Super Quiz - October 31, 2011

Subject: BIRDS

(e.g., What color is the female of the common blackbird? Answer: Brown.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Which painter is renowned for his paintings of U.S. birds?
Answer________

2. Which bird migrates the farthest?
Answer________

3. It was once one of the most common of U.S. birds but is now extinct.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. What is an aviary?
Answer________

5. What bird is also known as an apteryx?
Answer________

6. What is a capon?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. In Japan and China, this bird is trained and used to catch fish.
Answer________

8. Some cuckoos are brood parasites. What does that mean?
Answer________

9. The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to which island?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. John James Audubon.
2. Arctic tern.
3. Passenger pigeon.
4. An enclosed area where birds are kept.
5. Kiwi.
6. Castrated male chicken.
7. Cormorant.
8. Lays eggs in nests of other species.
9. Mauritius.

Super Quiz - October 29, 2011

Subject: SUN

Each answer contains the word "sun." (e.g., A ski area and resort community in central Idaho. Answer: Sun Valley.)
 
FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Song title that begins, "Up in the morning, out on the job."
Answer________

2. Company that gave Elvis Presley his first recording contract.
Answer________

3. "Mad dogs and Englishmen" both do this.
Answer________

4. Louis XIV of France.
Answer________

5. This song's lyrics include, "Down Lover's Lane we'll wander, Sweethearts you and I."
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. The Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church.
Answer________

7. A sitcom about four extraterrestrials that aired from 1996 to 2001.
Answer________

8. A 1926 novel by Ernest Hemingway.
Answer________

9. Title of a 1946 Western starring Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck.
Answer________

10. This structure in Mexico is the third-largest of its kind in the world.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

11. Phrase used to describe the Spanish Empire and later the British Empire.
Answer________

12. This song begins, "There is a house in New Orleans."
Answer________

13. A play that portrays a few weeks in the life of an African-American family living in Chicago's South Side.
Answer________

14. The first line of this song is "Goodbye to you, my trusted friend."
Answer________

15. An atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. "That Lucky Old Sun."
2. Sun Records.
3. "Go out in the midday sun."
4. "The Sun King."
5. "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie."
6. Sun Myung Moon.
7. "3rd Rock From the Sun."
8. "The Sun Also Rises."
9. "Duel in the Sun."
10. Pyramid of the Sun.
11. "The empire on which the sun never sets."
12. "House of the Rising Sun."
13. "A Raisin in the Sun."
14. "Seasons in the Sun."
15. Sundog.

Super Quiz - October 28, 2011

Subject: NICKNAMES

Who was known by the nickname? Initials are provided. (e.g., "The March King" (J.P.S.). Answer: John Philip Sousa.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. "The Desert Fox" (E.R.)
Answer________

2. "The Lone Eagle" (C.L.)
Answer________

3. "The King of Swing" (B.G.)
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. "Lady Day" (B.H.)
Answer________

5. "The World's Most Perfectly Developed Man" (C.A.)
Answer________

6. "Last of the Red Hot Mamas" (S.T.)
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. "Son of Sam" (D.B.)
Answer________

8. "The Yorkshire Ripper" (P.S.)
Answer________

9. "The Wickedest Man in the World" (A.C.)
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Erwin Rommel.
2. Charles Lindbergh.
3. Benny Goodman.
4. Billie Holiday.
5. Charles Atlas.
6. Sophie Tucker.
7. David Berkowitz.
8. Peter Sutcliffe.
9. Aleister Crowley.

Super Quiz - October 27, 2011

Subject: SOUTHEAST ASIA

(e.g., The highest mountains of Southeast Asia are in which country? Answer: Myanmar (Burma).)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Southeast Asia is east of ___, south of ___ and north of Australia.
Answer________

2. What is the most widely practiced religion in Southeast Asia?
Answer________

3. What is the largest country in both area and population?
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Name two countries that were part of the former French Indochina.
Answer________

5. Name any capital city that begins with either a "J" or a "K."
Answer________

6. Name any capital city that begins with either a "P" or an "H."
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. More than 20 percent of the people in Southeast Asia live on this island.
Answer________

8. What Indonesian island exploded in 1883, killing thousands of people?
Answer________

9. What is the largest island in the Malay Archipelago?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. India, China.
2. Islam.
3. Indonesia.
4. Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.
5. Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur.
6. Phnom Penh, Hanoi.
7. Java.
8. Krakatoa.
9. Borneo.

