Zephyr Quiz League

Round 1 Player 1 Question 2:

In 2010, Ai Weiwei exhibited a space-filling art installation at the Tate Modern that consisted of one hundred million individually hand-crafted sunflower seeds made of WHAT MATERIAL by 1,600 workers at Jingdezhen? In the 14th century, the Ming dynasty assumed control of all the kilns producing this material.

Answer: Porcelain (Accept: Bone china)

Round 2 Player 4 Question 2:

WHAT does the artwork Circle of Animals by Ai Weiwei depict? It is a reimagination of 12 sculptures around a water clock-fountain that once adorned the Old Summer Palace.

Answer: Chinese Zodiac (Accept: Zodiac)

Round 3 Player 3 Question 2:

In the mid-2010s, Ai Weiwei turned his attention to the global refugee crisis by temporarily installing thousands of WHAT BRIGHT ORANGE ITEMS to the columns of the Konzerthaus Berlin? These were collected by Ai and his studio members from the Greek island of Lesbos.

Answer: Life vests (Accept: Personal flotation device, life jacket/preserver/belt/saver/, Mae West, buoyancy aid or flotation suit etc.)

Round 8 Player 2 Question 1:

WHAT ART MEDIUM has Ai Weiwei described as “____ is not painting and it’s not sculpture and it’s not installation. It looks like two dimensions but it’s actually three”? In 2019, Ai used this medium to create portraits of the 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College pupils who were kidnapped and massacred in Mexico.

Answer: Lego

Round 1 Player 1 Question 1:

WHICH AFRICAN LANGUAGE has a flexible history that involves heavy borrowing of words from every language it has encountered, including Arabic? Deriving its name from Arabic for “boundary” or “coast”, it's full name is “Ki_______” meaning “language of the coast”.

Answer: Swahili (Accept: Kiswahili); From Arabic “sahil” meaning “boundary”

Round 2 Player 2 Question 1:

WHAT AUTONOMOUS ISLAND REGION of an African country fills in the blank of the quote “Swahili was born in ________, grew up in Tanzania, fell sick in Kenya, died in Uganda, and was buried in Congo”? This island's Arabic influence came to a violent end in 1964 after a revolution overthrew the sultanate and deposed Jamshid bin Abdullah.

Answer: Zanzibar

Round 3 Player 4 Question 1:

The oldest known Swahili documents are fourteen letters written between 1711 and 1728 by Queen Mfalme Fatima of Kilwa (modern-day Tanzania). In WHICH INDIAN STATE'S government archives can they now be found?

Answer: Goa; In 1503 or 1504, Zanzibar became part of the Portuguese Empire.

Round 4 Player 3 Question 2:

While the Swahili words like “kanuni” (law) and “sheria” (law, institution) originate from the Arabic “qanun” and “sharia” respectively, WHAT IS THE SWAHILI WORD for “lawful” or “permissible” that is also borrowed from Arabic?

Answer: Halali (Accept: Halal)

Round 2 Player 4 Question 1:

WHICH AUTHOR is seen making a cameo here in the 2011 film adaptation of his 1974 work? He also appeared as an insulted restaurant diner in a 2016 British mini-series starring Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston.

Answer: John le Carré (Accept: David John Moore Cornwell)

Round 6 Player 2 Question 1:

WHICH AUTHOR'S cameo as a news reporter in the 1975 film adaptation of his novel was considered apt as he was a Washington Post journalist at the time of its writing? He also co-wrote the screenplay along with Carl Gottlieb.

Answer: Peter Benchley

Round 8 Player 1 Question 2:

WHICH AUTHOR has cameos in a number of films adapted from his works, starting with Knightriders (1981) and the most recent one in a 2019 movie. He is pictured here making a not-so-regal cameo as a truck-driver in the 1987 anthology film Creepshow 2.

Answer: Stephen King; The 2019 movie is It Chapter Two.

Round 8 Player 3 Question 1:

WHICH AUTHOR made a cameo as a school wrestling referee in the 1982 film adaptation of his novel that starred Robin Williams? He has also written the bestsellers The Cider House Rules and Hotel New Hampshire.

Answer: John Irving; The film is The World According to Garp.

Round 2 Player 1 Question 2:

WHICH 'LEVITATING' POPSTAR collaborated on Elton John's 2020 album 'The Lockdown Sessions' with the song 'Cold Heart'?

Answer: Dua Lipa

Round 4 Player 2 Question 1:

WHICH 'INDUSTRY BABY' artiste collaborated on Elton John's 2020 album 'The Lockdown Sessions' with the song 'One of Me'?

