Saturday 28 June 2014

Quiz League Questions - Set B

As promised a couple of days ago...here is the second set of the match played in the Sunderland Echo Quiz League from last years Knockout event. Set by me with some editing from team members.


Questions for 31/7/2013 (Week 2)
Set By Museum Vaults
Questions B
Round 1                                                                                                                                   Answers
1.       Chris Reynolds briefly became the richest man in the world when he was accidentally given  $92 Quadrillion Dollars in an error by which online company last month?
PayPal

2.       Which Jim Carrey film is based on the real-life story of the con artist, imposter and multiple-time prison escapee, Steven Jay Russell?

I Love You Phillip Morris

3.       Bottomry, or bottomage,  is a secured lending arrangement where the loan is secured on what ?
A Ship
4.       Some Day I’ll Find You is the 2013 debut novel by which TV and Radio personality?
Richard Madeley


Round 2
1.       “Let Your Fingers Do the Walking” is an advertising slogan that has been used by which famous brand?

Yellow Pages
2.       In which commonwealth country is the mountainous region of Otago?
New Zealand
3.       In which Asian country is the car manufacturer Tata Motors based?

India
4.       What is the name of Nottinghamshire's limited overs cricket team  —  which was inspired by Robin Hood?
Outlaws

Round 3
1.       In which American state is Mount St Helens, which erupted with devastating effect in May 1980?

Washington
2.       Who was the first non-British football player to score 20 or more league goals in a Premier League season?
Jurgen Klinsmann
3.       Which art critic began his series of books named “Modern Painters” with one in defence of Turner in 1843?

John Ruskin
4.       Who was the President of France at the time of the assassination of
 John F. Kennedy?
Charles DE GAULLE


Round 4, Set B
1.       Popular in Mexico, what name is given to a bright container, often in the shape of a donkey, that is broken with sticks in order to collect the sweets that are held within it?
Pinata
2.       Which TV Presenter and Observer columnist is the current host of “Heresy” on BBC Radio 4?
Victoria Coren (Mitchell)
3.       What district of London takes its name from the type of collar popular in the early seventeenth century that was a speciality of Robert Baker, a local tailor?
Piccadilly
4.       Which fictional comedy character’s autobiography, entitled Bouncing Back, describes his battles with weight and depression?
Alan Partridge

Round 5
1.       Which U2 album shares its name with a National Park in California?
The Joshua Tree
2.       Who comes next in this sequence – John Betjeman, Ted Hughes and Andrew Motion?
Carol Ann Duffy
(Poet Laureates)
3.       Starring Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson, the 2004 film “A Good Woman” is both based on and was the original name for which Oscar Wilde play?
Lady Windermere’s Fan
4.       In May 1840 the Post Office issued two adhesive postage stamps for general use, the Penny Black was one, which was the other?
Twopenny Blue

Round 6
1.       Which city in Western Uruguay became important in the early 1860s when the “Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company” was established there?
Fray Bentos
2.       The Orange Revolution led to the annulment of the 2004 presidential election  in which European country?
Ukraine
3.       The Statement issued on the 25th January 1981 by the so-called “Gang of Four” declaring their intention to leave the Labour Party is named after which part of East London?
Limehouse
4.       Which head of state was controversially nominated for Nobel Peace Prizes in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end World War Two?
Stalin

STANDBY QUESTIONS:
What is the name of Cambridge University’s cricket ground?                         FENNER’S.
What is the name of the floating island in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels?  LAPUTA
Which of Edward III’s sons was the father of Henry IV?                                JOHN of GAUNT
Which was the first Beatles song to go to No.1 in the US? I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

Famed for her eloquence, beauty and learning, who was the astronomer and mathematician murdered by a mob set on her by the Bishop of Alexandria?                                     HYPATIA (of Alexandria)

Chaplins Quiz - Thursday Nights


This one is mainly for the locals in Sunderland/North East -


Anyway, Chaplins Pub in the centre of Sunderland has recently been refurbished and is under new ownership. The Thursday Night quiz remains in place starting at 8.30pm hosted by a very good friend, and fellow Quiz League player. Always a good crowd, great prizes, a shot at the jackpot and a great location.

