| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The Amarna Letters mention this city's king, Biryawaza. This city's Straight Street was built by the Romans and was liberated from Vichy French forces in June 1941. This city's Yarmouk Camp was the site of intense fighting in 2012 as part of an ongoing civil war. For ten points, name this oldest-continuously inhabited national capital, the capital of Syria. | Damascus |
| This assessment was invented by eugenicist Carl Brigham, and an announcement for an 'Adversity Score' on this assessment was quickly reneged in 2019. Operation Varsity Blues revealed actress Felicity Huffman paid 15,000 dollars to produce a fraudulent score on this assessment, which will be moved entirely online by 2024. For ten points, name this rival to the ACT, a college entrance exam which scores on a 400 to 1600 scale. | SAT (accept Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test; accept SAT I: Reasoning Test) |
| A long-time senator from this state chaired the senate’s Iran-Contra committee, and as president pro tempore, was the highest ranking Asian-American politician before Kamala Harris. This eventual state was forced to accept the Bayonet Constitution, which reduced the power of native voices in the region. For ten points, name this most-recently-admitted state that was governed by Sanford Dole after the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani [[lih-lee-WOH- kah-LAH-nee]]. | Hawaii |
| An inscription on the plaque at this man’s crypt reads, “...if you seek his monument — look around you.” This man’s uncle, the Bishop of Ely, commissioned him to construct a chapel for Pembroke College. This man submitted blueprints to King Charles II, including “wide boulevards and grand civic spaces” in a plan to redesign a city. For ten points, name this architect who constructed 52 churches after the Great Fire of London, including St Paul’s Cathedral. | Sir Christopher Wren |
| This man wrote about a boy living in a Roma caravan in Danny, the Champion of the World. One character created by this author befriends the orphan Sophie and subsists on a diet of frobscottle and snozzcumbers and coined the word "scrumdiddlyumptious" in another work. For ten points, name this British author of The BFG and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. | Roald Dahl |
| The Spot Resolutions of Abraham Lincoln targeted this president, who was initially pushed as a compromise candidate between Lewis Cass and Martin Van Buren for the Democratic nomination. This president endorsed the Texas Annexation and engineered a war that was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. For ten points, name this “dark horse” president who oversaw the Mexican-American War. | James K (nox) Polk |
| Shoushiling was the earliest known variant of this game, which a 1921 Australian article described as a "Teutonic method of drawing lots." The presence of a statue of a French nobleman in Washington D.C. may have inspired one name for this game despite it being introduced to America well after the Revolutionary War. Also called Rochambeau, for ten points, what game is played by making hand shapes such as a flat hand and a closed fist? | rock paper scissors (accept Rochambeau or Roshambo before mentioned; accept Kitsune-ken before mentioned; accept shoushiling before mentioned) |
| The first violence in this series of events was the tarring and feathering of excise officer Robert Johnson. President George Washington personally led a militia to diffuse this insurrection in Western Pennsylvania in a show of force that strengthened the authority of the federal government. For ten points, name this 1793 uprising of farmers who resisted a federal tax on their self-produced liquor. | Whiskey Rebellion (accept Whiskey Insurrection) |
| In a 2021 interview, this man said "this is an industry that should not exist" when asked about the Pegasus Project. Suspicions regarding this man's possible presence on a plane forced Bolivian president Evo Morales to land in Austria. Exiled in Russia since 2013, this is, for ten points, what American whistleblower who released classified documents regarding government surveillance programs run by the NSA? | Edward Snowden (or Edward Joseph Snowden) |
| In 2016, this organization, founded by Julian Assange, accused Snowden of opportunism and trying to gain a pardon from Hillary Clinton after Snowden tweeted that this organization's "hostility to even modest curation" was "a mistake." | WikiLeaks |
| This commodity, which was often produced in Byblos, was classified by Callimachus [[kah-lee-MAH-kus]] through the Pinakes [[PIH-nah-keez]]. Vellum was an alternative to this product, which was preserved by the dry climate of a nation where scrolls of it were found in Alexandria. Ancient medical texts were often composed of, for ten points, what substance made from a wetland plant found in Egypt? | Papyrus (accept word forms) |
| The Great Harris Papyrus describes the reign of the third ruler of this name. Another ruler of this name commissioned the temple complex of Abu Simbel. | Ramses (or Ramesses; accept Ramses III; accept Ramses II; or Ramses the Great) |
| This man's government restricted autonomy in one region with the February Manifesto and orchestrated the Kishinev pogrom. Over 1,200 people died after being trampled at this man's coronation, dubbed the Khodynka [[koh-DIN-kah]] Tragedy. For ten points, name this last Romanov Tsar who led Russia through military disasters in the Russo- Japanese War and World War One before being assassinated by the Bolsheviks. | Nicholas II (or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; or Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer) |
