Tuesday 9th September 2008
Set by Plasterers (Wirral)

Round 1
1a In which country was the West Indian cricket captain Sir Vivian Richards born?
Antigua
1b In Britain, what is the difference between a hamlet and a village?
A hamlet has no church
2a Which famous comic was first issued in Britain on 14 April 1950?
Eagle
2b Which architect designed the Albert Memorial in 1875?
George Gilbert Scott
3a The character Rick Blaine appears in which film?
Casablanca
3b In which American state is Edwards Air Force Base?
California
4a Which canal connects Inverness and Fort William?
Caledonian Canal
4b What is the anatomical name for the armpit?
Axilla

Round 2
1a In the comedy series 'Rising Damp' what was Rigsby's Christian name?
Rupert
1b Cinnabar is the chief ore of which metallic element?
Mercury
2a Which poet wrote 'The Lady of Shalott' in 1833?
Alfred Lord Tennyson
2b Who was the singer who gave up his seat on the plane that crashed, killing Buddy Holly?
Waylon Jennings
3a Who was the leader of the conspirators involved in the Gunpowder Plot in 1605?
Robert Catesby
3b What is the name of the central keep of the Tower of London?
White Tower
4a Of which band was guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs a founder member?
Oasis
4b Of which constellation is Deneb the brightest star?
Cygnus

Round 3
1a Which brand of coffee is named after a hotel in Nashville, Tennessee?
Maxwell House
1b Bedford Filbasket, Bosworth and Trafalgar are varieties of which vegetables?
Brussels Sprouts
2a A sleuth is the group name for what type of mammal?
Bear
2b Which poet is buried on the Greek island of Skyros?
Rupert Brooke
3a Which US swimmer won 8 medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 6 of which were gold?
Michael Phelps
3b LOT is the national airline of which country?
Poland
4a Which king had daughters named Cordelia, Regan and Goneril?
King Lear
4b Gene Hackman won the Best Actor Oscar in 1971, for which film?
The French Connection

Round 4
1a What was Beethoven's only opera?
Fidelio
1b The maiden name of which Coronation Street character is Nugent?
Emily Bishop (accept Swain)
2a Who was the founder of 'Today' newspaper, launched in 1986, the subject of much dispute with trade unions?
Eddie Shah
2b 'While we were marching through Georgia' is a song of the American Civil War. Which union general led the march through Georgia in 1864?
Sherman
3a Which Roman road ran from Lincoln to Exeter?
Fosse Way
3b What was the original use of the building which now houses the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London?
(Bankside) Power Station
4a Gallophobia is fear of what?
The French or French things
4b Specifically, for which category of writing is the annual Orange Prize awarded?
Women's Fiction (Best novel by a woman)

Round 5
1a In which country was West Indian cricket captain Sir Garfield Sobers born?
Barbados
1b What does 'Chipping' indicate in a place name such as Chipping Norton?
Market
2a In the Eagle comic, what was the detective character called? (It was a type of cloth). He had the soubriquet 'Extra Special Agent'.
Harris Tweed
2b The post-modern arts complex, built in Paris in 1977, is named after which French president?
(Georges) Pompidou
3a The character Sally Bowles appears in which film?
Cabaret
3b In which American state is the United States military academy at West Point?
New York
4a Which 137-mile canal joins London and Birmingham?
Grand Union Canal
4b What is the anatomical name for the upper jaw bone?
Maxilla

Round 6
1a In the comedy series 'Rising Damp', what was the Christian name of Miss Jones?
Ruth
1b Calamine is the chief ore of which metallic element?
Zinc
2a Which poet wrote 'The Lady of the Lake' in 1810?
Sir Walter Scott
2b 'The Million Dollar Quartet' was an impromptu jam session in December 1956. Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were three taking part. Who was the fourth?
Johnny Cash
3a Which South London gang, led by Charles and Eddie, were rivals of the Krays?
Richardson
3b What name is given to the enclosed courtyard of a medieval castle?
Bailey
4a Who composed the music for 'The Wombles' TV programme?
Mike Batt
4b Apart from the Sun, which is the nearest star to our planet?
Proxima Centauri

Round 7
1a What was the Christian name of the founder of the Birdseye frozen food company?
Clarence (accept Frank)
1b Which fruit has varieties called Eureka, Lisbon and Meyer?
Lemon
2a A skulk is the group name for which type of mammal?
Fox
2b On which Greek island are the ruins of Knossos?
Crete
3a Which Australian Olympic swimming champion announced her retirement in 1973 at the age of 16 years and 9 months?
Shane Gould
3b PIA is the national airline of which country?
Pakistan
4a Katherina Minola features in the title of which Shakespeare play?
Taming of the Shrew
4b Michael Douglas won Best Actor Oscar in 1987 for which film?
Wall Street

Round 8
1a Who composed the operetta 'Orpheus in the Underworld' in 1858?
Offenbach
1b What was Linda McCartney's surname before she married Paul?
Eastman
2a Who famously proclaimed 'Ich bin ein Berliner' on 26 June 1963?
J F Kennedy
2b Who was president of the Confederate States during the American Civil War?
Jefferson Davis
3a What was the Roman name for the city of Bath?
Aquae Sulis
3b In which English county is Osborne House?
Isle of Wight
4a Ailurophobia is fear of what?
Cats
4b In which sport is the Uber Cup presented?
Badminton

Spare Questions
1 Who had a hit with the song Copacabana in 1978?
Barry Manilow
2 What does the prefix `xylo' mean, as in xylophone?
Wood
3 In which month do the London Promenade Concerts start?
July