Christ Reformed Church, founded by Apostle Asafo in 1971, is renowned for its investment in agriculture, manufacturing and industry in which African country?
Ghana
What is the name of the world's largest antelope?
Giant Eland
In 1978, who was the last British player to win a singles title at the All-England Badminton Championships, the second of her two wins?
Gillian Gilks
Which other drink can be mixed with beer to make shandy as well as lemonade?
Ginger beer
Which was the only cyclist to have won the Tour de France before and after WW2, with the longest ever gap between victories, and did the same thing in the Giro D'Italia?
Gino Bartali
Marlon Brando was born on this day in 1924 - he was nominated for 8 acting Oscars during his lifetime - for which film did he receive his first nomination in 1952?
A Streetcar Named Desire
In Len Deighton's novel the Ipcress File, who or what was Ipcress?
A brain-washing technique
What kind of food is a gugelhupf?
A cake
The eulachon fish becomes so fat during spawning that its body can be dried and used as what?
A candle
In pool, which shot is the equivalent of a 'plant' in snooker?
A combination
The panga or tapanga in Southern Africa is what?
A machete
According to the King James bible, what maketh a cheerful countenance?
A merry heart
In the film Moonraker, Moonraker is a space shuttle. What is Moonraker in the book?
A nuclear missile
From the Choctaw language, what does the word 'bobbasheely' mean in the southern US?
A very close friend
Which TV adventurer had a sidekick called Georgina Jones and had the names Cornelius Chance, Dick Daring and Darius Crud rejected before settling on his eventual name?
Adam Adamant
What was George Eliot's first novel?
Adam Bede
What kind of fog forms when air cools to dew point by travelling across a colder surface such as sea or snow?
Advection fog
In Australian English, what is an 'esky'?
An ice box
Which adjective, from the Greek for 'to hide away' describes a story about somebody that may be of doubtful authenticity?
Apocryphal
Who in 1897 were the first ever winners of the Rugby League Challenge Cup?
Batley
Which major battle between Muslim Arab forces and the armies of the East Roman-Byzantine Empire in 636, near what is today the border between Syria and Jordan was a complete Muslim victory which permanently ended Byzantine rule south of Anatolia?
Battle of Yarmuk
What is the name of the Oldham RL team?
Bears
What was Dame Edna Everage's maiden name?
Beasley
Michael and Xochi Birch founded which social networking site?
Bebo
The H bone is a British cut of which meat?
Beef
Who won the US Masters in 1984 and 1995 and captained the victorious Ryder Cup team of 1999?
Ben Crenshaw
Which BBC TV presenter is the son of actress Julia Foster?
Ben Fogle
Which actor is the son of the actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham?
Benedict Cumberbatch
Haakonshallen Castle, the oldest in Norway, is in which city?
Bergen
Player William A Spinks was the co-inventor of which innovation in carom billards?
Billiard chalk
Who wrote the autobiography 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl?
Grayson Perry
Which predator is sometimes called a White Pointer?
Great White Shark
What is the largest bat in Europe, that can sometimes take small birds?
Greater Noctule
What was being described? 'Thou still unravished bride of quietness, thou foster-child of silence and slow time?'
Grecian Urn
Which European language uses a semi-colon to represent a question mark?
Greek
Kuupik Kleist is the PM of which self-governing territory?
Greenland
Which Pope launched the Inquisition with the words 'It is the duty of every Catholic to persecute heretics'?
Gregory IX
Which Pope, who reigned from 1073 to 1085, claimed infallibility was ceded to the Catholic Church by God and that it had never erred, 'nor can it err until the end of time'?
Gregory VII
What is the colour of a 5 Euro banknote?
Grey
Which ecclesiastical term decribes an appointed form of public prayer consisting of a series of supplications, deprecations, or intercessions in which the clergy lead and the people respond?
Litany
The Seimas is the parliament of which EU member state?
Lithuania
Sir Norman Fumble is a scandal-prone MP in which comedy series?
Little Britain
Which English city gives its name to a show jumping obstacle that takes the form of a vertical jump with a small pool of water at the bottom on the landing side?
Liverpool
Which team won the 1986 FA Cup final without an Englishman in the side?
Liverpool
Of which American president was it said by General Edward Bragg in nominating him as Democratic Party candidate in 1884 'They love him most for the enemies he has made'?
Grover Cleveland
Which US President opted to have dangerous surgery for cancer of the jaw performed on board his yacht at sea because he wanted to cover up how ill he was?
Grover Cleveland
Gwo ka, literally meaning 'big drum' is the folk music of which Caribbean island?
Guadeloupe
At 2001 feet (610 metres) what is the world's second tallest concrete tower after the Burj Khalifa?
Guangzhou TV and Sightseeing Tower
Born in 1870, who rediscovered Transcendental Meditation, popularised in the 1960s by his disciple Maharishi Mahesh Yogi?
Guru Dev
Shenzhen, Pyongyang and Burma Chronicles are graphic novels inspired by the time which Canadian comic boook author spent in Asia?
Guy Delisle
The notorious Boston art robbery that led to Rembrandt's only seascape vanishing also meant the disappearance of works by which other two artists?
Manet and Vermeer
Which band shared their name with a 1925 novel of New York city in the Jazz Age as told through a series of overlapping stories?
Manhattan Transfer
Which Latin word, meaning 'handful', what was the main tactical unit in Roman Legions until the cohort replaced it?
Maniple
Which style of art, from the Italian for 'style' is given to the Italian school of painting from 1520 to about 1590, notable for its elongated figures?
Mannerism
What was the surname of the man who invented italic type at his Aldine press?
Manutius
Her work depicted the everyday life of urban African Americans. In 1985 she became Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Who had earlier been the first African American poet to win a Pulitzer Prize, for her 1949 collection 'Annie Allen'?
Gwendolyn BROOKS
Which British Prime Minister maintained a secret correspondence with Venetia Stanley?
H H Asquith
Who was Prime Minister of Gt. Britain, under whose premiership the Life Peerages Act was introduced?
HAROLD MACMILLAN
Which new submarine, launched in 2010, had her keel laid on 31 January 2001, 100 years to the day since the keel was laid on the first submarine, Holland One?
HMS Astute
Which submarine sank the Belgrano?
HMS Conqueror
What was the name of the ship from which British sailors were taken hostage by Iranians in 2007?
HMS Cornwall
Which model railway gauge equates to 1:87 scale?
HO Gauge
Which Yorkshire town is home to the Stinking Spaw?
Harrogate
In which town was the Northern Rugby Football Union formed in 1895?
Huddersfield
In draughts, what name is given to the removal of an opponent's piece when the possibility of taking has been overlooked?
Huffing
In 2007, the Vatican City became the world's first carbon neutral state by planting a forest in which country?
Hungary
Jobbik is a far-right anti-gypsy party in which EU member state?
Hungary
Which country won gold at waterpolo in Beijing for the third time in a row?
Hungary
In which sport do teams compete for the McCarthy Cup?
Hurling
Werner Herzog's film Bad Lieutenant is set in the aftermath of which real-life event?
Hurricane Katrina
Which singer-songwriter from Penistone is sometimes called 'The Barnsley Nightingale'?
Kate Rusby
The fifth lowest place in the world, at 132m below sea level, the Mangyshlak Peninsula is in which country?
Kazakhstan
What is the name of the Test Cricket venue in Bridgetown, Barbados?
Kensington Oval
Which soprano has a stage name meaning 'The Bell' in the native language of her country?
Kiri Te Kanawa
Under what pen name has Jim Grant written a series of thrillers featuring former military policeman Jack Reacher?
Lee Child
Which word means the mating territory of the grouse and a unit of European currency?
Lek
Films called Lollywood can be from one of two places- either Lahore in Pakistan or from which country in Africa?
Liberia
Johnny Mad Dog, based on the novel by Emmanuel Dongola, and directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, is about child soldiers in which African country?
Liberia
H L Mencken was the original source of an entirely fabricated story, quoted as fact for many years, that which otherwise ineffective US President installed the first ever bathtub in the White House?
Millard Fillmore
Which Coen Brothers film features a famous scene where crooked bookmaker Bernie takes a walk in the woods and has to plead for his life with a reluctant gunman called Tom?
Millers Crossing
Which former President of Serbia (1998-2002) was unexpectedly cleared of war crimes at the Hague in 2009?
Milutinovic
What is the name of the famous Fiat factory in the centre of Turin?
Mirafiori
Which Boublil and Schonberg musical features the songs Why God Why?, If You Want To Die in Bed, and The Sacred Bird?
Miss Saigon
Billie Jean King won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. What was her maiden surname?
Moffitt
Which former TV newsreader now reads the news on the Chris Evans breakfast show in 2010?
Moira Stuart
In physics, what is the product of an object's mass and velocity?
Momentum
How is the trilogy of plays Homecoming, The Hunted and the Haunted known?
Mourning Becomes Electra
Which Greek letter represents chemical potential and also of the co-efficient of friction?
Mu
In which state is Appalachian highest point Mount Mitchell?
North Carolina
Which US TV series of the 1990s is about a New York doctor stuck in Alaska?
Northern Exposure
Jan Garbarek is a famous jazz saxophonist from which country?
Norway
What is the name of the comedic oratorio that Eric Idle has written based on Life of Brian?
Not The Messiah
From what poem is the phrase Tender is the Night taken?
Ode to A Nightingale (Keats)
Which ITV Saturday night programme was presented by Jack Good and ran from 1958 to 1959, being the first ever show dedicated to rock and roll?
Oh Boy!
Doyenne de Commis is a variety of which fruit?
Pear
Who was guest conductor on the opening night at Carnegie Hall?
Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky
What is the name of the ESA telescope at the L1 point between the Earth and the Sun that is measuring the cosmic microwave background (CMB) of the universe?
Planck Surveyor
Which ancient rhetorician recorded a number of brilliant escapes in his Strategems of War (c2 AD)?
Polyaenus
Condensation, or step-growth, and addition, or chain-growth, are two basic types of what reaction?
Polymerisation
In 1998 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sent to jail for doing what in public?
Reciting an Islamic poem
Which five-letter term describes chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number changed, e.g when oxygen is added to carbon to make carbon dioxide?
Redox
Which English amateur astronomer's 1859 astronomical observations first corroborated the existence of solar flares as well as their electrical influence upon the Earth and its aurorae; and took records of sunspot observations demonstrating differential rotation in the Sun?
Richard Carrington
Which scientist's autobiography was called 'What Do You Care What Other People Think?'
Richard Feynman
About which of his own works did Verdi claim it 'lacked melody and has hardly any chance of being kept in the repertoire?'
Rigoletto
Whose name is missing from this quintet? Olav Olavson Bjaaland, Helmer Julius Hanssen, Sverre Helge Hassel and Oscar Wisting.
Roald Amundsen
Which jockey, nicknamed Choc, was the top English jockey at Cheltenham in 2007 and won the 2008 Champion Hurdle on Katchit?
Robert Thornton
Which is the largest island of the Juan Fernandez archipelago?
Robinson Crusoe
Known as the Butcher of Riga, which Nazi was implicated in the deaths of 40,000 Latvian Jews and died in Paraguay in 1977?
Rochman
Michael Boyd took over as director of what in 2003 from Adrian Noble?
Royal Shakespeare Company
Which man, called 'the Disney of computer games', created Super Mario?
Shigeru Miyamoto
Which international movement, with the logo of a snail, was founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986?
Slow food
What does the musical term Ritardando mean?
Slowing down
As well as sphalerite, which is the other main ore of zinc?
Smithsonite
Chris Norman, Alan Silson, Terry Uttley and Ron Kelly was the original line-up of which 1970s band?
Smokie
Bourgogne and Petit Gris are versions of which foodstuff?
Snails
Traditionally, Cerberus had what for a tail?
Snake
Qanik and aput are two Inuit words meaning respectively what?
Snow in the air and snow on the ground (there are no other words for snow)
When the world's first deep tube railway opened in 1890, its northern terminus was King William Street in the City. Where was its southern terminus?
Stockwell
Which strait seperates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea and is Israel's only outlet to that sea, meaning it was blockaded by Nasser ?
Straits of Tiran
Which 1995 film was a collaboration between James Cameron and his then wife Kathryn Bigelow (who directed it)?
Strange Days
On which route was the ferry Princess Victoria on in 1953 when she sank with the loss of 100 lives?
Stranraer to Larne
Generations of Scottish schoolchildren learned to fear the Lochgelly. What is it?
Strap
The acclaimed 2009 vampire film Let The Right One In is filmed and set in which country?
Sweden
Drottningam Castle is the permanent residence of which family?
Swedish Royal Family
In which country is Europe's highest railway station?
Switzerland
What is known as the Disease of Naples by the French?
Syphillis
Who was the director of the 2005 Gothic fantasy film The Brothers Grimm?
Terry Gilliam
Which British boxer was once implicated in the attempted murder of Frank Warren?
Terry Marsh
A 2009 study by Oxford University showed that playing which computer game was effective in the treatment of PTSD?
Tetris
As well as Portuguese, which is the other official language of East Timor?
Tetum
Sometimes called the Japanese Walt Disney or the Father of Anime, who interpreted the life of Buddha between 1974 and 1984 in a series of manga books?
Tezuka
Which British actress has a Christian name meaning Beloved and also took the title role in the film Beloved?
Thandie Newton
Which Nintendo game has versions including Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass?
The Legend of Zelda
What were the name of the Olympic-style games that Nero started?
The Neronia
Which TV family operated a sawmill in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the Depression?
The Waltons
Whose new memoir The Settler's Cookbook tells the tale of how her family moved from India to Uganda and then onward to the UK through the recipes they used and the food they ate?
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Who played Lily Munster in the Munsters?
Yvonne de Carlo
At 106, Alice Herz-Sommer still practises the piano for two and a half hours every day. Earlier in her life, she gave 100 performances in which unusual venue?
Theresienstadt concentration camp
The basis of the movie 300, which battle of 480 BC saw an eventual victory for Persia over an outnumbered Greek army?
Thermopylae
Why were the times achieved by runners unusually slow at the Olympic 3000 metre steeplechase in 1932?
They ran one lap too many
In botany, how is the composite family of plants better known?
Thistle family
Who is the subject of Whistler's 'Arrangement in Grey and Black, Number 2'?
Thomas Carlyle
What was the name of the old-style colonial white man who stood trial in Kenya in 2009 accused of shooting one of his black servants?
Thomas Cholmondeley
In 1877, he constructed the phonograph, which he called 'the ideal amanuensis'. Who?
Thomas Edison
Which fisherman recorded country and western songs for his close friends on the Shetland Isles - and to critical acclaim in Nashville?
Thomas Fraser
Where do Munster play their home RU games?
Thomond Park, Limerick
The sequel to which classic of French literature is called 'Twenty Years After'?
Three Musketeers
In the standard ranking for hands of poker, which hand of five cards comes immediately above two pairs?
Three of a kind
What is the best-selling album ever?
Thriller
What was Steve Waugh's nickname?
Tugga
In which city is/was the annual Weltklasse athletics meeting held?
Zurich
Which bandleader commissioned George Gershwin to write Rhapsody in Blue?
Paul Whiteman
When the 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, what was the longest individual track race for women?
200m
Which Les Dawson character's catchphrase was 'Nickers, Nackers, Nockers'?
Cosmo Smallpiece
Who was the last ever man (and the practice is now banned) to recieve the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously?
Dag Hammarskjold
What is the English name for the Jewish festival of Purim?
Feast of Lots
What is the English name for the Jewish festival of Sukkot?
Feast of Tabernacles
In pop music, how is Michael Peter Balzary better known?
Flea
What is the craft of making arrows called ?
Fletching
What is removed in a cholecystetomy?
Gall Bladder and stones
Which famous song was originally just the B-side to the single 'Reason to Believe'?
Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart
The soundtrack score from which 2010 film originates entirely from Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf?
Inception
Pithecanthropus erectus is better known as what?
Java man
What was Enoch Powell's real first name?
John
Who wrote the biography of Joe Orton, Prick Up Your Ears?
John Lahr
What was the WW2 equivalent of Ultra in Bletchley Park in Honolulu?
Magic
MEG is an essential tool for scanning the brain. What does it stand for?
MagnetoEncephaloGraphy
The Artemisinin class of drugs, derived from wormwood, are used to treat what disease?
Malaria
Who won an Oscar for the Colonel Bogey March?
Malcolm Arnold
Which mammal is known in North America as the rock rabbit?
Pika
Cotumix cotumix is the Latin name for which bird?
Quail
Which company's lawnmowers are advertised with the slogan 'It's a lot less bovver than a hover'?
Qualcast
Which famous piece of classical music was described by its composer as a 17-minute crescendo?
Ravel's Bolero
Elvis Costello performs which Charles Aznavour song on the soundtrack of Notting Hill?
She
Which British freshwater fish can have three spines or ten spines?
Stickleback
With which feminist writer did Annie Leibowitz live for many years?
Susan Sontag
Which 2009 Steven Soderburgh film stars Matt Damon as a whistleblower in an agri-industrial company?
The Informant!
In which film does Frank Sinatra play the comedian Joe E Lewis?
The Joker Is Wild
Hoyt Hawkins, Neal Matthews and Gordon Stoker were better known as which backing band?
The Jordannaires
What is the name of the self-built refugee camp at Calais that Afghans have created to replace Sangatte?
The Jungle
What is the common name for the garden flower echinacea?
(PURPLE) CONEFLOWER
What is the internet domain name for Guernsey?
.gg
In which year did Crick, Watson and Wilkins win the DNA Nobel Prize?
1962
In which UK General Election could 18-year olds vote for the first time?
1970
In what year did Helsinki stage the inaugural World Athletics Championships?
1983
In which year was the Euro introduced on January 1st?
2002
In football, what is the width of the goalmouth, in feet?
24
Above which number does the & sign appear on a keyboard?
7
Which historian who specialised in c19 and c20 European history was born in Birkdale in 1906 and died in 1990?
A J P Taylor
Nicholas Jenkins is the narrator of which famous novel?
A Dance to the Music of Time
What item of furniture is a credenza?
A sideboard
According to the King James bible, what turneth away wrath?
A soft answer
Franco Baresi played more than 450 times for which Italian FC?
AC Milan
Name either of the European countries that joined NATO on 1 April 2009
ALBANIA or CROATIA
What is the name of the famous Afghanistan equivalent of the X Factor?
Afghan Star
What nickname was given to the Roman general Scipio after he defeated Hannibal at Zama?
Africanus
How is Laura Hollins better known?
Agyness Deyn
Which hunting lodge of the Earl of Shrewsbury now attracts thousands of visitors every year?
Alton Towers
In 2005, soldiers opened fire on demonstrators in which Uzbek city, killing hundreds?
Andijan
He established his business in Alessandria, Italy in 1859 making felt from Belgian rabbit fur. Which famous hat maker shares his name with a classic French gangster movie?
Borsalino
Which structuralist anthropologist wrote The Raw and the Cooked and The Elementary Structures of Kinship?
Claude Levi-Strauss
In the Highway Code, what does a red circle, red x and blue background mean?
Clearway
In a song, who had size nine feet and had shoes made from 'herring boxes without topses'?
Clementine
Which is the heaviest of the three modern fencing weapons?
Epee
Where on your body would you have LASIK or LASEK surgery?
Eye
One of the greatest Safavid rulers was Shah Abbas, responsible for which stunning blue mosque in Isfahan?
Imam Mosque
Who wrote the play of Enron?
Lucy Prebble
Under which PM did women get the vote on the same terms as men?
Stanley Baldwin
What is the nickname of the MARRIAGE OF FIGARO overture?
The egg-timer
James Van Allen contributed what to tennis?
The tie-break
Jimmy McDonald took over what from Walt Disney?
The voice of Mickey Mouse
Statius composed an epic about the tragic events in which Greek city?
Thebes
Alec Dickson founded which international development charity in 1958?
VSO
What was Titian's surname?
Vecelli
The Lauberhorn downhill skiing races are held close to which resort?
Wengen
Which was the other London football venue in the World Cup 1966 as well as Wembley?
White City
Which cocktail shares its name with an opponent of the Red Army?
White Russian
What was the nickname of Ruslan Chagaev, the Uzbek boxer who held the WBA heavyweight title in the late 2000s?
White Tyson
In Mah Jongg, which tile has a completely blank face?
White dragon
Which religion was largely founded by Gerald Gardner?
Wicca
NASA's WISE mission is an infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope launched in December 2009. It surveyed the entire sky over the course of six months. What does WISE stand for?
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
What was Martin Offiah's first Rugby League side?
Widnes
What some of money is called a Commodore (because it's 'three times a Lady')?
£15
Under UK company law, when an investor's shareholding reaches a certain threshold they are obliged to offer to buy up all the other shares in it. What is this threshold?
0.3
Which street in Manhattan famous for its theatres has a film and a Broadway stage show named after it?
42nd Street
What kind of animal, in the USA, is a 'stone toter'?
A fish
The Carsten Holler installation called Test Site at Tate Modern in 2006/7 took what form?
A slide
What is the US equivalent of the British car boot sale?
A yard sale
In a set of 28 dominoes how many have a total of exactly 6 dots?
A. Four
Who was the jockey who won the Grand National in 1967 on Foinavon?
A. John Buckingham
During World War I, what was notable about the French government's award of the Croix de Guerre to the US 369th Infantry Regiment?
ALL-BLACK (also first allied unit to reach the Rhine)
Umkhonto we Sizwe was the military wing of which organisation?
ANC
Between AD 195, when Septimius Severus sacked and re-built the city, and AD 330 when Constantine selected it as the capital of New Rome, by what name was Byzantium /Constantinople/Istanbul known?
ANTONINIA
In which month of the year is Walpurgis Night celebrated in Europe and Scandinavia?
APRIL (Eve of May Day)
In the summer of 2010, which was the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriages nationwide?
ARGENTINA
Who plays the role of the musician Wladyslaw Szpilman in an award winning film of 2002?
Adrien Brody
Which group of Muslims in Pakistan follow the teachings of their c19 leader and are discriminated against and attacked by mainstream Sunnis, with the Pakistani constitution writing them out of citizenship?
Ahmadis
In 2009, Les Johnson's new statue for the Fourth Plinth was unveiled. It depicts which Battle of Britain hero?
Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Park
He directed a 3D re-make of the movie Piranha. Which French Jew with a palindromic surname found fame in 2006 with a remake of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes?
Aja
The name of which Islamic insurgency group in Somalia means literally 'The Lads' or 'The Youths'?
Al-Shabab
Which writer claimed that 'if you live to be 90 in England and can still eat a boiled egg, then they think you deserve a major honour'?
Alan Bennett
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, V for Vendetta and Watchmen are all the works of which graphic novelist?
Alan Moore
Which Apollo astronaut played golf on the moon?
Alan Shepherd
Whose political memoir was called The Blair Years?
Alastair Campbell
A Matter Of Life And Death is abook about going for a year without football by which comedic duo and real life husband and (ex)-wife?
Alastair MacGowan and Ronni Ancona
Where in England is the National Memorial Arboretum?
Alrewas
What name is given to a typographical design or artform that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction, or orientation. The words readable in the other viewpoint, direction or orientation may be the same or different from the original words?
Ambigram
What is the name of Billy Liar's imagined country in his fantasies where he is Emperor?
Ambrosia
In the Discworld novels, Mustrum Ridcully holds which title, as Discworld's most senior wizard at the Unseen University?
Arch-Chancellor
What word means the method of seperating a mixture of gases due to their different rates of passage through a porous septum?
Atmolysis
Tennis player Jelena Dokic played for Serbia and which other, adopted country?
Australia
Which noun and adjective is given to materials, including paper, that have a negative Poisson's ratio. When stretched, they become thicker. This occurs due to their hinge-like structures?
Auxetic
How is Persian polymath Ibn Seena better known?
Avicenna
Deryck Wibley is/was married to which Canadian singer?
Avril Lavigne
The Aliyev dynasty controls which country?
Azerbaijan
If 594 x 841 is A1 in paper sizes, what is 707 x 1000?
B1
Which 1987 Danish film directed by Gabriel Axel was based on a story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), and was the first Danish cinema film of a Blixen story?
Babette's Feast
In pool, which shot is the equivalent of a 'double' in snooker?
Bank
Which British stamp issued in 1870 was the country's smallest ever and shares its name with a farmyard animal?
Bantam
Which trophy is awarded to the winner of rugby league test series between Great Britain and New Zealand?
Baskerville Shield
How does Jakarta, Indonesia, have a connection with Fermilab?
Batavia (former name and Fermilab's Illinois location)
What Greek word was first used by Alexander Pope and means a descent from the sublime to the ridiculous or an anticlimax?
Bathos
Born in Stepney in 1939 one of his first jobs was as a bouncer at Ilford Palais which was managed by Jimmy Savile at the time. He also worked as a Billingsgate porter (2pts) His brother George was his manager and invested his earnings in a string of London nightclubs. (1pt) His nickname was "Golden Boy". His professional record was 21 wins (16 by knockout), 8 losses and 2 draws. During 1967, he fought for both the British and European titles, losing to Henry Cooper (Great Britain) and Karl Mildenberger (West Germany) respectively. Who was he?
Billy Walker
Which American, who died in 2002, won both the Olympic 100m title and the Superbowl?
