WQC 13/15 and Sports and Games from GTT
This shows a screenshot from which classic video game first released by Blizzard Entertainment in 1996? Set in the fictional world of Sanctuary, the player controls a lone hero battling the title character, the Lord of Terror.
'Diablo'
From 'The Ruins of Kunark' in April 2000 up till 'The Burning Lands' (December 2018), which 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) has had a total of 25 expansion packs? Set in the fictional world of Norrath, it includes races such as the Iksar (lizard people), the Vah Shir (cat people) and Drakkin (dragon people).
'EverQuest'
Consistently voted one of the best video game weapons, the Lancer assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet was designed by Professor Adam Jonathon Fenix during the first year of the Locust War - in which game series?
'Gears of War'
Designed by Isaac Childres and released by Cephalofair Games in 2017, which multi-award winning fantasy campaign-based tactical boardgame incorporates cards and hex-tiles gameplay, and features 1-4 players working their way through a branching story that has up to 100 scenarios?
'Gloomhaven'
Released in 1998, which science-fiction first-person-shooter (FPS) video game developed by Valve features the physicist Gordon Freeman, who was caught in the aftermath of a failed experiment at the Black Mesa Research Facility, resulting in aliens from the dimension of Xen entering the human world?
'Half Life'
Developed by the New Zealand-based Grinding Gears Games, which action roleplaying video game that borrows heavily from 'Diablo' was first released in 2013 and set on the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast? It has since been followed by expansions such as 'Sacrifice of the Vaal', 'The Fall of Oriath' and 'The War for the Atlas'.
'Path of Exile'
This is a screen-capture of which 1989 computer game, since adapted into a 2010 film version?
'Prince of Persia'
Created by Keiichiro Toyama and published by Konami, which Japanese survival horror video game franchise takes its two-word title from the fictitious foggy American town in which it is set? A 2006 film adaptation starred Sean Bean and Radha Mitchell.
'Silent Hill'
The malicious fictional artificial intelligence known as SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is the primary antagonist of which cyberpunk first-person roleplaying video game series? Set in 2072, it begins with the protagonist being caught while hacking and brought to the Citadel space station owned by the TriOptimum Corporation.
'System Shock'
Which fighting video game franchise, created and published by Namco for the first time in 1994, features events documenting the King of the Iron Fist tournament, especially that surrounding the Mishima clan curse?
'Tekken'
The series of racing video games 'Need for Speed' derives its title from a quote by a character from which 1980s movie?
'Top Gun'
Zoya the Thief, Amadeus the Wizard and Pontius the Knight are the three playable characters in which side-scrolling, action platform-puzzle video game developed by Frozenbyte first released in 2009? Sequels were subtitled 'The Artifacts of Power' and 'The Nightmare Prince'.
'Trine'
First released in November 2007, which action adventure third-person shooter game franchise for Playstation consoles features the protagonist Nathan Drake, a charismatic treasure hunter who journeys across the world to uncover various historical mysteries? An upcoming film adaptation is supposed to star Tom Holland as Drake.
'Uncharted'
WQC 2015 - 30 A traditional Indonesian dessert that is drunk, it is made of coconut milk, jelly noodles, a green coloring, ice and palm sugar. Sometimes ingredients like red beans or creamed corn are added. Which Indonesian drink is this, related to the Vietnamese chè, the Burmese call it 'mont let saung' and the Cambodians call 'lot'?
30 CENDOL
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼ Characteristically fluted flint projectile points such as this are associated with one of North America's earliest well-established human cultures, dated to the Paleoindian period of circa 13,500 years ago. These flint points, and the culture they belonged to, are named not for the Merovingian king (481 to 511 CE) who united the Franks (as you might be forgiven for thinking), but for which namesake city in New Mexico?
30 CLOVIS
WQC 2015 - 6 A PD James murder mystery, called 'Death Comes To Pemberley', is set six years later. Pamela Aidan wrote a series of books that retell the story, from Fitzwilliam Darcy's point of view. And a Quirk Books version mashed the story together with a zombie apocalypse. What is the title of this classic book? 6
6 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
WQC 2015 - 6 Which honorary title or respectful address is used in Hinduism to refer to a religious guru, with or without disciples? 6
6 SVĀMĪ / SWAMI
WQC 2015 - 7 Deep tenderness and a dull pain at McBurney's point is a sure symptom that you have what condition?
7 APPENDICITIS
WQC 2013 - 9. The United Nations declared 2013 the year of which crop, recognizing the Andean indigenous peoples? The Incas called it the "mother of all grains." 9
9 QUINOA
WQC 2015 - 9 The Moscow Olympics of 1980 saw women contest medals in Field Hockey for the first time. Which country won Gold in the inaugural tournament, also becoming the only African winners to date? 9
9 ZIMBABWE
Designed to reduce the potential advantage that the team taking the first kick in a football (soccer) penalty shootout, the new system that was tested at the European Under-17 Championship in May 2017 shares its (unofficial) name with which popular pop group?
ABBA
Designed by Michel Lalet and Laurent Levi in 1981, which award-winning two-player strategy board game shares its name with marine molluscs belonging to the family Haliotidae? Similar to Chinese checkers but with an extra moat around the edge of the board, the aim of the game is to force your opponent's pieces off the edge and into the moat.
Abalone
In tennis, what term denotes a legal serve that wins a point without the receiver touching the ball?
Ace
Born 1941, which football manager, who had spent thirteen years with St. Etienne, led the French national football team to its first and only World Cup victory in 1998?
Aime Jacquet
WQC 2015 - 10 The 1988 bestseller by physicist Stephen Hawking is titled 'A Brief History of...' what?
10 TIME
WQC 2015 - 12 Forming the foundation of classical electrodynamics, the four equations known as Gauss's law, Gauss's law for magnetism, Faraday's law, and Ampère's circuital law, are collectively known under the name of which 19th century physicist?
12 James Clerk MAXWELL (Maxwell's equations)
WQC 2015 - 12 Which Dutch painter was known for painting geographers, astronomers, milkmaids and girls with pearl earrings? 12
12 Johannes VERMEER
WQC 2015 - 13 In the New Testament, which merciless persecutor of the early Christians received a revelation on the way to Damascus and changed his name to Paul the Apostle? 13
13 SAUL (of Tarsos)
WQC 2015 - 14 It is a form of bodywork based on traditional Chinese medicine. The name of which system of alternative medicine is a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure"? 14
14 SHIATSU
WQC 2015 - 14 Under which nation's flag did Ferdinand Magellan sail in his quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the Earth? 14
14 SPAIN (left Portuguese army after a quarrel)
WQC 2013 - 15. In 2006, which writer of books such as "The Silent House," "My Name Is Red" and "Snow" became the first person from Turkey to receive a Nobel Prize? 15
15 (Ferit) Orhan PAMUK
WQC 2015 - 15 Particularly associated with the works of J.S. Bach, what name (from the Italian, "to touch") is given to a virtuoso piece of music, typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument, featuring fastmoving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers? 15
15 TOCCATA (from toccare)
In a men's decathlon competition, which event is usually the last of the ten to take place?
1500 m
WQC 2013 - 17. What sinister title character from an H.G. Wells novel has been played in movie adaptations by Charles Laughton (1932), Burt Lancaster (1977) and Marlon Brando (1996)? Although the last two mentioned versions shared the same title as the book, Laughton appeared in a film adaptation entitled "Island of Lost Souls". 17
17 Dr. MOREAU
WQC 2015 - 17 The Cañari are an indigenous ethnic group who gave their name to a confederation of tribes that resisted the northward expansion of the Inca Empire. Having finally been conquered by the Inca just before the arrival of Pizarro, they were quick to ally with the Spanish against their old enemy. In which present-day county was the home of the Cañari confederation? 17
17 ECUADOR
WQC 2013 - 17. In 1951, who recorded what many believe to have been the first ever rock 'n' roll record, a track entitled "Rocket 88"?
17 Ike TURNER
WQC 2015 - 17 The apple tree (Malus domestica) is a deciduous tree belonging to which family of circa 2,800 species, which also include hawthorns and rowans? 17
17 ROSACEAE, acc. ROSE
WQC 2015 - 17 Named after a Russian settlement in the Far East, which sea is bordered by the Kamchatka peninsula on the east, the Kuril islands to the southeast, the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the south, and a long stretch of eastern Siberia to the north and west? 17
17 Sea of OKHOTSK
WQC 2013 - 18. The ratio between the length of dashes and dots in International Morse Code is equal to that between the sizes of teaspoons and tablespoons, as well as that between feet and yards. What is that proportion? 18
18 3 TO 1
WQC 2015 - 18 Directed by Michael Caton-Jones rather than Martin Scorsese, which 1993 film is the only time Robert De Niro and Leonardo di Caprio have been in the same movie together? 18
18 THIS BOY'S LIFE
WQC 2013 - 18. One of the earliest known explorers was a Greek, Pytheas of Massilia (Marseille). He navigated north along Europe's Atlantic coastline and reported having arrived on a distant shore. Since then, the name he gave this island has become synonymous with the "end of the world." What two-word name did he give it? 18
18 ULTIMA THULE
WQC 2013 - 19. Also one of the tracks on the album, what was the repetitive title of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 1990's "pop" classic that saw him hailed in some quarters as "the world's best singer"? 19
19 MUSTT MUSTT
WQC 2015 - 19 Called the "father of Russian ballet," which French-born dancer-choreographer worked for Imperial / Mariinsky Theatre on 'La Bayadère' (1877), ' The Sleeping Beauty' (1890), 'The Nutcracker' (1892), and 'Swan Lake' (1895)?
19 Marius PETIPA
WQC 2015 - 19 Although West Germany and the Netherlands played in the finals, which country scored by far the most goals in the 1974 FIFA World Cup? 19
19 POLAND
WQC 2013 - 19. What four-letter name for a range of hills is also given to a Mayan architectural style that was especially used in the Yucatan—for instance, at the Uxmal site? 19
19 PUUC (pronounced poo-ook)
WQC 2013 - 19. In 1969, Neil Armstrong takes a "giant leap for mankind" and steps onto the moon. Buzz Aldrin follows him, while Michael Collins pilots Apollo 11 up above. Later in 1969, NASA makes another trip the moon, this time with a pilot who had commanded Gemini 11. Who was the third man to walk on the moon, whose first words were, "Whoopee, man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me"? 19
19 Pete CONRAD
WQC 2013 - 19. Due to its ability to suppress the immune system, transplant patients are given the drug rapamycin to stop them from rejecting new organs. Rapamycin's ability to stop cells from dividing forms the basis of potential anti-cancer drugs and can also extend lifespan (at least in mice). Rapamycin was first discovered in bacteria in soil samples obtained by Canadian scientists working on which Pacific island in 1964? 19
19 RAPA NUI (hence the name "Rapamycin") or EASTER ISLAND or ISLA DE PASCUA
WQC 2015 - 19 When he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for 2011, which 1960-born individual was able to point out that he has the distinction of being nominated in the most Academy Award categories without ever actually winning an Oscar?
19 Sir Kenneth BRANAGH
In order to make table-tennis (ping pong) a more attractive spectator sport, its ruling body the ITTF made several changes to its rules in 2000-2001. One of them involved changing the winning score for each game, from how many points, down to the current 11 points?
21 points
WQC 2015 - 22 She cameo'd in 'Sex and the City' on HBO; appeared on stage in 'The Vagina Monologues'; headlined the Intellectual Intercourse Tour, Junkie Tour and Dhanyavad Tour; and won seven Grammy awards. Known for her powerful and emotive mezzo-soprano voice, which Canadian-born singer was called the "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst" by Rolling Stone?
22 Alanis MORISETTE (accept ALANIS)
WQC 2013 - 22. ▼ His contribution to the development of Art Nouveau is considered to be significant, in spite of his death at age 25. His drawings were mostly in black ink and were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and their themes mostly emphasized the erotic and decadent. Who was this English artist and author? 22
22 Aubrey BEARDSLEY
WQC 2015 - 22 Who captained the West Indies in the first ever Cricket World Cup in 1975? In the Final his team was struggling until he came in to bat - he hit 102 off 88 balls to help his side beat Australia by 17 runs? 22
22 Clive LLOYD
WQC 2015 - 22 The inventor of Escultopintera, a technique in which sculpture and mosaics are incorporated in murals, which Mexican artist was exiled for an attempt on the life of Leon Trotsky?
22 David Alfaro SIQUEIROS (acc. ALFARO, his real surname)
WQC 2015 - 22 Which Algerian-born French deconstructionist said that every text dissolves into contradictions under close examination, probably even his own works such as 'De l'esprit' ("Of Spirit") and 'Chaque fois unique, la fin du monde' ('The Work of Mourning')?
22 Jacques DERRIDA
WQC 2013 - 22. Winning a silver medal in platform diving at the 1964 Olympics was just a warm-up for this athlete. He went on to become the only man to win gold medals in platform diving in three straight Olympic Games—1968 (where he also won a silver medal in springboard), 1972 and 1976. Who is this Italian Olympic hero, who is also proficient off the platform? 22
22 Klaus DIBIASI
WQC 2013 - 25. This actor only made five feature films in a six-year career, but all five were nominated for the best picture Oscar (in the years 1972 to 1978). Who was this actor, in the final months of his life the boyfriend of Meryl Streep, who died of cancer in 1978 at the age of 42? 25
25 John CAZALE
WQC 2013 - 25. ▼ One of his most widely reproduced works is a 1960 image of "Case Study House #22," a dwelling designed by architect Pierre Koenig. Although best known for his work in the late 1940s and '50s, he continued to work into his 90s (he died, aged 98, in 2009). Who was this individual who turned architectural photography into an art form? 25
25 Julius SHULMAN
Named the 1977 European Footballer of the Year (beating Keegan and Platini), which forward who played for clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach, Barcelona and Charlton Athletic is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals?
Allan Simonsen
One of the most prolific scorers in NBA history despite his relatively short stature (6 feet), who led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals, and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2000-01 season?
Allen Iverson
The popular multiplayer online battle arena game known as 'DotA' is short for 'Defense of the _____________'?
Ancients
An interesting coincidence in the late 1980s saw the Italian Serie A rivals AC Milan and Inter Milan each signing three football stars from different countries. AC Milan had the Dutchmen Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, while Inter brought in the Germans Lothar Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann and this left-back, who scored West Germany's winning penalty kick in the 1990 World Cup Finals against Argentina. Who is he?
Andreas Brehme
This is the logo of which professional American football team? Established in 1898 in Chicago, they moved to St. Louis in 1960 before relocating to their current home state in 1988. Their only two NFL championship wins were in 1925 and 1947.
Arizona Cardinals
When he joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, Henrikh Mkhitaryan became the first footballer from which country to play in the English Premier League?
Armenia
Which English Premier League football (soccer) team is nicknamed the Gunners?
Arsenal
Which young Protoss hierarch is the central character in 'Legacy of the Void', the third and final part of the 'StarCraft II' computer game series? He united disparate factions and joined forces with the Terrans and Zergs in order to defeat the malevolent being known as Amon.
Artanis
Which major character in `Warcraft' series of real-time strategy games was an idealistic prince of Lordaeron, who fell prey to the evil powers of the cursed blade Frostmourne, ultimately becoming the undead Lich King?
Arthas Menethil
Currently the number-one ranked player in the world as of January 2019 and noted for his unpredictable style of play, the Japanese Kento Momota is an exponent in which sport? He was banned from participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics after he admitted to visiting an illegal casino.
Badminton
Popular in Southeast Asian countries, the sport of sepak takraw is played on a court with identical dimensions to that of which other sport?
Badminton (Doubles)
Nicknamed the 'Iron Man', Carl Ripken Jr. was a shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in the MLB for WHICH TEAM? He holds the record for most consecutive games played (2632), surpassing that of Lou Gehrig (2130) that had stood for 56 years and had been deemed unsurpassable.
Baltimore Orioles
WQC 2013 - 27. ▼ The world's smallest republic, it has a population of just 10,000. Which Pacific island nation has no designated capital city? 27
27 NAURU
WQC 2013 - 28. ▼ This fountain and namesake palace is located inside which famous palace and fortress complex? 28
28 ALHAMBRA (Lion's Fountain / Lion's Palace)
WQC 2015 - 28 This actress starred in all of these movies: 'The Devil's Advocate' (1997), 'The Astronaut's Wife' (1999), 'The Italian Job' (2003) and 'Prometheus' (2012)'. In 2003 she co-produced and starred in the movie 'Monster' (see image), earning her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe as Best Actress. Which South African beauty is this? 28
28 Charlize THERON
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ Appreciated for its beauty since Neolithic times and still used as jewelry, which material— called "ēlektron" in Greek—gave its name to the electron, electricity and electronics because of its capacity to acquire a charge? 29
29 AMBER
From the Swedish for 'gadget', which Stockholm-based game developer founded in 2009 by Markus Persson is best known for creating 'Minecraft', the best-selling video game of all time?
Mojang
Founded in 1891, Club Atlético Peñarol currently holds the third best winning record in the Copa Libertadores, having won it five times (just behind Independiente and Boca Juniors of Argentina). In which South American capital city is Peñarol based?
Montevideo (Uruguay)
Born 1958, which Danish former badminton player won the All England four times during his career, and subsequently became a successful coach to his national team after retirement? As a player, he spent twelve years in the top three of the world rankings.
Morten Frost
Topping the medal table with 14 golds (matched by Germany), which country also set a new record for the most number of medals won by a nation at a single Winter Olympics (39) at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games?
Norway
The football team with this logo plays in the league (known as the Eliteserien) of which European country? It currently holds the record of 26 league titles, more than that of the next three teams combined.
Norway (Rosenborg BK)
A traditional triathlon usually consists of swimming, running and which other activity?
Cycling
Which English Premier League football club plays their home games at Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea FC
Debuting in 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time', which fictional horse usually acts as the steed of Link, the series protagonist? It shares its name with the Gallic goddess of horses and the counterpart of the Welsh Rhiannon.
Epona
One of Iran's most successful with two AFC Champions League and eight national titles, which football club based in the Azadi Stadium plays in the Sorkhabi derby with local rivals Persepolis?
Esteghlal
A variation of the classic cup-and-ball game that probably made its way into Japan in the late 18th century through the port of Nagasaki, which toy (whose name translates as 'sword and ball') consists of three cups and a spike that fits into a hole in the ball?
Kendama
Generally considered one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time, which Ethiopian currently holds the world record in both the 5000m and 10000m events? He has also won eleven World Cross Country titles and won the 2016 Berlin Marathon as well.
Kenenisa Bekele
What is the surname of the Ukrainian brothers Vitali and Wladimir, who dominated world heavyweight boxing in the decade following the retirement of Lennox Lewis in 2004?
Klitschko
At the beginning of a game of chess, the positions marked by the four stars are occupied by which piece?
Knight
In a game of chess, which piece stands between the Castle and the Bishop at the start of the game?
Knight
The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta saw the same individual winning the 200m and 400m races in both the male and female categories. Michael Johnson of the USA was the men's champion - which Guadeloupe-born French sprinter was the female winner?
Marie-Jose Perec
To date, four individuals (excluding Lance Armstrong) have won the Tour de France five times, but who is the only one of them to manage five consecutive wins?
Miguel Indurain
As of May 2018, the Boston Celtics holds the record for most NBA championships with 17 titles, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers (16) and Chicago Bulls & Golden State Warriors (6). Name the team that follows, with 5 titles.
San Antonio Spurs
The sports team whose jersey is shown here is based in which city?
San Jose (San Jose Sharks/ NHL)
The first time the Winter Olympics was held in Asia - which city hosted it in 1972?
Sapporo, Japan
The football superstar shown here represents which country in international competition?
Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo)
The current world-record holder, which French pole-vaulter broke Sergey Bubka's 20-year-old mark with a 6.16m jump in 2014, ironically at the Pole Vaults Stars meeting in Bubka's hometown of Donetsk?
Renaud Lavillenie
Playing predominantly as an openside flanker for his country and club teams, which New Zealand rugby union player is the most capped player of all time, captaining his nation in 110 out of his 148 test match appearances? He has won the World Cup twice (2011 and 2015), and the World Rugby Player of the Year a joint-record three times.
Richie McCaw
Genuinely considered the GOAT in the sport of motorcross, which Florida-born racer dominated in the early 2000s, having won the AMA Motocross Championship 450cc class seven times and the AMA Supercross Championship 450cc class five times?
Ricky Carmichael
In the abbreviation of the computer game genre, what does the 'R' in RPG stand for?
Role (Role-Playing Game)
In chess, the move known as 'castling' involves the king and which other piece?
Rook
Competing in Formula One between 1993 and 2011, which Sao Paulo-born driver holds the current record for most racing starts (322), though he spent much of 2000-2005 in the shadow of Michael Schumacher as the latter's team-mate in Ferrari?
Rubens Barrichello
In Aussie rules football, what position is indicated by the yellow arrow in this figure? Similar to the centre in basketball, he is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages (such as boundary throw-ins and ball-ups), and plays a crucial role in the coach's play strategy.
Ruckman
The genre of strategy-based video and board games known as '4X' refers to 'eXplore, eXpand, _____ and eXterminate'? The term was first coined by Alan Emrich in his September 1993 preview of 'Master of Orion' in the `Computer Gaming World' magazine.
eXploit
Formed after the merger of two Japanese video game publishers in 2003, which video game developer is known for its 'Final Fantasy', 'Dragon Quest' and 'Kingdom Hearts' role-playing video game franchises?
Square Enix
The New York Yankees currently hold the record of most World Series titles (27), but which team comes second with 11 titles? Playing their home games at the Busch Stadium, they are known for their bitter rivalry with the Chicago Cubs, also called the 'Route 66 rivalry'.
St. Loius Cardinals
Founded in 1925, this professional football club has to-date won five league titles as well as the 2007-08 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup (when they defeated Glasgow Rangers and Manchester United respectively). They play their home games at the Krestovsky Stadium - located in which European city?
St. Petersburg (Zenit St. Petersburg)
With a capacity of 49,000, which is the eighth largest stadium in England (excluding Wembley), and the largest home stadium of any team currently outside the Premier League? A Davy lamp moument stands at its entrance in tribute to the coal-mining industry that brought prosperity to the area.
Stadium of Light/ Sunderland AFC
Between 2005 and 2014, Rafael Nadal won a total of nine French Open Men's Singles tennis titles. This amazing streak was only stopped twice - by Roger Federer (who won in 2009), and which other player who claimed the title in 2015?
Stan Wawrinka
Which sporting trophy is this?
Stanley Cup
In 1986, which football team became the first East European side to win the prestigious European Cup when they defeated mighty Barcelona 2-0 on penalties, with Marius Lacatus and Gabi Balint scoring the spot-kicks?
Steaua Bucharest/ Bucuresti
The 'Golden Slam' in tennis comprises winning all four Grand Slams plus the Olympic gold medal. Only one player has accomplished this feat in a single calendar year (1988) - who was that player?
Steffi Graf
In which sport is the annual Davis Cup the premier international team competition for men?
Tennis
One of the 'Original Six' that made up the National Hockey League (NHL) for 25 years from 1942 onwards, which professional ice-hockey team has won the Stanley Cup thirteen times - only second to the record holders the Montreal Canadiens?
Toronto Maple Leafs
Awarded the tournament's Golden Ball award for leading his country to the Finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Croatian midfielder Luka Modric played his club football for which English Premier League club before switching to Real Madrid in 2012?
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Since the beginning of the Turkish football Super Lig era in 1959, only five teams have won the league title. Unsurprisingly they include the Big Three clubs from Istanbul - Galatasaray (21 titles), Fenerbahce (19) and Besiktas (15), followed by which team in fourth place with 6 titles? It is based in a city on Turkey's northeastern coast on the Black sea.
Trabzonspor
At the start of a game of snooker, the fifteen red balls are initially placed in what shape/ formation on the table?
Triangle
Possessing great flowing, luminous wings and wielding his sword El'druin against the Burning Hells, which character in the 'Diablo' series of video games is the former Aspect of Justice and the first Heavenly being seen in the games?
Tyrael
Founded by five brothers of the Guillemot family in 1986, which French video-game publishing company is noted for several popularly-acclaimed franchises such as 'Far Cry', 'Assassin's Creed' and the Tom Clancy series such as 'Rainbow Six' and 'Splinter Cell'?
Ubisoft
The Serbians Aleksandar Sapic and Filip Filipovic as well as the Hungarians Dezso Gyarmati and Tamas Kasas are generally considered as being amongst the best players in which competitive sport?
Water polo
Manufactured by MGA Entertainment and first released in 2001, the line of fashion toy dolls known as Bratz reached great commercial success and led to the expected spin-offs. Name ANY ONE of the four original dolls shown here.
Yasmin/ Chloe/ Sasha/ Jade
Developed by Turbine Entertainment Software for Microsoft, which fantasy MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) spearheaded the new genre alongside EverQuest and Ultima Online? Set on the island continent of Dereth on the planet of Auberean, it remained online for over 17 years before finally closing in 2017.
'Asheron's Call'
Released in 2012 by Rovio as a spin-off to its massively popular 'Angry Birds' series of mobile/ video games, what two-word name refers to the game in which the player helps the pigs to construct contraptions with the aim of stealing the eggs of the Angry Birds?
'Bad Piggies'
Set in the Forgotten Realms, which series of real-time role-playing computer games was first released by BioWare in 1998? Beginning with the protagonist's quest to search for the murderer of his foster-father Gorion, subsequent iterations include the expansion 'Tales of the Sword Coast' and sequel 'Shadows of Amn'?
'Baldur's Gate'
Developed by Revolution Software, which 1994 cyberpunk science-fiction point-and-click adventure game is set in a dystopian future, with the player assuming the role of a young boy called Robert who is the sole survivor of a helicopter crash in "the Gap"?
'Beneath a Steel Sky'
Based loosely on a biblical story, which 2011 indie roguelike video game sees the title character flee into the monster-filled basement of their home after his mother receives a message from God demanding the life of her son as proof of her faith?
'Binding of Isaac'
Created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games for multiple platforms, which action role-playing first-person shooter video game series takes place on the fictional planet of Pandora, with the players taking on the roles of hunters searching for its fabled Vault?
'Borderlands'
Created by the British video-game designer Charles Cecil, 'The Shadow of the Templars' was the first game in which adventure game franchise featuring the lawyer George Stobbart and French journalist Nico Collard? Subsequent games in the series include 'The Sleeping Dragon' and 'The Serpent's Curse'.
'Broken Sword'
First released by Konami in 1986, which vampire-killing action-adventure game gives its name (together with another game) to form a portmanteau term that refers to games which are 2D-platformers based around exploration of a large interconnected world as well as character progression?
'Castlevania'
Nominated for multiple awards, which 2018 platform game created by Canadian video game developers Matt Thorson and Noel Berry sees the player control a girl named Madeline as she makes her way up a dangerous mountain with her companion Theo?
'Celeste'
This is the cover graphics of the sixth title in which popular computer game series? The first in the series was published by Microprose in 1991 and created by Sid Meier & Bruce Shelley.
'Civilization'
Released by Westwood Studios in 1994, which alliteratively-titled video game, one of the earliest in the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, features a contest for global dominance between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod? Later sequels and spin-offs include 'Red Alert' (1996) and 'Tiberian Sun' (1999).
'Command & Conquer'
Developed by Westwood Studios and released in 1995, which pioneering real-time strategy (RTS) video game features the battle between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod for the mysterious resource known as Tiberium? It spawned sequels such as 'Tiberian Sun' and spin-off series such as 'Red Alert'.
'Command and Conquer'
Developed and published by LucasArts, which 1993 graphic adventure game is the sequel to the 1987 game 'Maniac Mansion'? It follows the nerdy Bernard Bernoulli and his friends Hoagie and Laverne as they attempt to stop the evil sentient disembodied object in the title.
