QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Set 1 October 2009 Topic: Counties 22 points 1. Which English counties are the furthest (a) north; NORTHUMBERLAND (b) south; CORNWALL (c) west; CORNWALL (d) east? SUFFOLK / NORFOLK /8 points 2. How many counties are there in England? 48 /2 points 3. What county has (a) the biggest and GREATER LONDON (b) the smallest population? CITY OF LONDON /4 points 4. By size, what county is the (a) biggest and NORTH YORKSHIRE (b) smallest? CITY OF LONDON /4 points 5. What county in England is named after the "northern people"? NORFOLK /2 points 6. What county is an island? ISLE OF WIGHT /2 points

Q QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Set 2 November 2009 Topic: FOOD 18 points PART 1: Answer the questions: 1. Where in the UK would you find jellied eels being eaten? Jellied eels are typically eaten in London's East End 2. What is the toad in the hole made of? In 'Toad in the Hole' in 'Toad' is sausages - the 'Hole' is made of batter 3. What day of the week are Yorkshire puddings traditionally eaten on? Yorkshire puddings are traditionally eaten on Sundays, as part of a Sunday lunch 4. What food are Scousers people from Liverpool named after? 'Scousers' get their name from Lobscouse, a type of stew made with lamb or beef, which is popular in Liverpool 5. What is in an eton mess? An Eton Mess is a dessert made of strawberries, meringue and cream 6. Who is said to have invented the sandwich? The sandwich took its name from John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, and many people say he invented the sandwich

Set 3 November 2009 Topic: 5 th November 15 points 1.What is the 5 th of November called in the UK? Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes Day 2.What three things do people do on this day? Fireworks, make guys, light a bonfire 3.What do people eat on this day? Toffee apples 4.What happened on November 5 th 1605? Guy Fawkes and other Catholic men tried to blow up the houses of parliament / kill the king 5.Who was king at this time? James I 6.Why did Guy Fawkes not like the king? was Protestant Because he was treating the Catholics badly / 7.Complete the 5th of November rhyme: "Remember, remember...", the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot, we see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot

Set 4 November 2009 Topic: SUPERSTITIONS 14 points 1) How many magpies is it a) unlucky and 2 p b) lucky to see? 2 p 1a) One 1b) Two - the rhyme is "one for sorrow, two for joy" 2) What four types of clothing should a bride wear on her wedding day to have good luck? 4 p A bride must wear "something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new". 3) Who should a bride not see before entering the church, to have good luck? 2 p The groom - the bride and groom must not see each other before they meet at the alter of the church. 4) What does it mean if your nose itches? 2 p Either you will have a guest, or someone is talking about you 5) Spilling salt is unlucky - but what can you do to avoid the bad luck? 2 p devil in the eye! You must throw the salt over your shoulder - to hit the

Set 5 November 2009 Topic: The West Country 12 points 1) The River Avon flows through the city of Bristol - but what does "Avon" mean in Welsh (the language of Wales)? 2 p River - so the "River Avon" means the "River, River" 2) On the Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall, there is said to be a "Beast of Bodmin Moor" - what kind of beast is it? The Beast of Bodmin Moor has been seen by many people, and is a type of big cat - possibly a panther 2 p 3) In the city of Bath, there is a very famous Roman building - what was the building for? Bath is the home of the famous Roman Baths, built for social bathing by the Romans in 60-70 AD. 2 p 4) Which city in the West Country is twinned with Saint Ann, Jamaica and Trier, Germany? Gloucester. 2 p 5) Which county (Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon or Cornwall) in the West Country has its own language? Cornwall - the language is Cornish. 2 p 6) What famous stones will you find in Wiltshire? 2 p Stonehenge and/or Avebury.

Set 6 December 2009 Topic: Along the coast 14 points Q. (a) What colour are the cliffs of Dover and (b) why are they this colour? 2 p A. (a) White (b) Because they are made of chalk 2 p Q. There is a famous song about the cliffs of Dover from World War II - in the song, what animals fly over the cliffs? A. Bluebirds 2 p Q. What happened to make the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland? 2 p A. A volcano erupted Q. What interesting objects can you find on the Jurassic Coast? 2 p A. Fossils (among others) Q. On the North-West coast of Scotland, there are lots of islands called the Hebrides. What language (not English!) do many people speak there? A. (Scots) Gaellic 2 p Q. The Orkney Islands are part of Scotland - but what country were they in before that? A. Norway 2 p

