First Round - 2007

Answers

1

Three animal diseases hit farming in 2007- bird flu and foot and mouth were two. What was the third?

Blue tongue

2

Whose navy seized Faye Furney and 14 colleagues?

Iranian

3

To within 5 days, for how many days was the BBC reporter Alan Johnston held in the Gaza strip?

114

4

From which Portuguese town did Madeleine McCann disappear

Praia da Luz

5

Who, aged 81, was appointed as First Minister in Northen Ireland?

Ian Paisley

6

To within 2% how much did cigarette sales fall in the month following the ban on smoking in public places ?

10 % - 14% (11.6%)

7

Who paddled his canoe to Panama?

John Darwin

8

Who made a career of jumping over buses and died in 2007?

Evel Kneivel

9

To the nearest million how many copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were sold in Britain and the USA combined in the first 24 hours?

11 million

10

What right royal event occurred at 5pm on 26 December 2007

Queen became oldest ever British monarch (nb not longest reigning)

First Round - General

11

What was the second Harry Potter book to be published?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

12

When was Elvis Presley born?

1935

13

What drug is obtained from foxgloves?

Digitalis

14

What was nationality of first non Russian and non American in space?

Czech

15

In Eastenders who imprisoned Ian?

Stephen

16

What is the high security prison on the Isle of Wight called?

Parkhurst

17

How many Von Trapp children are there in The Sound Of Music?

7

18

How many rounds in an amateur boxing fight?

3

19

Which country has the longest coastline?

Canada

20

Who succeeded Robert Runcie as Archbishop of Canterbury?

George Carey

Second Round - Entertainment

1

In late 2007, the album Growing Pains was released by which singer?

Mary Blige

2

Which actor spoke the lines sentencing Norman Stanley Fletcher to 5 years Porridge?

Ronnie Barker

3

Which character in the Archers has been played by the same actor since its inception?

Phil played by Norman Painting

4

Which was the first Carry On film?

Carry on Sergeant

5

Who was the undertaker in Dad's Army?

Fraser

6

Who was the oldest member of the Beatles?

Ringo Starr

7

How did the Sweeney get its name?

Sweeney Todd - Flying Squad

8

The Eagle has Landed centres on a plot to kidnap whom?

Winston Churchill

9

In what decade did Blue Peter start?

1950s

10

In Star Trek what colour was Mr Spock's blood?

Green

Second Round - General

11

What is the name of Dick Francis's first horse racing thriller?

Dead Cert

12

In which year did Britain's currency go decimal?

1971

13

Which is largest - 4 litres, 1 US gallon or 1 imperial gallon?

1 Imperial Gallon

14

What did S stand for in Harry S Truman?

S ie nothing but S

15

In Braille which letter consists of a single dot?

A

16

Athene is the Greek goddess of wisdom, who is the Roman equivalent?

Minerva

17

Which Roman road linked London to York?

Ermine Street

18

Which football club does Northern Rock sponsor?

Newcastle United

19

Which country ceded Florida to the US in 1812?

Spain

20

Which US probe was sent to land on Mars in 1997?

Pathfinder

Third Round -Natural World

1

What is the commonest bird in the British Isles?

Wren

2

Which creature gives birth to the biggest babies?

Blue whale

3

Which collective noun describes a group of crows?

A Murder

4

Which type of bird is especially associated with the Tower of London?

Raven

5

What type of animal was the Empress of Blandings?

Pig

6

Which is the only mammal able to fly?

Bat

7

What colour are the fruits on deadly nightshade?

Black

8

From which language does the word budgerigar come?

Aboriginal Australian from New South Wales

9

To which family of fish does the anchovy belong to?

Herring

10

What is the main food of the oyster catcher?

Mussels

Third Round - General

11

Who died first Romeo or Juliet?

Romeo

12

Which year was the Queen's annus horribilis?

1992

13

In which country would you come up if you drilled a hole straight through the earth from Buenos Aires?

China

14

What was Marilyn Monroe's full maiden name?

Norma Jeanne Baker

15

How many Sky channels were there originally in 1989 ?

Four

16

What is the capital of Venezuela?

Caracas

17

Who is the only character in Cluedo known to be unmarried ?

Miss Scarlet

18

How old did women have to be to vote in 1918?

30

19

In 1978 Pope John Paul I died after roughly how long in office?

One month or 33 days

20

What are the colours of the All England Lawn Tennis Club?

Green and purple

Fourth Round - Local

1

How many buses are there each weekday from Steeple Aston to Oxford?

13

2

What did Oxford's Natural History Museum fail to preserve properly?

World's only complete Dodo

3

What was the name of William IV’s doctor who lived in The Grange?

Thomas Davis

4

To within 3 how many annual summer horticultural shows have there been in the village?

113 to 119 (116)

5

In which village is Winston Churchill buried?

Bladon

6

To within 10 years when was William Kent called in to remodel the gardens at Rousham?

1730s (1738)

7

How many monarchs are commemorated with statues on the base of Banbury Cross?

