VETO 2004 questions by Zhan, Bobby, and Dave Germaine
Tossups:
1. He appeared in both “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” as Autolycus, the King of Thieves. Smaller roles include guest appearances in both Spider-Man movies. His autobiography “If Chins Could Kill” talks about his rise in B-movie stardom with director friend Sam Raimi. He currently stars as Elvis opposite a black JFK in “Bubba Ho-tep.” For ten points, name this actor famous for playing Ash in the Evil Dead movie series.
Answer: Bruce Campbell
2. He played the flute and kept the company of philosophers and spoke mostly French despite the fact that he was German. Except for a few youthful blunders he was never once defeated in his long and belligerent military career. FTP name this Prussian king who introduced paid retirement at 65.
Answer: Frederick the Great or Frederick II
3. Formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1946, its early members included Peter Samson, Alan Kotok, Jack Dennis, and Bob Saunders. Its “Signals and Power” subcommittee was the source of the first ever video game as well as more substantial innovations in the field of computing. Name this organization which was the breeding ground for many pioneers of both legitimate programming and “hacking”, a term which its members invented.
Tech (or MIT) Model Railroad Club
4. Although she died in Toronto, she was born in present-day Lithuania in 1869 and emigrated to the US at the age of 16. She soon realized that for Jewish immigrants America was not a golden land of opportunity, and became a lifelong activist for the rights of women and the poor. She was jailed several times, exiled twice, and called by J. Edgar Hoover “the most dangerous woman in America”. Who is this famous anarchist who appears as a character in E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime?
Emma Goldman
5. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, where she was the head of the Oxford Union, she was the first (and so far only) elected head of government ever to give birth while in office. Her government was one of only three to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. She left office under a cloud of corruption charges. Who is this now exiled world leader whose father led the same country but was deposed in a coup led by Gen. Muhammad Zia al-Haq?
Benazir Bhutto
6. Originally, jazz musicians Phil Nimmons, Phil Dwyer, Seamus [“shame-us”] Blake, Rene Rosnes [“roz-ness”] Ingrid Jensen, Don Thompson and Diana Krall. Currently, poets Lorna Crozier, Susan Musgrave and Evelyn Lau. What Canadian province do these have in common? More clues: languages spoken there include, Halkomelem Kwak’wala, Shuswap and Nootka. I’ve made this question as obvious as can it can be. See?
BC
7. While running for his first political office he was briefly a member of the KKK, but his conversion seems to be sincere, as his son-in-law is Moslem. He once appeared on Hee-Haw playing the fiddle. His speeches, famously slow and pause-filled but also eloquent and erudite, have recently included some of the most forceful and accusatory statements opposing the Iraq war. Who is this 87-year old Democratic Senator from West Virginia?
Robert Byrd
8. In university he bought and sold essays. He has been indicted for tax fraud, charged with bribing judges, and convicted of other corruption charges, none of which he has served time for. He finally went too far when he passed a law giving himself immunity from further prosecution, which has since been overturned. Name this staunch ally of President Bush, the head of a massive corporate conglomerate based in Milan and the longest-serving prime minister of Italy.
Silvio Berlusconi
9. Tonga, but not Fiji. Eritrea, but not Tigre [tee-GREY]. Iceland, but not Sweden. Micronesia, but not Indonesia. Croatia, but not Canada. Angola, Uzbekistan and Albania. The Marshall Islands. Mongolia. Palau, wherever that is. Spain, but apparently not the Spanish. Soon, not the Philipines. What appellation is given to the group of over 40 nations which includes the UK and US but famously does not include China, India, France, Germany, Russia, or the rest of “Old Europe”?
Coalition of the Willing
10. The latest issue of this magazine is “The Photo Issue.” “Hugs ‘N’ Kisses” was the 100th issue. They were formerly based in Montreal, but now in New York and they are definitely not associated with Miami. This free urban lifestyle magazine can be picked up from a clothing store of the same name that has a popular “DOs” and “DON’Ts” section. For ten points, name this magazine that recently published its “Guide to Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.”
Answer: Vice
11. Voted best city councillor for five years running by NOW magazine, she is the first Asian to be elected at Toronto’s municipal level. She jumped to federal politics in the recent election but lost by a narrow margin. For ten points, name this woman who did not win a seat for the NDP in Trinity-Spadina despite being the married to party leader Jack Layton.
Answer: Olivia Chow
12. They were discovered by Carl Woese in the late 1970s when he was doing DNA comparisons of prokaryotes. He discovered that they were distinct from both prokaryotes and eukaryotes They can be found in very salty, hot, or even oxygen deprived conditions. For ten points, name these “bacteria” that have characteristics of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and could be the oldest forms of life on earth.
Answer: Archaea or archaebacteria (prompt on “extremophile”)
13. Some scientists claim that variations in this constant billions of years ago is evidence that the speed of light is not really constant because it is inversely related to the speed of light. It is also depends on Planck’s constant and the charge of an electron. For ten points, name this constant which dictates the strength of the electromagnetic force, known as alpha. It’s equal to one over 137.