Answer: Lil Nas X (Accept: Montero Lamar Hill)

Round 5 Player 4 Question 2:

WHICH 'PERFECT' SINGER collaborated with Elton John for a 2021 addition to his album 'The Lockdown Sessions' with the song 'Merry Christmas'?

Answer: Ed Sheeran

Round 6 Player 3 Question 2:

WHICH 'SUPER BASS' RAPPER collaborated on Elton John's 2020 album 'The Lockdown Sessions' with the song 'Always Love You'?

Answer: Nicki Minaj (Accept: Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty; Nicki Teresa)

Round 4 Player 4 Question 2:

WHAT "BEAUTIFUL VIEW" IN VIENNA was built at the instigation of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the early 18th century? In the 1920s, its two Baroque palaces and orangery were converted into the Österreichische Galerie (Austrian Gallery) that now displays works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

Answer: The Belvedere

Round 6 Player 1 Question 2:

In 1752, WHICH RULER of the Habsburg Empire purchased the Belvedere from Prince Eugene’s niece Victoria? The successor of Charles VI, this monarch’s inheritance of the throne led to the War of the Austrian Succession.

Answer: Maria Theresa (Accept: Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina)

Round 7 Player 3 Question 2:

In 1770, the Belvedere hosted a masked ball to celebrate the marriage of WHICH DAUGHTER of Maria Theresa to Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France? The couple was sentenced to death in 1793.

Answer: Marie Antoinette (Accept: Maria Antonia)

Round 8 Player 2 Question 2:

In 1896, Franz Joseph I decided that the Belvedere should serve as a residence for his nephew, the heir to the throne. WHO lived here until his assassination during a military inspection in 1914?

Answer: Franz Ferdinand (Accept: Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria)

Round 1 Player 2 Question 2:

While living at their three-hundred-year-old palatial home, WHOSE PET CORGIS Monty, Willow and Holly have had the pleasure of welcoming global guests including a famous spy in 2012?

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II (Accept: The Queen, Elizabeth)

Round 3 Player 1 Question 1:

Named by Malia and Sasha after their maternal grandfather’s favourite R&B musician Ellas McDaniels, this Portuguese Water Dog's name was also incidentally the initials of the head of the family. WHOSE initials?

Answer: Barack Obama; The dog was named Bo. The musician is Bo Diddley.

Round 5 Player 3 Question 2:

WHO, along with his wife Brigitte, named their adopted Labrador Retriever-Griffon after Captain Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne? Nemo was adopted in 2017 from an animal shelter in Hermeray, Yvelines.

Answer: Emmanuel Macron

Round 8 Player 4 Question 1:

WHO, along with her partner Clarke Gayford, adopted a ginger and white polydactyl cat named Paddles in 2016? The cat interrupted a congratulatory phone call from US President Donald Trump the following year.

Answer: Jacinda Ardern

Spare Question 2:

According to a “satisfying but dubious legend” WHO would direct the guests he didn’t like to the unfinished East Room bathroom where his predatory pet had taken up residence? Most accounts of the same now lead with an alliteration combining the owner’s last name and the pet’s genus.

Answer: John Quincy Adams; The alliteration being Adams' Alligator.

Round 3 Player 3 Question 1:

WHAT STYLE OF PARENTING, typically associated with Chinese-Americans, involves authoritarian parents pushing their kids towards academic and extra-curricular excellence? The term was coined in 2011 when Yale Law School professor Amy Chua published her memoir “Battle Hymn of the _____ Mother".

Answer: Tiger Parenting

Round 5 Player 2 Question 1:

WHAT STYLE OF PARENTING involves few rules, low expectations, and overindulgence without any structure? It is named after a marine creature that has been around for half a billion years and is the titular subject of the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Lion's Mane.

Answer: Jellyfish Parenting

Round 6 Player 4 Question 1:

WHAT STYLE OF PARENTING allows for children to follow their heart but to be disciplined if they cross the line? The term used to describe them originates from Alan Paul's essay written in response to Amy Chua's "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother", where he describes this style as “happy to parent with cuddliness, but not afraid to show some claw.”

Answer: Panda Parenting (Prompt: Bear; Accept: Giant Panda; Panda Bear)

Round 8 Player 1 Question 1:

WHAT STYLE OF PARENTING built around role modeling and strong social connections believes in gradually giving children more autonomy as they grow up? The creature that lends its name to the style was chosen because it is playful, intelligent and most importantly social - living together in groups called pods.

