VETO 2011Packet by the Ubiquitous Terror Squad (Josh Alman, Neil Gurram, Michael Olijnyk, Michael Wainberg)

TOSSUPS

1.   This event occurred 199 years after a similar event in the same city.  This event was precipitated by the ascendence of a duke of Styria to the throne of the country in which it occurred.  This event took place in the Hradčany [harad-CHA-ni] district and was precipitated by a group led by Count Thurn.  Counts Slavata and Martinitz landed on a large manure pile during this incident.  FTP, name this event which contributed to the start of the Thirty Years’ War, in which a group of Protestants threw some hard-line Catholics out the window in the castle of the namesake city.

Answer:   Second Defenestration of Prague (prompt on partial answer)

2.   He discussed his justification for getting involved in the Manhattan Project in The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.  This man along with John Wheeler names a theory of electrodynamics with respect to time-symmetry, and the sequence of six ‘9’s that begins at the 762nd decimal place of pi is his namesake point. Along with Julian Schwinger and Shinichiro Tomonaga, he won the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on quantum electrodynamics, and a photon represents a squiggly line on his namesake diagram. FTP, name this Caltech Physicist whose lectures were compiled into a namesake physics book.

Answer:   Richard (Phillips) Feynman

3.   When this musician presented the song of the year award at the 2010 Grammys, he read the nominees off of his new iPad. His most recent single was recorded with The Black Belles, and it had the same subject as his 2006 hit, “Charlene (I’m right behind you).” He recorded a cover of Rebecca Black’s Friday with the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and he won the Grammy for Best Comedy album in 2010 for his Christmas album. FTP, name this man who sang alongside Sheryl Crow, John Legend, and Tony Bennett at a D.C. rally he hosted with Jon Stewart.

Answer:   Stephen Colbert

4.   Elenor’s young son dies of meningitis in this novel.  A string quartet by Beethoven plays in the background while a character suffering from ennui is murdered; that character is Maurice Spandrell. Everard Webley leads the Brotherhood of British Freemen, possibly based on Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists.  This novel is its author’s fourth, released seven years after Crome Yellow.  FTP, name this novel whose title evokes a musical technique used prominently by Bach, a work about Philip Quarles by Aldous Huxley.

Answer:   Point Counter Point

5.   This man impressed Joseph Joachim at age 4 and subsequently studied with Karl Heinrich Barth.  He was not well-received on his first US tour, and in 1908 he tried to hang himself, but failed.  This pianist married Nela Młynarska and partnered with Heifetz, Piatigorsky and, late in life, the Guarneri Quartet. He was not considered one of the greats until late middle age and retired at age 89.  FTP, name this Pole with an intense joie de vivre, renowned for his Chopin, who shares a last name with Russian composer brothers Nikolay and Anton.

Answer:   Artur or Arthur Rubinstein

6.   This world leader was the first person to meet John Lennon and Yoko Ono on their “tour for world peace”.  He appointed the first woman Puisne [pronounced like “Puny”] Justice to his Country's Supreme Court, Bertha Wilson.  He supported participatory democracy as a plan for making his country a “just society” and he edited Cite Libre, to oppose Maurice DuPlessis.  James Cross and Pierre Laporte were kidnapped during his rule.  FTP, name this predecessor of Joe Clark who during the October Crisis invoked the War Measures Act after telling a CBC reporter to “Just Watch Me”.

Answer:  (Joseph Philippe) Pierre (Yves Elliott) Trudeau

7.   Along with the pentose phosphate pathway, transketolase is also involved in this series of reactions. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate are converted into fructose 6-phosphate and a phosphate ion during one stage.  In the first reaction of this cycle, ribulose bisphosphate is carboxylated by RuBisCO.  Taking place in the stroma of chloroplasts is, FTP, what light-independent cycle of reactions involved in photosynthesis, named after a certain Melvin?