| Representatives from Nicholas II signed this treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War. Negotiations for this treaty were organized by Theodore Roosevelt, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize. | Treaty of Portsmouth [[PORT-smith]] |
| During the Admirable Campaign, this leader issued the “Decree of War to the Death” in the city of Trujillo [[troo-HEE-yoh]] to protest colonization attempts. This leader defeated Spanish forces at both the Battle of Boyacá and Carabobo, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Gran Colombia. For ten points, name this leader known as “The Liberator” due to his efforts in the independence movement of South America. | Simón Bolívar (or Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Ponte Palacios y Blanco) |
| Bolívar was once president of this South American country, where he was born in Caracas. | Venezuela (accept Third Republic of Venezuela; accept Second Republic of Venezuela; accept Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; accept Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela) |
| In a speech during the unveiling of one of these works by Kehinde [[Keh-HIHN-dee]] Wiley, its subject joked, “I had to explain I’ve got enough political problems without you making me look like Napoleon!” after seeing himself seated on a floating chair surrounded by green foliage. Prior to the burning of the White House in 1814, Dolley Madison rescued the first of these artworks. For ten points, what traditional works of art depict the U.S. Commander-in-Chief? | Presidential Portraits (accept answers synonymous to Portraits of Presidents of the United States; accept Portrait of Barack Obama before "burning"; prompt on partial answer) |
| The presidential portraits of George Washington, including the copy rescued by Dolley Madison, were created by what American painter? | Gilbert Stuart (or Gilbert Charles Stuart) |
| This god put a sleeping spell on a woman identified as Sigrdrifa, who is rescued by the hero Sigurd in the Poetic Edda. This god hung himself from the tree Yggdrasil for nine days after sacrificing an eye to drink from Mimir's well of wisdom, and he owns the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. For ten points, identify this father of Thor and Loki, the chief Norse god. | Odin (accept Wōden; or Uuôden; or Wuodan; or Wêda; or Wuotan; or Wōđanaz) |
| Odin is closely associated with Gungnir, a weapon of this type. Another weapon of this type was wielded by Cúchulainn [[KOO-hul-len]] and was known as the Gáe Bulg. | Spear |
| This event began at 529 Commercial Street, and its aftermath involved a class action lawsuit against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. This event began at the Purity Distilling Company and involved a burst storage tank in the North End Neighborhood of a certain New England city. For ten points, identify this January 15, 1919 event in which two million gallons of a brown, sticky substance spilled into the streets of the Massachusetts capital. | Great Molasses Flood (or Boston Molasses Flood; accept Great Molasses Disaster; accept Boston Molasses Disaster; accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| The North End neighborhood where the Great Molasses Flood occurred overlooks this river, which runs from Hopkinton to Boston and was named after the second Stuart King of England. | Charles River |
| This man’s most well-known work follows an ABAAB rhyme scheme. Another poem by this man metaphorically discusses two possible ways the world will end. This man became the unofficial first Poet Laureate of the U.S. in 1961, and his poem “The Gift Outright” was delivered at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. For ten points, name this American poet known for “The Road Not Taken” and “Fire and Ice." | Robert Frost (or Robert Lee Frost) |
| Frost's "Fire and Ice" was inspired by what allegorical poem by Dante about the depths of hell? | Inferno (or Inferno) |
| British King who increased the British military presence in 1775. | George III |
| Smith who legendarily shouted "the British are Coming" the night before the engagement. | Paul Revere |
| Future president who left his home in Braintree the day before the engagement after declaring "the die is cast." | John Adams (do not accept "John Quincy Adams") |
| Massachusetts militiamen who fought in the engagement and were named for their quick response time. | Minutemen |
| 19th century Transcendentalist poet who referred to Lexington and Concord as the "Shot heard around the World." | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Stretch of road near Lincoln, Massachusetts where Francis Smith's regulars were harassed by Patriot militia. | The Bloody Angle |
| Austrian capital where they ruled from until 1918. | Vienna (or Wien) |
| Iberian country they controlled until the death of Charles II in 1700. | Spain (or Kingdom of Spain; or Reino de España) |
| Female Hapsburg Monarch whose ascension to the throne was the impetus for the War of the Austrian Succession. | Maria Theresa (or Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina) |
| Country where Castle Habsburg is located in its north. | Switzerland (or Swiss Confederation) |
| Holy Roman Emperor who ruled from 1519 to 1556 and signed the Peace of Augsburg before splitting his realm. | Charles V (or Charles I of Spain) |
| First ruler of the dual monarchy who oversaw Austria-Hungary's entrance into World War One. | Franz Joseph I (or Francis Joseph I) Global Currencies Concerning global currencies, name the… |
| Official currency of the United States of America. | U.S. Dollar (accept obvious equivalents) |