'Day of the Tentacle'
Developed by Ion Storm and released in 2000, which cyberpunk action RPG has the player assume the role of JC Denton, a nanotechnologically-augmented agent from UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition)?
'Deus Ex'
'Hellfire' (released in 1997), 'Lord of Destruction' (2001), 'Reaper of Souls' (2014) and 'Rise of the Necromancer' (2017) are titles of expansion packs for which action role-playing computer game series, first released by Blizzard in 1996?
'Diablo'
Developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Works in 2012, which stealth action-adventure video game set in the fictional plague city of Dunwall features the protagonist Corvo Attano - a former imperial bodyguard framed for the murder of the Empress and forced to become an assassin to seek revenge on his enemies?
'Dishonored'
Created by game designers and programmers such as John Carmack and John Romero, which 1993 first-person shooter (FPS) game released by id Software features an unnamed space marine fighting hordes of demons from Hell? It was a pioneer in the FPS genre as well as immersive 3D graphics and networked multiplayer gaming.
'Doom'
Inspiring later games such as 'EVE Online' and 'Wing Commander', which 1984 space trading video game by David Braben and Ian Bell pioneered the use of open-ended game models and revolutionary 3D graphics?
'Elite'
Designed by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, the multiplayer first-person shooter game 'Counter-Strike' was first released in 2000 as a mod for WHICH OTHER FPS GAME developed by Valve Corporation, but became so popular that it spawned a new series of its own?
'Half-Life'
First demonstrated in 2014, IBM's intelligent personal assistant known as Cortana derives its name from a synthetic intelligence character in which popular first-person-shooter (FPS) video game franchise created by Bungie in 2001?
'Halo'
Taking place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms world, which role-playing video game released by Black Isle Studios in 2000 is set in a sub-Arctic region along the northernmost part of the Sword Coast made famous by a fantasy novel trilogy by the writer R.A. Salvatore?
'Icewind Dale'
Named after a real-life astronaut, the character shown here is the main protagonist in which video game series?
'Mass Effect' (Commander Shepherd)
Created by Nintendo and first released in 1986, which action-game franchise follows the space-faring bounty-hunter Samus Aran in his bid to protect the galaxy from the Space Pirates and their attempt to harness the power of the parasitic creatures after which the game is named? It is one of Nintendo's most successful franchises, comprising thirteen games released on almost every Nintendo console.
'Metroid'
Created by Ron Gilbert and published by LucasArts, which adventure video game series follows the misadventures of the hapless Guybrush Threepwood in his quest to defeat the undead pirate LeChuck to become the most notorious pirate in the Caribbean?
'Monkey Island'
Developed and published by Messhof (Mark Essen) in 2014, which side-scrolling two-player fighting video game sees two players sword fight in a side-scrolling environment? The player to reach the end of their opponent's side first wins - the reward is being eaten by the mythological creature that gives its name to the title of the game.
'Nidhogg'
Developed and published by the indie studio Hello Games, which 2016 action-adventure game features an open universe with over 18 quintillion planets? The player takes the role of an amnesiac Traveller who explores the unknown world and its alien species (the Gek, the Korvax, and the Vy'keen) as well as the Atlas, a mysterious entity at the center of the galaxy.
'No Man's Sky'
Developed by Moon Studios and published by Microsoft in 2015, which platform-adventure Metroidvania video game features adventures of the titular character (a small white guardian spirit) and Sein (the light and eyes of the Spirit Tree)?
'Ori and the Blind Forest'
Currently published by Ubisoft, which series of tactical first-person shooter (FPS) video game was adapted from a 1998 Tom Clancy techno-thriller novel featuring a team of elite counter-terrorist specialists with members from various NATO countries? The title (of both the novel and the game franchise) derives from a number of color-coded war plans developed by the US military in the 1920s and '30s that outlined strategies for dealing with potential conflicts between coalitions of countries.
'Rainbow Six'
Played by Milla Jovovich, the character Alice is the main protagonist in a film series inspired by (and sharing the name with) which popular video game series?
'Resident Evil'
Released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995, which action role-playing game sees a boy and his shapeshifting pet dog as they are transported to a fantasy world where they must explore the realms of Prehistoria, Antiqua, Gothica and Omnitopia?
'Secret of Evermore'
Garnering a Metacritic aggregate rating of 89 out of 100, which 2019 video game developed by American studio MegaCrit and published by Humble Bundle is a combination of roguelike-like gameplay with a deck-building card game? It drew inspiration from games such as 'Dominion' and 'Netrunner'.
'Slay the Spire'
Created by the indie game designer Derek Yu and initially released as a freeware for Microsoft Windows and subsequently remade for the Xbox and PlayStation platforms, which video game follows the adventures of a cave explorer who fights enemies, collect treasures and dodges traps? It is one of the first examples of the 'rogue-like' subgenre of role-playing games.
'Spelunky'
First released in 2002 and since followed up with six installments with subtitles such as 'Pandora Tomorrow' and 'Chaos Theory', which series of stealth video games bearing the name of Tom Clancy features the protagonist Sam Fisher, a highly-trained black-ops agent from the 'Third Echelon' within the NSA?
'Splinter Cell'
'Wings of Liberty', 'Heart of the Swarm' and 'Legacy of the Void' are titles in which real-time strategy (RTS) computer game series?
'Starcraft II'
In which computer games series, which began in 1998, will you find the three races known as the Terrans, Protoss and Zergs?
'Starcraft'
Primarily inspired by the 'Harvest Moon' series, which 2016 simulation role-playing video game developed by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone sees the player take the role of a character who takes over his deceased grandfather's dilapidated farm in Pelican Town?
'Stardew Valley'
Its first game was 'Arena' released in 1994, which series of action role-playing open world fantasy video games developed by Bethesda Game Studios primarily take place on the continent of Tamriel, located on the world of Nim? Its other installments include 'Daggerfall', 'Morrowind' and 'Skyrim'.
'The Elder Scrolls'
Majora's Mask', 'The Wind Waker', 'Twilight Princess' and 'Breath of the Wild' are titles of adventure video games from which long-running series that premiered in February 1986?
'The Legend of Zelda'
Based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series, which 2013 episodic graphic adventure game by Telltale Games (with episodes such as 'Smoke and Mirrors' and 'A Crooked Mile') has the player control the protagonist, the sheriff of Fabletown who investigates the murder of a woman?
'The Wolf Among Us'
Developed by Respawn Entertainment (formerly behind the Call of Duty franchise), which 2014 multiplayer first-person shooter video game set in the war-torn outer space colonies of the Frontier sees the players control 'Pilots' who command mech-style robots in battle? The three robot classes are the Atlas, Ogre and Stryder.
'Titanfall'
Released in 2017, 'Arena of Valor' is the international version of which massively popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) developed by Tencent Games for the Chinese market? Modeled after 'League of Legends', it became the world's most popular and highest-grossing mobile game. (You can give either its Chinese pin-yin name or English equivalent).
'Wangzhe Rongyao' ('王者荣耀')/ 'Honour of Kings'/ 'Glory of Kings')
WQC 2015 - 1 Walter White is a high school chemistry teacher with inoperable lung cancer who joins former student Jesse Pinkman to make and sell crystal meth to secure his family's financial future before he dies. What is this TV show (2008-2013)? 1
1 BREAKING BAD
WQC 2015 - 1 Which current capital was formed when three cities (two larger ones and one smaller city) on opposite sides of the River Danube were merged in 1873? 1
1 BUDAPEST
WQC 2015 - 1 Gabriel Garcia Marques refused to sell the rights to film this 1967 book, although he did offer to let Harvey Weinstein film it one chapter at a time, two minutes at a time, every year, for the next 100 years. What is the book's title? 1
1 CIEN AÑOS DE SOLEDAD (ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE)
WQC 2015 - 1 The oldest still in existence, Naturalis Historia was written by Pliny the Elder. The modern concept is associated with Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert. What translates literally from Greek as general education or "complete knowledge"? 1
1 ENCYCLOPAEDIA
WQC 2013 - 1. Originally composed as an interlude to the now almost-forgotten opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," which famous piece is played after the magic Swan-Bird changes the Tsar's son into an insect so he can visit his father more easily? 1
1 FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE
WQC 2013 - 1. Ginza is an upscale district in Tokyo famed for its glitzy shops etc. Site of the 2010 G20 summit and with a name meaning "south of the (Han) River," what is its prosperous and trendy counterpart in Seoul? 1
1 GANGNAM
WQC 2015 - 1 Which New York City museum was originally called the Museum of Non-Objective Painting?
1 GUGGENHEIM
WQC 2013 - 1. In 2006, the British papers ran a headline story about a natural birth of a baby boy named Cameron. There was nothing extraordinary about his birth, but the juxtaposition of his natural birth with the test-tube beginnings of his mother warranted national news coverage. Who was his mother, the first person to have been conceived by in vitro fertilization? 1
1 Louise BROWN
WQC 2013 - 1. Which American architectural style is exemplified by the low-lying houses, such as the Robie House, built mostly in the Midwest between 1900 and 1917 by Frank Lloyd Wright? 1
1 PRAIRIE style (do not accept "Usonian")
WQC 2013 - 1. Pregnant at the time, Sunandha Kumariratana and her two-year-old daughter Princess Karnabhorn Bejraratana both drowned in 1880 when her royal boat capsized—even though another boat-full of servants was just meters away—because her subjects were forbidden on pain of death from touching her. One of Chulalongkorn's four consorts, she was queen of which country? 1
1 SIAM or THAILAND (one of Chulalongkorn's four Queens)
WQC 2015 - 1 The Winter Palace in which city was totally destroyed by fire in 1837 - except for The Hermitage? 1
1 St. PETERSBURG
WQC 2013 - 1. "The Running Man" (1982) and "Thinner" (1984) are among the seven books published under the pen name Richard Bachman, by which prolific author? 1
1 Stephen KING
WQC 2015 - 1 What name is given to the tissue making-up the visible part of a healthy tooth and which covers its crown? 1
1 Tooth ENAMEL
WQC 2013 - 1. Turkey's defeat in September 1683 outside which city is often credited with inspiring the croissant, the bagel and the coffee house? 1
1 VIENNA
WQC 2015 - 1 Invented in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895, by YMCA phys-ed director William Morgan, which game was originally called Mintonette? 1
1 VOLLEYBALL
WQC 2013 - 1. The U.S., Iran and Cuba have become unlikely allies in efforts to reinstate what sport, dropped from the Olympics in 2013, for the 2020 games? 1
1 WRESTLING
WQC 2013 - 10. The non-fiction title "Sweet and Hard Cider—Making It, Using It, and Enjoying It" was the first published work by this acclaimed author. She has not written a lot but won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for literature for her second novel, "The Shipping News." Who is this American author, who also wrote the short story on which the movie "Brokeback Mountain" was based? 10
10 (E.) Annie PROULX
WQC 2013 - 10. One of the big winners in Italy's 2013 general election was the "Five Star Movement" ("Moviment 5 Stelle"/ "M5S"), a political group that was led by which man, an anti-establishment blogger and one of his country's most successful standup comedians? 10
10 Beppe GRILLO (1662 "Grillini" became MPs)
WQC 2013 - 10. Which sexually transmitted disease, with over 90 million infected individuals worldwide (many without symptoms), is one of the most common causes of blindness in the world through the disease trachoma, which roughens the inner surface of the eyelids and is caused by the same bacteria? 10
10 CHLAMYDIA
WQC 2013 - 10. In what church does a blindfolded altar boy pick the next pope by drawing his name from a crystal chalice containing the names of the three finalists? 10
10 COPTIC Orthodox / CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA
WQC 2015 - 10 What is the oldest known widespread method of preserving food? There is evidence of its use in Middle Eastern and oriental cultures as early as 12,000 BCE. Fish such as cod treated in this manner will still be fit to eat five years after preservation. 10
10 DRYING / (Air) DRIED / DESSICATED
WQC 2013 - 10. The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are not blue. Rather, the name comes from an often-visible haze hanging on them as a result of ultraviolet radiation scattering through a smoglike mist of vaporized organic compounds. These "terpenoids" are emitted in large quantities by which plant(s)? 10
10 EUCALYPTUS
WQC 2015 - 10 In the videogame Civilization, which leader's "willing to use nukes" stat was set so low that it underflowed the variable and got reset to 255, making him hyper-aggressive? 10
10 GHANDI
WQC 2015 - 10 Heard in George Bizet's opera 'Carmen', the aria 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle' ('Love is a rebellious bird') is popularly known under what one-word name, which it shares with a kind of Cuban music? 10
10 HABANERA
WQC 2015 - 10 Which village in the Finistère department of Brittany, north-western France gave its name to a school of painting whose members included the symbolist painters Charles Laval, Paul Sérusier, and Émile Bernard? 10
10 PONT AVEN
WQC 2013 - 10. Which Uzbeki boxer is the only Asian in history to hold a major heavyweight title, having won the WBA title in 2007 with a majority decision victory over Nikolai Valuev? 10
10 Ruslan CHAGAEV
WQC 2013 - 10. One of the three active volcanoes in Italy, located about halfway between Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. Etna, which volcano gave its name to an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and had its last major eruption in 2009? 10
10 STROMBOLI
WQC 2015 - 10 Palembang was on the main maritime trade routes between China and the Middle East. By 650 CE the city was at the heart of the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya, located on which island?
10 SUMATRA
WQC 2015 - 10 Home to major newspaper titles such as 'Liberty Times' and 'United Daily News', which city with a population of around 2½ million gives its name to the annual 'Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards', the prizes being contested by Chinese-language movies? 10
10 TAIPEI
WQC 2013 - 10. In 1990, which member of the Traveling Wilburys became the first person to compete against himself for the Best Album Grammy, since his own "Full Moon Fever" was also nominated? 10
10 Tom PETTY
WQC 2015 - 10 What major American city is devoid of skyscrapers, thanks to the Height of Buildings Act of 1910, which basically prohibits buildings taller than 130 feet? 10
10 WASHINGTON
In Olympic diving, competitors either dive off from a 3-meter springboard, or a platform of _______ meters?
10 meters
WQC 2015 - 11 Which French poet served in both the Dutch colonial army, and a Scandinavian circus, and later worked with an Ethiopian coffee exporter before trying-out as an arms dealer? 11
11 Arthur RIMBAUD
WQC 2013 - 11. The wife of Cepheus, King of Ethiopia (Joppa in some sources), was also the mother of Andromeda, and she boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids. This got Andromeda chained to a rock—just the start of things! When much later, they'd all died, the family was placed in the heavens. However, for her sinful pride, Andromeda's mother was tied to a chair (so half the time she is upside down, in an undignified position with her feet in the air)! Which W-shaped constellation (only fully visible in the northern sky) is named for this queen in Greek myth? 11
11 CASSIOPE / CASSIOPEIA / KASSIEPEIA
WQC 2015 - 11 A physician and cardiologist from Northern Ireland, Professor James Francis "Frank" Pantridge (1916-2004) has been called the "Father of Emergency Medicine". He transformed paramedic services by inventing a portable version of which device, installing the first version in a Belfast ambulance in 1965? 11
11 DEFIBRILLATOR (not Infibulator!)
WQC 2013 - 11. Who had the first million-selling jazz album, "Time Out" (1959), and was the first modern jazz musician pictured on the cover of Time magazine? 11
11 Dave BRUBECK
WQC 2013 - 11. Commemorated by Palestinians on May 15 each year, Nakba Day ("Nakba" means "catastrophe") refers to consequences triggered by which event on May 14, 1948? 11
11 Declaration of ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE / CREATION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
WQC 2015 - 11 Whitney Houston may have famously had a hit with her recording of 'I Will Always Love You', but who wrote it and first released it as a single in 1974, as a track on her 13th studio album, 'Jolene'?
11 Dolly PARTON
WQC 2015 - 11 Marion Sims career has been described as "a prime example of progress... at the expense of a vulnerable population." Even though he used enslaved African-American women as experimental subjects, he's still seen by some as a modern father in what medical field?
11 GYNAECOLOGY
WQC 2013 - 11. Even though the event has been dominated by East Asian competitors in recent years, the 500- meter speed skating world record (one lap) is still held by which Canadian, who completed a 500- meter race in 34.03 seconds in 2007? 11
11 Jeremy WOTHERSPOON
WQC 2013 - 11. One of the leading novelists in Peru, he rose to fame in the 1960s with "The Time of the Hero" (original title "The City and the Dogs"), "The Green House" and "Conversation in the Cathedral"; this writer-turned-politician ran for president in 1990. After losing a bitter election fight, he emigrated to Spain for a time. Who is this man famous for calling Mexico's political system "the perfect dictatorship" and winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010? 11
11 Mario VARGAS LLOSA
WQC 2013 - 11. It is well developed, with a small lens and retina, in the tuatara reptile. It is more poorly developed in lizards, frogs and some species of fish, where it is a light-sensitive spot on the top of their heads. The "third eye" is associated with a small gland in the vertebrate brain that produces melatonin, a hormone that affects wake/sleep patterns. Which gland, also present in the human brain, is this? 11
11 PINEAL GLAND / EPIPHISIS / PINEAL BODY / CONARIUM
WQC 2013 - 11. Which 1962 book by Rachel Carson alerted the world to the dangers of DDT and launched the contemporary American environmental movement? 11
11 SILENT SPRING
WQC 2015 - 11 The process known as vulcanising means treating rubber to improve its durability. In this process rubber is most commonly heated together with which element?
11 SULFUR
WQC 2015 - 11 Which tennis star superstitiously brings her shower sandals, wears the same socks for a whole tournament and bounces the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second? 11
11 Serena WILLIAMS
WQC 2015 - 11 The Jewish dietary laws are known as kashrut. Food prepared in accordance with them is termed kosher. What term is used for food that is not kosher? 11
11 TREIF or TREIFAH
WQC 2015 - 11 As with Berlin, which other European capital was divided into four occupation zones after the Second World War and found itself surrounded by the Soviet zone? The central district, however, was administered jointly by the Allied Control Council. The allied occupation lasted until 1955. 11
11 VIENNA (Austria)
WQC 2013 - 11. This Russian-American engineer, born in 1888, invented a television transmitting and receiving system using cathode ray tubes. What was the name of this man, who many call "the real inventor of television"? 11
11 Vladimir ZWORYKIN
WQC 2013 - 12. For a long time, we thought the electrical charge of a proton was the smallest possible electrical charge. Now we know that quarks have a smaller charge. If the charge of an electron is +1, a quark can have one of two charges. Name one of them, but make sure you get the sign right! 12
12 +2/3 or -1/3
WQC 2013 - 12. This German TV series, broadcast from Egypt to Venezuela, ran from 1976 to 2007 and followed the crime-solving activities of first chief inspector Erwin Köster, later his colleague Leo Kress and briefly Rolf Herzog. Named for the nickname of the original inspector, what was the title of this very successful TV show? 12
12 DER ALTE / The OLD FOX
WQC 2013 - 12. Which town in northern India is the political and spiritual center of exiled Tibetans? It is currently the de facto residence of the Tibetan government and also the seat of the Dalai Lama. 12
12 DHARAMSALA
WQC 2015 - 12 Born Karim Kharbouch in Rabat, Morocco in 1984, his family moved to the USA when he was 13. The founder and CEO of Cocaine City Records, what is the stage name of this American rapper whose single 'Pop That' won Best Club Banger at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards? 12
12 FRENCH MONTANA
WQC 2015 - 12 Claiming that the ritual fast reduced productivity, and eager to make pro Western reforms in his country, which president of Tunisia was seen ostentatiously eating and drinking on television in the middle of Ramadan in March 1964? 12
12 Habib BOURGUIBA
WQC 2015 - 12 Swedish decathlon runner up Hugo Wieslander, and Norwegian pentathlon runner up FR Bie, both refused the gold medals the IOC offered them after disqualifying whom? 12
12 Jim THORPE
WQC 2015 - 12 The now famous Stonewall Riot occured in Manhattan, New York on 28 June 1969. The same day, the New York Times carried a report of which gay icon's funeral, conducted in Manhattan just the day before? In the 24 hours prior to the private funeral service, some 20,000 mourners had filed past the 47 yr old's glass-enclosed coffin. 12
12 Judy GARLAND
WQC 2013 - 12. What is the Arabic name of the ancient eye cosmetic traditionally made by grinding lead sulfide and other ingredients? It was widely used in Asia, the Middle East and Africa to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes. 12
12 KOHL
WQC 2013 - 12. This Englishman (1960-) wrote fantasy novels such as "Neverwhere" (1996), set in an underground London, "American Gods" (2001) and "Coraline" (2002), the last turned into a movie of the same name. He also wrote the text of the English version of Hayao Miyazaki's anime movie "Princess Mononoke." Possibly best known for the creation of the cult 75-part comics series "The Sandman," for which he won five Will Eisner Awards, what is his name? 12
12 Neil GAIMAN
WQC 2013 - 12. Incorporating the "Opalia," the "Sigillaria" and "dies natalis solis invicti," what was the name of the lengthy festival in ancient Rome that was held around the winter solstice? It included partying, feasting and exchanging gifts, and some aspects of Christmas have been derived from it. 12
12 SATURNALIA
WQC 2015 - 12 Locally it is always referred to as 'The Settlement' or 'The Village'. One of the most remote permanent settlements on Earth, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the main settlement on which volcanic island? 12
12 TRISTAN DA CUNHA
WQC 2015 - 12 'The Scorch Trials' and 'The Death Cure' are sequels to which very successful young adult fantasy book by James Dashner which spawned a dystopian action thriller film of 2014? 12
12 The MAZE RUNNER
WQC 2013 - 12. Named with a Quechua word that can be translated as "foam of the sea" or "lake of fat," which deity was worshipped as the creator god in Inca mythology? 12
12 VIRACOCHA / HUIRACOCHA / WIRAQOCA / APU QUN TIQSI WIRAQUTRA / CON-TICI / KON-TIKI
WQC 2013 - 12. In 2008, Benjamin Boukpeti was the first athlete representing Togo to win an Olympic medal. In which sport was he the first African ever to clinch the bronze medal? 12
12 WHITEWATER SLALOM / CANOE SLALOM / KAYAK (not canoe)
WQC 2013 - 13. Architects Anthemius of Tralles and the Elder Isidore of Miletus built which famous landmark building in the sixth century CE? (Although the construction took only six years, neither architect lived to see the completion of its interior decorations.)
13 AYA SOFIA / HAGIA SOPHIA (in Istanbul)
WQC 2013 - 13. In theology and philosophy, what name is given to the study of the ultimate destiny of humanity or the end of the world? 13
13 ESCHATOLOGY
WQC 2013 - 13. Sometimes called "father of the symphony" (he wrote 108 of those), which composer is possibly best known for his oratorio "Die Schöpfung" ("The Creation"), written between 1796 and 1798? 13
13 Franz Joseph HAYDN
WQC 2013 - 13. Who wrote the book "Le Guide Culinaire" and created the Brigade de Cuisine system that is still used to organize today's professional kitchens? 13
13 Georges Auguste ESCOFFIER (note: he is known by BOTH of his first two names, so accept either if given)
WQC 2015 - 13 In which country did a group of poets known as the 'Hungryalist quartet'give rise in the 1960s to an avant garde literary movement called the 'Hungry Generation'? 13
13 INDIA
WQC 2015 - 13 In September 2014, which country's space agency became the fourth in the world to put a probe into Mars orbit, and the first to manage it at its first attempt? 13
13 INDIA (or BHARAT)
WQC 2013 - 13. Which African militia leader and indicted war criminal was the subject of a 2012 short film, once ranked the most viral video ever by Time magazine? 13
13 Joseph KONY
WQC 2013 - 13. In three weeks' time (June 23, 2013), the Turkish city of Mersin will host an international event featuring 30 sports that was first suggested during the 1948 Olympics in London. After the first event in 1951 in Alexandria, the games have been held every four years and have taken place in Barcelona, Beirut, Naples, Tunis, Izmir, Algiers, Split, Casablanca, Latakia, Athens, the Languedoc-Roussillon, Bari, Almeria and Pescara. What name is given to these international multi-sport events? 13
13 MEDITERRANEAN GAMES
WQC 2015 - 13 In 2014, which American CEO / entrepreneur (b. 1984) delighted an audience at Beijing's Tsinghua University by holding a half-hour Question & Answer session ... in Mandarin? 13
13 Mark ZUCKERBERG
WQC 2015 - 13 First opening on Broadway in 1951, which musical comedy by Lerner and Loewe features the lives and loves of a group of people in a mining camp during California's mid-19th century gold rush? 13
13 PAINT YOUR WAGON
WQC 2013 - 13. Which film director, one of the most acclaimed in South Korea, reached international fame for his Vengeance trilogy, which includes "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"? 13
13 PARK Chan-Wook
WQC 2015 - 13 Which enzyme that synthesizes long chains of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA, gives its name to PCR, a technology central in molecular biology, able to generate numerous copies of a particular DNA sequence? 13
13 POLYMERASE (PCR is polymerase chain reaction)
WQC 2013 - 13. Founded in 1546 as a mining town, it soon produced fabulous wealth and became one of the largest cities in the Americas and the world, with a population exceeding 200,000 people. Standing next to a mountain "made of silver," which city in modern Bolivia is one of the highest in the world (at 4,090 meters) and was the location of the Spanish colonial mint? 13
13 POTOSI
WQC 2015 - 13 Since the introduction of table tennis at the Olympic Games in 1988, 24 of the 28 gold medals went to China. One went to Sweden (Jan-Ove Waldner). Which country claimed the 3 other golds, as well as 3 silver medals and 13 bronze? 13
13 SOUTH KOREA
WQC 2015 - 13 Known in the ancient world as Seric Iron, the hightly-prized crucible-produced Wootz steel originated in which part of the world? By 500 CE it was being exported to the Romans, Egyptians, Chinese and Arabs. NB: you can answer with a specific area, or give a present-day country's name. 13
13 South INDIA / SRI LANKA, acc. TAMIZHAGAM / TAMIL NADU etc.
WQC 2015 - 14 Swede, Jonas Jonasson's 2009 novel was a global hit, becoming a film in 2013. According to the book's rather long, strange title, what age is its protagonist Allan Karlsson? 14
14 100 (The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)
WQC 2015 - 14 When Neil Armstrong travelled as commander of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing mission, he took with him a recording of which composer's celebrated Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B.178 (1895)? 14
14 Antonin DVOŘÁK (it is the 'New World' Symphony)
WQC 2013 - 14. Thanks to the actions of its parliamentary vice president Dimitar Peshev in 1942-43, which Axis power did not deport any of its Jewish population to foreign death camps? 14
14 BULGARIA
WQC 2015 - 14 In what country does State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 require Buddhists to fill out a form before they can be reincarnated? 14
14 CHINA
WQC 2013 - 14. The name of which British band, who released the single "Default" in 2012, is twice the first name of one of the best guitarists of all time? He is name-checked in the Woody Allen movie "Sweet and Lowdown," where the main character Emmet Ray regards himself as the second-best guitarist in the world. 14
14 DJANGO DJANGO
WQC 2013 - 14. People with pes planus often find it difficult to sustain prolonged exercise regimens. In many armed forces across the world, this is a common ground for being rejected from recruitment. How do we better know pes planus? 14
14 FLAT FEET
WQC 2015 - 14 Created to be thin, light and either damage-resistant or flexible, the trademarks Gorilla, Lotus, and Willow are associated with rather special varieties of which otherwise very familiar, ordinary, everyday material? 14
14 GLASS (used in mobile phones and LDC displays etc.)
WQC 2013 - 14. What name is most commonly given to traditional singer-storytellers in West African countries? 14
14 GRIOT / (D)JALI / (D)JELI
WQC 2015 - 14 In which game can you win $10 (or £10, etc.) for being the second prettiest?