Answer:   Calvin cycle

8.   In one work, this author suggests that sociology must study “social facts,” and apply a recognized objective scientific method.  In another, this author discusses distinctive stages in the formation of societies such as "the horde" and "the clan," and posits societal corporations as a solution to the negative side effects of the titular concept, although he concludes that this concept is a moral good because it leads to organic solidarity.  In another work, he examines the altruistic and anomic varieties of a the titular practice, and varying rates of it between Protestants and Catholics.  FTP, name this author of  Rules of the Sociological Method, The Division of Labor in Society, and Suicide, a French sociologist.

Answer: Émile Durkheim

9.  The highest point in this polity is Chapal Waddi, and it is believed that the area surrounding Calabar contains the world's largest diversity of butterflies.  The Obudu plateau lies in the southeast, with coastal plains lying further to the southeast and the southwest.  An encroaching desert lies to the north, and a large area of mangroves lies in a river delta sometimes called the Oil Rivers that is a namesake of neighboring country.  Its city of Port Harcourt was part of the Igbo-dominated breakaway region of Biafra.  In 1991, its capital changed from its most populous city to Abuja. FTP, name this country, Africa's largest by population, with largest city Lagos.

Answer: Nigeria

10.   One epithet for this deity is “kriophoros” or the “ram-bearer”.  He was the father of a man who had gone with Heracles to see the Mares of Diomedes, only to be devoured by them, Abderus.  Because two men couldn't keep quiet, he turned one into stone and the other into a hawk; those were Battus and Heirax, respectively.  Those aforementioned events deal with stealing oxen after being born on Mount Cyllene and with murdering the watchman Argos to steal Io.  This son of Maia used the shell of a tortoise to invent the lyre, and he owns the caduceus.  FTP name this Greek god of thieves, the winged sandal-wearing messenger god.

Answer:   Hermes (accept Mercury before “Greek”)

11.   Khalid Bahah recently quit his ambassadorship to Canada from this country. Protesters wore pink to mark the Jasmine Revolution here, and several protesters were killed following a "Friday of No Return" on March 11.  The Hashid tribal federation attacked security forces in the capital, and on June 4th Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi took over as acting president when President Saleh was flown to Riyadh following a bombing of his palace.  FTP name this formerly divided Arabian Country whose stability greatly concerns its northern neighbour Saudi Arabia, with port of Aden and capital Sana’a.

Answer: Yemen

12.    One of this man's earlier works was strongly criticized for abandoning the Classical scholarly traditions. Georges Sorel argues that this philosopher was too blinded by philology to see the American captains of Industry.  Michel Foucault, a self described follower of this man, adapted his notion of a bad conscience to his history of punishment.  Bertrand Russell called him the philosophical progenitor of Nazism, even though he was strongly against Anti-Semitism.  FTP, name this philosopher who inspired WWI German soldiers with his concepts of the ‘Will to Power’ and the Übermensch, and also said “God is Dead.”

Answer:   Friedrich Nietzsche

13.   The biggest sporting event here took place for the sixth time this summer, and ironically, its

namesake team finished in the last bracket. Matches in the tournament generally see waitresses slinging slushies to spectators like Hissis [hiss-ee-s]. The top two teams came from the regions of Krawk Island, where pirates compete in eating contests at Food Club, and the space station where one might pull the lever of doom or adopt a cute Grundo. Poogles race every 15 minutes in Faerieland in, FTP, what virtual universe where users play games like Cheat and Meerca Chase to help take care of their pets?

Answer:   Neopets.com (accept Neopia, the Neopets Universe, or similar)

14.   On Seinfeld, George Costanza is compared to a character in this work who supposedly whistles in elevators and later steals a pen from Bill Oliver, reminiscent of his stealing footballs as a young boy. Another character who is about to argue a case before the US Supreme Court, Bernard, symbolizes the merits of hard work.  This approach to the American Dream is juxtaposed with the lazier approaches of Linda's two children, Happy and Biff. For ten points name this play that culminates in the suicide of Willy Loman, by Arthur Miller.   