Super Quiz - October 26, 2011

Subject: WHO?

(e.g., U.S. private who was executed for desertion in World War II. Answer: Eddie Slovik.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Emperor who was born on a carpet.
Answer________

2. Hero whose body was preserved in a cask of brandy.
Answer________

3. President whose lasting legacy is the teddy bear.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. King who wore two shirts at his execution.
Answer________

5. Actress who continued to perform after one of her legs was amputated.
Answer________

6. U.S. millionaire who was obsessed with avoiding germs.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Nurse who had a pet owl named Athena.
Answer________

8. Author who died, along with her unborn child, at the young age of 38.
Answer________

9. French philosopher who was castrated.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Napoleon Bonaparte.
2. Horatio Nelson.
3. Theodore Roosevelt.
4. Charles I of England.
5. Sarah Bernhardt.
6. Howard Hughes.
7. Florence Nightingale.
8. Charlotte Bronte.
9. Peter Abelard.

Super Quiz - October 25, 2011

Subject: OPERA

(e.g., Translate the title "Pagliacci." Answer: Clowns or players.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Who does U.S. Naval Officer Pinkerton jilt?
Answer________

2. This George Gershwin opera takes place in the fictitious Catfish Row.
Answer________

3. Translate the German title of the opera "Die Fledermaus."
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Giuseppe Verdi did NOT write this opera for the opening of the Suez Canal.
Answer________

5. What is the name of the barber in "The Barber of Seville"?
Answer________

6. The title character in this Georges Bizet opera dies when stabbed by Don Jose.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. This opera by Benjamin Britten is based on a story by Herman Melville.
Answer________

8. This Richard Wagner opera is about a ghost ship that can never make port.
Answer________

9. In this operetta, countrymen try to keep a woman's money in the country.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Madama Butterfly.
2. "Porgy and Bess."
3. The bat.
4. "Aida."
5. Figaro.
6. "Carmen."
7. "Billy Budd."
8. "The Flying Dutchman."
9. "The Merry Widow."

Super Quiz - October 24, 2011

Subject: HILL

Each answer ends in "hill." (e.g., The cooling effect of wind blowing on a surface. Answer: Windchill.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. English prime minister during World War II.
Answer________

2. The U.S. Congress (informal).
Answer________

3. Some people make a mountain out of it.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. The first important battle of the American Revolutionary War.
Answer________

5. English comic noted for his long-running TV show.
Answer________

6. Idiom meaning "too old to be useful."
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Where Louis Armstrong found his thrill.
Answer________

8. The Rough Riders charged up it.
Answer________

9. Site of the University of North Carolina.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Winston Churchill.
2. Capitol Hill.
3. Molehill.
4. Bunker Hill.
5. Benny Hill.
6. Over the hill.
7. Blueberry Hill.
8. San Juan Hill.
9. Chapel Hill.

Super Quiz - October 22, 2011

Subject: SHERLOCK HOLMES

(e.g., What was Sherlock's occupation? Answer: Consulting detective.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Who created the character?
Answer________

2. Who was Sherlock's friend and biographer?
Answer________

3. What musical instrument did Holmes play well?
Answer________

4. Who was Mrs. Hudson?
Answer________

5. He never actually uttered this; his most popular quotation.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. What was the first story in which Holmes appeared?
Answer________

7. What was the name of Sherlock's brother?
Answer________

8. What "professor" was Sherlock's adversary?
Answer________

9. Who portrayed Sherlock in the 14 U.S. films from 1939 to 1946?
Answer________
10. Who played the title role in the 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes"?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

