European Quizzing Championships

4.11.2005, Tallinn

Questions by Jaan Allik, Koit Nook, Andres Pulver, Tenno Sivadi

1. His name means „born twice” – because his father Zeus took the unborn child from the womb of his mortal mother Semele and sewed the child into his thigh. Who was he?

2. You can see the painting “Oath of the Horatii”. According to a legend told by Titus Livius, Rome fought against a city that belonged to its kindred tribes. It was decided to determine the result of the war by a fight between the best warriors. Both sides were represented by triplets: brothers Horatii from Rome and brothers Curiatii from … From which city?

3. We are asking the name of the follower and father in law of prophet Mohammed (Mohammed married his daughter Aisha in 622), allegedly the first man to accept Islam. (First woman to accept Islam was Mohammed’s first wife Khadijah.) After the death of the prophet in 632, he became the first Caliph and contributed to the spreading of Islam by initiating successful conquests to Syria and Iraq. His full name in Arabic is Abd-Allah ibn Abi Quhaafah. We are asking the name he is known for in the western world.

4. After Muslims had re-conquered Yerusalem in 1187, Knights Templar also had to leave the „Holy City”. They bought a landed property from the Emperor of Bycantz for their new headquarter, which they used for about a century. What did they buy from the Emperor of Bycantz?

5. The US Civil war began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate Genereal opened fire from Fort Johnson upon a fort in Charlston port in South Carolina. Major Anderson conducted the protection of the fort. After bombardment that lasted for 33 hours the fort had to surrender. Surrender of which fort initiated the war?

6.

What country?	North-Yemen 1962-90	North-Yemen 1962, Egypt 1958-71, Syria 1958-63 and 1980 -	Iraq 1963-91 Syria 1963-72

7. To whom have these monuments been erected?

Budapest	Lidingö, Sweden	Montreal	New York

8. There are approximately 1-2 milliards of Muslims in the world. Thus it can be said that every fifth person in the world is Muslim. Islam is also considered to be the fastest growing religion in the world. Which European country comprises the biggest population of Muslims? (Note: Turkey not included!).

9. Austin monks had been brewing this maize beer in the Philippines for centuries before the local beer industry was founded in 1890. Corporation producing this beer is the biggest company of foodstuffs industry in the Philippines at the moment. It also holds a strong position in TOP 3 of Asian beer market. This beer was taken to the United States by American militarists and in the beginning of 20th century it was taken to Europe by Andreas Soriano. What is the name of this famous beer brand of the Philippines, called after a county nearby Manila where the beer was initially produced?

10. In the middle of the 20th century (more precisely in 1950) a factory was founded in Tallinn. Its production has won 17 golden medals in international contests for today. 95% of the production is exported abroad, mainly to the US. All in all, this product has been exported to 67 countries. The wooden elaboration is used in the production: mahogany, walnut, cherry, Congolese bubinga. Annual production of the factory is 350, so it makes about one product per day. Which product is it?

11. These animals always leave their faeces at same place. In big colonies quite a thick layer of manure can stratify this way. In dry conditions this layer mixed with gelatinous urine forms an asphalt-like mass, which is called hyraceum. Indigene women have been using it as cosmetics for a long time. Dutch traders brought it from South Africa to Europe under the name of exotic medicine “... sweat”. Which animal’s “sweat” was so valuable?

12. It is known that most venomous snakes live in deserts. One of the most venomous snakes is brown king snake (earlier also known under the name prademantsia) in Australia. This snake is also unique for its feeding habits. When very hungry it eats of course also rats, but generally this snake feeds on another species. What does the snake feed on?

13. Polymnia sonchifolia belonging to the Compositae family was a valuable nutritive plant to the old Incas already. Meanwhile almost forgotten plant is getting very popular in the world – especially in Japan where synthetic sugar substitutes are forbidden. The bigger growers in addition to Japan are Brazil, New Zealand and for the last years surprisingly also Russia. Big tuberous roots - weighing up to 2 kg – of the plant that are dug out and dried in the sun until the skin of the tuberous root wrinkles and becomes sweet are used for food. The tubers taste like pear or melon. What plant?

14. What is the name of the flower on the picture? (A rare snow-white form of the flower.) If you cannot recall the name of the flower, the film of the same name made by Peter Kosminsky in 2002 where Alison Lohman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright Penn and Rene Zellweger played the main characters might help. The film is based on a novel of the same name written by Janet Fitch.

