| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This character is revealed to be the daughter of Paquette Guybertaut [[pah-KET gee- behr-TOH]], who was kidnapped by the Roma as a baby. This character owns a goat that uses wooden tiles to spell out the name of the captain of the guard, Phoebus. At the end of the novel in which she appears, this character's skeleton is found entwined with that of Quasimodo. For the point, name this heroine from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. | Esmeralda (accept Agnes) |
| This holiday is the only time the main door of the Swayambhu complex is open, attracting many pilgrims to celebrate there as well as the religiously significant Lumbini. In Japan, this holiday is celebrated by pouring (*) sweet tea on statues and is known as hanamatsuri. The subject of reverence during this day is also venerated during (*) Bodhi Day and Nirvana Day. For the point, name this holiday that commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. | Vesak Day (or Vesakha; accept Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, or Buddha Day before "Buddha" is mentioned; prompt on "Buddha" before mentioned) |
| Along with the liver, this organ can become dangerously swollen in severe cases of mononucleosis. This organ often becomes necrotic due to blocked blood flow in patients with sickle cell disease. This organ's sinusoids [[SAI-nyoo-soyds]] can be linked by monocyte-rich fibril tendrils called the Cords of Billroth. This lymphoid organ is composed of differentiated red and white pulp. For the point, name this organ that filters and destroys old red blood cells. | Spleen |
| For a torus, this quantity is equal to 2pi times big radius times 2pi small radius. Equal values for this quantity are "swept out" by orbits according to Kepler's second law. This quantity can be found from a triangle's side lengths in Heron's formula. For a square, this quantity is given by side length squared, while in circles it equals pi times radius squared. For the point, give this quantity which is equal to base times height for a rectangle. | Surface area |
| This author was the first to refer to New York City as “Gotham." This author wrote one work set in Tarrytown, a village along the Tappan Zee, and in another work by this author, the narrator awakens to find that his dog, Wolf, no longer recognizes him. In another work by this author, Ichabod Crane disappears after encountering the Headless Horseman. For the point, name this author of “Rip van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." | Washington Irving |
| This year was proclaimed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to be the International Year of Older Persons. Many new English words were added to the Merriam- Webster dictionary during this year, including “carbon footprint” and “vape.” This year featured the indictment of Slobodan Milošević [[mih-LOH-seh-vitch]] and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo. Bill Clinton was acquitted of impeachment in, for the point, what last year of the second millennium? | |
| Although it is not directly related to these structures, VSEPR [[VES-per]] theory geometries predict the shape and location of these structures. According to Hund's rule, these structures are filled in a way that maximizes the subshell spin. These structures fill their lowest energy states first according to the Aufbau principle. For the point, identify these regions surrounding an atom which are typically named with the letters "s" and "p." | Atomic orbitals (accept Electron orbital; do not accept or prompt on "molecular orbitals") |
| This monument was originally planned to have a large vault behind it to hold the founding documents of the United States. This monument, which was designed by Gutzon Borglum, prompted the construction of a sculpture of Crazy Horse in protest. This monument was controversially built into the sacred Black Hills. For the point, name this large sculpture in South Dakota depicting four U.S. presidents. | Mount Rushmore National Memorial (accept Six Grandfathers; accept Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe) |
| This man abandoned work on his opera Zaide [[zah-YEED]] to work on another opera, Idomeneo [[ee-doh-meh-NEH-oh]], and never returned to it. One of this man's works is based on another work of the same name by Christoph Friedrich Betzner, featuring the characters Belmont and Constanze. Another opera by this man is based on the second part of the Figaro trilogy. For the point, name this composer of The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni. | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| An attempt to place this man under house arrest was led by Kenji Hatanaka [[hah- tah-NAH-kah]] in the Kyujo [[KYOO-joh]] Incident. That effort would have also destroyed this man's recordings which were used for the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Spared from trial for war crimes by Douglas MacArthur and allowed to retain his position, for the point, who was this father of Akihito and emperor of Japan during the Showa era? | Hirohito (accept Showa Emperor (in either order) before mentioned) |