Bob Hayes
What do almost all cars have that the De Lorean cars did not?
Body paint
He has the shaved head, thick neck and massive shoulders of a wrestler, which is what he was, long ago. He was also a fireman, karate coach, bodyguard and top policeman. What is the name of the Bulgariam PM elected in 2009 on a promise to clean up corruption?
Boiko Borisov
Who is the famous aunt of Brookside and Sound of Music actress Summer Strallen?
Bonnie Langford
As well as Tommy Stack, who else rode Red Rum to victory in the Grand National?
Brian Fletcher
Which captain of Somerset declared after one over in the 1979 B and H cup, leading to disqualification and a change in the rules so that it would never happen again?
Brian Rose
Which football team suffered successive relegations from the first to the fourth divisions from 1979 to 1982?
Bristol City
Which name was used from 1945 to 1993 for what then became British Forces, Germany?
British Army of the Rhine
What euphemistic name was given to the communal kitchens set up by the Ministry of Food in WW2 to ensure people who had run out of rationing coupons could still eat?
British Restaurants
In which British overseas territory is the famous Carribean Island of Necker?
British Virgin Islands
imdb.com is for films- so what does the B of ibdb.com stand for?
Broadway
Which school did Mr Chips teach at?
Brookfield
Which form of exercise consists of dropping to a squat position, kicking the feet backwards and doing a push-up before jumping as high as possible with hands over the head?
Burpee
Who wrote the 11-novel series 'Strangers and Brothers'?
C P Snow
Which institution had to publish an FAQ on Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, stating that antimatter cannot be used as an energy source because creating it takes more energy than it produces?
CERN
In the troubled times of the 15th century, Yolande D'Aragon used her position to secure the French monarchy by marriage, diplomacy and force. She was the mother-in-law of which French king?
CHARLES VII
Which motor manufacturor produced models called the Calais, Seville and Cimarron?
Cadillac
Escholtzia is the plant with which common name?
California poppy
Who resigned as Chancellor following the 1967 devaluation?
Callaghan
Which butterfly is known as a Mourning Cloak in America?
Camberwell Beauty
Norodom Sihamoni is king of which country?
Cambodia
The Matchless Six competed in the Amsterdam Olympics, 1928. From which country were they?
Canada
Which country's most presigious film prizes are the Genie awards?
Canada
What would you be making if you were using micro-soft, micro-hard and stearin?
Candles
Which 216BC battle was the Roman Empire's greatest ever defeat, with 16 legions crushed by Hannibal's Carthiginian forces?
Cannae
Thriller writer Deon Meyer specialises in fast-paced novels of revenge and redemption that also manage to give a revealing portrait of a country in transition. Including the famous Adderley Street flower market, places in which city influence his best-selling books?
Cape Town
Anders Sparrman was a Swedish naturalist who accompanied which more famous man on his voyages of discovery?
Captain Cook
In Camberwick Green, who was the commander of Pippin Fort?
Captain Flack
Double Falsehood the early eighteenth century play by Lewis Theobald is believed to be a re-writing of which lost play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher?
Cardenio
Which clu is associated with the notorious hooligans called the Soul Crew?
Cardiff City
Justine Levy's 2004 French bestselling novel Rien de Grave told how a model-turned-singer called Paula stole the author's boyfriend and was a thinly-disguised account of whose behaviour?
Carla Bruni
Which golf course has holes called Jockie's Burn, South America, Spectacles and Barry Burn?
Carnoustie
Which poet was awarded the OBE ten years after her collection Standing Female Nude?
Carol Ann Duffy
What is the occupation of Jon Arbuckle in Garfield?
Cartoonist
Whose last film was the 1966 'Walk, don't run'?
Cary Grant
What was the surname of the boy who 'stood on the burning deck'?
Casabianca
Which Australian from Kurri Kurri, NSW, won the MotoGP in 2007?
Casey Stoner
Which tuber is native to Brazil and was widely planted in the W Indies to feed slaves? It's highly toxic until cooked.
Cassava or manioc
What name is given to the spice from the Chinese cinnamon tree?
Cassia
Of which Shakespeare character is it remarked 'He thinks too much- such men are dangerous'?
Cassius
Blue John mine in Derbyshire is near which village?
Castleton
Who was the mother of Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III?
Catherine de Medici
What name is given to the interchange of the M6, A14 and M1?
Catthorpe interchange
What is the name of Tuscan kale, which is also known as black cabbage?
Cavolo nero
Who wrote the book Half of A Yellow Sun, about the Biafra conflict?
Chimimanda NGOZI ADICHIE
BYD is a car-makers from which country?
China
He is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer, and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party. He has stood for the House of Commons for the Socialist Alliance. Who?
China Mieville
What is the name of mythical lions found in or around Burmese temples?
Chindits
What is the most famous work of artist Vladimir Tretchikoff, sometimes called the King of Kitsch?
Chinese Girl
What is the English translation of the French 'tire-bouchon'?
Corkscrew
Which creature's name derives from the Latin for Sea Crow?
Cormorant
In which event did Steve Redgrave win the first of his five Olympic Gold medals?
Coxed Four
By what other name is the prairie wolf more commonly known?
Coyote
In the USA, what name is given to a mixture of popcorn and peanut coated in toffee which is the baseball fan's snack of choice?
Cracker Jack
On which East Belfast estate did George Best grow up?
Cregagh
Which US trademarked name for a cooker that has an integral heating element is often used generically to mean 'slow cooker'?
Crock Pot
In which game are the handicaps called bisques and run from 26 to -2 for world-class players?
Croquet
This theoretical contract, based on Islamic doctrine, grants special residence status to Jewish, Christian, and other non-Muslim subjects in return for taxes. While such persons have fewer 10 legal and social rights than Muslims, they are treated better than other non-Muslims. Derived from the Arabic for "people of the contract", which Islamic term describes these non-Muslim subjects in states governed under Sharia law?
DHIMMI
The first British comic strip, Charles Folkard's Adventures of Teddy Tail, appeared in which newspaper in 1915?
Daily Mail
The title of which children's TV series of the 1960s means Doctor in Swahili?
Daktari
Who was the first ever black winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, in 1982?
Daley Thompson
What is the modern name for India's historic lowest class of 'untouchables'?
Dalits
Who wrote 'Stumbling on Happiness'?
Daniel Gilbert
Mr Creakle and Tom Traddles are in which Dickens book?
David Copperfield
Who became leader of the Liberal party from 1926 to 1931, having formerly been PM?
David Lloyd George
Which English actor's 2010 feature film directorial debut Don't Worry About Me, is set in his home town of Liverpool?
David Morrissey
Which New Yorker editor published a biography of Barack Obama in 2010?
David Remnick
Which female TV personality has, among others, children called Holly and Tilly?
Davina McCall
In the Pirates of the Caribbean, who is the ship's captain played by Bill Nighy?
Davy Jones
Which two word French phrase means 'not wanted' or 'in the way'?
De trop
Laura Pierce was the first person to win the top prize in which tedious game-show?
Deal or No Deal
Set in the year 2052, which multi-nationally produced space travel TV drama series featured the crew of the Antares?
Defying Gravity
Which princess from Caledonia married Heracles?
Deianira
Her alternative names include Elissa (Greek) and Elishat (Phoenician). The Phoenician for 'wanderer', how was she known to Arab writers?
Dido
Which was the first James Bond film in which John Cleese played Q?
Die Another Day
DSLAMs are installed at exchanges by telephone companies to speed up customer access to the internet. What does DSLAM stand for?
Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
Which Mexican man won the London Marathon in 1994, 5 and 6?
Dionicio Ceron
In bingo, how is 30 known?
Dirty Gertie
Frederick Lanchester patented which type of brake for cars?
Disc brake
Which video game character created by Shigeru Miyamoto wears only a necktie?
Donkey Kong
What was the name of the famous snail in ginger beer case that laid the foundations for tort law?
Donohue versus Stevenson
What nickname was originally given to a cheap car in the 1930s but later became the nickname of a deadly German weapon?
Doodlebug
Which female painter, an associate of the Bloomsbury set, was portrayed by Emma Thompson in a 1995 film?
Dora Carrington
What is the name of the public television broadcaster in India?
Dordashan
Muscardinus avellanarius is the Latin name of which animal?
Dormouse
In cricket scoring, what symbol is used to represent a no ball, with no additional runs scored?
Dot in a circle
Which member of the violin family is usually played pizzicato in a jazz context?
Double bass
In the phases of a golf shot, what is the second after backswing and before impact?
Downswing
Who was the first man to call Britain 'Great Britain'?
Dr John Dee
R Griggs and co began to produce what boots under license in Britain in 1960?
Dr Martens
Which role on TV has been played by actors with the real names David McDonald, Percy Kent-Smith and Peter Moffatt?
Dr Who
Who was the Prime Minister of France at the outbreak of WWII?
EDOUARD DALADIER
In which African country is the Danikil Desert?
ETHIOPIA
In 2004 Rocco Buttiglioni had to resign which position due to his religious views?
EU Commissioner
Described as the most influential environmental photograph ever taken, what name is given to the image taken by Anders from Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve 1968?
Earthrise
Mystery writer Walter Mosley created which black detective from Watts in Los Angeles, real first name 'Ezekiel'?
Easy Rawlins
The notorious verse Leviticus 20:13 is taken as justification for an anti-homosexual stance by some Christians. In that case, if they also follow Leviticus 11:12, they should not do what?
Eat shellfish
What specific name is given to fishermen who specialise in fishing under bridges?
Ebbermen
What is the highest point in Warwickshire?
Ebrington Hill
Living on the Front Line was whose first solo single after leaving the Equals in 1979?
Eddie Grant
Which cyclist spent a record 111 days wearing the yellow jersey in the Tour de France?
Eddy Mercx
The emblem of German, Polish and Austrian troops, which flower do the heroes go in search of in Asterix in Switzerland?
Edelweiss
Who is known as the Father of Anglo-American Conservatism and coined the term 'The Fourth Estate'?
Edmund Burke
Which King of the West Saxons from 802 had by 829 united England for the first time under one king?
Egbert
Which dish consisting of egg yolks on a sweet base made of sugar and rosewater was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries?
Eggs in Moonshine
Swallow's Nest, Death Bivouac and the White Spider are all features on which European mountain?
Eiger
Brownian motion was successfully explained by which physicist of the c20?
Einstein
Which US President approved the cover-up of the Gary Powers incident?
Eisenhower
Which US president was born in Denison, Texas and was baptised a Presbyterian while in office?
Eisenhower
The Devil's Garden, so called by the Desert Rats, is still littered with unexploded ordnance that makes daily life a hazard for inhabitants. From which battle is this ordnance left over?
El Alamein
Gurrumul, the blind Aboriginal singer who has never learnt braille and speaks only a few words of English, is from which island off the coast of Australia?
Elcho Island
Cary Grant Expects Unanimous Votes in Movie Reviews Tonight is a mnemonic for remembering what?
Electro-magnetic spectrum (Cosmic, Gamma, X-Rays, Ultraviolet, Visible, etc)
The annual video game industry trade show in Los Angeles is called E3. What does this stand for?
Electronic Entertainment Expo
Which poem, which tends to be a serious reflection on something, has a name from the Greek for 'lament'?
Elegy
Which dictator's wife was particularly fond of claiming (incorrectly) that she was an eminent scientist in her own country, a deception in which her husband connived?
Elena Ceausescu
In 2009, which 37-year old film-maker revealed that he once worked as a sex chat room operator, posing as a woman?
Eli Roth
Which prophet found God in a 'still, small voice'?
Elijah
Which South African man co-founded PayPal and designed Falcon 1, the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit?
Elon Musk
Which man won more chess championships (seven) than any other man?
Emanuel Lasker
Which F1 motor racer broke his neck in a race in Michigan in 1996?
Emerson Fittipaldi
Which biochemist rose to the heart of the German scientific establishment on the back of a bogus theory of 'protective enzymes'? The infamous Dr Josef Mengele employed his methods in his experiments at Auschwitz. Despite doubts about his work across the world, he was nominated 51 times for the Nobel Prize.
Emil Abderhalden
Which former Sudanese child soldier's life story has been charted in his rap records Ceasefire and Warchild. Following a film documentary about his journey, he is now releasing a book called "warchild" which charts in full detail how his mother was murdered, he was inducted into a children's army and his ultimate rehabilitation by a British aid worker before he went on to become an internationally successful rapper who performed at Live 8 and Nelson Mandela's 90th birth celebrations?
Emmanuel Jal
Which is the French equivalent of the English Regency style?
Empire
Powerful grid computers have revived a musical instrument that was last heard in Ancient Greece. It's a 48 stringed instrument named after its inventor. Whilst no complete example survives, the instrument, somewhat similar to a harp, had a soundboard and was plucked like a guitar, What's it called?
Epigonion
Francisco Macias Nguema was the first president of which African country?
Equatorial Guinea
In the first of his world darts championships in 1990, who did Phil Taylor beat in the final?
Eric Bristow
On whose novel was the film The Wooden Horse based?
Eric Williams
What was TV presenter 'Johnny' Morris's real first name?
Ernest
In 2002, a cult called Clonaid announced (it was a hoax) that they had cloned a daughter from cells taken from a mother. What was the name of the 'daughter'?
Eve
Men At Arms, Officers and Gentlemen and Unconditional Surrender make up the Sword of Honour trilogy by whom?
Evelyn Waugh
The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy is a short satirical novel by whom about the funeral business in LA?
Evelyn Waugh
How often are the World Showjumping Championships held, with the 2006 event in Aachen, Germany?
Every four years
One of the most viewed YouTube videos ever was by Judson Laipply, a comedian from Bucyrus, OH. What is the name of his hit series of videos?
Evolution of Dance
Which Stones album was famously recorded in the basement of Keith Richards' villa in the South of France?
Exile on Main Street
The XREP is the next generation of Taser, and has been dubbed 'The Taser shotgun'. What does XREP stand for?
Extended range electronic projectile
In music, the bass clef is known by the name of which note, which it indicates on the stave?
F
The body known as Fannie Mae was instituted by which US president?
F D Roosevelt
Created by Marvel comics, what first is claimed by Northstar, a French-Canadian mutant who revealed himself in 1992?
FIRST OPENLY GAY SUPERHERO
The third mode melody from Archbishop Parker's Psalter appears in which orchestral work of 1910?
Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis (RVW)
Sharing his name with an England footballing family, who was the 'flower smelling bull' in a 1936 children's book by Munro Leaf?
Ferdinand
Which former pop star is, as of 2009, the CEO of UK Music?
Fergal Sharkey
What is the normal English translation of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha, also known as 'Greater Eid'?
Festival of Sacrifice
What is the name of a banknote not backed by gold?
Fiduciary note
In 1906, what was the first European country to give women the vote?
Finland
Who replaced Michael Aspel as presenter of the Antiques Roadshow in 2008?
Fiona Bruce
The Maitisong festival of music, dance and theatre takes over which African capital city annually?
Gabarone
Born in 1950, which Irish actor married and divorced the American actress Ellen Barkin, with whom he had two children?
Gabriel Byrne
Complete the Mexican guitar duo- Rodrigo y?
Gabriela
The successor to Hipparcos, which ESA mission will compile a detailed 3-D map of our galaxy from 2012 onwards, when it's launched?
Gaia
Before assuming power, Dmitri Medvedev was CEO of which huge company?
Gazprom
Which city is known as the 'city of a thousand fires'?
Gelsenkirchen
Which doddery, old, and gullible Austrian general surrendered the bridge at Austerlitz after the French tricked him into believing that an armistice had been signed? He was court-marshalled for his error.
General Auersperg
In 2009, which company became the biggest industrial bankruptcy in the history of the US?
General Motors
Also called a Maltese Cross, which gear mechanism translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion?
Geneva Drive
In the Verdi opera Simone Boccanegra becomes the first Doge of which city?
Genoa
In Wes Anderson's stop-motion animated Fantastic Mr Fox, who voices Mr Fox?
George Clooney
Who was the first female candidate for US Vice president?
Geraldine Ferrero
How is the Renaissance painter Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi better known?
Ghirlandaio
In early 2010, L'Homme Qui Marche broke all records for a sculpute price when it was sold at auction for over £65m. Who did it?
Giacometti
Which TV show was originally called 'Peter Sellers Is Dead'?
Goodness Gracious Me
Born in Yugoslavia to a Serbian mother and Croatian father, he's a rocker, a film-score composer, and leader of a 40-strong brass band called The Wedding and Funeral Band. His latest album is called Alkohol. What's his name?
Goran Bregovic
Ceri Levy is the director of Bananaz, a documentary about which band?
Gorillaz
How was Nizhny Novgorod known in the Communist era?
Gorky
Which world music band based in Paris has a vesre name referencing its roots in Argentinian dance?
Gotan Project
What motto appeared on the belt buckles of Kaiser Wilhelm's troops in WW1?
Gott Mit Uns
What was the real name of Jilted John and John Shuttleworth?
Graham Fellowes
In 1968 he left his British group to go to America, where he helped create another group. He was made an OBE in 2010. Which man?
Graham Nash
The several versions of which bestselling Playstation game include 5-Prologue?
Gran Turismo
What was the name of the bio-chemist who accompanied Che Guevara on his Norton around South America?
Granado
Essential equipment for a boxer comprises gloves, hand tape, protector below the waist, boots and what else ?
Gumshield
Which variant of the alloy bronze is made up of copper, tin and zinc?
Gun metal
In film classification, what did the X certificate replace?
H (for Horror)
The only cat to ever win the Dickin medal was Simon, the ship's cat on which vessel?
HMS Amethyst
On which ship was Kitchener drowned?
HMS Hampshire
Which Royal Navy submarine carries the unopened 'last instructions' of the current British PM that are to be used posthumously in the event of a national catastrophe or nuclear strike?
HMS Vengeance
To travel from Manhattan to new Jersey, one may ride the PATH train. For what does the H in PATH stand?
HUDSON
The 1920 Treaty of Trianon formally ended WW1. It was signed by the Allied powers on the one hand and representatives of which (now EU member) country on the other'?
HUNGARY
What is the name of the state-run cigar supplier in Cuba?
Habanos
Which sort of horse, with a high-stepping action, was bred to draw light carriages for hire?
Hackney
What was Tennyson's last word, although other sources say it was 'Oh that press will have me now'?
Hallam'
Douglas Bunn created the Derby Bank at Hickstead in the image of a similar obstacle at which course in Germany?
Hamburg
Which 1948 film won 4 Oscars in 1949?
Hamlet (Olivier)
In 1971, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton started which chain of restaurants, their first being in Mayfair?
Hard Rock Cafes
Which German philosopher, who held that thought and being are one, died of cholera while Rector of Berlin University?
Hegel
Which common girl's name means 'The Bright One'?
Helen
Who, in 1856, became the first PM of New Zealand?
Henry Sewell
Which brother of Apollo sneaked into his pasture when only a day old and stole all his cows?
Hermes
Which king began to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple during the reign of Augustus?
Herod the Great
Which European space observatory is at L2 of the Earth-Sun system and is measuring infrared wavebands, and includes the largest single mirror ever launched in a space telescope?
Herschel Space Observatory
Which American poet, author of Oread, was known by her initials HD?
Hilda Doolittle
Why was Vivaldi called the Red Priest?
His hair colour
What precise name is given to the deposition of ice crystals directly out of the air when the dew point is at or below freezing point?
Hoar frost or rime
Which book by Chris Stringer tells the epic story of the human colonisation of Britain?
Homo Britannicus
What is the common name for the garden plant Lunaria, also sometimes called the Money Plant for its shiny silvery paper-like discs?
Honesty
In which city did Walter Swinburne suffer severe head injuries in 1996?
Hong Kong
On which river does Kolkata stand?
Hooghly
Why is Coromoto's in Merida, Venezuela, in the Guinness Book of Records?
Ice-cream parlour selling 860 flavours
Darwinius is a genus of Adapiformes, a group of basal primates from the Eocene epoch. Its only known species is the lemur-like Darwinius masillae, dated to 47 million years ago. Discovered in 1983, what is the nickname for this fossil, thought at the time to have been a possible 'missing link' between primates and other mammals?
Ida
Which ancient city in southwestern Nigeria, centre of an important kingdom from 700AD, is regarded as the world capital of the Yoruba people?
Ife
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim co-wrote 'Here Lies Love', a 2010 song cycle based around the life of which controversial real-life figure?
Imelda Marcos
In which 2007 film did Will Smith star alongside real-life son Jaden?
In Pursuit of Happyness
Where would you find a swingletree?
In the traces of a horse-drawn vehicle or plough
A triumphal arch, what is the name of the Indian war memorial in Delhi?
India Gate
Based in Geneva, which Educational Foundation offers a Diploma Programme replacing A levels in some schools?
International Baccalaureate
If you superimpose a ! on a ? then how is the resulting rarely used punctuation mark known?
Interrobang
Which city is known as the 'city of a hundred names'?
Istanbul
What song does Sportin' Life sing casting doubt on the literal truth of the Bible?
It Ain't Necessarily So
Three films have won all five major Academy Awards (Film, Screenplay, Director, Actor, Actress). Name all three
It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Silence of the Lambs
Why do American footballers paint black marks across their cheeks ?
It helps to protect against the suns glare
Which Anglo-Saxon knight has been played on television by Roger Moore, Eric Flynn and Stephen Waddington?
Ivanhoe
By what name is the actor, playwright and composer born David Igor Davies in Cardiff better know?
Ivor Novello
Who wrote Franny and Zooey and For Esme With Love and Squalor?
J D Salinger
Sally Rhubarb and German Sausage are among the names given to which plant?
Japanese Knotweed
Who was the twin brother of Lech Kaczynski, who stood for (and failed) President of Poland after his brother's death?
Jaroslav
During 2006, which Australian scored a double century against Bangladesh after coming on as a night-watchman?
Jason Gillespie
Corrine Bailey Rae's album The Sea was recorded in memory of her late husband, but what was his name?
Jason Rae
Which is the world's most populous island?
Java
In 1996, which Sri Lankan managed to score a century off only 48 balls?
Jayasuriya
The Miracle of the Flowers and the Lady of the Rose are novels by which writer, born 1910?
Jean Genet
Which 1933-born French actor of Sicilian descent had his breakthrough role in Godard's 'A Bout de Souffle'?
Jean Paul Belmondo
Who directed Alphaville and Une Femme est Une Femme?
Jean-Luc Godard
Born in 1952, whih fashion designer worked which Pierre Cardin for 2 years before joining Patou, then going freelance in 1976?
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Director of the Earth Institute at Colombia University, who is known for his work The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time?
Jeffrey Sachs
Which Austrian playwright and novelist wrote the filmed The Piano Player and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004?
Jenelik
Who first rose to public attention playing Emily Shadwick on Brookside?
Jennifer Ellison
Which driver won his first ever F1 Grand Prix at the 113th attempt in Hungary 2006?
Jensen Button
Which c19 British philosopher called 'natural rights' 'nonsense on stilts'?
Jeremy Bentham
Name all of the original Three Men in a Boat.
Jerome K Jerome, George and Harris
Who was Carole King's first husband, and song co-writer?
Jerry Goffin
Selected for 13 Pro Bowls and playing mainly for the San Francasico 49ers, who holds the NFL records of 1549 receptions, 33,895 recieving yards, and 197 touchdown catches?
Jerry Rice
Which 1950s singing star was called 'America's Most Versatile Singer'?
Jo Stafford
Which historical figure was played by Maria Falconetti in a film of 1928 that was formerly banned in Britain for its depiction of English soldiers?
Joan of Arc
Before Michael Schumacher in 2000, who was the last Ferrari F1 champion, over two decades earlier?
Jody Scheckter
Which of the Davies brothers won the World Snooker Championship on the first 15 occasions it was held?
Joe
On 4 June 1979, a day before his 40th birthday, which leader of the Progressive Conservative Party became Canada's youngest prime minister and the only person to ever defeat Pierre Trudeau in a federal election?
Joe CLARK
Which Ulsterman won a record number of TT races but was killed on a racing circuit in Estonia in the 2000s?
Joey Dunlop
Which other non-Catalan preceded Bobby Robson as Barcelona manager?
Johann Cruyff
Who completed the printing of the Gutenberg bible in 1453?
Johann Fust
Which Hungarian-born mathematician and scientist oversaw the creation of the early computer MANIAC-1 at Princeton from 1940-52?
Johann von Neumann
Which US entrepreneur made his fortune through the American Fur Company, which he founded in 1808?
John Jacob Astor
Originally a Catholic priest, which Protestant reformer was chaplain to Edward VI?
John Knox
Who was the first ever player to throw a nine-dart finish on TV?
John Lowe
Who wrote the 2007 book 'More than A Game', a history of early cricket?
John Major
In 2004, Wendy Craig revealed that her son Ross was in fact fathered by which writer during a 1960s affair?
John Mortimer
Which author selected the epitath 'The Defence Rests'?
John Mortimer
Which Nobel-prize winning mathematician was once arrested for indecent exposure?
John Nash
In 2006, Scotland Yard investigated whether which politician had breached the Prevention of Corruption Acts by accepting a £600 cowboy outfit from Philip Anschutz?