15. Name the composer.

16. In Carboniferous period 362-290 millions of years ago three giant continents dominated the Earth. The Gondvana continent existed already earlier during the Cambrian and Devonian period. The Laurentia continent also existed in Devonian Period. What is the name of the third giant continent, which formed but in Carboniferous Period? This continent is named after a big Siberian tributary river.

17. This archipelago is divided into 5 groups: the Fox Islands where the biggest islands of the archipelago belong; the Rat Islands; the Four Mounts Islands; the Andrianof Islands named for the well-known explorer Andreian Tolstyk and the Near Islands. The highest peak of the archipelago is a volcano of 2857m, also called Smoking Moses by the locals. What is the name of the archipelago?

18.
This town received its town bylaws in 1781. 1783-1973 the coat of arms no.1 was used as the coat of arms of the town. In 1973 a new coat of arms was taken into use, which was the symbol of the town until 1995 (picture no.2). For the last 10 years the town has been using the coat of arms no.3. The blue wave/strip on the coat of arms symbolizes river Isset running through the town. The town is famous mostly for tragic events, e.g. anthrax epidemic in 1979. In 1960 the American U-2 reconnaissance plane piloted by F.G. Powers was shot down just near this town. In spite of that the town has a twin town in the United States (San Jose in California) and there are both the American and British Consulates in the town. One of this town’s ballgame teams is the eightfold champion of the European Champions League. What town?

19. Founded in 1542 this town was the capital of Guatemala from the 16-18th century. In 1773 the town was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake and the capital was resettled. Today, the population of the town is 27 000 and the city as a whole is kind of a museum of colonial age. There is an island of the same name in the Leeward Islands, which has been the colony of Spain and France. Today it is a part of a country that became independent in 1981. Name the town or the island.

20. What island?

21. You have a ticket to a trip number 47 leaving at 5 o’clock. Your seat is number 1B in the 7th compartment. You can take 107,87 units of luggage with you. To what country are you travelling to with this ticket?

22. In 1920 an American Francis Pease measured “something” for the first time. He measured it with the help of a tool invented by Albert Michelson and he named it with two Arabic words: “armpit of the most important”. What did he measure? In its own domain it was one of the first ones ever measured.

23. Everybody knows Portland Trail Blazers, the basketball club of NBA. But which car company does this Jeep with a model name Trail Blazer represent?

24. This building material was invented in 1894 in Austria where its industrial production began in 1903 under the name also known nowadays. For about 80 years this material has been holding the first or second place in capacity of use in its specific domain in Europe. In 1970-80 there was a temporary decline in the production of the material when health-damaging impact of one of the components appeared. For the last 20 years this material has been produced without that component. What material?

25. The name of that nation was first mentioned by Herodotus, also known as the father of history, who told a story about the love between a young Scythian man and Amazon woman. What nation was born from that romance? Antique writers were surprised by the honourable status that women of the nation had in the society.

26. On July 24, 1952 a married couple won a golden Olympic medal within one and the same hour. They were also born on the same day in 1922. Who were they?

27. The leading football city of Argentina is undoubtedly Buenos Aires. Plenty of national champions and other famous football clubs originate from that city: River Plate, Boca Juniors, Valez Sarsfield, Argentinos Juniors, San Lorenzo, Huracan etc. What cities do Central and Newell’s Old Boys come from? Both of the clubs have also won the national championship.

28. A great hero of Tour de France is undoubtedly Lance Armstrong, the sevenfold winner of the competition. In all of those seven times he belonged to two teams: U.S. Postal and last time Discovery Channel. In all seven times he was supported by one of his teammates and compatriots who won his first stage at the last Tour. This year’s competition was in general very successful for him because in addition to the success of his team he was also one of the leaders in the overall standing after couple of first stages. Who is this bicyclist, the inseparable companion of Lance Armstrong?

29. Who is the man on the picture? Of the best-known NBA’s individual records is Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in one game. As remarkable as 100 points in one game is also the record of assists: 30 in NBA. This record was achieved by the man on the picture in a game against Denver Nuggets on the 30th December of 1990. At present, he is the head coach of a famous club of NBA. Who is the man?

30. Before sisters Williams became top players of women’s tennis, white women dominated in tennis. Only one African American woman has won championships at Grand Slam tournaments before Serena Williams. Who is this African American tennis player who won singles titles at US Open in 1957, Wimbledon in 1958 and the French Open in 1956 (at French Open she also won three straight doubles crowns)? The Associated Press voted her Female Athlete of the Year in 1957 and in 1958. You can also see pictures of her.