The format of the quiz involves pictures, movies, connections and current affairs....throw in themed rounds on Sport, Music, Tv and Cinema as well as Pot Luck and Wipeout rounds and you certainly get plenty to sink your teeth into. Especially if your number is called and you face the Microphone for the jackpot question!

Friday 27 June 2014

Super Buzzer



I came across Super Buzzer quite by accident on Facebook whilst browsing around and since then its been something on a time consumer! 

Super Buzzer is, as the name suggests, an online multi player buzzer quiz which is also available in app versions on Kindle and in the App store. I am not entirely sure how long it has been around but certainly for the past 3 months its been very busy with plenty of people to compete against. There is barely ever anything more than a minutes wait for a match up!

You work your way through various stages in the game with the top players progressing each time and the bottom ones eliminated until it comes down to a head to head final. Variations across the round include point deductions for wrong questions, additional points for answering first and second and such like. 6 players start and there can be only one winner!

One of my favourite aspects of the game is that it does not require you to type fast. Even though my typing speed is pretty fast, I have found games in the past unfair when fast typing was required and it turned into a race against the keyboard rather than a race against knowledge. In Super Buzzer you simply buzz when you know the answer...the question stops so you see no more of it...and you have ample time to answer. Works a treat!

The questions are good, the game is addictive and it certainly helps improve those reaction speeds!

If you play, look me up via email fully234@hotmail.com!

Thursday 26 June 2014

Sunderland Echo League Set

This time last year I produced a set of questions for the Sunderland Echo Quiz league Knockout stages. I meant to post them up here ages ago but here they are! The league is two teams of up to 6 players battling it out. No individual questions. 2 Points for a correct answer on your own set, 1 point on a passover.

This was Set A from the quiz in the middle of last year. Set B to follow...



Round 1                                                                                                                        Answers
1.       What is the title of the novel written under the pen name of Robert Galbraith that shot to the top of the bestsellers chart last week after revelations that the real author was JK Rowling?
The Cuckoo’s Calling

2.       Which album by U2 took its name from a line in the Mel Brooks film
       “The Producers”?
Achtung Baby
3.       “Where Do You Want To Go Today” is an advertising slogan that has been used by which international company?
Microsoft

4.       What is the name of Derbyshire's limited overs cricket team in
reference to the bird that nests on Derby cathedral?
Falcons

Round 2
1.       Which golfer who was inducted into the Golf World Hall of Fame in 2013 holds the record for the most number of European tour event victories with 31 despite never winning a major championship?
Colin Montgomerie

2.       Who comes next in this sequence  - Sir Arnold Bax, Sir Arthur Bliss and Malcolm Williamson?
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (Masters of the Queen’s Musick)
3.       In which Jim Carrey 2004 movie  does he play Joel Barish, who discovers that his girlfriend, played by Kate Winslet, has had their relationship scientifically erased from her memory?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

4.       Which former male TV soap star is responsible for the “Standard Issue” clothing range?
Ross Kemp

Round 3
1.       What is the name of the “intelligent personal assistant” which appears on Apple phones and tablets which requires the user to simply speak into the device in order to carry out tasks?
Siri
2.       In 2011, Osama Bin Laden was located and killed in which town named after a 19th Century British Army officer?
Abbottabad
3.       Which vegetable has varieties including Ailsa Craig, Bedfordshire Champion and Express Yellow?

Onion
4.       Who did Michael Foot defeat by ten votes to become the Leader of the Labour Party in 1980?

Denis Healey


Round 4, Set A
1.       Which animal appears on the logo of the Dutch banking company
ING?

Lion
2.       What was the name of the voluptuous movie star, created by Kenny Everett, who did everything in the “Best Possible Taste”?
Cupid Stunt (the BBC rejected the original name Mary Hinge!)
3.       In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and which American Politician were the joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize?
Al Gore


4.       Only two players have made more than 100 Premier League appearances for 3 different clubs. Rory Delap is one, who is the other?