John Prescott
Which former US President in 1848 suffered a fatal stroke in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, to which he had been re-elected after serving as president from 1825 to 1829?
John Quincy Adams
Which man, born in Black Notley, Essex, in 1627, is called the Father of English Natural History?
John Ray
Which Hardy novel was greeted with such outrage that Hardy said it put him off novel-writing, and from then on wrote poetry instead?
Jude the Obscure
Probably the most famous contestant to take part in the BBC series Superstars, Brian Jacks was also successful in which sport?
Judo
Who appeared on British television on December 15, 2009, and said that rumours that she would be singing at an O2 concert in 2010 were not true. Instead, she said she will be doing a form of "speak singing". Her subsequent performance was panned by critics?
Julie Andrews
Which actress's character does Tom Courtenay fall in love with in Billy Liar?
Julie Christie
The controversial leader of the African National Congress's youth wing divides opinion, for some he is a symbol of the corruption for which the ANC is becoming notorious. What's his name?
Julius Malema
This Belgian lady was born in Liege in 1982. She has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, being four French Open titles (three being in a row), one Australian Open title, two US Open titles and gold in the singles at Athens 2004. In May 2008 she announced her retirement only to return in 2010 at the Australian Open on a wildcard entry. Who is she?
Justine Henin
He directed Bandit Queen. Then he changed his focus to Western history and directed Elizabeth (1998) and the Four Feathers (2002). Which man?
Kapoor
Which lake is formed by the damming of the Zambezi?
Kariba
Who directed Cathy Come Home?
Ken Loach
Who played Marty Hopkirk in the original 60s series?
Kenneth Cope
Who created the classical ballet, Mayerling - a tale of death, sex, debauchery and drugs. He was a man who broke the bounds of classical ballet by insisting that no subject was too dark or too brutal to tackle?
Kenneth MacMillan
Plans for a museum in Mumbai to which late Nobel Prize-winning Briton were shelved in 2010 as he has detractors in India as well as fans?
Kipling
Which city, 150 miles north of Baghdad, is the centre of the Iraqi petroleum industry?
Kirkuk
What is the name of the black brocade cloth covering the Ka'aba in Islam?
Kiswah
The Hahnenkamm downhill skiing races are held at which resort?
Kitzbuhel
Which musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe consists largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations? It developed in the United States among Jewish immigrants.
Klezmer
Monsignor James Horan is most associated with which Catholic location?
Knock (he built the airport and basilica)
What is the administrative capital of Sri Lanki, in the suburbs of the commercial capital Colombo?
Kotte
What was the real surname of the mapmaker Mercator?
Kremer
Vouvray and Sancerre wines come from which wine region of France?
LOIRE VALLEY
In 2010, it hosted a major sporting spectacle: in which city is the '11 de Novembro' stadium?
LUANDA (Africa Cup of Nations Final)
Marvel was the first comic company to give a black superhero his own comic book - which character made his first appearance in 1972?
LUKE CAGE
Which royal is married to George Gilman?
Lady Rose Windsor
Which is the largest lake by surface area entirely within one country?
Lake Michigan
Which award has been won twice by Martin Offiah, Andy Gregory and Gerry Helme and three times by Sean Long?
Lance Todd trophy
The oldest of NASA's research laboratories, where the Lunar Lander was tested and where research into supersonic aircraft continues, is in Hampton, Virginia. What's it called?
Langley Research Centre
Which co-founder of Wikipedia fed out with Jimmy Wales and launched a rival, Citizendium, with experts contributing?
Larry Sanger
American stand-up comic and actor Daniel Lawrence Whitney is better known by which four-word moniker?
Larry The Cable Guy
How Not To Cry At Weddings' was the title of the last-ever episode of which sitcom?
Last of the Summer Wine
In the series Kingdom, what was the profession of Stephen Fry's title character?
Lawyer
Which move in ice-skating was invented by Cecilia Colledge of Great Britain, who also invented the camel spin?
Layback spin
In 1999, which Italian club were the last ever winners of the European Cup-Winner's Cup?
Lazio
Which satirical newspaper appeared during revolutionary periods of the nineteenth century in France? It borrowed its title from the original work of the same name published by Jacques Hébert during the French Revolution.
Le Père Duchene
Which musician styled himself 'King of the 12 String Guitar'?
Leadbelly
According to myth, which King founded Leicester and is buried in a chamber underneath the Soar?
Lear
Hiba Al Kawas is a composer and soprano who has been credited with inventing Arabic Opera. Which country is he from?
Lebanon
What is the after edge of a sail called?
Leech
Who won three RL Grand finals in a row 2007-9?
Leeds Rhinos
Munster had an unbeaten run at home in the Heineken Cup for 12 years until 2007, when which team beat them there?
Leicester Tigers
Who was the first ever World Darts Champion?
Leighton Rees
Which former TV reality show contestant, now a successful recording artist, has the surname Obika?
Lemar
Which two men, sentenced in Chicago in 1924 and defended by Clarence Darrow, attempted to commit the 'perfect murder' and their story is told in Patrick Hamilton's 'Rope', also made into a Hitchcock film?
Leopold and Loeb
What is particularly notable about The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, and is the reason they have been made into a film?
Lesbians in Victorian London
Who preceded Donald Sinden in the title role of the TV drama series Our Man At St Mark's?
Leslie Phillips
Thin Lizzie, Inspiral Carpets and Simply Red have all had albums with which single-word title?
Life
Which annual music festival takes place in Ullapool, and its name is an anagram of 'Ullapool'?
Loopalou
In Chigley, who owned the private railway and drove the steam engine Bessie?
Lord Belborough
Under what name did Sir Alec Douglas-Home play first-class cricket?
Lord Dunglass
Who was in charge of the BEF at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation?
Lord Gort
In 2010, who completed his report into the events of Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972?
Lord Justice Savile
Which man escaped from the Tower of London thanks to his wife helping to disguise him as a woman after being sentenced to death for his part in attempting to restore the Old Pretender to the throne?
Lord Nithsdale (5th Earl of)
Which man, known as 'The Magnificent', was the ruler of Florence during the renaissance?
Lorenzo de Medici
The US police series 'The Shield' is set in which city?
Los Angeles
With which king is the phrase 'Apres moi, la deluge' associated?
Louis XV
The Prussian Karl Wilhelm Naundorff was the most successful and tenacious of the men claiming to be who?
Louis XVII of France
In which Shakespeare comedy do the King of Navarre and his men swear to avoid the company of women for three years?
Love's Labour's Lost
Of whom did Churchill say 'He Came, He Saw, He Capitulated', blaming him for the Gallipoli fiasco?
Lt Gen Charles Monro
Which German born artist and woodcarver has a winged snake as his emblem and did many portraits of Martin Luther?
Lucas Cranach
Who became the second Chancellor of West Germany in 1963?
Ludwig Erhard
Which bony freshwater fish with fleshy paired fins and an elongated body breathes air?
Lungfish
Which town is Monty Panesar from?
Luton
Which city in Egypt is on the site of Thebes?
Luxor
Born Jozef De Veuster he is better known as Father Damian. In 2009 the Pope declared him a Saint for his charitable work with the lepers on which Hawaiian island, where he lived and eventually died himself of leprosy in 1889?
MOLOKAI
It carries 2 million passengers a year and each single trip lasts less than 90 seconds; which highly distinctive (and frankly unusual) part of the Paris Metro requires a separate ticket?
MONTMARTRE FUNICULAR
What was the middle name of Senator Edward M Kennedy, who died in August 2009?
MOORE
Which of Marlborough's victories in the War of the Spanish Succession was the heaviest in terms of casualties and was fought to prevent the French from relieving the siege of Mons?
Malplaquet
Which dance craze of the 1950s, popularised by Perez 'Prez' Prado, fused Cuban music with Jazz?
Mambo
What is the name of the national hero of Kyrgyzstan?
Manas
Kill To Get Crimson is a 2006 album by whom?
Mark Knopfler
Which batsman averaged over 100 runs in first class cricket in 2006?
Mark Ramprakash
Which snooker player is nicknamed 'The Jester from Leicester'?
Mark Selby
Which cricketer was nicknamed Junior due to his relationship to his brother?
Mark Waugh
The only left-handed player to win the World Championship (Ronnie O'Sullivan is ambidexturous) which he did in 2000 and 2003 he is known as the The Welsh Potting Machine. Who is he?
Mark Williams
Who, in 2000, became the first ever left-handed world snooker champion?
Mark Williams
The Darian calendar has been proposed for putative human settlers of what planet?
Mars
Which pastor and theologian, head of the anti-Nazi movement, was the most successful U-boat commander in WW1?
Martin Niemoller
Native to South East Europe and Asia, what is the common name of the russet-coloured fruit Mespilus Germanica?
Medlar
Which part of the brain regulates respiration, heartbeat and blood pressure?
Medulla Oblongata
What's the name of the most successful rugby league club in Melbourne, who traditionally recruit players from the Brisbane area as Melbourne is all AFL?
Melbourne Storm
Of Italian descent and birth, what nationality was Cesare Cardini, inventor of the salad that bears his name?
Mexican
Which unusual breed of dog sheds tears when upset, has a diet including fruit and veg and the highest body temperature of any dog?
Mexican Hairless
Plane Crazy was a short film marking whose first (silent) appearance?
Mickey Mouse
Which was the first town in England to owe its existence to the railway- it was built to ship coal from the Stockton and Darlington line?
Middlesbrough
The MAC in Birmingham is a new visitor atraction. It is an acronym. What does MAC stand for?
Midlands Arts Centre
Which England cricket captain was twice dismissed for 99 runs?
Mike Atherton
Which veteran songwriter discovered Katie Melua and produced her first three albums?
Mike Batt
In which city is the Corrierra Della Sera published?
Milan
The Latin for 'a thousand paces' is the derivation of which English word?
Mile
Joe McElderry was given 'The Climb' to sing at Christmas 2009, famously only getting to number two. Whose song was it originally?
Miley Cyrus
Scientists have announced that Stone Age residents of Scandinavia were unable to digest what, meaning that today's Scandinavians must be descended from other, later invaders?
Milk
Caught off Iceland in 2007, what nickname has been given to a clam thought to be the world's oldest animal, at 405-410 years old?
Ming (after the Chinese dynasty it was born during)
Who founded Bahai'ism?
Mirza Hussayn-Ali Nuri
In Cole Porter's 1934 song, what is the name of the lady whose butler conveyed the message that she was unable to attend a lunch as she had been hanged?
Miss Otis
The meerkat is a close relation of which other animal?
Mongoose
Which BBC Sunday night programme, edited and sometimes presented by Huw Wheldon, ran from 1958 to 1965 and was Britain's first arts magazine programme?
Monitor
Which board game did Parker Bros say had 52 fundamental errors on first inspection?
Monopoly
Which was the first ever tunnel to be bored through the Alps?
Mont Cenis
What is the highest point of Corsica?
Monte Cinto
In which city are the HQ of the ICAO?
Montreal
Which was the last Bond film for which Shirley Bassey sang the theme tune?
Moonraker
In which African country is the drinking of green tea (Atai) as important culturally as in Japan?
Morocco
The Marathon de Sables is a 6 day / 151 mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert normally taking place at the end of March / beginning of April. In which country does it take place?
Morocco
What is the largest and oldest film studio in Europe, which is Russian?
Mosfilm
Never one to shy away from potentially controversial subjects, God Resigns at the Summit Meeting is a play by which Egyptian feminist? She was charged with "insulting Islam" and all original Arabic copies of the play being destroyed?
Nawal El Saadawi
Which comic met his Iranian-born wife Shari Eftekhari at a football roadshow in Staines?
Nick Hancock
Invar is an alloy of iron and which metal?
Nickel
Tungsten and which other metal are alloyed in the best quality darts?
Nickel
Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss is the aunt of which actor?
Nigel Havers
Who now plays in a Polish quintet and transformed the South Bank into a 'mini-Poland' for his Polish weekend in May 2010?
Nigel Kennedy
Which British driver ended with the most ever F1 victories, with 31?
Nigel Mansell
Whose record of winning the first five GPs of a season did Michael Schumacher equal when he won the Spanish GP in 2004?
Nigel Mansell
Which ballet star who worked with Diaghalev retired from the stage after being diagnosed with schizophrenia?
Nijinsky
Le Grande is the name of the score needed to win at baccarat. Numerically, what is Le Grande?
Nine
In chemistry, what is the brown ring test used to detect?
Nitrates
The American Horace Wells first used which anaesthetic in 1844?
Nitrous Oxide
Three elements have two-letter abbreviations where the letters are consecutive in the alphabet. Cd (cadmium) and Mn (manganese) are two. Which is the third?
No (Nobellium)
A Yorkshire dartboard differs from a standard one in two ways. Name both.
No treble ring and no outer (green) bullseye ring
On a darts board, what number is directly opposite No. 1 ?
No. 19
What term is used in chemistry for metals resistant to corrosion or oxidisation and which also tend to be precious metals due to their rarity in the earth's crust?
Noble metals
Nuticulus atque Auriculus is the Latin translation of which children's book?
Noddy and Big Ears
A Talent to Amuse was whose autobiography?
Noel Coward
Billy Bingham managed which international side through the 1980s?
Northern Ireland
Boreas and Zephyrus are two of the four Greek winds. What are the others?
Notus and Eurus
The Prix Cevennes, created in 2007, is given to the best European what ever year?
Novel
What is the Farsi name for the Iranian New Year?
Nowruz
How is an animal that eats nuts described?
Nuciverous
In horse racing, what name is given to a handicap race for 2 year olds?
Nursery
By which more familiar name is the psychiatric condition furor uterinus referred to?
Nymphomania
Skirlie is a Scottish dish of onions fried with what?
Oatmeal
What was Homer's 'sequel' to the Iliad?
Odyssey
Which human hormone has a name deriving from the Greek for 'frenzy'?
Oestrogen
Green in colour, one of the Earth's most common minerals and known as peridot when gem quality. Which mineral?
Olivine
In which city was Marlon Brando born?
Omaha
What was the name given to the large-scale operation of deception in 1944, designed to fool the Nazis into thinking the Allies could invade mainland Europe anywhere from Norway to the Mediterranean?
Operation Bodyguard
What was the name of the operation at the start of WW2 to evacuate children?
Operation Pied Piper
What name was given to the part of Bodyguard that made the Nazis believe a huge American force was gathering in SE England and preparing to invade via Calais?
Operation Quicksilver
In economics, what is defined as the value of what is foregone in order to have something else?
Opportunity Cost
The mnemonic 'Did Margaret ever visit Blackpool Beach' helps you remember what?
Orders of nobility
What is the name of the 26-year-old rapper from Caen in northern France, called the French Eminem, in hot water due to misogynistic lyrics?
Orelsan
Their paintings depict harems and ancient ruins, ornate turbans and carpets. Which school of British painters of the 18th and 19th centuries portryed the eastern Mediterranean in a style that has evoked controversy?
Orientalists
Which six-letter word, meaning 'difficult to get on with' or 'stubborn', is a contraction of a very common word used every day?
Ornery (from Ordinary)
Which legendary film director and actor died on the same day, in 1985, as Yul Brynner?
Orson Welles
Which Italian pasta is often found in soups and has a name literally meaning 'barley'?
Orzo
Who won the 2006 Tour de France after Floyd Landis was disqualified?
Oscar Pereiro
Who directed the film of Leon Uris' Exodus?
Otto Preminger
This system has been used to describe the method of governance employed by kings of the Saxon dynasty, distinguishing it from the feudalism of the French type. Broadly speaking, it is where the king rules the country through clergy appointed by himself. It is named for the first Holy Roman Emperor. What is it?
Ottonian
Which Northants public school is maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers?
Oundle
Almost 300 years after their foundation, who or what did Constantine the Great replace in 310AD with the Scholae?
PRAETORIAN GUARD
In WW2, what was the designation and number of the boat skippered by JFK that was sunk by the Japanese?
PT109
In Ice-Hockey what are puck-stoppers ?
Pads protecting knees and shins
Which famous violinist was born in Genoa and was said by some during his lifetime to be in league with the Devil?
Paganini
Paralympics is a contraction of which two words?
Parallel Olympics
Which ghost horror film, shot in seven days, Blair Witch-style, on a hand-held camera, in director Oren Peli's own home, was a hit in 2009, with a 2010 sequel?
Paranormal Activity
In which fictional suburb of South London was Mrs Dale's Diary set?
Parkwood Hill
In the event of a major terrorist attack, Operation Delta is the plan to move what to Bramshill House, Hampshire?
Parliament
Who plays Dr Neela Rasgotra in ER, which has now become the longest-ever running medical drama in US TV history?
Parminder Nagra
Which footballer retired aged 41 in 1986, with his final appearance coming in the World Cup against Brazil?
Pat Jennings
In Discworld, what title is held by Lord Vetinari, the dictator of Ankh-Morpork?
Patrician
Whose autobiography, co-written with Penny Junor, is called Wonderful Today?
Patti Boyd
At which battle in Northern Italy in 1525 was Francis I of France captured and held as a prisoner of war?
Pavia
Which famous website started life as X.com?
PayPal
In 1961, Kennedy signed the order to set up which civilian organisation sponsored by the US Govt to help civilians in developing countries?
Peace Corps
With the death of Norman Painting, the longest-serving Archers cast member is now June Spencer, who plays which character?
Peggy
Which free will doctrine was named for a monk excommunicated by Innocent I?
Pelagianism
Who was marrying Thetis at the wedding where Eris sent the Apples of Discord?
Peleus
What name did Penguin give to the range of non-fiction titles they published from 1937, with blue replacing orange in the cover design?
Pelican
Which British polar adventurer and author became in 2003 the first person to walk the 478 miles, solo and unsupported, from the northern coast of Canada to the North Pole? During his time at Harrow, he reintroduced the tradition of the Long Ducker, a marathon-length run from Harrow School to Marble Arch and back.
Pen Hadow
In 1982, there were joint runners-up in the F1 World Championship. One was Nelson Piquet- who was the other?
Peroni
Who was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter?
Persephone
Arriving in English via Hindustani, which language was the origin of the word pyjamas?
Persian
What is the more familiar trade name of lucite, or polymethyl methacrylate?
Perspex
The Hopman cup is a mixed tennis tournament for international teams which is held every year in which city?
Perth, WA
Clausio Llosa's The Milk of Sorrow, which won the Golden Bear at the 2009 Berlin Film festival, was the first film from which country to get international recognition?
Peru
Who were the last two men executed in 1964 prior to the abolition of the death penalty?
Peter Allen and John Walby
Which crime writer is responsible for the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series?
Peter James
Baroness Cathy Ashton is married to which political pundit?
Peter Kellner
Which British actor's autobiography was called Fading Into the Limelight?
Peter Sallis
Who was the last rider not born in Northern Ireland to hold the title of champion National Hunt jockey, way back in 1992?
Peter Scudamore
Who got an Oscar nomination for his role as Lentulus Batatius in Spartacus?
Peter Ustinov
Who was killed by Hector while wearing the armour of Achilles?
Petroclus
Which famous Australian racehorse of the 1930s was the subject of a 1983 film?
Phar Lap
Which English children's author, primarily known for the Eddie Dickens series of books, has written more than 70 books including adult fiction and children's non-fiction?
Philip Ardagh
Which Frenchman was the first ever Rugby Union international to win 100 caps?
Phillippe Sella
Brutus and Cassius were defeated at which battle?
Phillippi
Roberto Fonseca came to prominence as a member of Buena Vista Social Club but is now a solo artist- what's his instrument?
Piano
With which instrument does one associate American jazz composer and bandleader Chick Corea?
Piano
Kemble and Co of Milton Keynes were the UK's last leading manufacturer of which items?
Pianos
Which French scientist, born in the c18, postulated the existence of black holes and gives his name to a differential equation in physics?
Pierre Laplace
Which city was capital of Natal province from 1856 to 1994?
Pietermaritzburg
A bit like mosaic, which decorative art form is the technique of using cut and fitted polished coloured stones to create images?
Pietra Dura
What is the name of Bob the Builder's cat?
Pilchard
Traditionally light can only be controlled on length scales down to a little below the wavelength of light, a few hundred nanometres, hence the usual resolution limit of optical microscopes and telescopes. However, a new paradigmis emerging, to control light below its wavelength limit. What's the name of this new branch of physics?
Plasmonics
Powdered calcium sulphate hemi-hydrate is commonly known by what three-word name?
Plaster of Paris
Which strip of land designed to give access to the Baltic cut off East Prussia from the rest of Germany from 1919 to 1945?
Polish Corridor
In 1849, what innovative method did Henry Box Brown apply to escape from slavery? He eventually made it to Britain.
Posted himself to the North in a crate
What name is given to show villages in Communist countries?
Potemkin villages
According to Disraeli, 'there was only one firm that could do it- and that was Rothschilds'. What?
Purchase the Suez Canal
Usually eaten at breakfast, what is the name of the puffy unleavened flat bread in India that is fried in ghee?
Puri
In American planes like the P51 Mustang, what does the P stand for?
Pursuit
Which Irving Berlin number of 1929 has been performed on screen by Clark Gable, Fred Astaire and Gene Wilder with Frankenstein's monster?
Puttin' On The Ritz
Who were the first British club to install an artificial pitch?
QPR
Najaf and which other city are the world's most important for Shia Islam?
Qom
Which city south west of Tehran is sacred to Shias as it is the site of Fatima's shrine and is the largest centre for Shia scholarship in the world?
Qom
King Kong, Citizen Kane and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films were all by which film studios, bought by Howard Hughes in 1948?
RKO
The ribosome is the 'code-reading machine' found in every cell in the human body. But what is it made of?
RNA
In April 2009, ex lawn tennis player Mirka Vavrinec, married which famous sportsman?
ROGER FEDERER
FC Unirea Urziceni is a football team playing in which UEFA country, having won Liga 1 in season 2008/09?
ROMANIA
Which animal was introduced to Britain for food by the Normans, first in Wales?
Rabbit
In c18 England, Mary Tofts claimed to have given birth to which animals?
Rabbits
What is the name of Boris Johnson's sister who won the 2008 Bad Sex in Literature award?
Rachel
Which film directed by Woody Allen starts with two thieves answering the telephone while robbing a house?
Radio Days
Which English composer wrote the opera of Pilgrim's Progress?
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Who wrote the novel 'Invisible Man' (not 'The Invisible Man')?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Which artist had the middle name Francois-Ghislain and is famous for works including On The Threshold of Liberty?
Rene Magritte
Who collaborated with Richard Rogers on the Pompidou Centre design?
Renzo Piano
Which single word describes an organisation set up by Clive Stafford Smith to campaign against the death penalty?
Reprieve
To what was Jimmy Carter referring when he used the famous euphamism 'an incomplete success'?
Rescue of the Iranian hostages
In the Bible, which was the brother of Joseph that convinced the others not to kill him but to leave him in a pit for wild beasts to eat?
Reuben
The preserved steam railway at Cadeby, Warks was the inspiration for which man's books?
Rev W Awdry
Who directed the cult hit Donnie Darko?
Richard Kelly
Who took the photo of Patti Smith on the cover of Horses?
Richard Mapplethorpe
Which English equestrian won the individual Gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics?
Richard Meade
The British managed to capture Beersheeba during WW1 from the Ottoman empire by an elaborate ruse gulling the Turks into thinking they would attack Gaza instead. Which man, who never rose above the rank of Colonel, was responsible for the deception?
Richard Meinertzhagen
Ron Ziegler was the long-suffering press secretary for which US president?
Richard Nixon
Which 1970 John Wayne film was Howard Hawks' last and carries strong echoes of the classic Rio Bravo?
Rio Lobo
Who wrote the story on which Psycho was based?
Robert Bloch
Who played Freddy Krueger?
Robert Englund
Which US director's best known film was 'To Kill A Mockingbird'?
Robert Mulligan
Which man starred in films such as A Kiss before Dying, The Longest Day, The Pink Panther and most recently, the Austin Powers movies. On television he is best known for his role as the suave Jonathan Hart in Hart to Hart?
Robert Wagner
The new Ahmadi mosque in Morden, Baitul Futuh, is the second largest in Europe. Where is the largest?
Rome
Which controversial Scottish MP damaged the Mace in 1988?
Ron Brown
With getting on for 40 million views, what is the most watched YouTube video about football?
Ronaldo vs Ronaldinho
Which daughter of Johnny Cash released an album called The List based on cover versions her dad recommended?
Rosanne
Which European Space Agency-led robotic spacecraft mission launched in 2004, intended to study the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is intended to orbit the comet and place the Philae lander upon it, in 2014?
Rosetta
Which online project is organising a global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers working to build a publicly accessible digital library of human languages?
Rosetta
Which French painter was known as Le Douanier or the Tax Collector?
Rousseau
Which sporting action comprises four phases called catch, drive, finish and recovery?
Rowing
Which American journalist, a former Miss North Dakota, was arrested in Iran in January 2009. On April 8, the Iranian government charged her with espionage, which she denied. She was released on May 11, 2009?
Roxana Saberi
Now in its 242nd year in London, what is the world's largest open submission contemporary art exhibition?
Royal Academy Annual Summer Exhibition
The first in 1946 was 'A Matter of Life and Death' and the 60th was 'Casino Royale' in 2006. What?
