| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| In this short story, a crime is revealed by the sound like “a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.” This story’s narrator claims that his madness has sharpened his senses, which helps him sneak into his housemate’s bedroom every night at midnight; on one such night, he slowly shines a lamp beam on the “vulture”-like eye of his landlord before killing him in this work. For the point, name this short story by Edgar Allan Poe, in which the “beating” of the title bodily organ makes the narrator admit to murder. | The Tell-Tale Heart |
| This state was where Samuel Slater built the first American textile mill. The HMS Gaspee was burned off the coast of this state, which was the last of the thirteen colonies to ratify the Constitution. After being exiled from Massachusetts Bay, the radical preacher Anne Hutchinson moved to this modern-day state, which was founded by an advocate for the separation of church and state, Roger Williams. For the point, name this state founded in its capital of Providence. | Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| The last of these statements was used by its formulator to prove the law of conservation of momentum. One of these statements is equivalent to the equation “impulse equals an object’s mass times the change in its velocity,” but is more often described as “force equals an object’s mass times its acceleration”. For the point, name this set of three physical laws, written in the 1687 work Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton. | Newton’s three laws of motion (prompt on partial answers until those parts of the answers are read in the giveaway of the question; by the end, only motion is necessary) |
| A man-eating group of these animals were stolen from Diomedes by Heracles. Svadilfari was one of these animals, and fathered an eight-legged one of these animals with Loki. Sleipnir is one of these creatures in Norse myth, and is ridden by Odin. The bottom portion of Chiron, a wise teacher in Greek myth, resembled this animal, since Chiron was a centaur. For the point, name this animal, such as the hollow, wooden “Trojan” one. | horses (accept mares until “Svadilfari” is read) |
| In this film, Nines accuses Eight-Seven of treachery and attacks him with a Z6 baton. Another character in this film threatens to “tighten those restraints, scavenger scum,” and is played by Daniel Craig. Five planets in the Hosnian system are destroyed in this film after an attack by Starkiller Base. While on Jakku in this film, Finn pursues BB-8 and meets the scavenger Rey. Kylo Ren kills Han Solo in, for the point, what most recent Star Wars film? | Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (accept either underlined name; accept Star Wars: The Force Awakens; prompt on “Star Wars”) |
| This country’s Moranbong Band left China 48 hours after arriving despite a plan to play several shows. In 2016, this country’s army chief of staff was executed for “factional” conspiracy. In February 2016, this country expelled workers from the Kaesong Industrial Region, which it shared with its southern neighbor despite a demilitarized zone between them. For the point, name this communist country led from Pyongyang by Kim Jong-un. | North Korea (accept Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; accept DPRK; prompt on Korea) |
| Marcel Duchamp drew a mustache on a postcard with this painting on it for his readymade L.H.O.O.Q. In this painting, the horizon is level with the eyes, whose corners are blurred by the sfumato technique popularized by its artist. It was stolen in 1911 and now sits behind bulletproof glass in the Louvre. For the point, name this painting of Francesco del Giocondo’s wife with an “enigmatic” smile, painted by Leonardo da Vinci. | Mona Lisa (accept La Gioconda until “Giocondo” is read) |
| Euclid’s first postulate defines the construction of these things. In spherical geometry, these geometric objects are great circles and have finite length. A plane is defined by three points as long as those three points do not all exist on the same one of these objects. These objects extend in two directions, as opposed to rays, which only extend in one. For the point, name these infinitely long one-dimensional geometric objects. | line (do not accept line segment or ray) |
| The defendants in Schenck v. United States worked for a political party named for this ideology. Another party named for this ideology nominated Eugene V. Debs to run for president five times. In the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Rose Schneiderman, a proponent of this ideology, urged workers to organize. For the point, identify this economic system in which the people controls the means of production. | socialism (accept word forms like socialists) |
| Passing a current through a wire can turn it into one of these objects, producing a namesake field. These objects always exist as dipoles, and cutting one will result in two new poles forming. An attractive or repulsive fundamental force is emitted by these objects, and many permanent ones are made out of iron, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth metals. For the point, name these objects that follow the rule “opposites attract.” | magnets |
| In a story in this larger work, three characters set out to find death and end up killing each other over a treasure. Queen Guinevere challenges a knight in one of these stories to discover what women want from romantic relationships; that story is told by a woman with gapped teeth, who has been married five times. At the start of this collection, thirty people gather at The Tabard Inn. “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” appear in, for the point, what collection by Geoffrey Chaucer? | The Canterbury Tales (accept Tales of Canterbury) |
