1.  In 1938, which Irish writer became the first person to win a Nobel Prize and an Oscar? George Bernard Shaw

2.  In 2013 which team reached the English League Cup final despite playing fourth tier football? Bradford City

3.  The character of Tom Joad appears in which John Steinbeck novel? The Grapes of Wrath

4.  Who composed the musical piece ‘Carmina Burana’, used in everything from ‘The Omen’ to Old Spice? Carl Orff

5.  Which actor won a best screenplay Oscar for ‘Chariots of Fire’? Colin Welland

6.  What is the name of Ahab’s ship in the novel ‘Moby Dick’? Pequod

7.  Described as ‘The World’s Best Restaurant’ by Restaurant magazine, which TV chef owns ‘The Fat Duck’ in Wiltshire? Heston Blumenthal

8.  Which Olympics, other than London did the Queen officially open? Montreal in 1976

9.  Who, in Shakespeare says ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow’? Juliet

10.  The chimera is a mythological beast comprising of three creatures. Can you name two? Lion, goat snake

11.  What was the name of the submarine that sank the Belgrano during the Falklands conflict? H. M. S. Conqueror

12.  What is the actual name for a whale’s blowhole? Spiracle

13.  Dublin is the largest. What is the second largest city in the Irish Republic? Cork

14.  Who directly succeeded Richard Whitely as host of Countdown? Des Lynam

15.  What mineral is the main constituent of aluminium? Bauxite

16.  What baked dish takes its name from the German word for ‘whirlpool’? Strudel

17.  Bechuanaland was the former name of which African country? Botswana

18.  On which racecourse is the Welsh Grand National run? Chepstow

19.  What newspaper is featured in the Beatles’ song ‘Paperback Writer’? Daily Mail

20.  Yellowstone national park lies in three U. S. States. Can you name two? Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

21.  Which part of the UK was first to give women the vote? Isle of Man

22.  In 1964, which British comedian was the first man on the cover of Playboy? Peter Sellers

23.  Who are the only mother and daughter to have won the B. B. C. Sports Personality of the Year? Princess Anne and Zara Phillips

24.  Can you name the French artist (1860 - 1945) whose sculptures were exclusively of glass? Rene Lalique

25.  Who is the current Education Secretary? Michael Gove

26.  Brian Boru was a tenth/eleventh century king of which country? Ireland

27.  Which film studio’s logo is a woman wearing a toga and holding a torch? Columbia

28.  What is the ancestral seat of the Marquis of Bath? Longleat

29.  What is the fastest fish in the ocean (100m in 4.8 secs)? Sailfish

30.  Which actress found fame as Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street? Jean Alexander

31.  Which goddess was depicted on Olympic gold medals from 1928 – 2002? Nike

32.  Robert Leroy Brown and Henry Longabaugh were the real names of which outlaws? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (it was Robert Leroy Parker)

33.  Operation Hummingbird saw Hitler’s purge of left wing members of the Nazi party in 1934. By what name were these assassinations more commonly known? Night of the Long Knives

34.  In what year did Britain relinquish rule over Hong Kong? 1997

35.  Who is the current presenter of ‘Desert Island Discs’? Kirsty Young

36.  2012 Olympics, women’s football. Why did North Korea refuse to come out for their opening game? The South Korean flag was flown by mistake

37.  Barbara Vine is an alternate pen-name for which authoress? Ruth Rendell

38.  What is the highest mountain in Canada? Mount Logan

39.  Which cartoon character made the cover of Playboy in 2009? Marge Simpson

40.  BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Scotland has produced five winners. The first was swimmer Ian Black, the last was Andy Murray. Can you name two of the other three? Jackie Stewart, Liz McColgan, Chris Hoy