Royal Film
Which canal in Kent was dug in 1809 to present an obstacle to an invading army?
Royal Military Canal
Soccer boots have interchangeable studs. The studs for wet and slippery surfaces are made from aluminium. What studs are used for playing on hard ground ?
Rubber Studs
Which dynasty ruled Iran from 1501 to 1722 and played a key role in making Shia Islam the state religion?
Safavid
In WW2, if the paperclip was worn secretly by Norwegian loyalists, what was worn by Dutch loyalists?
Safety pin
Indian director Mira Nair came to prominence in 1988 with which famous film?
Salaam Bombay
What is the name of the salt flats in Bolivia, the world's largest, which hold vast supplies of lithium below their surface?
Salar de Uyuni
Which double Oscar-winning actress is the stepdaughter of Tarzan actor Jock Mahoney?
Sally Field
Which root vegetable is known as the vegetable oyster or the oyster plant?
Salsify
In Brazil, what is the capital of the Bahia region?
Salvador
Which man starred in Avatar?
Sam Worthington
In the Bible, Ahab was king of which kingdom?
Samaria
When then GB RL captain Andy Farrell switched codes in 2005, which club did he sign for?
Saracens
Which city is served by Butmir International Airport?
Sarajevo
Where in the world would you find the Court of Chief Pleas?
Sark
Which empire, which ruled Persia from from 224 to 651, succeeded the Parthian empire and was the last pre-Islamic empire of the country?
Sassanid
Which fabric is produced by using a weave in which the warp threads are interwoven only with ever third or fourth weft thread, producing a glossy finish?
Satin
Which Roman God came to be known as Old Father Time?
Saturn
Most Fado songs express it in some way. What Portuguese and Galician word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost often carries a fatalist tone and a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might really never return?
Saudade
Mohammed al Deayea holds the world record for international caps, with 181- for which country?
Saudi Arabia
Nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize, 'White Bread, Black Beer' was the first album by which band for seven years?
Scritti Politti
In August 2009, unprecedented amounts of which algae washed up on the beaches of Brittany, producing large quantities of toxic hydrogen sulphide as it decomposed?
Sea Lettuce
Micheline Roquebrune (b 1929) is a French artist. She is the second wife of which Oscar winner who celebrated his 80th birthday in August 2010?
Sean CONNERY
Which Italian word means the women's quarters in a Muslim palace?
Seraglio
Saborna Cathedral is the equivalent of St Peter's Basilica for which branch of Christianity?
Serbian Orthodox Church
Held on the Dorset coast, which event styles itself 'Britain's First Classical Music Festival'?
Serenata
Which is the best-selling album ever in British history?
Sergeant Pepper's
Which golfer was defeated in a play-off at the 2007 Open, when Padraig Harrington won?
Sergio Garcia
In the Catholic church, what is the first of the four stages to sainthood?
Servant of God
Also called Typhon, who in Egyptian mythology is the brother of Osiris who is the embodiment of all elements hostile to mankind?
Seth
How many feet in diameter is the circle used to throw a hammer?
Seven
n Tibetan Buddhist tradition, a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia is mentioned in various ancient texts. What is its name?
Shambhala
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's controversial play Behzti was dropped by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre following riots. What does Behzti mean?
Shame
Which novel by Salman Rushdie, his third, deals with Pakistan and the people who run it?
Shame
Which swimmer won five medals, including 3 golds, at the Munich Olympics and is the only swimmer of either sex to hold all freestyle records simultaneously? She retired aged 16.
Shane Gould
Which Chinese breed of dog, once very rare but now more common, is known for its distinctive features of deep wrinkles and a blue-black tongue?
Shar Pei
Which Jewish festival is also called the Feast of Weeks?
Shavuot
What was Hylda Baker's catchphrase?
She knows, you know
Who was chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1931 to 1950?
Sir Adrian Boult
The absence of which Labour Party MP led to James Callaghan losing his vote of no confidence in 1979? The man in question was on his deathbed and died five days later.
Sir Alfred Broughton
Which veteran actor was often seen on Spitting Image in pursuit of a knighthood?
Sir Donald Sinden
Oscar Hartzell, in the early c20 conned thousands in America by leading them to believe that they could have a share of the legacy of which deceased Englishman?
Sir Francis Drake
Which chief choreographer of the Royal Ballet from the 1930s created the ballets A Month in the Country and The Tales of Beatrix Potter?
Sir Frederick Ashton
Who was the captain of the Mary Rose when it sank?
Sir George Carew
Mary Hayley Bell was married to which actor?
Sir John Mills
Which British portrait painter went deaf after a severe cold?
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Which car company manufactures the Roomster?
Skoda
Where in the world is the Old Man of Storr?
Skye
Which band took their name from William S Burroughs' 1961 follow-up to The Naked Lunch?
Soft Machine
The tinamou is a flightless chicken-like bird found on which continent?
South America
Prior to 1911, the Northern Territory was part of which Australian state?
South Australia
Which queen in a normal pack of cards faces to the right of the card rather than the left?
Spades
At which modern Olympics were gold medals awarded for the first time- previously the winner had only got silver?
St Louis, 1904
What was the first place to host the Winter Olympics twice?
St Moritz
Which venue was the first to stage the Winter Olympics twice?
St Moritz
In which sovereign state is the famous Caribbean island of Mustique?
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Who wrote the original book of A Kind of Loving?
Stan Barstow
Who was the first National Hunt jockey to ride 1000 winners?
Stan Mellor
What is the name of Peter Biskind's notorious biography of Warren Beatty?
Star
What three word phrase is an Internet meme involving a video of a high school student from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, wielding a golf ball retriever like a lightsaber?
Star Wars Kid
The aeolipile, described by Hero of Alexandria, is considered the forerunner of which more recent invention?
Steam engine
In 2006, 10 year old Giuseppe Mangano became the youngest person ever to swim which geographical feature?
Straits of Messina
Russians began queueing for tickets a whole year before the performance. Author Olga Grushin has written a novel, The Concert Ticket, inspired by this event, and she describes the complex social system that evolved in the queue, with people working together to hold their places overnight. Whose 'Back in the USSR' concert in Leningrad in 1962?
Stravinsky
What comes next in this sequence- six bagger, five bagger, four bagger, turkey, double......?
Strike (10 pin bowling)
What word does a stamp collector use to describe a group of three or more stamps joined together either vertically or horizontally?
Strip
Which bronze-clawed birds of Arcadia had to be killed as one of Heracles' Labours?
Stymphalian
Amateur New York psychologist James Vicary is most associated with which technique, which has since been proven not to work (although banned anyway)
Subliminal messages
In the Royal Navy, what kind of vessel is the current HMS Victorious?
Submarine
Which country's name comes from the Arabic for Land of the Blacks and was originally applied to all of sub-Saharan Africa?
Sudan
Who is best known for his 'The Twelve Caesars'?
Suetonius
Iron pyrites or 'fool's gold' is a compound of iron and which non-metal?
Sulphur
Which holiday resort in the Isle of Man burnt down in 1973, killing 50 people?
Summerland
Which company developed the Java computer language?
Sun Microsystems
In which newspaper is the column Crossbencher?
Sunday Express
Which Shigeru Miyamoto character first appeared in Donkey Kong as a carpenter named Jumpman?
Super Mario
Which city in present-day Iran was the capital of the Elamite Empire before its fall to the Assyrians?
Susa
Founded in 1903, which car company was financed by the Earl of Shrewsbury?
Talbot
Mandarin, English, Malay and which fourth are all official languages of Singapore?
Tamil
Robert Peel was MP for which town from 1830 until his death in 1850?
Tamworth
What is the longest river in Kenya, whose name is also shared with one in Norway, and the forename of a celebrity chef?
Tana
Which friend of Handel, born in Magdeburg in 1681, wrote the Water Music, or Hamburg Ebb and Flow?
Telemann
Longer than a 747 jumbo jet, as tall as Nelson's Column and containing half a mile of steel cable, Britain's biggest sculpture was unveiled on Teeside in June 2010. By Anish Kapoor, it is called what, Greek for Holy Ground?
Temenos
What's the name of the fourth Terminator film, which stars Christian Bale?
Terminator: Salvation
Which famous sporting event took place at the Tata Raphael Stadium, then called the 20th May Stadium?
The 'Rumble in the Jungle'
Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla are collectively known as what?
The 3 kingdoms of Korea
Which 2006 novel was written by Irish novelist John Boyne and is a multi-million best-seller. Unlike the months of planning Boyne devoted to his other books, he said that he wrote the entire first draft in two and a half days, barely sleeping until he got to the end?
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Which 3-year transatlantic project links the Old Vic, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Neal Street Productions?
The Bridge Project
George Hull, who rivalled Barnum as a hoaxer, buried and then claimed to have discovered a huge carved gypsum figure on a farm in upstate New York. What was this figure known as by the gullible masses?
The Cardiff Giant
What is the name of the cup for which Australia play New Zealand at one-day cricket?
The Chappell-Hadlee Cup
Which British anti-war group, founded by Bertrand Russell, advocated non-violent civil disobedience?
The Committee of 100
Which song from The Gay Divorcee won the first ever Best Song Oscar?
The Continental
Jerry Allison, Joe Mauldin and Sonny Curtis were in which famous backing band?
The Crickets
Anthony Beevor's 2009 book, like Stalingrad about the Second World War, was about which event?
The D-Day Landings
In Ken Follett's spy thriller The Key to Rebecca, who or what is Rebecca?
The Daphne Du Maurier novel
In which 1871 book did Darwin posit the evolution of men from apes?
The Descent of Man
Which forged document, which was used by the Popes in the Dark Ages to buttress and justify their authority, was proven as a fake by Lorenzo Valla in 1440?
The Donation of Constantine
What is the name of the abandoned urban elevated rail line in NYC that has been converted to a new park?
The High Line
2009's ...And Another Thing, by Eoin Colfer, is the sixth book in which series that was originally started by someone else?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
What was Hollywood's first daily entertainment industry trade paper. It began as a daily film publication, then added television coverage in the 1950s. Its founder William Wilkerson was famous for his outspoken, outrageous views?
The Hollywood Reporter
What was Ricky Gervais's Hollywood directorial debut?
The Invention of Lying
An 11-year old girl called Abbey Kimber read out a poem at the end of which 1980s UK Number 1 single?
The Land of Make Believe
Which once great British institution was founded on 6th June 1859 at the Willis's Rooms on St James Street London and dissolved itself in 1988?
The Liberal Party
Which society has the motto 'Indocilis privata loqui' (not apt to disclose secrets)?
The Magic Circle
The old man was right. Only the farmers won. We lost. We always lose. These are the last lines of which famous film?
The Magnificent Seven
The trilogy of plays Table Manners, Living Together and Round and Round the Garden is called what?
The Norman Conquests
Richard Matheson's post-apocalyptic novel I Am Legend was made into a 1971 Charlton Heston film called what?
The Omega Man
If the Prestige is the third part of a magic trick, what are the first two?
The Pledge and the Turn
Which 1973 novel by William Goldman tells of a farm hand named Westley's relationship with a beautiful woman called Buttercup?
The Princess Bride
The fan club Six of One is interested in what?
The Prisoner
What is the name of the Indian presidential palace?
The Rashtra-Pati Bhavan
Because of the ginger-brown colour of the pines after they died following the absorption of high levels of radiation from the Chernobyl accident, what name was given to the most polluted area of trees in the immediate vicinity?
The Red Forest
Which London hotel celebrated its centenary in 2006?
The Ritz
How was Fergus Drennan known in the title of a BBC series?
The Roadkill Chef
On TV, how is/was Arthur Boyt better known?
The Roadkill Chef
Which tourist route links Wurzberg and Fuessen?
The Romantic Road
Which country shares its name with the band of Savannah that stretches across Africa from Mali in the west to the Ethiopian Highlands in the East?
The SUDAN
Which series of children's books by Tony Di Terlizzi and Holly Black chronicle the adventures of the Grace children?
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Tchiakovsky produced three major works based on Shakespeare. One was Romeo and Juliet- name the two others.
The Tempest and Hamlet
Which of the Seven Wonders of the World was destroyed by Herostratus in 356 BC?
The Temple of Artemis
With which song did Bob Dylan first enter the UK singles chart in 1965?
The Times They Are A Changin
Which psychedelic folk rock band, best known for their song Happy Together, were arguably the first to perform at the White House for Nixon's daughter Tricia?
The Turtles
In which Shakespeare play does Crab the Dog appear?
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Dunlap Broadside and the Goddard Broadside were early versions of which document?
The US Declaration of Independence
What is England's largest SSSI?
The Wash
Jimmy's World' was a faked 'exclusive' story about young drug addicts in 1980 that ruined the reputation of which otherwise well-respected US newspaper?
The Washington Post
From which poem is the phrase 'A Handful of Dust'?
The Waste Land
How are the Burial of the Dead, A Game of Chess, The Fire Sermon, Death by Water, and What the Thunder Said known collectively?
The Waste Land
What was the name of the giant sun placed by Olafur Eliasson in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern?
The Weather Project
The cover for which Beatles album was designed by Richard Hamilton?
The White Album
Which is currently the second-longest running London play after the Mousetrap, running since 1989?
The Woman in Black
Originally serialised in the periodical All The Year Round, it triggered a craze for cloaks and bonnets, waltzes and quadrilles and it was even parodied in Punch magazine. Which classic novel?
The Woman in White
Every Bible Gets Dusty After Easter is a mnemonic for remembering what?
The order of guitar strings
In cosmology, what has been called the 'ultimate free lunch'?
The proposition that the Universe was created out of nothing
Starting blocks are used on athletic tracks. Runners push their feet against them to get the fastest possible start. What else can they be used for ?
To detect false starts
What is the name of the Chilean film about a man obsessed with John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever- its name is the character's name?
Tony Manero
Belonging to the suborder Cyprinodontidae, which fish lives only eight months in the wild, and therefore is the shortest lived of all fish species?
Tooth Carp
In which 1966 Hitchcock political thriller did Paul Newman star opposite Julie Andrews?
Torn Curtain
What is the capital of Ontario?
Toronto
Which club won the first ever Heineken Cup in 1996?
Toulouse
The company founded by William Britain in 1860, thanks to the pioneering process he invented, became pre-eminent in the manufacture of which collectible objects?
Toy soldiers
Chris Evert won six US Open titles between 1975 and 1982. Who won in 1979 and 1981, the only years she did not win?
Tracy Austin
In which Gilbert and Sullivan work does Angelina sue Edwin for breach of promise?
Trial By Jury
Brian Lara was born on which island?
Trinidad
US university students Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin wrote a book retelling 75 classics of literature through what medium?
In an influential 1959 Rede Lecture by British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow, he theorised that the breakdown of communication between the the sciences and the humanities was a major hindrance to solving the world's problems. As a trained scientist who was also a successful novelist, Snow was well placed to articulate this thesis. What was its name?
Two Cultures
Who starred as Jesse James in the 1939 film of the same name?
Tyrone Power
At which university is Mullard Space Science Laboratory?
UCL
The body of which US President, who died in 1885, lies in Riverside Park in Manhattan, in the largest mausoleum in North America?
ULYSSES S GRANT
What is the name of Sarkozy's center-right party?
UMP
He won three British opens and three of what else?
US Masters
Which country is the world's largest consumer of illegal drugs?
USA
A civil war in the north of which African country during the 2000s saw the Acoli people driven off their land?
Uganda
Russia and which other country both claim writer Nikolai Gogol, holding rival festivals in his honour?
Ukraine
Which group's albums include Quartet, Rage in Eden and Systems of Romance?
Ultravox
About which book did Virginia Woolf write in 1922 'Never did I read such tosh'?
Ulysses
After declaring independence from Ottoman rule, the major European powers formally recognized Albania as an independent principality in July 1913. Independence had been asserted by an assembly convened in the place which is now the country's second largest port city, and which was Albania's capital until 1914. Where was this?
VLORË or VLORA
As of 2010, name the last three clubs Rafa Benitez has managed.
Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan
Which nickname used to be shared by Charlton Athletic and Port Vale, although Charlton no longer use it?
Valiants
What is on the opposite bank of the Nile from Luxor/Thebes?
Valley of the Kings
HMS Victorious, Vigilant and Vengeance make up with which other submarine the RN's eponymous class of such vessels?
Vanguard
In which far-right community was Eugene Terreblanche killed in 2010?
Ventersdorp
Formerly a senior fashion editor with Vogue, which Chinese-American has designed wedding gowns for Mariah Carey, Uma Thurman and Chelsea Clinton, among others?
Vera Wang
Dubonnet is a pink version of which kind of drink?
Vermouth
Which c17 French mathematician invented an auxiliary scale which improved the accuracy of linear and angular measurements and was named after him?
Vernier
In which Italian city do Chievo play home games?
Verona
Which Roman emperor's last words were 'I suppose I am now becoming a God'?
Vespasian
What is the Rioplatense equivalent of the French 'verlan', i.e a slang reversing the order syllables in words?
Vesre
What Latin word means a forecourt but now means an internal space between the outside door and the inside of a building?
Vestibule
Who was the last English monarch to marry a first cousin?
Victoria
Confusingly, given its meaning, what is the forename of Ali Farka Toure's son, also a musician?
Vieux
Who wrote Q and A- the basis for Slumdog Millionaire?
Vikas Swarup
His verse 'But where are the snows of yesteryear' is famous. Which Frenchman is famous for his Ballad of the Hanged, written while in prison?
Villon
Who wrote the music for the TV version of Charles Schultz's Peanuts?
Vince Govaldi
Which devious mafia boss feigned insanity for many years depite still running a large chunk of the New York mafia in the 1970s, 80s and 90s?
Vincent 'The Chin' Gigante
Who was the first man to go into space twice?
Virgil Grissom
Which US cigarette was advertised under the slogan 'You've come a long way, baby'?
Virginia Slims
Which British novelist and a group of friends once convinced the British navy to show them around the Dreadnought as they had disguised themselves as the Ethiopian royal family?
Virginia Woolf
Which PM represented Italy in the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Versailles?
Vittorio Orlando
The Original of Laura was which writer's posthumous last work, which he asked to be burned but was published anyway in 2009?
Vladimir Nabokov
What was the real first name of the character Corporal 'Radar' O'Reilly in 'M*A*S*H'?
WALTER
In classical mythology, of what was Plutus, (not to be confused with Pluto), the God?
WEALTH
Which RL team play/played at the Atlantic Solutions Stadium?
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Where in Sussex is Kew's Millennium Seed Bank?
Wakehurst Place
Jock Stein died of a heart attack while Scotland were playing which team?
Wales
Who wrote Love on the Dole in 1933?
Walter Greenwood
Who wrote the novel 'Love On the Dole'?
Walter Greenwood
Which East German Communist leader ordered the building of the Berlin Wall?
Walter Ulbricht
The highest railway summit in the South of England lies on which preserved steam line?
Watercress line
Mize Hazelwood, Andy Mapple and Liz Hobbs have all been British champions at which sport?
Waterskiing
What were the real first names of rugby player 'Dusty' Hare?
William Henry
Which Spanish band leader appeared in films such as Gay Madrid, You Were Never Lovelier and Weekend at the Waldorf?
Xavier Cugat
A deficiency of Vitamin A (thiamin) leads to which eye disease in children?
Xerophthalmia
Which Japanese artist, whose work shows an obsession with repetition, is most famous for her polka-dot motifs, lives in a mental hospital in Tokyo, and currently holds the record for most expensive work by a living female artist?
Yayoi Kusama
In which country is there a village with the unfortunate name of Al-Qaeda, because it is at the base of a mountain?
Yemen
Who was King Arthur's mother?
Ygraine
Which film character is associated with the quote 'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering'?
Yoda
S-Block elements belong to which two groups in the periodic table?
1 and 2
How many degrees is each interior angle of a hexagon?
120 degrees
In which decade was the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland first defined?
1290s
In the Ryder Cup, the winner is the first side to reach how many points?
14.5
Not 147. What is the *real* highest possible break in the game of snooker?
155
In which year did Catholic Europe change to the Gregorian calendar?
1582
Berlioz's Requiem commemorates which historical event?
1830 revolution
How many centimetres in an inch to the nearest 100th of a centimetre?
2.54
The first two perfect numbers are 6 and 28. What is the next?
496
In a similar vein, which Egyptian musical channel showcases hip-hop with an Islamic message and has been called the 'MTV of the Middle East'?
4Shbab
Gunter Demnig lays 'Stolpersteine', or 'stumbling blocks' in Berlin- small gold-coloured plaques. What do they each commemorate?
A Jew at the address murdered by Nazis
In which seminal Northern working class film does Alan Bates fall in love with June Ritchie in 1960s Lancashire, much to the disgust of her mother, played by Thora Hird?
A Kind of Loving
Which play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959 has a title based on a Langston Hughes. The story is based upon a black family's experiences in Chicago. It was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway, as well as the first play with a black director on Broadway?
A Raisin in the Sun
As of 2010, who is the president of Algeria?
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
In 1984, Hosni Mubarak approved the faking of an execution in Egypt of which of Gaddafi's former Prime Ministers, who Gaddafi had tried to hire a real hit squad to kill?
Abdul Hamid Bakkush
Which of her cousins increasingly supplanted Sarah Churchill in the affections of Queen Anne from 1704?
Abigail Masham
A branch of the Louvre will open in 2010 in which Middle Eastern city?
Abu Dhabi
The Million's poet is a Middle Eastern, poetry version of the X Factor. It is broadcast weekly to the Arab world from which city?
Abu Dhabi
In 2009, the Elgin Marbles debate reignited with the opening of which new museum?
Acropolis Museum, Athens
Lord Charles Cavendish, younger brother of the Duke of Devonshire, and resident of Lismore Castle, Ireland, married who in 1932?
Adele Astaire
Which Greek poet wrote Prometheus Bound?
Aeschylus
What name is given to the triangle-shaped geological depression near the Horn of Africa, also a part of the Great Rift Valley, overlapping Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti? It contains Africa's lowest point, Dallol (one of the hottest places on earth), Gona, site of the world's oldest stone tools; and Hadar, site of Lucy, the fossilized specimen.
Afar Depression (or Afar Triangle)
Age Concern and Help the Aged have now combined into which charity?
Age UK
Which 2010 film was set in 4th Century Alexandria - and tells the story of the brilliant astronomer, Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) resisting the religious extremists who want to destroy the city's famous library?
Agora
Who was the commander of Octavian's fleet at the battle of Actium against Cleopatra and Mark Anthony?
Agrippa
By which of his wives was Claudius poisoned so that his son Nero would succeed?
Agrippina
Which sheikh, the head of Hamas, was assassinated in an Israeli air strike in 2003?
Ahmed Yassin
Which ITV soap opera of the mid 1980s was axed after exactly 100 episodes?
Albion Market
What was the name of Heracles' mother?
Alcmene
Who scored the controversial last-minute winner for the USSR v USA in the basketball at Munich?
Alexandr Belov
Who sculpted the Venus de Milo?
Alexandros of Antioch
Who was the influential President of GM in the 1920s?
Alfred P Sloan
Which famous British poet's wife was called Emily Sellwood?
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Name both countries that fought in the African 'Sand War' of 1963.
Algeria and Morocco
Collectively, Group 2 of the Periodic Table (Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium and Radium) are known as what?
Alkaline Earth Metals
Written in 1887, what was the sequel to King Solomon's Mines?
Allen Quartermain
Which Viennese-born lady married Gropius and Mahler and had an affair with Kokoschka?
Alma Schindler
What was the Christian name of Parker in Thunderbirds?
Aloysius
Oleg Deripaska, the notorious owner of the Queen K yacht, made his fortune from the trade in which element of the Periodic Table?
Aluminium
Accurate to one second in about 3.7 billion years and developed by researchers at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), what is the world's most accurate clock?
Aluminium Ion Clock
Starting in Brookside, who is now more famous as Sam Ryan and Police Commander Claire Blake?
Amanda Burton
Which American man is the subject of the book The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes?
Ambrose Bierce
Which son of King David lusted after his half-sister Tamar and tricked her into 'lying with him'?
Amnon
Which Indian city was founded by Ram Das and has a name meaning 'pool of immortality'?
Amritsar
Named for a city, which 1996 treaty pledged the European nations to 'work towards ever closer union'?
Amsterdam
In cricket scoring, what symbol is used to represent a wide, with no additional runs scored?
An 'X'
In April 2003 86 year old Alexander Muat was the oldest ever person to get what?
An ASBO
How is Thomas Stockmann described in the title of an Ibsen play?
An Enemy of the People
In the RAF in WW2, who or what was a goldfish?
An airman rescued at sea
Who paid for Pancho Gonzales' funeral in 1995, when he died almost friendless?
Andre Agassi (his brother-in-law)
Which Dutchman has played to millions with his 'Johann Strauss Orchestra'?
Andre Rieu
Which Italian artist, known as the 'faultless painter', has his Sculptor in the National Gallery?
Andrea del Sarto
Who partnered Steve Redgrave to gold in the Coxless Pairs at Seoul, 1988?
Andrew Holmes
Which was Racine's first successful play in 1667?
Andromache
A goniometer is an instrument for measuring what?
Angles of crystals
Chinese investment in which country is bringing back to life the Benguela railway, one of Africa's great rail routes?