| The protagonist of this work meets his rival political leader Farinata while in the city of Dis. A centaur named Nessus takes the protagonist of this work into a forest in which people who committed suicide must spend eternity as trees. In the center of this work's main location, its protagonist meets Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot being chewed on by Satan. For the point, name this work in which the author travels with Virgil into the circles of Hell. | Dante's Inferno (prompt on "Divine Comedy") |
| The Youngstown Steel case shut down this leader’s brief nationalization of the steel industry. This leader outmaneuvered Henry Wallace to win a vice presidential nomination on the second ballot. Universal health insurance was part of this leader’s Fair Deal, as was desegregation of the armed forces. The Chicago Tribune falsely reported that Thomas Dewey defeated this man in the 1948 U.S. presidential election. For the point, name this president who succeeded FDR. | Harry S. Truman |
| Common mineral forms of this material include kaolinite [[KAY-uh-lih-"night"]] and illite [[ILL-ight]]. This material can swell and become plastic when exposed to water, because water forms a film that separates its constituent particles. This is the material with the smallest particle size in a basic soil classification triangle, being finer than both sand and silt. For the point, name this material used to make the oldest-known ceramics, including terra cotta. | Clay |
| This state's "heartbeat bill" caused the company producing Stranger Things to threaten to leave. In a leaked phone call, Brad Raffensperger was pressured to change this state’s election results by Donald Trump. Fair Fight was founded after Stacey Abrams lost an election in this state amid voting irregularities. For the point, name this state in which Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won simultaneous runoff elections by winning huge Democratic margins in Atlanta. | Georgia |
| One of these animals is prophesied in the Book of Zechariah to bear a king when he arrives. The Israelite judge Samson uses the jawbone from one of these animals to kill 1000 Philistines. In the Book of Numbers, one of these animals owned by Balaam [[BAY-lam]] begins to talk. For the point, name these stubborn beasts of burden, one of which was ridden into Jerusalem by Jesus on Palm Sunday. | Donkey (or Ass; do not accept or prompt on "mule") |
| Use of these devices was argued against in the essay "The End of Imagination" by Arundhati Roy. When these devices are lost, they are known as "broken arrows." A call to end the use of these devices was issued in the Russell–Einstein Manifesto. The accumulation of these devices is explained by the "doctrine of mutually assured destruction." For the point, name these weapons used at the end of World War Two on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. | Nuclear weapons (accept Atomic weapons or Hydrogen weapons; accept Nukes; accept "bombs" in place of "weapons"; prompt on "weapons of mass destruction," "WMDs," "bombs," or "weapons") |
| The Doni Tondo is the only surviving finished panel painting by this man who was commissioned to build the tomb of Pope Julius II. One of this man's largest works contains scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the Deluge and the final panel named the Separation of Light from Darkness. For the point, name this Italian painter and sculptor responsible for the Pietà and The Last Judgment, which is painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. | Michelangelo Buonarroti (accept Buonarroti) |
| One of this man's works was initially published anonymously, credited only to "A Bostonian" and titled "Tamerlane." Other poems by this writer feature a man lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore, and a bird sitting on a bust of Pallas who repeats the word "Nevermore." For the point, name this American poet and author of "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven." | Edgar Allan Poe |
| This state's capital city was originally a fort colonized by Dutch fur traders and called the “House of Hope.” This state was initially explored by Adriaen Block, but the main group of settlers came in 1636 and called it Quinnipiack [[kwih-NIH-pee-ack]]. After being given a land charter by Britain, this state clashed with Pennsylvania in the Pennamite Wars. For the point, name this fifth state admitted to the Union whose capital city is now called Hartford. | Connecticut |
| This compound's namesake class of chemicals includes notable pesticides such as acetamiprid [[ah-see-tah-MIH-prid]] and imidacloprid [["eye"-mid-ah-KLOH-prid]]. This compound's main pharmacological mechanism is agonistically binding to its namesake acetylcholine [[ah-see-til-KOH-leen]] receptors. This compound evolved as a pesticide in the tobacco plant. For the point, name this stimulant found in cigarettes, for which addiction treatment often involves gum or patches. | Nicotine |
| One artist from this country is noted for creating "Infinity Rooms" and for her extensive use of large polka dots. Another artist from this country performed in a work in which audience members used scissors to remove parts of her dress, called "Cut Piece." That performance artist from this country was the second wife of John Lennon. For the point, name this home country of Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, whose modern fashion industry is based out of Harajuku, Tokyo. | Japan (or Nippon; accept Nihon) |
