| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| After the losing side of this conflict was forced to pay 450 million silver taels in compensation, the “New Policies” were passed to boost tax revenue. Backlash against the Treaty of Tientsin helped prompt this conflict, in which a 55-day siege of the International Legations was ended by the arrival of the Eight Nation Alliance. The Empress Dowager Cixi [see-shee] supported a militia group against foreign missionaries in, for the point, what Chinese rebellion led by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists? | Boxer Rebellion (accept equivalents for Rebellion, like Uprising; accept Yihetuan Movement; accept answers mentioning the Society of Righteous Harmony movement before “Righteous” is mentioned) |
| A two-year expedition mapping this river was led by Ernest Doudard de Lagr´ee, who died near Dali. This river is said to be home to serpents known as “phayas,” which locals believe are responsible for the Naga fireballs that seem to rise out of this river’s water. When this river floods, low tides and flow reversals prompt it to flow into the Tonle [ton-lay] Sap. For the point, name this river that drains into the South China Sea after forming most of Laos’ western border, the longest river in Southeast Asia. | Mekong River |
| One of these places was established in Lebadaea after a boy ended a plague by following some bees into a cave. The hero Trophonius named one of these places, another of which was built around an oak tree in Dodona. Gases and vapors from hot springs were used during a ritual at one of these places in which Pythia, a priestess of Apollo, would utter cryptic statements believed to predict the future. For the point, name these Greek religious sites such as Delphi. | oracles (accept Oracle of Trophonius before read; prompt on cave before “oak tree” is read) |
| This man was the claimed target of a 2007 suicide bombing at Bagram Airport north of Kabul. This politician reversed a previous stance on the legalization of same-sex marriage, partially in support of his openly lesbian daughter, Mary. An aide of this man, Scooter Libby, resigned during the Valerie Plame scandal. In the 1990s, this man served as the CEO of Halliburton and as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. For the point, name this Wyoming politician who served as George W. Bush’s vice president. | Richard “Dick” Cheney |
| This man’s illegitimate son was executed for impiety after failing to rescue survivors at the Battle of Arginusae. This man offered “Comfort, not condolence” to the parents of fallen soldiers, as recorded by Thucydides in a funeral oration after the first year of the Peloponnesian War. This man orchestrated the growth of the Delian League as his city’s empire, moving its treasury to the Parthenon. For the point, name this statesman of the Golden Age of Athens. | Pericles |
| During this election year, the Greenback Party nominated 85-year old Peter Cooper, the founder of the Cooper Union school. In this election year, a fifteen member electoral committee was assembled to rule on allegations of fraud in Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina. In a compromise enacted the year after this election, the Democrat candidate Samuel Tilden conceded the presidency in exchange for Republicans agreeing to end Reconstruction. For the point, name this controversial election year in which Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular vote. | US Presidential Election of 1876 |
| This stadium was the focus of Helen Couchman’s book Workers, which extensively photographed migrant labor. This stadium’s design moved away from a retractable roof design after a roof collapsed at France’s De Gaulle airport in 2004. This stadium will be the largest venue in use for the 2022 Winter Olympics, though Herzog, Meuron and Ai Weiwei originally designed it for use in the 2008 Summer Olympics. For the point, name this Beijing stadium that resembles a fowl’s resting place. | Bird’s Nest (accept Beijing National Stadium; accept Niaochao) |
| In 1931, this party expelled its own Prime Minister after he formed a coalition with Stanley Baldwin. This party lost 40 seats in a 1924 election shortly after the publication of the Zinoviev letter, which embarrassedtheaforementionedRamsayMacDonald.ThispartyimplementedtheNationalHealthService and other welfare programs under the leadership of Clement Attlee, who defeated Winston Churchill in the 1945 election. For the point, name this left-leaning political party in the United Kingdom. | Labour Party |
| British explorer Henry Hudson was sponsored by this foreign country for his third voyage, during which he sailed the Half-Moon. Colonists from this country fought Lenape natives in Kieft’s War. A colonist from this country was nicknamed “Peg Leg Pete,” and according to a popular legend, another colonist from this country purchased Manhattan for the equivalent of 24 dollars. Peter Minuit and Peter Stuyvesant represented, for the point, what country that controlled New York before the British? | Netherlands (accept Holland; accept the Dutch) |
| David Rizzio was accused of an affair with this woman; while she was seven months pregnant, Rizzio was stabbed 50 times in front of her by a mob led by Patrick Ruthven. This woman’s Casket Letters implicated her in the explosion that killed her husband, Lord Darnley. This woman was executed after the discovery of the Babington Plot, which aimed to install her as the Catholic ruler of England. For the point, name this cousin and rival of Elizabeth I, the mother of James VI of Scotland. | Mary Stuart (or Mary, Queen of Scots; accept Mary I of Scotland; prompt on Mary; do not accept or prompt on “Mary I” alone, “Bloody Mary,” or “Mary Tudor”) |