Angola
Polish peasant Franziska Schanzkowska took what name in her attempt to claim that she was a famous figure from history? (She wasn't)
Anna Anderson
Who was the world's first female space tourist, first female Muslim and first Iranian in space, in 2006?
Anousheh Ansari
Which Foreign Secretary died of a heart attack in February 1977?
Anthony Crosland
For the last 10 years, Brendan, the older brother of which artist, has been head of the Disasters Emergency Committee?
Anthony Gormley
Who scripted Foyle's War on TV and wrote the children's book The Falcon's Malteser?
Anthony Horowitz
Which actor, who won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars, was the son-in-law of Cecil B DeMille?
Anthony Quinn
On which island were Curtly Ambrose, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts all born?
Antigua
In AD143, Quintus Lollius Urbicus oversaw the building of what?
Antonine Wall
What device did Hera wear to appear more attractive to Zeus to seduce him, with the (successful) aim of ensuring that while he had sex and slept, the Greeks won the Trojan war (Zeus had favoured the Trojans)?
Aphrodite's girdle
Although historically two different tribes, the Cheyenne are now united with which other tribe in Oklahoma?
Arapahoe
What is the name of the facial expression used by Greek sculptors, especially in the second quarter of the sixth century BCE, possibly to suggest that their subject was alive, and infused with a sense of well-being. To viewers habituated to realism, it is flat and quite unnatural looking?
Archaic smile
The recurve is a competition in which Olympic sport?
Archery
In Ancient Greece, what name was given to the chief magistrate in ancient city-states?
Archon
Which animal often follows polar bears around, feeding on the carcasses of their kills, although they also eat lemmings?
Arctic foxes
What nickname has been given to the fossilized skeletal remains A. ramidus, an early human-like species 4.4 million years old found in Ethiopia. It is the most complete early hominid specimen, with most of the skull, teeth, pelvis, hands and feet?
Ardi
Which c4 Alexandrian priest taught that Christ was not consubstantial with God, a doctrine declared a heresy by the Council of Nicaea?
Arian
Which famous woman's birth surname was Stassinopoulou?
Arianna Huffington
Which Greek philosopher created logic, the science of reasoning?
Aristotle
Which Greek philosopher wrote the Nicomachean Epics?
Aristotle
Which plant with a bright yellow flower is also called 'mountain tobacco' and is used in homeopathy?
Arnica
What name has been given to the 33ft tall four-armed 'metal mermaid' sculpture visible from the A80 near Cumbernauld?
Arria
Vostanik Manoog Adoyan (1904-1948) was an Armenian-born American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. He is better known by his pseudonyum. What is it?
Arshile Gorky
Which band leader is particularly associated with the band 'The Jazz Messengers'?
Art Blakey
What name did Amy Williams give to her sledge?
Arthur
In 2009, which UK band promoted their A-Z singles collection with 26 gigs in cities in alphabetical sequence from Aldershot to Zennor?
Ash
Established by Canaanites and mentioned 13 times in the Bible, which coastal city is today the fifth largest in Israel?
Ashdod
In early 2010, it was announced that massive extinct volcanoes had been found on the Pacific floor off Santa Barbara, CA. What are they made of?
Asphalt
In Chile, ALMA is made up of 80 high-precision antennas that will transform our understanding of the physics of the 'cold universe'. The cold universe is made up of regions that are optically dark to us but shine brightly in the millimetre portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. What does ALMA stand for?
Atacama Large Millimetre Array
Which European football team is named after a fleet-footed huntress?
Atalanta
Which sport has provided the most BBC Sports personalities of the year?
Athletics
What name did Terence Rattigan coin as the epitome of the matinee audience he had to please?
Aunt Edna
From the Latin 'to listen', what word means medical diagnosis based on listening to the sounds of the body, usually through a stethoscope?
Auscultation
In 2002, Great Britain suffered their worst ever Rugby League defeat, 64-10 to which country?
Australia
Which indigenous women in South America wear bowler hats as part of their traditional dress because, it is said, that a quick-witted salesman from Manchester sold them to them in the c19?
Aymara
Colonel Nicholson is one of the main characters in which famous 1957 war film?
BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
In which town is the Devonshire Royal Hospital, now the Devonshire campus of the University of Derby?
BUXTON
Which species of sea eagle is the only one native to North America?
Bald eagle
One of the most beautiful sights in Asia are the green and silver contours of the Jati Luwih rice terraces on which island?
Bali
What is the name of the largest lake in Kazakhstan?
Balkhash
Which word, meaning commonplace or trivial comes from the Middle French for 'common to all'?
Banal
What word for a brightly coloured hankerchief worn around the head or neck comes from a Hindi word meaning tye-dying?
Bandanna
Which sport takes its name from the Norman French meaning 'bent' and is played with a plastic ball rather than a puck?
Bandy
Which Test cricket side are called the Tigers?
Bangladesh
Gornik & Drucker are a long-established Beverley Hills company providing what service to the Hollywood stars?
Barbers
In a Tale of Two Cities, what is the particular profession of Sydney Carton?
Barrister
Pieter-Dirk Uys, well-known for his character Evita Bezuidenhout (also known as Tannie Evita) is a South African comedian and that country's version of which Australian?
Barry Humphries/Dame Edna Everage
Gareth Edwards' most successful partnerships for Cardiff and Wales in the 1970s were with which other player?
Barry John
In chemistry, what term is used informally to refer to a metal that oxidises or corrodes relatively easily, and reacts variably with diluted hydrochloric acid to form hydrogen?
Base metal
Which TV character first appeared with magician David Nixon in 1963?
Basil Brush
On TV, what was Professor Quatermass' first name?
Bernard
Aquamarine, emerald, heliodor and morganite are all examples of which mineral?
Beryl
What is the name of the red food dye produced from beetroot?
Betanin
Which legendary Hollywood actress took out an advert in 'Backstage' that said Actress, Multiple Academy Awards. Looking for work'?
Bette Davis
Which award is given for the best first novel by a Commonwealth writer under 35?
Betty Trask
Where on his body does David Beckham have the name Romeo tattooed?
Between his shoulders
During the Albigensian Crusades, Papal commander Arnaud Amalric uttered the famous words 'Kill them all- God will recognise his own' during an attack on Cathars in which French city?
Beziers
Which terrible TV sitcom in 2009 about a travelling circus starred Amanda Holden and Tony Robinson?
Big Top
Which German tabloid has the highest circulation in Europe?
Bild
In the 'Angus Prune Tune', the theme for I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, who sang it?
Bill Oddie
Who was the first ever American winner of Wimbledon?
Bill Tilden
Who was Wimbledon women's champion in 1972?
Billie Jean King
Which singer once had to mumble his way through 'She's Leaving Home' on Top of the Pops as dry ice concealed the lyrics he had taped to the floor?
Billy Bragg
Which English pop star was born William Michael Albert Broad in 1955?
Billy Idol
Where on the Leeds-Liverpool canal is the five-rise lock staircase?
Bingley
A three-mile high column of cloud - visible from up to 100km away - will be projected from where in 2012 for 18 months. It's one of twelve Arts Council commissions across the UK as part of the Cultural Olympiad?
Birkenhead
Which city is known as the 'city of a thousand trades'?
Birmingham
In chess, in theory, which side can achieve check-mate fastest?
Black
In 1995, which NZ yacht with a sweet-sounding name became only the second non-USA boat to win the America's Cup?
Black Magic
Also the name of a spider, what is the nickname of competitive eating champion Sonya Thomas?
Black Widow
Which American spider has three species- the Northern, Southern and Western?
Black Widow
What's the name of the female protagonist of A Streetcar Named Desire?
Blanche Dubois
In the Catholic church, what is the third of the four stages to sainthood?
Blessed
What do the letters BEBO stand for?
Blog Early, Blog Often
In judo, what colour belt comes between green and brown?
Blue
Sulfhemoglobinaemia is a rare condition in which there is excess sulfhemoglobin in the blood, causing the skin to take on what colour hue?
Blue
Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Appalachians, is in which specific chain?
Blue Ridge Mountains
By what other name is the blowfly more commonly known?
Bluebottle
What's the nickname of someone from Nova Scotia?
Bluenosers
In which vast building in West London do the V & A, British Musem and Science Museum store their vast reserve collections?
Blythe House
Which singer, who died in 2008, had a stage name that was black slang for 'nothing at all'?
Bo Diddley
In To Kill a Mockingbird, which drunken bigot, who shares his surname with a small town in Surrey, accuses a black man falsely of raping his daughter Mayella?
Bob Ewell
The American Chet Snouffer took the title in the first ever World Championships of which throwing sport in 1979?
Boomerang throwing
The World Championships of which sport includes events called Team Relay, Team Endurance Relay, Team Supercatch, Team Australia Round and Team Terror?
Boomerang throwing
What is the name of the cup for which India play Australia at cricket?
Border-Gavaskar
In the c19, fans of which sport were known as 'The Fancy'?
Boxing
Which young people's magazine was founded in England in 1879 by the Religious Tract Society?
Boy's Own
According to Samuel Johnson, claret is for boys, port for men, but what for heroes?
Brandy
Who wrote a play called Turandot in 1953?
Brecht
If Bavaria is the largest Land, which is the smallest?
Bremen
Which B is a document enabling a commissioned officer in the armed forces to hold a higher rank on a temporary basis?
Brevet
Who was both the youngest and the oldest post-war Test cricketer for England?
Brian Close
The woody root of which plant native to Corsica and the South of France was traditionally used to make tobacco pipes ?
Briar
In July 1933, England, captained by Lt Col Beasley, played the USA, captained by E Culbertonson in Selfridges in which game?
Bridge
In the early 1970s, which album spent a record 278 consecutive weeks in the British top 40?
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Which flat race was originally called the Coronation Stakes but was renamed in 1973 after the horse that won the previous year?
Brigadier Gerard Stakes
What's the name of the Jane Campion film about Keats and Fanny Brawn?
Bright Star
What is the name of the retirement home in Twickenham for actors, and was where Thora Hird, John Hewer (Captain Birdseye) and Alan Freeman all died?
Brinsworth House
What is the meaning of the Bantu word 'ubuntu'?
Brotherhood
Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann's Earth Band originally appeared on an album by whom?
Bruce Springsteen
What vegetable has cultivars including Bedford Fillbasket, Cambridge Number Five and Peer Gynt?
Brussels sprout
Which Canadian singer-songwriter is also known as a photographer?
Bryan Adams
Which centre near Bala in Wales was accused in 1994 of sending young offenders on luxury holidays or 'Crooks Tours' as portrayed in the media?
Bryn Melyn
Which city is served by Otopeni International Airport?
Bucharest
Which city was the first in mainland Europe to open an underground railway system?
Budapest
Mutri, or 'thick-necks' are the local mafia in which EU Member State?
Bulgaria
The first and second Battles of Manassas are also known by the name of which stream?
Bull Run
Albus Dumbledore is in Harry Potter. A dumbledore is an old dialect word for which creature?
Bumblebee
In horse racing, what term is used for a Flat race run under National Hunt rules?
Bumper
Where does Lord Snooty live?
Bunkerton Castle
The Ancient Greeks called it Pyrgis and the Romans Deultum. Which Black Sea port?
Burgas
Near which town is the Peel tower that commemorates a local PM?
Bury
Veronese's real surname is also another Italian city- what?
Cagliari
Which city is known as the 'city of a thousand minarets'?
Cairo
Who played his entire career (1981-2001) for the Baltimore Orioles. He earned the nickname "Iron Man" for doggedly remaining in the lineup despite numerous minor injuries and for his reliability to "show up" to work every day. He is perhaps best known for breaking Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, a record many deemed unbreakable?
Cal Ripkin, Jr
Ordoney de Montaldo used it to describe his land of plenty in the 1510 book Las Sergas Esplandian. What name?
California
The title character of which Rafael Sabatini adventure novel is a doctor who turns pirate after being wrongfully convicted of treason and transported to the West Indies, played on film by Errol Flynn?
Captain Blood
Through three series in the 1970s, who played the title role in the sitcom Beryl's Lot?
Carmel McSharry
Which ex-Great Britain rugby league international scored a try on his international Union debut for Ireland in 2007?
Carney
Which word derived from either the colour of a robe worn by a shepherd of the same name in d'Urfe's pastoral romance L'Astree or from a c12 sultan? It is now used to mean either a colour or a glaze.
Celadon
Which organic compound is a structural polysaccharide derived from beta glucose and was discovered and isolated by Ansleme Payen?
Cellulose
In which geological era are we now living?
Cenozoic
In January 1975, Elisabeth Domitien became the first female prime minister of an African country. Which one?
Central African Empire
Which part of the brain helps maintain balance?
Cerebellum
In Norse mythology, how did Tyr get his hand bitten off?
Chaining up the wolf Fenrir
At which 1643 Civil War Battle was Parliamentary leader John Hampden fatally wounded?
Chalgrove
Which perfume was the world's first artificially produced aldehyde?
Chanel Number Five
Which course hosts the French Derby?
Chantilly
Who claimed to have discovered Piltdown Man?
Charles Dawson
Which spin-off from the TV series Budgie starred Ian Cuthbertson in the title role?
Charles Endell Esquire
A cameo in the children's TV series of Supergran was the last ever appearance of which comic actor?
Charles Hawtrey
The Royal Mail was founded during the reign of which King?
Charles I (1635)
The war of the Austrian Succession was faught over the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father- who?
Charles VI
Which British flyweight world boxing champion was born in Tunisia in 1956?
Charlie Magri
Ramzan Kadyrov is a 32-year old warlord appointed by Moscow to control which territory?
Chechnya
Robert the Bruce was born in/near which English county town in 1274?
Chelmsford
John Major is a fan of which FC?
Chelsea
Which American actor shares his name with a traditional English ballad and a part of the Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle?
Chevy Chase
The 6th Lord Somers was the second ever what in Great Britain, the third being the 2nd Baron Rowallan?
Chief Scout
Which familiar warbler, Phylloscopus collybita, gets its name from its simple, repetitive cheerful song, rather than anything it eats?
Chiffchaff
The Era of the Warring States lasted from c425 BC to c221 BC in the history of which country?
China
What is an alternative name for the musical genre '8 bit'?
Chiptune
Which element consists of more than half of all the dissolved material in sea water?
Chlorine
Which gas was, in 1823, the first to be liquefied, when Michael Faraday was experimentally putting it under pressure?
Chlorine
Which player made £10,000 for his father in bet winnings when he made his England debut in 2006?
Chris Kirkland
Which close friend of Martin Amis has published memoirs called Hitch 22?
Christopher Hitchens
American painter Don Bachardy lived for many years with which British writer?
Christopher Isherwood
Which series of children's books by Michelle Paver, set in the Stone Age, feature the central character Torak?
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Which Belfast-born actor has appeared in such films as Veronica Guerin, There Will Be Blood, and Munich, and will play Dumbledore's brother Aberforth in the last Harry Potter film?
Ciaran Hinds
What is the name of the villainous sergeant at arms in Billy Budd, who falsely accuses Billy of sedition?
Claggart
In which legal procedure do one or more claimants in a court case represent a larger group of people all making the same kind of claim against the same defendent?
Class Action
Which legendary Arsenal footballer, born in Exeter, was excused military service after failing the army hearing test?
Cliff Bastin
Which Hollywood actor founded Malpaso, his own production company?
Clint Eastwood
The Blaze of Obscurity: The TV Years is an installment of whose memoirs?
Clive James
In Britain, in recognition of what is called The Code, whose image is painted onto an eggshell, and no two are allowed to be alike?
Clowns
Which British party, founded in 1917, is allied permanently to the Labour Party and sponsors Labour MPs, who run as joint candidates of both parties?
Co-Operative Party
UTC is more or less equivalent to GMT. It's a French acronym and translates to CUT in English. What does CUT stand for?
Co-ordinated Universal Time
Which factory in Cuba produces the world's most expensive and refined brand of cigar?
Cohiba
Which building, important in WW2, stands on a high rocky outcrop over the River Mulde in central Germany?
Colditz Castle
Who was the first England player to play in 100 Test matches?
Colin Cowdray
Who is the piano player on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue?
Colin Sell
What is the surname of the Beautiful South guitarist, shared with a famous footballer?
Collymore
A mercenary leader known as 'Mad Mike', in July 1982, who was found guilty of hijacking a plane to escape from a failed coup in the Seychelles?
Colonel Mike HOARE
The Will Eisner Awards are given annually in San Diego, CA, in what field?
Comic books
In the DC3 aircraft, the D stood for Douglas. What did the C stand for?
Commercial
Which bird, according to scientists, turns out to have an innate tool-using ability that it doesn't generally bother to use. Those who have discovered this hidden talent argue it makes them more intelligent than chimpanzees?
Common Rooks
In 2010, Solo by Rana Dasgupta won which prize?
Commonwealth Writers Prize
What name is given to the response discovered by Pavlov where a novel stimulus can set off the same reaction as the original stimulus?
Conditioned reflex
What is the name of the longest river in New England, also the name of a state?
Connecticut
Which word, meaning to think carefully before coming to a decision, is etymologically related to 'consulting the stars'?
Consider
Ares rockets are NASA's replacement for the Shuttle and are one stage in which programme for human space exploration?
Constellation
Which word for a minor dispute comes from a fencing term for a thrust at the wrong moment?
Contretemps
In evolutionary biology, name the process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches?
Convergence
Controversy has been stirred in the South Pacific. From 2009 Aitutaki got flights on a Sunday for the first time, to the disgust of fundamentalist Christian residents. In which group of islands?
Cook Islands
The biggest ever stop motion animation, comprising 50 sets, 40 animators, and 5 miles of gold thread for each tiny puppet wig, it's an adaptation of a children's book by Neil Gaiman. What's its name?
Coraline
The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival and its related awards are most associated with which city?
Cork
Which American entrepreneur opened the first rail link between NYC and Chicago and built the original Grand Central Station?
Cornelius Vanderbilt
South Crofty was the last of which installations?
Cornish tin mines (closed 1998)
Which otherwise very useful plant would also be edible if it were not for the antibacterial compound gossypol, which genetic engineers are trying to remove in order to convert it to a food source?
Cotton
Pelagianism was declared heresy by which body?
Council of Ephesus
In angling, what name is given to any freshwater fish that are not members of the salmon family?
Course fish
What was the name of the boat in which John Cobb lost is life on Loch Ness?
Crusader
Which piece of armour consisted of a breastplate and backplate joined together and whose popularity among heavy cavalry resulting in many regiments being named after it?
Cuirass (Cuirassiers)
A famous quote from Nazi playwright Hanns Johst's 'Schlageter' is 'Whenever I hear of _____________... I release the safety catch of my Browning'?
Culture
Which is the largest European wading bird, Numenius Arquata?
Curlew
Which sport is based on the Duddingston Rules?
Curling
What name is given to a particular blend of wines used by a champagne maker to produce a consistent style?
Cuvee
Which rap group is made up of DJ Muggs, B-Real, Sen Dogg and Eric Bobo?
Cypress Hill
Which star of the TV series, "Casualty", played an IRA assassin in the TV mini series, "Harry's Game"?
DEREK THOMPSON
Which Noel Coward film about a love triangle between Gilda, Otto and Leo was highly controversial when it was premiered in Broadway, only daring to be presented in London in 1939?
DESIGN FOR LIVING
Which word - from the Greek meaning "woman servant" - is a name give to a female "supporter" who assists a women through childbirth and charges for her services, these can include antenatal and postnatal visits and being on call?
DOULA
The designer dog breed 'Chiweenie' is a cross between a Chihuahua and what?
Dachshund
Which current English National Ballet president was the first British dancer to perform with the Bolshoi ballet in Kruschev's Russia and also went to Mao's China in 1965 to dance with their national ballet company?
Dame Beryl Grey
Who composed the opera called The Wreckers?
Dame Ethel Smyth
Which actor is the title subject of the 1957 poem The Newborn?
Daniel Day-Lewis
What was George Eliot's last novel?
Daniel Deronda
When Graham Gooch became England's highest ever scoring Test player, which man did he overtake?
David Gower
Which Scottish king was taken prisoner by the English after the battle of Neville's Cross?
David II
On whose grave in Westminster Abbey is the slave trade described as 'This Open Sore of the World'?
David Livingstone
What is the subtitle of 'Ice Age 3'?
Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Which Chancellor coined the advice 'When in a hole, stop digging'?
Denis Healey
Who is the only man ever to win BDO and PDC darts world titles at the first attempt?
Dennis Priestley
Which great England spin bowler, who took 297 test wickets, was nicknamed Deadly?
Derek Underwood
Which musical term, used particularly in hymnology, means a voice removed from others?
Descant
In hot air ballooning, how is the manoeuvring or cooling valve used ?
Descending (releases hot air)
In the Royal Navy, what kind of ship is the HMS Exeter?
Destroyer
To what did the town of Plymouth Dock change its name in the c19?
Devonport
Dorothy, the unfaithful wife of Macmillan, was the daughter of which Duke?
Devonshire
Who were Wigan's opponents in the 1929 Challenge Cup final- the first to be staged at Wembley?
Dewsbury
Which playing card king has only one eye?
Diamonds
Both 'bobbasheely' and 'stone toter' are found in the book called DARE. What is DARE, finally published in 2009 after decades of research, an acronym for?
Dictionary of American Regional English
Which Nicholas Roeg film features an infamous scene of cunnilingus, highly risque in 1973?
Don't Look Now
Who is the love scene between?
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie
In an old song written by William Hargreaves, which animal was ridden by 'his jockey, little John McGee, who got so awfully disgusted he went to have his tea?
Donkey
Which insect adopts an 'obelisk position' on hot, sunny days?
Dragonfly
What is the name of the new theatre district being developed in Shanghai, China- its equivalent of the West End or Broadway?
Drama Valley
The former home of Robert Peel is now the site of which theme park?
Drayton Manor
The Priest and the Angel of the Agony feature in which Elgar work, which he himself called 'the best of me'?
Dream of Gerontius
Nigerian musician Tony Allen, much loved by Damon Albarn, plays which instrument?
Drums
In bingo, how is 25 known?
Duck and Dive
Which actor played 121 year old Jack Crabb in the 1970 movie 'Little Big Man'?
Dustin Hoffman
Who was the first non-Briton to score 100 Premier League goals?
Dwight Yorke
What is the assumed name of magician Stephen Frayne?
Dynamo
Claimed by some to be a homegrown US language, others have dismissed it as mere slang. Which term appeared in the mid 1970s to describe a version of English, incorporating the grammar of African languages, which also includes many words invented on the streets?
EBONICS
Three times PM in the c19, which man, 22 years leader, was the longest-ever serving Tory leader?
Earl of Derby
What is the longest river entirely in Spain?
Ebro
Which pop singer was born with the forename Sadenia?
Eddi Reader
Which country won the first ever African Cup of Nations in 1957?
Egypt
Which scientist synthesised the artificial drug that effectively killed syphillis?
Ehrlich
Chaand Raat is a Hindi term meaning 'Night of the Moon' and is the rough equivalent to Christmas Eve in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is the eve of which festival?
Eid al-Fitr
Which of Schubert's symphonies was the Unfinished?
Eighth
In poetry, what term is used for the omission of a letter (e.g. O'er)?
Elision
Florence Nightingale Graham became famous in the world of cosmetics under what name?
Elizabeth Arden
Which poetess had her work The Battle of Marathon privately printed?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Which anti-corruption campaigner had to resign as Governor of New York State in 2008 after a call-girl scandal?
Elliot Spitzer
Out of Sight was based on a book by which US writer?
Elmore Leonard
Which ice-breaker was the only British presence in the Falklands prior to the invasion of Argentina?
Endurance
Which British twin-jet bomber in 1951 made the first non-stop Atlantic crossing by a jet aircraft?
English Electric Canberra
When Thorneycroft resigned, so did his Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Who?
Enoch Powell
What name is given to a seaport like Rotterdam or Singapore that acts as centre for transhipment or the ongoing distribution of goods?
Entrepot
Who created Lassie?
Eric Knight
Which of the alcohols is sometimes known as grain alcohol?
Ethanol
He issued the first known written code of laws in England. Which King of Kent was defeated by the West Saxons in 568 but later became ruler of England south of the River Humber?
Ethelbert
The American Crawford Long discovered which anaesthetic in 1842?
Ether
Until exposed as frauds in the 1960s, New York's Museum of Metropolitan Art displayed huge statues from which European civilisation as the genuine article?
Etruscan
At which London station was the first ever WH Smith opened in 1848?
Euston
Which was the first inter-city mainline railway station to be built in London?
Euston
Which supermodel was briefly married to Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres?
Eva Herzigova
Which well known 1987 film, featured a character named Private Pyle, played by Vincent D'Onofrio?
FULL METAL JACKET
Which Spanish dance performed by a man and a woman shares its name with a 1975 ZZ Top album and a 1985 film starring Kevin Costner?
Fandango
Which leading women's rights group challenged the 2010 budget for not having carried out an Equality Impact Assessment?
Fawcett Society
What was the forename of Captain Frank Furillo's ex-wife in Hill Street Blues?
Faye
In the BBC TV series in the 1980s, The Mistress, who played the title character, Maxine?
