| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Prior to this event, a foreign embassy posted a warning in fifty American newspapers. This event occurred near Kinsale, Ireland, and it was ordered by Walter Schweiger [[SHVAI-guh]]. Captain Turner was one of 761 survivors of this event, which targeted a vessel of the Cunard Line. Along with the Zimmerman Telegram, this event was a major factor in the declaration of war against a certain country. For the point, name this event in which a German U-Boat sank a British ocean liner during World War One. | Sinking of the RMS Lusitania (accept descriptive answers of the attack on the Lusitania) |
| One scene in this poem inspired the title of a James Frazer book subtitled "A Study in Comparative Religion." That scene from this poem depicts the Cumaean Sibyl instructing a hero to take a golden bough to the underworld. One translation of this poem opens with the line "I sing of arms and the man." This poem depicts the tragic romance of the Carthaginian Queen Dido [["DIE"-doh]] and the title hero. For the point, name this epic poem by Virgil, which recounts the founding of Rome by a Trojan prince. | The Aeneid |
| Members of this phylum possess a "ladder-like" nervous system consisting of nerve segments with paired ganglia. This phylum relies on an open circulatory system, through which oxygen passively diffuses to hemolymph. Most members of this phylum take in visual information through compound eyes, and ancient examples of this phylum include trilobites and horseshoe crabs. For the point, name this phylum of animals with jointed appendages and exoskeletons, which includes arachnids and insects. | Euarthropoda (or Euarthropods) |
| This man's best known writing was enhanced and expanded by a descendant named Bin. According to Sima Qian [[CHEE-AHN]], this man served as a minister to King Helü of Wu. This man's writings were the most important part of Emperor Shenzong's Seven Military Classics. This man is the source of the dictum "to win without fighting is best." For the point, name this ancient Chinese military strategist, the author of The Art of War. | Sun Tzu (or Sun Wu or Sunzi or Changqing; prompt on "Tzu" or "Wu") |
| The Storm at Sea is a set of flute concerti by this composer, whose score markings contain words like "the drunkards have fallen asleep." Some of this man's more controversial works were initially censored, including his opera Arsilda, regina di Ponto. Many of this man's compositions were written for an all-female ensemble at the Ospedale della Pietà. For the point, name this “Red Priest'' who composed The Four Seasons. | Antonio Vivaldi |
| Eugene Ionesco [[yoo-ZHEN ee-oh-NES-ko]] is often associated with this literary theatrical movement, many works of which are tragic comedies such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. One play in this genre of drama features Pozzo and Lucky, who chat with the two main characters while they wait for a person who never comes. For the point, name this philosophy which deals with the difficulty in finding meaning in life as exemplified by Waiting for Godot. | Absurdism (or Absurdist; accept Theatre of the Absurd) |
| During this Chinese dynasty, its failing economy was revitalized by increasing demand from Europe for Chinese products, which caused an influx of silver. Both the Great Plague and the deadliest earthquake in history occurred near the end of this dynasty. The final leader of this dynasty was Zhu Youjian [[ZHOO YOO-JEE-AHN]], the Chongzhen Emperor. For the point, name this Chinese dynasty that ended with a rebellion led by Li Zicheng [[LEE ZEE-CHENG]] and the invasion of the Manchus. | Ming Dynasty (accept Great Ming; or Dà Míng) |
| Two oxygen atoms and an atom of this element are bound to phosphorus in the toxin sarin [[SEHR-in]]. A compound of xenon [[ZEE-non]] bound to four atoms of this element was the first noble gas compound discovered. Refrigerants made of carbon, chlorine, and this element were banned after their role in ozone depletion was discovered. This lightest of the halogens also has the highest electronegativity. For the point, name this element, the anion [[AN-"eye"-on]] of which is added to toothpaste and drinking water to help strengthen tooth enamel. | Fluorine (accept F; do not accept or prompt on "fluoride") |
| In many religions, this shape symbolizes harmony and balance, and this shape is used as the top of the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah as a representation of Creation. This shape is used in packing and sports equipment because of its physical strength and ability to tesselate. With internal angles adding up to 720 degrees, for the point, what is this shape which is found in nature in basalt columns, insect eyes, and honeycombs? | Hexagon |
| In Rabbinic tradition, this book's central figure is held to be the boy raised from the dead by Elijah. This book's central figure asks to be killed by God after a worm eats the gourd under which he was resting. This book's central figure attempts to sail to Tarshish to avoid going to Nineveh. For the point, name this Old Testament book, whose title prophet spends three days in the belly of a fish. | Book of Jonah (or Yonah) |