Gary Speed (Newcastle, Leeds and Bolton)

Round 5
1.       In which Asian country is car manufacturer Proton based?

Malaysia
2.       Which actor, comedian and writer is the current host of “The Unbelievable Truth” on BBC Radio 4?

David Mitchell
3.       On the 1st January 1801 George III relinquished which title that had been claimed by English kings since 1340 in the reign of Edward III?
King Of France
4.       Which former Prime Minister wrote a history of cricket entitled “More Than a Game: The Story of Cricket’s Early Years”?
John Major

Round 6

1.       What name, the Russian for “fist” was given to the wealthy peasants whom the Soviet Government sought  to “liquidate as a class” in a campaign launched in 1929?
Kulaks
2.       Who was President of France at the time of the Falklands War?
Francois Mitterand

3.       The Danish town of Billund is home to which famous company that constructed both the airport and a theme park there?

Lego
4.       The best-selling cigarettes in the USA during the 1930s, which
 American cigarette brand is known for its target logo?
Lucky Strike

Historical Atlas of the World

Been spending quite a bit of time recently working my way through The Historical Atlas of the World bu Ludwig Konemann. I remember seeing it suggested on Facebook a couple of months back and you will find it in The Works stores currently at around £10. I have no idea why the link below says best price is £999!!

It's a great reference guide and more importantly an enjoyable read with over 1,200 maps to pour over backed up with mountains of useful information. Worth a look!





Friday 20 June 2014

Funniest Pub Quiz Team Names

According to Web Shopper these are amongst the funniest team names used in pub quizzes. Some we will all have heard several times before. Any readers heard any other good quiz team names lately?

Celeb or showbiz based:
1. Trivia Newton John
2. E=MC Hammer
3. Quizteama Aguilera
Literary inspired:
4. Tequila Mockingbird
5. Agatha Quiztie
6. Games of Phones
Play on words:
7. Norfolk and Chance (bit rude, admittedly)
8. Spanish Win-quiz-Mission
9. Taking Care of Quizness
10. Blood, Sweat and Beers
General silliness:
11. Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead
12. Please Evacuate The Pub This Is Not A Drill

Wednesday 18 June 2014

New Quiz League

Not my neck of the woods but for anyone in the area...

New pub quiz league for Salisbury

PUBS and clubs in the Salisbury area are being invited to take part in a new Salisbury & District Winter Quiz League.
Open to all pubs and clubs within a 10-mile radius of the city, the league will incorporate a series of themed table top competitions along with the local rivalry of a full regional divisional fixture list.
There will be competition nights voted for and hosted by affiliated pubs and clubs, which might include subjects as wide-ranging as football, history, literature, the 1980s or a night at the theatre.

1980s Music Quiz

The next e-book I will be releasing will be focusing on 1980s pop music. Here are five questions from the book to get you in the mood.....Answers in the comment box below

1. Gerry Marsden became the first artist to top the chart twice with the same song when he achieved this in 1985. Which song gave him number 1 hits 22 years apart?

2. Steve Hogarth replaced Fish as the lead singer with which band in 1989?

3.  Leslie Sebastian Charles is the real name of which singer who had a string of hits in the UK in the 1980s?

4. “This is the Right Time” from the album “Affection” (1989) was a UK Top 20 hit for which Mancurian singer?

5. Which Madonna track, a UK Number 2 hit, was recorded for the film Vision Quest?

Monday 16 June 2014

New Quiz Blog

Quick mention for the new blog from TQA reader Jack who has started up Quiz Musings. Looking good so far! Well worth a look HERE

Saturday 14 June 2014

Interview with the World Quizzing Champion

Last week Vikram Joshi beat a whole host of top quizzers to earn the title of World Quiz Champion 2014. Click HERE for an interview with Vikram.


Congratulations!

