King William College's Quiz 2023
December 22, 2023 11:31 AM Subscribe
It's nearly Christmas, it must mean that the King William's College Quiz has been posted to the Guardian or on the College's website. A shared
Google Sheet is available for those who would like to play.
Do you need to request permission to edit the Google Sheet?
(So far I know exactly one: 6.8 is the Marabar Caves in Forster's *A Passage to India.*)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:53 AM on December 22, 2023
(So far I know exactly one: 6.8 is the Marabar Caves in Forster's *A Passage to India.*)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:53 AM on December 22, 2023
10.5 is Leonid Rogosov (though I'll admit I had to look up his name; I just knew about the incident it was referring to.)
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:21 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:21 PM on December 22, 2023
The Google Sheet is view only, but 6.4 is Polyphemus the Cyclops from the Odyssey.
posted by lysimache at 12:23 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by lysimache at 12:23 PM on December 22, 2023
18.1 refers to the death of Dick Fosbury.
18.8 refers to the felling of the "Sycamore Gap" tree.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
18.8 refers to the felling of the "Sycamore Gap" tree.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
11.10 is Atticus Finch, and I think the theme for 11 is lawyers
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure that 10.4 is Harry Houdini
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:28 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:28 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
9.9 is the Dominican Republic
17.10 is Amalthea (the goat)
posted by lysimache at 12:36 PM on December 22, 2023
17.10 is Amalthea (the goat)
posted by lysimache at 12:36 PM on December 22, 2023
Four questions in and I don't know any of the answers, but I do know how to spell led.
posted by emelenjr at 12:47 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by emelenjr at 12:47 PM on December 22, 2023
1.4 Adolf Hitler
6.2 Combalou
14.3 Holden
15.2 Milan
posted by the duck by the oboe at 1:03 PM on December 22, 2023
6.2 Combalou
14.3 Holden
15.2 Milan
posted by the duck by the oboe at 1:03 PM on December 22, 2023
My apologies for the snafu, people can now edit the sheet.
posted by snakeling at 1:12 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by snakeling at 1:12 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
So 15 - Which place is particularly associated with:4 macaroons, combining ground almonds, egg whites, citrus juice and zest, vanilla and icing sugar?
There's a lot of answers to this. Most notably is likely Nancy where they were apparently made famous after the French revolution, but that recipe originated in a convent in Cormery apparently. But the more legendary story is they were brought to France by Catherine de Medici, but originated in Venice in the 8th century. If the other answers weren't so strongly Italian I'd say Nancy, but maybe it ought to be Venice?
posted by Carillon at 3:25 PM on December 22, 2023
There's a lot of answers to this. Most notably is likely Nancy where they were apparently made famous after the French revolution, but that recipe originated in a convent in Cormery apparently. But the more legendary story is they were brought to France by Catherine de Medici, but originated in Venice in the 8th century. If the other answers weren't so strongly Italian I'd say Nancy, but maybe it ought to be Venice?
posted by Carillon at 3:25 PM on December 22, 2023
Maybe I am being too clever here but I don't think the answer to 1.4 is Adolf Hitler.
Wikipedia lists a few coups in 1923. The question stipulates that the coup was unsuccesful and the leaders were tried for treason. Two such events meet these criteria:
- The Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923
- A failed royalist coup in Greece the month before.
Which is it? I am inclined to lean towards the latter. The question section is headed "During 1923" which leads me to believe it wants all the events, including the trial, to have taken place that year. And while leaders of both coups were put on trial for treason, the Greek trials seem to have taken place in 1923 whereas Hitler's trial was in 1924.
The reason I say they "seem to have taken place" is that I cannot find any decent English language sources to confirm this. This is the only one and the wording vaguely suggests that the trials happened in the same month as the coup, October 1923.
Another reason I think this is the answer is that the quiz website does say: "However, be warned – using Google or a similar search engine may not always deliver the expected results!"
If you Google "coup 1923" all the sources will mention the Beer Hall Putsch, maybe a few more esoteric links will mention the succesful 1923 coups in Spain or Bulgaria, but that failed Greek coup is very difficult to find info about. You might have to source an actual physical Greek-language history book to confirm these details. And yet I think it fits the question better than any other.
Or... I am totally overthinking this, and the answer is Hitler.
posted by Probabilitics at 3:50 PM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Wikipedia lists a few coups in 1923. The question stipulates that the coup was unsuccesful and the leaders were tried for treason. Two such events meet these criteria:
- The Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923
- A failed royalist coup in Greece the month before.
Which is it? I am inclined to lean towards the latter. The question section is headed "During 1923" which leads me to believe it wants all the events, including the trial, to have taken place that year. And while leaders of both coups were put on trial for treason, the Greek trials seem to have taken place in 1923 whereas Hitler's trial was in 1924.
The reason I say they "seem to have taken place" is that I cannot find any decent English language sources to confirm this. This is the only one and the wording vaguely suggests that the trials happened in the same month as the coup, October 1923.
Another reason I think this is the answer is that the quiz website does say: "However, be warned – using Google or a similar search engine may not always deliver the expected results!"
If you Google "coup 1923" all the sources will mention the Beer Hall Putsch, maybe a few more esoteric links will mention the succesful 1923 coups in Spain or Bulgaria, but that failed Greek coup is very difficult to find info about. You might have to source an actual physical Greek-language history book to confirm these details. And yet I think it fits the question better than any other.
