1. Music: what two notes are not played as flats on a piano’s black keys? C and F
  2. Who was the first woman to compete in the Grand National Steeplechase? Charlotte Brew in 1977
  3. What are the names of the two types of barometer? Aneroid and mercury (can also have a storm or Goethe barometer which is water-based)
  4. In which 1971 film did Gene Hackman star as Popeye Doyle? The French Connection
  5. What type of bird is used in the making of a squab pie? Pigeon
  6. In which country is the Barossa Valley? Australia (north east of Adelaide)
  7. What were the names of The Hollies two U. K. No.1 singles? ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ and ‘I’m Alive’
  8. What is the most southerly, regularly used English test cricket ground? The Oval
  9. In ‘Eastenders’ what was the name of Michelle Fowler’s daughter? Vicki
  10. Which team first won the Scottish League Cup three times? East Fife F. C.
  11. What is the national flower of India? Lotus
  12. From what disease did Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, die? Typhoid fever
  13. At what degree is the Earth tiled towards the Sun? 21.5 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 23.5 degrees or 24.5 degrees? 23.5 degrees
  14. What was the first Asian country to host the winter Olympic Games? Japan in 1972
  15. Who was the first actor to play Dr. Who on TV? William Hartnell
  16. The chief of which clan is referred to as ‘Lochiel’? Clan Cameron
  17. Che Guevara was born and died in which two countries? Born Argentina in 1928 and died Bolivia in 1967
  18. What is the Ishihara test used to detect? Colour blindness
  19. The pop group Wet Wet Wet sponsored which football team in 1993? Clydebank F. C.
  20. In ‘Only Fools and Horses’ which actors played ‘Granddad’ and ‘Uncle Albert’? Buster Merryfield and Lennard Pearce
  21. Name the year: Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader, the Achille Lauro is hijacked, Juventus defeat Liverpool 1-0 in the European Cup final and Jimmy Nail has a U. K. hit with ‘Live Don’t Live Here Anymore’. 1985
  22. Spiro Agnew was Vice-President to which U. S. President? Richard Nixon
  23. On which TV show is the final round called ‘The Showcase Showdown’? The Price is Right
  24. In Greek mythology, who was the mother of Eros? Aphrodite
  25. Who wrote the novel ‘The Day of the Triffids’? John Wyndham
  26. Who had a U. K. No.1 single in 1986 with ‘The Final Countdown’? Europe
  27. How many zeros are there in a British trillion? Eighteen (one million million million)
  28. What were the names of the two gangs in the musical ‘West Side Story’? The Sharks and the Jets
  29. In Morse code, what number is denoted by five dashes? Zero
  30. What country is known as ‘the Land of the Long White Cloud’? New Zealand
  31. Pilot Amy Johnson disappeared over which English river? River Thames
  32. Which Shakespeare play begins with the line ‘When shall we three meet again?’? Macbeth
  33. Which planet has satellites named Phobos and Deimos? Mars
  34. Boxing: how many times did Joe Frazier fight Mohammed Ali? Three times (1971, 1974 and 1975)
  35. What was Thomas Sheraton famous for designing and manufacturing? Furniture
  36. At which football World Cup finals did Scotland first appear and in which year? Switzerland in 1954
  37. Which word, beginning with the letter ‘Z’, means a soft or gentle breeze? Zephyr
  38. Name two of the three metals that bear hallmarks. Gold, silver and platinum
  39. What charity day was first held on 11th November 1921? Poppy Day
  40. Which product was advertised on TV with the line ‘plink, plink, fizz’? Alka-Seltzer

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