Washington University High School Academic Challenge VIII
January 28, 2006
Round 7: Quarterfinals
Written by members of Washington University Academic Team
Edited by Lori Currier, Ryan Jacobson, Sean Phillips and Jon Pinyan
1. A quote from Bette Davis’ Beyond the Forest incites one of the many nasty exchanges between two of this plays’ central characters. Other quarrels include an argument as to whether the moon is up or down and of the male character attempting to strangle his wife as they and their guests play “Humiliate the Host.” In the final act, the audience realizes that the couple’s much discussed son doesn’t actually exist and is a creation of their imaginations. All this is set at a dinner party attended by Nick and Honey in, for 10 points, what Edward Albee play about the rancorous George and Martha?
ANSWER: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
2. Atoms in this type of solid are held together by strong covalent bonds. Ceramic materials such as those used in superconductors are commonly of this type. They exhibit high melting and boiling points and are very rigid. As a result, they tend to shatter rather than bend.For 10 points, name this type of solid whose common forms include diamond, graphite, and silicates.
ANSWER: Network solids
3. The most recent one to be visible to the naked eye occurred in 1975 in the constellation Cygnus. RS Ophiuchi has undergone at least four in the last century, and even non-recurrent ones can be used as standard candles. Occurring when material from a companion star begins to build up on a white dwarf, for ten points, name these celestial explosions which are much less explosive than their super counterparts.
ANSWER: Novae (DNA: supernovae)
4. Critics have long praised his technical virtuosity as an oil painter. He used glazing to build layer upon layer of paint to achieve realistic texture and light in paintings such as The Venus of Urbino. For 10 points, name this Venetian painter of the sixteenth century who was granted a title of nobility for his equestrian portrait of Charles V and who painted Assumption of the Madonna.
ANSWER: Tiziano Vecellio or Titian
5. While he was United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1987 to 1990, his first assistant was Michael Chertoff, now the Secretary of Homeland Security. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1975 and as a judge, wrote famous dissents in cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey while serving on the 3rd Circuit. President Bush nominated him on October 31, 2005, three days after Harriet Miers withdrew her name for nomination. For 10 points, name this controversial judicial figure.
ANSWER: Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
6. This man did work in optics, validating discoveries of Galileo. He also served as court astrologer to General Wallenstein, court mathematician to Rudolf II, and assistant to Tycho Brahe, inheriting Tycho’s data after his death. For ten points, name this German, who after discovering a 1604 supernovathat bears his name derived from Tycho’s observations his laws of planetary motion.
ANSWER: Johannes Kepler
7. The current holder of this position is John E. Potter. The last one appointed by a president was Winton M. Blount, appointed by President Nixon. It was a cabinet post until 1971, but now the holder of the post is chosen by a government-owned corporation. For ten points, what is this office, famously held by Benjamin Franklin?
ANSWER: Postmaster General of the United States
8. Pencil and paper ready. Consider the polynomial 3x^2 + 5x – 7. The derivative of a polynomial can be found by multiplying each term by its exponent and then reducing the exponent by one. For 10 points, what is the derivative of 3x^2 + 5x – 7.
ANSWER: 6x + 5
9. The second structure to bear this name was designed by Edward Durrell Stone and the film Paper Lion was partly shot there. Between the top and bottom of the eighth inning “Here Comes the King!” would always play and the number was reprised after the October 2, 2005, game as a team of horses bearing the carriage with the hat of its namesake took the field. Its third incarnation is slated to open in April 2006, and for the first time in the history of its name will be the exclusive home of one team. For 10 points, what is this place, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals?
ANSWER: Busch Stadium (Accept August Busch Memorial Stadium or variants thereof)
10. A temple of this religion, a gurdwara, contains the holy book Guru Granth Sahib. The text was designed the eleventh and final Guru in 1708 by the previous Guru, Gobind Singh, who instructed this religion’s adherents to consider it a living teacher. Name, for 10 points, this monotheist religion, the fifth largest in the world, which originated in Pubjab.
ANSWER: Sikhism
11. One scientist studying their communication has asserted that their language contains nouns, adjectives and verbs, and that different colonies possess their own dialects. They are occasionally kept as pets, but this practice was questioned in 2003 when they spread monkeypox to twelve humans. Perhaps these rodents are better left alone in their underground burrows. For ten points, what are these furry critters native to the Western US with a canine name?
ANSWER: prairie dogs
12. Tituba Motif, Rebecca Nurse, and Thomas Putnam are all characters from this play based on real events. Written in 1953 as an allegory for the McCarthyism and Red Scare of the 1950’s, it focuses on the events of the Salem Witch Trails. For 10 points, identify this play in which John Procter is a principal character, written by Arthur Miller.
ANSWER: The Crucible
13. First coined by John L. O’Sullivan in an essay called “Annexation,” this term was resurrected in 1892 to justify US intervention outside North America. Some of the main proponents of it included Horace Greeley and James K. Polk. For 10 points, identify this two word phrase advocating that in order to expand American ideals, the United States should possess all of North America.
ANSWER: Manifest Destiny
14. He wrote, “The State is the march of God through the world, its ground is the power of reason realizing itself as will.” This German philosopher, writing in the early 19th century, was one of the earliest advocates of the modern nation, though his writings would be banned by the Prussian nationalists a generation later. Who is this philosopher who, for ten points, created the idea of the dialect and whose influence would primarily be felt in Communist thinking?
ANSWER: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
15. Queen Victoria found solace in this poem after the death of Prince Albert. Originally titled “The Way of the Soul,” it was written over a period of seventeen years following the death of a close friend of the poets. For 10 points, identify this requiem for Arthur Henry Hallam, written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
ANSWER: In Memorium A.H.H.
