Answers and a new quiz will be given in July 2009

The questions below were set by Liverpool for the President's Trophy in November 2008

Round 1
1a The highest point on the standard gauge railway network in Scotland is Drumochter Summit. Name the town or city at either end of the line.
1b Which British Admiral defeated the French at the Battle of the Saints in 1782, during the American War of Independence?
2a Which bird of prey that had been extinct in the wild in the US, has been reintroduced into the Grand Canyon National Park since 1996?
2b Which New Romantic band had top ten hits in the 1980s with songs called 'Best Years of Our Lives' and 'Walking in the Rain'?
3a Which British Admiral defeated the French at the Battle of the Glorious First of June in 1794, during the French Revolutionary War?
3b The highest point on the standard gauge railway network in England is Ais Gill Summit. Name the town or city at either end of the line.
4a Which New Romantic band had top ten hits in the 1980s with songs called 'All of my Heart' and 'The Look of Love'?
4b Which bird of prey that had been extinct in the wild in Ireland, has been reintroduced into County Donegal by conservationists since 2001?

Round 2
1a Dykh Tau, Koshtan Tau and Jangi Tau are among the five highest peaks in which European mountain range?
1b Which first magnitude star has a name from the Greek meaning 'bear keeper', because of its proximity to the constellation Ursa Major?
2a In 1873, Gerhard Hansen discovered the microbe which causes which tropical disease?
2b In the film 'Carry On Doctor', who played the part of Dr Kilmore?
3a Which first magnitude star has a name from the Greek meaning 'before the dog', because it rises just before Sirius, the Dog Star?
3b Mount Speke, Mount Baker and Mount Gessi are among the five highest peaks in which African mountain range?
The Ruwenzori (accept Mountains of the Moon)
4a In the film 'Carry On Cowboy', who played the part of Chief Big Heap?
4b In 1880, Alphonse Laveran discovered the microbe which causes which tropical disease?

Round 3
1a Which aircraft manufacturer built the Skua fighter bomber during the Second World War and the Buccaneer fighter bomber after the war? It was taken over by Hawker Siddeley in 1960.
1b In 1844, which novelist wrote 'The Luck of Barry Lyndon'?
William Makepeace Thackeray
2a When the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu was under colonial rule, what was its name?
2b The US TV comedy 'Happy Days' was set in which city?
3a In 1753, which novelist wrote 'The History of Sir Charles Grandison'?
3b Which aircraft manufacturer built the Hampden bomber during the Second World War and the Hermes transport and airliner after the war?
4a The US TV comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show was set in which city?
4b When the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu was under colonial rule, what was its name?

Round 4
1a In chemical analysis, what name is given to the thin graduated tube with a tap at its base used to slowly add a reagent to a titration?
1b Which suspension bridge in New York was the longest single span bridge in the world from 1964 to 1981 when it was relegated to second place by the Humber Bridge?
2a At which battle in 1838, during the Great Trek, did the Boers under Andries Pretorius defeat the Zulus under Dingaan?
2b Which silvery white, light-weight metal, atomic number 12, was first discovered in its pure form by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808?
3a Which suspension bridge in New York was the longest single span bridge in the world from 1931 to 1937 when it was relegated to second place by the Golden Gate Bridge?
3b In biology, what name is given to the specialised tissue that conducts carbohydrates and other nutrients around a vascular plant?
4a Which metal was first discovered in an impure form by Hans Orsted in 1825?
4b At which battle in 1881, during the First Boer war, did the Boers under Piet Joubert defeat the British under General Sir John Colley?

Round 5
1a On which Scottish loch does the town of Fort William stand?
1b Athletes from which country are represented by the initials SKN?
2a Who in the 1920s composed a 'Colour Symphony'?
2b In the 2006 film of the same name, in which country was Casino Royale situated?
3a Which country was the setting for the 2000 film 'Mission Impossible 2'?
3b Who in the 1920s composed a setting for Edith Sitwell's poems 'Façade'?
4a Athletes from which country are represented by the initials MRI?
4b Which Scottish fishing and ferryport stands on Loch Broome?

Round 6
1a Which current West End show features a routine in which riot police dance with young ballerinas?
1b In electrical engineering, which name for a bistable latch is also used for a type of beachwear?
2a What is the name of the prepayment travel pass system used extensively on London Transport?
2b Depicting, in a primitive style, Christ on the cross surrounded by Breton peasants, which artist painted 'The Yellow Christ' in 1889?
3a Which baroque artist painted 'The Supper at Emmaus' in 1601, that is now to be found in the National Gallery?
3b A statue of which writer is to be found adjacent to the new Eurostar Terminal in London's St Pancras station?
4a In electrical engineering, what two word term describes the grid drawn to summarise the input and outputs of logic gates?
4b Which current West End show opens with the number 'Good Morning Baltimore'?

Round 7
1a In Greek mythology, who imposed the 12 Labours on Hercules?
1b What is the name of the piratical maid of all works in Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance'?
2a Which country's monarch accepts the 'Raven Crown'?
2b Who won Great Britain's 200th Olympic Gold medal at the Games in Beijing in 2008?
3a Who was the British tennis player who won the Ladies Junior title at Wimbledon in 2008?
3b What is the literal meaning of 'Algarve'?
4a What is the name of the Lord Chancellor's Ward in Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Iolanthe'?
4b Who was the Greek god of Commerce?

Round 8
la Which scientific phenomenon occurs when a wave passes through an aperture whose size is approximately that of the wavelength of the wave?
1b Which band had a hit with 'Eight Miles High' in 1966?
2a Which Restoration dramatist wrote The Plain Dealer'?
2b Which greenish-brown, prickly Asian tropical fruit is notorious for smelling bad but is reported to taste very good?
3a Which dark purplish-brown Asian tropical fruit is mentioned by Rudyard Kipling in a poem about steamships in the 'Just So' stories?
3b Who wrote a collection of short stories entitled 'Mortal Coils' in 1922?
4a Released in 1954, what was Frank Sinatra's first Number One hit record?
4b An auxin performs tasks in a plant equivalent to which general substance in an animal?

Spare Questions
1 Who plays Dr. Nikki Alexander in television's 'Silent Witness'?
2 Who is the patron saint of Scientists?
3 Who is the subject of historical novelist Philippa Gregory's latest book 'The Other Queen'?