| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This country named a mountain after Santa Claus after a Swedish company claimed it was the most practical starting point for his Christmas Eve journey. Lake Issyk-Kul is situated in the Northern Tian Shan mountains in this country that also claims the Engilchek Glacier at its eastern border with China. For the point, identify this country in Central Asia that has its capital at Bishkek. | Kyrgyzstan (or Kyrgyz Republic; or Kirghizia) |
| This man's first collaboration with George Balanchine [[bah-LAHN-sheen]] was the Greek-inspired neoclassical ballet Apollon musagète. In one work by this composer, Prince Ivan receives an enchanted feather from the title bird, and the debut of another work by this composer caused riots at a Paris theatre. The Firebird is a ballet by, for the point, what Russian composer of The Rite of Spring? | Igor Stravinsky |
| The square of this quantity and half of the mass of an object is directly proportional to the moving object’s kinetic energy. An average skydiver reaches the terminal type of this quantity 12 seconds into free falling, and changes in this quantity determine acceleration. Calculated by dividing displacement with time, this is, for the point, what quantity, the rate at which an object’s position changes? | Velocity (accept Terminal Velocity) |
| Felix Houphouet-Boigny served as the first president of this West African nation. In 1983, this country’s political capital was moved inland from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro in order to further promote national unity. For the point, name this French-speaking nation bordered by Ghana and Liberia and named for a material associated with elephants. | Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (or Ivory Coast) |
| These types of organisms are lined with cells called choanocytes [[ko-ANNA- "sights"]] and excrete waste via an osculum. They're not coral, but the "glass" type of these organisms form namesake reefs and are noted for their longevity. The phylum porifera contains, for the point, what absorbent aquatic organisms used domestically to pick up spills and clean dishes? | Sponges (accept Glass Sponges; Porifera before mentioned) |
| People who converted to Protestantism during this event to receive aid were known as "Soupers." Robert Peel’s government collapsed after the Corn Laws were repealed in an attempt to alleviate this event. This event is known as Gorta Mór, or the Great Death, in Gaelic. For the point, name this disaster in which over a million people starved in Ireland. | Irish Potato Famine (or the Great Famine; prompt on "Famine" or "Irish Famine") |
| The body of William Kidd was displayed over this body of water to dissuade pirates. Ben Jonson was imprisoned after writing Isle of Dogs, a satire named for a peninsula along this river where Edward III kept his greyhounds. The Great Stink was caused by excessive pollution in this river and led the House of Commons to relocate. For the point, name this English river that flows past Oxford and London. | River Thames [[TEMS]] |
| Augustus renewed worship of this Roman god by building the Temple of [[this god]] Ultor in the Forum. This lover of Venus was considered the father of Romulus and Remus, and soldiers would swear oaths to one of this god's aspects before leaving for battle. For the point, name this Roman god of war who was identified with the Greek god Ares. | Mars (do not accept or prompt on "Ares") |
| This U.S. state is home to the oldest continually operating art museum in the America, the Wadsworth Atheneum [[ath-uh-NEE-um]]. Beluga whales inhabit this U.S. state's Mystic Aquarium, while skeletons from the Dinosaur Wars are on display at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at this state's Yale University. For the point, name this New England state where one can visit the Mark Twain House in Hartford. | Connecticut |
| For 11 days in 1926, this author's disappearance made worldwide news before she was discovered in a hotel with no recollection of the incident. This author wrote a short story collection in which mysteries are solved by Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quin. The Mousetrap was written by, for the point, what British writer who created the detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot [[pwah-ROH]]? | Agatha Christie (or Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie; or Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; accept Lady Mallowan; accept Mary Westmacott) |
| During this battle, Lieutenant Lord Rawdon claims to have identified physician Joseph Warren on the battlefield and killed him at point blank range. Either Israel Putnam or William Prescott may have entered history at this battle by saying "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." The British claimed victory in, for the point, what 1775 battle fought in Boston, mostly on Breed's Hill? | Battle of Bunker Hill (accept Battle of Breed’s Hill before mentioned) |
| To prevent this country from declaring independence, Yahya Khan led a military junta to launch Operation Searchlight, precipitating a genocide. During that same year, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned after declaring this country's independence. East Pakistan was a former name of, for the point, what South Asian country bordering India and Myanmar? | People’s Republic of Bangladesh (or Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh) |
| Steven Jones attempted to catalyze this process using muons. Migma was a proposed attempt to accomplish this process in a particle accelerator by directly colliding beams. When supernovas occur, enough energy is released to allow this process to create elements heavier than iron. Stars like the Sun are powered by, for the point, what process of combining atomic nuclei, the opposite of fission? | Nuclear Fusion (accept Fusion Reactor) |
| This author featured the Snopes family in the novels The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion. This Nobel Prize laureate used a title taken from Macbeth for a novel which tells the story of a suicidal Harvard student named Quentin Compson and his family. For the point, name this Mississippi-born author of The Sound and the Fury. | William Faulkner (or William Cuthbert Faulkner) |
| This substance’s primary enzyme is amylase, which helps break down large macromolecules such as starches. This substance is the primary mode of transmission for Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis. The glands that produce this substance include the parotid, the submandibular, and the sublingual. For the point, identify this clear liquid found in your mouth that aids the process of digestion. | Saliva (prompt on "Spit") |
| This type of event occurs if a shadow is passed on an observer during a related event called an occultation. These events are associated with syzygys [[SIZZ-uh-jeez]], and can only occur during their namesake "season" on Earth. Lunar and solar are the primary types of, for the point, what celestial events when the moon or sun pass in front of each other? | Eclipses (accept Solar Eclipse; or Lunar Eclipse) |