Answer: Fine Structure Constant
14. A movie adaptation of this play entitled “A Good Woman” is currently in post-production. Helen Hunt will play Mrs. Erlynne while Scarlett Johansson is the owner of the title object. The first of Oscar Wilde’s plays to be produced, it is about a woman who think her husband is having an affair. For ten points, name this play named after a ‘windy’ object.
Answer: Lady Windermere’s Fan
15. Fittingly, this is the first movie to have a fictitious character nominated for an Oscar when it was a nominee in the category of “Best Adapted Screenplay” in 2002. Loosely based on Susan Orlean’s best-selling book “The Orchid Thief,” it earned Chris Cooper the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. For ten points, name this movie starring Meryl Streep as Orlean and twins Charlie and Donald Kaufman played by Nicolas Cage.
Answer: Adaptation
16. This musician wandered Eastern Europe collecting folksongs for the better part of his early career. Eventually, though he moved to the United States where he died penniless in New York. FTP, name the composer of the Concerto For Orchestra and Bluebeard’s Castle who was among the first to treat the piano as a percussion instrument.
Answer: Bela Bartok
17. According to The Economist’sBig Mac Index, this country is the most expensive place in the world to buy a Big Mac. With a population of only 2.4 million, it has the 5th largest oil reserves in the world. FTP, name the country, ruled by the al-Sabah family, that Iraqi forces invaded in 1991.
Answer: Kuwait
18. This Canadian town was founded in 1650 on a site already occupied by Algonquian tribes. In 1663 it became one of the 3 centres of government in New France and in 1730 the Forges de Saint Maurice, one of Canada’s earliest heavy industry projects, was established there. FTP, name this town at the confluence of the St Maurice and St Lawrence rivers, whose name suggest a third river somewhere in the vicinity.
Answer: Trois Rivières
19. Begun in 1829, this favourite novel of Al Gore is set in the small town of Verrières in the Franche-Comté. It has been suggested that the colours of the title refer to military and ecclesiastical dress or perhaps to passion and darkness or even to life and death. Only Stendhal knew for sure.
Answer: Le Rouge et le Noir or The Red and the Black
20. A hotel bartender by the name of Ngiam Tong Boon is credited with the invention of this cocktail around 1915. Based on gin, its other ingredients include cherry brandy, Benedictine, grenadine and club soda. FTP name this drink that originated at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Answer: Singapore Sling
21. Sometimes called the oldest town in Germany, it is otherwise noteworthy as both a former capital of the western Roman Empire and as the birthplace of Karl Marx. FTP
name this city on the Mosel river near the Luxemburg border.
Answer: Trier
22. Its so-called “generalized” form typically applies within families and among small hunter-gatherer bands. In its “balanced” form, exchanges are not concluded immediately, but informal, unquantified debts are incurred. The word was also used in the 19th century to mean what we now call Free Trade between the U.S. and Canada.
reciprocity
23. Liz Phair. A.C. Newman. Seachange. Mogwai. Mission of Burma. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Teenage Fanclub. Interpol. Pavement. Yo-la Tengo. All these artists either are or were distributed by, for ten points, what independent record label? It’s named after the guy whose job it is to finish off the bull.
Answer: Matador Records
24. This prominent politician and prolific author advocates a return to traditional values, re-militarization and more independence from the United States. FTP, name the author of the books “Season of the Sun” and “The Japan Who Can Say No” and current governor of Tokyo.
Answer: Ishihara Shintaro or Shintaro Ishihara
Bonuses:
1. I’ll give you a symphony’s subtitle. FTPE, give me the composer.
1)Leningrad
Answer: Dimitri Shostakovich
2)Reformation
Answer: Felix Mendelssohn
3)Jupiter
Answer: W. A. Mozart
2. FTPE, Given the evil multinational corporation, give the country (or countries) in which its headquarters are located.
1)Shell Group
Answer: U.K. and Netherlands
2)The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Answer: U.K.
3)Accenture
Answer: Bermuda
3. For five points each put these marquee monarchs in chronological order by date of ascension: Louis XIV of France, Charles V of Austria, Elisabeth I of England, Catherine the Great of Russia, Pope Pius IX, Peter the Great of Russia.
Answer: 1) Charles 2) Elisabeth 3) Louis 4) Peter 5) Catherine 6) Pius
[scoring note: give 5 pts for each name in the longest correct string; e.g. 4-1-2-3-5-6 is worth 25 because 3 preceding 5 is correct. 1-2-4-3-5-6 is worth 15. It will be impossible to get zero points. Allow consultation time equivalent to three 10-point Qs]
4. FTPE, given the name of a middle eastern musical instrument, tell me what family it belongs to. Example: the Davul is a kind of drum
1) Nay
Answer: Flute (if given “wind”, ask to be more specific)
2) Oud
Answer: Lute (accept descriptive answer like “pluck string instrument”)
3) Rabab
Answer: Fiddle (accept description like “bowed string instrument)
5. Toronto: Give the team the items in the plastic bag
Vancouver: Give the team the pictures on the last page for Bonus #5.