31. His date of birth on the 11th of April is celebrated as a day of poetry in Hungary. His creation was very varied, reaching from motives of folk poetry to communistic agitation and surrealistic vanguard. His creation was very diverse in form. The University of Szeged is named after this man. What is the name of the man (1905-1937)?

32. What is the name of the man on the picture, Nobel Prize Laureate in literature?

33. Which book begins as follows:

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

34. Who is the artist?

35. How is this high classicistic art style called?

36. You can see photos of two attractive actresses. If you recognise one actress, it should not be difficult to recall the name of the other. What are the names of these two actresses?

37. This character has been played by several movie stars beginning from Douglas Fairbanks in 1920, but also Tyrone Power in 1940, George Hamilton in 1981 etc. Last film dates was made in 2005. The author of the character is Arthur Johnston McCulley (1885-1958). Who is the character?

38. We are asking a famous novel and its author. In 1920 A.V. Bramble made the first (silent) film version of the novel. William Wyler made the classical version of the film in 1939, where Merle Oberon and Lawrence Olivier played the leading characters. Luis Bunuel was also interested in the subject. In 1954 he made the Spanish version of the film „Abismos de pasion”. In 1970 Robert Fuest made the English version of the film with Cathy Earnshaw and Timothy Dalton playing the leading characters. Hollywood returned to the theme in 1992. Peter Kosminsky proposed Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes to play leading characters in the film. In 1985 the French version and in 1988 the Japanese version „Arashi ga Oka” were made. What is the name of the author and the novel?

39. This composer once remarked, "people sing too much in opera”. He wrote only one but famous opera. To him it was the music of the opera that created a character, move plot and expressed what words were powerless to express. The characters in this opera in fact "sing" very little. Nearly all of his writing for the singers is in parlando (Italian for "speaking"), a style in which the music imitates the natural rhythms of speech and avoids pure melody. The voices themselves, rather than singing mimic the natural inflexions of the speaking voice. In this opera, there are no arias, duets, or choruses, conventions of the opera for which he had little use, regarding them as rhetorical devices that provide at best artificial emphasis, at worst an obtrusive distraction from the subliminal power of the music. The orchestra's role is crucial; it must express the emotion and drama that are absent in the text. Although the opera does tell a story - a love triangle between two main characters and man’s half-brother Golaud, there is little surface action. Name the composer and opera!

40. You can see a photo of a famous neo (nu) metal band. Although it was formed and first songs were produced already in 1987, the first disc “Fungus Amongus” was released but in 1995. Album “Enjoy …” (1997) containing only 5 songs followed. Men themselves thought that the first “decent” disc was “S.C.I.E.N.C.E.”, released in 1997. Next album “Make yourself” was released in 1999. There are some other songs albums that can be found only on collections (for example the song „Crowded Elevator” in Scream 3 soundtrack). Some elements of rap and DJ-work (scratching) are used in their songs. Brandon Boyd, the singer of the band, is also a talented artist and his works can be found in the Internet. The band has also a rally car of Nascary. International popularity was achieved in 1999 after touring for almost two years with Sugar Ray, Limp Bizkit, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Korn, 311 etc. You can also hear one song of the band. What is the name of the band?

41. Who is speaking?

42. On July 22, 1992 at the age of 51, actor Wayne McLaren died from lung cancer. As he was not known as an actor, this would not have been that remarkable. However, he was rather well known, because he advertised a very popular product. Which product?

43. This cocktail was invented in 1948 in a popular bar Harry, located at the Marcus Square in Venice. It was named after a famous renaissance artist whose works wore exhibited in Venice at that time. The cocktail contains peach pulp, juice and sparkling wine Prosecco. It is also known under the name “Pink cocktail”. What is the name of the famous drink, one symbol of Venice, or of the painter who gave his name to the drink? You can also see his paintings.

44. There are different types of checkers. We would like to know after what country is named the checkers with the biggest board (144 squares). It is played with 30 checkers on both sides of the board and the game rules are same as in the international checker.

45. How is this traditional Hawaiian flower necklace called? Two European currency’s are also known under the same name (in plural).

46. We are asking a nation. Thalcave (“roarer” in the language of the nation), the Patagonian known from the book of J. Verne „The Children of Captain Grant”, was probably the representative of this nation. The name of the nation in its own language is Mapuche. In the 16th century the nation was living in whole Chile and part of Patagonia where they bravely fought against conquerors for more than 3 centuries after they finally resigned in a war between Chile and Argentina in 1878-1883. Today, the population of the nation is about 540 000. Majority of the nation is living in Chile. Word „pampa” comes from this nation’s language. What is the name of the nation?

