| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| A city in this country’s northwest was once the seat of Usman dan Fodio’s Sokoto Caliphate. Enugu wasthecapitalofabreakawaystateinthiscountry’sIgbo-dominatedsoutheast.In1956,oilwasdiscovered in Oloibiri near this country’s city of Port Harcourt. This country’s town of Chibok was the site of a 2014 incident in which 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. In 1991, this country moved its capital from the port city of Lagos. For the point, name this most populous country in Africa, with capital Abuja. | Federal Republic of Nigeria |
| This nation was targeted by Operation Meetinghouse, the deadliest single air raid in history. Curtis LeMay introduced incendiary bombing of this nation. Operation Matterhorn targeted this country from bases in India and China, and many missions to attack this country took off from the Mariana Islands, captured as part of the island hopping strategy. For the point, name this country, the site of the Doolittle air raids on Tokyo. | Empire of Japan |
| Attempts to mitigate this event were opposed by Charles Trevelyan, who viewed it as a judgement of God. People escaping this event utilized both the McCorkell line and a number of “coffin ships.” The Poor Laws were legislated to aid victims of this event, which prompted Robert Peel to repeal the Corn Laws. The fungus Phytophthora infestans triggered, for the point, what 1840s event in which a million peasants on a British island died, due to a massive failure of a staple crop? | Irish Potato Famine (accept An Gorta M´or; accept descriptive answers that mention those 3 ideas; prompt on partial answers) |
| A city in this modern-day country was ruled by kings known as Sapas and used a city plan laid out in the shape of a puma. A culture based in this country built the Puquios underground aqueduct system and left behind a series of lines that resemble animals. Quechua [ketch-wah] was a language spoken by a an empire based in this country that was ruled by Atahualpa. For the point, name this home country of the Nazca culture, the Cusco kingdom, and the Inca empire. | Peru |
| German troops being sent to this event were commanded to “Show the old Prussian virtue” in the overtly imperialist “Hun Speech.” The murder of envoy Klemens von Kettler escalated this event, prompting the involvement of an Eight Nation Alliance. Frederick Ward was killed while leading the Ever Victorious Army during this event, paving the way for “Chinese” Gordon to take command. The Empress Dowager’s Qing government backed the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in, for the point, what 1898 anti-foreigner uprising? | Boxer Rebellion (or uprising, etc.; accept Yihequan Movement; accept the rebellion of the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists before “Society” is read) |
| This ruler won a homeland succession crisis against Joanna, the daughter of Henry IV. This queen patronized the religious reforms of Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, who pushed this queen and her spouse, to issue the Alhambra Decree expelling Jews from their realm. Christopher Columbus successfully appealed to this ruler for funds in order to finance his expeditions to the New World. For the point, name this Catholic ruler of Castile who ruled Spain alongside her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon. | Isabella I of Castile |
| This figure received a weapon from Muri-ranga-whenua. This son of Makea-Tutara and Taranga created a lasso out of the hair of his sister, Hina, then used it to capture the Sun and beat it with a jawbone until it agreed to lengthen the day. When his fishing hook reached the ocean floor, this figure created the Hawaiian islands. For the point, name this hero of multiple Polynesian myth systems and namesake of the second-largest Hawaiian island. | Maui |
| At this battle, Herman Melville’s character Israel Potter suffered numerous wounds. After declining command, Major General Joseph Warren was killed and his body desecrated at this battle. Thomas Gage was replaced by William Howe shortly after this battle, in which Israel Putnam gave the legendary order “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” For the point, name this June 1775 Revolutionary War battle, where the brunt of fighting took place on Breed’s Hill near Boston. | Battle of Bunker Hill |
| A medical shortage of this element was averted following a discovery in Tanzania in June 2016. This element can form Rollin films when it is cooled into a superfluid state. William Ramsay first discovered this element on Earth; it had earlier been observed by Pierre Jansen in the spectral lines of a solar eclipse in 1868. For the point, name this second most abundant element in the universe, the lightest noble gas. | helium (or He) |
| In the lead-up to this event, one diplomat confronted Valerian Zorin over pictures of SS4s [”s s fours”] and R14s [”r fourteens”], declaring that he would wait for an answer until “hell freezes over.” This event was resolved with a secret agreement to remove Jupiter systems from Turkey and the establishment of a hotline between Washington and Moscow. For the point, name this 1962 Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union after the latter attempted to place weapons on a Caribbean island. | CubanMissileCrisis (acceptdescriptiveanswersandequivalents;promptonpartialanswers) |