| This country allied with Nazi Germany against a common enemy in the Continuation War. Molotov cocktails were invented in this country during a conflict in which one of this country's snipers named Simo Häyhä earned the nickname "The White Death." For the point, name this Nordic country that fought Russia in The Winter War. | Republic of Finland (or Suomen tasavalta; or Republiken Finland) |
| This poet eulogized Abraham Lincoln in "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." This American indicated his acceptance of all religions in the first-person poem "Song of Myself," and described a person "fallen cold and dead" in a poem quoted in Dead Poet's Society. "O Captain! My Captain!" was written by, for the point, what author of the poetry collection Leaves of Grass? | Walt Whitman (or Walter Whitman) |
| The stadion was part of the first of these events, which were held during a ceasefire known as an ekecheiria [[eck-uh-KYE-ree-uh]]. Participants in these events were recognized for their excellence with a crown made of olive leaves. For the point, identify this series of events in ancient Greece that inspired a modern sporting competition that takes place every four years. | Olympic Games (or Olympics; prompt on "Pan-Hellenic" Games) |
| One composer from this country attempted to depict "the noise of water" in a piano piece that translates as "Water Games." Types of dance that originated in this country include the farandole and the gavotte, the latter of which became popular in royal courts thanks to Jean-Baptiste Lully. For the point, identify this country whose other composers include Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. | France (or French Republic; or Republique Francaise) |
| This machine was famously operated for 40 years by Charles-Henri Sanson. In Les Misérables, Victor Hugo referred to this machine as the “ultimate expression of law" and claimed its "name is vengeance." This device was named for a French doctor who wanted to create a new way to carry out the death penalty. For the point, identify this device, a popular method of execution during the Reign of Terror. | Guillotine |
| This author wrote the essay "On Fairy-Stories" and the article "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics." Another work by this author told the tales of Beren and Lúthien and the fall of Numenor. The Silmarillion was created by, for the point, what philologist and Oxford professor who wrote fantasy works such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? | J.R.R. Tolkien (or John Ronald Reuel Tolkien) |
| One painter from this movement depicted a couple at an open-air café in a work titled Dance at Bougival [[boo-zhee-VAHL]]. A painting depicting a pastel sunrise over the port of its artist’s hometown, Le Havre [[luh-HAHV]], inspired this artistic movement’s name. For the point, identify this art movement that included painters such as Pierre- Auguste Renoir [[ren-WAH]], and Claude Monet [[moh-NEH]]. | Impressionism (accept word forms such as Impressionist; accept Impression, soleil levant; accept Impression, Sunrise) |
| The Akokisa tribe of the U.S. used the fat of alligators and bears to repel this specific creature. Following his experience in the Pacific Theatre, Samuel Gertler found a way to repel these creatures using the oil DEET. The Spanish words for "little fly" give their name to, for the point, what insect and plasmodium host that carries malaria and West Nile virus? | Mosquitos |
| This character's children Joy, Aranea, and Nellie remained in her doorway while the rest left the barn. This character accompanied Templeton to the fairgrounds, but chose to stay and die rather than return to the Zuckerman farm. For the point, name this spider whose writing saves the life of a pig named Wilbur in a novel by E.B. White. | Charlotte (accept Charlotte's Web) |
| "Kettling" is a controversial tactic used by people in this profession. People in this profession are encouraged to address minor incidents in broken windows theory. This profession that sometimes employ K-9 units uses the slogan "Protect and Serve." For the point, name these civil servants tasked with upholding the law and making arrests. | Police Officers (or Cops; or Law Enforcement) |
| This man led Hut 8 while working at Bletchley Park, where he collaborated with Allied efforts to break the German Enigma code. This man used the "imitation game" to describe a machine's ability to show intelligence indistinguishable from that of a human, a battery also called his namesake "Test." For the point, name this English mathematician and pioneering computer scientist. | Alan Turing (or Alan Mathison Turing; accept Turing Test) |
| This composer created a work that tells of a faithful wife rescuing her husband, Florestan, in their only opera, Fidelio. This composer created a piano sonata meant to evoke a phenomenon on Lake Lucerne, as well as a "Fate knocking at the door" motif for their 5th symphony. For the point, identify this German composer of Moonlight Sonata and "Ode to Joy." | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| In 1612, Santorio Sanctorius developed one of the first devices used to measure this quantity for medical purposes. Unit changes in this quantity can be produced by a physical property known as heat capacity. Absolute Zero is the lowest theoretical value of, for the point, what quantity measured on scales such as Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit? | Temperature (prompt on "Thermometer" before mentioned) |
| This author espoused a form of Christian anarchism and nonviolence in his book The Kingdom of God is Within You, inspiring Mahatma Gandhi. In one novel, this author depicted a lover of Vronsky who throws herself under a train, and in another novel by this author, Pierre Bezukhov dreams of killing Napoleon. For the point, name this Russian author of Anna Karenina and War and Peace. | Leo Tolstoy |
| The main character in this novel asks "Are there no workhouses?" after meeting two children named Want and Ignorance. That same character in this novel revisits memories in Fezziwig's warehouse and observes the Cratchit family and young Tiny Tim. For the point, name this novel by Charles Dickens in which Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on a certain holiday. | A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. |
| This element is created in the sun’s core when hydrogen atoms fuse together. Devices such as MRI machines have been effected by shortages of this lightest noble gas. Sound travels twice as fast through this element as it does air, which is why exposure to this element causes a person’s voice to sound higher in pitch. For the point, identify this element used to inflate balloons and symbolized He. | Helium (accept He before mentioned) |