Felicity Kendal
The Men Who Stare At Goats was a film adaptation of Jon Ronson's book about which part of the US Army that deals with the paranormal?
First Earth Battalion
In which letter does St Paul tell us that of the three things that abide, 'the greatest of these three is love'?
First Epistle to the Corinthians
What was notable about Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, when he was elected to the Senate in 2006?
First Socialist to be elected
What was distinctive about the launch of the French naval ship La Gloire in 1858?
First ironclad
At which beach is the HQ of the British Surfing Association?
Fistral
Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald was played by Klaus Kinski, who was directed by Werner Herzog in which film about an Irishman who wanted to build an opera-house in Iquitos?
Fitzcarraldo
In Cheshire and Lancashire, what name is given to a lagoon formed when a depression formed by mining subsidence becomes permanently flooded?
Flash
What name is given to baby birds that have wing feathers only just long enough for flight?
Fledgling
Which former BBC Playschool presenter took their seat in the House of Lords in 2010?
Floella Benjamin
Which type of fishing can be coldwater, coolwater or warmwater?
Flyfishing
Puff Daddy, the Spice Girls and Bobby Brown have all had albums with which one-word name?
Forever
In centimetres, how far does the moon recede from the Earth every year?
Four
Painter Giovanni da Fiesole is better known by what name?
Fra Angelico
In which European country did the world's first retro-fitted carbon-capturing coal-fired power station start operation in 2009?
France
Which Tory represents Horsham?
Francis Maude
What were Daley Thompson's real forenames?
Francis Morgan
Pancho is a shortened form of which forename in Latin America?
Francisco
Ebbelwei is a drink served in the Sachsenhausen district of which city?
Frankfurt
Which US President was characterised by his opponents as 'the hero of many a well-fought bottle', due to his heavy drinking?
Franklin Pearce
Which famous footballer is credited with inventing the 'sweeper' system?
Franz Beckenbauer
Whose ghost is said to haunt Newmarket racecourse?
Fred Archer
When Padraig Harrington won the Open in 2007, he became the first Irishman to win it since who in 1947?
Fred Daly
Which rather corrupt ex-leader of Zambia was cleared of all corruption charges against him in 2009?
Frederick Chiluba
Which Manchester concert hall, now a hotel, was the base of the Halle Orchestra before it moved to the Bridgwater Hall?
Free Trade Hall
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene starts at the Bedford hotel, a thinly disguised version of The City hotel in which African capital?
Freetown
Which cinematic technique, much used by John Woo, uses one shot printed in a single frame several times in order to give the illusion of a still photograph?
Freeze Frame
The name of which man completes the title of this Tristram Hunt book: 'The Frock-Coated Communist: The Revolutionary Life of ________?
Friedrich Engels
The name of which butterfly comes from the Latin for 'dice box' because of their spotted markings?
Fritillary
Which virtuoso performed at the premiere of Elgar's Violin Concerto?
Fritz Kreisler
The silent 1922 film Dr Mabuse the Gambler, followed by The Testament of Dr Mabuse in 1933 and ending with The 1,000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse, which was his final film. Which director?
Fritz Lang
In May 2007, Matthew Briggs became the youngest Prem footballer at that time when he made his debut versus Middlesbrough for which team?
Fulham
Which was the only London club George Best played for?
Fulham
Which Japanese numbers game, which translates as 'not equal', uses the symbols for 'greater than' and 'less than' to help the players?
Futoshiki
In music, the treble clef is alternatively known by the name of which note, which it indicates on the stave?
G
Who wrote The Invisible Man?
G K Chesterton
What time is used by the Amundsen Scott base at the South Pole?
GMT
Which grape is most commonly used in red wines from Beaujolais?
Gamay
In which African country is the Karamtoba Obelisk marking the point where Mungo Park started his journey to the source of the Niger?
Gambia
GRBs are are flashes detected by NASA's Swift telescope that are associated with extremely energetic explosions in distant galaxies. They are the most luminous electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. What does GRB stand for?
Gamma Ray Bursts
What is the capital of Sikkim?
Gangtok
Which artist is noted for life-size sculptures of himself as Che Guevara and Sid Vicious?
Gavin Turk
Which publication did Mary Whitehouse take to court in 1977 over a blasphemous homosexual poem about the Crucifixion?
Gay News
Camels Often Sit Down Carefully, Perhaps Their Joints Creak. Early Oiling Might Prevent Premature Hurting is a mnemonic for what?
Geological eras (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian etc)
What part did Gordon Jackson play in the Professionals?
George Cowley
Which man conned c18 London into thinking he was from 'Formosa', even inventing a non-existent language and tricking the Bishop of London into giving him a lectureship at Oxford in Formosan history?
George Psalmanazar
Hollywoodland was a 2006 film about the mysterious death of which man who played Superman on TV?
George Reeves
Which horse, which Kieran Fallon won the 2006 2000 Guineas on, has the name of a US President?
George Washington
Who was the only female composer in Les Six?
Germaine Tailleferre
The Fourcault process is used in the manufacture of which everyday commodity?
Glass
Who was Plato's older brother and was one of Socrates' inner circle. He was also the conversant with Socrates in The Republic?
Glaukon
In which county is Stinking Bishop cheese made, as featured in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit?
Gloucestershire
What is the name of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius' pet dog?
Goddard
In the TV series Where the Heart is, what is the name of the paper products company central to the stories?
Goddards
Which so far unproven (unprovable?) hypothesis postulates that every even number is the sum of two primes?
Goldbach's conjecture
Which 1939 film gave William Holden his breakthrough role as Joe Bonaparte, whose dreams of becoming a violinist are funded by boxing?
Golden Boy
Which former newsreader was born in Karachi in 1936?
Gordon Honeycomb
Paolo Sorrentino's film Il Divo is about which of Italy's enigmatic and dominant giants of politics, 7 times prime minister, and still an active politician at 90?
Guilio Andreotti
Sékouba Konaté took power in which African country after an attempt on the life of the former leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, in late 2009?
Guinea
The Vietnam war really started in 1964, when the US claimed that its destroyers anchored in which body of water off North Vietnam had been fired upon?
Gulf of Tonkin
Which English composer wrote the comic opera The Perfect Fool from 1918-22?
Gustav Holst
Which are the only two South American countries that drive on the left?
Guyana and Surinam
Which strain of influenza was responsible for the 2009 pandemic?
H1N1
Which composer, born in Grenoble in 1803 wrote "Benvenuto Cellini", the first of his three operas?
HECTOR BERLIOZ
In which country do 100 centimes make a gourd?
Haiti
What is the largest of the flatfishes?
Halibut
Name the home ground of Warrington Wolves?
Halliwell Jones Stadium
The IHF is the governing body of which sport?
Handball
In the early days of TV, which part of the body of Georges Aubertin became famous?
Hands (on the potter's wheel)
Which one-time slave became a major-general in the Russian army and governor of Reval (now Tallinn) and forms the main character in his great-grandson Pushkin's 'The Blackamoor of Peter the Great'?
Hannibal
Which literary and film villain's lesser known nickname is 'The Chesapeake Ripper'?
Hannibal Lecter
Which major German city stands on the River Leine?
Hannover
Which Jewish festival is also called the Feast of Dedication?
Hannukah
Which German-born American artist 1880-1966 painted Yellow Predominance in the abstract Expressionist style in 1949?
Hans Hoffman
Which German composer is known for his political convictions. He left Germany for Italy in 1953 because of a perceived intolerance towards his leftist politics and homosexuality and has produced compositions honoring Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara?
Hans Werner Henze
Which Arabic word means those parts of Mecca and Medina not able to be entered by non-believers?
Haram
Which Canadian company is their equivalent of Mills and Boon but is the largest in the sector of romantic fiction in the world?
Harlequin (Enterprises)
Which man borrowed a first edition of Beckett's work from Bermondsey library in 1950, and it was only returned, with a fine of £2000, after his death in 2009?
Harold Pinter
When Aneurin Bevan resigned as Health Secretary in 1951, which President of the Board of Trade also resigned?
Harold Wilson
Which athlete ended the 10 year, 122 victory run of Ed Moses in the 400m hurdles in Madrid in 1987?
Harris
In Porridge, what was the name of Slade Prison's Mr Big?
Harry Grout
Which music hall comedian gave his name to a reconnaissance plane widely used on the Western Front in WW1?
Harry Tate
What was the surname of the family featured in Channel 4's soap 'Family Affairs'?
Hart
Who wrote the 2009 novel IQ84, which has yet to be translated into English?
Haruki Murakami
Which educational institute in Cambridge, MA, was George Marshall speaking at when he proposed the Marshall Plan?
Harvard
Who played Gene Hunt in the US version of Life on Mars?
Harvey Keitel
Established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, it is one of the UK's oldest- which £10K literary prize is awarded for the year's best work of imaginary literature?
Hawthornden
Which American-born journalist, writer, and freedom of information activist is best known as one of the leading figures exposing the House of Commons resistance to disclosing MP's expenses?
Heather Brooke
Which female Australian squash player was so dominant, no-one could beat her between 1962 and 1980?
Heather McKay
This German developed a dialectical scheme that emphasised the progress of history and of ideas from thesis to antithesis and thence to a synthesis. Who was this?
Hegel
Lange Anna is a guano-clad pillar of rock that is the main geographical feature of which European island?
Heligoland
Which British Charity was founded by Cecil Jackson Cole in 1961?
Help the Aged
Diane de Poitiers was a mistress of which French king, almost 20 years her junior?
Henri II
Who was the first ever double BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner?
Henry Cooper
When Nick Faldo won his third British Open in 1992, he was the first man to do so since whom?
Henry Cotton (1948)
Which English king was born in Lincolnshire and betrothed at a young age to Mary de Bohun?
Henry IV
Which Poet Laureate turned down the salary of an annual butt of Canary wine, preferring to be paid in money instead?
Henry James Pye
Remembered for his film and TV scores, who won a record 20 Grammys and a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1995?
Henry Mancini
Which composer won the first Best Album Grammy in 1958 with Peter Gunn?
Henry Mancini
As well as burlap and sackcloth, which other main fibre is made from jute?
Hessian
Which word means a word with the same spelling as another, but a different pronunciation and meaning (e.g. Reading)?
Heteronym
The poor-will of North America is the only bird that does what?
Hibernate
Which was the only Scottish club George Best played for?
Hibernian
It has been used to prevent horses from bleeding through the nose during races and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned lit due to its use as a masking agent for other drugs. First used c.1960, your GP would prescribe you Frusemide to treat what?
High blood pressure
Which are the four sports that you can win by moving backwards?
High jump, Backstroke, Rowing, Tug of war
Which edible plant has the Latin name Armorica Rusticana?
Horseradish
Originally a Scandinavian term, what was the name of the elite infantry who formed the King's personal bodyguard in late Anglo-Saxon England and who fought to the death alongside Harold at Hastings?
Housecarls
Winner of the Best Film Oscar in 1941, which film featured a young Roddy McDowell as Hugh Morgan?
How Green was my Valley
The predicted effects of climate change have been thrown into doubt with the revelation that in mediaeval times, the occurances of what meteorological phenomenon was more frequent and stronger?
Hurricanes
What is the chemical name for Epsom salts?
Hydrated magnesium sulphate
Which organ links the endocrine system with the nervous system?
Hypothalamus
Beppe (who plays a harlequin), Silvio, Neddo and Canio are all characters in which opera?
I Pagliacci
Canio is the tragic central character of which opera?
I Pagliacci
In which opera does Canio sing Vesti La Giubba (put on the costume)?
I Pagliaci
Which comedy radio show of the 1960s had as its theme tune 'The Angus Prune Tune'?
I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again
Sir John Harvey-Jones was for many years Chairman of which major British firm?
ICI
What was the name of the UN peachkeeping force sent to Bosnia after Dayton?
IFOR
Which former college of the University of London became independent in July 2007?
IMPERIAL COLLEGE
With 180, which country has the most products with protected origin status in the EU?
ITALY
Which rapper's real name is O'Shea Jackson?
Ice Cube
The UK Energy Research Centre is based at which university?
Imperial College, London
Tash Aw's second novel 'Map of the Invisible World' is about which country in the midst of the purges of 1964? Supposed communists were the target of army crackdowns.
Indonesia
In which sport have Ellen Falkner, Carol Ashby and Norma Shaw all been world champions?
Indoor Bowls
In 2009, it was announced that a compound designed to attack the DNA of cancer cells failed. Instead, researchers at the University of Warwick tried it out on what, killing them in minutes?
Infectious bacteria
Velasquez's most famous Papal portraits were of which pope?
Innocent X
What was the sequel to the Churchill drama The Gathering Storm?
Into the Storm
Which Scottish isle features a wide, west-facing bay known as the Bay at the Back of the Ocean?
Iona
What is the main metal in the earth's core?
Iron
Which Japanese cookery show has been described as 'Masterchef meets Gladiators'?
Iron Chef
Which Spanish nationalist composer and pianist whose works include the orchestral suites Espanola and Catalonia and the piano suite Iberia?
Isaac Albeniz
Who is called the father of English hymns?
Isaac Watts
In 2006, Keith Ellison became the first man of which faith to become elected to the US Congress?
Islam
What is the name for a line joining places of equal winter temperature?
Isocheim
Some prisoners have been waiting on death row there for 40 years. Which Asian country's courts show a 99% conviction rate in criminal cases?
JAPAN
Which Cream bassist is/was famous for his legendary fall-outs with Ginger Baker?
Jack Bruce
Which Nobel laureate patented the integrated circuit in 1964?
Jack St Clair Kilby
Which American actor, first names John Leslie, began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family. In the interim, he sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and provoked California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers?
Jackie Coogan
Which European discovered Easter Island?
Jacob Roggeveen
In 1847, a young Bavarian immigrant called Johann Gramp planted the Barossa Valley's first commercial vineyard- he did so on the banks of which watercourse?
Jacob's Creek
Earlier films include 'Read My Lips' and the 'Beat that My Heart Skipped; which French director's movies include prison thriller A Prophet' (2009)?
Jacques AUDIARD
Picasso's 1962 painting The Rape of the Sabine Women is based on the 1799 painting of the same name by whom?
Jacques-Louis David
Which boxer was the first ever to defeat Frank Bruno in a professional fight?
James 'Bonecrusher' Smith
Which boxer was the first ever to defeat Mike Tyson in a professional fight?
James 'Buster' Douglas
Who played the Reverend Cleofus James in the Blues Brothers?
James Brown
In the Great Gatsby, what is Gatsby's real original name?
James Gatz
What is the name of the Commissioner of Gotham City?
James Gordon
Which British singer's debut album Undiscovered went straight to Number One in 2006?
James Morrison
Which TV chef owns the TV production company 'Fresh One Productions'?
Jamie Oliver
What's the name of Sarah Ferguson's ex-dresser who absconded from her open prison, where she was serving a life sentence for murder, in 2009?
Jane Andrews
A woman bent on vengeance for the death of her father, who starred as Catherine in the 1965 film 'Cat Ballou'?
Jane Fonda
Marli Renfro was whose body double in a particularly famous film scene?
Janet Leigh
Whose temple in ancient Rome was always left open in times of war so he could assist against the Sabines?
Janus
Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven from which city?
Jerusalem
To which Oscar-winning actress was Jack Hawkins married?
Jessica Tandy
Who played Blanche Dubois opposite Brando in the stage version of A Streetcar Named Desire?
Jessica Tandy
Which Indian-American's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003), was adapted into the popular film of the same name?
Jhumpa Lahiri
Who was the most prolific goal scorer in Portsmouth's history, later managing them?
Jimmy Dickinson
After whose death was Bob Crow elected head of the RMT?
Jimmy Knapp
Which sportsmen are banned from having beards?
Jockeys
Who was the first man of 'Hispanic' background ever to hold a version of the World Heavyweight Boxing title?
John "The Quietman" RUIZ (WBA)
Which man, born in Rochester, NY, in 1927, is often described as 'America's greatest living poet'?
John Ashbery
What was the name of the actor, gangster and friend of Princess Margaret who was the subject of a 2005 biography by Wensley Clarkson?
John Bindon
Who managed Chesterfield to the FA Cup semis in 1997?
John Duncan
Winner of four Best Director Oscars, whose first and last features were Straight Shooting (1917) and Seven Women (1966)?
John Ford
Penned by critic-turned-playwright Nicholas de Jongh, the play Plague over England revolves around the sexuality of which famous Englishman?
John Gielgud
Which French king, 'Le Bon' was taken prisoner by the English after the Battle of Poitiers?
John II
Which famous American author was born John Wallace Blunt, Jr?
John Irving
Who directed A Kind of Loving? He also directed Billy Liar.
John Schlesinger
Which man in 2008 missed the penalty that would have won Chelsea the Champions League?
John Terry
Which pope never existed, due to an error in numbering?
John XX
Which Biblical name is given to a character whose mere presence brings misfortune upon those accompanying him?
Jonah
Which TV character lives at Ripley Mill, Briar Hollow, West Sussex?
Jonathan Creek
What was the name of Superman's father who Brando played in 1975?
Jor-El
Which now 87-year old director caused controversy with his adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses in 1967 and his version of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was banned in the UK. In 1971 he won an Oscar for Best Short Documentary for Interviews with My Lai Veterans?
Joseph Strick
Which British actor played Juan Peron in Evita when it first opened in 1978, opposite Elaine Paige and David Essex?
Joss Ackland
Which actor played American playboy Dickie Greenleaf in the Anthony Minghella-directed The Talented Mr Ripley?
Jude Law
Ben Fogle is the son of which actress who co-starred with Tommy Steele in 'Half A Sixpence'?
Julia Foster
Which artist is the first to break the 300 million views on YouTube mark?
Justin Bieber
In July 2006, which reigning World and Olympic 100m champion failed a drugs test?
Justin Gatlin
Which man, who died in 2005, was the first President of India to be a Dalit?
K R Narayanan
Who became Secretary General of the Commonwealth in 2008?
Kamalesh Sharma
In sport, how is the man born Ferdinand Louis Alcindor better known?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Which German socialist and co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany is best known for his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919?
Karl Liebknecht
Notable people of this ancestry include Gunter Grass and Donald Tusk. Sometimes called Wends, which ethnic group are descendents of the Pomeranian tribes that settled between the Oder and Vistula?
Kashubians
Who was editor of Puffin Books between 1961 and 1979, and in 1967 founded the Puffin Club, which she ran until 1981? She was married three times, including to Ronald Searle.
Kaye Webb
If you told the waiter in Germany 'Stimmt so', what would you be telling him to do?
Keep the change
Argostoli is the capital of which Greek island?
Kefalonia
When Ruud Gullit became Newcastle United manager, who did he take over from?
Kenny Dalglish
Which choreographer was working with Michael Jackson at the time of his death, arranged his memorial service, and also did the choreography for High School Musical?
Kenny Ortega
Which Yorkshire village is noted for its Scarecrow Festival and represented Knapely in the film of 'Calendar Girls'?
Kettlewell
The Sackler Crossing is a feature of which London tourist attraction?
Kew Gardens
Of which English club was Jan Molby the manager when they were promoted to the League for the first time in 2000?
Kidderminster Harriers
Captain Hoseason of the ship The Covenant features in which novel, made into a Michael Caine film?
Kidnapped
In 2007, which famous Scottish book was given away free to residents of Edinburgh?
Kidnapped by R L Stevenson
Which is the only SI unit that is still defined by an artifact rather than a fundamental physical property that can be reproduced in different laboratories?
Kilogram (based on the one in Sevres)
The Kurosawa film Ran is based on which Shakespeare tragedy?
King Lear
In which Ridley Scott film do Liam Neeson and Orlando Bloom play father and son?
Kingdom of Heaven
The debut album from Staff Benda Bilili is already being called one of the best of 2009. It features a group of paraplegic musicians who live around the zoo in which African capital city?
Kinshasa
Which food company makes Toblerone?
Kraft
Which was the first UK TV quiz format to be sold to the USA?
Krypton Factor
Which Danish man drew the controversial cartoons of Muhammad?
Kurt Westergaard
What is the capital of the Russian province of Tuva, reknowned for its throat-singers?
Kyzyl
What is the name of the French newspaper formerly controlled by the Communist Party, although it has been sold since?
L'Humanite
Give the surname of the classical music piano soloist sisters, Katia and Marielle?
LABEQUE
The full name of which capital city starts 'Nuestra Senora de (blank blank)'?
La Paz
In a pun on the French-speaking part of Switzerland, what name is given to the hilly country east of Le Havre?
La Suisse Normande
Which restaurant in Paris was founded in 1582, and said to have been frequented by Henri IV? Duck, especially the pressed duck, is the specialty. Diners who order it receive a postcard with the bird's serial number. Its wine cellar, guarded around the clock, contains more than 450,000 bottles?
La Tour D'Argent
What are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect to the Earth and Moon)?
Lagrangian points
What name is given to a fish's pressure detecting organ?
Lateral line
In which modern day country was Sir Isaiah Berlin born?
Latvia
In 2005, the last year it was awarded, who became only the second female stand-up comedian to win the Perrier prize?
Laura Solon
Who was the youngest man ever to be appointed Poet Laureate?
Lawrence Eusden
Who was the first artistic director of the National Theatre?
Lawrence Olivier
In 1934, Diego Rivera's mural for the Rockefeller Centre was destroyed as he refused to remove which figure from it?
Lenin
Who wrote a story called the Kreutzer Sonata after hearing the eponymous Beethoven piece? However, the story is so violent that it was banned for many years.
Leo Tolstoy
By what name was stage and costume designer Lev Rosenberg, who regularly collaborated with Sergey Diaghelev, better known?
Leon Baxt
What were Bix Beiderbecke's forenames?
Leon Bismarck
Which mathematician is most associated with the topographical problem of the seven bridges of Konigsberg?
Leonhard Euler
Which member of the cat family is sometimes called a 'hunting leopard'?
Leopard
In the name of Welsh Labour MP Leo Abse, what was the Leo short for?
Leopold
Muons and electrons are both what kind of particle?
Leptons
Which Canadian supermodel was briefly the girlfriend of Fabien Barthez?
Linda Evangelista
According to tradition, Jason slayed a dragon on its site and then founded a city there. This is which capital city?
Ljubljana
Often sung to the tune of Onward Christian Soldiers and the title of a play by William Douglas Home, which phrase has been facetiously referred to as 'every Welshman's claim to fame'?
Lloyd George knew my father
Which man, whose name was a palindrome, led Cambodia in the 1970s?
Lon Nol
Which is London's oldest railway station, first opened in 1836?
London Bridge
Which 2007 book by Henry Nicholls concerns a 90kg tortoise aged between 60 and 200 who could be the last survivor of his sub-species?
Lonesome George
In the fishing industry, what function was carried out by the man known as a 'huer'?
Lookout/watch
What is the surname of this father and son- son (1944-99) was a DJ sacked by Radio 1 for presenting a show while drunk and father (1917-91) a bandleader who recorded as Manuel and the Music of the Mountains'?
Love
Who eventually broke Bob Beamon's 23 year-old long jump record, in 1991?
MIKE POWELL
With which antique dealer did Paddington Bear have his elevenses each day?
MR GRUBER
In Arizonan history, how was Donnie Clarke better known? She also was portrayed by Shelly Winters on film.
Ma Barker
Rome's domination of the Mediterranean basin became complete in the period 171BC to 146BC with the defeat and annexation of which rival power?
Macedonians
His name is synonymous with Funky Music. He's backed every major 'funk' figure, from George Clinton to Prince. What is the surname of the saxophonist introduced by James Brown on the 1974 track 'Soul Of A Black Man' with the words: "Maceo! Come here quick, and bring that funky licking stick!"?
Maceo PARKER
With three spells in office totalling 21 years, who was Canada's longest serving PM?
Mackenzie King
Baby-faced 35-year-old Andry Rajoelina became leader of which country in 2010?
Madagascar
Maromokotro is the highest point of which island nation?
Madagascar
Riddling and disgorgement, both intended to remove dead yeast cells from champagne, were both invented in the c19 by which champagne maker?
Madame Clicquot
Which London attraction has gone one better than 3D by launching 4D films (whatever they are)?
Madame Tussauds
What is the capital of Ingushetia?
Magas
Parian is a fine-textured pure white variety of what stone?
Marble
In what game might you use an alley or an aggie?
Marbles
Who succeeded Salazar as dictator of Portugal in 1968?
Marcelo Caetano
Who is this former Finnish rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After leaving Peugeot in 2005 he drove for Ford in 2006 and 2007 before retiring. Who is he?
Marcus Gronholm
Turner Contemporary is an arts centre in which seaside town due to open in 2011?
Margate
In 1742, which head of state made peace with Prussian king Frederick II by ceding Silesia to him in the Treaty of Breslau?
Maria Theresa
Running in Heels was a US reality show in 2009 follwing three interns working at which magazine?
Marie Claire
What's the name of the Singapore street circuit in F1?
Marina Bay
In cookery, which term comes from the Latin for seawater?
Marinade
Born in 1979 and with a Spanish grandfather. Who is the England and Sale Wing/Full back who is best remembered for his disallowed try in the 2007 World Cup final against South Africa?
Mark Cueto
Which man, who became manager of non-league Bromley in 2006, famously bankrupted himself and Crystal Palace in 1999?