Answer:   Death of a Salesman

15.   The police chief alleged that the key piece of evidence surrounding this man’s arrest had been tampered with.  Babak Andalib-Goortani was eventually charged with assault relating to the arrest of this man.  Identification of the police officers involved in this man’s arrest was made difficult because the officers had covered up their ID badges.  FTP, name this bystander whose cheekbone and nose were broken by police at the G20 summit in Toronto last year, supposedly told to ‘stop being a smartass’ after telling an officer his unusual last name.

Answer:   Adam Nobody

16.   The bit complexity of this algorithm is O(n(logn)(loglogn)), [“big oh of n log n log log n”], which is because the prime harmonic series asymptotically approaches loglogn. The algorithm proceeds as follows: initially, let k be 2. At each step, circle the number k, and then for each positive integer i greater than or equal to k, cross off the number i times k, until that becomes greater than n. Then, set k equal to the next smallest integer that is not crossed off, and repeat until there are none left. The algorithm returns all the circled numbers. FTP, name this sieving algorithm, named for a Greek scholar, which finds all prime numbers up to a specified integer n.

Answer:   Sieve of Eratosthenes (accept only Eratosthenes after “sieve” is mentioned, prompt on partial answer)

17.  This man first distinguished himself as a cavalry commander against Aristobulus II. He attempted to

invade Parthia as punishment for their support of his political enemies, but was crushed when his Armenian allies deserted him.  With Egyptian support, he was later able to exact revenge on the Armenians.  He fought alongside his future enemy at Philippi, and with his most important patron at Pharsalus.  He was made Master of the Horse following his service in the Gallic Wars.  FTP, name this Roman leader who was crushed in 31 BC at the Battle of Actium, along with his lover Cleopatra.

Answer:   Marc Antony

18.   Though he was not Tchaikovsky, he wrote a work with twenty movements based on the services of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.  Andante con moto is the second movement of his Opus 45, Symphonic Dances, whose finale quotes the chance “Blessed be the Lord” from his Vespers.  Dies Irae is quoted throughout a choral symphony that uses the text of an Edgar Allen Poe poem, The Bells, while an Arnold Bocklin painting inspired his symphonic poem Isle of the Dead. He may be better known for a work whose eighteenth part is in D flat major, as opposed to the A minor theme found in another composer's 24th Caprice.  For ten points, name this Russian composer of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

Answer:   Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff

19.   In 1974, Maurice Nadon first allowed women to join this group, which shortly thereafter introduced an official maternity uniform for its pregnant members. It was founded by George Arthur French, who also became its first comissioner in 1873. There were 300 original members, positioned at Macleod, Edmonton, Calgary, and Carlton, although today they have over 35,000 members. This organization falsely identified Maher Arar as a terrorist, making it the 2007 Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year. FTP, name this group which quashed the North-West Rebellion, and supervised American gold mining activities in the Yukon, better known for its members' Stetson hats, red uniforms, and horses.

Answer:   Royal Canadian Mounted Police

20.  This nation's Yala National Park is home to the national bird of this country is its namesake junglefowl.  Its southernmost point is Dondra Head, while its northern region of Vanni contains its northernmost point Point Pedro.  Its longest river begins in its Central Highlands, Mahaweli, and its Gulf of Mannar indents it to its northwest.  Its highest point is Mt. Piduratalagala, and its fifth most populous city is Trincomalee.  A major pilgrimage site in this nation is Rama's Peak and a series of limestone shoals, Adam's Bridge, in the Palk Strait, separates this island from the Tamil Nadu state of a much larger country.  For ten points, name this country not far from India, home to Kotte and former capital Colombo.

Answer:   Sri Lanka (prompt on Ceylon)

21.   Despite being expelled from Victoria College as a troublemaker, this man went on to obtain degrees

from Princeton and Harvard.  This man lived in The Colosseum on Riverside Drive, near the university where he was a professor for 40 years.  This author’s best-known work draws on the colonialist literature of Conrad as well as the post-structuralist theory of Foucault and Derrida. This man founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim which recruited children from both Israel and Arab countries. FTP, name this Palestinian-born literary theorist and Columbia professor best known for his book Orientalism.