Answer: Dolphin Parenting

Round 2 Player 3 Question 2:

In 2018, this company chose to rebrand itself to stay current with the rising popularity of holistic wellness and body positivity. In an attempt to remove its association with traditional techniques like dieting, which had made it an industry leader in the 90s, the company decided to replace its two-word alliterative name with just its initials. WHAT TWO-LETTER NAME - with the tagline “Wellness that Works.” - does the company use now?

Answer: WW International (Accept: Weight Watchers International)

Round 3 Player 4 Question 2:

In 2010, under threat of penalties imposed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) including up to $5,000 per instance of operation, this company decided to shorten its name by dropping the second part in its original name. This name change also implied a rebranding as a service rather than the traditional business the original name implied. WHICH COMPANY, that despite numerous controversies, is still well 'above' its competition?

Answer: Uber; They changed from UberCab to Uber and rebranded as a ride-sharing service instead of a taxi company.

Round 4 Player 1 Question 2:

This company was originally named after an object to hint at the "fiery passion" it was meant to ignite in its users. Ultimately, the founders chose another name that conveyed a similar theme. IDENTIFY THE ORIGINAL NAME of the company, also the name of a toy brand introduced by Lesney Products in 1953. The toy brand got its name from its distinctive packaging.

Answer: Matchbox (Prompt: Tinder); Matchbox sounded too similar to Match.com and was hence renamed Tinder.

Round 7 Player 2 Question 2:

In January 2013, this organisation decided to rebrand itself after one of its brands ahead of an explosive tell-all interview by its sportsperson founder. The brand, started in 2003 as __________ Survivorcare with the mission of helping survivors of a chronic illness, has now become the face of the organization. FILL IN THE BLANK.

Answer: Livestrong Foundation (Prompt: Lance Armstrong)

Round 3 Player 2 Question 1:

The Razzie Redeemer Award is an award presented to a past Razzie Award nominee or winner who becomes "a respected artist" and comes back from critical and/or commercial failure. WHICH FOUR-TIME RAZZIE WINNER hit back at critics by taking home this award in 2022?

Answer: Will Smith (Accept: The Fresh Prince, Willard Caroll Smith II)

Round 4 Player 4 Question 1:

WHICH ACTOR's nomination for Worst Screen Combo at the 2022 Razzie Awards came with the blurb " _____ ____ & either his 17-pound latex face, his geeky clothes or his ridiculous accent"? He was nominated for his role in a film based on a 2001 book with the subtitle "A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed".

Answer: Jared Leto

Round 6 Player 1 Question 1:

One of the nominees for Worst Picture at the 2022 Razzie Awards was a crime thriller centred around a young black couple who move into an upmarket suburb and their interactions with their neighbour. WHAT IS THE FIVE-LETTER TITLE OF THE FILM - the same as a pejorative term for a (usually) white woman perceived as entitled or demanding?

Answer: Karen

Round 7 Player 3 Question 1:

A cinematic depiction of a musical was awarded Worst Picture at the 2022 Razzie Awards. WHICH REGAL FIGURE, also depicted in a 2021 biopic set partly at Sandringham House, was the subject of this film?

Answer: Diana, Princess of Wales (Accept: Spencer)

Round 1 Player 4 Question 1:

In the Watchmen Universe, WHAT 1995 INCIDENT is foiled by the characters Nite Owl and Comedienne? The FBI considers this the deadliest act of homegrown terrorism in US history.

Answer: Oklahoma City Bombing (Accept: Oklahoma City Terror Attack)

Round 4 Player 1 Question 1:

In the alternate history universe of the Watchmen, the character Comedian silences many of his critics by resolving an issue which cropped up in the late 1970s. WHAT DEVELOPMENT in Asia, stretching 444 days, is this?

Answer: Iran Hostage Crisis (Accept: Variants like Tehran Embassy Crisis, US Embassy Crisis in Tehran etc.)

Round 5 Player 2 Question 2:

The Greek name for the pharaoh Rameses II, also used by PB Shelley as the title of an 1818 sonnet, was adopted by the Watchmen character Adrian Veidt as his title. WHAT TITLE?

Answer: Ozymandias

Round 6 Player 3 Question 1:

In a 2009 NPR interview, Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons confirmed that the blue look of the character Doctor Manhattan was based on the blue glow emitted by nuclear reactor piles underwater. WHAT PHENOMENON, named after a Soviet physicist, is this?

Answer: Cherenkov Radiation

Round 1 Player 4 Question 2:

The amino acid Serine was first isolated from ____, a fact reflected in its name. WHAT IS THIS NATURALLY OCCURRING MATERIAL?

Answer: Silk; 'Sericum' is Latin for Silk.

Round 4 Player 2 Question 2:

The amino acid Cysteine/Cystine is named after the Latin word for a hollow organ in all human beings, and is a constituent of certain accumulations formed within the organ. WHICH PELVIC ORGAN is this?