Mark Goldberg
Who starred as Rembrandt in Peter Greenaway's film about The Night Watch?
Martin Freeman
Which 1996 Boublil and Schonberg musical is based on the case of a c16 French peasant at the centre of a famous case of imposture?
Martin Guerre
Which writer wrote Men In Shadow, The Uninvited Guest and Whistle Down The Wind?
Mary Hayley Bell
In which US State is NASA's Goddard Space Flight Research Centre?
Maryland
Who (also) composed the operas Zanetto, L'Amico Ritz and Guglieme Ratcliff?
Mascagni
His first wife is a food critic- what is the surname of the former head of Jonathan Cape publishing who founded the Booker Prize?
Maschler
What is the Arabic name of the Great Mosque at Mecca?
Masjid al-Haram
In 2004, where became the first US state to sanction gay marriages?
Massachussetts
The 1969 Formula One Grand Prix championship was won by Jackie Stewart driving a car powered by a Ford engine, run by Ken Tyrrell. What was the name of the French company who built the car near Paris?
Matra
Which composer was born in Ciboure, near the Spanish border?
Maurice Ravel
Whose name is given to the series of equations which are the mathematical expressions of the laws of Gauss, Faraday and Ampere?
Maxwell
Who was France's Chief Minister under Louis XIV until his death in 1661?
Mazarin
Which ancient peoples from the NW of present-day Iran, together with the Chaldeans, defeated the Neo-Assyrian empire?
Medes
Which radioactive tracers are in danger of vanishing from our doctor's shelves because the ageing nuclear reactors that they are made in keep breaking down?
Medical isotopes
On a scale of 1-12, what scale measures the intensity of earthquakes?
Mercalli
The Earth is the densest planet in the Solar System, at 5.5 times the density of water. Which planet is second, at 5.4 times?
Mercury
Which planet was visited by NASA's Messenger spacecraft, launched in 2007?
Mercury
Born in California in 1937, whose best-known song is 'Okie from Muskogee'?
Merle Haggard
Which US national park is home to c6-c12 Indian cave dwellings, is in the SW of Colorado and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Mesa Verde
In 1949, Hideki Yukawa was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for predicting the existence of which subatomic particle?
Meson
Pions and kaons are members of which group of sub-atomic particles?
Mesons
Inspector William Henderson is the police commissioner in which comic-book city?
Metropolis
Belgium-born artist Francis Alys creates drawings, paintings, photography, film and video installations. He moved to which city in the mid 80s, and in one of his works he pushed a block of ice around the same city until it melted?
Mexico City
Which American won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17?
Michael Chang
Which Serbian prince's assassination in Belgrade in 1868 derailed the Balkan League's plans for a co-ordinated rebellion against the Ottomans?
Michael III
In the TV series Dr Quinn- Medicine Woman, what was Quinn's forename?
Michaela
In 2009, who became the first woman to referee snooker's World Championship final?
Michaela TABB
Prior to Michael Vaughan, who was the last England captain to win an Ashes series?
Mike Gatting
Under what name did Paul McCartney's younger brother take photos?
Mike McGear
Who beat Bob Beamon's long jump record at last in 1991?
Mike Powell
Which late comedian and actor was Roger Moore's stunt double in The Saint?
Mike Reid
In which Italian city is the Pinacoteca di Brera?
Milan
Similar to the use of thread count for cotton fabrics, what unit of weight is traditionally used to measure the density of fabric made of what?
Momme
Which two-world phrase summarises Planet Earth in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?
Mostly Armless
One woman's attempt to make a living doing business during the Thirty Years' War is the subject of which Brecht play?
Mother Courage
Which sacred mountain in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmology is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes. It is also the abode of Lord Brahma and the Demi-Gods (Devas)?
Mount Meru
Which term is used in heraldry to mean a beast of the chase or a reptile standing on the left hind foot with the forefeet in the air?
Mounting
In David Copperfield, Uriah Heep, while claiming to be 'umble', is maliciously plotting against his boss, called what?
Mr Wickfield
Falkland Road is the infamous red-light district in which Asian City?
Mumbai
In which German city is the Friedenssaal, or Peace Room, where the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648 to end the Thirty Years War?
Munster
What is the second longer river system in Australia?
Murrumbidgee
Which well-known social networking site was founded by Tom Anderson?
Myspace
Which model railway gauge equates to 1:160 scale?
N Gauge
Which city? It is the capital and largest city in the country. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which it is connected by a bridge.
N'Djamena
In Gustav Holst's work "The Planets Suite" which planet is termed "The Mystic"?
NEPTUNE
What is the name of the high school choir that is central to the US TV show 'Glee'?
NEW DIRECTIONS
Which actress played the title role of Sylvia Broome in the 2005 motion picture 'The Interpreter'?
NICOLE KIDMAN
In Avatar, what is the name of the native species of Pandora?
Na'vi
Ahab coveted the vineyard of which Jezreelite?
Naboth
Which French-Israeli singer-songwriter rose to fame when her hit single New Soul was used in an ad campaign by Apple and become the first Israeli soloist to have a top ten hit in the USA?
Naim
In which city is Cosi Fan Tutti set?
Naples
Which character in Animal Farm represents Stalin?
Napoleon
Nicholas Hytner was appointed director of which arts organisation in 2003?
National Theatre
Which Babylonian king helped to negotiate a truce between Media and Lydia, fixing their boundary at the river Helis?
Nebuchadnezzar II
By which three letter name is Thomas A Anderson better known in a famous trilogy of sci-fi films?
Neo
What was the philosophy placed at the heart of De Stijl by Piet Mondrian?
Neoplasticism
In finance, when assessing a share, what does NAV mean?
Net Asset Value
In which sport do Team Northumbria, Loughborough Lightning and Northern Thunder compete?
Netball
The Comstock Lode silver rush was in which US state?
Nevada
On which Caribbean island did Nelson marry Frances Nesbitt?
Nevis
Edwin Reardon, a novelist struggling to make a living, appears in which George Gissing novel?
New Grub Street
Witi Ihimaera, author of the acclaimed novel The Whale Rider, comes from which country?
New Zealand (Maori)
At which course is the Hennessy Gold Cup run, without exception?
Newbury
Which Northern Hemisphere territory was granted dominion status in 1907?
Newfoundland
Which newspaper sponsored a darts tournament from 1948 to 1990?
News of the World
Anna Maria Smart became the first British woman in 1762 to take up what kind of post?
Newspaper editor
Which historian recently wrote The Ascent of Money?
Niall Ferguson
Which singer/songwriter is the father of a child called Donovan Rory McDonald?
Noel Gallagher
Which American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate has been called "the father of the Green Revolution" and was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal?
Norman Borlaug
Which country in 1984 was the last to win the Home International Championship?
Northern Ireland
Formed in 1862, which is the oldest still extant Football League club?
Notts County
In the nursery rhyme, "There was a Jolly Miller", where did the jolly miller live?
ON THE RIVER DEE
In the poem, "The Owl and the Pussycat", by Edward Lear, how much was paid to the pig for the ring at the end of its nose?
ONE SHILLING
In 1882, Britain issued a £5 postage stamp, which, up to then, was the largest British postage stamp ever printed. What colour was it?
ORANGE
Which classic series of pocket reference books was published from 1937 to 2003 by Frederick Warne and Co, some 100 subjects being covered in this time?
Observers Books
Which American General of WW2, portrayed on screen by Karl Malden, was nicknamed The Soldier's General and the GI General?
Omar Bradley
In Cycle Racing, what is a sag wagon ?
One of the last vehicles following road events and picking up riders who have dropped out
Lella Lombardi has two unique records in F1 history. Name both
Only woman to score points and only person to finish a season with 0.5 points
Which branch of philosophy deals with things that exist, not just things that can be known?
Ontology
Elizabeth Fretwell, who died in 2006, was well known for what?
Opera soprano
What was the name of the UK-USA operation that ousted Mossadegh in Iran in 1953?
Operation Ajax
What was the name of the operation ordered by Indira Gandhi to remove Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple at Amritsar, which itself triggered Gandhi's own death at the hands of Sikh bodyguards?
Operation Blue Star
The Shape of Jazz to Come was whose debut album for Atlantic Records in 1959?
Ornette Coleman
John Rokesmith appears in which Dickens novel?
Our Mutual Friend
What is the name of the Asia-Pacific equivalent of the Eurovision Song Contest, whose inaugural competition will be held in Mumbai in November 2010?
Our Sound
In the Bible, which two animals are named in the tenth 'non-coveting' commandment?
Ox and ass
Justus von Liebig invented Extractum Carnis, which was the forerunner of today's what?
Oxo cube
Which gas was first liquefied in 1877 by Louis-Paul Cailletet of France and Raoul Pictet of Switzerland?
Oxygen
Which HBO prison drama was mostly set in the experimental prison unit Emerald City?
Oz
The annual Prize for Comic Fiction, first awarded in 2000, is named for which writer?
P G Wodehouse
Which British writer was nicknamed 'Plum'?
P G Wodehouse
What is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed, a term which may reference Plainfield, New Jersey?
P-Funk
Which word derives from an ancient Persian one meaning a closing-off from the outside world (to keep out wild animals) to make a protected, horticultural space?
PARADISE ('pairida?za')
In 2009, scare stories held that criminal gangs were killing peasant farmers and the fat from their bodies was being sold to European cosmetics manufacturers at £10,000 a litre. In which country were these (subsequently discredited) wild stories circulating?
PERU
Which Dutch Renaissance artist painted "The Hunters in the Snow", in 1565?
PETER BRUEGEL (The Elder)
Sometimes combined with silk or polyester to create a textile fabric which is lightweight and looks like linen; piña is a fibre made from the leaves of which plant?
PINEAPPLE
Which famous man was born Doroteo Arangal in 1877?
Pancho Villa
Which garden plant, a variety of Viola, is also called Heartsease?
Pansy
Which sentimental poet, born Winifred Emma May, wrote in the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror for more than 40 years under the title The Quiet Corner?
Patience Strong
Which England batsman became the first for over 70 years to score a double hundred in a test match in Australia, in the 2006-7 Ashes series?
Paul Collingwood
Geoffrey Anthony Quinn became (in)famous under what name in London?
Paul Raymond
Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth is a world-renowned brand name of superior quality items of which kind?
Pencils
What was the name of the daughter of Demeter and Zeus?
Persephone
In the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, which character makes up the foursome with Monkey,Sandy and Tripitaka?
Piggy
Indigenous to the seas around Britain, which creature has the alternative name 'Blackfish'?
Pilot whale
Satellite measurements have shown that which geographical feature of Antarctica, nicknamed PIG, has a greater net contribution of ice to the sea than any other ice drainage basin in the world and its rate of melt is accelerating unusually fast?
Pine Island Glacier
Filister, Trying and Jack are all types of which tool?
Plane
What name is usually given to a cocktail consisting of rum, lime, sugar and angostura bitters?
Planter's Punch
In the famous RL 'State of Origin' competition between Queensland and New South Wales, how does the competition get its name?
Players are selected to represent the state in which they played their first senior rugby league
The Humana festival in Louisville, Kentucky, is held annually and showcases new examples of what?
Plays
What was Tom Finney's previous occupation, taken up in his nickname- 'The Preston _______'?
Plumber
Prior to WW2, Galicia was a province of which country?
Poland
Which event, held since the c13, has taken place every 20 years in Corby, Northamptonshire?
Pole Fair
Which journalist replaced the late Linda Smith as chairperson of the British Humanist Association?
Polly Toynbee
Principle Voices is a campaign among residents of a certain US state for the Federal government to change the law and allow what?
Polygamy
As well as Princess Anne, the phrase 'Naff off' was popularised by which TV series?
Porridge
What is the capital of Benin?
Portonovo
The Archibald prize is the most important for what genre of painting in Australia?
Portrait
In 2001, the government of which EU member state decriminalised recreational drugs including heroin and cocaine in an attempt to reduce the number of hard drug users in the country?
Portugal
What nationality was Lavrador, after whom Labrador is named?
Portuguese
What is the name of the arts prize awarded by the imperial family of Japan that is also known as the World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu?
Praemium Imperiale
At one time it had the largest capacity in the world (250,000). In which city is the Strahov Stadium?
Prague
Which city is known as the 'city of a hundred (or a thousand) spires'?
Prague
Who is the current president of India, the first woman to hold the post?
Pratiba Patil
Which Athenian sculptor is alleged to have had a homosexual relationship with his beautiful model, the courtesan Phryne?
Praxiteles
Which Carl Weathers film also featured two future US State Governors and a third man who stood unsuccessfully for State Governor?
Predator
What name is given to the panels at the bottom of an Italian Renaissance painting, often containing a series of narrative scenes complimenting the main picture?
Predelli
Whose principle, derived from the study of Cebus monekeys, states that more probable behaviours will reinforce less probable behaviours?
Premack's Principle
What is the best-selling debut by legal thriller writer Scott Turow?
Presumed Innocent
In finance, what does a P/E ratio measure?
Price to earnings ratio
Author Seth Grahame-Smith is best known for which Jane Austen parody?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Which Borodin opera was completed after his death by Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov?
Prince Igor
The Design Council's Designer's Prize is awarded in the name of which member of the Roayl Family?
Prince Phillip
What is the name of the French equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize?
Prix Constantine
What is the French name for the French Derby?
Prix du Jockey Club
Many of the September 11 terrorists, Timothy McVeigh, Hitler and Henry Ford all studied which (fake) document that claimed to be a 'confession' that Jews wanted to run the world?
Protocol of the Elders of Zion
Which Egyptian god was the patron God of Memphis and the creator of craftsmen?
Ptah
Although its use goes back to Roman times, what term was coined by canal builder James Brindley for clay, sand and gravel with water added mixed in such a way as to become watertight for use in dams?
Puddled clay
The Boricua People's Army is a guerilla organisation fighting with machetes for the independence of which territory?
Puerto Rico
Two islands in the Caribbean became independent from Spain in 1898. Cuba was one, which was the other?
Puerto Rico
Baby echidnas and duck-billed platypuses are called what cute name?
Puggles
Who wrote the Silverado Squatters, a travel narrative of his and his wife Fanny Osbourne's honeymoon in Napa Valley, California?
R L Stevenson
Live at the Olympia, recorded in Dublin in 2007, was a live album by which band?
R.E.M.
Tavel and Hermitage wines are produced in which French wine growing area?
RHONE VALLEY
This dog has been seen at nearly every demonstration in Athens since 2008 and turned up again during the May 2010 protests against the government's big spending cuts. How is he popularly known?
RIOT DOG' or 'PROTEST DOG' real name, KANELLOS
In Round the Horne, what is the name of the earthy folk singer played by Kenneth Williams?
Rambling Syd Rumpo
Who coined the phrase 'Ulster will fight- Ulster will be right'?
Randolph Churchill
Sirolimus is an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation, especially useful in kidney transplants. First discovered in a soil sample from Easter Island, it also prolongs the life of mice and has promising anti-cancer properties. What is its alternative name, derived from its place of discovery?
Rapamycin
Who wrote the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand for Wittgenstein's brother Paul?
Ravel
The actinopterygii comprise an amazing 95% of all fish and are therefore the most common class of vertebrates in the world. What does actinopterygii literally mean?
Ray-finned
All the hoops in croquet are painted white, except the last one, called the rover, which has a different colour on the crown. Which colour is it ?
Red
As well as the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which is the third, neutral one?
Red Crystal
In astronomy, which word means an increase in the wavelength of light from a galaxy recieved by a detector, compared with others?
Red shift
Sports equipment distributor Paul Fireman obtained the US license to manufacture which British training shoes in 1979?
Reebok
Reducing sail by rolling, folding or tying up part of it is called what?
Reefing
In boxing, what does RSF stand for?
Referee Stopped Fight
Loved by right-wing Americans, and worn on a t-shirt by Timothy McVeigh, what is the end of Thomas Jefferson's famous quote: 'From time to time the tree of liberty must be....'?
Refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants
The French Fourth Republic had two presidents- Vincent Auriol and who between 1954 and 1959?
Rene Coty
What is the subtitle of the 2009 sequel to the 2007 Transformers film?
Revenge of the Fallen
In bridge, what word means mistakenly discarding or trumping when you hold a card of the suit led?
Revoking
Who played Caesar in the 1963 film Cleopatra?
Rex Harrison
In Greek mythology, which wise king, the son of Zeus and Europa, gives his name to an adjective meaning 'strictly and uncompromisingly just'?
Rhadamanthus (rhadamanthine)
What was the name of Cronus' wife in Greek mythology?
Rhea
Which goddess is the mother of Zeus?
Rhea
Common and Darwin's are the two species of which New World birds?
Rheas
Which 2007 X-Factor runner up has released two classical crossover albums, under Simon Cowell's tutelage?
Rhydian Roberts
Give either forename of Benson and Hedges who founded the cigarette company in 1873?
Richard Benson and William Hedges
Who was the author of The Uses of Literacy, the chief defence barrister at the Chatterley trial and the father of a modern-day Guardian columnist?
Richard Hoggart
In which of her palaces did Elizabeth I die?
Richmond
Who is the best selling American author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books for children, the first of which, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, is also a film starring Uma Thurman?
Rick Riordan
Which Australian has the second highest number of Test centuries ever, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, and plays intermittently for the Tasmanian Tigers?
Ricky Ponting
What name is given to the dialect or form of non-Standard Spanish spoken around the River Plate, i.e in northern Argentina and Uruguay?
Rioplatense
At which trial was Mandela and others tried for sabotage?
Rivonia trial
Which author, whose books include The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse and Nostradamus Ate My Hamster has a fan club called Sproutlore?
Robert Rankin
Which Hollywood actor founded Wildwood, his own production company, and won an Oscar for his first venture into direction?
Robert Redford
Who directed Sin City and From Dusk Till Dawn?
Robert Rodriguez
To what does the Rock in 30 Rock refer?
Rockefeller Plaza
Which is the sixth and final film in the Rocky series?
Rocky Balboa
Which admiral was the senior Allied commander at the Gallipoli landings?
Roebuck
Which US athlete won the 110m hurdles gold medal in both 1984 and 1988?
Roger Kingdom
Which controversial English biochemist and plant physiologist is sceptical of the standard account of the role of DNA and proposes instead a non-standard account of morphogenesis and for his research into parapsychology? He was stabbed in the leg in New Mexico in 2008 by Kazuki Hirano, who believed the scientist was exerting mind control over him.
Rupert Sheldrake
Which is the first book of the Bible named for a woman?
Ruth
Who joined the Cabinet in 2004 as SoS for Education and left in 2008 as SoS for Transport?
Ruth Kelly
Which children's writer is best known for her 21 titles continuing the Land of Oz series after the death of L Frank Baum in 1919?
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Which chemical element is named from the Latin for Russia?
Ruthenium
Joseph Bologne (1739-99) was among the most important figures in the Paris musical scene of his day. He was also famed as a swordsman and equestrian. Known as the "Black Mozart", he was the Chevalier de... what?
SAINT-GEORGE(S)
Which two-word term that first gained currency in the 1950s commonly refers to a person with a non-speaking or supernumerary role in an opera or stage play?
SPEAR CARRIER
The Rad-Waniyah palace complex was the principle resident of which c20 statesman?
Saddam Hussein
The hip joint is ball and socket, the knee and elbow hinge. What type of joint is to be found between the thumb and hand?
Saddle
Which South Pacific nation switched to driving on the left in September 2009?
Samoa
Which country switched reluctantly from driving on the right (a legacy of 15 years as a German colony before World War I) to the left, like most of its Pacific neighbours, in 2009?
Samoa
What is the Russian word for 'self-boiling'?
Samovar
What is the name of the island on which Venice's cemetery lies?
San Michele
Which Arab capital city vies with Damascus for the title of the world's oldest and claims to have been founded by Shem?
San'aa
Seral communities are stages in ecological progressions. A hydrosere is a seral community in water and a lithosere on rock. Where would you find a psammosere?
Sand
What is both a Portuguese and Galician form of the biblical name Jacob?
Santiago
Ruby is the red form of corundum. What is the blue form?
Sapphire
What is the real first name of Trinny Woodall?
Sarah Jane
Based on a James Michener novel set at the time of the Korean war, for which 1957 film did Miyoshi Umeki win Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first actress of East Asian descent to win an Oscar?
Sayonara
What honourific title, similar to 'Sir', is given by Shia Muslims to the descendents of Mohammed through Fatima?
Sayyid
Which Rafael Sabatini swashbuckling novel takes its name from the theatre character used as a disguise by its protagonist and starred Stewart Grainger when it was filmed?
Scaramouche
Which father and son composers were innovators in Neopolitan opera and keyboard techniques respectively?
Scarlatti
What was the name of the German plan to avoid combat on two fronts which was almost successful and would have led to German victory in the opening months of WW1?
Schlieffen Plan
In which board game could your turn be described as a bingo or a phoney?
Scrabble
In 2009, what name was given to the government's 300 million-pound scheme for paying you 2,000 pounds to get rid of your 10-year-old car?
Scrappage
With their headquarters in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, what is the nickname of the 101st US Airborne Division?
Screaming Eagles
Known in the USA as a Bonus Issue, what name is given in the UK for the issue of free shares to subscribers in lieu of a dividend?
Scrip issue
What is the name of Vaughan Williams' first symphony?
Sea Symphony
As a young man in WW2 his ship was torpedoed. One of a handful to survive he escaped from being a German POW by jumping from a train and eventually got to Spain. In London in the 1950's he married a lady of Indian descent and they had a son who became a famous sportsman. Who is the son?
Sebastian Coe
Where could you spend Linden Dollars?
Second Life
Which law states that it is impossible to make a engine that will continually take heat from a heat source and, by itself, turn it into an equivalent amount of mechanical work?
Second law of thermodynamics
Adding sugar and yeast to the cuvee immediately before bottling is a process known by what two-word name?
Secondary fermentation
In which London store did the first demonstration of television take place?
Selfridges
World music' artist Baaba Maal hails from which country?
Senegal
In a medical context, what does SCID stand for?
Severe Combined Immune Deficiency
Who did the official World Cup 2010 pop song, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)?
Shakira
Which sports commentator has described his own voice as sounding like 'a screaming banshee with piles'?
Sid Waddell
Baron Passfield, who helped to found the LSE, was better known how?
Sidney Webb
Bo is the second city of which African country?
Sierra Leone
Scientists are trying to reduce the cost of photovoltaic cells by researching ones made of plastic, instead of which relatively expensive material that they have hitherto been made from?
Silicon
Which Christmas song did Terry Wogan and Aled Jones release for Children in Need?
Silver Bells
What was the venue for the world's first F1 GP in 1950?
Silverstone
What name is given to the interchange of the M60, M62 and M66?
Simister Island
Hailing from Gitta and nicknamed The Sorcerer, who did ecclesiastical writers of the early church call the Father of Heresies?
Simon Magus
During WW2, who was the last Liberal to sit in the UK Cabinet until the Coalition government of 2010?
Sinclair
Which country's national symbol is an imaginary half-lion, half-fish?
Singapore
What term describes the period 1987-1990 when the Baltic states gained independence from the Soviet Union?
Singing Revolution
In bridge, what name is given to the holding of just one card in a suit?
Singleton
Which former director of the Royal Ballet died of a heart attack in 1992 while backstage at Covent Garden during a production of Mayerling?
Sir Kenneth MacMillan
Who was the first British composer to win the Oscar for best music?
Sir Malcolm Arnold (Bridge on the River Kwai)
Which future Chancellor became Ambassador to Moscow in 1940?
Sir Stafford Cripps
Who founded the RNLI in 1824?
Sir William Hillary
In Hinduism, which princess was kidnapped, but her husband Rama used Hanuman, the monkey god, to find her and return her to him?
Sita
How many Majors did Nick Faldo win?
Six
How many Olympics did Tessa Sanderson compete in?
Six (1976-1996)
How many pounds is the steel ball in the hammer event?
Sixteen
The word siesta is derived from the Latin word meaning what?
Sixth
In England and Wales, what is the oldest age at which one can be called up for jury service?
Sixty-nine
Penhaligon's Bluebell, Creed Fleurissimo, Gianna Rose Atelier Pretty Little Hen and Roger and Gallet Blue Lotus are all expensive varieties of what?
Soap
Which body awards the annual Laurence Olivier award for best new play?
Society of London Theatres
What is the chemical name for Glauber's salts?
Sodium sulphate
Dubbed The Queen of Science, she became one of the first female members of the Royal Astronomical Society and an Oxford college is named for her?
Somerville
Which popular collection of songs includes 'Cradle Song', 'Anthony', 'By Mirabel Bridge', 'Down There in Limousin' and 'Shepherd Lass'?
Songs of Auvergne
Which Japanese multinational sponsors the annual World Photography Awards?
Sony
At the age of 71 in 2006, who became the oldest ever actress to model for the Pirelli calendar?
Sophia Loren
Becky Bloomwood is the most famous literary creation of which author?
Sophie Kinsella
In which 2006 BBC drama series are characters employed as Manchester postal workers?
Sorted
Alexandra Burke is the daughter of Melissa Bell, who sang with which 1980s band?
Soul II Soul
Against which team did England play the last 'Timeless Test Match' in 1939, which was abandoned because England had to get a boat back home?