Answer:   Edward Said [“sa-EED”]

22.   This element is produced in the Deacon process. Merrifield's procedure displaces it in an SN2 reaction, and this element replaces a hydroxyl group in the Appel reaction. Michael Faraday studied this element extensively, and was the first to liquefy it as well as make two compounds containing it and carbon. DDT molecules have five atoms of this element, whose anion is found in halite and is the most common ion in seawater. For 10 points, name this element which forms the lightest strong acid, has atomic number 17, and is found in bleach.

Answer:   Chlorine

23.  This island was first sighted by the Portuguese just as the Kingdom of Middag was being founded. The Dutch established a commercial presence on the island, their strength based out of Fort Zeelandia, although they were eventually pushed out in 1662.  French attempts to capture the island were rebuffed, but later Japanese attempts were successful.  Its citizens were taught to see themselves as Japanese, and during World War II it served as an important base for Japan's South Strike Group.  FTP, name this island which is separated from mainland Asia by a strait that saw a 1958 standoff between the USA and the People's Republic of China.

Answer: Taiwan or Formosa

24.   The “people of the Ponderosa pine”, Hualapai, traditionally live near this.  Several batches of  60-cent stamps depicting it accidentally reversed its image and placed it in Colorado. It was first discovered by a European in 1540, and Theodore Roosevelt stayed at the Phantom Ranch here in 1913.  First travelled through by John Wesley Powell in 1869, Ferde Grofé wrote a suite about this national park. The Colorado River carved out, FTP, what mile-deep landmark in Arizona?

Answer:   Grand Canyon

BONI

1.  Name these languages, based on their names for themselves, within 15 seconds FTPE (show image in figure 1):

A.   Answer:   Basque

B.   Answer:   Korean

C.   Answer:   Amharic

2.  Name these anaesthetics or analgesics based on their structural formulae within 15 seconds FTPE (show image in figure 2):

A.   Answer:   Diethyl ether

B.   Answer:   Acetaminophen (prompt on Tylenol or Paracetamol)

C.   Answer:   Acetylsalicylic acid or Aspirin

3.  FTPE, name either the pianist or the piece featured in these iconic classical recordings:

A.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmrr3BMyqq0 0:00 to 0:15Answer:   Glenn Gould, Goldberg Variations (from 1955)

B.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKg81QJ1zLY 0:36 to 0:50Answer:   Vladimir Horowitz, Liszt Sonata or B minor sonata (from 1932)

C.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DILubIRIgX4 0:00 to 0:16Answer:   Johannes Brahms, Brahms Hungarian Dance 1 (from 1889)

4.  Mr. Verloc owns a shop in the Soho region and is tasked by his superiors with destroying Greenwich with a bomb.  FTPE:A.  Name this novel which follows the life of Mr. Verloc and is named for his occupation. Answer:   The Secret Agent

B.    The Secret Agent was written by this Polish born English novelist who also wrote Victory and Heart of Darkness. Answer:   Joseph Conrad or Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski

C.   This recurring Conrad character appears in Almayer's Folly, An Outcast of the Island, and The Rescue

as a ship captain, and those three novels are sometimes referred to as his trilogy.Answer:   Tom Lingard

5.  FTPE, name some things relating to megacities:

A.   This Lombard megacity has a population of 7.4 million according to the OECD.  Its cathedral hit Silvio Berlusconi in the face in 2009. Answer:   Milan metropolitan area

B.   This sole German megacity has a population of over 10 million and includes Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund.  It is named after the two rivers flowing through it. Answer:   Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area (prompt on Ruhr-Rhine)

C.   Although not a megacity, this Alpha World City according to the GaWC has been referred to as the “Methodist Rome.”  It is the fourth most livable city according to the Economist’s 2011 rankings Answer:   Toronto

6. n people are visiting an art museum. They each leave their keys with the valet. However, the valet is incompetent and so he just gives the keys back at random, one key to each person. FTPE:

A. First, the number of ways he could give back the keys is this function of n, which is the number of permutations of n objects.Answer: factorial (prompt on exclamation point)

B. The number of people who get back the correct keys is equal to the number of these in the permutation that the valet picks. They are the points in the domain of a general function that are mapped to themselves.Answer: fixed points

C. When the valet gives these keys back at random, as n approaches infinity, what is the likelihood that nobody gets back their own keys? This is the limiting fraction of derangements – permutations with no fixed points – out of all permutations on n elements.Answer: 1/e (accept e -1 and equivalents)

7.  He wrote the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and two known photographs exist of him, although his adherents generally do not like to display it.  FTPE,

A.   Name this Persian prophet imprisoned by the Ottomans for 24 years in Acre, across the bay from the World Centre for his religion.Answer:   Bahaullah

B.   This 4-letter Parthian envisioned an eternal struggle between good and evil and claimed to be the last prophet of the New Testament.Answer:   Mani

C.   This Sassanian’s philosophy, which blended Zoroastrian teachings with Manichaeism and advocated welfare for the poor and communal property, was promulgated by Shahanshah Kavadh I.  He sounds like a car company.Answer:   Mazdak

8.  When asked about this event, Isaac Newton remarked "I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men."  FTPE

A.   Name this 1720 Financial Bubble which famously saw a company advertising itself as "a company for carrying out an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is."Answer:   The South Seas Bubble

B.   The South Seas company was originally chartered to trade with colonies on this continent.Answer:   South America

C.   The South Seas company was founded with strong support from this political party after their opponents the Whigs took control of the East India Company.Answer:   Tory (do not accept "Conservative")

9.  One of these songs has probably been stuck in your head recently. FTPE, identify the following about songs from the Internet:

A.   This animal is part Pop-Tart, and flies through space to a song sung by vocaloid Hatsune Miku.Answer:   Nyan Cat (prompt on Pop-Tart Cat)

B.   This children’s television program was produced in Iceland and airs on Nickelodeon. The main character is the pink-haired Stephanie, who assures viewers that “if you like to sail the seas, you are a pirate,” and that “it’s a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake” in songs which appear all over YouTube.Answer:   LazyTown

C.   In this series of three songs by Bryant Oden, the titular character repeatedly asks two vendors for grapes, and avoids getting glued to a tree or having his mouth taped shut.Answer:   The Duck Song series

10.  It’s a little-known fact that if you die in Canada, you die in real life.  FTPE, identify these Canadians who have died in the past year.

A.   This hockey coach passed away last November. He coached for the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Bruins, and won the Stanley cup in his first year coaching for the Devils. He was the first three-time winner of the Jack Adams award, and yet has not been inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.    Answer:   Patrick Burns

B.   This mother of a marathon runner died in June, almost exactly 30 years after her son. She was one of the eight to carry the Olympic flag into the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics.Answer:   Betty Fox

C.   This Canadian, who starred as Lt. Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun series, and Dr. Rumack in Airplane!, didn’t actually die in Canada. He passed away last November in Fort Lauderdale, though, considering his role as Dracula in a certain Mel Brooks movie, we can assume that he’s loving the afterlife.Answer:   Leslie Neilsen

11.  The Redlich-Kwong equation of state is a modification of this law.  For ten points each:

A.   Name this law named for a Dutch chemist that is a further improvement of the ideal gas law.Answer:   Van der Waals Equation

B.   The Van der Waals Equation can be written as a polynomial equation in this degree in terms of volume.  Polynomials of this degree can be solved with Cardano's Method and their discriminant includes an 18abcd term.Answer:   third or cubic or three

C.   The equal area rule named for this man eliminates the oscillating behavior of the isotherm in the phase transition zone that the Van Der Waals Equation would predict.  This man is better known for his “relations” that relate partial derivatives of state functions, and four laws of electromagnetism.Answer:   James Clerk Maxwell 

12.  Name some mid-20th century Israeli politicians based on their famous quotations, FTPE:

A.   This first prime minister of Israel proclaimed “We must support the army as though there were no White Paper, and fight the White Paper as though there were no war.”Answer:   David Ben-Gurion