14 MONOPOLY
WQC 2013 - 14. Nominated for Academy Awards as best supporting actress for her role in "Rebel Without a Cause," and best actress for "Splendor in the Grass" and "Love with the Proper Stranger," who was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko (sometimes cited as Natasha Gurdin) to Russian immigrants in San Francisco? 14
14 Natalie WOOD
WQC 2013 - 14. The celestial North Pole is placed near the North Star within the constellation of Ursa Minor. Within which obscure constellation is the celestial South Pole? 14
14 OCTANS (octant)
WQC 2015 - 14 In which diverse group of organisms, defined by their ecological niche, can you find the circa 2,000 different species of the phylum Dinoflagellata?
14 PLANKTON
WQC 2013 - 14. Element 106 was created in 1974 in a laboratory in Livermore, California. With a half-life of about two minutes, it has been placed in Group 6 as a heavier homologue to tungsten. What is this element—the second, after einsteinium, to be named after a living human being? 14
14 SEABORGIUM (Glenn Seaborg died in 1999)
WQC 2013 - 14. At the Vancouver Olympic Games, the Latvian Haralds Silovs became the first athlete in Winter Olympic history to participate in two different disciplines on the same day. Name either. 14
14 Short track (1,500-meter) / long track (5,000-meter) SPEED SKATING
WQC 2015 - 15 Despite having Johnny Depp in the lead role and co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor, it was a box office flop. The title character in which 2015 film is based on the best known creation of English art dealer and comic novelist Kyril Bonfiglioli (1928-85)? 15
15 (Charlie) MORTDECAI
WQC 2013 - 15. Most countries have ambassadors representing their interests in other countries, but not Vatican City. Which diplomatic title, from the Latin for "envoy," is given to their closest equivalent, the representative of the pope to a state or an international organization? 15
15 (Papal / Apostolic) NUNCIO
WQC 2015 - 15 It's called pluralistic ignorance or the spiral of silence. What paradox is named for a Texas family that takes an awful trip, because each thinks the others want to go there? 15
15 ABILENE paradox
WQC 2013 - 15. The prophet Zoroaster reinterpreted the ancient Iranian religion and established it as a "good religion," as opposed to the corruption he saw around him—this as the result of his having "seen God." By what name did he know his Wise Lord?
15 AHURA MAZDA or OROMAZDES / OHRMAZD
WQC 2015 - 15 What name is given to the extinct genus of hominids, living 2-4 million years ago, with subdivisions africanus, anamensis and afarensis, which are most probably the ancestors to the genus of modern man Homo?
15 AUSTRALOPI-THECUS
WQC 2013 - 15. He served as Soviet premier from 1964-80, but because the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party came to hold the real power, it was Brezhnev who was the face of the country during this person's time as premier. Who was this leader, who passed away in 1980? 15
15 Alexi KOSYGIN
WQC 2013 - 15. Though smaller than its European counterpart, what is the largest rodent native to North America? 15
15 BEAVER
WQC 2015 - 15 In 1957, Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes sealed two shower curtains to create textured wallpaper. That flopped. But eventually it was a hit. As what? 15
15 BUBBLE WRAP
WQC 2015 - 15 His birthplace is also the starting location of the torch that is used to light the flames at the opening ceremony; which hero of the second century BCE gives his name to the international Jewish multisport event (sometimes called 'Jewish Olympics') held every four years in Israel? 15
15 Judah MACCABEE or Judas MACCABEUS (Maccabiah Games)
WQC 2013 - 15. The definitive version of this song was rendered in 1959, but it was hardly new. In 1956 alone, Dick Hyman, Richard Hayman and Jan August, Lawrence Welk, Louis Armstrong and Billy Vaughn had Top 40 versions with it. In 1960, Ella Fitzgerald charted with her version. What is this song that has roots all the way back to 1928? 15
15 MACK THE KNIFE
WQC 2013 - 15. A motif composed of a large number of small flowers is popularly used in tapestries, often as a background. What is its name, derived from French? 15
15 MILLEFLEUR
WQC 2015 - 15 If there are too few of them, excessive bleeding can occur. If the number is too high, blood clots can form. What are the small disc-shaped cell fragments that release growth factors and play an important role in the repair and regeneration of connective tissues? 15
15 PLATELETS or THROMBOCYTES
WQC 2015 - 15 Located on an island in Lake Texcoco, which city was the capital of the Aztec empire until its capture by Hernan Cortez in 1521? 15
15 TENOCHTITLAN
WQC 2013 - 15. Sport has some notable rivalries. According to legend, the Crimson won The Game in 1908, thanks in part to the unique way in which Coach Percy Haughton inspired his college football team. It's said he fired them up by strangling a live bulldog with his bare hands, tossing its lifeless body at their feet. They then went out and beat the Bulldogs 4-0. Which rival side did they beat? 15
15 YALE ("the Crimson" being Harvard)
WQC 2015 - 16 The father won the World Rally Championships in 1990 and 1992, and the Dakar rally in 2010. The son made his F1 debut this year for Toro Rosso. Which name do both father and son have? 16
16 Carlos SAINZ
WQC 2013 - 16. After a term appeared in the 1376 poem "Le respit de la mort" by Jean Le Fèvre, paintings, woodcuts and other visual examples of it started to spread. What name is given to different medieval pieces of art depicting personified Death summoning people from all ranks of society to the grave? 16
16 DANSE MACABRE / DANCE OF DEATH / DE MACABRÉ LA DANCE / DANÇA GENERAL DE LA MUERTE / TOTENTANZ
WQC 2013 - 16. This website gives special awards to individuals who kill themselves in the commission of various stupid enterprises, "saluting the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it." Honoring idiots since 1995, what is the name of the award one might receive for smoking in a fireworks factory? 16
16 DARWIN Award
WQC 2015 - 16 Her opera 'Der Wald' (1902) was the first by a woman to be performed at the New York Met and 'The Wreckers' (1904) has been called the "most important English opera composed during the period between Purcell and Britten". Her lovers included Emmeline Pankhurst and Virginia Woolf, but which English composer's romantic relationship with Violet Gordon-Woodhouse is depicted in Roger Scruton's satiric 2005 opera, 'Violet'?
16 Dame Ethel Mary SMYTH (pronounced "Smith")
WQC 2013 - 16. Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert gas that makes up over 78 percent of our atmosphere. It is the seventh-most common abundant element in the universe. In 1772, which Scottish physician first discovered this element as a separate component of air?
16 Daniel RUTHERFORD
WQC 2015 - 16 Based on the 1986 novel by Nobel laureate Mo Yan and marking the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, which 1987 film tells about a young woman's life working in a rural liquor distillery? 16
16 HÓNG GĀOLIÁNG (RED SORGHUM)
WQC 2015 - 16 While living in London in the 1850s and being supported by his colleague's family business, who supplemented his income by writing articles as European correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune? Ironically the paper's founder was once a US presidential candidate! 16
16 Karl MARX
WQC 2013 - 16. Women have come a long way toward equality in Hollywood, receiving parts and paychecks rivaling their male counterparts', and a woman has won an Oscar for directing. In 1962, the message had not been received. Which best picture Oscar winner and box office smash hit literally has a cast of thousands and is 216 minutes long, and yet hasn't a single word of dialogue in it uttered by a female?
16 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
WQC 2015 - 16 Found just south of the Julian Alps, what hard-to-spell city is also known by its easier-to-spell German name, Laibach? 16
16 LJUBLIANA
WQC 2015 - 16 Architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc spent two decades restoring what dilapidated structure, after it had starred in an 1831 classic novel? 16
16 NOTRE DAME Cathedral
WQC 2013 - 16. A man named Rawley (died 1589) from Roanoke Island was honored in 2012 as the first Native American to be buried in England. Not so long afterwards, which famous individual (circa 1596- 1617) was also among the earliest people known to have been born in North America and buried in England?
16 POCAHONTAS / born MATOAKA / AMONOUTE / later known as Rebecca ROLFE
WQC 2013 - 16. Which historic region on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, now divided between Germany and Poland, had Szczecin (or Stettin) as its most important city? 16
16 POMERANIA or POMMEREN
WQC 2015 - 16 In mathematics, which bold capital (UPPER CASE) letter is used for the set of all rational numbers, these are the numbers that be expressed as a fraction of two integers? The letter was chosen by Giuseppe Peano in 1895 from a mathematical term that is related to rational numbers. 16
16 Q
WQC 2015 - 16 Which iconic name, devised to be easy to say and remember regarless what language one speaks, replaced the original name 'Wilsdorf and Davies' - being the name of a wrist watch company founded in London in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davies? 16
16 ROLEX
WQC 2013 - 16. From the Javanese for "shadow," what name is given to the shadow puppet theatre mainly popular on the islands of Java and Bali? 16
16 WAYANG (kulit)
WQC 2013 - 16. At the 2012 Paralympic Games, 31-year-old Dutch woman Esther Vergeer (ranked number one in the world since 1999!) eased to her fourth consecutive women's singles gold medal with her 470th consecutive victory in nine years playing which sport? Please be precise!
16 WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
WQC 2013 - 17. According to popular legend, when he was about four years old, gypsies kidnapped him, but maybe an "invisible hand" protected or rescued him. Who was this economist and philosopher? 17
17 Adam SMITH
WQC 2015 - 17 Olympics: as well as ice hockey and four-man bobsleigh, which team sport featured at the first Winter Games (1924, Chamonix)? 17
17 CURLING
WQC 2015 - 17 What very personal service did the late Desmond Henley perform for very many people including King George VI, Sir Winston Churchill, Jimi Hendrix, Alexander Onassis, Field Marshal Lord Montgomery, Mutesa II of Buganda, and AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott? 17
17 EMBALMING
WQC 2013 - 17. Released on May 10, 2011, what videogame was based on a toy that was based on a movie that was based on a theme park attraction? 17
17 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: The Videogame
WQC 2015 - 17 Its name literally translating as "middle enclosure", which of the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology is the one we humans inhabit in our lifetime? 17
17 MIDGARD
WQC 2013 - 17. What is the name of the protein that carries oxygen inside muscle tissue? Meat is red because of the presence of this protein. 17
17 MYOGLOBIN
WQC 2015 - 17 In the biopic 'The Greatest' (1977), James Earl Jones played Malcolm X, Robert Duvall was fight promoter Bill Macdonald, and Ernest Borgnine played legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee; who appeared as the adult Casius Clay / Muhammad Ali? 17
17 Mohammed ALI
WQC 2013 - 17. Used as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass, under what trademarked name is polymer polymethylmetacrylate commonly known? The name was first used by Röhm & Haas Company in 1933.
17 PLEXIGLASS
WQC 2015 - 17 Which Nobel Prize winner once wrote lyrics for French pop star Françoise Hardy, contributing to the songs 'Etonnez moi, Benoit' and 'San Salvador'?
17 Patrick MODIANO
WQC 2013 - 17. It is similar to the Turing test, proposed in 1950 as a way to gauge a computer's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior. Which film critic, who lost his own voice after surgery to treat cancer, proposed this test in 2011 to gauge whether a computer-based synthesized voice can tell a joke with sufficient skill to cause people to laugh? 17
17 Roger EBERT (the Ebert Test)
WQC 2013 - 17. Though some historians question whether they were a distinct culture, this people flourished between 800 and 1100 CE. Their urban center was located near modern-day Tula (80 kilometers north of Mexico City). Noted for their craftsmanship, who were these forerunners of the Aztecs (whom Aztec scholars regarded as mythological)? 17
17 TOLTECS
WQC 2015 - 18 Which sprinter, who won gold medals with a 10.06 in the 100m and an unofficial 8.6 in the last leg of the 4x100m at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, went on to win a Super Bowl ring as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys? 18
18 Bob HAYES (not Hines)
WQC 2013 - 18. A co-founder of PayPal, he was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society for his contributions to space exploration. His company produces the Falcon 9 rocket that is used by NASA to take cargo for the International Space Station. Who is he? 18
18 Elon MUSK
WQC 2015 - 18 Issued by Mattel from 1966 to 1976 and re-introduced in 2011, she is marketed as "Barbie's MODern cousin" (sic) from England. She had an extensive line of "mod"-style clothing of the type associated with Carnaby Street in the late 1960s to early 1970s. What is EITHER her given name or surname?
18 FRANCIE / FAIRCHILD
WQC 2015 - 18 The soundtrack of the 2011 movie 'The Descendants' features the distinctive voices and slack-key guitar playing of musicians such as Gabby Pahinui, Keola Beamer, Makana and the Reverend Dennis Kamakahi. Their music forms part of the rich musical tradition of which Pacific archipelago?
18 HAWAII or HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
WQC 2013 - 18. What Australian Formula One driver, who founded his own racing team in 1960 (it was later owned by Bernie Ecclestone), won the Formula One world championships in 1959, 1960 and 1966? 18
18 Jack BRABHAM
WQC 2013 - 18. It is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the seventh century AD. A collection of myths— concerning the origins of the four main home islands of Japan, the explanation of the Kami and the misogi purification ritual—it also contains poems and songs. What is this record of the scribe O no Yasumaro, which, together with the Nihongi, forms the basis of the Shinto religion? 18
18 KOJIKI ("Record of Ancient Matters")
WQC 2013 - 18. Which city's Quadrangle of Fashion is found around Via Montenapoleone, Via Andrea, Via Gesù, Via Borgospesso, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia? 18
18 MILAN
WQC 2013 - 18. The cast of this movie includes Matti Pellonpää, Roberto Begnini, Béatrice Dalle, Armin MüllerStahl and Winona Ryder. What is the title of this 1991 Jim Jarmusch movie that follows five cab drivers in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and Helsinki? 18
18 NIGHT ON EARTH
WQC 2015 - 18 P in the name of the medical imaging technique PET-scan refers to which antiparticle?
18 POSITRON (Positron Emission Tomography)
WQC 2015 - 18 Founded in 1997 which European capital city has a museum that is the world's largest display of penises and penile parts? Its growing collection of 280 specimens (from 93 species) includes whale 55 penises and 118 from land animals - including, allegedly, those of elves and trolls. 18
18 REYKJAVIC (Hið Íslenzka Reðasafn / Icelandic Phallological Museum)
WQC 2013 - 18. This is the oldest radio station in Asia and started broadcasting in 1923, just three years after broadcasting began in Europe. Music was broadcast from a tiny room with the aid of a small transmitter built by Telegraph Department engineers from the radio equipment of a captured German submarine. Which station? 18
18 Radio CEYLON
WQC 2015 - 18 In the Western languages pre 1500 CE, the words "Muslim" and "Islam", and "Arab", were rarely used. What word, derived from the name an Arab tribe living in the northern Sinai peninsula, was commonly used instead? Although of Kurdish stock, the term is still commonly applied to Saladin. 18
18 SARACEN
WQC 2015 - 18 Who in 1982 became the second woman in space, 19 years after Valentina Tereshkova?
18 Svetlana SAVITSKAYA
WQC 2013 - 19. He was a design student when he got the role. At 7' 2" tall (2.18 meters), Nigerian-born Bolaji Badejo (born 1953) played the (antagonist) title role in which classic 1979 movie? 19
19 ALIEN
WQC 2015 - 19 Which city in northern Wyoming with currently about 9000 inhabitants was named after Buffalo Bill?
19 CODY (BB's real name was William Cody)
WQC 2015 - 19 "His mission with me in Cambodia was to tell the world what suffering his people were going through in a war that was never necessary," said reporter Sidney Schanberg of what Cambodian photojournalist whose life was the basis for the 1984 film The Killing Fields? 19
19 Dith PRAN
WQC 2015 - 19 Founded in 2008 by the Portuguese entrepreneur José Neves, this international fashion website stocks products from 300 independent boutiques around the world. In March this year it announced another round of investments, bringing the value of the company stock over US$ 1 billion. Which website?
19 FARFETCH
WQC 2013 - 19. Which peptide hormone gets its name from regions in the pancreas where it is produced, which were discovered in 1869 by a German anatomist? 19
19 INSULIN (from Lat. insula > islands > "islets of Langerhans")
WQC 2015 - 19 In August 2014 Princess Haya announced she would not run for a third term as president of the International Equestrian Federation. She said she wanted to spend more time with her children and give increased attention to humanitarian work in Gaza. Haya is a princess in which country?
19 JORDAN
WQC 2015 - 19 Their Latin name Sirenia is a reference to the fact that they rise vertically from the water while feeding their young, which may have given rise to the legend of women luring sailors to their deaths by their singing. Which animal, that doesn't really resemble a woman's figure? 19
19 SEA COWS
WQC 2013 - 19. Which sport's international ruling body was asked to adjudicate in 2012 after a complaint that Slovenia's Tina Maze had taken part in a competition while wearing plastic undergarments? 19
19 SKIING (FIS rules require clothing to be air permeable)
WQC 2013 - 19. A son of Harald Bluetooth, Sweyn I was king of Denmark and briefly king of England (1013 until his death in 1014). He is now generally known through his nickname, which made reference to which very distinctive facial characteristic? [Be specific; we're looking for a particular answer.] 19
19 Sweyn FORKBEARD or TIUGESKAEG ("beard" alone is not enough)
This photo shows a historic moment not only in sporting but also in political terms. In which year did this event take place?
1995 (South Africa won the Rugby World Cup; Nelson Mandela hands trophy to Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springboks)
WQC 2013 - 2. Its name literally translates as "The Island"; the motto of the organization is "The Opinion and the Other Opinion." It recently acquired Current TV in the U.S., one of whose co-founders was Al Gore. Which television channel is this? 2
2 AL JAZEERA
WQC 2013 - 2. In addition to winning an Oscar as actor in a leading role aged just 29, who became the first American actor to win a César, the French equivalent of an Oscar, receiving the award for his starring part in the same 2002 movie? [Note: Christophe "Christopher" Lambert, who won a César in 1986, may have been born in New York but is French!] 2
2 Adrien BRODY ("The Pianist," also youngest to win best actor)
WQC 2015 - 2 Born at Lugdunum in Gaul, which limping grandson of Mark Antony's was the first Roman emperor born outside Italy? 2
2 CLAUDIUS
WQC 2013 - 2. Hot foods out of the oven begin to cool off immediately and cold foods out of the refrigerator begin to warm up. There is a mathematically defined function that helps account for this flow of heat. Useful in thermodynamics, what is the word that was originally used to describe "thermodynamically reversible processes in a closed system"? 2
2 ENTROPY
WQC 2013 - 2. Its national anthem is entitled "Caminemos pisando las sendas de nuestra inmensa felicidad" (Let Us Tread the Path of Our Immense Happiness). What is the only African nation with Spanish as an official language? 2
2 EQUATORIAL GUINEA
WQC 2015 - 2 The three Olympic Associations which have won the most swimming medals over the years are the USA (520), Australia (178), and which now non-existent national association (with 92)? 2
2 GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC / GDR / EAST GERMANY
WQC 2015 - 2 Because of its prefabricated iron construction, the Church of San Marcos, built in 1875 in Arica, Chile, is usually attributed to which French architect and engineer? 2
2 Gustave EIFFEL
WQC 2015 - 2 Focusing on atmosphere rather than strong emotion, what musical movement, led by Claude Debussy, shares a name with a similar movement in the arts, and occurred as a reaction against the excesses of the Romantic era? 2
2 IMPRESSIONISM
WQC 2015 - 2 On stage collecting his Oscar for Best Director in 1998, which Canadian filmmaker and deep-sea explorer raised his statuette aloft and shouted "I'm the king of the world!"? 2
2 James CAMERON (quoting a line from his 1997 film 'Titanic')
WQC 2013 - 2. Which company introduced the Lumia in 2011, a smartphone whose name unfortunately means "hooker" (prostitute) in Spanish dialects? 2
2 NOKIA
WQC 2015 - 2 Johannes Kepler's three scientific laws describe the motion of what?
2 PLANETS (around the Sun)
WQC 2013 - 2. Vincent Van Gogh was living in Arles, France, in 1888 when a fellow artist, a leading PostImpressionist of the day, came to stay with him. After nearly two months, during a quarrel on December 23, Van Gogh pulled out a razor blade and after a few threatening motions, took off for a brothel. He then apparently cut off part of his left ear lobe and gave it to a prostitute named Rachel. Who was the other artist, who fled but later sculpted "Jug in the Form of a Head, Self-Portrait," possibly a reflection on his rocky days with Van Gogh? 2
2 Paul GAUGUIN
WQC 2015 - 2 Ras Hafun (or Ras Xaafuun), also known as Cape Hafun, constitutes the easternmost point in Africa. Jutting out into the Indian Ocean, this promontory is located within the territory of which nation? 2
2 SOMALIA
WQC 2015 - 2 If you order pizza bianca, you will get a pizza missing what very typical ingredient?
2 TOMATO SAUCE/PASTE
WQC 2013 - 2. She wasn't Socrates' ex-wife, although her name did begin with an "X". What was the name of the famous philosopher's wife, one that in Greek meant "yellow horse"? 2
2 XANTHIPPE (xanthos / yellow + hippos / horse)
WQC 2013 - 2. This Jamaican sprinter, born in 1989, has a 100-meter best time of 9.69, making him the secondfastest man ever. Nicknamed "the Beast," who won the silver medal in both the 100-meter and 200- meter races at the 2012 Olympics? 2
2 Yohan BLAKE
WQC 2013 - 20. Taking into account that U.S. battleships are named for U.S. states, which was the only battleship to survive Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) AND be present in support of the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, where she had the honor of being the first Allied warship to open fire? The state you are looking for joined the Union during the American Civil War (1864). So, appropriately enough, one of its nicknames is "Battle born"! 20
20 (USS) NEVADA or BB-36
WQC 2013 - 20. In the 2007 handball world championships, the Americas were represented by Argentina, Brazil and which surprise third participant, which has only 56,000 inhabitants and fewer than 2,000 registered handball players? 20
20 GREENLAND
WQC 2013 - 20. With an area of 972,000 square kilometers, it is the largest national park in the world. If it were an independent country, it would be the 31st-biggest country in the world, just ahead of Tanzania. In the northeast of which island can you find this national park? 20
20 GREENLAND
WQC 2013 - 20. With about 27 million disciples, it is probably the fifth-largest religion in the world (for reference, it has around twice as many members as Judaism). Sikhism was founded around the year 1500 by which holy man? 20
20 Guru NANAK
WQC 2015 - 20 According to a W.B. Yeats poem, of what wood should a magician's wand be made? It is supposedly attuned to earth energies - hence shamans use it in dowsing and divining. 20
20 HAZEL / CORYLUS ('Song of Wandering Aengus')
WQC 2015 - 20 The Jeulmun Pottery Period (8000 BC - 1500 BC) and the Mumun Pottery Period (1500 BC - 300 BC) predate the Three Kingdoms Period in what now divided former 'nation'?
20 KOREA / CHOSŎN / HANGUK
WQC 2015 - 20 In 2014, why was Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, something that never seemed to happen to Tim Tebow? 20
20 Kneeling in (Muslim) PRAYER, (post-touchdown)
WQC 2015 - 20 Kaoma is a French-Brazilian pop group, best known for which 1989 international hit ... a song that cashed in on a contemporaneous dance fad? 20
20 LAMBADA
WQC 2015 - 20 A popular tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta and seven Megalithic Temples, which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. What nation are we talking about? 20
20 MALTA
WQC 2013 - 20. According to The Economist magazine, the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century was an American who became a Nobel laureate in 1976, and who is known for his research on consumption analysis and monetarism. He advocated that the expansion of money supply by central banks should be limited. Who was this economist, the advisor to several conservative leaders? 20
20 Milton FRIEDMAN
WQC 2013 - 20. The 1990s saw a trend for women's hairstyles based on the one sported by which character on TV's "Friends"?
20 RACHEL (accept "GREEN," her surname)
WQC 2015 - 20 In this iconic photograph made by Yevgeny Khaldei the Soviet flag is being raised over which building?
20 REICHSTAG (Berlin)
WQC 2015 - 20 What word precedes 'manga' when refering to Japanese comics specifically marketed for an audience of boys, aged 10 years and up? In Japanese Law the term means age 10-15. 20
20 SHONEN or SHOUNEN
WQC 2013 - 20. Historically also called Lusatian or Upper Wendish, what Slavic language is still spoken in eastern Germany—there are bilingual signs in places like Cottbus and Bautzen—and, until recently, in a settlement in Lee County, Texas? 20
20 SORBIAN
WQC 2015 - 20 Established in 1980 and awarded in astronomy and mathematics, geosciences, ecology, and polyarthritis, the circa US$500,000 Crafoord Prize is presented every April by the king of which European country? 20
20 SWEDEN
WQC 2013 - 20. Which successful Broadway musical, written by Stephen Schwarz, is actually a prequel to the story of "The Wizard of Oz" and tells the early story of Glinda and Elphaba, characters who will become the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West? 20
20 WICKED
In a game of blackjack, you would be 'bust' if the total points on your cards exceed what number?
21
WQC 2015 - 21 The Kimberley Scheme was a 1935 plan that would have seen non-Zionists buy land to create sort of a 'Jewish homeland' in which southern hemisphere country? Pursued through to the early 1940s, the idea was revived again in the 1950s, without success. 21
21 AUSTRALIA
WQC 2015 - 21 The band included Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Other members sang back up for Linda Ronstadt. Which band's last released album was 'Long Road Out of Eden'?
21 EAGLES
WQC 2015 - 21 Sumo wrestlers' lives are highly regimented, with rules laid down by the Japan Sumo Association. Most are required to live in communal "training stables", where all aspects of their daily lives- from meals to their dress- are dictated by strict tradition. By what name are these training stables known in Japan?