South Africa
Arniston Bay wine comes from where?
South Africa
What is the name of the hired assassin in Rigoletto?
Sparafucile
What is the name of the torpedoes that these RN vessels use?
Spearfish
Wolverhampton Wolves, who play at the Ladbroke Stadium in Monmore Green, play which sport?
Speedway
Also known as magnetoelectronics, which emerging technology exploits the intrinsic spin of the electron for use in electronic circuits and electronic devices?
Spintronics
The XYZ Show, on Kenyan TV, is groundbreaking and controversial. What is its closest equivalent on British TV?
Spitting Image
What is the name of the drug dealer in Porgy and Bess?
Sportin' Life
Which character created by Peter Cook was friends with E L Wisty and was the other half of the World Domination League?
Spotty Muldoon
Which country won the Cricket World Cup in 1996?
Sri Lanka
The Rozabal shrine, where locals bizarrely believe Jesus to be buried, is in the back streets of which provicial capital in South Asia?
Srinagar
Upon which chair are new Archbishops of Canterbury crowned?
St Augustine's
Prince Charles's second urban village is in which town in Cornwall?
St Austell
Ascalon was which mythical hero's sword?
St George
Probably the most successful domestic club in Australia, especially since the merger in 1998, which club used to be two clubs, explaining their two home grounds in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah?
St George Illawara Dragons
Which RL club are distinguished by the 'red vee' on their shirts?
St Helens
For his work in which field did Sir Martin Evans share the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2007?
Stem cell research
Who was the first ever Page 3 girl?
Stephanie Rahn
Who won Australia's first ever Winter Olympic Gold in hilarious circumstances at the 2002 Games in speed skating?
Stephen Bradbury
Joe Hill', who wrote the best-selling Heart Shaped Box, is the pseudonym of the son of which other writer?
Stephen King
Which Irishman won the Tour De France in 1987?
Stephen Roche
Who directed the 1998 George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez film Out of Sight?
Stephen Soderbergh
Who broke the world records for the 1500m, 2000m and the mile in 1985?
Steve Cram
Who plays the Eric who is not Eric Cantona in the 2009 film Looking for Eric?
Steve Evets
Whose first starring role was in 1958's The Blob?
Steve McQueen
Often known as the Sixth Stone, who was the original pianist with the Rolling Stones, but dropped by Andrew Loog Oldham?
Stewart
Whose screen roles include Ace Face in Quadrophenia, Feyd-Rautha in Dune and JD in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?
Sting
What nickname is sometimes given to the last Sunday before Advent because it was the day Christmas puddings were traditionally prepared?
Stir-Up Sunday
In which newspaper is the column Atticus?
Sunday Times
What term was coined by Gerry Anderson to describe his puppeteering technique?
Supermarionation
As what was Income Support known between 1965 and 1988?
Supplementary Benefit
The American Kelly Slater is a world champion in which sport?
Surfing
In 1667, the Dutch swapped New York with the British for this country. Its population is made up of Maroons?
Suriname
Which county won the first ever County Championship, in 1890?
Surrey
Which language's name is the Arabic for coast?
Swahili
Five of the six terrestrial biomes are Desert, Tundra, Tropical Rainforest, Temperate Rainforest and Grassland. Which is the sixth, also known as Boreal Forest?
Taiga
The world's largest building in the Chinese classical style is the Grand Hotel, a 16-story hotel looking like a classical Asian temple in which city?
Taipei
The Bashi channel, Luzon Strait, Balintang Channel and Babuyan Channel area all areas of water separating Luzon from which island?
Taiwan
Belgian fencer Victor Boin was the first man to do what, at the 1920 Olympics?
Take the Olympic Oath
Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke were the first Europeans to see which African lake (though Speke was temporarily blind at the time)?
Tanganyika
Which British Asian was co-writer on Oliver Stone's 'South of the Border'?
Tariq Ali
Which 1972-born singer is sometimes known as the Turkish Elvis and is the best-selling non-Russian act in the Russian charts?
Tarkan
The 2002 sci-fi film Solaris, starring George Clooney, was a remake of a 1972 movie of the same name by which Russian film-maker?
Tarkovsky
Which ritual of Islamic pilgrimage consists of circling the Ka'aba seven times?
Tawaf
King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain is a mnemonic to remember what?
Taxonomy (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order etc)
Which hardwood tree has the Latin name Tectona Grandis?
Teak
Later sold to Man U, which man once scored 9 goals for Bournemouth against Margate in the FA Cup in 1971?
Ted McDougall
Which Indian weekly magazine under the editorship of Tarun Tejpal began in 2000 as a news website. In 2001, with an exposé of match-fixing in professional cricket in India, it got public attention, but it was the defense sting, called Operation Westend that got it international attention, which led to the resignation of Indian Defence Minister?
Tehelka
In November each year, the Leonids meteor shower takes place as the Earth passes through debris left by the tail of which comet?
Temple-Tuttle
What is the name of the measure that a backbench MP may introduce before public business on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and takes its name from the time its sponsor can speak for?
Ten Minute Rule Bill
In Christianity, what collective name is given to the seven items listed in Isaiah Chapter 11, namely wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord?
The (seven) gifts of the Holy Spirit
How is 9 Rue Git-le-Couer, immortalised in Harold Chapman's photos, known?
The Beat Hotel
John Boulter, Tony Mercer and Dai Francis were solo performers with which popular singing group?
The Black and White Minstrels
What is the name of the cafe owned by Sydney Greenstreet in Casablanca?
The Blue Parrot
What collective name was given to Bessie Mundy, Margaret Lofty and Alice Burnham, the three wives of George Joseph Smith?
The Brides in the Bath
Which European Space Agency unmanned space mission to study the Earth's magnetosphere using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation survived the loss of the first four in the Ariane 5 flight failure in1996, leading to the construction of four new spacecraft and their successful launching in 2000 on Soyuz-Fregat rockets?
The Cluster Mission
Founded in 1951, which alliance to aid socio-economic development in Asia-Pacific is named for the city it was based in?
The Columbo Plan
Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths are most associated with which hoax?
The Cottingley Fairies
Which member of the Royal Family has the forenames Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick?
The Duke of Kent
The Mystery Writers of America give what annual award for Best Novel?
The Edgar
In education, how was the Transfer Test better known?
The Eleven Plus
Which forged document was used to justify Bismarck's invasion of France in 1870?
The Ems Telegram
Which Act was passed by Hitler after he was elected as Chancellor that gave him all the powers of the Reichstag for the next four years?
The Enabling Act
What was the name of Thom Yorke's debut solo album?
The Eraser
4 billion years ago, the Sun was far dimmer than it is now, but all the geological evidence is that the world was no colder then than now. What is the name of this paradox, first posed by Carl Sagan?
The Faint Young Sun Paradox
In Russian history, how is the former monk Grigori Otrepyev better known?
The False Dmitri
P T Barnum once exhibited the head and torso of a dead monkey attached to the tail of a dried-out fish under what name?
The Feejee Mermaid
Until its closure in 1970, which was London's only horse-racing venue?
The Frying Pan in Alexandra Park
What tune is traditionally played by English military bands when a batallion or regiment is leaving and is also sometimes called Brighton Camp?
The Girl I Left Behind Me
Frederick-William of Brandenburg, under whom the Prussian army made its debut in the c17, was nicknamed what?
The Great Elector
What is the title of Julia Donaldson's modern classic for children about a wily mouse that gets the better of its natural predators?
The Gruffalo
Both Claggart and Budd are on board which ship?
The HMS Bellipotent
What is the name of the Alan Bennett play about the relationship between Benjamin Britten and W H Auden?
The Habit of Art
Who were the first father and son to have seperate UK hit singles, in 1981 and 2002?
The Iglesias
The Foreign Fiction Prize in the UK is sponsored by which national newspaper?
The Independent
During which conflict did British regiments first wear khaki?
The Indian Mutiny
In Harry Potter, which wizards' pub is at the entrance to Diagon Alley?
The Leaky Cauldron
What was the name of the trading company chartered by James I in 1606 to colonise the eastern US coast?
The London Company
Edgar Pearce, jailed for 21 years at the Old Bailey in 1999 for bomb-making and blackmailing threats to Barclays and Sainsburys, was given what nickname?
The Mardi Gra Bomber
Which was the only one of the seven wonders of the world built by a woman?
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (built by Artemisia)
Which character in the Canterbury Tales is associated with bagpipes?
The Miller
Which Agatha Christie novel takes its name from a line in The Lady of Shallott by Tennyson?
The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side
What is moving at 4 centimetres every year away from the Earth?
The Moon
Which Czech band played a crucial role in ending Communism there in 1989 and are the subject of Tom Stoppard's 'Rock 'n' Roll'?
The Plastic People of The Universe
Which classical musical group is made up of three Catholic pastors, all from Northern Ireland. Fr Eugene and his brother Fr Martin O'Hagan. and Fr David Delargy have been singing together since they boarded as students?
The Priests
What was the Velvet Underground's debut album called?
The Velvet Underground and Nico
A tapestry depicting which historic event was reinstated in the House of Lords in June 2010?
The Victory over the Spanish Armada
400 years ago, which Englishman, also sometimes credited with the introduction of the potato to Great Britain and Ireland (he worked for Walter Raleigh), was the first to draw a telescopically-enhanced map of the moon's surface?
Thomas Harriot
Following 18 years of research which artist unveiled in 2009 his latest design, a chair made from extruded polished aluminium which will eventually be 100 metres long?
Thomas Heatherwick
Which poet and historian was legal advisor to the Supervisory Committee for India between 1834 and 1838?
Thomas Macauley
Which German author wrote the 1939 novel Lotte in Weimar, inspired by Goethe's Werther, and imagining Goethe meeting the love of his life 40 years on?
Thomas Mann
Which US vice-president, to Woodrow Wilson, was called 'a small-calibre man' by Wilson himself and therefore it was Wilson's wife who took over many presidential duties after Wilson suffered a stroke?
Thomas Marshall
Which English designer published the Cabinetmaker's and Upholsterer's Drawing Book in 1791 and The Cabinet Directory in 1803?
Thomas Sheraton
In a stage of the 2009 Tour De France, all of Mark Cavendish's points were deducted after a protest by which Norwegian cyclist?
Thor Hushovd
Which Chancellor resigned in 1958?
Thorneycroft
How many people in the Thompson Twins?
Three
In which Olympic event is there a minimum age requirement of seven years?
Three Day Eventing
In which German Land is Weimar?
Thuringia
Which is the largest city square in the world?
Tiananmen
Which Swiss town was the location of the BBC's infamous spaghetti harvest hoax?
Ticino
Prior to Padraig Harrington in 2007-8, who was the last golfer to win the Open in two consecutive years?
Tiger Woods (2005-6)
In Peter Pan, which character gets her name because she mends pots and pans?
Tinkerbell
What name has been given to the fossils of enormous snakes, possibly the largest land predators since the dinosaurs, found in a Colombian coal mine in the 2000s?
Titanoboas
What is the function of staddle-stones?
To support a haystack or rick
Who, in May 2008, replaced Monty Don as the lead presenter of Gardeners World on TV?
Toby Buckland
Which city was the capital of Spain immediately before Madrid?
Toledo
Which highly developed civilisation immediately preceded the Aztecs?
Toltecs
Which British amateur astronomer, author, broadcaster and former communications and computer engineer currently holds the record of spotting the most supernovae by one person: 125 supernovae, mostly from his observatory in Coddenham, Suffolk?
Tom Boles
In Harry Potter, what is the real name of villain Lord Voldemort?
Tom Marvolo Riddle
What is the forename and surname of that black man, both shared with a Six Music DJ and pop star?
Tom Robinson
Who wrote Riotous Assembly and its sequel Indecent Exposure, both set in South Africa?
Tom Sharpe
Which US general commanded the 2003 Iraq invasion?
Tommy Franks
Which famous actor's screen debut was in Criss Cross, in 1949?
Tony Curtis
Which England captain helped Kerry Packer set up his World Series Cricket?
Tony Grieg
Which comedian starred in the films The Rebel and the Wrong Box in the 1960s?
Tony Hancock
Which children's TV presenter of the 1980s served with the 1st Gurkha Rifles in WW2?
Tony Hart
Who captained Europe to Ryder Cup success in 1985, 1987 and 1989?
Tony Jacklin
What T is the proper name for a chef's hat?
Toque
What was the seperate peace between Russia and Germany signed prior to the Treaty of Versailles?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The national fine art museum of Russia in Moscow is named for which merchant, who collected the art?
Tretyakov
Which famous record producer was responsible for the sound of Frankie Goes to Hollywood?
Trevor Horn
Discovered by a British brewer and amateur astronomer, which is the only known large moon in our solar system that revolves around its planet in the opposite direction to that planet's rotation?
Triton
Which Greek god was the son of Poseidon and is the subject of a Bernini fountain in Rome?
Triton
Which golf course has holes called, among others, Black Rock, the Monk and Burmah?
Troon
Hugh Masekela is a singer from South Africa famous also for playing which other instrument?
Trumpet
The Tifinagh alphabet, its name possibly meaning 'Phoenician letters' is now used in private notes by the women of which nomadic people?
Tuareg
On what day of the week is the Melbourne Cup always run?
Tuesday
Fought over in WW2, the Mareth Line was a series of fortifications in which country?
Tunisia
In 183 BC, Hannibal committed suicide in which modern-day country?
Turkey
What is the highest ordinal number to appear in a Shakespeare play title?
Twelfth
What is the name of the largest faction of Shia muslims, taken from the number of Imams they believe to have existed?
Twelvers
How many milk teeth does a child have?
Twenty
How many dominoes in a standard 'double-six' set?
Twenty eight
In Yoruba culture, what people, called ibeji, are particularly revered, which is good news, as the people have the world's highest rate of them?
Twins
There'll be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover was a double A side that got to Number 1 in the 1990s- what was the other song?
Unchained Melody
In 1962, Fred Baldesare became the first man to swim the channel how?
Underwater (Scuba)
Which church was founded in Britain in the c17 by John Biddle, having grown from the work of Erasmus?
Unitarian
Which animated film from Pixar was the first to feature an Asian American boy hero?
Up
In the USA, what is Strunk and White?
Usage/style guide for American English
Who chaired the convention, which was established by the European Council in December 2001, to produce a draft Constitution for the European Union?
VALERY GISCARD D'ESTAING
Which telescope, built by a consortium of UK universities, is located at Paranal in Chile and was handed over to the European Southern Observatory in 2009?
VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy)
In equestrianism, which disciple involves gymnastic and dance elements performed to music on a cantering horse?
Vaulting
The apparatus used by male gymnasts consists of vaulting horse, pommel horse, horizontal bars, rings and floor. Which of these pices of apparatus do women use ?
Vaulting Horse and Floor
Which 4th century Roman historian coined the phrase Let He who Desires Peace Prepare for War?
Vegetius
Running between September and October, which was the first month in the French Revolutionary Calendar?
Vendemiaire
In the Catholic church, what is the second of the four stages to sainthood?
Venerable
Of the 42 cheeses mentioned in Monty Python's Cheese Shop Sketch, which is the only fictional one?
Venezuelan Beaver Cheese
In which city is Don't Look Now set in?
Venice
US crime writer Donna Leon sets her Inspector Brunetti novels in which city?
Venice
What kind of websites are Guba, Daily Motion and Veoh?
Video clips
Gold farming is a way of cheating at which pastime?
Video gaming
In 1956, Aleksandr Poniatoff designed and built the world's first what?
Video tape recorder
A campaign was launched in March 2010 to get which song to Number 1, as it only got to Number 2 in 1981?
Vienna by Ultravox
The National Museum of Fine Arts has been hanging works of art that are in fact copies of very famous national paintings. The originals were taken down during a war to protect them from being destroyed, and the fakes have remained in place ever since. No-one can be quite sure what has happened to the originals, but some seem to have ended up in other galleries round the world. Which country?
Vietnam
Which light woven fabric, usually made of cotton or a cotton/synthetic mix, is often used for net curtains?
Voile
Which Tuscan city plays an important role in the Twilight vampire books by Stephanie Meyer and was the site of Stendhal's famously disastrous encounter in 1819 with his beloved Countess Mathilde Dembowska?
Volterra
What was the name of the 'lost' Shakespeare play that William Ireland claimed to have found in the c18- in fact he had written it and it was rubbish?
Vortigern and Rowena
In the TV comedy 'Last of the Summer Wine', what is the name of Nora Batty's husband?
WALLY
Raymond Scott wrote the music for many cartoons produced by which studio?
Warner Brothers
Oyneg Shabbos was the code name of a group led by Jewish historian Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum in which city, which included historians, writers, rabbis and social workers, and was dedicated to chronicling life in the Ghetto?
Warsaw
When Einstein learnt that his work had been used to create the atom bomb, he said that if he'd known that, he would have become a.....what?
Watch-maker
The documentary Freedom's Fury is about a notoriously tense and aggressive USSR v Hungary match in which sport?
Water Polo
Which plant related to the nasturtium has a similar peppery taste and grows in water?
Watercress
What is the name of the Slavic minority group, long settled between the Oder and the Elbe in Eastern Germany?
Wents or Sorbs
The first ever tied test match occurred in Brisbane in 1960 between Australia and which country?
West Indies
What was the family name of Prince Albert?
Wettin
Kettlewell and Grassington are scenic villages in which of the Yorkshire Dales?
Wharfedale
Cum mula peperit' is the Latin for 'Once in a blue moon'. What does it literally mean?
When a mule foals
Dave Eggars adapted and Spike Jonze directed in 2009 an adaptation of which classic children's story?
Where the Wild Things Are
Which English town, now represented in the Premiership, had teams from 1890 named County, Town, United, Borough and Athletic?
Wigan
Who won the 1981 Whitbread First Novel award for his book 'A Good Man in Africa'?
William Boyd
Which American Admiral of WW2, portrayed on screen by Jimmy Cagney and Robert Mitchum, was nicknamed Bull, though not to his face?
William Halsey
What was the name of the fictional Major in Operation Mincemeat?
William Martin
Which singer-songwriter had the nickname 'Soul Brother Number Two' and died in 2006?
Wilson Pickett
In second-hand book catalogues, what does WAF stand for?
With All Faults
What was the Troggs' only UK Number 1 single?
With a Girl Like You
Which Russian born geographer, meteorologist, climatologist and botanist of German descent gives his name to the system of climate characterisation and helped develop one of the world's first cloud atlases?
Wladimir Köppen
Which German footballer's last gasp equaliser took the 1966 World Cup Final into extra time?
Wolfgang WEBER
What section does a military band have that a brass band usually does not?
Woodwind
Which jazz clarinettist, who also played the saxophone, had his first great success with his 1939 recording of 'Woodchopper's Ball'?
Woody Herman
As well as Somerset and Durham, Botham played for which other county?
Worcestershire
In English one day cricket, which county is called the Royals?
Worcestershire
Which poet is being quoted: 'Milton, thou shouldst be alive at this hour'?
Wordsworth
Which multi-sport event takes place every four years for non-Olympic sports, including Field Archery, Orienteering, Powerlifting and Karate?
World Games
The Tangulla Pass in Tibet holds which geographical extreme record?
World's highest railway track
Why did Hailie Gebresalassie not run the marathon in Beijing?
Worried about his asthma and the air pollution
What is the common name of the fish of the family Labridae, of which the ballan and cuckoo are found in British waters?
Wrasse
The largest tributary of the Ganges in Northern India, it joins that river at Allahabad. Which river?
Yamuna
In which Canadian province or territory is Mount Logan, the country's highest point?
Yukon Territory
Which war hero was nicknamed Old Rough and Ready and later became US President?
Zachary Taylor
In 2009, in which African country was the news editor of the largest independent newspaper prosecuted for circulating photos of a woman giving birth without medical help?
Zambia
What animal nickname is given to officials in NFL games?
Zebras
Petina Gappah is an internationally acclaimed short story writer and novellist whose work deals mainly with life in which country?
Zimbabwe
Volta's original electric battery consisted of cloths impregnated with salt interleaved between alternate plates of silver and which other metal?
Zinc
Which loyal Persian tricked the Babylonians into surrendering their city to King Darius by mutilating himself, and then claiming to the Babylonians that he was a tortured refugee from Darius' regime, eventually rising to military commander of the city, at which point he opened the gates?
Zopyrus
Myspace has acquired which online service that allows users to download and share music, founded by Ali and Hadi Partovi?
iLike
Combining traditional folk music with Eastern European and Asian influences and driving beats, Chalga, or pop folk, is a phenomenon in which EU country?
BULGARIA
Established circa 7,000 years ago, which Lebanese city, founded as Gebal by the Phoenicians, got its current name from the ancient Greeks, who imported its papyrus?
BYBLOS
"What word means a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate cementing together other materials, including gravel, sand, clay, and silt. Found in the High Plains of the western USA, and in the Sonoran Desert. The term is Spanish and is originally from the Latin calx, meaning lime?
Caliche
How many contestants are there in Channel 4's TV game show, "Deal or No Deal"?
22
These names are shared by an Englishman and an Australian both famous sportsmen (2pts) The Englishman was named after a Battleship on which his Father served and played and coached the Tampa Bay Rowdies. (1pt) The Australian was a wicketkeeper who in 96 Tests, set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals. Who are they?
Rodney Marsh
When the referee Tony Bates was injured in a match between Coventry and Nottingham Forest in February 2010 the fourth official had to take over. Thus for the first time a woman took charge of a football league match. What was her name?
Amy Fearn
In a railway carriage near which city in Northern France did the allies and the Germans sign the Armistice which ended WWI?
COMPIEGNE
Similar in origin and meaning to 'Baksheesh', which term derives from a word once uttered by beggars in the dialect of Xiamen (a port in South East China) and now also refers to something obtained unofficially, whether deviously or by ingenuity?
CUMSHAW
He represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches. He is best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership along with fellow West Indian Curtly Ambrose for several years and held the record of most Test wickets. He spent 14 years with Gloucestershire from 1984. Who is he?
Courtney Walsh
Which city, perhaps inhabited since 10000 BC but certainly in continuous habitation for 6,000 years, became an important settlement after the Aramaeans arrived and established a network of canals that still forms the basis of its modern water networks?
DAMASCUS
He won the English singles bowls title in 1960 (2pts) Born in North Somerset in 1931the son of an international bowler he won his first commonwealth games gold medal in 1962. (1pt) He won every Commonwealth Games singles bowls gold medal from 1962 to 1978 and was three times world singles champion. Who is this pipe smoking bowler who was still winning world championships in 1992?
David Bryant
A Swedish soprano, her perfect singing and vivid acting made her a great heroine in operas by Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss and Janacek. She made her debut in 1947, aged just 20, and was still performing in the 1990s. In 1997 a Eurostar train was named in her honour. Which much loved singer died aged 82 in November 2009?
Elisabeth SÖDERSTRÖM
Inhabited since 3650BC and with links to the Akkadians and Hittites, this city in southern Turkey is the country's sixth largest. Its sights include the Ravanda citadel, restored by the Byzantines in the 6th century. Which city?
GAZIANTEP or ANTEP
Welsh Rugby star Andy Powell (nicknamed "Brain Dead") was charged with drunken driving in February after he was stopped driving along the hard shoulder of the M4 in the early hours of the morning. What was his chosen mode of transport?
Golf buggy
Under the recent vehicle registration plate nomenclature, cars beginning with the letter H, come from which area of the UK?
HAMPSHIRE
Under the Gonzaga family it became one of the main cultural hubs of Northern Italy, and the country as a whole. Which city is surrounded on three sides by artificial lakes created during the 12th century - Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo, and Lago Inferiore ("Superior", "Middle", and "Inferior") - a fourth lake, Lake Pajolo, which once completed a defensive water ring of the city, dried up at the end of the 18th century?
MANTOVA or MANTUA
Who was the Northern Irish F1 driver who in 1979 moved to McLaren where he gave them their first victory in over three years by winning the 1981 British Grand Prix?
John Watson
59 He has two elder sisters whose ex-husbands were Ricky Nelson and John DeLorean. He has been married to Pam Dawber since 1987. Who is this former UCLA star quarterback (his father was also a Heisman Trophy winner) and leading star of US TV?
Mark HARMON
It is so popular in Canada that versions of it are sold in the country's Burger King, KFC and McDonald's outlets; the classic version of which dish consists of French fries topped with fresh cheese curd, and covered with brown gravy?
POUTINE
Which city, with a population of 4 million, is only the seventh largest in India and the second largest in Maharashtra after Mumbai?
Pune
Whose body was exhumed on the orders of Colombian president Hugo Chavez in July 2010 to facilitate investigation of suspicions of foul play having been involved in his death?
Simón BOLIVAR
This former Royal complex, the Golistan Palace ("Palace of Flowers"), is now a museum. It is to be found within which city's Arg (citadel)?
TEHRAN
He was killed on 13 January 1963 in what is regarded as Africa's first post-colonial military coup; Sylvanus Olympio (b1902) served as Prime Minster (1958-1961) and then as the first ever President (1961-1963) of which African nation?
TOGO
In January 2010, which country announced it was to have two rates of exchange - 2.60 to the $US for "priority" imports, and 4.30 for other items considered non-essential?
VENEZUELA (the Bolivar)