Answer: Urinary Bladder (Prompt: Bladder)

Round 5 Player 3 Question 1:

WHICH AMINO ACID, the first one to be isolated, is named after this plant? The shoots of this plant are commonly eaten across the world.

Answer: Asparagine (Accept: Asparagine Acid; Prompt: Asparagus, Do not accept: Aspartate, Aspartic Acid)

Round 7 Player 1 Question 2:

The amino acid Tyrosine is named after the Greek for ______, as it was first discovered in the protein casein found in ______. FILL IN THE BLANK. (Both blanks are the same)

Answer: Cheese

Round 2 Player 2 Question 2:

WHAT COGNITIVE BIAS describes the habit of adopting certain behaviors or beliefs because many other people do the same? It originates from Zachary Taylor's presidential campaign in 1848 when a circus clown used his _________ and its music to gain attention while campaigning for Taylor, which led to other politicians striving to do the same.

Answer: Bandwagon Effect

Round 4 Player 3 Question 1:

In a priming experiment, behavioural researchers asked participants to recall an ethical or unethical act, and then asked them to fill in the missing letters in the words W _ _ H, S _ _ P, SH _ _ ER. Subjects who recalled unethical acts wrote words that implied a need to cleanse their conscience. WHICH 17th CENTURY LITERARY CHARACTER is the effect named after?

Answer: Lady Macbeth Effect (Prompt: Macbeth); Participants who thought of ethical acts wrote words such as WISH, STOP, and SHAKER while participants who thought of unethical acts wrote words such as WASH, SOAP, and SHOWER.

Round 5 Player 4 Question 1:

The law of the instrument is a cognitive bias that involves an over-reliance on a newly acquired skill or a familiar tool. Although it is popularly known as Maslow's ______, it is also attributed to Abraham Kaplan, who once said “Give a small boy a ______, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.” FILL IN THE BLANK. (Both blanks are the same)

Answer: Hammer; "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail." - Maslow

Round 7 Player 1 Question 1:

The ___ ____ fallacy is the tendency to believe, irrationally, that someone who has been successful in a task or activity is more likely to be successful again in further attempts. WHAT TWO-WORD ALLITERATIVE TERM originating from basketball is this? The concept is explained by Richard Thaler and Selena Gomez in one of the expository scenes in The Big Short.

Answer: Hot Hand Fallacy; Explained by Richard Thaler and Selena Gomez in The Big Short.

Spare Question 4:

WHICH COGNITIVE BIAS named after a Greek mythological character describes situations where someone’s high expectations improves our behavior and therefore our performance in a given area? This quote from a 1910s play inspired by the mythological character's tale best explains the etymology - “You see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up, the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she’s treated.”

Answer: Pygmalion Effect

Round 1 Player 3 Question 2:

WHAT CUE SPORT gained its identity after British army officer Neville Chamberlain devised a set of rules for it in 1875 when stationed in India? It got its name from a derogatory term used to describe inexperienced or first-year military personnel.

Answer: Snooker

Round 3 Player 2 Question 2:

WHAT MODERN-DAY GAME was patented by Alfred Collier in 1891? Emperor Akbar enjoyed playing a precursor of this game using servants in this courtyard at Fatehpur Sikri.

Answer: Ludo (Accept: Pachisi)

Round 5 Player 1 Question 2:

WHAT MODERN-DAY GAME is based on the game Mokshapat that was invented by saint Gyandev in the 13th century? It was based on the principle that good deeds take us closer to moksha while bad deeds keep us stuck in an endless cycle of rebirths.

Answer: Snakes and Ladders (Accept: Chutes and Ladders, Bible Ups and Downs etc.)

Round 7 Player 4 Question 1:

Popular originally in Persia and later in India during the Mughal period, Ganjifa was an early form of WHAT MODERN-DAY GAME OR PASTIME? A variant called Ganjapa is popular in the Indian state Odisha.

Answer: Playing Cards (Prompt: Ask for a generic answer if someone says specific variants like Poker or Blackjack)

Round 2 Player 3 Question 1:

This founding member of the LPGA was also its first president. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer. WHICH AMERICAN GOLFER, who also participated in the speed skating events during the 1968 Winter Olympics?

Answer: Patty Berg

Round 3 Player 1 Question 2:

WHO won the 1904 British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship, played twice for the England women's national field hockey team and won a silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in archery? She is best remembered for her 5 Wimbledon titles, winning her first while being just 15 years old.