21 HEYA
WQC 2013 - 21. Practitioners are called berkutchy. Sayat, or golden eagle hunting, is a national sport and profession (often hereditary) in which former Soviet republic? 21
21 KAZAKHSTAN
WQC 2015 - 21 Finished in 1895, which 98 km canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea? 21
21 KIEL canal / NORD-OSTSEE-Kanal
WQC 2013 - 21. With a population of over 1.5 million people, this Japanese city was relatively untouched in the Second World War, because the U. S. Secretary of War had honeymooned there and wished to save the cultural heritage he found there. Known for being the center of the Japanese film industry, what is seventh-largest city in the country, once the capital of Japan from 794 to 1869? 21
21 KYOTO
WQC 2015 - 21 What is the name of EITHER man sharing a 1964 Nobel Prize "for their discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism"? 21
21 Konrad BLOCH or Feodor LYNEN
WQC 2013 - 21. Julius Wagner-Jauregg won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1927 for treating syphilis by infecting people with which other disease? 21
21 MALARIA
WQC 2015 - 21 Only three letters are needed to write the name of this culture that flourished in northern Nigeria between 1000BC and 300AD. The earliest sub-Saharan producer of life-sized Terracotta, which culture produced the sculpture on the picture? 21
21 NOK
WQC 2015 - 21 First published in 1950, the essay 'El Laberinto de la Soledad' ('The Labyrinth of Solitude') is the best known work by which Mexican poet-diplomat and writer (1914-1998), a 1981 winner of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize and 1990 Nobel literature laureate? 21
21 Octavio PAZ Lozano
WQC 2015 - 21 Native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean and weighing up to 45 kg, which animal is the heaviest member of the weasel family, but the smallest marine mammal? 21
21 SEA OTTER (Enhydra lutris)
WQC 2013 - 21. Although religion is strongly discouraged in North Korea, which religion is the most widespread in the country, with an estimated 16% of the population practicing it? 21
21 SHAMANISM / CHEONDOISM
WQC 2013 - 21. "Pictures from an Exhibition—A Remembrance of ..." is a suite in 10 movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The piece was written in memory of which artist/architect? 21
21 Viktor HARTMANN
WQC 2013 - 21. Laureates include Sefi Atta, Nnedi Okorafor and Sisifo Mzobe (2012). This pan-African literary prize, established by the Lumina Foundation in 2005, was named after what prestigious 1934-born writer, who was placed in solitary confinement for two years by General Yakubu Gowon in 1967, would later criticize dictators such as General Sanni Abacha, and received honorary doctorates from Harvard and Princeton universities? 21
21 Wole SOYINKA
WQC 2013 - 21. Until he became general secretary of China's Communist Party, who was probably less famous than his wife, Peng Liyuan, a folk singer and major-general in the musical troupe of China's army? 21
21 XI Jinping
WQC 2013 - 21. In 1516, German brewers established the "Purity Order," specifying that the only components used for making beer should be barley, water and hops. Which essential component was not mentioned, because people only learned of its existence in the 19th century? 21
21 YEAST
WQC 2013 - 22. In 1914, there were only two independent countries on the entire continent of Africa. Name both of these non-bordering countries, which both exist under the same names today? 22
22 LIBERIA and ETHIOPIA
WQC 2013 - 22. Most Hindi-language films are shot in Mumbai (formerly Bombay). This is remarkable, as the vast majority of people in Mumbai and the surrounding state don't have Hindi as their mother tongue, but rather another Indo-European language. With 72 million speakers, it is the 19th most spoken in the world; by what name is this language most commonly known? 22
22 MARATHI / but accept alternative names with very similar spellings, i.e., MAHARATHI or MARTHI (other names we are not accepting are Maharashtra, Malhatee and Muruthu)
WQC 2015 - 22 The author of more than a hundred comedies, of which now only one play ('Dyskolos') fully survives, and now considered the best-known representative of Athens New Comedy, the works of which 341 BC born Greek dramatist were rediscovered in 1907, 1959 and 2003? 22
22 MENANDER
WQC 2013 - 22. This Spanish footwear designer failed as a clothing designer and journalist, and was told by Diana Vreeland and Ossie Clark to concentrate on shoes. Now world famous, with boutiques in dozens of countries, who is this entrepreneur, who single-handedly brought about the revival of stiletto-heeled shoes after years of platform shoes and boots? 22
22 Manolo BLAHNIK / or Manuel Blahnik RODRÍGUEZ
WQC 2015 - 22 On 6 April 1994, Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, the presidents of which TWO countries, were killed when the plane they boarded in Tanzania was shot down by surface-to-air missiles? N.B. your answer needs both/two country names here. 22
22 RWANDA (Habyarimana) AND BURUNDI (Ntaryamira)
WQC 2013 - 22. Centered on the city of Gao on the Niger River and named for its leading ethnic group, it was succeeded by the Dendi kingdom. Which Islamic empire flourished from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, at its height covering an area greater than Western Europe? 22
22 SONGHAI or SONGHAY Empire
WQC 2013 - 22. His most famous work was a trilogy of cantatas: "The Song of Hiawatha," written between 1898 and 1900. Nicknamed "the African Mahler" or "the Black Mahler" (his father was from Sierra Leone), which composer's name was heavily based on that of a famous British poet? 22
22 Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (accept either)
WQC 2013 - 22. An Australian self-taught nurse, born in 1880, she became a worldwide crusader in the battle against polio and other childhood debilitating diseases. Who was this woman, who impressed the Mayo Clinic in 1940, stayed to open a chain of U.S. clinics and displaced Eleanor Roosevelt in a Gallup poll of the country's most-admired women? 22
22 Sister (Elizabeth) KENNY
WQC 2015 - 22 What name is given to this ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, and similar to a robe, that is commonly worn in Iraq and in Arab countries bordering the Persian Gulf? It may help if we tell you the name is standard Arabic for 'a garment', and the answer is NOT "izaar" - that being something typically worn underneath the item that you need to identify. 22
22 THAWB, THOBE, THAUB, reluctantly accept DISHDASHA, KANDURA, or JALABIYYAH
WQC 2015 - 22 Which island, connected to the mainland by a 6km bridge, is both Sweden's second largest island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden?
22 ÖLAND
WQC 2013 - 23. What is the name of the fiendishly catchy (some would say "horribly annoying") song written by the Sherman Brothers for a Disney theme park ride that features dolls representing children around the globe? 23
23 "IT'S A SMALL WORLD (After All)"
WQC 2013 - 23. The 3,000-year-old name associated with which historical region (also known as "Asia Minor") comes from the fact that, from the perspective of the ancient Greeks, it was "the place of the rising sun"? 23
23 ANATOLI (Gk) / ANATOLIA / ANATOLICON (Byz.)
WQC 2015 - 23 Probably the best known graffiti artist in the world, he has adorned places like the London Zoo, Disneyland and the Palestinian West Bank, has placed his works in the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His real name still uncertain, under which name is he known? 23
23 BANKSY
WQC 2013 - 23. Mosses, liverworts and hornworts may not be as interesting as other living organisms, but they are still worthy of study. With a name originating from Greek, what is the branch of botany that concerns itself with observing, recording, classifying and researching these specimens? 23
23 BRYOLOGY
WQC 2013 - 23. The first ascent of Hkakabo Rezi was only made in 1996. That recent date can be attributed to the facts that it takes four weeks of travel—mainly through dense rainforests—to get to the base camp and that the area was closed to foreigners until 1993. At 5,881 meters, Hkakabo Rezi is the highest point in which country? 23
23 BURMA / MYANMAR
WQC 2015 - 23 Denied access to writing implements, Pramoedya Ananta Toer orally composed the novels Bumi manusia (This Earth of Mankind), Anak Semua bangsa (Child of All Nations), Jejak langkah (Footsteps) and Rumah kaca (House of Glass) while he was incarcerated as a political prisoner from 1965 to 1979 - on which Indonesian island? 23
23 BURU (novels universally known as the 'Buru Quartet' / 'Tetralogi Buru')
WQC 2015 - 23 Often compared to his friend, US satirist Jon Stewart, which physician and host of 'Al Bernameg' tended to wounded Tahrir Square protesters? 23
23 Bassem YOUSSEF
WQC 2015 - 23 Qufu, in Shandong Province, China, is the burial place of tens of thousands of members of the Kong family. These family members' shared ancestry goes back to which celebrated individual born there in 551 BCE who is commonly known by a name literally translating as "Master Kong"? 23
23 CONFUCIUS / KONG QIU / KǑNG FŪZǏ
WQC 2015 - 23 Besides a long jump world record, the 1968 Mexico Olympics saw an Olympic record and Gold medal winning performance using a new technique in another athletics field event. The win brought global attention to a technique that went on to become the new standard in future years. What technique? 23
23 FOSBURY FLOP
WQC 2015 - 23 Which Dutch Nobel laureate is known for his study of how materials behave when cooled to nearly absolute zero, being the first to liquefy helium and discovering superconductivity? 23
23 Heike KAMERLINGH ONNES
WQC 2013 - 23. In 1950 barra vasca, a traditional Basque sport, inspired a new technique in which track-andfield discipline? The new technique pushed results well beyond the existing world record, but the technique was quickly declared illegal for safety reasons and none of the records were recognized. 23
23 JAVELIN throw (throwing with a spin just like discus)
WQC 2015 - 23 Thanks to its humidity and the clash of winds from the mountains and the sea, the southwestern corner of what South American lake is famous for Catatumbo lightning—the world's highest frequency of lightning activity? 23
23 Lago MARACAIBO
WQC 2015 - 23 The Cadillac and the Ladder Barrel are apparatus used in which mind and body fitness system originally called "contrology" but now widely known by the name of its creator? 23
23 PILATES [pronounced pih-LOT-eez]
WQC 2013 - 23. What French dramatist (1803-70) is nowadays best known for his short story "Carmen," which became the basis for a famous opera by Georges Bizet? 23
23 Prosper MÉRIMÉE
WQC 2013 - 23. Which world-famous American musician, an aficionado of world music, was fined $25,000 for making the recording entitled "Buena Vista Social Club," since contact with Cuba was barred under the U.S.'s Trading with the Enemy Act? 23
23 Ry COODER
WQC 2013 - 23. ▼ Some wonder whether he is the Elvis Presley—or the Borat—of philosophy. Living in Ljubljana, which celebrated cultural theorist (recent works include "Less Than Nothing: Hegel and the Shadow of Dialectical Materialism") has been quoted as saying, "Humanity is OK, but 99% of people are boring idiots"? 23
23 Slavoj ŽIŽEK
WQC 2015 - 24 According to legend, the steed of Prophet Mohammed carried the Prophet during his 'Night Journey' when he went from Mecca to Jerusalem and back in the space of a single night. It was also mentioned to have been used by Abraham too. While it is almost always portrayed with a human face in fareastern and Persian art, no Hadiths or early Islamic references allude to it having a humanoid face. What name do we know this steed by? 24
24 BURAQ
WQC 2015 - 24 Also called white asbestos, which mineral is the most commonly encountered form of asbestos and can be spun and woven into fabric? 24
24 CHRYSOTILE (acc. any of its polytypes: CLINO-, ORTHO-, or PARACHRYSOTILE)
WQC 2013 - 24. Before going solo, the American singer Beyoncé was the lead singer of which R&B group, the best-selling girl group of all time? 24
24 DESTINY'S CHILD
WQC 2015 - 24 In 2011, Henri Roussel, who had edited the satirical publication in the 1960s under the pseudonym Delfeil Ton, claimed that by publishing provocative cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed, the then editor of the magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' was "dragging the team" to death (editor Stéphane Charbonnier was one of those killed by gunmen in 2015). So it now looks prophetic that before the name 'Charlie Hebdo' was adopted in 1970, the magazine was published under the title '___-___ Hebdo'. What twowords are missing? 24
24 HARA-KIRI (Hara-Kiri [est. 1960] became Hara-Kiri Hebdo in 1969)
WQC 2015 - 24 The country's highest mountain Tahat, is located in which mountain range that straddles the Tropic of Cancer in the south of Algeria? 24
24 HOGGAR or AHAGGAR mountains
WQC 2013 - 24. After carrying out 15 of the major creative movie-making roles for the film "Chinese Zodiac" (2012), including director, producer, actor, fight choreographer and composer, who has got into Guinness World Records for "most credits in one movie"? 24
24 Jackie CHAN
WQC 2013 - 24. ▼ The environs of which Italian city contain the famous Palazzo del Te, designed and built in the Mannerist style in the 16th century as a place for receiving and honoring the Gonzaga family's illustrious guests? 24
24 MANTOVA or MANTUA
WQC 2013 - 24. In 1956, brothers Yoshio and Saburo Okada started producing knives, the tip of which can be broken off, thus eliminating the need for constant resharpening. What is the trademark name for such knives, derived from Japanese words for "blade" and "to bend and break off"? 24
24 OLFA
WQC 2013 - 24. Cicero, Sir Walter Raleigh, Thomas Cromwell and Marie Antoinette probably all would have wished for an unusual ability possessed by the lowly flatworm called a planarian. This is because this particular species has evolved what survival technique? 24
24 REGROWING THEIR HEADS
WQC 2015 - 24 She had a ten year relationship with H.G. Wells that produced a son, and she is also said to have had affairs with Charlie Chaplin and Lord Beaverbrook. In 1947, Time magazine called her "indisputably the world's number one woman writer". Author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer (1892-1983), which Briton said: "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what a feminist is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat."?
24 Rebecca WEST or, real name Dame Cicely Isabel FAIRFIELD
WQC 2013 - 24. Which country's government finally said sorry in 2013 to up to 10,000 women and girls who were formerly incarcerated in Roman Catholic Church-run "Magdalene" laundries, where they were treated as virtual slaves? 24
24 Republic of IRELAND
WQC 2013 - 24. "Jimi" Heselden was found dead in a river after plunging 80 feet off a cliff. A former miner with a net worth of around $166 million, he lived near Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, in England. He died while riding what mode of transportation made by a company that he owned? 24
24 SEGWAY
WQC 2015 - 24 One of the most successful female gymnasts of all time, she is still the only woman to win the allround title at three World Championships (1997, 2001, 2003). Which Russian who also won gold at the uneven bars at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics? 24
24 Svetlana KHORKINA
WQC 2015 - 24 In 2007, inmates at a maximum security prison in Cebu in the Philippines had an improbable viral video hit when they recreated the famous dance from the video for which Michael Jackson song?
24 THRILLER
WQC 2015 - 24 A 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision declared school segregation to be unconstitutional. The plaintiff was Oliver Brown, the defendant was the Board of Education of which U.S. city?
24 TOPEKA, Kansas [say "toh-PEE-kah"]
WQC 2013 - 24. Which Soviet sprinter won both the 100-meter and the 200-meter men's sprinting events at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich? 24
24 Valeriy BORZOV of Ukraine
WQC 2013 - 25. It is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, making up about 8 percent of its solid surface. Mined from bauxite ore, it is a silvery-white, low-density metal that resists corrosion. What element is this? 25
25 ALUMINUM
WQC 2015 - 25 Japan's biggest home-grown box office hit of 2010; what is the name of the female title character in this Studio Ghibli animated movie based on Mary Norton's children's classic 'The Borrowers'? The answer is the same given name that she has in the book(s). 25
25 ARIETTY (orig. Japanese title translates as 'The Borrower Arrietty. Known as 'The Secret World of Arrietty' in North America)
WQC 2013 - 25. In which 2008 American television series, about a terminally ill chemistry teacher who decides to make illegal drugs to support his family, do the two words in the title start with the symbols of respective chemical elements nr 35 and nr 56? 25
25 BREAKING BAD
WQC 2013 - 25. The rounding of which cape, currently in Western Sahara, by the Portuguese explorer Gil Eanis in 1434 was a major breakthrough for European exploration of Africa and India, as previously they thought the cape could not be passed safely? 25
25 Cape BOJADOR / Cape BOUJDOUR / ABŪ KHAṬAR
WQC 2013 - 25. Derived from that of an Italian scientist, what name is given to the process of applying a protective metal layer, usually zinc, to steel or iron, traditionally through an electrochemical process? 25
25 GALVANIZATION
WQC 2015 - 25 What fitting name is given to the monastery in the picture below, located 75m above the ground in the China's Shanxi province? 25
25 HANGING monastery - obvious synonyms like SUSPENDED also good. XUANKONG (official name) also accepted.
WQC 2015 - 25 With types as the Q45, the FX and the M, what is the name of the luxury brand of Nissan, comparable with Lexus from Toyota? 25
25 INFINITI
WQC 2013 - 25. Also called benachin, meaning "one pot" in the Wolof language, it is a popular dish across West Africa. Although it is thought to have originated among the Wolof of the Senegambia region, countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon all claim it as their own. What is the name of this rice dish, prepared with tomatoes, onions, salt, spices and (optionally) meat, fish or vegetables? 25
25 JOLLOF rice
WQC 2015 - 25 Vikor Tsoi was called Russia's greatest rock star. Cui Jian was the Father of Chinese Rock. And both Communist-era stars were of which ethnic heritage?
25 KOREAN
WQC 2015 - 25 This Russian painter founded the Suprematism art movement around 1913 which focused on basic geometric forms, painted in a limited range of colors. It was announced in the 1915 exhibition in St. Petersburg where he exhibited 36 works in a similar style. The term suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon "the supremacy of pure artistic feeling" rather than on visual depiction of objects. Which painter whose self-portrait you see? 25
25 Kazimir MALEVICH
WQC 2015 - 25 This former kingdom, whose name translates literally as (Kingdom of) "Million Rice Fields", was centered in what is now northern Thailand. Existing from the 13th to 18th centuries, its territory also took in parts of present day Burma, China, and Laos. In 1296 King Mengrai began work on a new capital city, Chiang Mai. At its strongest, under King Tilokarat (1441-1487), which Kingdom conquered neighboring Phayao and invaded the emerging Kingdom of Ayutthaya (Krung Tai/Siam) before eventually suing for peace and later going into decline? 25
25 LANNA or LANNATHAI
WQC 2015 - 25 What is the surname of the two Dutch twin brothers that won the gold and bronze medals at the 500m speed skating event at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi? 25
25 MULDER (Michel and Ronald)
WQC 2015 - 25 When a material is stretched in one direction, it tends to thin-out in the other two. Named for a French mathematician, geometer, and physicist (1781-1840), which 'ratio' is a measure of this tendency? 25
25 POISSON'S Ratio (after Siméon Denis Poisson)
WQC 2013 - 25. In what sport did Afghanistan receive its only medal (a bronze) and Argentina its only gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics—a sport that is not usually culturally associated with those countries? 25
25 TAEKWONDO
WQC 2015 - 26 Considered a delicacy, they have been used in French cuisine since the 16th century. What type of rich flavored (sometimes a bit peppery) mushroom is shown below? 26
26 (Golden) CHANTERELLE, GIROLLE, PFIFFERLING
WQC 2013 - 26. ▼ This museum of modern art was named after which French president?
26 Georges POMPIDOU
WQC 2015 - 26 These high definition cameras are a new hype. These are compact, lightweight and rugged and as such especially suited for extreme action video photography for examples mounted on vehicles or helmets. The name of a company based in San Mateo, California; currently worth about 3 billion dollars, is fast becoming the generic name for this type of camera. What company or name? 26
26 GoPro
WQC 2013 - 26. First awarded in 1924, in which sport is the Hart Memorial Trophy presented—one of the oldest and possibly most important individual awards that a player can win? 26
26 Ice HOCKEY (NHL)
WQC 2015 - 26 This team sport was depicted in the film 'Little Buddha' starring Keanu Reeves. It has featured in the last seven Asian Games where India has won the Gold Medal each time. Demonstrated for the first time at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, which sport is this? 26
26 KABADDI
WQC 2015 - 26 His funeral took place on Sunday 29 March 2015 - the day being declared a day of national mourning in India, even though the deceased was not Indian. Which statesman, the founding father of his nation, died in 2015 aged 91? 26
26 LEE Kuan Yew (Singapore)
WQC 2013 - 26. In one of the more curious customs known to history, officials at the Topkapi palace might be required to visit the "bostancı basha," the head gardener. Here they would exchange pleasantries and the gardener would offer his guest a cup of sherbet. If the sherbet was white, the conversation continued, but if it was red, and the visitor was a grand vizier, the guest would immediately set off running, racing the gardener the 300 meters or so to the Fish Market Gate on the south side of the palace, overlooking the Bosporus. What was the grand vizier's "prize" if he reached the gate before the head gardener? 26
26 LIFE - in exile [Losing meant you were decapitated and dumped in the Bosporus. Red sherbet for anyone but grand viziers meant instant death. In the Ottoman court, the head gardener doubled as executioner. The last grand vizier to save his life by winning such a race became governor of Damascus (1822).]
WQC 2015 - 26 Every Sunday morning, from 1987-88, India's bustling streets turned into ghost towns as people tuned in to watch Nitish Bharadwaj play Lord Krishna in a TV version of which epic?
26 MAHABHARATA
WQC 2013 - 26. ▼According to Herman Melville, a tusk of this animal hung for a long time in Windsor Castle, after Sir Martin Frobisher gave it to Queen Elizabeth. Which animal species was this? 26
26 NARWHAL(E) / MONODON MONOCEROS
WQC 2015 - 26 The world's largest academic journal by number of papers published, which peer-reviewed openaccess journal is published by the Public Library of Science since 2006? 26
26 PLoS ONE (do not accept just PLoS)
WQC 2013 - 26. ▼ The "pi" is a credit-card-sized computer that includes a 700 MHz processor and 256 to 512 MB of RAM, and runs on a Linux-based operating system. Released in 2012 at introductory prices of US$25 to $35, it is aimed at stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools. Its full name is derived from the foundation that built it. What is that name? 26
26 RASPBERRY Pi
WQC 2015 - 26 Which poet, essayist, literary critic, editor and lexicographer coined the term 'Metaphysical poets' to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century? 26
26 Samuel 'Dr' JOHNSON
WQC 2013 - 26. Which Chinese contemporary classical composer wrote the opera "Marco Polo" but is probably best known for the film music for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero"? 26
26 TAN DUN (accept either)
WQC 2013 - 26. The hypoglossal nerve controls the movement of one of the most versatile muscles in the human body. Which one? 26
26 TONGUE
WQC 2015 - 26 Inaugurated in April 2004 on 30 St Mary Axe and designed by Norman Foster, by what colloquial name is this building known as because of the way it looks? 26
26 The GHERKIN
WQC 2013 - 26. Based on the events in the 1982 war between Israel and Lebanon, which 2008 "fictionalized docu-autobiography," also called a "quasi-documentary," became the first animated feature nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign language film? 26
26 VALS IM BASHIR / WALTZ WITH BASHIR
WQC 2013 - 27. ▼ This building, the Harmandir Sahib, is located in which city in northern India?
27 AMRITSAR
WQC 2015 - 27 A popular location for photographers and a source of tourist revenue for the Navajo Nation, this narrow canyon near Page in northern Arizona is named for which animal?
27 ANTELOPE (Antelope Canyon)
WQC 2013 - 27. South Korea's Im Dong Hyun set the first world record of the 2012 London Olympics in what sport, despite having poor eyesight (some have labeled him legally blind)? 27
27 ARCHERY
WQC 2015 - 27 The 24-hours Le Mans race in this century has been won by Audi as a constructor on 12 out of 14 occasions. The two other winners were Peugeot in 2009 and which other car company in 2003? The other company won after a gap of 73 years!! 27
27 BENTLEY
WQC 2013 - 27. By 1957, membership in which political party in the U.S. had fallen to around 5,000, of whom about 1,500 were FBI informants? 27
27 COMMUNIST party
WQC 2015 - 27 What name is given to the alphabet of India and Nepal that is used to write standard Hindi and many other Indian languages and is therefore one of the world's most used? 27
27 DEVANAGARI (also called NAGARI)
WQC 2013 - 27. Born Cecil Campbell, which Jamaican reggae singer scored his biggest hit in 1994 with the song "Here Comes the Hotstepper"? 27
27 INI KAMOZE
WQC 2013 - 27. ▼ The murals in this London dining room, known as the Peacock Room—a masterpiece of decorative art and a fine example of the Anglo-Japanese style—were made by which American-born artist, who was influenced by Japanese artists, most notably Utagawa Hiroshige? 27
27 James McNeill WHISTLER
WQC 2015 - 27 Seen as a precursor to the Indus Valley Civilization, it is regarded as one of the most important Neolithic sites in archaeology. Located on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, it is one of the earliest sites in all Asia to show evidence of farming and herding. Which site was discovered in 1974 by a team led by French archaeologists Jean-François Jarrige and Catherine Jarrige? 27
27 MEHRGAŔH / MEHRGAR
WQC 2015 - 27 Which creature, together with the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is the only other living member of the family Giraffidae?
27 OKAPI (Okapia johnstoni)
WQC 2013 - 27. ▼ These animals are native to South and Central America, and the southwestern U.S. They are related to pigs, which were originally native to Eurasia, and possibly hippopotamuses. A fully grown adult can reach a weight of 40 kilograms. Comprising four species, which animal is this? 27
27 PECCARY / JAVELINA / SKUNK PIG
WQC 2013 - 27. The name "Comic-con," which is now used for a number of comics fan conventions, can also refer to the original event, founded back in 1970 as the "Golden State Comic Book Convention." This last named is the largest comic book event in North America, and it is held annually in which Californian city? 27
27 SAN DIEGO
WQC 2015 - 27 Lee de Forest was an American inventor with over 180 patents to his credit. He named himself the Father of Radio, and famously said, "I discovered an Invisible Empire of the Air, intangible, yet solid as granite." What did he invent? 27
27 TRIODE
WQC 2015 - 27 Richard O'Brien wrote this musical for a 60-seat theatre in London. Within 18 months it was an international smash and led to a cult movie with a slightly different name. What is the name of the theatrical musical? (Careful: not the film's title.) 27
27 The ROCKY HORROR SHOW
WQC 2015 - 27 She was born Yelena Petrovna von Hahn inn 1831. Whose magnum opus, 'The Secret Doctrine, the Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy' (published in 2 volumes in 1888, titled 'Cosmogenesis' and 'Anthropogenesis') is regarded as a major foundational work of Theosophy? 27
27 Yelena BLAVATSKAYA / Helena BLAVATSKY
WQC 2013 - 28. On January 30, 1945, the biggest naval disaster in recorded history took place when a German passenger ship, evacuating soldiers and civilians from what is now the Polish city of Gdynia, was torpedoed and sunk. An estimated 9,500 people died. The ship was named after which German leader of the Swiss Nazi party? 28
28 (M.V.) Wilhelm GUSTLOFF
WQC 2015 - 28 South America's greatest new wave band was Soda Stereo, which became the first Spanish-language band to tour Latin America. Which country were they from? 28
28 ARGENTINA
WQC 2015 - 28 This type of beetle from the family Chrysomelidae was first found in the Rocky Mountain range of the USA and was taken to Europe in the late 19th century. What is the name of this insect which is a serious crop pest, especially for potatoes? 28
28 COLORADO BEETLE (acc. TEN-STRIPED SPEARMAN, or the POTATO BEETLE)
WQC 2015 - 28 According to Salvador Dali, his own famous moustache was inspired by that of which great Spanish artist whose work -including paintings like 'The Surrender of Breda' (1634) - the Catalan greatly admired? 28
28 Diego VELÁZQUEZ
WQC 2013 - 28. ▼ These egg-laying mammals (of which there are four species) are native to Australia and New Guinea. Pictured is one curled into a ball—a defensive position. What mammals are these? 28
28 ECHIDNAS / SPINY ANTEATERS (NOT ant eaters)
WQC 2015 - 28 The official seal of this city is given below. Its glory and imposing architecture led to it being given the nickname of Nesf-e-Jahan or Half the World. The third largest city of Iran, it was once the capital of the Persian Empire. Located at the foothills of the Zagros mountain range and famed for its bridges, rugs and pottery, what is the name of this city? 28
28 ISFAHAN
WQC 2013 - 28. Also famous as an architect who collaborated with Le Corbusier, who was the composer of orchestral works such as "Metastaseis"(1953), and percussion works like "Psappha" (1975) and "Pléïades" (1979); was the author of theoretical writings on music; and is probably the best-known Greek avant-garde composer? 28
28 Iannis XENAKIS
WQC 2013 - 28. Following his death in February 2013, The Economist magazine likened Danjuro Ichikawa XII to the "Laurence Olivier of..." what form of theatre? 28
28 KABUKI
WQC 2013 - 28. ▼ "Chairs are architecture, sofas are bourgeois," said which famous artist, whose face is featured on a Swiss 10-franc note and in whose architecture "The Open Hand" is a recurring motif? 28
28 LE CORBUSIER (or Charles-Édouard JEANNERET)
WQC 2015 - 28 Built in 1901, the 'Elevador de Santa Justa' ("Santa Justa Lift") is an iconic construction in which capital city? 28
28 LISBON
WQC 2015 - 28 As one of the 11 classifications of philately recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) it has its own FIP Commission. Seen at competitive philatelic exhibitions, what name is given to the branch of philately involving the study and creation of cards where the card image, stamp, and postmark display the greatest possible degree of harmony? 28
28 MAXIMAPHILY
WQC 2013 - 28. ▼ This painting by Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) depicts the falls of which river at Schaffenhausen (actually Neuhausen am ...), notable as being the largest waterfall in mainland Europe? 28
28 RHINE
WQC 2015 - 28 The historical map below shows the spread of which particular technological advance in the period 2000 to 500 BCE? Its biggest impact was in the military sphere (although it featured in sporting pursuits and public ceremonies also) assisting in the Aryan invasion of the Indian subcontinent and Hyksos incursions into Egypt? 28
28 Spoke-wheeled CHARIOT (solid wheeled ox carts date from 3000BCE)
WQC 2013 - 28. Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan are the only multiple champions of what competition, which now draws over 5,000 participants every year? 28
28 World Series of POKER (No Limit Texas Hold'em Main Event) accept WSOP, POKER, HOLD'EM
WQC 2015 - 29 2014 Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o wore it to Oscars night in 2015. Adorned with 6,000 pearls and valued at $150,000, the dress went missing from her hotel aftewards, only to mysteriously re-appear days later. Which fashion house made the dress for her? 29
29 CALVIN KLEIN
WQC 2015 - 29 The world's first short/medium-range jet airliner was produced by France's 'Sud Aviation' (known as SNCASE when their jet took its maiden flight 1955). Which very successful first-generation jetliner derived its name from a small, highly maneuverable ocean-going ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century? 29
29 CARAVELLE (CARAVELA)
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ This cuddly animal was discovered in the Chilean Andes in the 18th century and was first thought to be related to squirrels. Later, it was found they showed more resemblance to guinea pigs. In their native Chile, they are regarded as vermin, but in the rest of the world they are now popular pets, because they are active in the daytime and have bubbly personalities. Their average lifespan in captivity is six to eight years. What name is given to this animal with a body length of 12 to 20 centimeters and a weight of 200 to 300 grams? 29
29 DEGU / OCTODON DEGUS
WQC 2015 - 29 This plant, sometimes known as 'beehive ...' or 'Malaysian ...', is usually grown as an ornamental plant. It belongs to a genus whose best known member's rhizome is widely used as a spice or a medicine. Which genus/plant?