| One artist from this country depicted the execution of a sombrero-wearing Emperor of Mexico. Anotherpainterfromthiscountryincludedayoungboyholdingtwopistolsinhispaintingcommemorating this country’s July Revolution. Another artist from this country painted in an outdoor studio and often used haystacks, water lilies and the Rouen Cathedral as subjects. For the point, name this country home to painters Eugene Delacroix, Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. | France |
| This company’s funding of anti-climate change policy groups was the focus of Mother Jones’ 2005 report “Some Like it Hot.” This company, led for over a decade by Rex Tillerson, formed in a 1999 merger between its two namesakes, one of which owned the Valdez tanker that spilled tens of millions of gallons of oil off the Alaska coast. Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State served as CEO of, for the point, what massive oil and gas company headquartered in Texas? | ExxonMobil Corporation (prompt on either half) |
| During this war, a castle was valiantly defended by young soldiers called the “boy heroes.” John Riley led the Saint Patrick’s Battalion of deserters in this war, in which they captured two cannons at the Battle of Buena Vista. This war began with a border dispute near the Nueces River, and it was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo after Winfield Scott captured the enemy capital. For the point, name this 1846-1848 war in which Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna opposed U.S. forces. | Mexican-American War |
| This thinker may have been inspired by the works of Spinoza during his exile in Amsterdam for his rumored participation in the Rye House Plot. Leibniz attacked this man’s division of primary and secondary qualities in New Essays on Human Understanding, a critique of a work by this man that characterized the mind as a tabula rasa, or “blank slate,” upon birth. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding was written by, for the point, what English philosopher whose writings inspired the Declaration of Independence? | John Locke |
| In 1997, over fifty tourists in this country were killed in a terrorist attack launched by the group Gama’a al-Islamiyya. This country shifted from a pro-Soviet stance to a pro-American stance via the Infitah policy. The Free Officers Movement, which ended the monarchy of its King Farouk, included future leaders like Muhammad Naguib and Gemal Nasser. For the point, name this country where Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981 in Cairo. | Egypt |
| This instrument imitates the voice of the cantor during Yom Kippur in Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. Edward Elgar’s concerto for this instrument was revived by a 1965 recording with Jacqueline du Pre as soloist. Another performer of this instrument performed the Sarabande from Bach’s first suite at the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and founded the Silk Road Ensemble. For the point, name this instrument played by Yo-Yo Ma, the largest found in a string quartet. | violoncello |
| Description acceptable. This conflict began when 200 of Lentulus Batiatus’ men escaped from Capua and ended when one side was forced into a last stand by the Siler River. Gaius Glaber was surprised by troops rappelling down vines on Mount Vesuvius during this conflict. Crassus ordered the losers of this conflict to be crucified and displayed along the Appian Way. For the point, name this first century BC slave uprising in which a former gladiator led troops against the Roman Republic. | Spartacus’uprising (orrebellion,revolt,etc.;acceptdescriptiveanswersinvolvingSpartacus; accept Third Servile War; prompt on Servile War; prompt on Gladiator War before gladiator is mentioned) |
| In April 2016, this politician announced that former CEO of Hewlett Packard Carly Fiorina would be his running mate. This man instructed “vote your conscience” in an early refusal to endorse Donald Trump, who trumpeted The National Enquirer’s speculation that this politician’s father was associated with Lee Harvey Oswald. For the point, name this Texas Senator, candidate in the 2016 Republican Presidential primaries, and according to his political opponents, a suspect in the Zodiac Killer case. | Ted Cruz |
| The first colonists to arrive at this U.S. state landed at St. Clement’s Island. A governor of this state, Henry Darnall, was overthrown in a Protestant Rebellion led by John Coode. A convention to discuss internal barriers to trade under the Articles of Confederation was held in this state, which was first settled by the Calvert family. It lies on the southern border of the Mason-Dixon Line. For the point, name this state where a settlement was named after Lord Baltimore. | Maryland |
| This country negotiated the Agreed Framework with the United States and was the subject of the Sunshine Policy. A famine in this country was called the Arduous March. One leader of this nation created a policy of self-reliance called juche, and this nation channels its resources into the military in a policy known as songun. This country’s former leaders are described as “Eternal Presidents” in their cults of personality. For the point, name this Asian country that has been dominated by the Kim family. | North Korea (or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK; prompt on Korea) |
| A controversy about this film concerned the depiction of William Murdoch as the shooter of Tommy Ryan. A subplot in this film involves the Bill Paxton-played treasure hunter Brock Lovett. This movie tied Ben-Hur for the most Oscar wins and, until the same director’s Avatar, was the highest-grossing film of all time. The tragic love of Rose and Jack, who freezes to death, is told in, for the point, what film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio about a famous 1912 shipwreck? | Titanic |