11. Holmes was a habitual user of what addictive drug?
Answer________

12. What was his address?
Answer________

13. Holmes said, "You see but you do not ___".
Answer________

14. Who was Irene Adler?
Answer________

15. What hobby did Holmes follow in his retirement?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
2. Dr. John H. Watson.
3. Violin.
4. Sherlock's housekeeper and landlady.
5. "Elementary, my dear Watson."
6. "A Study in Scarlet."
7. Mycroft Holmes.
8. Professor Moriarty.
9. Basil Rathbone.
10. Robert Downey Jr.
11. Cocaine.
12. 221B Baker Street.
13. Observe.
14. The only woman to impress Holmes.
15. Apiculture (beekeeping).

Super Quiz - October 21, 2011

Subject: UNUSUAL DEATHS

(e.g.., He was killed by a U.S. vice president in a duel. Answer: Alexander Hamilton.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Bruce Lee's son Brandon was shot and killed by a ____.
Answer________

2. Steve Irwin ("The Crocodile Hunter") died when he was impaled by a ___.
Answer________

3. Harry Houdini died of a ruptured appendix after being ____.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Tom and Eileen Lonergan are presumed dead after being stranded by ____.
Answer________

5. This golfer died either of hypoxia when his airplane lost cabin pressure or when the plane crashed to the earth.
Answer________

6. Dancer Isadora Duncan died of a broken neck when her scarf ____.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Ray Chapman, shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, was killed when ____.
Answer________

8. Jimi Heselden, owner of the Segway company, was killed when he ____.
Answer________

9. He was stabbed to death by a woman while in his bathtub.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Prop gun during the making of a movie.
2. Stingray barb.
3. Punched in the stomach.
4. The group's scuba-diving boat.
5. Payne Stewart.
6. Caught on the wheel of a car.
7. Hit in the temple by a pitched ball.
8. Accidentally drove off a cliff on a Segway.
9. Jean-Paul Marat.

Super Quiz - October 20, 2011

Subject: SAN FRANCISCO

(e.g., After whom is the city named? Answer: Saint Francis of Assisi.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Provide one of the city's more popular nicknames.
Answer________

2. Who left his heart in San Francisco?
Answer________

3. What is the city's famous moving icon?
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. What is the city's famous island?
Answer________

5. What area is both a tourist attraction and home base for a fishing fleet?
Answer________

6. What strait connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. In which year was the great earthquake and fire?
Answer________

8. What connects the San Francisco Peninsula to the Marin Peninsula?
Answer________

9. Translate the motto "Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra."
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. "The City by the Bay," "Fog City," "The Paris of the West."
2. Tony Bennett.
3. Cable cars.
4. Alcatraz.
5. Fisherman's Wharf.
6. Golden Gate.
7. 1906.
8. The Golden Gate Bridge.
9. Gold in Peace, Iron in War.

Super Quiz - October 19, 2011

Subject: THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

(e.g., Who is credited with crossing the Atlantic and discovering a "New World"? Answer: Christopher Columbus.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. What man-made passage connects the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans?
Answer________

2. What "stream" warms the atmosphere of the British Isles?
Answer________

3. What line divides the ocean into the North and South Atlantic?
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. The first part of the ocean's name refers to which hero of Greek mythology?
Answer________

5. Many British people refer to the U.S. and Canada as being "across the ___."
Answer________

6. Who is credited with discovering North America's Atlantic Coast?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. What southern "passage" connects the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean?
Answer________

8. What ridge divides the Atlantic into two large troughs?
Answer________

9. What part of the Atlantic is a spawning ground for eels?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Panama Canal.
2. Gulf Stream.
3. Equator.
4. Atlas.
5. Pond.
6. Leif Ericson.
7. Drake Passage.
8. Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
9. Sargasso Sea.