29 GINGER
WQC 2013 - 29. Whose decision to leave France over his taxes caused financial newspaper Les Échos to use the headline "Obélix contre les socialix!" ("Obelix versus the Socialix")? 29
29 Gerard DEPARDIEU
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ A 1.85-metre-high painting, "The Spear," bitterly divides the people of a certain nation, with representatives of the governing political party calling it "rude, disrespectful and racist." Others defend the artist Brett Murray's right to freedom of speech; he claims it is an "attempt at humorous satire of political power and patriarchy." There were ugly scenes in May 2012, when two men vandalized the painting as it hung in a major gallery. Which political figure, president of his nation, is depicted in the painting with his genitals exposed? 29
29 Jacob ZUMA
WQC 2015 - 29 He died from a heroin overdose at the age of 27. Which New York artist, known for his raw style of neo-expressionism, started his career in the graffiti group SAMO, had a brief relationship with the young pop star Madonna and collaborated with both Andy Warhol and David Bowie? 29
29 Jean-Michel BASQUIAT
WQC 2015 - 29 Signed by Island Records to replace the recently demised Bob Marley, which Nigerian guitarist was, indeed, born into Yoruba royalty? 29
29 King Sunny ADÉ
WQC 2015 - 29 Released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Xbox in the second half of 2014, what is the name of this acclaimed, open-world adventure video-game whose story-line is set in between the events described in Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and his 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy? 29
29 MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR (accept SHADOW OF MORDOR)
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ Having originally been laid to rest in 2004, who was exhumed and then re-buried in his mausoleum, six hours later, on November 27, 2012? 29
29 Mohammed "Yasser" ARAFAT
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ Which physically active pastime, which began in Finland in the early 20th century, gained one English name from Marko Kantaneva in a 1997 publication and another from Tom Rutlin of the U.S. in 1985? 29
29 NORDIC WALKING or FITNESS WALKING WITH specially designed POLES
WQC 2015 - 29 Which landmark US novel (1957), a roman à clef, ends with: "I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of the old Moriarty we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty."? If it helps, the image below is the book's author - but remember we want the book's title! 29
29 ON THE ROAD (Jack Kerouac)
WQC 2013 - 29. Zacarias ("Zack") de la Rocha is an American rapper and musician of Irish, German and Mexican descent. He was especially famous for being the lead vocalist of which rap metal band between 1992 and 2000? 29
29 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
WQC 2013 - 29. ▼ What Chinese town was flattened in 1976 by the most destructive earthquake of the 20th century? The official death toll was 250,000 but the actual number is thought to be two to three times higher because of the Communist regime cover-up. 29
29 TANGSHAN
WQC 2015 - 29 Although he'd written a shelffull of books on economics, this 1961 born Greek, who also holds Australian nationality, wasn't what you'd call "famous". But since January this year he's been center stage in international politics as the newly appointed Greek Minister of Finance. What is the name of this politician, who has described himself as 'a Marxist trying to save capitalism'? 29
29 Yanis VAROUFAKIS
WQC 2015 - 3 American mathematician and Navy admiral Grace Hopper developed the light-nanosecond: the distance a photon travels in one billionth of a second. As it happens, this is roughly equal to which unit of measure in the imperial system?
3 A FOOT
WQC 2015 - 3 Jonny Johansson is the driving force behind which Swedish creative collective and lifestyle brand that debuted with a line of unisex jeans in 1996 and whose name is an acronym unrelated to a common skin condition? 3
3 ACNE (accept ACNE STUDIOS)
WQC 2013 - 3. We can tell you that the "M" stands for "modulation." What do the "A" and the "F" stand for in the acronyms "AM" and "FM"? 3
3 AMPLITUDE and FREQUENCY
WQC 2013 - 3. Which country has the most people of African heritage outside of Africa AND the most people of Japanese heritage outside of Japan? 3
3 BRAZIL
WQC 2015 - 3 Which is the only move a player can make in a game of chess, and make only once, that involves them moving TWO of their pieces in the same turn? 3
3 CASTLING (i.e. player's king & either of their original rooks are moved)
WQC 2013 - 3. "View of Toledo," "El Espolio" and "The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse" are all famous works signed "Domenikos Theotokopoulos." By what name do we better know this artist, born in Crete in 1541 and buried in Spain in 1614? 3
3 EL GRECO
WQC 2013 - 3. A major character in the novel "The Brothers Karamazov" is the father of the three brothers in the title. What, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the father's first name? 3
3 FYODOR (same as the author, Dostoyevsky)
WQC 2015 - 3 'Les Inconnus dans la maison' (The Strangers in the House) published in 1940, and 'La Neige était sale' (Dirty Snow), published in 1948, are among the works of fiction of which Belgian-born creator of the character Inspector Jules Maigret? 3
3 Georges SIMENON
WQC 2015 - 3 When teenage model Maggie Graham didn't show up for work in 1871, who did James McNeill Whistler paint instead? 3
3 His MOTHER
WQC 2013 - 3. Prior to 2012—when Arlington, Texas, reached that mark for the first time—which city was the only place where on-site attendance of the Super Bowl had topped 100,000 people (it did so four times)? The city also hosted the finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and in 1999 was the venue of the most-attended women's sporting event in history. 3
3 PASADENA
WQC 2013 - 3. Enea Silvio Piccolomini was born in 1405. His "Historia de Duobus Amantibus" (History of Two Lovers, 1444) was one of the sauciest and best-selling books of the 15th century; an early example of an epistolary novel, it was full of erotic imagery. His other landmark publication was a rather unusual autobiography entitled "Commentaries" (published posthumously in 13 volumes from 1584 onwards). In 1442 Enea had been crowned imperial poet laureate in Vienna; however, from 1458 until his death in 1464 he wore another crown, as the holder of which other important post? 3
3 POPE (Pius II, only one to pen an autobiography during his reign)
WQC 2015 - 3 What extraterrestrial phenomenon did Jocelyn Bell Burnell name LGM-1, in hope that perhaps it was a signal from extraterrestrial little green men? 3
3 PULSAR
WQC 2013 - 3. Which ancient and iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, 13 kilometers north of Salisbury in England, is revered by many New Agers? 3
3 STONEHENGE
WQC 2015 - 3 Before he was named a part of the 'Axis of Evil', who received an award from UNESCO for fighting illiteracy, providing free education and hospital care, and supporting farmers and soldiers? 3
3 Saddam HUSSEIN
WQC 2015 - 3 He's a 7th-dan black belt in aikido and an action movie star who played Torrez in the 2010 film 'Machete'. In recent years he has been touring the world with his blues band, that had a 2006 album called 'Mojo Priest'. Who?
3 Steven SEAGAL
WQC 2013 - 3. David Salzberg, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, checks scripts, provides dialogue, and provides mathematical equations and problems for which American TV sitcom? 3
3 The BIG BANG THEORY
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼ Women from which ethnic group (numbering about 10 million people) wear wide hats, called "isicholo," to proclaim their married status?
30 AMAZULU or ZULU
WQC 2013 - 30. In the film "Notorious" (1946), which famous director got around the ban in the Hays Code on kisses longer than three seconds by having Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant kiss in increasingly erotic three-second bursts for two-and-a-half minutes?
30 Alfred HITCHCOCK
WQC 2013 - 30. When he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1986, at age 93, he had been performing for 77 years. Which Spaniard is perceived as the father of modern classical guitar and was instrumental in raising the level of guitar play to that of piano or violin?
30 Andrés SEGOVIA
WQC 2015 - 30 Also the name of one of the official residences of Brigham Young, what nature-inspired name is given to the Executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament House that was designed by Sir Basil Spence and opened in 1977?
30 BEEHIVE
WQC 2015 - 30 A third generation member of a celebrated movie dynasty, whose roles include: Nicole Kidman's fiance in 'Birth'; Richard the Lionheart in Ridley Scott's 'Robin Hood'; Emperor Joseph II in Sophia Copolla's 'Marie Antoinette'; and a vampire in '30 Days of Night'?
30 Danny HUSTON (grandson of Walter, son of John, brother of Angelica)
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼Alessandro Rosa Vieira is 35 years old and is regarded as the best futsal (indoor football) player ever. This Brazilian won the FIFA World Cup twice (2008, 2012) and was twice voted best player at the World Cup (2004, 2008). In 201 appearances for the Brazilian national team, he managed to score 339 times. He is better known by what nickname, which he shares with a Colombian who is currently one of the best football players in the world?
30 FALCAO
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼ His name is now used as a trademark for a machine often seen at ice shows. Who invented the modern ice resurfacer, a device to clean and smooth the surface of an ice sheet?
30 Frank ZAMBONI
WQC 2015 - 30 Nicknamed 'The Black Napoleon', this 1743-born Haitian led a revolution in his country that made him governer for life. However, he was forced to resign in 1802 and was deported to France where he died in captivity the next year. Nevertheless, his successful revolution had shaken the foundation of slavery in the New World. What was his (two-word) surname?
30 François-Dominique TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE (both needed)
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼ The History Museum, Vienna launched a competition on its Facebook page to find the tackiest memorabilia associated with the work of one of Austria's best-loved artists. It was "won" by this Barbie doll, based on his portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Who was the artist?
30 Gustav KLIMT
WQC 2013 - 30. ▼ Which genus of flowers is sometimes called "nature's litmus test," as the color of some species changes with the pH of the soil?
30 HYDRANGEA / HORTENSIA
WQC 2015 - 30 Which US player, currently a winger for the Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, was the youngest goal scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil?
30 Julian GREEN
WQC 2015 - 30 Panjabi MC scored a massive bhangra hit with 'Mundian To Bach Ke' ("Beware of the Boys"), which dropped electronica beats and Punjabi music over the theme song from which mid-80s US TV series, whose star is famous for being hugely popular in Germany?
30 KNIGHT RIDER
WQC 2015 - 30 Launched from on 19 January 2006 with an Earth-relative speed of circa 16.26 kilometers per second (58,536 km/h; 36,373 mph) it set the record for the highest ever launch speed of a humanmade object from Earth. Which NASA space probe is due to make its first close-up flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto on 14 July this year?
30 NEW HORIZONS
WQC 2015 - 30 Derived from the Greek for 'mattress rock', which type of calcium-rich sedimentary rock, formed through cyanobacteria, is especially known for its records of ancient life on Earth, sometimes dating back as far as 3 billion years?
30 STROMATOLITES
WQC 2015 - 4 In the late 1880s, the Cossack adventurer Ataman Nikolai Ashinov decided Russia also needed an African colony. So he and 150 men landed in Africa with a plan to seize one of the few remaining parts 'available'. His aim was to add what country to the Russian Empire? 4
4 ABYSSINIA / ETHIOPIA
WQC 2015 - 4 This American band scored their biggest hit in 1987 with 'Right on Track'. But the most important claim to fame of the band is probably that Madonna was its drummer in the early 1980s. Which band shares its name with a 1985 coming-of-age film? 4
4 BREAKFAST CLUB
WQC 2013 - 4. The highest and the lowest points in the contiguous United States have thousands of square miles to be located in but are amazingly within 75 miles of each other. In which U.S. state are they both situated? 4
4 CALIFORNIA (Mt. Whitney and Death Valley)
WQC 2013 - 4. In 1802, a British pharmacist named Luke Howard made a lasting contribution to science by proposing a nomenclature system for something. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck had earlier proposed a list of descriptive terms in French in the same field, which did not succeed. Howard also inspired a poem by Shelley on the same topic. What types of natural phenomena did Howard classify? 4
4 CLOUDS
WQC 2013 - 4. In chess, what name is given to an opening in which a player tries to gain a positional advantage by sacrificing a piece, usually a pawn? 4
4 GAMBIT
WQC 2015 - 4 The course record for which sports event was set in 2011 by Craig Alexander (Australia), whose winning time was 8 hours 3 minutes 56 seconds? 4
4 Hawaii IRONMAN
WQC 2013 - 4. In the 19th century it was known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, and it is now called the Mariinsky Ballet. Between 1935 and 1991, this St. Petersburg-based ballet company, which employed famous choreographers and dancers like Marius Pepita, Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky, was known under a different but very well-known name. What name? 4
4 KIROV Ballet
WQC 2013 - 4. It's not just Elvis who "returns to sender." In a silly display of censorship, 1930 saw the U.S. Post Office Department return undelivered to Spain all envelopes bearing stamps depicting which celebrated work of art (1797-98) by the painter Francisco Goya? 4
4 LA MAJA DESNUDA or The NAKED MAJA
WQC 2013 - 4. From circa 1000 to 1844, what was the official language of (Christian) Hungary? 4
4 LATIN
WQC 2013 - 4. This (fictional) insignificant cove bore the official name "Mile 3.25 Tidal Inlet." In the title of a 2012 Wes Anderson film, what name is given to the cove and surrounding area by two juveniles during (so the story goes) their brief stay there in the autumn of 1965? 4
4 MOONRISE KINGDOM
WQC 2015 - 4 In the mid 20th century, Akira Yoshizawa raised which craft to an art form, creating a notation system to record his creations and developing such techniques as wet-folding? 4
4 ORIGAMI
WQC 2013 - 4. A signature dish of Quebec, what name is given to French fries covered by cheese and brown gravy? 4
4 POUTINE
WQC 2015 - 4 Which philosophical, ethical, political and religious tradition of Chinese origin stems from the writings of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu) who lived in the sixth and third centuries BCE, respectively? 4
4 TAOISM / DAOISM (accept TAO or DAO)
WQC 2015 - 4 Which comic book series created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby opened with partially disabled medical student Donald Blake finding a hammer in a cave in Norway? 4
4 THOR
WQC 2015 - 4 The long-range cruise missile, in use since 1983, used by the US army among others to commence the air wars in Libya in 2011 and Syria in 2014, are named after which Native American weapon? 4
4 TOMAHAWK
WQC 2015 - 4 Which branch of mathematics deals with angles, triangles and functions such as sine, cosine and tangent? 4
4 TRIGONOMETRY
To the nearest km, what is the distance of a standard marathon race?
42 km (42.195 km to be exact)
WQC 2013 - 5. In a 1988 film that made over $60 million and was followed by sort of a sequel (same cast but in different roles), the title "character" gets eaten by another character, called Otto. What's worse, the actor who played Otto won an Oscar. What was the title of this movie, which makes fun of stutterers, glorifies thieves and pokes fun at Cary Grant's real name? 5
5 A FISH CALLED WANDA (the "equal" was "Fierce Creatures")
WQC 2013 - 5. In 2012, which company was awarded a U.S. patent for rounded corners on rectangular electronic devices? 5
5 APPLE
WQC 2015 - 5 In Greek myth, Jason died when what rotting ship collapsed on him while he slept?
5 ARGO
WQC 2013 - 5. Whose 2012 album "Song Reader" was released only as sheet music, although fans were welcome to upload their recordings to a website? 5
5 BECK
WQC 2015 - 5 Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language movie, which 1966 film starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles and Jane Birkin, deals with a photographer who believes he had witnessed a murder and unwittingly taken pictures of it? 5
5 BLOW-UP
WQC 2013 - 5. It started with a DC-1, in 1933, although there was only one made. The DC-2 and DC-3 quickly followed, and the line of airplanes went on from there. What does the common designation "DC" stand for on airliners? 5
5 DOUGLAS COMMERCIAL
WQC 2015 - 5 Which Australian band, formed in 2011, is also known under the abbreviation 5SOS? 5
5 FIVE SECONDS OF SUMMER
WQC 2015 - 5 Which city's nicknames include 'Crossroads of the Pacific' and 'The Big Pineapple'?
5 HONOLULU
WQC 2013 - 5. The Latin-style name of this sun god was Sol Invictus, and he was very popular in the Roman Empire, especially among the army. His worship received imperial approval in the third century CE, although his cult was eventually superseded by Christianity. Which god of Persian origin was this?
5 MITHRAS
WQC 2015 - 5 Sergeant-at-arms is typically a ceremonial position. But in 2014 Kevin Vickers grabbed a pistol from his desk and shot dead a man who had opened fire in the parliament building in what city?
5 OTTAWA (Canada)
WQC 2013 - 5. The Fla-Flu derby holds the world record for biggest-ever attendance at a soccer match (194,603 in 1963). In which city is the Fla-Flu derby (also called Classic of Crowds) played? 5
5 RIO DE JANEIRO (Flamengo-Fluminense, at Maracanã)
WQC 2015 - 5 Air pollution from Agra is yellowing the white marble of which 17th-century World Heritage Site, while dropping water levels are threatening its foundations? 5
5 TAJ MAHAL
WQC 2015 - 5 Physically and chemically, niobium is hard to tell apart from which other element, named for Niobe's father? 5
5 TANTALUM
WQC 2013 - 5. If you blast off from Earth, you need to rise 10 to 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface to hit the stratosphere. Further out are the mesosphere, the thermosphere and, finally, the exosphere. What is the "sphere" that we are standing, sitting or lying in? 5
5 TROPOSPHERE
WQC 2013 - 5. OPEC was founded in Baghdad in 1960. Its five founding members were Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and which other country? The only non-Asian country in OPEC, its capital is more 11,000 kilometers from Baghdad. 5
5 VENEZUELA
WQC 2015 - 5 After her victory in the 2014 Comrades Marathon was rescinded because she was not wearing proper tags for her age class, which 48-year-old runner from Bloemfontein, South Africa, said, "I won it fair and square. My whole athletics career has been plagued by politics and interference from administrators who are selective and do not apply the rules consistently. It feels like they are targeting me specifically"? 5
5 Zola BUDD / PIETERSE
WQC 2013 - 6. The COBRA art movement, founded in 1948, was named after which three European cities?
6 COPENHAGEN, BRUSSELS and AMSTERDAM
WQC 2015 - 6 At 3,180 km (1,980 mi) long, it is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, which river follows a course through Jammu and Kashmir and then flows in a southerly direction through Pakistan to join the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi? 6
6 INDUS, also accept ABĀSIN, NILAB, SÊNGGÊ Zangbo, SINDH, or SINDHU, YÌNDÙ
WQC 2013 - 6. The Czech writer of "Tales of the Lesser Quarter" (1834-1891) became more widely known when a South American poet, born Neftali Basoalto in 1904, adopted the Czech's surname in his pseudonym and later legal name. What, then, is the shared "surname" of these two writers? 6
6 Jan / Pablo NERUDA
WQC 2013 - 6. Which five-letter word, coined by Marimba Ani in 1994 and derived from the Swahili meaning "disaster," "terrible occurrence" or "great tragedy," refers to the 500-year-long "African Holocaust" (also called the "Holocaust of Enslavement")? 6
6 MAAFA
WQC 2015 - 6 The order Lamniformes includes some of the best known shark species, such as the great white shark. In many languages it (the genus) is commonly known by a name referring to which other family of fish?
6 MACKEREL
WQC 2013 - 6. Michael Johnson of the United States was the biggest track star of the 1996 Olympics for his unprecedented sweep of the 200-meter and 400-meter races. Who is the much less-hyped (unless you live in France) woman who pulled off the same achievement? 6
6 Maria-Jose PEREC
WQC 2013 - 6. Johnny Clegg was a popular figure in South African music history who mixed English and Zulu lyrics. During apartheid in 1969, he formed the first South African racially mixed band, Juluka. In 1986, he formed his second interracial band, with which he followed a more western pop-oriented style and had his biggest hit, the song "Asimbonanga." What's the name of that second band? 6
6 SAVUKA
WQC 2013 - 6. What do we call the flow of charged particles (mostly electrons and protons) originating from the sun and moving away from it at the speed of up to 700 kilometers per second? 6
6 SOLAR WIND
WQC 2013 - 6. A former village that is now effectively a district in Malta's capital conurbation gives its name to a temple complex that dates back to about 2800 BC, thus predating the pyramids of Giza. What is the name of this temple complex, one of Malta's major touristic highlights? 6
6 TARXIEN
WQC 2015 - 6 Her real name is Ariadna Miranda but she's better known by her middle name. Called the Queen of Latin Pop, she also became a TV icon in the 1990s, and was nicknamed the 'Queen of Telenovelas'. Which Mexican muse is famous for hits like 'Amor a la Mexicana' and 'Piel Morena'?
6 THALIA
WQC 2015 - 6 Which company founded by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp provides a smartphone application to connect people who need a taxi with occassional drivers and as such represents major competition to tradionnal taxicab companies? Because of the protests of the latter, the company's services are banned in several countries and cities. 6
6 UBER
WQC 2013 - 6. Studies of what secretions from animals form the basis for the development of the drugs Tirofiban (trade name Aggrastat or Irokocardio), Exenatide (marketed as Byetta and Bydureon), and Captopril (trade name Capoten)? 6
6 VENOM (i.e., African saw-scaled viper, Gila monster and Brazilian arrowhead viper, respectively)
WQC 2015 - 6 The 1709 Battle of Malplaquet, among the bloodiest battles on European soil prior to the 19th century, was an extremely expensive Pyrrhic victory for one side in which war?
6 War of the SPANISH SUCCESSION
WQC 2015 - 6 When France beat Lithuania to win the gold medal in EuroBasket 2013, which point guard for the San Antonio Spurs was named the tournament MVP? 6
6 William (Anthony) / 'Tony' PARKER
WQC 2013 - 7. Which composite material, used mainly in the fashion industry as an alternative for suede and in the car industry for seat coverings, takes its name from a Spanish city on the river Tagus, near the Portuguese border? 7
7 ALCANTARA
WQC 2015 - 7 In the 1930s, which country imported cane toads to deal with an infestation of cane beetles, only to be infested with cane toads instead? 7
7 AUSTRALIA
WQC 2013 - 7. Whales are normally divided in two suborders. First, there are the Odontoceti, more commonly known as the toothed whales, such as sperm whales and dolphins. Second, there are the Mysticeti, whose common name is derived from the sieve-like structure in their upper jaw. The second suborder comprises, among other species, the blue whale, the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth. How is this second suborder popularly known? 7
7 BALEEN WHALES
WQC 2013 - 7. Don Juan, sometimes called Don Giovanni, is the prototype for the image of a great Latin lover. Whether being played by Johnny Depp or John Barrymore, he is the epitome of suaveness in the art of love. Which "Don" is his exact opposite in love, losing Carmen and then killing her, in Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen"? 7
7 DON JOSÉ (accept JOSÉ on its own)
WQC 2015 - 7 Which is the most heavily populated country to have never won a medal at the Winter Olympics, despite several tries? 7
7 INDIA
WQC 2015 - 7 What is the most populous country in the world that has no land border with any other nation?
7 JAPAN
WQC 2015 - 7 In 2015, a Muslim named Akram Hasson became the first Druze to lead a major Israeli political party. Which one?
7 KADIMA
WQC 2013 - 7. He is the one of the most decorated alpine ski racers in history and has won eight Olympic medals, five World Championships and 21 individual World Cup events. He is one of only five male alpine skiers to have won a World Cup event in all disciplines. By winning the Super G in Albertville in 1992 and in Turin in 2006, he is both the oldest and the youngest male alpine skier to have won a gold medal at the Olympics. What is his name? 7
7 Kjetill AAMODT
WQC 2015 - 7 Gutzon Borglum named his son for his favorite president, who he sculpted at the far right when you're looking at Mount Rushmore. Who was that son? 7
7 LINCOLN
WQC 2013 - 7. Although the treaty of Tordesillas (1494) with Spain awarded Brazil to Portugal, this did not go unchallenged. From 1613 onwards, another European country had designs on Brazil, establishing a colony with a capital at Recife. Following its defeat by the Portuguese at the Second Battle of Guararapes (1649) and the loss of Recife (1654), which country formally ceded its colony in Brazil in a 1661 treaty? 7
7 NETHERLANDS / HOLLAND
WQC 2013 - 7. The largest collection of European fine art in Moscow resides in a museum that has nothing to do with literature but is named after which famous writer?
7 PUSHKIN State Museum of Fine Arts
WQC 2013 - 7. N!xau Toma (not a spelling mistake) plays the main character Xixo in which famous 1980 South African comedy film, directed by Jamie Uys? 7
7 THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY
WQC 2015 - 7 Led by vocalist Rudolf de Borst, which hardrock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, recorded songs like 'Blacken My Thumb' (2004), 'Stuck Here for Days' (2006) and 'Bad Taste' (2014) and was named after an automobile brand?
7 The DATSUNS
WQC 2013 - 7. Half of the potential water of the White Nile is lost to this area of swampy lowlands located in Central Sudan. Swelling to over 130,000 square kilometers, this region is considered nearly impassable, either overland or by watercraft. What is the name of this area of thick aquatic grass, papyrus and water hyacinth, home to crocodiles and hippopotami? 7
7 The SUDD
WQC 2015 - 7 Satrist Mort Sahl apparently suggested the 1960 biopic 'I Aim at the Stars' ought to have been subtitled (But Sometimes I Hit London)'. Which aerospace engineer was it about? 7
7 Wernher VON BRAUN
WQC 2013 - 8. Oddly, no nation claims Marie Byrd Land, making it by far the world's largest chunk of unclaimed territory. Where is it? 8
8 ANTARCTICA
WQC 2013 - 8. Which Greek letter is used in mathematics, especially calculus, for an arbitrarily small positive quantity? 8
8 EPSILON (Ε, ε)
WQC 2015 - 8 An Italian cycling legend, he won the Tour de France twice, in 1938 and 1948. It is the largest gap between wins for one rider in the history of the great race. What was his name? 8
8 Gino BARTALI
WQC 2015 - 8 Which Chinese architect is best known for the glass and metal pyramid that now serves as the main entrance to the Louvre museum? 8
8 I.M. PEI
WQC 2013 - 8. Which industrialized G12 country has the world's second-highest per-capita adoption rate— more than 80,000 a year—although most of the "children" adopted are adult men in their 20s and 30s? 8
8 JAPAN (a unique form of adoption, "Mukoyoshi," is used to provide a "son" to carry on the line / family business)
WQC 2015 - 8 Not counting the changes he made to 'Die Zauberflöte' ("The Magic Flute"), Mozart's last opera has a libretto by Pietro Metastasio and is set in ancient Rome. What is title of this opera?
8 LA CLEMENZA DI TITO / The CLEMENCY OF TITUS
WQC 2015 - 8 What collective name is given to Honoré de Balzac's multi-volume collection of interlinked novels and stories depicting French society in the period of the Restoration and the July Monarchy (1815-1848)? 8
8 LA COMÉDIE HUMAINE (THE HUMAN COMEDY)
WQC 2015 - 8 I was assassinated. And in 1974 my mother Alberta was also assassinated, while she was sat, playing the Lord's Prayer on the organ at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Who am I?