| This composer wrote a piece for the Duke of Saxe-Wessenfels that includes the aria “Sheep may safely graze.” This composer of the Hunting Cantata included two viola da gambas but no violins in the sixth and final work in a collection named for a German state. This composer’s Musical Offering was based on a melody given to him by Frederick the Great. Felix Mendelssohn revived the music of, for the point, what Baroque composer of the Brandenburg Concertos? | Johann Sebastian Bach |
| This company employed the Crew of the Clove, operated by John Saris. This company controlled the Straits Settlements and was formally dissolved by its namesake Stock Dividend Redemption Act. Robert Clive led this company’s forces to victory at the Battle of Plassey. This company lost control of its namesake country after the Sepoy Mutiny with the creation of the Raj. For the point, name this British company that controlled the trade of many spices throughout East Asia. | British East India Company (”British” not needed after mentioned) |
| During this period, Vasily Shuysky held power for four years. Marinka the Witch’s first two marriages allowed Polish nobles to meddle during this period; her first husband was killed, cremated, and had his ashes shot out of a cannon in Poland’s direction. That man was this period’s first “False Dmitri,” an impostor claiming to be the son of Ivan the Terrible and the heir to the Rurik Dynasty. Boris Godunov ruled during, for the point, what complicated period of Russian history before the rise of the Romanovs? | Time of Troubles (accept Smutnoe vremya) |
| In this war, a covert operation called Operation Tailwind relied on an escort of 12 Cobra gunships, which were alleged to have deployed sarin gas. The casualties in one battle of this war led James Spears to compare its machine gun fire to a hamburger machine. Hill 937 thus became known as Hamburger Hill in this war, during which Company C was commanded by William Calley during the My Lai Massacre. For the point, name this Southeast Asian war from which US forces withdrew shortly before the fall of Saigon. | Vietnam War |
| A 2008 speech given by a holder of this position gave a speech honoring “the oldest continuing cultures in human history,” calling his country to “reflect on their past mistreatment.” That speech about the Stolen Generations was given by a holder of this position named Kevin Rudd. The only woman to ever hold this position was Julia Gillard of the Labor Party. For the point, name this political post currently held by Malcolm Turnbull, who leads the government in Canberra. | Prime Minister of Australia (prompt on partial answers, like “Prime Minister” or “leader of Australia”) |
| This government was allowed an “Army of the Armistice” to protect overseas holdings, though its navy was controversially crippled at Mers el-Kebir. Dissent against this government was suppressed by the Milice under the control of Pierre Laval. This government attempted to gain legitimacy by appointing the hero of the battle of Verdun as its figurehead. Philippe P´etain headed, for the point, what French government that collaborated with the Nazis? | Vichy France (prompt on France) |
| A Christian saint from this city converted Emperor Maxentius’s wife and destroyed a breaking wheel with her touch. The poet Callimachus catalogued books in this city at a facility where Ptolemy II called for a minimum of 500,000 scrolls to be held in storage. One of the Seven Wonders of the World was located on the small island of Pharos near this city. Euclid studied in, for the point, what Egyptian city, the home of a famous Lighthouse and a library that suffered several devastating fires? | Alexandria |
| In this state, George Pickett’s decision to attend a fish bake led to the fall of the Five Forks railway junction. This state’s Henrico County was the site of a diversionary attack at Deep Bottom, as Ambrose Burnside attempted to detonate a mine behind enemy forces and initiate the Battle of the Crater. In this state, the capture of Petersburg was vital in forcing the surrender of the Confederacy. For the point, name this US state where the Confederate capital of Richmond was located. | Virginia |
| The work of James Ensor includes many of these objects in the shape of skulls or cartoonish faces. Two of these objects are used to represent the muses Thalia and Melpomene [mel-pom-eh-nee]. The heads of 2 nude women are thought to be representations of these objects from Africa in Picasso’s painting, Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon. For the point, name these objects used in ritual dance traditions in Africa and to cover the faces of ancient Greek actors. | masks |
| When a ruler of this country won the 1739 Battle of Karnal, he stole the Koh-i-Noor Diamond and the Peacock Throne. After Abbas III was deposed, the Afsharid Dynasty was founded in this country by the aforementioned Nader Shah. This country’s capital was moved to Isfahan by Abbas the Great, the fifth Shah of a dynasty that installed Twelver Shia Islam as this country’s official religion. The Safavid Dynasty ruled, for the point, what Middle Eastern country that moved its capital in 1796 to Tehran? | Iran (accept Persia) |
| From 1935 to 1949, this phenomenon occurred in China because English printing presses outpaced those of Chiang Kai-Shek’s government; that instance of this phenomenon ended with the adoption of the renminbi. Eviction of white farmers by Robert Mugabe’s government contributed to a major instance of this phenomenon in 1990s Zimbabwe that resulted in the creation of 100-billion-dollar bank notes. For the point, name this phenomenon in which currency is devalued and prices rise. | (hyper)inflation |