| This religion’s founder traveled with Ananda, and this religion includes Mahayana and Theravada sects. This religion follows the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, which were taught by a man who achieved enlightenment in this religion after abandoning the life of a prince; that man was Siddhartha Gautama. For the point, name this Indian religion practiced by the Dalai Lama. | Buddhism |
| Phase diagrams feature this phase in the upper-left corner, where they generally do not exist at the critical point. This phase of matter is the dispersion medium for gels. Matter in this phase may be amorphous or crystalline, and can change from a gas into this phase in a process called deposition. At room temperature, all but 13 elements exist in, for the point, what phase of matter that liquids become after freezing? | solid |
| The Damietta is an eastern distributary of this river, and Lake Tana serves as the source of one of this river’s tributaries. When the Aswan High Dam was built on this river, it would have flooded the temples at Abu Simbel; the temples were moved away from what is now Lake Nasser. This river’s delta is home to the cities of Mansoura and Alexandria after flowing through Cairo, Egypt. For the point, name this longest river in Africa. | Nile River |
| A book of this type was given to Miep Gies [meep gheez] and claims that, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” The Great Fire of London is described in a work of this type written by Samuel Pepys [peeps]. One of these books addressed to “Kitty” was written in the Secret Annex before its author was taken to a concentration camp. For the point, Anne Frank wrote what kind of book, in which people record their daily activities? | diary (prompt on “journals” or “notebooks”) |
| Glucans and chitin form the cell walls of this taxonomic kingdom of organisms. This kingdom is anchored in the ground by rhizoids, which are a specialized type of hyphae strands that form the mycelium in members of this kingdom. Members of this kingdom can create “fairy circles” and reproduce by throwing spores. This plant-like kingdom grows in decaying matter, and includes slime molds and yeasts. For the point, name this kingdom of organisms like mushrooms. | Fungi (or funguses) |
| The easternmost section of this structure is at the Bakjak fortress, on Hushan. This structure was first completed by Qin Shi Huangdi [cheen shee hoo-ong-dee], and was defeated by the Manchus after it was rebuilt during the Ming dynasty. Badaling is this structure’s most popular section, and is north of Beijing. For the point, name this enormous structure that protected China’s border with Mongolia. | Great Wall of China |
| The last two people to fill one of these positions in Los Angeles were Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel. This job was held in Boston by Arthur Fielder, and Leonard Bernstein filled this role for the New York Philharmonic. These people are assisted by the concertmaster, who is often the first-chair violin. For the point, give this term for a baton-wielding leader of an orchestra, band, or other musical ensemble. | conductor (or director) |
| In this play, Cinna the Poet is attacked for sharing his name with a conspirator. A leader in this play predicts that his friend’s soul will rise to “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war.” That character, Mark Antony, gives a funeral oration which opens, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” A death on the steps on the Roman senate includes the plea, “Et tu, Brute?” in this play. For the point, name this play by Shakespeare about the assassination of the title Roman dictator. | The Tragedy of Julius Caesar |
| In 2011, this team tied a quarterfinal match with a header in the 122nd minute, then defeated Brazil on penalties. One member of this team launched a shot from the halfway line to finish a hat trick within the first 16 minutes of the World Cup final against Japan. Jill Ellis coaches this team, which lost Abby Wambach to retirement in 2015. For the point, name this national team led by captain midfielder Carli Lloyd. | United States Women’s National Team (or USWNT; accept description of the US national team for women’s soccer, prompting on partial answers; accept “football” for “soccer” in any answer) |
| One version of this event included a live broadcast of lottery numbers with birthdays assigned to 366 blue plastic capsules. This program could be avoided by paying $300 during the American Civil War, and opponents burned registration cards or fled to Canada to avoid this program during the Vietnam War, after which it was ended. For the point, name this process of mandatory enlistment of able-bodied men in the U.S. armed forces. | the draft (or conscription; accept descriptions; prompt on Selective Service) |
| This man attacked Pope Urban VIII in his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems after he was forced by the Roman Inquisition to recant his scientific views. He also analyzed sunspots, observed pendulum kinematics, and devised a thought experiment about dropping weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For the point, name this Italian scientist who defended heliocentrism, the belief that the Earth revolves around the sun. | Galileo Galilei (accept either) |
| A character in this novel reminisces about the gymnasium at her school in Arlington, Virginia, and she dictates a forged letter from Willard Hughes to Janice Avery. This novel’s protagonist adopts Prince Terrien and is in love with Miss Edmunds. May Belle becomes the queen of this novel’s title fantasy land after Leslie falls from a rope swing and drowns. For the point, name this novel by Katherine Paterson, in which Jess Aaron invents an imaginary kingdom by crossing a stream. | The Bridge to Terabithia |