47. Who is on the pictures?

48. Women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in every domain but economy. In which domain the number of female winners is the biggest?

49. This order was allegedly founded in 1190. It can be stated with certainty that it was granted in the middle of the 15th century. According to the statute of the order it can’t be worn together with any other order. The order is unique because it is the only order in the world, which is not flat but a spatial figure. In Russia Grand Duke Menshikov was the first person to get this order. The only known Estonian to have received this order is Lennart Meri in 1994. This order is granted very seldom. The person who was granted the order before Lennart Meri was Charles de Gaulle. What is the name of the order?

50. Austrian countess Paula Lamberg is considered to be the first woman to practice this sport. She achieved the result of 22 metres in 1911 already. Which sport?

Answers

1.	Dionysus
2.	Alba							669 BC
3.	Abu-Bakr							(573-634)
4.	Island of Cyprus
5.	Fort Sumter
6.	Yemen							From 1990-; Pan-Arabic colours
7.	Raoul Wallenberg							Monument (statue) also in London
8. h	Russia		Approximately 17-28 million (12-20% of the population). Approximately 8 million in France (13%), 5 million in Germany (6%), 3 million in United Kingdom (5%), 1,2 million in Bulgaria (14%), 1 million in Italy (2%), 0,4 million in Sweden (4,5%).
9.	San Miguel
10.	Piano							The product of Tallinn Piano Factory
11.	Hyraxes (eastern tree hyrax)							Also dassies or conies. Dendrohyrax validus. Members of the order Hyracoidea; hyraxes share many features with elephants and sea cows; Boomklipdassen; Tamaanit; Klippegrevlinger; daman
12.	Other venomous snakes							Because it is more venomous than the other snakes (Only taipans are more venomous in Australia). Cannibal
13.	Yakon	Yakon in Spanish and English but also llacón, Leafcup, Erosus yam bean, Jícama, Jícama de agua, Jícama, de leche, Leafcup, Mexican potato, Potato bean, Yacón, Yam bean, llakuma, yacuma, jacón, arboloco, puhe, jicama, jiquima
14.	White Oleander
15.	Claude Debussy
16.	Angara
17.	Aleutian					Aleutian Islands; belong to the US as a part of Alaska state
18.	Yekaterinbourg					Former Sverdlovsk; women’s volleyball team of Uralotska
19.	Antigua
20.	Elba
21.	Argentina					Argentum (silver) – element no.47; period 5; row VII; group of the element 1 b; atomic weight 107,8682
22.	Star diameter					Star Betelgeuse, 11^th brightest star in the sky; By using a stellar inteferometer invented by professor Michelson and a 100 inch telescope Pease calculated a diameter of 0.047 arc seconds.
23.	Chevrolet
24.	Eternit					Chrysotile cement (asbestos cement). Forbidden component was asbestos.
25.	Sauromatians
26.	Dana and Emil Zatopek						Czechoslovakia. Javelin and 1500m running. Born on the 19th of September in 1922
27.	Rosario
28.	George Hincapie						Armstrong has had 22 team-mates in Tour
29.	Scott Skiles				The head coach of Chicago Bulls. He made the record playing for Orlando Magic
30.	Althea Gibson
31.	Attila Jozsef
32.	Elias Canetti
33.	J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye									1951; De vanger in het graan; Sieppari ruispellossa; Redderen i rugen; L’attrape-coeurs
34.	Henri Matisse
35.	Empire style						1789-1814. The early classicistic is the style of Louis XVI
36.	Katie Holmes and Emily Watson
37.	Zorro						Unconquerable mask man Don Diego de la Vega
38.	Emily Brontë, „Wuthering Heights”									Woeste hoogten; Humiseva harju; Stormfulle høyder; Les hauts de Hurlevent
39.	Claude Debussy, Pelléas et Mélisande
40.	Incubus
41.	Harry S. Truman
42.	Marlboro cigarettes							So called Marlboro-man
43.	Bellini							Giovanni Bellini
44.	Canada
45.	Lei							Moldova, Romania: Leu (=100 bani), pl. lei
46.	Araucans
47.	Robert Fisher							Bob Fisher
48.	Peace							12; literature 10
49.	The order of Elephant								Denmark
50.	Ski jumping			The first women to jump over 100 metres was Finnish Tiina Lehtola (1981 – 110 m); today the world’s best ski jumper is Norwegian Anette Sagen, who won in the season 2004/2005 eight Continental Cup stages from 12 (the second place, American Lindsay Van gathered 280 points less); the first stage of this Cup was won by Finnish Heli Pomell in 1998