| A route used in this industry began in Fort Belknap and was named after Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. Another route used in this industry was established by Jesse Chisholm. Railroad facilities were built for use in this industry in Abilene and Kansas City, which shipped cargo to stockyards in Chicago. The development of barbed wire ended the era of massive drives in, for the point, what industry consisting of western ranchers? | cattle industry (accept anything to do with cows; prompt on meat or livestock industry; prompt on agriculture) |
| Wolfgang von Kempelen built a machine that purported to perform this action. In 1949, Claude Shannon published the first paper describing how a computer could be taught to perform this activity. Leonhard Euler worked on, but did not solve, a problem concerning finding a Hamiltonian path for the “tour” of one of the pieces used in this game. IBM’s computer Deep Blue won a 1996 match of this game against Garry Kasparov, a Grand Master. For the point, name this strategy game played with knights, pawns, and kings. | playing chess |
| This site first became commercialized thanks to a rivalry between the Desmond Service Company and the founders of Camp Curry. The Wawona Tree in this site’s Mariposa Grove contained a tunnel for cars to pass through, but fell in 1969. This site was designated as a national park following a three-day camping trip near Glacier Point taken by John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt. Half Dome and El Capitan are found in, for the point, what national park in the Sierra Nevada range of California? | Yosemite National Park |
| These weapons were deployed by both sides during the Battle of Raphia, although those of Antiochus III ultimately proved superior. The Roman cavalry was forced to retreat after Pyrrhus deployed this weapon against them at the Battle of Heraclea. Persian masters of these weapons were called mahouts, and they were used at the Battle of Gaugamela by Darius III, who deployed them as cavalry against Alexander the Great. Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with, for the point, what tusked war animal? | war elephants |
| A series of attacks on bailiffs in this country led to a revolt known as the Dacke War. It conducted a series of attacks on its neighbor Poland-Lithuania in a campaign called the Deluge. This country captured parts of Pomerania and broke the power of the Hanseatic League. Its most famous ruler intervened in the Thirty Years’ War on the Protestant side until his death at the Battle of Lutzen. For the point, name this home of Gustavus Adolphus, who ruled from Stockholm. | Sweden |
| Three companies partially named after this company were part of the Seven Sisters, which dominated their industry in the mid-20th century. Muckraker Ida Tarbell wrote a lengthy history of this company, which was split into 34 separate entities after it was prosecuted under the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1911. This company grew due to horizontal integration of refining and tanker shipping firms. For the point, name this oil company founded by John D. Rockefeller. | Standard Oil Company, Incorporated |
| In this novel, Mrs Dilber and Joe steal the protagonist’s bedclothes while he has a series of journeys guided by figures like Ignorance and Want. This novel exposed the plight of “ragged school” children to wealthy Victorians by praising the generosity of Mr Fezziwig and exposing the regrets of Jacob Marley. This novel’s protagonist meets ghosts representing the present, past, and future, who inspire him to help Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. For the point, name this novel by Charles Dickens in which Ebenezer Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas. | A Christmas Carol |
| These figures were jointly granted a title by Pope Alexander VI, who also granted them land with the bull Inter caetera. One of these figures was crowned after the Treaty of Alc´ac¸ovas with the support of the other. The conquest of Granada was completed during the reigns of these two monarchs, who expelled their country’s Jews with the Alhambra Decree. For the point, name these two Catholic Monarchs of Spain who authorized Christopher Columbus to sail to the New World. | FerdinandIIofAragonandIsabellaIofCastile (acceptineitherorder;prompton“Catholic Monarchs” before mentioned) |
| Government actions during this event were attacked in a book by Robert Calef. The magistrate William Stoughton controversially admitted so-called “spectral evidence” during this event. This event began when Betty Parris and Abigail Williams claimed to have felt pinpricks and violent seizures. Twenty people were executed in 1692 and 1693 during, for the point, what event in which accusations of supernatural happenings caused a panic in colonial Connecticut and Massachusetts? | Salem witch trials (accept descriptive equivalents, like witch hunts in Salem; prompt on partial answers) |
| In the first battle of this war, Sidney Reilly sold maps of a harbor’s minefield to the aggressors, who unintentionally launched a sneak attack when their declaration of war was preceded by a torpedo volley on Port Arthur. Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating an end to this war in the Treaty of Portsmouth. The Baltic fleet was crushed at the Battle of Tsushima in, for the point, what war fought between a European and an Asian power in the early 20th century? | Russo-Japanese War |