| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| TWO ANSWERS REQUIRED. These two countries’ dispute of the Liancourt Rocks caused the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to officially change their name from the Dokdo rocks, and caused Kōichirō Genba to summon an ambassador. These two countries continue to dispute compensation for "comfort women" and the name of the East Sea. For the point, name these two East Asian countries, one of which controlled the other from 1876 to 1945. | Japan and South Korea (accept Republic of Korea in place of "South Korea") |
| Alumni of this school threatened to withhold two million pounds of donations for the dismissal of teacher Will Knowland after he published a video titled "The Patriarchy Paradox." This school owns the artificial Dorney Lake, which hosted some rowing events for the 2012 Olympics. This school faced criticism for allegedly dismissing Sarah Forsyth for her claims that she was forced to complete Prince Harry's schoolwork for him. For the point, name this elite British boarding school whose namesake "old" alumni include David Cameron and Boris Johnson. | Eton College (accept Old Etonians) |
| In 2011, this political party lost a Group Representation Constituency for the first time to the Worker's Party. Lee Hsien Loong has been the leader of this political party since 2004, and this political party was criticized for implementing a ban on chewing gum in 1992. The Straits Times is sometimes criticized as a "mouthpiece" for this political party. For the point, name this dominant political party in Singapore. | People's Action Party (or PAP) |
| An advertising campaign by this event featured videos of Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and other influencers partying on a tropical beach. This event was relocated to Roker Point on Great Exuma after its organizers falsely advertised Norman's Cay as the private island of Pablo Escobar. Billy McFarland was imprisoned and Ja Rule faced lawsuits following, for the point, what failed music festival in the Bahamas? | Fyre Festival |
| Political controversies during this leader's tenure included the dispersal of a rabbi's funeral due to virus regulations and his refusal to fire police officer Daniel Pantaleo. This man received criticism for dropping a groundhog and eating pizza with a fork. As mayor, this man introduced universal pre-K and significantly reduced the "stop and frisk" policies of Michael Bloomberg. For the point, name this New York City mayor who preceded Eric Adams. | Bill de Blasio (or Warren Wilhelm Jr.; or Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) |
| This city was awarded the 2021 Sustainable Transit Award for its integrated public transportation system. This city contains the Istqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. This city co-hosted the 2018 Asian Games alongside Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra. Home to the Wisma 46 skyscraper, this is, for the point, what capital and largest city of Indonesia? | Jakarta (or Special Capital Region of Jakarta; prompt on "Batavia") |
| This artist created large sets of bright yellow pumpkins covered in black dots in the installation All the Eternal Love I Have for Pumpkins. This artist broke the sales record for highest price for a female artist’s piece with an entry from her Infinity Nets series, which feature long sequences of polka dots. Mirrors are used to create illusions of infinite space in the infinity room installations of, for the point, what Japanese abstract artist? | Yayoi Kusama |
| This man lived in exile in the United Arab Emirates due to a scandal over his receipt of kickbacks from the Haramain High Speed Railway in Saudi Arabia. This man resigned from his post following an announcement from Mariano Rajoy [[rah-HOY]], allowing the Prince of Asturias, Felipe the Sixth, to succeed him in that role. For the point, name this former king of Spain who abdicated his post in 2016. | Juan Carlos the First |
| This city is home to the headquarters of Flipkart and the Infosys Pyramid, which is in its neighborhood of Electronic City. This city on the Deccan Plateau, captured by the English in the Fourth Anglo- Mysore War, had its Kannada name restored to official status in 2006. For the point, name this capital of Karnataka and third-largest city in India, the center of its technology industry. | Bengaluru (accept Bangalore) |
| This university was part of an investigation which also searched houses in Rehoboth Beach and Wilmington. Swimmer Lia Thomas faced controversy for participating in this university's swim team as the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division One national championship. This university's Wharton School of Business counts Elon Musk and Donald Trump as alumni. For the point, name this Ivy League university situated in Philadelphia. | University of Pennsylvania |
| The arrest of Anderson Torres on grounds of inaction was ordered after this event. The response to this attack resulted in the suspension of Ibaneis Rocha as governor of the Federal District. This attack, which involved the theft of a soccer ball signed by Neymar, was compared to the January 6th attacks on the U.S. Capitol. For the point, name this attack on governmental facilities which took place in a South American country by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro. | Brazilian Capital Attack (accept any answer relating to an Attack on Brasília or the Brazilian Congress; do not accept or prompt on “Brazilian January 6th”) |
| This city was the site of a 2023 shooting which targeted its Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall. This city's namesake terror cell included members such as Mohammed Atta, who eventually became one of the ringleaders of the 9/11 attacks. The 2017 G20 summit, which was hosted in this city, is the headquarters of Der Spiegel. Olaf Scholz was the former mayor of, for the point, what German city which serves as its country's largest port? | Hamburg (or Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg; accept Hamburg Cell) |
