April 18, 2018  |   

In which resort to the north west of Paris did Monet live on a river boat in the 1870s? Argenteuil
Which of the impressionists contracted dysentry (but survived) after he joined the army in the Franco-Prussian war? Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Which open-air dancehall was a favourite haunt of the Impressionists? Moulin de la Galette
Which colour did Renoir come to appreciate after a trip to Italy to see the paintings of Raphael? Other Impressionists laughed at him. Black
Cezanne gave up what job to become a painter? Lawyer
Which Impressionist painted Jane-Avril Dancing? Toulouse-Lautrec
Monet was famous for his paintings of which Paris station and its surroundings? Gare St-Lazare
Which painter, who posed for Renoir, was encouraged to paint by Degas and was the mother of the artist Maurice Utrillo? Suzanne Valadon
Which art dealer organised the one-man show of Monet’s Antibes paintings? Theo van Gogh
In Leviticus Chapter 16, what is the cover on the Ark of the Covenant called, where God will appear in a cloud? Mercy Seat
According to the Bible, Joseph was descended from which son of Adam? Seth
Which of the major Biblical prophets was the son of Amoz? Isaiah
What move in skiing means moving the skis into a V shape to slow down? Snowplough
Who scored Ireland’s winning penalty in their 1990 shootout with Romania? David O’Leary
Who was the German manager who won the World Cup 1974 on home soil? Helmut Schon
Which fullback scored in both the 1974 and 1982 World Cup finals? Paul Breitner
Which was the first African team to compete at the World Cup Finals, in 1934? Egypt
Who was the top scorer at the 1954 World Cup finals? Sandor Kocsis
Which twins played for the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup? Van De Kerkhof
Which Mexican keeper played in five World Cups, 1950-1966? Carbajal
Which Yorkshireman managed Sweden to the World Cup final in 1958? George Raynor
What name was given to the 1954 quarter final between Hungary and Brazil in the World Cup? Battle of Berne
In Princess Ida, what does Lady Psyche call ‘Nature’s sole mistake’? Man
Which HMS Pinafore character is based on W H Smith? Sir Joseph Porter
What’s the only bird in the world found solely in the British Isles? Red grouse
What structure in the peregrine’s nostrils enable it to breathe while diving? Baffles
The fruit of which tree is eaten year-round by the jay? Oak
Which British bird is also called the storm cock? Mistle thrush
Which sea bird has the scientific name Puffinus puffinus? Manx Shearwater
Unlike other gulls, what colour legs does a kittiwake have? Black
Which Lancs nature reserve attracts huge flocks of pink-footed geese every year? Martin Mere
The General In His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a fictional account of whose last days? Simon Bolivar
Which President said ‘The chief business of the American people is business’? Calvin Coolidge
Who was the last Whig President of the USA? Millard Fillmore
Which President’s wife was nicknamed Lemonade Lucy, as she banned alcohol in the White House? Rutherford B Hayes
Who was the first US President to have been a US citizen from birth? Martin van Buren
Who was the first US ambassador to Great Britain? John Adams
At the start of the first Star Wars film, R2D2 and C3PO land on which planet? Tatooine
In the first Star Wars film, which actor known for horror roles plays Grand Moff Tarkin? Peter Cushing
Which owls actually go Too-whit Too whoo? Tawny
Which British actor plays Supreme Chancellor Valorum in The Phantom Menace? Terence Stamp
In Star Wars, Yoda lives on what planet? Dagobah
Who played Darth Maul? Peter Serafinowicz
What is Han Solo encased in in Star Wars? Carbonite
What is the name of Hercule Poirot’s twin brother? Achille
Who became consul in 64BC? Cicero
Of which Emperor’s unwilling accession did Gibbon write ‘While the Senate deliberated, the Praetorian Guard had resolved’? Claudius
Which Roman province could not be visited by a senator without the Emperor’s permission? Egypt
Who seized office by force and was declared dictator of Rome in 82BC, but later voluntarily gave up the office? Sulla
Which title, nowaday sounding more religious, did Augustus get on the death of the triumvir Lepidus? Pontifex Maximus
On which Mediterranean island was the Roman philosopher Seneca exiled for a while? Corsica
Which reformer, killed in 121BC, bought in a law that guaranteed free corn to the citizens of Rome? Gracchus
Which heresy, supported for a while by the Emperors, held that the Son ‘was of a different substance’ from the Father? Arianism
Who commanded the Roman army in Armenia before retiring to Rome, where his lavish lifestyle made him a byword for extravagance? Lucullus
In 1867, Emperor Louis Napoleon attempted to buy which territory from the Dutch, but was prevented from doing so by Bismarck? Luxembourg
Who was Minister of Finance in the first Dail Eireann? Michael Collins
What was the world’s first building over 1000 feet and still the world’s tallest in brick? Chrysler Building
Who scored an unbeaten double century at Lord’s in 1984 to held the West Indies beat England? Gordon Greenidge
When Duncan Fletcher became England coach in 1999, who became England captain? Nasser Hussain
Who captained the England side that regained the Ashes in 1953? Len Hutton
Who captained England in 19 home Tests between 1977 and 1981 and was never on the losing side in any of them? Mike Brierley
Which England batsman made his test debut in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes series? Kevin Pietersen
By how many runs did Australia win both the original Test match and the Centenary Test in 1977? 45 runs
In December 2000, England beat which country by 6 wickets in near darkness to claim a famous series victory? Pakistan
A test series staged in England in 1912, and one staged in Asia in 1999. What’s the unusual connection? Three countries took part
In the second innings of the 1952 Headingley test, Alec Bedser and which other bowler had India at 0 for 4? Fred Trueman
What was the name of the first/most famous club the Beatles played at in Hamburg? Top Ten
In April 1964, which Beatles record became the first to top the UK and US charts at the same time? Can’t Buy Me Love
What was the name of John Lennon’s first book? In His Own Write
The sound effects on which Beatles chart-topper included chains being rattled in a bath and bubbles being blown through a straw? Yellow Submarine
Which DJ, then working at the pirate station Radio London, was invited to come with the Beatles on their last ever US tour? Kenny Everett
When the Beatles were given MBEs, what did they claim the initials stood for? Mister Brian Epstein
Snakes and lizards are members of which order within the class Reptilia? Squamata
The true fer-de-lance is only found on which Caribbean island? Martinique
Neurotoxic and which other are the two types of venom secreted by snakes? Haemotoxic
In the Archers, which saint is Ambridge’s parish church dedicated to? Stephen
On the Archers, who appeared at the Grey Gable charity fashion show in 1984? Princess Margaret