8 Martin Luther KING
WQC 2015 - 8 Backed by a Chinese-led consortium, which country in Central America is currently constructing a rival to the Panama Canal? 8
8 NICARAGUA
WQC 2015 - 8 Their common name comes from Greek. Varieties of which kind of footwear include the Japanese 'geta', Mexican 'huaraches', Indian 'chappals', and ancient Roman 'Caligae'? 8
8 SANDALS
WQC 2015 - 8 The writer and philosopher Umberto Eco is commonly associated with which science, as are other scholars, including Roland Barthes, Gottlob Frege and Roman Jakobson? 8
8 SEMIOTICS
WQC 2013 - 8. Born at sea off the coast of Jamaica (1781), he became a clerk for the East India Trading Company in London, which later sent him to Penang (Malaysia). What was the name of the man who founded a trading post in 1819 that would develop into the nation of Singapore? 8
8 Sir (Thomas) Stanford RAFFLES
WQC 2013 - 8. Sharing his surname with the Kenyan who came in third, who became only the second gold-medal winner for his country, after the legendary John Akii-Bua, when he won the 2012 Olympic marathon? 8
8 Stephen KIPROTICH of Uganda
WQC 2013 - 8. Also known as the frontman of Nine Inch Nails, which American composed the score of several famous movies, including "The Social Network" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," alongside fellow composer Atticus Ross? 8
8 Trent REZNOR
WQC 2013 - 8. Which mythical race did Tom Holt describe as the "cocktail waitresses of the afterlife" because they serve mead and wine to fallen warriors in Valhalla? 8
8 VALKYRIES / WALKURE / VALKYR (Tom Holt's "Valhalla")
WQC 2013 - 8. This Isaac Singer short story set in 19th-century Poland (adapted as a musical play with the help of Leah Napolin) centers on a young girl who, after the death of her rabbi father, dresses like a man in order to study the Talmud (forbidden for a girl). Also the feminine name of the main character, what is the one-word title of the 1983 movie musical version? 8
8 YENTL (story is "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy"; play and film, just "Yentl")
WQC 2013 - 9. Circa 700 words long and delivered in just six or seven minutes, it speaks of "malice toward none" and "charity for all." Whose brief yet magisterial second inaugural address is claimed by some to be uncontestably the greatest-ever inauguration speech of any U.S. president? 9
9 Abraham LINCOLN (1865)
WQC 2015 - 9 Someone edited Google Maps so that Sauron's tower, Barad-dur, was next door to Queensland's state legislature building, in what city? 9
9 BRISBANE
WQC 2015 - 9 She was in three 'American Pie' movies and in the CBS sitcom 'How I Met Your Mother', but many know Alyson Hannigan best for her role as Willow Rosenberg, in which TV show that ran from 1997 to 2003? 9
9 BUFFY the Vampire Slayer
WQC 2015 - 9 A 1965-born US actress (a former child star) and model, she is a noted vegan and animal rights activist. Married to tennis star Andre Agassi from 1997-1999, who gave a eulogy at Michael Jackson's funeral, recalling how she'd first befriended him when aged 13? 9
9 Brooke SHIELDS
WQC 2013 - 9. What videogame's main musical theme, "Baba Yetu," won a Grammy for best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s), making it the first videogame to win a Grammy? 9
9 CIVILIZATION (IV)
WQC 2013 - 9. Under which nickname did Dutch-born Andreas ("Dries") Van Kuijk play an important role in the history of rock 'n' roll? 9
9 Colonel (Tom) PARKER (the manager of Elvis Presley)
WQC 2013 - 9. Urban legend has it the Youth Clubs of Helsinki, Finland, once banned this fictional fellow for his "racy lifestyle." He was engaged to a female with the same last name but never married her despite a 50-year engagement. He had three nephews of questionable parentage and regularly wore a suit that left him naked below his waist. Who is this miscreant? 9
9 DONALD DUCK
WQC 2013 - 9. You've probably heard of the Golden Triangle, but what about the Golden Quadrilateral? It is the highway network, more than 99% complete and shaped like a rhombus, that connects four of the largest metropolises in which country? 9
9 INDIA
WQC 2015 - 9 In which classic 1946 movie is the hero given a copy of Mark Twain's 'Tom Sawyer' - and we see that the character who gives it him has handwritten on the book's title page: "Dear George, remember, no man is a failure who has friends. ..." ? 9
9 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE ("...Thanks for the wings, Love Clarence.")
WQC 2013 - 9. He gets a great deal of credit for the absence of nobility in the new nation, the United States. Thomas Jefferson followed his doctrines in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. A great believer in "natural rights," which "father of liberalism" was the inspiration for Jefferson, despite being a citizen of England? 9
9 John LOCKE
WQC 2013 - 9. Receiving the Academy Award for best foreign language film (2004), which comedy-drama by French-Canadian Denys Arcand deals with a history professor from Quebec who is diagnosed with cancer, and whose son and old friends gather to assist him in his dying days? 9
9 LES INVASIONS BARBARES ("The Barbarian Invasions")
WQC 2015 - 9 Sekmet, the Egyptian goddess of war, is/was represented as having the head of what animal?
9 LION
WQC 2015 - 9 What is the only bromeliad fruit you're likely to eat? 9
9 PINEAPPLE
WQC 2015 - 9 She was one of the most influential and powerful empresses of the Byzantine Empire. Which former actress and possibly sex worker married emperor Justinian in 525 CE and proved to be a worthy leader during the Nika uprising when she was instrumental in saving her husband's reign? 9
9 THEODORA
Born 1994 in Staffordshire, which British swimmer holds the world record for the 50m and 100m breaststroke, and in 2016 became the only swimmer to win all four major gold medals (Olympics, World, European and Commonwealth Games) in the same event at the same time?
Adam Peaty
Designed by Uwe Rosenberg and released in 2007, which Euro-style boardgame with a focus on resource management has the players taking on the role of farmers and aiming to increase the size and prosperity of their household?
Agricola
Translated as 'the way of the harmonious spirit', the techniques of which Japanese martial art focus on movements that redirect the momentum of an opponent's attack?
Aikido
Which 4-times winner of the European Cup/ UEFA Champions League is based in the city highlighted (in red) in this map? (Give either the full name including city and team, or just the team name)
Ajax Amsterdam
Also known as Gouki in Japan, which character from the Street Fighter series of games has a name that translates as 'Devil' in Japanese? The younger brother of Gouken (Ken and Ryu's master), the kanji 天 — meaning "Heaven" — can be seen on his back when it appears during certain win animations.
Akuma
Widely considered the `greatest Olympics swordsman ever', which fencer is shown here?
Aladar Gerevich (won gold in sabre in 6 Olympics)
Michel Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo are joint all-time top-scorers in football's European Championships (with 9 goals each). Who is next on that list with 7 goals? The last of which was scored against Romania in the 2000 championship, following which he announced his international retirement.
Alan Shearer
To date, only seven cyclists have won all three cycling Grand Tour races (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana). Of these six, only two have won each of these races more than once - the first to achieve this was Bernard Hinault; who is the other, born in Madrid in 1982?
Alberto Contador
Making his debut for his home-provincial club Everest in 1953 (at the age of 15), which footballer is widely considered the greatest Ecuadorian footballer of all time? Nicknamed 'Cabeza Magica' ('Magic Head') for his lethal pace, movement and finishing, his leads the all-time topscorer list for the Copa Libertadores with 54 goals in 87 games.
Alberto Spencer
Nicknamed 'the Great Eight' and considered one of the best players to have played in the National Hockey League, which Washington Capitals winger has led the NHL in scoring for a record-equaling seven times? He has also won the World Ice Hockey Championships three times with Russia.
Alexander Ovechkin
Praised by Nadal as a 'clear possible future No. 1', which Hamburg-born tennis player became the youngest to win the 2018 year-end ATP finals in a decade when he beat Djokovic in straight sets?
Alexander Zverev
Who was the inventor of this popular video game?
Alexey Pajitnov/ Tetris
Beginning with 'The Last Wish' in 1993 and including subsequent titles such as 'Blood of Elves' (1994) and 'The Tower of the Swallow' (1997), this fantasy novel series by which Polish writer has been adapted into the successful 'The Witcher' role-playing video game series?
Andrzej Sapkowski
In football, the technique used in taking a penalty kick where the kicker gives a subtle touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the centre of the goal thus deceiving the goalkeeper, is named after which Czech attacking midfielder, who used this method to deceive the German goalkeeper Sepp Maier, thus winning the 1976 European Championships finals?
Antonin Panenka
Which South American country's 'Big Five' professional football (soccer) clubs are Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club, River Plate and San Lorenzo de Almagro?
Argentina
What is the nationality of David Nalbandian, the only tennis player from his country to have reached the semi-finals or better in all four Grand Slam tournaments?
Argentinian Argentinian
The diagram shows (in chronological order) the previous teams managed by an individual who is currently (as of November 2018) the manager of which professional football club?
Arsenal FC (Unai Emery)
Originally intended to be named Syzygy, the founders of which company decided to change it after learning that Syzygy was already in use? The name they chose is a reference to a position similar to checkmate in the game of Go, which one of the founders (Nolan Bushnell) called his 'favorite game of all time'.
Atari
What is the nationality of Jason Day, the current No.1 on the official world golf rankings (as of 23/10/16)?
Australian
Which of the four Grand Slam events in tennis is the first to be held in a chronological year, usually in January and/or February?
Australian Open
Started in 1954 by Charles S. Roberts, which gaming company with the initials A.H. specializes in wargames and strategic board games? It pioneered many concepts of modern wargaming (e.g. use of hexagonal grid, zones of control and odds-based combat results table), used in games such as 'Panzer Blitz' and 'Squad Leader'.
Avalon Hill
In competitve swimming, competitors in which style (stroke) begin their race while in the water, as opposed to jumping off a starting block?
Backstroke
Born 1994 in Kaoshiung, the Taiwanese Tai Tzu-ying became the world No.1 in women's singles of which sport in December 2016, and has maintained her ranking since then (as of June 2017)?
Badminton
The Thomas and Uber Cups are the world team championships for men and women (respectively) in which sport?
Badminton
The biennial Sudirman Cup is an international mixed team championship in which sport? It is named after Dick Sudirman, a former player and founder of his country's association for this sport.
Badminton
The New York Yankees play which sport professionally?
Baseball
Which sport is played by the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox?
Baseball
In which sport would you encounter positions known as point guard, center and power forward?
Basketball
With which sport would you associate slam dunks and alley-oops?
Basketball
With which sport would you associate the phrase 'March Madness', referring to the intense interest generated by the collegiate championship tournaments that take place around this period of time?
Basketball
The teams known as New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies play which professional sport?
Basketball (they are all NBA teams)
Represented by games such as 'Defense of the Ancients' and 'League of Legends', MOBA is a sub-genre of video strategy games in which the player controls a character in one of two teams, with the aim of destroying the opponents' main structure with the help of periodically-spawned computer units. For what do the 'BA' in MOBA stand?
Battle Arena (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)
The Capellan Confederation, Draconis Combine, Federated Suns, Free Worlds League and Lyran Alliance are the various factions (or Great Houses) that vie for power in the universe of which military sci-fi and wargaming franchise, launched in 1984 by the game publisher FASA Corporation?
BattleTech
Known for his all-round skills and longevity (being in the world Top 10 ranking longer than any one other than the legendary Jan-Ove Waldner), what is the nationality of the three-time table-tennis World Cup winner and European champion Vladimir Samsonov?
Belarusian
What is the nationality of this sportsperson, seen at one of her two Grand Slam triumphs (both Australian Opens) to date?
Belarusian (Victoria Azarenka)
This diagram shows the logos of three professional football clubs which all play in the top division of which country's league?
Belgium (Gent, Standard Liege, Club Brugge)
The three footballers shown here play their international football for which country?
Belgium (Simon Mignolet/ Vincent Kompany/ Eden Hazard)
The logos shown here belong to two professional footballing clubs and bitter rivals, that are based in which European capital city?
Belgrade (Red Star and Partizan)
Born in Frankfurt in 1977, which former striker is Germany's most capped player (214 caps) and top goal-scorer (128 goals)? She was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year from 2003 to 2005, and was then second to Brazil's Marta from 2007 to 2010.
Birgit Prinz
In snooker, what coloured ball is usually the last to be potted at the end of a frame (provided that neither player concedes the frame)?
Black
Making his first appearance in the 1991 video game 'Street Fighter II', which playable character is depicted as a feral savage with green skin and orange hair - a result of the mutation he underwent after a plane crash in Brazil? His signature attack sees him crouching low before emitting an electrical current that shocks anything it touches.
Blanka
Named after the Governor-General of New Zealand (from 1930-35), which trophy is awarded to the winner of a competition between the rugby union teams of Australia and New Zealand? Instituted in 1931, it has been an annual three-match contest since 2016, with New Zealand winning it for the 46th time in 2017.
Bledisloe Cup
At the start of a game of snooker when all the balls are positioned, which coloured-ball is place right at the center of the table?
Blue
Generally for deception and to cause the opponent to cover more of the court, what term in squash refers to a shot that sees the ball hit the side wall before the front wall, and finishes up at the front of the court?
Boast shot
As of June 2017, only two managers have achieved the feat of winning football's European Cup/ UEFA Champions League three times. One of them is Carlo Ancelotti, who did it with AC Milan and Real Madrid. Who is the other individual, who won the first of his three titles when Ancelotti was only 18 years old?
Bob Paisley (with Liverpool, 1977, 1978 and 1981) (NB : Zinedine Zidane did it in 2016, 2017, 2018)
In December 2013, which former champion became the coach of the individual shown here?
Boris Becker (Nenad Djokovic)
Between 2008 to 2015, Jurgen Klopp was the manager of which German team before becoming Liverpool's manager in October 2015?
Borussia Dortmund
Giving his name to the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy and considered one of the best players in the history of the NBA, Bill Russell spent his entire thirteen-year playing career with which team, winning eleven championships in the process?
Boston Celtics
What is the nationality of the football (soccer) legend Pele?
Brazilian
These two images are key components belonging to the logos/ crests of two football clubs that are both based in which English city?
Bristol (Bristol City and Bristol Rovers)
In the standard individual medley swimming competition, the swimmers compete by swimming all four strokes in sequence, beginning with which stroke?
Butterfly stroke (medley relays begin with backstroke)
Literally meaning 'goat puller' in Persian and with similar variations throughout Central Asia, which national sport of Afghanistan consists of horse-mounted players competing to place the carcass of a goat or calf into goals?
Buzkashi
Winner of one Stanley Cup to-date (in 2006-07), the Anaheim Ducks who play their home games at the Honda Center is based in which state of the USA?
California
The 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup was won by the national football team of which country when they defeated the invited Colombians in the final? This marked the first time that the cup was won by a team other than the USA or Mexico ever since its inception in 1963.
Canada
Born 1982 in New Jersey, which US soccer player is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women's World Cup Champion and FIFA Player of the Year for 2015 and 2016? She scored a hat-trick in the 2015 World Cup final, helping the US to beat Japan 5-2.
Carli Lloyd
Jackie Joyner-Kersee's score of 7291 (set in 1988) remains the world record score in women's heptathlon, but which Swedish athlete is second with a score of 7032? She won the Olympic heptathlon in 2004, and is also the only athlete to win three consecutive world titles in this event (in 2003, 2005 and 2007).
Carolina Kluft
Based in Perpignan and playing their home matches at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, which French rugby league club is the only team in the premier Super League that comes from outside Northern England?
Catalans Dragons
Designed by Klaus Teuber and first published in 1995, 'The Settlers of _____' (where players represent settlers establishing colonies on the titular island) was one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside Europe. It has led to expansions and extensions such as 'Seafarers' and 'Starfarers',
Catan
Born 1987 in Sao Paulo, which Brazilian swimmer who specializes in the sprint events is the current world record holder for the 50m and 100m freestyle (long course)? Struggling with a shoulder injury throughout most of 2015, he failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Cesar Cielo
This logo (with team name removed) belongs to the professional Twenty20 cricket team that has the best winning ratio in the Indian Premier League, and is the only team so far to have successfully defended its title (in 2011). Suspended for two years for its owners' alleged involvement in a betting scandal, in which Indian city is it based?
Chennai (Chennai Super Kings)
The logo of which NBA team, when viewed upside down, resembles a robot sitting down and reading a book?
Chicago Bulls
Which NBA team did Michael Jordan lead to a total of six championship titles from 1991-1993 and then 1996-1998?
Chicago Bulls
Signing for Arsenal in 2014 from Barcelona and having also played for clubs such as Udinese and River Plate, the forward Alexis Sanchez plays his international football for which country?
Chile
In 1936, five players were the inaugural inductees into the US National Baseball Hall of Fame. Two of them were Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Name any of the other three.
Christy Mathewson/ Honus Wagner/ Walter Johnson
Deriving from the Sanskrit word for 'wheel', what name is given to the time-periods (usually around 7 minutes long) that a game of polo is divided into?
Chukka
'The Decision' is a 2010 televised special in which the NBA star LeBron James announced his decision to join the Miami Heat, after he had spent the preceding seven seasons with which other NBA team with whom he reached the Finals in 2007 before being defeated by the San Antonio Spurs?
Cleveland Cavaliers
Led by their prodigal son LeBron James, which NBA team overcame a 1-3 deficit to defeat Golden State Warriors and win their first NBA championship in June 2016?
Cleveland Cavaliers
Winning the World Snooker Championship in 1980, which Canadian became the first world champion in the sport's modern era from outside the United Kingdom and remains the only world champion from the Americas? He was nicknamed "The Grinder" because of his slow, determined style of play.
Cliff Thorburn
Based in the port city of Avellaneda, which Argentine professional football club currently holds the record of having won the prestigious continental tournament the Copa Libertadores seven times? Its last victory came in 1984 when it beat Brazil's Gremio 1-0.
Club Atletico Independiente
Born in Lanark in 1968, which Scot became the youngest person to win the World Rally Championship Drivers' title in 1995 with Subaru? Giving his name to a series of racing video games published by Codemasters, he died in a tragic helicopter crash in 2007.
Colin McRae
Nicknamed 'El Loco' for his audacious 'keeper-sweeper' playing style and eye-catching scorpion-kick saves, Rene Higuita played as goalkeeper for which South American country's national team from 1987-99?
Colombia
The three sportspeople shown in this photograph all share which common nationality?
Colombian (Juan Pablo Montoya/ James Rodriguez/ Mariana Pajon)
In golf, a shot that is one under par is known as a birdie, two under is an eagle, three under is an albatross. Which bird gives its name to four under par, an extremely extremely rare feat?
Condor
The Toure brothers, Kolo (born 1981) and Yaya (1983) are shown in this photograph playing their club football for Liverpool and Manchester City respectively. For what African country do they play international football?
Cote d'Ivoire/ Ivory Coast
Manufactured by Hasbro and billed as 'the game for your whole brain', which party boardgame includes a wide variety of activities (e.g. Creative Cat, Data Head and Word Worm), which the players have to complete to win the game?
Cranium
The figure shows the best possible hand in which game, invented in the 17th century by the English poet John Suckling as a derivation of the game Noddy?
Cribbage
Named after two English statisticians, the Duckworth-Lewis (or D/L) method is a mathematical formulation devised to calculate the target scores in which particular sport?
Cricket
In professional boxing, which weight class (with a limit of 200 pounds/ 90.7 kg) lies between light heavyweight and heavyweight?
Cruiserweight
The current world-record holder in the high jump and the only person to have cleared 8 feet, what is the nationality of the athlete Javier Sotomayor?
Cuban
Created by the Russian company ZeptoLab and first released in 2010, which series of physics-based puzzle video games requires the player to manipulate a series of objects in order to achieve the objective of feeding candy to a little green creature named Om Nom?
Cut The Rope
Over a 22-year career (1890-1911), which baseball player established numerous pitching records (e.g. most career innings pitched), some of which had stool for over a century? He gives his name to the award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Cy Young
In which competitive sport is the main group of competitors known as the 'peloton'?
Cycling
This depicts the women's tennis team of which country, who emerged victorious in the 2015 Fed Cup?
Czech Republic
One of Africa's most successful and the first African side to reach the finals of the FIFA Club World Cup (in 2010), TP Mazembe is a football club from which country? Nicknamed 'Les corbeaux' ('the ravens') despite a crest that shows a crocodile with a football in its mouth,it had won its country's domestic title a record 16 times.
DR Congo
Its name translating as 'Great Strategy', which series of war strategy video games by SystemSoft and SystemSoft Alpha debuted in Japan in 1985, and had since spawned over 70 sequel titles, including the 1996 'Iron Storm' released for the Sega Saturn?
Daisenryaku
Valued at US$4.8 billion and named by Forbes as the world's most valuable sports team of 2017, which National Football League (NFL) franchise has won five Super Bowls to date, and plays their home matches at the AT&T Stadium?
Dallas Cowboys
In computer gaming terms, the abbreviation 'DPS' is a metric which allows players (especially in role-playing games) to determine the offensive capability of a weapon, spell or the character itself. For what does the 'D' in this abbreviation stand?
Damage (Damage Per Second)
What is the nationality of the tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, who spent 67 weeks as world No.1 from 2010-2012?
Danish
These three sports personalities (from different sports) all share the same nationality. What is that nationality?
Danish (Caroline Wozniacki (tennis)/ Peter Gade (badminton)/ Daniel Agger (football))
His career spanning 1989-2003 at San Antonio Spurs, which NBA center was given the nickname 'The Admiral' because he had served in the US navy before?
David Robinson
Born 1992 in Argenteuil, the French athlete Kevin Mayer is the current world record holder in which sporting event? He established this record in September 2018, breaking the previous mark set by the American Ashton Eaton.
Decathlon
The three logos shown here belong to teams (playing different professional sports) that are all based in which US city?
Detroit - Lions (NFL)/ Tigers (MLB)/ Redwings (NHL)
Coached by Chuck Daly and spearheaded by stars such as Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars, which team won the NBA Finals twice consecutively (in 1989 and 1990) when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers respectively?
Detroit Pistons
Winner of three NBA championships (the last of which was in 2004), which Eastern Conference Central Division team plays their home matches at The Palace of Auburn Hills?
Detroit Pistons
Born in California in 1982, which shooting guard/ point guard for the Phoenix Mercury became the WNBA all-time leading scorer in 2017? Winner of four Olympic gold medals, she has been labelled the Michael Jordan of the WNBA, and also given the nickname 'White Mamba' by Kobe Bryant (the 'Black Mamba').
Diana Taurasi
In the 1998 FIFA World Cup round-of-16 match between England and Argentina, David Beckham was dismissed for kicking out at which Argentine captain and midfielder?
Diego Simeone
Born 1978 in Wurzburg, which German power forward won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2011, the same year his team (the Dallas Mavericks) won their only (to date) NBA Championship?
Dirk Nowitzki
Set in Neubrandenburg, East Germany in June 1986 by Jurgen Schult, the world record in which field athletics event (at 74.08m) is still unbroken as of today?
Discus
Over the past two decades, the two sportswomen shown here (Wu Minxia (left) and Guo Jingjing) have dominated which competitive sport? Fierce rivals and close partners at the same time, Wu was also Guo's bridesmaid when the latter married in 2012.
Diving
Winner of the 2010 Spiel des Jahres, which card game created by Jean-Louis Roubira sees players taking turns to be the 'storyteller' by utilizing a deck of cards illustrated with dreamy images? Its name comes from the Latin for 'he/she/it said'.
Dixit
In a traditional game of mahjong, the tiles are usually categorized into suit and honor tiles. The latter is further subdivided into the wind tiles (comprising 'north', 'south', 'east', 'west') and WHICH OTHER GROUP that consists of a red, green and white tile - sometimes also known as the 'three element tiles' or 'arrow tiles'?
Dragon tiles
What is the nationality of this football star of the '8os and '9os, shown here in the colours of his club AC Milan?
Dutch (Ruud Gullit)
Widely considered the best ice-hockey player ever, Wayne Gretzky played for which team from 1979 to 1988, leading them to four Stanley Cup victories?
Edmonton Oilers
From 2007, the most recent thirteen World Squash Championship men's finals have only been won by players representing three countries. Nick Matthew (England) and Gregory Gaultier (France) aside, the other winners all represented which nation?
Egypt
Located in the province of North Brabant (originally at the confluence of the Dommel and Gender streams), which city is the home of the football team whose logo is shown here?
Eindhoven
Coined by the poet Told Zemmaro, which term referring to a long-distance relay-running race combines the characters for 'station' and 'transit' in Japanese? Notable examples include the ones held between Tokyo & Hakone, as well as the one in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Ekiden
In a game of football (soccer), there are eleven players in each side. How many players are there in each side in a game of American football?
Eleven
Described as the 'greatest marathoner of the modern era', which Kenyan long-distance runner is the current marathon world record holder (at 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds), and has won 12 of the 13 marathons he has entered to date?
Eliud Kipchoge
Born 1946 in Sao Paulo, which automobile racing driver won the Formula One World Championship twice (in 1972 and 1974), with Lotus for the first win and McLaren for the second? He held the record for being the youngest champion (at the age of 25 years) until it was broken by Fernando Alonso thirty-three years later.
Emerson Fittipaldi
In modern sports fencing, which of the three main weapons used is the only one in which the entire body is a legitimate target area?
Epee
Born in February 1982, Zersenay Tadese is a former holder of the men's half-marathon world record , with a time of 58 minutes 23 seconds. His bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2004 Athens Olympics also made him the first ever Olympic medalist for his country. What country is he from?
Eritrea
Signed from FC Augsburg in July 2016, the Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan plays international football for which country?
Estonia
Playing their home games at the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, which Argentinian football club is nicknamed Los Pincharratas (The Rat Stabbers) ostensibly after a loyal fan who worked as a rat-catcher at the local marketplace? The holder of four Copa Libertadores titles, it was the inaugural team outside the traditional "big five" to win a professional league title in 1967.
Estudiantes de la Plata
Developed and published by Konami, for what does the 'E' in the football simulation video game 'PES' stand?
Evolution ('Pro Evolution Soccer'
In June 2015, after US authorities began indicting several of its officials, Sepp Blatter announced his resignation as president of which international sporting body?
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)
Created by the Wizards of the Coast company, which fictional subcontinent is the setting of the Dungeons and Dragons world of Forgotten Realms? With notable features such as the Sea of Fallen Stars, Icewind Dale, the metropolises Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter, it is the setting for over 100 novels and several popular computer games.
Faerun
A current member of the Italian Parliament since 2013, Valentina Vezzali is a six-time Olympic, 16-time World Championships and 13-time European Championships gold medalist in which sport? Her 2006 autobiography is entitled 'A viso scoperto' ('With Uncovered Face').
Fencing (Foil)
Regaining its Serie A status after a 49-year absence, the professional football club SPAL (Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor) is based in which Italian city in the Emilia-Romagna region? It is located on the Po di Volano (a branch of the River Po), 44 km northeast of Bologna.
Ferrara
In chess, which term (Italian for 'little flank') refers to the pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, hence onto the longest diagonal of the board? Popular in hyper-modern openings, it allows the bishop to become more active.
Fianchetto
The company that produced the popular franchise (as depicted here) is based in which country?
Finland (Rovio, who produced 'Angry Birds')
What is the nationality of the Formula One racing driver Mika Hakkinen?
Finnish
Released in 1990, 'Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light' was the first game in which fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo? It was first introduced outside Japan when two of its characters, Marth and Roy, were included as playable characters in the 2001 fighting game 'Super Smash Bros. Melee'.
Fire Emblem
How many interlocking rings make up the symbol of the Olympic Games?
Five
What is the name of the position (No. 10) shown here?
Fly-half (also accept outside-half, stand-off or first five-eighth)
Released by Epic Games in 2017, which online shooter video game has two modules : 'Save The World' and 'Battle Royale' - the second of which is a battle in which up to 100 players fight in an increasingly smaller place to be the last person standing, and has become a phenomenal hit attracting more than 125 million players in less than a year?
Fortnite
How many players are required to play a traditional game of mahjong?
Four
In a game of poker, which hand comes between a straight flush and a full house?
Four of a Kind
Which country did Portugal defeat in the final of the 2016 football UEFA European Championships to lift the title for the first time?
France
Egypt's Mohamed Salah was named the CAF African Player of the Year for 2017, ahead of his Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane (of Senegal) and Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - who plays his international football for which country?
Gabon
Born in Santa Fe in 1969, which footballer spent much of his professional career in Italy (mainly with Fiorentina and Roma)? He was Argentina's all-time leading international goalscorer with 54 goals in 77 official matches, until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi in 2016.