Set 7 December 2009 Topic: RELIGION 20 points 1) What is the largest RELIGION in the UK? CHRISTIANITY 2 p. 2) What religion is: a) second largest? ISLAM 2 p. b) third largest? HINDU 2 p. c) forth largest? SIKH 2 p. d) fifth largest? JUDAISM 2 p. e) sixth largest? BUDDHISM 2 p. 3) What is the oldest synagogue in the UK, and when was it built? 2 p. BEVIS MARKS (built 1701) 4) What is the oldest mosque in the UK, and when was it built? 2 p. The Shah Jehan Mosque (built 1889) first purpose-built mosq or: 2 Glynrhondda Street in Cathays, Cardiff first registered mosque 5) What is the national religion of the UK (be very specific!)? 2 p. CHRISTIANITY (PROTESTANTISM) 6) Who was the last Catholic king of England? JAMES II 2 p.

Set 8 December 2009 Topic: SHAKESPEARE 1. Where was Shakespeare born? Stratford-upon-Avon 2 p. 2. What was the name of Shakespeare's wife? Anne Hathaway 2 p. 3. Which Shakespeare play is set in Denmark? Hamlet 2 p. 4. Which Shakespeare play has an African Prince as the main character? Othello 2 p. 5. Which Shakespeare play is set in a magical forest? A Midsummer Night s Dream 2 p. 6. Which Shakespeare play has a famous "balcony scene"? Romeo and Juliet 2 p. 7. Which Shakespeare play starts with three witches talking? Macbeth 2 p. 8. In which play does this object play an important part? Hamlet 2 p. Whose is it? Yorick s 2 p. Who finds it? it is exhumed by a gravedigger and then taken by Hamlet 2 p.

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Set 9 December 2009 Topic: CHRISTMAS 12 p. 1. What meat is traditionally eaten for Christmas dinner? TURKEY 2p. 2. On what day do British children open presents? On Christmas Day, December 25th 2p. 3. What type of transport is the song "Jingle Bells" about? SLEIGH 2p. 4. What are Christmas songs called? CAROLS 2p. 5. During Christmas dinner, what is pulled open that contains a joke and a small gift? CHRISTMAS CRACKERS 6. What, made of paper, is worn during Christmas dinner? HATS 2p. 2p.

Set 10 December/January 2010 Topic: SCOTLAND 20 p. 1. Adamnan from Iona, the author of Life of St. Columba, described a very interesting meeting that took place in the 6 th century. a) Who or what did St. Columba meet? Loch Ness Monster/Nessie, also a Pict b) In which year was it? AD 565 c) How did the meeting end? St. Columba told the monster to go back to the lake and thus saved the Pict s life 2 + 2 + 2 p. 2. Stone of Destiny: a) What is another name of the stone, on which monarchs of Scotland used to be crown? Stone of Scone, Coronation Stone b) Where can you see the stone today? Edinburgh Castle c) When will it next travel to London? When the next monarch of the UK is crowned 2 + 2 + 2 p. 3. What important annual event took place on 15 th November in Glasgow? (there was a small hint on last week s questions page). Lighting of Christmas decorations 2 p. 4. What is the celebration of welcoming the New Year called in Scotland? Hogmanay 2 p. 5. Which Scottish poet s work can be heard all over the country at midnight of December 31 st? Robert Burns his song Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung at midnight 2 p. 6. What is Morag and where can you find it? A monster from Loch Morar 2 p.

Set 11 January 2010 Topic: WALES 20 p. 1 a. Who is Tywysog Cymru right now? Prince Charles, Tywysog Cymru means Prince of Wales b. Who is the present Tywysoges Cymru? Tywysoges Cymru means Princess of Wales. Right now the title formally belongs to Prince Charles s wife, Camilla, although she chose to use another title, Duchess of Cornwall. c. How many Tywysoges Cymru have there officially been in history so far? There have been 10 after all, Camilla has automatically received the title when she married Prince Charles. One point for those who said 9 because she does not USE the title. 2 a. What language group does the Welsh language belong to? Celtic languages b. Name at least two other languages from the same group. Breton, Cornish, Cumbric, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx etc. c. What does: Dw i'n byw yng Nghymru mean in English? I live in Wales 3 a. What is the name of the most famous, biggest, and most ancient folk festival, held annually in the first week of August in different Welsh locations? 4 The National Eisteddfod of Wales ('Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru') b. Where is the festival going to be held in August 2010? Blaenau Gwent c. On which day is the Opening Concert for this year s festival going to be held? 30 July 2010 4. What two plants are considered to be symbols of Wales? Leek and daffodil

5. QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Set 12 January 2010 Topic: NORTHERN IRELAND 20 p. 1. Which part of the body can you find on the N.I. flag? A red hand 2. How many counties does it consist of? six 3. Two world famous contemporary actors are from Northern Ireland. 3a. You surely noticed one of them in one of the Star Wars films and in the Chronicles of Narnia. Liam Neeson 3b. The other one has appeared in Harry Potter, but is first of all widely known for his Shakespeare adaptations. Kenneth Branagh What do the Irish celebrate on 17 th March? Saint Patrick s Day 4. How did Saint Patrick, Ireland s patron, find his way to this country? For the first time, he was taken as a slave by Irish raiders. For the second time, he was sent as a bishop missionary. 5. Which musical instrument is a symbol of Northern Ireland? Which plant? Harp and shamrock 6. This military group was for years fighting for separating N.I. from Great Britain, often in the past engaging in acts of terrorism. What organization is it? IRA Irish Republican Army 7. What is the role of Béal Feirste in the country? It s the Irish name of the capital, Belfast. 8. Is Ulster the same as Northern Ireland? Not exactly, it is Northern Ireland plus three more counties: Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan

Set 13 January 2010 Topic: PETS 20 p. 1. The oldest ever cat (at least the oldest we have records on) was of course British. He died the day after his birthday in 1939. How old was he? 36 2. According to a traditional story, one famous scientist s pet dog knocked over a candle, thus setting fire which destroyed a pile of his owner s manuscripts, which were records of twenty years experiments. What was the name of: a. The dog? Diamond; b. the owner? Isaac Newton 3. Winston Churchill, one of the most famous British Prime Ministers of all times, is said to have loved cats. Which of his cats: a. did he mention in his last will? Jock b. did he consider a sign that the speech he was preparing would be successful and named after the town where the speech was to be delivered? Margate 4. There is a special award the Dickin Medal which is presented to animals in recognition of their bravery, especially during the war. Only one of these awards was granted to a cat a British cat a. what was the name of the cat? Simon b. on which British ship was he stationed? HMS Amethyst 5. Not all famous animals are cats or dogs. There is also White Vision. a. What kind of animal was White Vision? pigeon b. What was she famous for? she carried a message 60 miles in terrible weather conditions, thus saving the lives of a RAF crew drifting on the remains of their plane. 6. Which part of the body do the Isle of Man famous cats miss? a tail

Set 14 the final set January 2010 Topic: TRIVIA 23 p. One member of the present Royal Family is famous for his or her gaffes and tendency to insult everyone, wherever he or she goes. 1. who is this person? Prince Philip 2. whom did this person ask if they still threw spears at each other? Australian Aborigines 3. To the president of which country did this person say that in his traditional robes he looked like he was ready for bed? Nigeria 4. this person also mentioned that the Chinese would eat anything if it had four legs and was not a chair, if it had wings and was not an aeroplane, and if it swam and was not a submarine ------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What don t British post stamps have (it makes them different from stamps of all other countries in the world)? name of the country 6. What was the official bedtime at the times of William the Conqueror? 8 pm 7. As you probably know already, Big Ben is not actually the name of the famous tower, but just the huge bell. So, what is the name of the tower? St. Stephen s Tower 8. What is the official animal of Scotland? Unicorn 9. Which British monarch was the first one in history to visit China? Queen Elizabeth II 10. Who are selkie-people? Legendary seals of the Orkeny Islands, turning into people after leaving their skins behind 11. What does Edinburgh have in common with Rome as far as their location is concerned? Both are situated on seven hills 12. Which is Scotland famous for, whiskey or whisky? Whisky 13. Which English monarch was the youngest one to come to the throne? Henry VI, at the age of just nine months 14. Which English monarch reigned for the shortest time? Jane Grey 15. What was Tyburn Tree famous for? Hanging people 16. Where in Britain will you find a place called Alba? It s Scotland 17. Which language was the official language of England from the 11 th to the 14 th century, for about 300 years? French 18. Who is the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street? The Bank of England 19. In which year was the Bible first published in Welsh? 1588 20. Where and when was the Stronsay beast found? September 25, 1808, at Rothiesholm Head Stronsay Island, Orkney Islands 21. Which part of your body must be particularly strong if you plan to take part is an annual competition held at Fenny Bentley in Derbyshire? Toe 22. What was the name of the very first corgi the Queen had? Dookie (but we will give points for Susan, too, as it was the first corgi of the grown-up Elizabeth) 23. In Victorian times, a popular medicine prescribed by doctors was spider in butter. Which diseases was this remedy supposed to cure? Among others, jaundice or whooping cough, and probably many others as well