Hard Quizzes (page 5)

Quiz I

1. Who presented four series of televison's The Hotel Inspector between 2005 and 2008?
2. Which semi-precious mineral is also known as Derbyshire Spar?
3. Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, were pioneers of which literary movement?
4. Name Britain's first National Park?
5. In the Daniel Defoe book Moll Flanders, where exactly was Moll Flanders born?
6. Where would you find the mountain range Maxwell Montes?
7. It's a system that, to some, harmonizes the surrounding environment, but what is the literal translation of the Chinese phrase Feng shui?
8. Which group of islands consists of the main islands Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas?
9. Which very hard, tough, and stable mineral, is a nine on Mohs scale of hardness?
10. If 'nano' is a unit prefix meaning 'one billionth', what unit prefix in the metric system denotes one trillionth?
11. In September 2016, Cardiff city centre 'gave way to magic and invention' to celebrate the centenary of the birth of which famous person?
12. Which German philosopher, a central figure in modern philosophy, wrote The Critique of Pure Reason?
13. Which island, off the south coast of Alaska, is the second largest island in the United States?





14. 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' is a famous 1884 painting by which artist? And the painting is a leading example of which technique?
15. In February 2015, 400 people turned up to demonstrate when President Lisa Wehden invited Marine Le Pen to speak in which city?
16. Which country joined the EU in 2013 and was first new EU member state since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007?
17. What is the third largest cat species after the tiger and the lion? (Extra clue: it is known as the painted onca in South America)
18. Superintendent Mr. Gradgrind opens which Dickens' novel with the line, "Now, what I want is, Facts"?
19. Can you name the third man to walk on the moon?
20. What name is given to the elevated region of mountains and palteaus in the middle of southern France, that covers 15 percent of the country?
21. Parts of the space research satellite Skylab fell to earth in 1979 close to which world city?
22. Which word, often associated with sport, is an ancient Roman or Greek measurement of about 185 metres?
23. The middle name of American track legend Jesse Owen, is also the name of an American city - what is it?
24. Which British pop group is best known for scoring zero points at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest in Latvia?
25. Which European capital city has a name that means 'bay of smokes' in English?
26. Which Oxford college was founded by Elizabeth I in 1571 for the education of clergy; it was the only Oxford college to date from Elizabeth's reign?
27. What word is used for a hole emmitting gasses or steam in a volcano, and is derived for the Latin for smoke?
28. What is the common name of the bird buteo buteo, whose population decreased greatly in the 1950s when rabbits were decimated by myxomatosis?

Answers:

1. Ruth Watson
2. Blue John
3. the Beat Generation
4. The Peak District (in 1951)
5. Newgate Prison
6. Venus - it's the tallest mountain range on Venus
7. Wind-water
8. United States Virgin Islands
9. Corundum
10. Pico
11. Roald Dahl
12. Immanuel Kant
13. Kodiak Island (the island of Hawaii is the first)
14. Georges Seurat. Pointillism.
15. Oxford (Lisa Wehden was then President of the Oxford Union debating society)
16. Croatia (as of January 2018, there are 28 member countries with Croatia being the last of these to join)
17. Jaguar
18. Hard Times
19. Pete Conrad
20. The Massif Central
21. Perth (Australia)
22. Stadium
23. Cleveland
24. Jemini
25. Reykjavik
26. Jesus College
27. Fumarole
28. Buzzard