Identify these electronic components for ten points each.
A. (For Vancouver only) This component is used to amplify current.
Answer: NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
(Do NOT accept if the say any variant of ‘FET’ or ‘MOS’ such as JFET or MOSFET).
A. (For Toronto only) This component relates voltage to current in a linear fashion according to Ohm’s Law.
Answer: Resistor
B. This component converts AC voltages.
Answer: Transformer
C. This component stores charge.
Answer: Capacitor
6. *NOTE* There are two versions of the question. For the Toronto tournament, read the one labelled “TORONTO VERSION” and for the Vancouver tournament read the one labelled “VANCOUVER VERSION”
6A. TORONTO VERSION
Answer these questions about free Toronto weeklies for ten points each.
A. This paper features John Sakamoto’s Anti-Hit List and Sasha’s Love Bites and is published by Torstar.
Answer: eye weekly
B. Still truly independent, this weekly features the Upfront section and the Dan Savage’s wildly popular Savage Love.
Answer: NOW
C. Published by Pink Triangle Press, it is Toronto’s weekly for the gay community.
Answer: Xtra
6B. VANCOUVER VERSION
Answer these questions about free Vancouver weeklies for ten points each.
A. Named after a local geographical feature, it features a Time Out section and Dan Savage’s wildly popular Savage Love.
Answer: The Georgia Straight
B. This paper features Lotusland and Last Page.
Answer: Terminal City
C. Published by Pink Triangle Press, it is Vancouver’s weekly for the gay community.
Answer: Xtra
7. Name the five New York mob families who formed the powerful Mafia Commission.
Genovese, Gambino, Bonnanno, Profaci, Lucchese(5 pt. each)
By what name has the Profaci family been known since the mid 60’s?
Colombo (5)
8. FTPE, given the opening line of a Latin prayer, give the occasion or day on which it is supposed to be said:
1) Puer natus est nobis, et filius datus est nobis
Answer: Christmas Day
2) Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Answer: Holy Week accept Good Friday
3) Dies irae dies illa
Answer: Funerals
9. FTPE name the following wine varietals:
1) This red wine grape is grown mainly in the Rhone valley of France as well as in Australia and California. Its name is derived from that of a city in the Zagros mountains of Iran.
ANSWER: Shiraz or Syrah
2) This grape is used both to produce sweet smelling white wines and extremely sweet dessert wines. It grown in Germany, Alsace and some parts of California.
ANSWER: Riesling
3) This classic red wine grape first gained popularity in the Bordeaux region in the 1700s. It is best paired with lamb, beef and other red meat dishes.
ANSWER: Cabernet Sauvignon
10. Answer these questions about dynamical systems for ten points each.
A. If dy/dx = f(x,y) (dee-why dee-ex equals eff of ex why), what is the name given to the line where f(x,y)=constant (eff of ex whyy equals a constant)? In other words, every point along the line has the same rate of change.
Answer: isocline
B. What is the name given to the particular isocline when the rate of change is zero?
Answer: nullcline
C. If all the nullclines of the system intersect at a single point, this point is special because nothing changes. What is the name of this point where all the derivatives of the system are zero?
Answer: fixed point OR equilibrium point
11. (Moderator’s note: give all the spices to team at once)
Identify these spices found in my cabinet for ten points each. You have 20 seconds to answer.
A. Answer: Paprika
B. Answer: Oregano
C. Answer: Garlic Powder
12. Constants in physics are not always constant. Given a constant, tell me if the value depends on temperature, pressure, both, or neither.
A. Speed of sound
Answer: Temperature (see if there are debates)
B. Boiling point of water
Answer: Pressure
C. Speed of light
Answer: Neither
13. American standard popular songs: complete the following lyrics with the title of the song:
“That certain night, the night we met, there was magic abroad in the air; there were angels dining at the Ritz, and…”
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
“Don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky,…”
Stormy Weather
“…There’s no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor…”
Every Time We Say Goodbye
14. Name the following well-known but hard-to-write verse forms from verbal descriptions:
a) A stanza has six lines. The last word of each line in the first stanza must be the last words of all remaining lines in the poem according to a rigid pattern. The last stanza has only three lines, and uses all the line-ending words.
sestina
b) Stanzas have three lines. Contemporary poets treat it loosely, but strictly speaking, all odd-numbered stanzas end with the same line and all even numbered stanzas end with the same line. The most familiar example in English is “Do not go gentle into that good night”
villanelle
c) A Malay verse form taken up by Europeans in the 19th century, it consists of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza recur as the first and third lines of the next. However, the first halves of each stanza develop one theme through the poem and the second halves another theme, so that the lines, though repeated, must be re-interpreted.
pantoum
15. Why do you seek the living among the dead? Screw NAQT! Here’s a question about poets who aren’t dead.