B.   This ‘mother of Israel’ and fourth prime minister stated “There were no such thing as Palestinians. […] They did not exist.”Answer:   Golda Meir

C.   This diplomat and minister of foreign affairs, who shares his first name with a pop band, claimed “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”Answer:   Abba Eban [“EE-ban”]

13.  This artist depicted Japanese bridge paintings in his town of Giverny.  For ten points each,

A.   Name this French artist who in Giverny also made paintings of water lilies.Answer:   (Oscar) Claude Monet

B.   The subject of this painting is the harbor of Le Havre in France.  This painting led art critic Louis Leroy to give the name of the movement which Monet belonged to.Answer:   Impression, Sunrise (accept Impression, soleil levant; be lenient and prompt on just “Impressionism”)

C.   Monet also painted this Gothic structure at different times of the day and year.Answer:  Rouen Cathedral 

14.  In this work, the fifth section “The Power of the Understanding” discusses emotions and what is good or evil.  For ten points each,

A.   Name this work “demonstrated in geometrical order” that also includes the section “Of Human Bondage”.Answer:   Ethics or Ethica

B.   Name the Dutch Jewish philosopher who wrote Ethics, who also discussed religious intolerance and a defense of secular government in Tractatus Theologico PoliticusAnswer:   Baruch de Spinoza or Benedict de Spinoza

C.   In his work Expressionism in Philosophy, this French philosopher argues that expressionism is key to understanding Spinoza's philosophy. He later claimed that “univocity” is the organizing principle of Spinoza's philosophy.Answer:   Gilles Deleuze

15.  A production function F(X,Y) is said to exhibit this if for any a greater than 1, F(aX,aY)>aF(X,Y). [“F of ax comma ay is greater than a F of x comma y”] For ten points each,

A.   Give this term that refers to the reduction of cost per unit from increased production, often through efficiency of operations.Answer:   increasing returns to scale (accept economies of scale as terminology could be confusing)

B.   Q=ALαKβ, [“Q equals A L to the alpha K to the beta”] where L is Labor and K is capital, is this production function named for two economists; when α+β> 1, increasing returns to scale occur.Answer:   Cobb-Douglas Function

C.   Those exponents in the Cobb-Douglas function, alpha and beta, refer to the output kind of this economic term.  A positive cross-price one of demand means that two goods are substitutes.Answer:   elasticity 

16.  A certain empire lends its name to a word meaning complex.  Nothing complex about this question. Name some Byzantine emperors FTPE:

A.   Styled "the Great", this 6th century emperor attempted to recover the Western half of the Roman Empire with the aid of his general Belisarius.Answer:   Justinian I

B.   This emperor's appeals to Western Europe triggered the crusades, and his reign led to restoration that was the namesake of his family name.   His daughter Anna wrote a famous biography of him.Answer:   Alexius I Comnenus

C.   Although not a Byzantine per se, this man ruled as emperor out of Constantinople immediately following the Fourth Crusade.Answer:   Baldwin I  

17.  It is often called the Silicon Valley of India.  FTPE:

A.   Name this third-largest Indian city, the capital of Karnataka.Answer:   Bengaluru or Bangalore

B.   This third-largest metropolitan area in BC after Vancouver and Victoria lies on Okanagan Lake and has a name meaning “grizzly bear”.Answer:   Kelowna

C.   This third-largest city in the former Ottoman Empire, after Constantinople and Cairo, is home to the largest covered suq in the world and has been the site of a fortress since the third millennium BCE.Answer:   Aleppo

18.  FTPE, name some Southern Ontario Gothic literature.

A.   The story is told in the form of a letter from Ramsey to the headmaster in this 1970 classic by Robertson Davies.Answer:   Fifth Business

B.   This 1996 Atwood work revolves around the murder of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery. Was the titular maid complicit?Answer:   Alias Grace