| This man used his annual speech at the World Economic Forum to label Xi Jinping as the "most dangerous opponent of open societies." This man was the target of a Viktor Orban-backed poster campaign. For the point, name this Hungarian-American billionaire known for supporting progressive causes, the target of many right-wing conspiracy theories. | George Soros (or György Schwartz) |
| As part of this protest movement, public outrage over the death of Adama Traoré and high death rates of Aboriginal Australians in custody was revived. This protest movement saw the tearing down of a statue of slave owner Edward Colston in Bristol. For the point, name this protest movement which was triggered by a police killing in Minneapolis. | George Floyd Protests |
| This man claimed he was unable to sweat due to suffering an "adrenaline overdose" during the Falklands War. This man was the defendant in a civil lawsuit where many speculated a non-disclosure agreement would be in effect until the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. This member of the British royal family resigned from public life due to his association with Jeffery Epstein. For the point, name this controversial second son of Queen Elizabeth the Second. | Prince Andrew, Duke of York |
| This building includes 184 light up benches on its exterior to honor the victims of a tragedy which occurred there. A series of leaks orchestrated by Jack Teixeira, including classified information on the Russia- Ukraine war, were named for this building, as it targeted briefs of the Joint Staff. For the point, name this building in Arlington, Virginia, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. | The Pentagon |
| This company's former CEO, Satoru Iwata, was credited with using the "blue ocean strategy" by adopting unconventional motion controls into its products. This company's head of North American operations has been Doug Bowser since 2019. This company co-produced the highest-grossing animated movie in history, which was also 2023's highest grossing movie. For the point, name this company known for producing the Switch console. | Nintendo Co., Ltd. (accept Nintendo Switch) |
| A "mini-budget" issued under this leader removed a 45% tax bracket, reduced the stamp duty on home purchases, and caused confidence in the currency to deteriorate. Later in that term, this leader called for a vote against a fracking ban to be a confidence motion and resigned when Thérèse Coffey and other Conservative leaders bullied MPs into opposing the ban. For the point, name this Prime Minister of the U.K. who served a record-low 50 days in 2022, the third woman in the position. | Mary Elizabeth Truss (or Liz Truss) |
| Along with her husband, this musician was invited to appear in the concert film The Big T.N.T. Show after record producer Phil Spector saw them performing in a club. After divorcing Ike, this musician began a solo career that led to her being called the "Queen of Rock and Roll." Passing away in May 2023, for the point, name this singer behind the hit song "Private Dancer." | Tina Turner (or Anna Mae Bullock) |
| This man was criticized in a rap song called Flatline for his belief in a round Earth. This man claims to have coined the term "Manhattanhenge" to describe the alignment of sunsets with New York's street grid. This man serves as the head of the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History. For the point, name this astrophysicist who succeeded Carl Sagan as host of the Cosmos series. | Neil deGrasse Tyson |
| The 2010 season for hunting this animal was unusually small due to the lack of ice formation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Heavy wooden clubs, called hakapiks, are controversially used to slaughter these animals, which the Inuit hunt primarily for subsistence. For the point, name these aquatic animals whose "harp" species is killed in Canada for its fur. | Seals (accept Harp Seals) |
| This country was criticized for using its internal security agency, Shin Bet, to manage contact-tracing programs, and in December of 2020, this country had the world's fastest rollout of the COVID-19 Vaccine. Prayer quorums called miniyans were advised to be ignored due to a COVID-19 outbreak in this country's city of Bnei Brak by Haredi authorities. For the point, name this country criticized for its rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to Palestine. | State of Israel (or Medinat Yisra'el) |
| One holder of this office was criticized for meeting Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport and instructing the FBI to refer to the Clinton email investigation as a "matter." The current holder of this position was blocked from a Supreme Court appointment vote after being nominated by Barack Obama. For the point, name this office held by Loretta Lynch, William Barr, and Merrick Garland. | U.S. Attorney General |
| Children in this country often undergo the rite of "dropping," where they are left alone in nature and must find their way back to camp. This country is developing the artificial Marker Wadden archipelago, after abandoning the Markerwaard Polder project. Land reclamation from the North Sea has taken place in, for the point, what country governed from Amsterdam? | The Netherlands (or Holland) |
| One agency controversially conducted search-and-rescue missions on this sea in Operation Mare Nostrum. This body of water was the site of the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012, and in 2014, a ship was purposefully sunk off the coast of Malta in this sea by migrant smugglers. For the point, name this sea where many African immigrants have attempted to cross from Libya to Italy. | Mediterranean Sea |
| This state's representatives include Maxwell Frost, the first member of Gen Z elected to Congress. That tragedy also inspired the activism of David Hogg and led Rick Scott to raise the age limit for purchasing a firearm. The site of the Parkland Shooting, for the point, name this state where Ron DeSantis vowed to eliminate the special status of Disney World. | Florida |