Monday 9 June 2014

Sunderland Echo Quiz League




So its congratulations to Ashbrooke who won the 2013-2014 Sunderland Echo Quiz League title. A very enjoyable season as always and with the addition of a new team this year, and a potentially new team next year, all is well!

If any one is keen to join the league then please send me an email to fully234@hotmail.com and I will pass your details onto the League Chairman.

Thursday 5 June 2014

App of the Month: SportsQuest


My phone is crammed with various Quiz Apps, some have been played until the questions repeat and others barely touched. But one app which has really been holding my attention lately is SportsQuest.

I have found SportsQuest to be a highly engaging, entertaining and addictive app which covers all the bases you would expect and more! The range of questions is staggering and work has indeed been put in to ensure that there is a large bank of questions from the off. 26,000 is the current figure…and growing! One of my main issues with other apps is the limited bank of questions which creates boring games and quickly leads to the app being deleted, but here, SportsQuest has realised that with an app with such an emphasis on multiplayer modes, there needs to be a large question bank. And that’s what they have given us!



In addition, the questions are not merely filler either. The questions tend to be fun, enjoyable and fair with a good mix. The visuals are great, the set up is easy to use and the whole system runs smoothly. Considering how popular this app has become it’s a credit to the development team that they have managed to produce such a smooth running app!

All the sports you can think of are included and the emphasis is very much worldwide. Best of all it is Free to download and with constant updates there is always something new to try out. The app feels fresh, inventive and has great potential to grow and grow. Hopefully, quizzing and sports fans will get on board and take this to the level it deserves to be.


A great app all round! Well worth adding to your device.



Available Now: Apple Store
Available Soon: Google Play Store

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Pub Quiz: Auld Hundred Edinburgh

Auld Hundred


Auld Hundred: Edinburgh - Tuesday Night, 8.30pm

I headed north to Edinburgh for a relaxing break last week and whilst there planned to attend a Pub Quiz. Last year in Edinburgh I attended the quiz at The Barony, which was my favourite Pub Quiz Night of 2013. I got in touch with the setter and presenter of that quiz, Dave McBryan (recent winner of 15-to-1), who told me about The Auld Hundred's quiz night which he also runs and presents.

The Auld Hundred is set on Rose Street. It is a fairly small pub with a restaurant upstairs and the quiz attracted decently sixed teams. Indeed, it was getting busy from 8.30pm and we were lucky to get a seat so anyone attending may wish to get there early.


The quiz has a great format with 5 rounds and a jackpot round. The questions are diverse in topics and content, with bonus questions thrown in for up to 9 points (which I always like!) and a music round with 12 songs (songs and artists needed). Scores are tallied at the end of the every round giving plenty of time for trips to the bar and more importantly knowing where you are in the standings.

The final round involves 10 clues to one answer. The earlier the answers comes in the better adding a tactical element to the game I imagine (if you are leading).

To cap it all off Dave issues a jackpot round (currently standing at £160) in which 5 reasonably tough questions are asked with the team requiring all 5 correct to win.

Overall a cracking night and again, compared to the Pub Quizzes I attend in the North East, this remains heads and shoulders above the rest!

New Edition - A-Z of Everything

I have suggested several of Trevor Montague's works on the site in previous years and the latest addition of the best of the bunch, The A-Z of Everything, has been out for a few months now. I just managed to pick up a copy from Amazon and the new edition is very impressive. Fully updated and in a new A4 format which I much prefer, it is well worthy of a place on your book shelves.



Tuesday 3 June 2014

Twitter Recommendation: @The_World_Quiz

I have been coming across some rather useful feeds whilst browsing Twitter lately. I have certainly taken to it more over the past few months after never really previously showing an interest. As can be expected there is quite a lot out there in terms of useful quizzing feeds so over the next few months, or simply as I find them, I will suggest some of the more useful Twitter feeds I come across.

The first is @The_World_Quiz

Once following, send your name and country to the account and they enter you into a World Cup of quizzing so to speak whereby you answer questions and represent your country. Some complicated match later and the champions are crowned. Well worth a look and I have come across some very useful questions on there.