C.   This 1982 short story collection by Alice Munro features two works on ‘Chaddeleys and Flemings’ and has an astronomy-themed title.Answer:   The Moons of Jupiter

19.  This nation’s national anthem is “[this country] Oyee!”  FTPE:

A.   Name this nation, which seceded from its northern neighbour and is populated by Dinka and Nuer people, among others. Answer:   South Sudan

B.   Students and staff from this university in Khartoum, named after the South Sudanese capital, wrote “South Sudan Oyee!”Answer:   Juba National University or University of Juba (prompt on Juba University)

C.   South Sudan, along with Argentina, became independent on this day of the year.  This day in 1943 marked the beginning of Operation Husky, and Victor Yanukovich was born on this day in 1950. Answer:   9 July

20.  FTPE, answer the following about the CN Tower:

A.   Within 5%, this is the height of the CN Tower in meters.Answer:   553.3 meters (accept between 525.5 meters and 581.0 meters)

B.   Although the CN Tower is no longer the tallest tower in the world, it still has the second-highest public observation deck, following what tower in China?Answer:   Shanghai World Financial Center

C.   The CN Tower is covered with 1330 LED lights, which light up the tower every evening, except for twice a year when this happens, in order to comply with the Fatal Light Awareness Program.Answer:   Bird Migration (be lenient and accept clear knowledge equivalents)

21.  Robert Merry recently published a biography of this President titled “A Country of Vast Designs.”

For ten points each,

A.   Name this former Governor of Tennessee who defeated Henry Clay in 1844 by promising to annex Texas.Answer:   James Knox Polk

B.   Polk championed the spirit of American Expansionism in the west, characterized in what campaign slogan over the Oregon.Answer:   “Fifty-four forty or fight”

C.   Barring success of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, Polk is the only President to have previously held this Congressional leadership position, currently held by John Boehner.Answer:   Speaker of the House of Representatives

23.  This setting of this trilogy just before the 1919 Nationalist Revolution and ends during World War II. FTPE:

A.   Name this trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz that takes place in the titular city.Answer:   Cairo Trilogy

B.   The trilogy follows the life of this patriarch and his family across three generations.Answer:   Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad

C.   Aisha's wedding is planned while her mother is in exile from the house in this first novel of the trilogy.Answer:   Palace Walk

24.  Name some solvents FTPE:

A.   This solvent is used as a laboratory cleaner and in nail polish remover.  It is the simplest ketone.Answer:   Acetone

B.   This cyclic compound is a popular solvent in organic chemistry and has slight anaesthetic properties, like other ethers.Answer:   Tetrahydrofuran or THF

C.   This ionic compound melts at 12 degrees Celsius and was the first ionic liquid to be discovered.  It is used as a solvent in electrochemistry and in protein crystallization.Answer:   Ethylammonium nitrate

25.  FTPE, identify the following colors that appear in various games:

A.   This is the color of alien worlds in Race for the Galaxy, and the color of Asia on a standard Risk board.Answer:   Green

B.   This is the color of potions in Dominion, and the color of the tiles in the original Settlers of Catan that are not hexagonal.Answer:   Blue

C.   This is the color of a costless Magic the Gathering card which can be sacrificed for three mana of any color, and the last name of the generic victim in the UK version of Clue.Answer:   Black

26.  Name some things from Civilization 5 which were affected by the latest patch, FTPE:

A.   This melee unit is the equivalent of Civ 4’s maceman and Civ 3’s medieval infantry and is a ‘longer’ version of the unit it upgrades from.  Its namesake ‘rush’ was nerfed in the latest patch.Answer:   Longswordsman

B.   This social policy in Civ 5, which used to provide 33% of allied city states’ science, was nerfed to 25% in the patch.  It is also a medieval movement associated with William of Ockham and St. Thomas Aquinas.Answer:   Scholasticism

C.   This mounted unit, also called an ulan (OO-lan), can eventually be upgraded to a helicopter gunship, and its 50% defensive penalty is now lost on upgrade.  It was also JFK’s secret service codename.Answer:   Lancer

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2