| This man served as chair of the New York City Homeless Commission, and from 1997 to 2001, this man served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. In 2002, this man lost out to Carl McCall for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York. This man's 2020 book, American Crisis, lauded his own leadership during the COVID-19 crisis. Accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, for the point, who is this man who resigned as governor of New York in 2021? | Andrew Cuomo |
| Modern stagings of this ballet sometimes call for the performance of thirty-two Fouettés [[foo-eh-TEHS]] by its female lead, a move originally choreographed for the dancer Pierina Legnani. In the second act of this ballet, a prince goes hunting with a crossbow and meets a woman who tells him of the evil machinations of the sorcerer Von Rothbart. In this ballet, Odette must find love to break free of a curse that turns her into a bird during the day. For the point, name this ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. | Swan Lake (or Lebedínoye ózero) |
| One character in this novel says, “They were better than horse chestnuts” to explain why he kept crab apples in his cheeks. This novel’s protagonist sits in a tree naked during Snowden’s funeral. A man who resembles Henry Fonda in this novel is named Major Major Major Major. This novel names a phrase that describes the paradoxical situation that Yossarian faces when he tries to get out of flying missions. For the point, name this war novel by Joseph Heller. | Catch-22 |
| This style originated in the Late Middle Ages in northern France. The University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning and the Tribune Tower in Chicago are modern examples of this architectural type. Vaulted ceilings and pointed arches are two facets of this style, as are flying buttresses and stained-glass windows. For the point, Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame [[NOH-truh DAHM]] were constructed in what style of architecture, which often features gargoyles? | Gothic (accept Pointed; accept Ogival) |
| Along with a set of stars in Cepheus, this star is the "diamond" in the Engagement Ring asterism. This yellow giant star is the first Cepheid variable to have its mass determined from its orbit and is the closest such star to Earth. This star can be located using an imaginary line connecting Dubhe [[DUH-bee]] and Merak [[MEE-rack]] in Ursa Major. For the point, name this bright star at the end of the Little Dipper's handle, which is often named for being seen from Earth in a namesake direction. | Polaris (or Alpha UMi; or Alpha Ursae Minoris; accept Pole Star or Northern Star) |
| To avoid conscription in the Franco-Prussian War, this man, with Charles-François Daubigny [[daw-bin-YEE]], put himself into a self-imposed exile in the Netherlands. This man’s paintings are often depictions of the places in which he lived, such as Argenteuil [[ahr-JEN-twee]] or Giverny [[zhih-VEHR-nee]]. The title of one painting by this man depicting a sunrise over Le Havre [[luh-HAHV]] was the inspiration for the term "impressionism." For the point, name this renowned French Impressionist painter known for his depictions of water lilies. | Claude Monet |
| Paul survives an attack by one of these animals after landing in Malta. Moses creates a bronze image of this animal to stop a plague of them in his camp. One of these animals created the world during the Dreamtime in Australian myth. According to legend, Cleopatra committed suicide by being bitten by one of these animals. For the point, name these animals, one of which tempts the biblical Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. | Snakes (accept Serpent; accept Rainbow Snake or Serpent; anti-prompt on "asp") |
| When visiting his friend, Maxim Gorky, this man published a series of articles titled Russia in the Shadows. This man imagined a kind of precursor to Wikipedia in a collection of essays called World Brain. Edward Prendrick narrates a work by this man which features a vivisectionist who experiments on Beast Folk. Dr. Moreau is a character created by, for the point, which science fiction writer who wrote The Time Machine and War of the Worlds? | H. G. Wells (or Herbert George Wells) |
| In response to a massacre near Lake George, the losing side in this war was denied honors by Jeffrey Amherst. During this war, Governor Shirley forcibly expelled the Acadians from Nova Scotia. The generals of both armies died in this war’s Battle of the Plains of Abraham. George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity in the first campaign of this war. For the point, name this war in which the British fought a European power and their native allies in North America. | French and Indian War (accept Guerre de la Conquête or War of the Conquest; prompt on “Seven Years War”) |
| This type of rock can be metamorphized into quartzite when exposed to high temperatures and pressures. Because this type of rock has high porosity, it is valuable as the structure of its namesake kind of aquifer. The Navajo formation of this type of rock contains Zion National Park and Red Rock Canyon. For the point, name this sedimentary rock, formed by the accumulation of its namesake silicate grains. | Sandstone (accept Quartz sandstone; accept Sandstone aquifer; accept Navajo sandstone) |