Super Quiz - October 18, 2011

Subject: GENERAL CUSTER

(e.g., In which war did he first serve? Answer: U.S. Civil War.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Which war did he fight in next?
Answer________

2. What was Gen. Custer's full name?
Answer________

3. For which battle is he best remembered?
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. By what name has the battle become popularly known?
Answer________

5. What Indian leader called together a large gathering of Plains Indians?
Answer________

6. Who portrayed Custer in the 1941 film "They Died With Their Boots On"?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Custer was present at this man's surrender.
Answer________

8. He graduated last in his class from this military academy.
Answer________

9. Where is Custer buried?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. The Indian Wars.
2. George Armstrong Custer.
3. Battle of Little Bighorn.
4. Custer's Last Stand.
5. Sitting Bull.
6. Errol Flynn.
7. Robert E. Lee.
8. West Point.
9. West Point Cemetery.

Super Quiz - October 17, 2011

Subject: INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS

Identify the city served by the airport. (e.g., Indira Gandhi International. Answer: Delhi.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. John F. Kennedy.
Answer________

2. Heathrow.
Answer________

3. O'Hare.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Orly.
Answer________

5. Leonardo da Vinci.
Answer________

6. Ben Gurion.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Iman Khomeini.
Answer________

8. Ninoy Aquino.
Answer________

9. Benazir Bhutto.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. New York City.
 2. London.
3. Chicago.
4. Paris.
5. Rome.
6. Tel Aviv.
7. Tehran.
8. Manila.
9. Islamabad.

Super Quiz - October 15, 2011

Subject: WOMEN WRITERS

Identify the female author. Initials are provided. (e.g., "Show Boat": E.F. Answer: Edna Ferber.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. "The Tale of Peter Rabbit": B.P.
Answer________

2. "Wuthering Heights": E.B.
Answer________

3. "The Good Earth": P.S.B.
Answer________

4. "Uncle Tom's Cabin": H.B.S.
Answer________

5. "Gone With the Wind": M.M.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. "Little Women": L.M.A
Answer________

7. "Frankenstein": M.S.
Answer________

8. "The Fountainhead": A.R.
Answer________

9. "Pride and Prejudice": J.A.
Answer________

10. "Little House on the Prairie": L.I.W.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

11. "The Vampire Chronicles": A.R.
Answer________

12. "The Joy Luck Club": A.T.
Answer________

13. "The Color Purple": A.W.
Answer________

14. "To Kill a Mockingbird": H.L.
Answer________

15. "Silas Marner": G.E.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Beatrix Potter.
2. Emily Bronte.
3. Pearl S. Buck.
4. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
5. Margaret Mitchell.
6. Louisa May Alcott.
7. Mary Shelley.
8. Ayn Rand.
9. Jane Austen.
10. Laura Ingalls Wilder.
11. Anne Rice.
12. Amy Tan.
13. Alice Walker.
14. Harper Lee.
15. George Eliot.

Super Quiz - October 14, 2011

Subject: MARYLAND

(e.g., What is the capital city of Maryland? Answer: Annapolis.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. What is Maryland's largest city?
Answer________

2. What is the ZIP code abbreviation for Maryland?
Answer________

3. What bay nearly bisects the state?
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. What is the official state bird?
Answer________

5. Provide one of the state's popular nicknames.
Answer________

6. Which former governor later resigned as vice president of the U.S.?
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. This famous private research university is located in Baltimore.
Answer________

8. Translate the motto "Fatti maschii, parole femine."
Answer________

9. Maryland is the first state with an official state exercise. What is it?
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Baltimore.
2. MD.
3. Chesapeake Bay.
4. Baltimore oriole.
5. "Old Line State," "Free State," "Little America," "America in Miniature," "Terrapin State" (other answers possible).
6. Spiro Agnew.
7. Johns Hopkins University.
8. Manly deeds, womanly words.
9. Walking.