| According to the Riemann [[REE-mahn]] hypothesis, this number only equals the Riemann zeta function at negative even x-values and on the critical strip. This number equals the second derivative of a function at an inflection point. A “product rule” named for this number is used to solve factored polynomials. Vertical asymptotes occur when this number appears in the denominator of a function. The x-value of a function at its y- intercept, for the point, what is this number that is neither positive nor negative? | Zero (accept Naught or Nil) |
| J.R.R. Tolkien revitalized study of this work with a lecture subtitled "The Monsters and the Critics." This work is traditionally believed to be built around three funerals and three monster fights. This poem's title hero dies next to Wiglaf [[VEEG-lahf]] after killing a dragon. This work's title hero is tasked with defending the mead hall Heorot [[HAY-uh- raht]] by the king of the Danes. For the point, name this Old English epic poem, whose title hero kills Grendel. | Beowulf |
| This body condemned the memory of Sejanus [[sih-JAY-nuss]] to oblivion after having him thrown down the Gemonian [[jeh-MOH-nee-un]] Stairs. The Altar of Victory was housed in this organization’s curia, and this body was weakened after its Optimates [[ohp- tih-MAH-tehs]] faction murdered the Gracchi [[GRAH-kee]] brothers. Defied by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon, for the point, what was this legislative body, the basis for the upper chamber of Congress? | Roman Senate (accept Senators) |
| These devices were first defined by Archimedes but were used in ancient cultures to help power looms and move heavy weights. In the body, examples of these devices can be seen at Synovial joints such as the wrist and knee. The three classes of these devices are defined by the relative positions of resistance and a fulcrum. Catapults, cricket bats, and wheelbarrows are all examples of, for the point, what simple machines? | Levers |
| In Babylonian mythology, Marduk uses these phenomena to kill the monster Tiamat [[TEE-ah-maht]]. Aeolus gave Odysseus a bag containing these phenomena, and Artemis demanded that Agamemnon sacrifice Iphigenia [[ih-fih-jeh-NAI-ah]] to restore these phenomena for his fleet. Two directions of this phenomenon are controlled by the gods Boreas and Zephyrus. For the point, name this weather phenomenon that, in Greek mythology, is controlled by four gods representing the cardinal directions. | Winds (accept Breezes; accept Anemoi) |
| Jamaica is home to an extremely expensive variety of this product named for the Blue Mountains. According to legend, this product was first discovered by the Ethiopian goat-herd Kaldi. The Kona variety of this product is produced on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kopi luwak is a type of this product made from arabica beans that have been digested by a palm civet. For the point, name this caffeinated beverage, whose varieties include espressos and lattes. | Coffee (accept Coffee beans) |
| In 2005, a probe discovered that this structure possessed its own independent atmosphere composed of molecular oxygen gas. These structures are protected by shepherd moons including Prometheus and Mimas [["MY"-muss]]. This structure possesses the Laplace Gap and the Huygens [[HOY-gens]] Gap, both of which are part of this structure's Cassini Division. For the point, identify these collections of dust and icy particles that orbit the sixth planet from the sun. | Rings of Saturn (accept any answer indicating Saturn's rings) |
| A gesture made at one of these events was described in the book Silent Gesture in which Tommie Smith said he was standing for "human rights." Operation Wrath of God was launched after the terrorist group Black September murdered eleven Israeli participants at one of these events in Munich. Revived by Pierre de Coubertin [[koo-behr-TAHN]] in Athens in 1896, for the point, what are these quadrennial sporting events, whose 1936 Berlin edition featured Jesse Owens winning four gold medals? | Summer Olympic Games (or Olympics) |
| In some sources, this man was starved to death in a tomb by Nimue [[NEEM-weh]]. This man advises a king to gather up all the infant boys in the kingdom and sink them in a ship in a failed attempt to kill Mordred. This son of an incubus disguised Uther Pendragon as Gorlois [[GOR-loyss]] to sneak him into a castle. This man, the mentor of Morgan le Fay, designed the Round Table at Camelot. For the point, name this wizard, an adviser to King Arthur. | Merlin (or Myrddin or Marzhin) |
| This country's church is governed by the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. In Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Richard Hooker outlined many of the doctrines of this country's church. This country's liturgy is outlined in the Book of Common Prayer, which was revised by Thomas Cranmer. For the point, name this country, whose namesake church is headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. | England (prompt on "Britain," "Great Britain," "UK," or "United Kingdom") |
| The Vietnamese celebration of this day gives part of its name to a major offensive which began on this holiday. In Japan, gifts of otoshidama are given to children on this day, which is celebrated in China with lion dances and red packets in a "lunar" version of this day. For the point, name this day celebrated all over the world that marks the end of a previous year. | New Year's Day (accept Lunar New Year; accept Tết Nguyên Đán; prompt on "Tet Offensive"; prompt on "January 1") |