| Country that uses the renminbi, which comes in bills worth 1 to 100 yuan. | China (or People's Republic of China; or Zhōngguó; do not accept or prompt on "Republic of China") |
| Russian currency that dropped precipitously following the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine. | Ruble |
| Israeli currency named for an ancient Middle Eastern coin, originally a measurement of weight, often referenced in the Bible. | Shekel (accept Israeli New Shekel; or Shekel Hadash) |
| Country whose Złoty [[ZWOH-tee]] banknotes have pictures of monarchs like Sigismund the Old. | Poland (or Republic of Poland; or Rzeczpospolita Polska) |
| Former currency of several Islamic empires now used by countries like Serbia, Kuwait, and Algeria. | Dinar |
| The flagship of this unit was the São Martinho, and the overall commander of this fleet was the Duke of Medina Sidonia. (+) After leaving the port of Lisbon, this group was supposed to rendezvous with the Duke of Parma and assist an invasion ordered by King Philip II. This group was first sighted off Lizard Point in Cornwall. The Battle of Gravelines spelled the end of, for ten points, (*) what European fleet that was defeated by English and Dutch vessels in 1588? | Spanish Armada (accept Grande y Felicísima Armada; or Great and Most Fortunate Navy) |
| This man’s nomination for one position expired after a record 293 days, largely because Senator Mitch McConnell and the Republican majority Senate refused to consider it. (+) President Barack Obama nominated this person for a Supreme Court vacancy that was created by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. (*) For ten points, name this jurist and lawyer who has served as the United States attorney general since March 2021. | Merrick Garland (or Merrick Brian Garland) |
| Big Bird was invited to be in the vehicle central to this event but declined because of his height. The Morton Thiokol Corporation was blamed for this event because it produced defective (+) O-rings. Richard Feynman served on the Rogers Committee, that investigated this event, which killed schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. (*) For ten points, name this 1986 space shuttle disaster that killed seven astronauts. | Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion (accept equivalents with synonyms like "disaster" for "explosion") |
| This man is described by Aristophanes [[eh-rih-STAH-feh-neez]] as “walking on air and talking a lot of nonsense about things of which I know nothing at all.” This man's (+) defense at his trial for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens are described in the Apology of Plato, one of his former students. Refusing to go into voluntary exile, (*) for ten points, which ancient Greek philosopher was executed with a cup of poisonous hemlock? | Socrates |
| The Free Soil Party was founded in this city, where Millard Fillmore co-founded a university. This city’s Ansley Wilcox Mansion is where Teddy Roosevelt took the oath of office. Grover (+) Cleveland briefly served as mayor of this city. This city's Temple of Music was part of the Pan-American Exposition, where an anarchist of Polish descent, Leon Czolgosz [[ZHOHL-gosh]], assassinated William (*) McKinley. The western terminus of the Erie Canal is near, for ten points, what most populous city in upstate New York? | Buffalo |
| One historical work from this country is retold in the novel The Palace of Illusions. Parsi corpse-bearers are the subject of one novel set in this country by Cyrus Mistry, (+) which is also the setting of a novel by E.M. Forster titled for A Passage to this country. (*) For ten points, identify this country where Rudyard Kipling set the novel Kim during the British Raj. | India (also accept Bharatiya Ganarajya; accept A Passage to India) |
| Some people who celebrate this event in Venice disguise themselves as "plague doctors", although its most recognizable attire is the Bauta mask, which is typically worn with a black tricorn hat. This event in (+) Brazil was inspired by the Bacchanalia, a festival honoring the Roman god of wine. Celebrated before Lent, this is, (*) for ten points, what festival which has its biggest celebration in Rio de Janeiro, characterized by colorful parades? | Carnival (accept specific countries that celebrate Carnival; accept Venice Carnival; accept Rio Carnival; prompt on "Bacchanalia") |
| Jean Baudrillard [[bo-dree-YAHRD]] wrote a thesis claiming that this conflict did not take place. The final battle of this war, the Battle of Norfolk, was the second- largest tank battle in U.S. history. (+) Norman Schwarzkopf oversaw forces during this war after one nation launched an attack on their oil-rich neighbor. Partially consisting of Operation Desert (*) Storm, for ten points, what conflict witnessed coalition forces drive the Iraqi army out of Kuwait. | Persian Gulf War (accept First Gulf War; or Gulf War One; or Kuwait War; accept The Gulf War Did Not Take Place) |
| Under the administration of a politician with this name, John Yoo authored a set of legal "torture memos" to justify enhanced interrogation of terrorists. A woman with this married (+) surname created a namesake Foundation for Family Literacy, and Dan Quayle served as vice president (*) for a man with this surname. For ten points, name this surname of Barbara, the wife of George Herbert Walker and mother of George W. | Bush (accept George H.W. Bush; accept Barbara Pierce Bush; accept George W. Bush; accept the Bush Foundation) |
| Also known as Guerra sucia, this period of state-sponsored terrorism under Operation Condor was perpetrated against left-wing dissidents and political opponents in Argentina. | Dirty War |