Super Quiz - October 13, 2011

Subject: EL QUIZ

Each answer consists of two words; the first is the Spanish word "el" (the). (e.g., Active volcano in Peru also known as Guagua-Putina. Answer: El Misti.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Country of Central America.
Answer________

2. A legendary city of gold.
Answer________

3. A mock honorific slang given to denote a stingy person.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Site of a decisive victory over Erwin Rommel in World War II.
Answer________

5. Spanish soldier and national hero.
Answer________

6. A warm ocean current off the coast of Ecuador.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Spanish painter born in Greece.
Answer________

8. Leader of the South American revolt against Spanish rule.
Answer________

9. A city in West Texas on the Rio Grande.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. El Salvador.
2. El Dorado.
3. El Cheapo.
4. El Alamein.
5. El Cid.
6. El Nino.
7. El Greco.
8. El Libertador.
9. El Paso.

Super Quiz - October 12, 2011

Subject: GEOGRAPHIC SUPERLATIVES

(e.g., Largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Answer: Hawaii.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. Europe's largest island.
Answer________

2. Africa's highest mountain.
Answer________

3. Canada's longest river.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. Asia's longest river.
Answer________

5. The least-populous country of Central America.
Answer________

6. South America's smallest country (area).
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. The least-populous state capital in the U.S.
Answer________

8. Europe's longest river.
Answer________

9. The most-populous state capital in the U.S.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Great Britain.
2. Mount Kilimanjaro.
3. Mackenzie River.
4. Yangtze River.
5. Belize.
6. Suriname.
7. Montpelier, Vt.
8. Volga River.
9. Phoenix.

Super Quiz - October 11, 2011

Subject: COLORFUL BOOK TITLES

Complete the book title with a color. (e.g., "___ Eggs and Ham." Answer: Green.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. "___ Beauty"
Answer________

2. "The ___ Badge of Courage"
Answer________

3. "Anne of ___ Gables"
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. "The Color ___"
Answer________

5. "The ___ Mile"
Answer________

6. "The ___ Letter"
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. "The Name of the ___"
Answer________

8. "___ Fang"
Answer________

9. "A Clockwork ___"
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Black.
2. Red.
3. Green.
4. Purple.
5. Green.
6. Scarlet.
7. Rose.
8. White.
9. Orange.

Super Quiz - October 10, 2011

Subject: ME FIRST

Each answer is a seven-letter word that begins with "me." (e.g., Creature with the body of a woman and a fish tail. Answer: Mermaid.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. A silver, liquid metal element.
Answer________

2. The promised deliverer of the Jewish nation.
Answer________

3. A small South African mongoose.
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. To follow a winding and turning course.
Answer________

5. A candelabrum with seven branches.
Answer________

6. Person with Spanish and American-Indian parentage.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. Lower or hindmost part of the brain.
Answer________

8. Pigment responsible for skin coloring.
Answer________

9. A substance that smells and tastes like mint.
Answer________

ANSWERS:
1. Mercury.
2. Messiah.
3. Meerkat.
4. Meander.
5. Menorah.
6. Mestizo.
7. Medulla oblongata.
8. Melanin.
9. Menthol.

Super Quiz - May 16, 2011

Subject: HISTORICAL PEOPLE

Identify the person. (e.g., His horse was named Bucephalus. Answer: Alexander the Great.)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. She was burned at the stake in 1431.
Answer________

2. He crossed the Rubicon to fight Pompey.
Answer________

3. He made a famous "midnight ride."
Answer________

GRADUATE LEVEL

4. She wrote a famous diary in Amsterdam.
Answer________

5. He was born in Corsica and died in St. Helena.
Answer________

6. He published prophecies that have become famous worldwide.
Answer________

PH.D. LEVEL

7. He was killed in Bolivia in 1967.
Answer________

8. He built a hospital at Lambarene, Gabon.
Answer________

9. He led the Muslims against the Crusaders and eventually recaptured Palestine.
Answer________

ANSWERS:

1. Joan of Arc.
2. Julius Caesar.
3. Paul Revere.
4. Anne Frank.
5. Napoleon.
6. Nostradamus.
7. Che Guevara.
8. Albert Schweitzer.
9. Saladin.