| This modern country is home to the world's oldest known temple at Göbekli Tepe [[ger-bek-LEE teh-PEH]], or Potbelly Hill. This country also contains the ancient temple city of Çatalhöyük [[chah-TAHL-her-yook]]. Charles Maclaren was the first to locate a city, once thought an Iliad legend, in what is today this country. Home to the ruins of historic Troy, for the point, what is this country whose Byzantine historical sites are found in Istanbul? | Republic of Turkey (accept Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) |
| Important formulas in this field were found on the Rhind Papyrus from Ancient Egypt. Antiphon originated the method of exhaustion used in this field. Hyperbolic and elliptical varieties of this discipline are part of a group that relaxes or rejects the parallel postulate. Standard forms of this discipline are based on the postulates of the Elements of Euclid. For the point, name this mathematical discipline that studies angles and shapes. | Geometry (prompt on "mathematics" or "math" before mentioned) |
| In one essay, this author describes a police officer in Burma who is expected to kill the title animal as a metaphor for imperialism. In addition to "Shooting an Elephant," this author wrote a novel in which three totalitarian super-states named Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania are at war. Another novel by this author depicts Snowball being driven out by his fellow pig, Napoleon. For the point, name this English novelist, the author of 1984 and Animal Farm. | George Orwell (or Eric Arthur Blair) |
| The majority opinion in this case stated, “It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is.” The court refused to issue a writ of mandamus in this case in which the defendant was Thomas Jefferson’s newly-appointed Secretary of State. This case prevented the court from intervening in the “midnight judges” dispute. For the point, name this court case in which the Marshall Court established judicial review. | Marbury v. Madison (or William Marbury v. James Madison, Secretary of State of the United States) |
| Power is proportional to the square of this quantity in Joule heating. The Biot-Savart [[BEE-oh sah-VAHR]] Law relates magnetic field strength to this quantity. Loops of this quantity are formed within conductors according to Faraday’s Law of Induction. This quantity is equal to voltage divided by resistance according to Ohm’s Law in which it is symbolized "i." For the point, name this quantity that describes the amount of electron flow. | Current |
| “Hoi Toider” is a dialect of American English from this state spoken by people from isolated communities in Pamlico Sound. Issues related to navigating sites like Diamond Shoals led to this state’s Cape Hatteras being dubbed “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” With a historical tobacco hub in the city of Durham, for the point, what is this southern U.S. state whose largest city is Charlotte? | North Carolina |
| In Incan religion, this object was worshipped with the Raymi festival. In one myth, Phaethon [[FAY-un-thun]] dies after trying to control a chariot representing this object. In Egyptian mythology, this object was represented by the boat ridden by Ra. During Ragnarok, the wolf Skoll will plunge the world into darkness by eating this object. For the point, name this celestial object represented by the gods Apollo and Helios. | Sun (or Sol) |
| Artist Frederic Remington was hired as a correspondent for this war, during which he reported on fighting at “Hell’s Pocket." The publication of the De Lome letter was among the acts of “yellow journalism” that fueled this war which resulted in the leasing of Guantanamo Bay. This war began when the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. For the point, name this war during which the United States captured the Philippines and Cuba from a colonial power. | Spanish-American War |
| Common causes of this condition include excessive growth of Cutibacterium and misregulation of androgen [[AN-dro-jen]] hormones. Severe cases of this condition are often treated with the vitamin A derivative isotretinoin [["EYE"-so-TREH-tih-NO-in]], which is marketed under the name Accutane. Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic [[SAH-lih-SIH-lik]] acid are the two most commonly used topical treatments for this condition. For the point, name this skin condition in which sebaceous [[see-BAY-shus]] glands become infected, causing blackheads and whiteheads. | Acne vulgaris (accept Pimples, Zits, etc) |
| This character dropped out of college due to his hatred for the janitorial position he was forced to take in order to pay his tuition. A boarder in this character’s house is a pianist named Ewing Klipspringer. This character frequently stares at a “green light” across the water in East Egg. Nick Carraway is one of just three people to attend this character’s funeral after he is shot in his pool. For the point, name this lavish party host, the title character of a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. | Jay Gatsby (or James Gatz; accept either underlined name in both cases; accept The Great Gatsby) |
| This man jointly published works with Alfred Russel Wallace. This man also examined sexual selection and botany in works such as Fertilisation of Orchids and Descent of Man to Emotions. This man went on a voyage on the HMS Beagle and became known for his study of finches on the Galapagos Islands. For the point, name this writer of On The Origin of Species who pioneered evolution theory with his theory of natural selection. | Charles Darwin |