Great Brain Quiz 147

7. Which vegetable is the chief ingredient of bortsch?
8. Who rode the flying horse "Pegasus" in Greek mythology?
9. Which derogatory term was used by white Southerners to describe opportunist entrepreneurs from the North who came to their territory after the American Civil War to assist with the reconstruction?
10. What is the first name and surname of the character played by Uma Thurman in the "Kill Bill" films?
11. What was the name of "Dennis the Menace"s dog in the comic strip which has been going strong since 12 March 1951?
12. What was the maiden name of the first woman to attend Somerville College, Oxford, who subsequently became a Prime Minister?
13. Which character appears fairly often in short stories by "Saki" and shares his first name with a ruler of the Franks several centuries ago, while his surname has associations with the Last Supper?
14. Who was fined and briefly imprisoned for obscene behaviour on the Broadway stage in 1926?
15. * In the Christian church which festival is celebrated 40 days after Easter?
16. Which country has the world's shortest coastline?
17. How was "Eric Stoner" better known, as in the title of a 1960's film?
18. Which sailor gave his name to the horse on which Lester Piggott won his last ever Classic in England? (You may find he had alternative names but you must provide the precise one which clearly inspired the colt's name in question).
19. Which word for a religious leader is derived from those in a certain language meaning "my master"?
20. * What was "Sherlock Holmes"s address in the novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, today being that of the Sherlock Holmes Museum?
21. Back in the 1980's, who was waiting for Bananarama?
22. Which great choreographer and dance director shared his stage name with two Greek gods?
23. And which word is a combination of Greek words basically translating as "I look at beautiful form"?
24. Who has appeared in a "Harry Potter" film and played on film the part of a journalist who was held hostage by the fundamentalist group Islamic Jihad?
25. * For which 1990's novel did Salman Rushdie win the Whitbread Prize?
26. What was the first name and best known surname of the child prodigy composer and pianist whose only son was named in honour of Bach, and whose mother's maiden name was "Salomon"?
27. Which "Royal" officially opened the Games after which the first events at the 1956 (Summer) Olympics took place?
28. Enormously wealthy though this American TV star undoubtedly is, life has not been entirely happy for him. His father was murdered; his sister was raped and murdered; and two brothers were killed by a shark. His name please?
29. BEGRIMED TURNIPS is an anagram of which London Underground station?
30. * Which was the first film made in colour since "Gone With the Wind" to win the "Best Picture" Oscar at the Academy Awards?
31. "Arthur", "Charles", "Frank", "George", "Jack", "James", "Joe", "Maurice" and "William" were among the character first names of the cast in a popular TV series. What was the character surname of "Timothy" in this series?
32. What very precisely linked Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne, and Michaela Krajicek in the space of a few days earlier this year?
33. Which fictional detective is named after the founder of the school where the author's father had been educated?
34. Which very well-known "soap" actress of her day gave the first performances of early piano works by the composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies?
35. * Which 18th century comic play introduced the characters "Sir Anthony Absolute", "Sir Lucius O'Trigger", "Lydia Languish", and "Mrs Malaprop"?
36. Who was the first US president to have "Hail to the Chief" played at his inauguration?
37. What do the initials SLK stand for in the world of top quality cars?
38. Which subsequently knighted Savile Row couturier designed clothes for the Queen, starting off with her outfits for her 1948 Canadian tour?
39. What is the seven letter first name of the Japanese golfer surnamed Maruyama who was born in 1971 and plays much of the time on the US PGA Tour?
40. This is not as difficult as it may appear at first sight!, so which number is the smallest cube that is also the sum of three cubes?
41. Which well-known London landmark was constructed in 1828 as the entrance to the new Buckingham Palace, but was never used for that purpose and moved instead to where it stands today?
42. What were the winged spirits called that played an important role in the "Iliad", controlling the destinies of the heroes and drinking the blood of those slain in battle?
43. Which of the following is the odd word out? Amsterdam, Hampshire, Jersey, Mexico, or York?
    (Only one acceptable answer, and I will state that it is not "Amsterdam" because it is the only capital city; or "Hampshire" because he is the only former test cricketer; or "Jersey" because it is the only one you can wear; or "Mexico" because it is the only country; or "York" because it is the only racecourse!)
44. Which country beat England by eight points in a final at the recent Commonwealth Games?
45. Just basically, what links "Aunt Ginny", "Flash", "Green Zebra", "Jet Star" and "Juliet"?
46. In the USA, "National Tap Dance Day" falls, by decree of Congress, on the birthday of which great dancer and entertainer?
47. Shirley Booth; Julie Andrews; Barbara Streisand. In the same prestigious context, which actress came next?
48. In which Corsican town can you watch the Procession du Catenacciu on a Good Friday?
49. Who created the fictional character whose first name was either "Henry" or "Edward", depending on whether or not he was on medication?
50. Imagine if you will two planets in orbit round a star as shown, each moving clockwise, the star staying still. The outer planet takes 60 years to make a complete orbit, while the inner planet takes 24 years. In how many years will the two planets next form a straight line with each other and the star?
Tantalising 30 starts on a high note with six very famous pioneers of their day in the world of aviation for you to identify.