| This President built a huge summer cottage on Campobello Island. George Gallup gained fame with a prediction that this man, despite a contemporary Literary Digest poll, would win one election. James Farley worked to put John Nance Garner on this man’s ticket during a campaign that used the song “Happy Days Are Here Again.” This man defeated Alf Landon and Herbert Hoover in two of his four Presidential victories. For the point, name this U.S. President who led the nation out of the Great Depression. | Franklin Delano Roosevelt (or FDR; prompt on Roosevelt) |
| Late in this monarch’s reign, he was advised by the Comte de Maurepas [kohmt de moor-pah], who appointed Turgot [tur-goh] as a naval minister and controller of finances. After this man’s profile was recognized from currency, he was captured with his family near the town of Varennes [vah-ren]. This king was forced to convene the Estates General for the first time in over one hundred and fifty years, shortly before he was imprisoned alongside his wife, Marie Antoinette. For the point, name this king who was guillotined during the French Revolution. | Louis XVI [sixteenth] |
| This man sacked Novgorod before it could defect in the Livonian War, and he ended Tatar raids into his territory with a successful siege of Kazan. To ensure nothing as beautiful could ever be designed again, this man blinded the architect of St. Basil’s Cathedral. The oprichniki secret police helped break the power of the boyars during the reign of this Rurikid monarch. For the point, name this fearsome first Tsar of Russia who killed his son in a bout of mental instability. | Ivan the Terrible (or Ivan IV Vasilyevich; accept “Fearsome” or other equivalent epithets for Terrible; prompt on Ivan) |
| This author was inspired to write a novel about the suicidal John Flory by the five years he spent as a policeman in colonial Burma. This man described his time fighting in the POUM militia during the Spanish Civil War in his book Homage to Catalonia. The island of Britain is renamed Airstrip One in another novel by this man in which Winston Smith is tormented by posters announcing “Big Brother is Watching You.” For the point, name this author of 1984. | George Orwell (or Eric Arthur Blair) |
| A scandal named after this location led to the suicide of Jacques Reinach and unseated the government of Georges Clemenceau in 1893. During the development of this location, Walter Reed led efforts to combat malaria and yellow fever. The development of this location was allowed by the terms of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, establishing a zone that includes Lake Gatun and was relinquished by the United States in 1999. For the point, name this man-made Central American waterway. | Panama Canal (prompt on Panama) |
| This man’s pro-industry Report on Manufactures inspired Henry Clay’s American System. In an attempt to prevent smuggling on the seas, this man created the Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor of the Coast Guard. This man worked with John Jay and James Madison in writing the Federalist Papers before he was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. For the point, name this first Secretary of the Treasury who appears on the $10 bill. | Alexander Hamilton |
| This city’s refusal to give up port cities led to the formation of the League of Cambrai. A ninety- year-old leader of this city, Enrico Dandolo, forced the Fourth Crusade to sack Zara and Constantinople after the crusaders could not pay him. This city’s Council of Ten elected the ruling Doge, and its Arsenale [ar-sen-ah-lay] made it a naval power in the Mediterranean. For the point, name this “Most Serene” Italian republic, a wealthy medieval city built around a series of canals. | Most Serene Republic of Venice |
| Construction of this city’s Cairo Hotel led to the passage of the 1910 Height of Buildings Act. Its boundaries were surveyed with the help of free African-American Benjamin Banneker, and it was founded just downstream of the pre-existing settlement of Georgetown.This city’s K Street is home to numerous lobbying firms. Pierre L’Enfant planned, for the point, what city along the Potomac River, in which Pennsylvania Avenue connects the Capitol and the White House? | Washington, D.C. (accept the District of Columbia) |
| Jean Rey [zhon ray] fought to increase the power of this group and developed its budgetary process. This group oversaw the passage of the Schengen Agreement, which provided for decreased border controls. It was conceived as a merger between a series of communities for atomic energy, economic, and coal and steel communities. This organization was founded with the Treaty of Maastricht. For the point, name this bloc of European states from which the UK plans to withdraw as a result of the Brexit vote. | European Union |
| In this war’s Second Battle of Chuenpi, held at the mouth of the Humen Strait, the Nemesis became known as the “devil ship.” The second of these wars began with the seizure of the Arrow and resulted in several nations gaining most favored nation status. Commissioner Lin, the viceroy of Guangdong, began the first of these wars by dumping an illicit good into the port at Canton. For the point, name these wars fought between Britain and Qing Dynasty China over the namesake drug. | Opium Wars (or the Anglo-Chinese Wars) |