Gabriel Batistuta
Created by Jane Jensen and first released in 1993 by Sierra On-Line, 'Sins of the Fathers' was the first title in a series of point-and-click adventure games featuring which New Orleans bookstore owner who discovers his family heritage as a line of Schattenjager (Shadow Hunters)?
Gabriel Knight
Dying of liver cirrhosis at the age of 49, which Brazilian footballer (born Manuel Francisco dos Santos) is considered by many to be the best dribbler in the history of the sport? Winner of the FIFA World Cup in 1958 and 1962, he is best known for his nickname, which means 'Little Bird'.
Garrincha
Which Russian became the youngest ever world chess champion at the age of 22 in 1985?
Gary Kasparov
Born 1935, which golf legend is the only non-American to have achieved a career Grand Slam (winning all 4 majors)? The other four individuals to have done so are : Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Niklaus and Tiger Woods.
Gary Player (South Africa)
Winner of the Serie A in 1991 and reaching the finals of the European Cup in 1992, this Italian football club plays its city rivals in a derby known as the 'Derby of the Lantern'. IN WHICH LIGURIAN CITY is it based?
Genoa (the team is UC Sampdoria)
When the finalized teams of countries participating in the 2018 World Cup Finals were announced, one of the biggest shocks was the omission of Leroy Sané (who had just been voted the PFA Young Player of the Year after helping his club Manchester City win the English Premier League) - by the manager of which national team?
Germany
This shows the team crests (with helpful words removed) of four of the football clubs that play in which country?
Germany (Bayern Munich/ Borussia Dortmund/ Hamburger SV/ Schalke 04)
Egypt is currently the most successful country in football's Africa Cup of Nations, with seven titles so far, followed by Cameroon next with five. WHICH COUNTRY comes next with four titles? Their last win came in 1982, and rather surprisingly they did not make it into the World Cup final stages until 2006.
Ghana
Ranked the 'African club of the 20th century' having won its domestic league title a record 23 times and the CAF Champions League twice, in which country is Asante Kotoko SC based? Nicknamed the 'Porcupine Warriors', they play their home matches at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
Ghana
In European football, the 'Old Firm derby' refers to matches between Rangers and Celtic, two fierce rivals that are both based in which city?
Glasgow
Founded in 1972 by entrepreneur Dinah Shore and formerly known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the ANA Inspiration is a major women's championship in which sport, last won in 2017 by Ryu So-yeon of South Korea?
Golf
This is the crest of a professional football (soccer) team based in which European city? It is also the only club in the Nordic countries to have won a UEFA-governed competition, winning the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987.
Gothenburg/ Goteborg (IFK Gothenburg)
Published by Rockstar Games, which controversial action-adventure video games series (with titles such as 'Vice City' and 'San Andreas') is set in an open world where the player can engage in activities such as carjacking and drive-by shooting? You can give me either its full or abbreviated three-letter title.
Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
In international field hockey, what is the colour of the triangular card shown to a player when a minor offence has been committed? The player has to leave the field for 2 minutes. A repeat offence may result in the yellow card, which usually carries a 5-minute suspension.
Green
Playing its home games at the 58,500 capacity Tianhe Stadium, it is arguably the most successful professional Chinese football club, having won the domestic title a record eight times, and is the only Chinese side to have won the AFC Champions League twice. In which major city is it based?
Guangzhou (Guangzhou Evergrande FC)
Nicknamed 'El Pescadito' ('Little Fish'), the footballer Carlos Ruiz became the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifiers (with 39 goals in fiver qualification campaigns) in September 2016. Which Latin American country did he represent?
Guatemala
The Soviet athlete Yuriy Sedykh set the world record of 86.74m in which field event at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart? Only he and his great rival Sergei Litvinov have thrown over 86 meters in the history of the sport.
Hammer throw
In a 2010 online poll, the Croatian Ivano Balic was voted the 'best male player ever' of which competitive sport, beating the Frenchman Nikola Karabatic into second place? In 1992, the sport's international federation had declared the Romanian Gheorghe Gruia as the greatest player of all times.
Handball
Founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1923 by Herman, Hillel and Henry Hassenfeld, which multinational company began by selling textile remnants, pencil cases and school supplies, but has since grown to become the world's largest company of its kind in terms of stock market value, with around $5b in revenue in 2016?
Hasbro
In the video game series by Sega, what type of animal is Sonic, who is able to run at supersonic speeds and curl into a ball to attack his enemies?
Hedgehog
The Bulgarian athlete Stefka Kostadinova is the current holder of the world record (2.09 metres) in which track and field event? It was set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome.
High jump
Founded in 1992, the name of this football club in the Japanese J1 League is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for 'three' and an Italian word for 'arrows', based on the story of the feudal lord who told his three sons that while a single arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows held together would not be broken? Last winning the championship in 2015, in which Japanese city is it based?
Hiroshima (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Originally intended for children but now popular with adult collectors, which two-word brand of die-cast toy cars introduced by Mattel in 1968 was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997 (when the latter was bought by Mattel as well)?
Hot Wheels
Inspired by the legendary Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls achieved a historic two 'three-peats' of NBA titles between 1991-93 and 1996-98. During the two years in between (1994-1995), i.e. Jordan's first retirement, which team won back-to-back NBA titles, led by stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler?
Houston Rockets
What is the nationality of the inventor who created the puzzle shown here?
Hungarian (Erno Rubik/ Rubik's Cube)
Featured in the documentary 'Freedom's Fury', the 'Blood in the Waters' water-polo match took place in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics between the USSR and which other country?
Hungary
Named after a mythical wyvern/ kangaroo-like creature that is said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, the New Jersey Devils are a Newark-based professional team that plays which competitive sport?
Ice hockey
This is a collage showing the logos of four professional teams that all play which sport?
Ice hockey (Arizona Coyotes/ Florida Panthers/ Vancouver Canucks/ Nashville Predators - from the National Hockey League (NHL))
Known as 'The Betrayer', which character from the Warcraft universe is a night-elf Demon Hunter whose pursuit power led him to ally with the Burning Legion and become a partial demon himself? He wields the fearsome Twin Blades of Azzinoth.
Illidan Stormrage
A two-time Super Bowl winner and considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time with multiple records (e.g. most career and season touchdown passes), Peyton Manning spent the first fourteen of his eighteen-year NFL career with which Midwestern football team?
Indianapolis Colts
Since its inception in 1949, which country has won badminton's Thomas Cup (for men's team) the most times with thirteen victories? This is three more than China, who has ten wins to date.
Indonesia
In chronological order from left to right, these four individuals are the most recent managers (excluding those appointed to caretaker roles) of which European football club?
Internazionale Milan (Frank de Boer/ Stefano Pioli/ Luciano Spalleti/ Antonio Conte)
Translating as 'one full point' in Japanese, what term refers to the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts contest, such as judo, karate or jujitsu? It is indicated by the referee raising one arm with palm of hand facing forward, high above the head.
Ippon
Having won a combined total of 54 out of 61 of their country's top division titles , the three football clubs known collectively as the 'Big Three' are all based in which major world city? (P.S. some helpful graphics and wordings have been removed from two of the logos).
Istanbul (Besiktas/ Fenerbahce/ Galatasaray)
Previously known as the Five Nations Championship, the annual international rugby union competition became the Six Nations Championship in 2000 after the addition of which country?
Italy
Since its inception in 1949, the Soviet Union has won the quadrennial FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship a record six times (all before the USSR's dissolution in 1991). Three other teams have won it thrice each - name any of them.
Italy/ Brazil/ Poland
In a suit of playing cards, which card comes between '10' and 'Queen'?
Jack (or Knave)
The Four Musketeers' were a group of French tennis players who dominated the game during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Of the four, who was the only one who never won a singles Grand Slam title? A doubles specialist, he won ten Grand Slam doubles titles and also five Davis Cup victories.
Jacques Brugnon
Named ICC Player of the Year in 2005, which South African cricketer is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport? Retiring in 2014 after representing his country for twenty years, he is third behind Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting on the list of all-time run scorers in test cricket, with 13289 runs.
Jacques Kallis
What is the nationality of the athlete shown here?
Jamaican (Usain Bolt)
Having played over 350 matches for Australia and scored over 220 goals, winning the 2004 Olympic gold medal and two World Cups, which field hockey player was named the IHF World Player of the Year a record five times?
Jamie Dwyer
After Lance Armstrong was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles, had his victories been reallocated to the second placed rider in each race, which cyclist would now have four Tour de France wins instead of only one? Known as the 'Eternal Second' behind Armstrong, he too was was found guilty of a doping offence and retroactively banned from 22 August 2011.
Jan Ullrich
Nicknamed the 'Mozart of table tennis', which Swedish player is also known as the 'Evergreen Tree' for a career that spanned over 35 years? Of the five players to have ever achieved a career grand-slam (winning the World Championship, World Cup and Olympic gold medal), he is the only non-Chinese.
Jan-Ove Waldner
The logos here represent four clubs which play professional football (soccer) in the top league of which country?
Japan (Kashima Antlers/ Omiya Ardiya/ Albirex Niigata/ Vegalta Sendai)
The final medal table of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics show the US, Great Britain, China, Russia and Germany occupying the top 5 positions. NAME ANY ONE country that occupies the next three spots (i.e. 6th to 8th).
Japan/ France/ South Korea
Making his debut for Rytiri Kladno at the age of 15 before transferring to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990 with whom he won two Stanley Cups, which right-winger has scored the second-most points in NHL history (after Wayne Gretzky)? In 2018 he returned to his hometown team Kladno, which he now owns.
Jaromir Jagr
Nicknamed Nokseakjeonsa (Green Warriors), which professional football club based in North Jeolla Province is one of South Korea's most successful teams, with seven top-flight K-League titles as well as winning the AFC Champions League twice?
Jeonbuk Hyundai FC
Playing as guard for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-1974, which basketball player is known by the nickname 'Mr. Logo' because it is generally accepted that a 1969 photo of him is the model for the silhouette in the NBA logo?
Jerry West
Now better remembered for Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy to the victorious South African team, the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final saw the hosts defeat New Zealand 15-12. Another notable fact is that the points were scored by only one player from each team - name EITHER of the scorers (shown in this photograph).
Joe Stransky (South Africa) and Andrew Mehrtens (New Zealand)
Constantly under the shadow of his more illustrious compatriot Johan Cruyff (whom he played alongside at Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team), which midfielder was nicknamed 'Johan the Second' although it can be argued that his skills and contributions were every bit as important towards the success of 'Total Football'?
Johans Neeskens
One of the most prolific passing and rushing quarterbacks in NFL history, which player spent his entire sixteen-year playing career with the Denver Broncos, winning two Super Bowls in the process before retiring in 1999? As the Broncos' general manager, he signed the free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning in 2012
John Elway
Nicknamed the 'Tower of Tandil' (a reference to the city where he was born in 1988), which player defeated Roger Federer in the finals of the 2009 US Open, thereby preventing the latter from becoming the first man to win six consecutive US Open titles in the Open Era? This victory is his only Grand Slam title (to date).
Juan Martin del Potro
Born 1976 in Budapest, which grandmaster is widely considered the strongest female chess player of all time? She is the only woman to have surpassed the 2700 Elo rating barrier, and the only woman to have beaten a reigning world number one player, when she defeated Garry Kasparov in 2002.
Judit Polgar
A 7-time World Cup winner and twice Olympic gold medallist, which French cross-country mountain biker born in 1980 is widely considered the greatest of all time in his discipline?
Julien Absalon
The first Belgian player inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (in 2016), which former world number one won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career, though never winning Wimbledon?
Justine Henin
Real Madrid has won the most number of European Cup/ UEFA Champions League titles (13) by a wide margin, but which team has the unfortunate record of losing the most finals (7)? They have the consolation of winning it on two occasions, most recently in 1995-96 when they defeated defending champions Ajax on penalties.
Juventus
In the standard English version of 'Scrabble', only one letter is worth 5 points. Which letter is that?
K
Born Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite in 1982, what is the more familiar one-word name of the Brazilian player who has played club football for AC Milan and Real Madrid? Primarily playing in an attacking midfield role, he won the Ballon d'Or in 2007.
Kaka
This shows which logic puzzle that is only second to Sudoku in terms of its popularity in Japan? Often referred to as the mathematical transliteration of the crossword puzzle, its name is an abbreviation of the Japanese for 'abbreviation cross'.
Kakuro
Its name deriving from the Japanese for 'face', which variation of Sudoku uses partially given smiley faces instead of digits? The smileys can have three possible shapes and three possible mouths, for a total of nine unique combinations.
Kaodoku
Based in a city in the northern Kanto region of Japan, which professional football club have proved by far Japan's most successful club team, having won the J. League title a record eight times, the J. League Cup a record six times and the Emperor's Cup four times? The name of the club derives from that of the city, which literally means 'Deer Island'. You need to give its full two-word name.
Kashima Antlers
The most decorated female athlete at the 2016 Rio Olympics with 4 golds and 1 silver, which American swimmer is the current world record holder in the women's doom, Boom and 1500m freestyle?
Katie Ledecky
Named FINA Swimmer of the Year for 2014, 2015 and 2016, who is the first swimmer to hold all 5 world records in individual medley events (loom, 200M long and short course, doom long and short course) at the same time?
Katinka Hosszu
Born 1988 in Washington D.C, which small forward with the Golden State Warriors was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the 2016-17 NBA Finals when the Warriors defeated the defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers? He had only joined the Warriors the previous year, after having played for Oklahoma City Thunder for the preceding eight years.
Kevin Durant
In a standard deck of playing cards, which is the only one-eyed king?
King of Diamonds
Developed by Ironhide Studios and first released in 2011, which multi-platform tower defense game set in a medieval fantasy world featured sequels subtitled 'Frontiers' (2013) and 'Origins' (2014)?
Kingdom Rush
Winning the men's gymnastics individual all-around gold medals at the London and Rio Olympics and a twenty-one time World Championships medalist, which Japanese gymnast born in Fukuoka in 1989 can arguably be considered one of the greatest the world has ever seen?
Kohei Uchimura
2013 and 2014 were the only two years in the history of 'Swimming World's Male World Swimmer of the Year when the award was given to Asian swimmers. China's Sun Yang won in 2013 - which Japanese specialist in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle was the winner the following year?
Kosuke Hagino
Born 1966 in Leipzig, which former East German swimmer became the first woman to win six gold medals at a single Olympic Games at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul?
Kristin Otto
Which Middle East country has to date won the AFC Cup (second-tier international cup competition in Asia) the most times (4)? The last such victory came in 2014 when Al-Qadsia beat Iraq's Erbil SC on penalties.
Kuwait
Born in Wuhan in 1982, which Chinese tennis player became the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title when she won the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open?
LI Na
Widely regarded as the best of all time, which Chinese badminton player achieved the 'Super Grand Slam' - winning all nine major titles including the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Thomas Cup - by the age of 28? He is also noted for his rivalry with the Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei.
LIN Dan
Michael Phelps holds the record for having won the most number of medals at the Summer Olympics (28). Which former gymnast comes second with 18 medals, which she won from 1954-1964 (including nine gold medals)?
Larissa Latynina
Making their debut in the 2017-2018 season, the newest addition to the National Hockey League (NHL) are the Golden Knights, who play their home games at the T-Mobile Arena in which US city?
Las Vegas
Jelena Ostapenko became the first player from which country to win a tennis Grand Slam tournament when she beat Simona Halep to lift the 2017 French Open?
Latvia
Celebrated with a statue outside its home stadium, the Scottish footballer Billy Bremner played for which English club between 1960 to 1976, where he won the First Division twice and reached the finals of the 1975 European Cup?
Leeds United
Managed by Claudio Ranieri and based at the King Power Stadium, which English Premier League football team were the shock winners of the league title in the 2015/16 season? They were given 5000:1 odds of achieving this feat at the beginning of the season.
Leicester City
Founded in 2009 and sponsored by the energy-drink maker Red Bull, the professional football (soccer) team with the logo shown here is based in which German city? Beginning in the fifth tier of the German league system, they rose rapidly up the leagues and finished the 2016/17 season in second place just behind Bayern Munich.
Leipzig (RB Leipzig)
In 2016, CNN called him the 'David Beckham of chess'. Born 1982 in Yerevan, which grandmaster achieved a peak ranking of world No.2 in 2012? In 2014, he achieved an Elo rating of 2830 - the fourth highest ever recorded in history.
Levon Aronian
In volleyball, what name is given to the position introduced in 1998? Usually the most skilled defensive player in the team, he/ she wears a contrasting jersey color from the rest of the team, and cannot block or attack the ball when it is above net height.
Liberio
Which country, which first participated in the Olympics in 1936, has to date won a total of ten medals, all of them in the Winter Olympics, and all of them in a single event - alpine skiing?
Liechtenstein
Developed by the independent studio Playdead and released in 2010, which 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platform video game has the player control an unnamed boy through a black-and-white environment full of danger and traps, as he searches for his lost sister?
Limbo
One of five women to have been the year-end World No.1 in tennis at least four times (the others being Christ Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams), which player has only won three Grand Slam titles in her career (one each at Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open) while the other four have at least 18? Her last Grand Slam win was at the 2000 Australian Open.
Lindsay Davenport
Based on a series of comic books with the same title by Shin Il-sook, which medieval massively-multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) was released in the USA in 1998 by the South Korean game developer NCsoft? Subsequent sequels and mobile versions are subtitled 'Eternal', 'Red Knight' and 'Blood Oath'.
Lineage
In July 2018, the Brazilian international Alisson became the world's most expensive goalkeeper when he transferred from AS Roma to which English Premier League team?
Liverpool
The diagram shows the tournament tree of the UEFA Champions League of a particular year. Can you name the team indicated by the question mark?
Liverpool (2005, Istanbul)
Which football club came back from 0-3 down to defeat AC Milan on penalties and win the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul?
Liverpool FC
The US athlete Bob Beamon held the world record for which event for a total of 22 years, until it was broken by Mike Powell in 1991 (a record that still stands till today)?
Long jump
Which major US city was left without an American football franchise for two decades when both the Rams and the Raiders left prior to start of the 1995 season? The absence ended in 2016 with the return of the Rams from Missouri.
Los Angeles
The current Olympic and World champion, which Chinese table-tennis player is considered by some to be the greatest in the history of the game? He has held the ranking of number 1 for a total of 64 months, the most by any male player in the history of the sport.
Ma Long
Born 1963 in Philadelphia, Richard Garfield is a game designer best known for his creation in 1993 of which popular game published by Wizards of the Coast?
Magic : The Gathering
In the 'World of Warcraft' universe, which character was one of the Nathrezim (dread-lords) sent to head up the plot to turn Prince Arthas to darkness, and make him the Lich King's greatest champion?
Mal'Ganis
Ranked world No.1 for 199 consecutive weeks from 2008 to 2012, what is the nationality of the badminton star Lee Chong Wei?
Malaysian
What is the nationality of this sportsman, who announced his retirement in June 2019?
Malaysian (Lee Chong Wei)
From the Arabic meaning 'to move', which seven-letter word is a generic name for a family of 2-player turn-based strategy board games played with small stones or seeds and rows of holes or pits in the board? Examples include the Kalah (popular in the West) and the Congkak (in South Asia).
Mancala
Between May 2003 and October 2004, Arsenal Football Club set an English Premier League record of 49 consecutive games unbeaten. Which team finally beat Arsenal on 24th October, 2004 to bring this run to and end?
Manchester United
The counterpart of the Swaythling Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Women's Team World Table Tennis Championships is named after which former president of the French table tennis association? Since 1975, China has won it 19 out of 21 times.
Marcel Corbillon (the Corbillon Cup)
Announcing his retirement in September 2019, which Austrian is widely considered to be the best alpine skier in the history of the sport? He is the winner of a record eight consecutive World Cup titles, as well as seven gold medals at the Alpine Skiing World Championships.
Marcel Hirscher
This photo depicts a sensational but disappointing event in World Cup football. The player shown (one of the game's all-time greats) was sent off in the 2006 Final after he head-butted the chest of which player from the opposing team?
Marco Materazzi (the player sent off was Zinedine Zidane)
The 2012 UEFA European Championship finals saw six players sharing the top scorer award having scored three goals each, all of them from different countries. Interestingly, three of these six footballers share WHAT FIRST NAME?
Mario (Mandzukic/ Balotelli/ Gomez)
Winning a total of fifteen Winter Olympics medals (the most by any male or female athlete in history), which Norwegian cross-country skier announced her retirement after the 2017-18 season at the age of 38? She is also ranked first in the all-time Cross Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories.
Marit Bjorgen
Which tennis player is shown here? He won his fourth Grand Slam single by the age of 20, and is only one of six men to have won Grand Slam singles titles on grass, clay and hart courts. Winner of seven Grand Slams, Wimbledon was the only one to elude him.
Mats Wilander
Costing 75 million euros with "additional costs" of 10.5 million euros, the transfer of which 19-year old footballer from Ajax Amsterdam to Juventus in July 2019 made him the world's most expensive defender, surpassing the record set by his compatriot Virgil Van Dijk when he moved from Southampton to Liverpool?
Matthijs de Ligt
Since 2008, the annual Dakar Rally has been held in South America rather than the traditional Paris to Dakar route, after security concerns in which African country forced the cancellation of the 2008 edition?
Mauritania
Nicknamed the 'Beast of Belarus' for his 1.96m height and ferocious serve-and-volley game, which professional tennis player became a specialized doubles player in 2003, winning ten Grand Slam titles in both men's doubles and mixed doubles?
Max Mirnyi
The 2007 Formula One espionage controversy also known as `Stepneygate' (after a former Ferrari employee), involved allegations that the Ferrari team's confidential technical information was passed to which of its competitors?
McLaren
Winning their first NBA championship title in June 2019, the Toronto Raptors are currently the only Canadian-based team in the league since the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to which US city in 2001?
Memphis, Tennessee
The logo shown here belongs to a professional sports team based in which US city?
Memphis, Tennessee (the Memphis Grizzlies in NBA)
In which city did this memorable sporting incident take place?
Mexico City (Maradona's 'Hand of God')
The Dolphins, Marlins, Heat and Panthers are professional sports franchises all based in which major US city?
Miami
Recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, Dan Marino spent his entire playing career (1983-1999) with which team/ franchise?
Miami Dolphins
To date, which is the only National Football League (NFL) team that has had a perfect season (i.e. complete an entire season undefeated and untied from the opening game to the Super Bowl) in their 1972 season? They were led by coach Don Shula and included notable players such as quarterback Bob Griese and running-back Larry Csonka.
Miami Dolphins
When Cristiano Ronaldo scored 3 goals in the 2016 European Championships Finals tournament, it brought his total tally to 9 (over four editions of the competition), and hence equalling WHICH FOOTBALL LEGEND, who managed this feat in a single tournament (in 1984), when he helped his country defeat Spain in the finals?
Michel Platini
Through the New World Computing development studio that he launched in 1983 at the age of twenty, the American video-game producer Jon Van Caneghem is best known for creating which fantasy role-playing game (RPG) series? A screenshot from the first instalment is shown here.
Might and Magic
Published in 1978, 'Achieving the Aim' was the autobiography of which Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster and World Chess Champion for most of 1948 to 1963? Also a noted electrical engineer and computer scientist, he later coached future champions such as Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik.
Mikhail Botvinnik
The San Siro stadium is known for being the home-ground of two football (soccer) teams currently in their country's top division. In which city would you find the San Siro?
Milan
The jerseys shown here belong to two football (soccer) teams that are based in which European city?
Milan (AC Milan and Inter Milan)
Reaching a career high (so far) of world No.3 in November 2016, which Canadian professional tennis player was the beaten finalist at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, where he was defeated by Andy Murray?
Milos Raonic
Born in Athens in 1994, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player of the 2018-19 season playing as a power forward for which team? Nicknamed the 'Greek Freak', he was the first player to finish a season in the top 20 in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Milwaukee Bucks
Taking its name from a 1980 book by computer scientist Seymour Papert, which platform of programmable robots based on Lego building bricks has been through four versions including NXT and the latest EV3?
Mindstorms
Founded by programmer Markus Persson and acquired by Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5 billion, the Swedish developer and publisher Mojang is best known for which popular video game released in 2011?
Minecraft
The logos below belong to three professional sports teams (who play different sports), which are all based in which US state?
Minnesota (Vikings/ Wild/ Timberwolves)
Retiring shortly after Germany's victory at the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, which striker is currently the all-time leading topscorer in World Cup finals with 16 goals, and also his country's leading goalscorer with 71 goals in 137 appearances?
Miroslav Klose
Which team, which plays in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, holds the record of most Stanley Cup wins (24) of all the NHL teams? Some of their greatest players include the goalkeeper Jacques Plante, the center Jean Beliveau and the right-wing Maurice Richard.
Montreal Canadiens
Named after an American professional pool player who won the World Straight Pool Championship an unmatched fifteen times between 1941 and 1957, which annual competition contested between teams representing Europe and the United States has been called pool's version of the Ryder Cup?
Mosconi Cup
Of unclear origins, which term is applied in sports (though best known in golf) to refer to a second chance to perform an action without penalty after the first chance went wrong either due to bad luck or blunder?
Mulligan
Before his appointment as Arsenal's manager, the Frenchman Arsene Wenger led which Japanese team to the 1996 Emperor Cup and J League runners-up spot? Founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp in 1939, it takes its name from the genus name of the Risso's dolphin and the Maru-Hachi - the city's official symbol.
Nagoya Grampus (Eight)
Having participated in five Rugby World Cup competitions since 1999, the national team of which coastal African country is nicknamed the Welwitschias (named after a plant species also known as tree tumbo), although their logo shows an African fish eagle?
Namibia
Winning four silver medals (in the 100m and 200m sprint events) at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, what is the nationality of the athlete Frankie Fredericks? His four medals remain (to date) the only medals won by his country in its Olympics history.
Namibia
We used to joke with our defenders, 'Don't worry if you let one in - we'll score two.' That's how we felt. - were the words of which legendary Hungarian midfielder, a member of the Magnificent Magyars of the 1950s? Spending the majority of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC, he memorably scored a hat-trick when they beat England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium in the so-called 'Match of the Century'.
Nandor Hidegkuti
Everybody remembers Nadia Comaneci, but which great rival of hers, a Soviet gymnast, was the second person to score perfect 10 at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics and the first person to do so in the vault and floor events?
Nellie Kim
Which four-letter word may refer (1) in video gaming, to a change to a game that reduces the power of a weapon or skill in order to maintain game balance, or (2) a brand of foam-based weaponry toys created by Parker Brothers famous for its advertising slogan, 'It's _____ or Nothing'?
Nerf
This is the final medal table of the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi. Identify the country at No.6?
Netherlands
The Deflategate scandal refers to a National Football League (NFL) controversy involving allegation that which team had tampered with the footballs used in their AFC Championship against the Indiana Colts in January 2015? Their star quarterback Tom Brady was subsequently suspended for four games.
New England Patriots
Winner of three Superbowl MVPs and the quarterback to have led his team to more division titles than any other, Tom Brady has played for which National Football League (NFL) team ever since he joined them in 2000?
New England Patriots
The basis of the US version of the boardgame Monopoly, in which US state is Atlantic City located?
New Jersey
Featuring the Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor and including other such as George Martin, Jim Burt and Carl Banks, the defensive line-up of which NFL team of the '8os is known as the 'Big Blue Wrecking Crew'? Considered one of the greatest NFL defenses of all time, they won the Super Bowl twice - in 1986 and 1990.
New York Giants
Played on December 28th 1958, the 26th NFL championship game has become widely known as 'The Greatest Game Ever Played'. Featuring 17 individuals now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (including Vince Lombardi and Raymond Berry), it was the first NFL playoff game to go into sudden-death overtime. Name EITHER of the two teams involved (you need to give both its state as well as team name).