| Iterated use of this operation is called tetration. Radioactivity is one form of decay that is described by this operation. As a function, this operation is inverted by use of logarithms, though specific uses of this operation can be inverted by specific roots. For the point, name this mathematical operation that repeats multiplication, examples of which include squaring and cubing a number. | exponentiation (accept word forms; accept raising to a power and word forms; accept exponential growth and/or decay) |
| This city’s people wrote names on broken clay shards to exile people, a practice called ostracism. This city’s forces were victorious under Miltiades [mill-tie-uh-dees] at Marathon, and a famous funeral oration was delivered by Pericles here after the first year of the Peloponnesian War, which this city lost. For the point, name this Greek city-state, the birthplace of democracy and rival of Sparta. | Athens |
| This mythical man built a wooden cow for Queen Pasiphae; as a result, Pasiphae’s husband instructed this man to build a large structure at Knossos to house the minotaur. To escape from King Minos, this man created wax wings that killed his son, Icarus, when he flew too close to the sun. For the point, name this mythological inventor who built the labyrinth. | Daedalus |
| A plastron is a primitive form of this organ in some arthropods. Decapod crustaceans contain a “bailer” for this organ, which have folds called lamellae that increase their surface area. These organs are fed by spiracles, which take in water from behind the eyes of animals while they swim. These organs absorb dissolved oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. For the point, name these organs that look like throat slits in fish, who use these organs to breathe. | gills |
| In one work by this author, a character laments “I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog” after being pressured by Carlson. Curley’s Wife is accidently strangled in a work by this author, which results in George killing Lennie. Another novel by this man follows the Joad family’s journey to California during the Dust Bowl. For the point, name this author of Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath | John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. |
| This collaborator with Lewis Powell and George Atzerodt was killed by Boston Corbett in Richard Garrett’sfarmhouse.HebrokehislegleapingfromabalconyduringaproductionofOur American Cousin. For the point, name this Confederate sympathizer and actor who, on April 14th, 1865, assassinated Abraham Lincoln. | John Wilkes Booth |
| In 2008, Ontario and Quebec pledged to conserve portions of this biome, which stretches west through Alberta. Growth in this biome is dictated by their fire regimes, and their dampness and poor soil mean they are dominated by lichens, brown bears, and caribou. This biome’s name is Russian for forest, since this biome stretches through Canada and Russia near the tundra. For the point, name this northern, coniferous forest biome containing pines and spruces. | taiga (accept boreal forest; accept snowy forest; accept conifer forest or coniferous forest before it is read; prompt on “forest” until it is read) |
| Mark Twain wrote that this author committed “114 offenses...out of a possible 115” in two thirds of a page of this man’s novel The Deerslayer. In one of his novels, Colonel Munro’s two daughters, Alice and Cora, are kidnapped by Magua, who later kills Uncas, the son of Chingachgook. Natty Bumppo is the protagonist of that novel, the second of this man’s Leatheringstocking tales. For the point, name this author of The Last of the Mohicans. | James Fenimore Cooper |
| Donald Trump criticized this man as a pawn of the Mexican government after this man gave a speech at the U.S. & Mexican border. In a February 2016 interview, this man compared abortion to Mafia action, but may have described contraception as “not an absolute evil” when considering the spread of the Zika virus in Latin America. This man took his current post after the resignation of Joseph Ratzinger. For the point, name this Argentinian who, in 2013, was elected Pope. | Pope Francis (or Jorge Mario Bergoglio) |
| In 1970, one Prime Minister of this country, after being asked how far he would go to stop terrorists after the FLQ kidnapped Pierre Laporte, replied “Just watch me.” That man’s son defeated Tom Mulcair and Stephen Harper in a 2015 election to become this country’s current PM. For the point, name this country currently led by Justin Trudeau, who leads a government in Ottawa. | Canada |
| This man’s painting, Silver Car Crash, sold for $104.5 million dollars in 2013. This artist worked at a studio called The Factory, and he coined the expression “15 minutes of fame.” He created silkscreen prints of Marilyn Monroe weeks after her death, and his most famous work contains varieties like “Clam Chowder” and “Chicken Noodle”. For the point, name this Pop Artist who painted many versions of Campbell’s Soup Cans. | Andy Warhol (accept Andrew Warhola, Jr.) |
| In this city, the art deco Colt Tower stands in Pioneer Park on Telegraph Hill, and its Russian Hill is home to the extreme curves of Lombard Street. Its neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury was home to a 1960’s “hippie” movement. To the north of Fisherman’s Wharf, prisoners were once held on Alcatraz Island in this city’s bay. For the point, name this California city connected to Oakland by I-80 and to Marin County by the Golden Gate Bridge. | San Francisco |
| These objects contain two electrodes in an acidic solution, allowing electron transfer between electrodes. In a circuit diagram, these objects are represented with two lines of different length; the long line is the positive terminal, and the short line is the negative one. These objects serve as power sources in circuits by creating a voltage difference, and some are rechargeable. For the point, name these circuit components whose strengths are measured in volts and which are made by Energizer and Duracell. | battery (accept galvanic, voltaic, or electrochemical cells) |