3

8

What is the address of the Steeple Aston website?

steepleaston.org.uk

9

Where in Oxford does the Cherwell join the Thames?

Magdalen Bridge or Christ Church Meadow

10

To within 3 either way how many children are currently on the school roll?

200 to 206 (203)

Fourth Round - General

11

What is the name of the hero in The Da Vinci Code?

Robert Langdon

12

In which year was the death penalty abolished in Britain?

1965

13

What is the Fahrenheit equivalent to 100 degrees C?

212 F

14

Whose funeral took place on the day Charles and Camilla were due to be married?

Pope John Paul II

15

How many beetles are featured on the front cover of Abbey Road?

5 (4 and a Volkswagon)

16

To the nearest day how long does it take the moon to make an orbit of earth?

27 days

17

What are the names of the 4 Teletubbies?

Lala, Po, Dipsy and Tinky Winky

18

In which sport do the winners move backwards?

Tug of war

19

On which island did Nelson Mandela serve most of his sentence?

Robben Island

20

Which day of the week is the Muslim holy day?

Friday

Fifth Round -Food and drink

1

What is Cornish Yarg cheese coated with?

Nettles

2

What is pancetta?

Like bacon

3

Which pasta literally translated means little worms?

Vermicelli

4

Which nuts are used to make marzipan?

Almonds

5

In which country is Peroni Beer bottled?

Italy

6

How many standard bottles of wine are equivalent to a Methuselah?

8

7

Pound for pound which fruit contains most calories?

Avocado

8

Which chicken dish was named after a Napoleonic battle of June 1800?

Marengo

9

Which grain is used to make semolina?

Wheat

10

What milk is Roquefort cheese made from?

Ewe's milk

Fifth Round - General

11

Which of Jane Austen's books starts "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" ?

Pride and Prejudice

12

A silver wedding is after 25 years, when is a linen anniversary?

After 4 years

13

Where in your body is your frontal bone?

Forehead

14

Under which name is Gregor Efimovich better known?

Rasputin

15

Who created Wallace and Gromit?

Nick Park

16

Which is England's largest castle?

Windsor

17

What did France give the USA in 1886?

Statue of Liberty

18

What is the highest number on the Richter scale?

12

19

When did a Briton last win a singles championship at Wimbledon?

1977

20

Where did Worzel Gummidge live?

Scatterbrook

Sixth Round - Places

1

What was the tallest edifice in the world before 1930?

Eiffel Tower

2

To the nearest 10 miles how long is the M25?

107 to 127 miles(117 miles)

3

Which river flows over the Victoria Falls?

Zambezi

4

Which planet lies between Venus and Mars?

Earth

5

Which town in Britain was the first to have its analogue TV signal switched off?

Whitehaven

6

From which London station does Eurostar leave?

St Pancras

7

Which is furthest south; Athens, Madrid or Rome?

Athens

8

What is the capital of Hawaii?

Honolulu

9

How many tunnels under the Mersey link Liverpool to the Wirral?

2

10

In which city was the Maze prison?

Belfast

Sixth Round - General

11

What kind of school was run by Pussy Galore?

A flying school

12

In which month was Michael Fish embarrassed by the gales of 1987?

October

13

Tom thumb, tennis ball and winter density are types of what?

Lettuce

14

After whom is the sports company Nike named?

The Greek goddess of victory

15

In which suburb was the Good Life set?

Surbiton

16

Which UK paper size is 148mm by 210mm?

A5

17

How many counters does each player have at the start of a game of backgammon?

15

18

What is smallest margin by which England won a test match against Australia?

2 runs

19

Who became leader of the Tory party the day after 9/11?

Iain Duncan Smith

20

Which element has the atomic number 50 and the symbol Sn?

Tin

Initial Letters - hymns and carols

Example

G K W L O

Good King Wenceslas looked out

1

W P T F A S

We plough the fields and scatter

2

A W M

Abide with me

3

O C S

Onward Christian soldiers

4

O L T O B

Oh little town of Bethlehem

5

I T B M-W

In the bleak mid-winter

6

P M S T K O H

Praise my soul the king of heaven

7

O C O C E

Oh come oh come Emmanuel

8

F G I M

From Greenland's icy mountains

9

H O T N R

Hills of the north rejoice

10

W W T V S

Who would true valour see

11

T A T C S O L

Through all the changing scenes of life

12

A T B A B

All things bright and beautiful

13

T I A G H F A

There is a green hill far away

14

S U S U F J

Stand up stand up for Jesus

15

O I R D C

Once in David's royal city

16

R O A C F M

Rock of ages cleft for me

17

A G L A H

All glory laud and honour

18

B O M B O G

Breath on me breath of God

19

C H W M C

Crown him with many crowns

20

G M I A M W

God moves in a mysterious way

21

F T G F

Fight the good fight

22

S N

Silent Night

23

H T H A S

Hark the herald angels sing

24

O C A Y F

Oh come all ye faithful