Answer: Lottie Dod OR Charlotte Dod

Round 6 Player 4 Question 2:

One of the earliest women to make the cut for a PGA tournament, WHICH AMERICAN of Nordic heritage won two golds and a silver in track and field events at the 1932 LA Olympics, before turning to golf and winning a combined total of 82 amateur and professional titles? Born Mildred Ella, this athlete's name, by some accounts, was a tribute to a baseball legend.

Answer: Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Accept: Babe Zaharias or Zaharias)

Round 7 Player 2 Question 1:

WHICH SWEDISH-AMERICAN GOLFER and recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom was the first woman to compete in a PGA tour event since 1945? A multi-sport player, she also has the highest number of wins among female golfers and captained Europe in the 2017 Solheim Cup after retiring from competitive golf in 2008.

Answer: Annika Sörenstam

Spare Question 1:

WHAT IS THE COMMON SURNAME of the sisters who competed in women's individual golf in Tokyo 2021, one of them winning the gold and the other finishing joint 15th? Their father was a professional tennis player who won the 1998 Australian Open and lost to Jim Courier in the finals of the 1992 French Open.

Answer: Korda (Nelly and Jessica)

Round 1 Player 3 Question 1:

WHICH CARIBBEAN ISLAND'S tourism tagline is "....go beyond ordinary"? It is considered by some to be the inspiration for the island in Robinson Crusoe and the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson was shot entirely on this island, with Bacolet Bay Beach featuring extensively.

Answer: Tobago (Grudingly accept: Trinidad and Tobago; Do not prompt nor accept only Trinidad) TOBAgo beyond ordinary

Round 2 Player 1 Question 1:

WHICH ISLAND NATION'S tourism tagline is "The Spice of The Caribbean"? The likely origin of the present name of the country is from a time when Spanish sailors named it for a city in Andalusia.

Answer: Grenada; It is known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace. The image shows an open nutmeg.

Round 6 Player 2 Question 2:

WHICH CARIBBEAN ISLAND NATION'S tourism tagline is "Let her inspire you"? With Sir Arthur Lewis (Economics, 1979), and Derek Walcott (Literature, 1992), this country has the highest Nobel laureates per capita of any country in the world.

Answer: Saint Lucia; One of the only two countries named after a woman, alongside Ireland.

Round 8 Player 4 Question 2:

WHICH CARIBBEAN ISLAND COUNTRY'S tourism tagline "Fly Away" took inspiration from Lenny Kravitz (who spent his boyhood summers here) and his 1998 hit song of the same name? The song and Kravitz himself feature in their advertisements, urging you to explore the archipelago by boat and plane.

Answer: The Bahamas; One of the only two countries with an article in the official name of the country, alongside The Gambia.

Round 1 Player 2 Question 1:

The world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was the R-7 Semyorka – the brainchild of the Ukraine-born Sergei Korolev. The ICBM made 28 launches but was never deployed operationally. Its most significant contribution came in 1957 during WHICH SPECIFIC ENDEAVOUR that saw a modified version of the R-7 being used for an 83 kg payload?

Answer: The launch of Sputnik-1 (Prompt: If they mention first artificial satellite launch.)

Round 5 Player 1 Question 1:

WHAT TYPE OF ELECTRIC MOTOR that utilises materials such as lead zirconium titanate or lithium niobate to produce motion was invented in 1964 by Ukrainian engineer Vyacheslav Lavrinenko? Some of the common applications for these motors include camera focus systems, computer disk drives, and precision motion control of instruments.

Answer: Piezoelectric motor (Accept: Piezo motor)

Round 7 Player 4 Question 2:

WHAT INVENTION by Ukrainian engineer Fyodor Pirotsky was adapted by Werner von Siemens for practical public use for the first time in 1881 at Lichterfeld? It laid the groundwork for "Strassenbahn Berlin", one of the largest systems of its kind in the world today.

Answer: Electric tram (Accept: Tram, tramway street car, trolley or trolleycar; The tram system in Berlin is the third largest in the world. The word strassenbahn translates literally to 'street train', meaning tram.)

Round 8 Player 3 Question 2:

WHAT CLOUD-BASED TOOL was launched by Ukrainians Alex Shevchenko, Max Lytvyn, and Dmytro Lider in 2009 as a program for universities to teach their students English? It later transformed into a writing assistant for users to proofread and edit their documents.

Answer: Grammarly

Spare Question 3:

A Kyiv born Ukrainian-American co-founded a company called Fieldlink in 1998, later named Confinity. Its best known product was created in 1999 and in 2002 the company changed its name, adopting the name of this product. WHICH PRODUCT?

Answer: PayPal founded by Max Levchin (Ukraine-born) and Peter Thiel (German born)