Next the link round with the answers to Q's 57 to 65, or part of them, whole words, of course, all having a common link or theme.
57. Who was the knowledgeable sounding US judge whose decisions were so influential that, although never an appointee, he was regarded as the Supreme Court's tenth man?
58. Which stage name, the surname part of which was to become very famous several years later, was adopted by Thelma whose first credited film role was in 1939, in the only movie for which she might be remembered?
59. Which famous motto is an anagram of EQUALISE MINI TYPHOONS?
60. * Who made his screen debut in 1970 as the title character, as it were, in the film version of the novel whose opening words are "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there"?
61. Who was the Philadelphian-born avant garde painter, sculptor, photographer, and surrealist film maker whose autobiography "Self Portrait" was published in the 1960's?
62. Which film was the first (and I think only) one in which the "Best Director" Oscar was shared?
63. What is the English title of an 1817 song by Franz Schubert, and also his quartet, composed seven or so years later, in which the theme in the second movement is taken from the song in question?
64. When Wimbledon celebrated the Millennium with a parade of past champions on the Centre Court before play on the middle Saturday of the 2000 Championships, who was the oldest male singles champion to participate?
65. * On which vessel in Portsmouth Harbour does most of the action take place in a popular ballet, first seen in March 1951, which was created from the musical output of Sir Arthur Sullivan?
66. And for two more points, what links your answers to Q's 57 to 65?
67. Who, in his only test match, made a duck in each innings, having faced a mere four balls, and died within a few weeks of this debacle?
68. Which theory, developed in the 1920's and 1930's, is used by chartists to predict share price movements based on the belief that market action follows a rhythm dictated by human psychology, with five movements in the direction of the main trend being followed by three corrections?
69. What general name is given to Alpine peaks that are approximately two and a half miles high, or over?
70. * Who was the United Kingdom's signatory on the Instrument of Surrender document for Japan aboard HMS Missouri in 1945?
Competitor's Corner next with five little testers from your fellow GBQuizzers.
71. Who followed William, Patrick, Jon, Tom, Peter, and Colin?
72. Which same word can precede all the following to make two word terms used in various scientific contexts? "Absorption", "amplifier", "antenna", "breakdown", "constant", "crystal", "dispersion", "fatigue", "guide", "leakage", "lens", "loss", "polarization", "relaxation", "strain", and "strength"?
73. Which of the following pairs of words is the odd pair out?
    Bring + Buy; Catch + Teach; Do + Hide; Dwell + Fall; Go + Send; or Lose + Toss?
    (You may explain your reasoning if you wish!)
74. Which name (first name and surname) link a certain Bing Crosby film and the recent BBC production of "Bleak House"? (Ditto!)
75. Who is credited with these tasty lyrics? "Cette sauce de haute qualite est une melange de fruits orientaux, d'epices et de la vinaigre de Malt"?
C'est moi encore, you'll be delighted to learn!
76. In a word, for which offence was the engineer "Isaac Leibowitz" martyred, after a nuclear war, in a late 1950's novel by a man who subsequently committed suicide?
77. Work out what these letters stand for in the same context and say which letter is needed to complete the line-up. B C D E G M ?
78. Which fictional character, as in the title of a famous 19th century novel of its time, was employed at a Manchester millinery and dressmaking establishment owned by a woman called "Simmonds"?
79. What do these films have in common? "20,000 Years in Sing Sing" (1932); "The Notorious Landlady" (1962); "Manhattan" (1979); "L A Confidential" (1997); and "Chocolat" (2000).
80. * Which fanned compromiser stood three times unsuccessfully for the presidency of the USA, and served two terms as Speaker in the House of Representatives?


Some great stars of the past for you to identify in Tormenting 20. They were all singers or dancers, or both, associated with Hollywood films, although one is far better remembered for her Broadway career in musicals. They all have something in common, apart from their talent, and that is the only clue you will get, other than to say that just one of the six is still with us!
87. Which was the first of his operas to be performed by the Handel Opera Society after it was founded in the 1950's.
88. Which French term describes a cinematic work that appears to be fictional but is actually based loosely, or otherwise, on real events and real people?
89. Who wrote a prose story about an Abyssinian prince to help pay for his mother's funeral expenses?
90. SOPHIA VIOLATES BELGIAN VAULTS is an anagram of the names of four people in history who were all associated with the same year for the same reason. Who were they?
91. Which rock and roll singer died in a Bath hospital in April 1960 after being involved in a car crash some 15 miles from there?
92. Which well-known horse was sired by the runner-up in the 1786 Derby?
93. The reader is warned that behind the crimson blind my late wives fear is the same, and that seeing is believing as far as the skeleton in the clock by the Judas window is concerned. Which author, in this context, can be said to have inspired the previous sentence?
94. He shared his best known name with that of a character in the "James Bond" books, but what was the real name of the 19th century Camberwell Green schoolmaster, possibly the best left-handed player of his day, who was something of an inventor and the publisher of a famous instruction manual on cricket?
95. Which famous person's favourite dog shared its name with the first word spoken in a certain Shakespeare play?
96. A few GBQ's ago there was a question relating to Lord Beaverbrook's praise of the "Boys in the Back Room". Who had written those words for use in a very popular film and, in all probability, inspired this phrase? (Whether he did or not doesn't affect the answer!)
97. To which clergyman's son did a well-known English poet write a sonnet whose last line reads "No common praise, dear Bard! to thee I owe!"
98. Which ship is said to have given its name to an article of clothing in the mid 19th century after its captain, whose surname was a very famous one, decreed that the crew should all don the same uniform?
99. If B = X; C = J; D = E; G = I; L = N; 0 = R; and T = Y; then what does U = in the same context?
100. Where, all in the same small area, can be found a London daily newspaper, a Bradshaw railway guide, some bibles, a portrait of Queen Victoria, pictures of a dozen attractive ladies, a collection of coins, a box of pins, and the works of Shakespeare?

Answers