New York Giants/ Baltimore Colts
The All Blacks is the nickname of which country's international rugby union team?
New Zealand
Nominated for the 2006 Golden Geek Best Wargame, which light-medium science-fiction boardgame released by Avalon Hill consists of homebase hexes for the players as well as a central Monolith hex? It is set in a faraway moon in which the players attempt to mine the fictitious metal "rubium".
Nexus Ops
Founded by John Hanke in 2010 and named after a whaling vessel which came to San Francisco during the 1800s California Gold Rush, which US software company is best-known for its augmented-reality (AR) games such as 'Ingress' and 'Pokémon Go'?
Niantic
Directed by Ron Howard, the 2013 sports drama biopic 'Rush' centers on the rivalry between James Hunt and which other Formula 1 driver during the 1976 racing season?
Nicky Lauda
Which Formula One racing driver announced his retirement in December 2016, five days after winning his first World Championship title after beating Lewis Hamilton?
Nico Rosberg
First awarded in December 2018, the footballing award known as the Ballon d'Or Feminin (or Women's Ballon d'Or) went to this striker, currently playing for the French club Olympique Lyonnais. Which country did she represent from 2011 to 2017 before deciding to take a break from international football only at the age of 23?
Norway (Ada Hegerberg)
Which seed of spice of several species of the genus Myristica also gives its name to a skill used mainly in football (soccer) where the ball is kicked between an opponent's legs in order to get the ball past them and back to the original player?
Nutmeg
Only one of two players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, the seven-time NBA All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook spent the first eleven years of his professional career with which Western Conference team?
Oklahoma City Thunder
Born January 1987, which Ukrainian professional boxer was named the 2018 Fighter of the Year by Sports Illustrated, ESPN and the Boxing Writers Association of America? From July 2018, he reigned as the undisputed champion and the first cruiserweight in history to hold all four major world championships (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO).
Oleksandr Usyk
Currently boasting of star players such as Ada Hegerberg (first ever recipient of Ballon d'Or Feminin) and the French and Japanese international team captains (Amandine Henry and Saki Kumagai), which French woman's football club has been acknowledged as the world's strongest team since the 2010s, with a record four successive UEFA Champions League wins from 2016 to 2019?
Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) Feminin
Its name deriving from the Hindu for 'twenty-five' (the largest score that can be thrown with the cowrie shells used in the game), which ancient Indian cross-and-circle board game is played on a board shaped as a symmetrical cross, and has spawned modern western versions such as Sorry! and Ludo?
Pachisi
Playing their home matches at the Estadio Manuel Ferreira, Club Olimpia is the most successful football (soccer) team in which South American country, with forty domestic championship titles to date?
Paraguay
Supposedly watched over by Macuilxochitl (the god of games) and played on a X-shaped board with 52 squares, which ancient game was played by a wide range of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Toltecs, Aztecs and Zapotecs?
Patolli
Derived from the French, which term refers to the main pack or group of cyclists in a road bicycle race? The riders save energy by riding close behind others, a process known as slipstreaming.
Peloton
Considered one of the best breaststroke exponents, which South African swimmer became her country's first post-Apartheid Olympic gold medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and also became the only woman in Olympic history to win both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events?
Penelope Heyns
The most-capped player in the history of the Czech national team (as of Feb 2017), which goalkeeper sustained a serious skull fracture while he was playing for his club Chelsea in 2006? Since then, he wore a protective headgear during matches eveb after his injuries have healed.
Petr Cech
This diagram shows the logos of four major sports teams all based within the metropolitan area of WHICH US CITY?
Phoenix, Arizona - Arizona Coyotes (NHL), Phoenix Suns (NBA), Arizona Cardinals (NHL) and Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)
We all know that the leader of the Tour de France bicycle race wears the coveted yellow jersey, but what is the colour of the jersey awarded to the lead cyclist of its Italian equivalent, the Giro d'Italia?
Pink (the Maglia rosa)
Nicknamed 'Super Mario', the Canadian ice-hockey player Mario Lemieux played his entire career for which NHL team? He led them to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992, before becoming the team's owner after his retirement (in 2006) and leading them to another three Stanley Cup victories.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, which side-scrolling platform game features the titular character who can launch any of his limbs at will to damage enemies? Set on the continent of Akrillic, he goes on a quest defeating villains such as the Bobbin Brothers, Womack Spider and the Flea Queen.
Plok
Currently the record holder for the most number of Asian Champions League titles (three), what is the two-word full name of the team whose logo is shown here? It is based in a seaport on the mouth of the Hyeongsan River, and the second part of its name refers to the particular industry that has been a mainstay of the city since the early 1970s.
Pohang Steelers (South Korea)
Best known for its 'Witcher' franchise of fantasy role-playing video games, the game publisher, developer and distributor CD Projekt was founded (in 1994) and based in which European country? According to one of its founders, his love for computer games was kindled due to their scarcity in his growing-up years due to Soviet influence over his nation.
Poland
What is the nationality of the individual shown here?
Polish (Agnieszka Radwanska)
Which National Basketball Association (NBA) team/ franchise is based in the city marked by the star?
Portland Trail Blazers
In rugby union, what common name is given to the positions 1 and 3 as shown in this diagram? Part of the front row of players, they are positioned on both sides of the hooker (No. 2) in a scrum. No. 1 is also called the loosehead' as his head is on the outside of a scrum, whereas No. 3 is the `tighthead' as his head will be engaged between the opponent players.
Props
Defeating the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber, Monica Puig became which Caribbean island's first ever gold medalist when she won the women's tennis single title at the 2016 Rio Summer Games?
Puerto Rico
Winning the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award in 2011, which game designed by Susan McKinley Ross comes with 108 wooden tiles, each painted with one of six shapes in one of six colours? It shares characteristics with Scrabble and Rummikub.
Qwirkle
Including loans and from left to right, this sequence shows the clubs that which international football star has played for in his career so far?
Radamel Falcao
Fondly nicknamed 'The Great Wall' or 'Mr. Dependable' by his fans, which Indian cricketer scored nearly 25000 runs in international cricket before retiring in 2012? He is to date the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket history (after Tendulkar, Ponting and Kallis).
Rahul Dravid
Its inaugural winner being Kylian Mbappe, the award presented to the best player under 21 in French football is named after which playmaker who was integral to the French national team and Real Madrid of the 1950s? Nicknamed the 'Little Napoleon', he was awarded the 1958 Ballon d'Or and also the first footballer to receive the Légion d'honneur.
Raymond Kopa
Amongst the 20 teams that compete in the 2018-19 Spanish La Liga season, five teams are based in the Community of Madrid. Other than Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, name ONE of the other three clubs.
Rayo Vallecano/ Getafe CF/ CD Leganes
Winning their sixth consecutive Bulgarian league title in 2017, the football club Ludogorets (nicknamed the Eagles) is based in which northeastern city in the valley of the Beli Lom river?
Razgrad
Epitomized by games such as `Command and Conquer', 'Warcraft' and 'Age of Empires', the genre abbreviated as RTS is characterized by continuous rather than turn-based game action. For what does the 'R.' in RTS stand?
Real (Real-Time Strategy)
In a competitive game of water polo, opposing players usually wear caps of either blue or white colour, while the two goal-keepers both wear caps of the same colour - what colour is that?
Red
Which British-born video-game developer is known for being the creator of 'Ultima', the open-world fantasy role-playing game series that premiered in 1981? He is better-known by his alter-ego 'Lord British', which is also the name given to the ruler of Britannia in the 'Ultima' game series.
Richard Garriot
Fought on June 20th 1980 and billed as the 'Brawl of Montreal', this boxing match saw Sugar Ray Leonard lose his WBC welterweight title against which Panamanian boxer? Nicknamed 'Manos de Piedra' (Hands of Stone) for his formidable punching power, he has held titles in the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight categories during his 33-year career.
Robeto Duran
Reaching his highest career ranking of world No.4 in November 2010, which Swedish professional tennis player never won a Grand Slam title, but came close when he reached two consecutive French Open finals (2009 and 2010), only to lose to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal respectively?
Robin Soderling
Its name deriving from an ASCII based 1980 game, which term denotes a subgenre of role-playing game characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, tile-based graphics, and permanent death of the player character? Examples include NetHack, Angband and Spelunky.
Roguelike
A former world No.1 and winner of the 2018 French Open Ladies' Singles title (her first Grand Slam title), what is the nationality of Simona Halep?
Romanian
Born 1936 in Queensland, which Australian former world No.1 tennis player won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles in a career that spanned three decades (from 1953 to 1983)? He remains the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles.
Roy Emerson
Mario Zagallo, Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps are the only three men to have won the FIFA World Cup both as player and manager. Which other individual came close, winning the Cup with West Germany in 1990 as a player, but was on the losing side against Brazil in the 2002 final?
Rudi Voller
In 1984, when the Soviet Union led a boycott of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in retaliation against the US-led Moscow Olympics boycott four years earlier, which country was the only Warsaw Pact member to break ranks and take part in the Games?
Rumania/ Romania
What is the nationality of the three sports personalities shown here?
Russian (Sergei Fedorov/ Elena Dementieva/ Andrei Arshavin)
Considered one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history, 'The Miracle at Medinah' took place in September 2012 when Martin Kaymer defeated Steve Stricker to clinch the decisive point in which sporting tournament?
Ryder Cup
Literally translating as 'self-defense without weapons' which five-letter acronym is a martial combat sport developed in the 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve hand-to-hand combat abilities? Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov are considered its pioneers and founders.
SAMBO
Born in Hangzhou in 1991, who became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming in 2012, and the first male swimmer in history to win Olympic and World Championship gold medals at every freestyle distances from 200m up to 1500m?
SUN Yang
Of the three weapons used in modern fencing, which one differs from the other two in that points can be scored with the edge of the blade rather than just the tips? This results usually in very fast movements and attacks.
Sabre
Also known as Wang Chen-chih, which Japanese-Taiwanese baseball player played 22 seasons for the Yomiuri Giants, and also managed them from 1984 to 1988? He is the current holder of the world lifetime home run record, having hit 868 home runs over his entire career.
Sadaharu Oh
Born 1990 in Haryana, which professional badminton player became the only Indian female to attain the world No.1 ranking when she achieved this in 2015? She was also the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal when she bagged the bronze in the 2012 London Games.
Saina Nehwal
Winners of the AFC Champions League in 2007 and 2017, the professional Japanese football club Urawa Red Diamonds takes its name partly from its owners Mitsubishi (whose logo features three red diamonds). It is currently based in which city in the Greater Tokyo Area, created by the merger of Urawa, Omiya and Yono in 2001?
Saitama
It's name derived from a Czech word meaning 'maverick' or referring to objects sculpted from discarded material, which 2003 award-winning point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design has the player control a small humanoid to solve puzzles so as to avert a collision between its home planet and a large incoming spaceship?
Samarost
Based at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, which football club won its only Serie A title in 1991, led by key players such as Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli?
Sampdoria
For which team had Colin Kaepernick been playing (since 2011) before he ignited a firestorm of controversy in 2016 when he refused to stand for the national anthem before an NFL game?
San Francisco 49ers
Played on Feb 3rd 2013, Super Bowl XLVII (nicknamed the 'Harbaugh Bowl' as it featured two brothers Jim and John as opposing head coaches) saw the Baltimore Ravens defeat which NFL team who were seeking their 6th Super Bowl victory in as many appearances? With this win, the Ravens replaced them as the only team with multiple appearances never to lose a Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers
Despite their 8 World Series titles ranking only 5th overall (New York Yankees are top with 27), which Major League Baseball (MLB) team has won the most games of any team in the history of American baseball? Founded in 1883 in New York, they moved to their current city in 1958, where they now play out of Oracle Park.
San Francisco Giants
Born in Albacete in 1895, who joined Real Madrid at the age of 14 and played 689 matches for them, scoring nearly a goal every other name? Becoming Real's director of football and coach in the 1930s, he single-handedly rebuilt a devastated club in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. As its president, he oversaw the construction of the home stadium and signing of key players such as Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento.
Santiago Bernabeu
Born 1993, which swimmer became the first Swedish woman to win a gold medal in swimming when she won the 100m butterfly in world record time at Rio in 2016? She is also the current world record holder in the 50m and 100m freestyle and butterfly, as well as the 200m freestyle (short course).
Sarah Sjostrom
Once a champion of the Pantheon, which titan in the 'Warcraft' universe later set out to destroy the worlds that he had sworn to protect? He created and led the Burning Legion - a vast army of demons and corrupted races, and impaled the world of Azeroth with his dark blade, causing immense destruction.
Sargeras
Its name deriving from the French for 'old shoe', which martial art form that combines the use of hands and feet as weapons is one of the few styles in which the fighters usually wear shoes?
Savate
This is the logo of a professional sports team based in which US city?
Seattle (the Seahawks in NFL)
Founded in 2017 and playing their home games at the Starfire Stadium, which American professional rugby union team has won the inaugural Major League Rugby Grand Final and also successfully defended its title against the San Diego Legion in 2019?
Seattle Seawolves
Winning its only NBA Championship to date in 1979, which professional basketball team relocated southeast after the 2007-08 season, and now plays as the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Seattle SuperSonics
In the history of Formula One racing, only five individuals had won the Driver's Championship four times or more. They are Michael Schumacher (7), Lewis Hamilton (6), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Alain Prost (4) and which driver, who won it from 2010 to 2013?
Sebastian Vettel
Having been nominated for the African Footballer of the Year in the past three years but so far unsuccessfully, the Liverpool forward Sadio Mane plays his international football for which country?
Senegal
This graphic shows the logos of teams that play which competitive sport?
Sepak takraw (Malaysia)
Consistently found on lists of top video game villains, which character from the role-playing game 'Final Fantasy VII' was designed as a direct physical opposite to the protagonist Cloud Strife? The result of an experiment by the megacorporation Shinra, in which they injected him with cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova when he was still a fetus, he wields the fearsome nodachi 'Masamune', named after a legendary late 13th-centuryJapanese swordsmith.
Sephiroth
A former world No.1 and winner of the French Open in 2008, in which MODERN-DAY COUNTRY was this tennis player born in November 1987?
Serbia (Ana Ivanovic)
Which team holds the current record for having won the UEFA Cup/ Europa League the most number of times since 1971? They have won the competition five times, including three straight titles from 2014-2016, beating Liverpool in the final to clinch their latest title.
Sevilla FC
Born in August 1975, which former Pakistani cricketer made his international Test debut in 1997 against the West Indies? Holding the record for the fastest delivery officially recorded (161.3 km/hr) against England in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, he is nicknamed the 'Rawalpindi Express' as a tribute to his hometown and his fast bowling.
Shoaib Akhtar
Known as the General's Game, WHAT FIVE-LETTER name is given to this two-player strategy board game popular in Japan? Broadly similar to chess but possessing a greater game tree complexity, it features pieces named 'Dragon King', 'Jeweled General' and 'Incense Chariot'.
Shogi
In baseball, what position is indicated by the No.6 shown in this diagram?
Shortstop
Which Italian island gives its name to a popular opening in chess characterized by the move : 1. e4 c5? It is estimated that almost a quarter of all games use it.
Sicily (the Sicilian Defense)
Which game designer and developer is best- remembered for 'Civilization', his groundbreaking turn-based strategy game series?
Sid Meier
What is the nationality of Joseph Schooling, the only swimmer to defeat Michael Phelps in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics (in the 100m butterfly)?
Singaporean
Winning the 2016 year-end tennis WTA Finals in Singapore, what is the nationality of former world No. 4 Dominika Cibulkova?
Slovak
Elected as the 7th President of the European football governing body UEFA in 2016 and succeeding Michel Platini, what is the nationality of the lawyer and sports administrator Aleksander Čeferin?
Slovenian
The athlete Mo Farah, who won the 5000m and moom gold medals representing Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, was born in 1983 in which country?
Somalia
After which fleet-footed antelope is the South African men's international rugby union team named?
Springbok
Amr Shabana, Ramy Ashour. Nick Matthew and Gregory Gaultier have all won the world championships in which sport?
Squash
Jahangir Khan of Pakistan won seven world championships in the 1980s in which sport?
Squash
The Egyptian players Ramy Ashour, Mohamed El Shorbagy and Karim Abdel Gawad have all reached the world number one ranking in which competitive sport?
Squash
In the acronym NASCAR, referring to the American auto-racing sports franchise, what does the letter 'S' stand for?
Stock (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
Meaning 'single number' in Japanese, what name is given to the type of logic-based number puzzle as shown here?
Sudoku
Originally presented by L'Equipe magazine, the European Golden Shoe is an annual award presented to the leading goalscorer from the top division of the European national leagues, weighted by the difficulty of the various leagues. The only English player to have won this is Kevin Phillips, when he scored 30 goals in the 1999-2000 Premier League season - with which club?
Sunderland
Having won the K League title on four occasions, the Samsung Bluewings are a professional football club based in which city - the capital and largest metropolis of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province?
Suwon
Since its inauguration in 1938, the World Men's Handball Championship has been dominated by European teams, with France winning a record six golds. Name one of the two European countries that come next, each with four golds.
Sweden or Romania
The only team from its country to win the AFC Champions League so far, it did so only three years after its formation. Managed by the former Liverpool and Germany defender Markus Babbel from 2018 to 2020, in which major city is it based?
Sydney (West Sydney Wanderers)
Originally introduced in 'Warcraft III : Reign of Chaos', whch fictional character was once a High-Elf ranger-general of Silvermoon before she was killed and turned into a banshee by Arthas Menethil? She eventually regained her free will, and founded the Forsaken faction of the undead.
Sylvanas Windrunner
Created by the Japanese company Epoch in 1985, which two-letter name is that of a line of collectible anthropomorphic plastic animal figurines? The first word means 'of the forest/ woodlands' in Latin.
Sylvanian Families
In which competitive sport must the net be set at a height of 6 inches (or 15.25 cm) above the playing surface?
Table-tennis (ping pong)
A high templar holding the rank of executor in the Protoss military, which character in the 'Starcraft' universe was in charge of the expeditionary force that first made contact with the Terrans and the Zergs? Reluctant to sacrifice the humans in order to destroy the Zergs, he eventually gave his own life by crashing his ship into the Zerg Overmind.
Tassadar
Under International Skating Union (ISU) rules, there are six kinds of jumps. Three are toe jumps (the toe loop, flip and Lutz), and three are edge jumps (the Salchow, loop and ______ )? Named after a Norwegian skater who first performed it in 1882, it is considered the most difficult due to an extra half rotation.
The Axel jump
This tournament tree shows the road to winning the NBA championship for which team (blanked out and represented by the ?)? It is a historical season because it is their first (and only) NBA championship since their formation in 1980.
The Dallas Mavericks/ 2011
The premier football (soccer) league of which European nation is known as the Eredivisie?
The Netherlands
In the annual cycling competition the Tour de France, what distinction is held by the rider who wears the special polka dot jersey?
The leader in the mountains stages of the competition
A regular event at the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games, a competitive match of sepak takraw is played by two teams ('regus'), each consisting of how many players?
Three
If you scored a hat-trick in football (soccer), how many goals did you score?
Three
In 1997, the San Antonio Spurs picked which power-forward as their first draft? Forming a formidable front-court with David Robinson, they became known as the `Twin Towers'. He would spend his entire 19-year playing career at San Antonio, winning 5 NBA championships.
Tim Duncan
The national football team of which African country is known by the nickname `Sparowhawks'? In 2010, their team bus was ambushed and attacked by gunmen in Angola, resulting in the deaths of three non-playing staff.
Togo
'Ghost Recon' - the series of popular military tactical shooter video games published by Ubisoft - features the name of which best-selling novelist in its titles, even though it is not based on any of his books?
Tom Clancy
The Original Six is a term referring to the group of six teams that made up the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 25 seasons between the 1942-43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. Of these six teams, four are American and two Canadian. One of the Canadian team is the Montreal Canadiens - name the other. (Full name please)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Born 1947 as Eduardo Goncalves de Andrade, which Brazilian footballer is better known by his one-word nickname derived form an old Portuguese silver coin? Forming a lethal partnership with Pele and winning the 1970 World Cup, he retired at the age of 27 due to a retinal detachment, and became a medical doctor subsequently.
Tostao
Inaugurated in 1963, the quadrennial INF Netball World Cup has been dominated primarily by the Australian national netball team (the Diamonds) and the New Zealand national netball team (the Silver Ferns). Which was the only other team to have won a title? Nicknamed the Calypso Girls, they did it in a three-way tie in the 1979 championship.
Trinidad and Tobago
At the 1995 World Athletic Championships held in Gothenburg, the Briton Jonathan Edwards set the world record for which track and field event, which has lasted up to today?
Triple Jump
In the years following the establishment of its men's world record in 1995, the athletes Christian Olsson (Sweden), Marian Oprea (Romania) and Teddy Tamgho (France) had recorded season-best results in which track and field event? The American Christian Taylor has posted the season-best for the most current three consecutive years (2015-2017).
Triple jump
Designed by Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews and published by GMT Games, which two-person card-driven strategy game derives its two-word title from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address?
Twilight Struggle
Introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of Justin.tv, which live-streaming platform focuses primarily on the streaming of live video games as well as broadcasting of eSports competitions? It has since been acquired by Amazon for US$970 million.
Twitch
The second person to follow an Olympic marathon gold medal with a world championship gold medal, Stephen Kiprotich became which country's first gold medalist since 1972 when he won the marathon at the 2012 London games? He was was inspired in part by John Akii-Bua, his countryman who won the 400 metres hurdles in the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Uganda
Winner of the 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore, what is the nationality of the tennis player Elina Svitolina?
Ukraine
In competitive artistic gymnastics, some events are common to both men and women (the vault and floor exercise), whereas others are exclusive to either gender. Name ONE OF THE TWO events that only women compete in.
Uneven (asymmetric) bars/ (Balance) beam
Luis Suarez, the brilliant but controversial player who transferred from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014, plays his international football for which country?
Uruguay
A ten-time NBA All Star player and holder of the records for most career steals and assists, John Stockton spent his entire career (1984-2003) playing as a point guard for which team?
Utah Jazz
Born in Neuruppin in in 1962, which East German athlete was the only person to have thrown the javelin 100 meters or more when he managed 104.80m in Berlin in 1984? The recorded was later invalidated after a new javelin design was implemented.
Uwe Hohn
Winning 21 of 28 top division titles between them, the clubs Pakhtakor, Bunyodkor and Neftchi are the dominant teams in which country's football league? The first two have each reached the semi-final stage of the AFC Champions League twice.
Uzbekistan
In competitive gymnastics, other than floor exercise, which other event is common to both men and women?
Vault
Named after one of its most successful football managers, the Ernst Happel Stadion is the largest stadium in the country and the home-ground of the national football team. In which city is it located?
Vienna
This diagram shows (in chronological order) the various clubs which NBA shooting guard/ forward and 8-time All-Star had played for in his career so far?
Vince Carter
Awarded annually to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game known as the Super Bowl, this trophy is named after which legendary NFL coach who led the Green Bay Packers to a string of championship victories in the 1960s?
Vince Lombardi
Born in Delhi in 1988, which Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman and current captain of the Indian national cricket team has been the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world since October 2017?
Virat Kohli
Which Indian lost his world chess title to the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in November 2013?
Viswanathan Anand
Born in Minsk in 1972, which former gymnast competed under the CIS flag at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and Belarus at the 1996 Atlanta Games? One of the most successful gymnasts of all time, he is also the only male gymnast ever to win a world title in all eight events.
Vitaly Scherbo
Born in Krasnodar Krai in 1975, which Russian Grandmaster became the first undisputed world chess champion in 2006 when he held both the FIDE and Classical titles? His lost the title to Viswanathan Anand in 2007.
Vladimir Kramnik
Nicknamed the 'Tsar of the Pool' and 'Leningrad Express', which Soviet swimmer was the first swimmer to clock under 15 minutes in the 1500m and under 8 minutes in the 800m freestyle? Between 1978 until his retirement ten years later, he set a total of 12 world records in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle.
Vladimir Salnikov
In 1998, the position of libero was introduced into which international sport? The player in this position wears a different jersey from his team-mates, and is usually the best defensive player in the team.
Volleyball
In 2001, which sport's international governing body selected the Italian Lorenzo Bernardi and the American Karch Kiraly as its 'Players of the Century'? Kiraly is also the only player (male or female) to have won Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and outdoor categories of the sport.
Volleyball
Created by Rick Priestley in 1987, the tabletop miniature wargame known as '___________ 40000' is set in a fantasy future during the 41st millennium, which sees factions such as the Imperium of Man, Orks, Eldar and Daemon vying for power. It has also been adapted into video games, card games and fiction books.
Warhammer
Born in Cape Town in 1992, which South African athlete is the current world record holder for the men's 400 metres? In 2017, he became the only sprinter in history to clock sub-10, sub-20, sub-31 and sub-44 at 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m distances respectively.
Wayde van Niekerk
The only New Zealand-based football (soccer) team to play in the Australian A-League, in which city is this club (whose partially-redacted logo is shown here) based?
Wellington (Wellington Phoenix)
Founded in 1899 by a group of 16 vocational high school students and taking its name from a German word for "river peninsula", which professional football club in the Bundesliga plays their home matches at the Weserstadion? They won the Bundesliga four times (last in 2004) and also the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Werder Bremen
'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' is a song traditionally associated with the supporters of which football club?
West Ham United
Which English Premier League football team previously played its home games at a stadium that is known by two interchangeable names? The first derives from the belief that one of King Henry VIII's wives had stayed at the house which the ground had been part of (the ground is said to be haunted by one of her maids who died in childbirth); the second from the urban area of the East London borough of Newham where the stadium is located.
West Ham United (The Boleyn Ground/ Upton Park)
Translating literally as 'forever spring' or 'spring chant', which concept-based Chinese martial art is the legendary Ip Man an exponent of? The name derives from that of a mythical 18th-century female pugilist, played by Michelle Yeoh in a 1994 movie of the same name.
Wing Chun
The only community-owned, non-profit major league professional sports team in the USA, the American football team Green Bay Packers is based in which north-central state?
Wisconsin
Which city on the River Aller in the German state of Lower Saxony is the headquarters of Volkswagen AG? The city's football team plays in the Volkswagen Arena.
Wolfsburg
The map shown below is the setting of which popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)?
World of Warcraft (WoW)
At 2.06m (6 ft 9 in) and one of the tallest female athletes in the world, which Russian volleyball player was a member of the national team that won 2 World Championships and 2 Olympic silvers? She was voted the tournament MVP at the 2010 FIVB World Championship.
Yekaterina Gamova
Born in 1974, which Russian former world No.1 tennis player is the last man to have won both the Men's Singles and Doubles titles at the same Grand Slam tournament, which he did at the French Open in 1996?
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Ranking 5th on the list of highest number of international goals (with 79) and outranking Pele, what was the nationality of the forward Godfrey Chitalu? He became his country's national coach after a career with Kitwe United and Kabwe Warriors, but tragically died in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon in 1993.
Zambian
A major figure in the 'Starcraft' universe created by Blizzard Entertainment, which Protoss protagonist is a Nerazim ('Dark One') psionic warrior who ultimately sacrifices his life in order to save his race from destruction?
Zeratul
Making his senior debut with Flamengo in 1939, which attacking midfielder who holds the joint-record of top scorer at the Copa America (with 17 goals) is often considered the best Brazilian footballer of the pre-Pelé era?
Zizinho
Which footballer's career is shown here? Often known mononymously by just his first name, he is his country's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
First mentioned in English in a 1905 issue of 'Lasker's Chess Magazine', which term (derived from the German for 'compelled to move') denotes a situation where a player is put at a disadvantage because he must make a move even though he would prefer not to? Famous examples include Samisch vs Nimzowitsch (1923) and Fischer vs Taimanov (1971).
Zugzwang
Best known for its popular game 'Farmville', which developer of online social games is named after the deceased bulldog of its co-founder Mark Pincus?
Zynga