16. This man was an avid amateur mycologist and mushroom collector, but was far better known as a musical composer. Although his works were sometimes controversial, he is generally regarded as one of the most important composers of the twentieth century and raised questions about the definition of “musi[10]” For 10 points, identify this early composer of "chance music" whose works include the three-movement piece "4'33" " (four minutes thirty-three seconds).
ANSWER: John Cage
17. Ironically, this man, born Isoroku Takano, was a dove, opposing his country’s invasions of Manchuria and China. His many innovations include the idea of long-range naval bombers and Decisive Battle strategy. His assassination was ordered by President Roosevelt, and on April 18th, 1943, the plane he was in was intercepted by four P-38s and shot down. Who is this Japanese admiral who, for ten points, planned the attack on Pearl Harbor?
ANSWER: Isoroku Yamamoto
18. In Spanish this city’s motto means “the homeland starts here” and it often boasts itself as the most-visited city in the world. They might not be too far off: about 300,000 people cross the border here daily to enjoy its shops and nightlife. For ten points, identify this largest city in the Baja California state of Mexico, just miles from San Diego.
ANSWER: Tijuana
19. The number of primes less than 108, the Super Bowl at which Emmitt Smith won MVP honors, the number of years in Saturn’s orbit, or in the standard calendar cycle, the number of the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson, the square root of 784, and the number of dominos in a standard double-six set are, for 10 points, all the same, equal to the second perfect number, and the sum of the first seven integers.
ANSWER: 28
20. This Australian enlisted in the British military during World War II and was imprisoned on Java by the Japanese. His prison camp experience would have a large impact on his career as a writer, penning the screenplay of The Great Escape as well as the novel, King Rat. Avid readers, however, will best know him for his Asian Saga, its first novel being published in 1966. For ten points, who is this author from best known for his 1975 novel about feudal Japan, Shogun?
ANSWER: James Clavell
21. It arose from disputes over the Protestant Succession. One kingdom supported it in order to maintain the unity of the two realms. The other needed subsidies to recover from financial difficulties related to the settlement of Panama and was also coerced by economic sanctions and outright bribery. Once ratified in 1707, Scotland was convulsed by riots in protest the loss of autonomy caused by the Act, which established a monetary union and a single legislature. For 10 points what is this legislation that unified Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England into Great Britain?
ANSWER: Act of Union of 1707
1. Given two chords in circle perpendicular to one another, AB and CD, meeting at point E, the product of the lengths of AE and BE is equal to the product of the lengths of CE and DE. With this in mind, answer the following questions about chords, for 15 points each.
[10] Suppose chord AB is perpendicular to chord CD and intersects it at point E, such that AE’s length is 2 and BE’s length is 6. Also, the length of CD is 7. What is the smallest possible length of CE?
ANSWER: 3
[10] Given the same situation above, what is the largest possible length of CE?
ANSWER: 4
2. Answer questions for the stated number of points about this artist and native son of Crete.
[5] Christened Domenikos Theotokopoulos, he is better known by the Spanish sobriquet for his country of origin.
ANSWER: El Greco
[10] He settled in this city, the religious center of Spain, and painted this famous landscape of the city’s vista
ANSWER: View of Toledo or Vista de Toledo
[15] The bottom half of this painting features nobility and clergy surrounding the deceased titular figure, while the top has Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints welcoming his spirit into heaven.
ANSWER: El entierro del Señor de Orgaz or Burial of the Lord of Orgaz (accept Count of Orgaz, Count Orgaz or Conde de Orgaz)
3. Pencil and paper ready. Entering the last game of the season, Ned Billiams has 47 hits in 120 at-bats. Assuming he will have 5 at-bats in the final game of the season, for the stated number of points:
[5] In order for Ned to have a .400 batting average for the season, how many hits must he have in the last game?
ANSWER: three
[10] To three decimal places, what will be his final batting average if he fails in all 5 at-bats?
ANSWER: .376 or 376
[15] Entering the game, what is Ned’s batting average to three decimal places?
ANSWER: .392 or 392
4. Identify the following Latin legal terms for ten points apiece.
[10] This Latin term indicates that one party has decided to represent themselves as trial. The phrase literally means "for self".
Answer: pro se
[10] This a three-word term for the transaction of valued items or favors, in return for giving something of value. The phrase literally means "this for that".
Answer: quid pro quo
[10] This two-word phrase indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. The phrase literally means "by that very fact".
Answer: ipso facto
5. Given an amino acid's one letter abbreviation and a brief description, identify it for ten points each.
[10] P. This amino acid forms a ring between its R-group and amino group.
ANSWER: proline
[10] G. It is the simplest amino acid: its R-group is just a hydrogen atom.
ANSWER: glycine
[10] C. Two of these amino acids can come together to form a disulfide bond.
ANSWER: cytesine
6. Name these celebrated families from American literature for ten points each.
[10] Les and Bessie are retired vaudeville performers whose extremely intelligent children have all been featured on the radio program It’s a Wise Child. From Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger.
ANSWER: The Glasses
[10] Thomas’s daughter Judith falls in love with his oldest son Charles, whom his youngest son Henry kills. From Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner.
ANSWER: The Sutpens
[10] Beneatha dreams of going to medical school while her brother Walter is conned out of his savings. From A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.
ANSWER: The Youngers
7. Pencil and paper ready. Joseph has finished shuffling a deck of cards, and is about to draw cards from the top of the deck. For 10 points each:
[10] What is the probability that the first two cards he draws are both aces?