Or... I am totally overthinking this, and the answer is Hitler.
posted by Probabilitics at 3:50 PM on December 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
No I hear what you're saying but they were court martialled and it is not clear if it was specifically for treason. Plus it is singular leader possessive right not plural possessive?
posted by Carillon at 4:05 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by Carillon at 4:05 PM on December 22, 2023
I am finding this year's quiz particularly challenging. I only knew one off the top of my head, and about three others which I had some vague notion of, if not the exact answer.
posted by andraste at 5:10 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by andraste at 5:10 PM on December 22, 2023
As a non-Brit, I have to ask. Are these similar to the questions they use on for the University Challenges? (Like when Footlights College went up against Scumbag College).
posted by gtrwolf at 5:46 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gtrwolf at 5:46 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
[britishness intensifies]
posted by schmod at 6:07 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by schmod at 6:07 PM on December 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
There's always a question from the Aubrey-Maturin novels -- usually the only question I will get -- but I'm a bit stumped to recognize one in this year's quiz. I think it might be 17-5 but am not certain, the details being foggy in my memory and the books on the other side of the room.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 6:12 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 6:12 PM on December 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
15.3 is Florence; or more specifically Il Duomo. I only know this because I cooked this recently (peposo; it was delicious!) and one or more recipes claimed it was invented to feed the workers on the dome using easily available ingredients.
posted by TedW at 10:14 PM on December 22, 2023
posted by TedW at 10:14 PM on December 22, 2023
> "I managed 8 answers without googling, a much stronger showing than usual."
Yeah, I got 13, which is unheard of in my experience. A few of those I was even able to correctly take a wild guess from contextual clues in the question! What happened? Was someone ill?
posted by kyrademon at 2:40 AM on December 23, 2023
Yeah, I got 13, which is unheard of in my experience. A few of those I was even able to correctly take a wild guess from contextual clues in the question! What happened? Was someone ill?
posted by kyrademon at 2:40 AM on December 23, 2023
1.1 - Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin. It was officially awarded to Banting and McCullough, ignoring the essential contributions of Best and Collip. Banting ended up splitting the prize money with Best, and McCullough did the same for Collip.
posted by elkerette at 3:58 AM on December 23, 2023
posted by elkerette at 3:58 AM on December 23, 2023
There's always a question from the Aubrey-Maturin novels -- usually the only question I will get -- but I'm a bit stumped to recognize one in this year's quiz.
You're going to kick yourself: it's 11.4, which specifically mentions Aubrey.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:33 AM on December 23, 2023
You're going to kick yourself: it's 11.4, which specifically mentions Aubrey.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:33 AM on December 23, 2023
As a non-Brit, I have to ask. Are these similar to the questions they use on University Challenge?
No, these are much harder! A TV quiz with these would be one long embarrassed silence.
posted by vincebowdren at 2:06 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
No, these are much harder! A TV quiz with these would be one long embarrassed silence.
posted by vincebowdren at 2:06 PM on December 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Are there people who actually know this kind of stuff? Asking for a friend who has the TV guide fall preview schedules from most of the 1970s still memorized.
posted by morspin at 2:37 PM on December 23, 2023
posted by morspin at 2:37 PM on December 23, 2023
5 is anagrams of city names: after a wee dram, might a beer end the session agreeably? = Aberdeen
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark at 3:22 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark at 3:22 PM on December 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've added a few answers and suggestions to the spreadsheet.
4:6 Christ's Hospital, a British public (which is to say private) school in the county of Sussex. Like Malvolio in Shakesspeare's Twelfth Night, the pupils wear yellow stockings. Sussex seems to be the linking theme in this set of questions.
4:8 Goodwood Racecourse (also in Sussex), where the Nassau Stakes are held. There are many Iron Age forts nearby, but I think it's the Trundle they have in mind.
4:9: A reference to Samual Pepys diary?
4:10: There's a type of crocus called a "Percy Wiseman" which does seem to have won awards. Something to do with the Chelsea Flower Show, maybe?
6:1 The cave of the Roorirand (Prester John).
10:2 Darrel's in Enid Blyton's First Term at Malory Towers.
13:9 Jack Donahue was an Australian bushranger, transported there from Ireland. There are several ballads about him, at least one of which seems to have originated in Ireland. That's all I've got.
14:6 There was a rider called Jack Sirett who suffered a puncture in the second lap of the 1911 Isle of Man TT Race, where he did indeed ride for the Indian team (Indian being a make of motorcycle). What, if anything, he manufactured I don't know.
18:4 Almost certainly a reference to the UK soccer clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest. A relegation issue, perhaps?
[Full disclosure: I had quite a bit of help from Google in answering these.]
posted by Paul Slade at 2:11 AM on December 24, 2023
4:6 Christ's Hospital, a British public (which is to say private) school in the county of Sussex. Like Malvolio in Shakesspeare's Twelfth Night, the pupils wear yellow stockings. Sussex seems to be the linking theme in this set of questions.
4:8 Goodwood Racecourse (also in Sussex), where the Nassau Stakes are held. There are many Iron Age forts nearby, but I think it's the Trundle they have in mind.
4:9: A reference to Samual Pepys diary?
4:10: There's a type of crocus called a "Percy Wiseman" which does seem to have won awards. Something to do with the Chelsea Flower Show, maybe?
6:1 The cave of the Roorirand (Prester John).
10:2 Darrel's in Enid Blyton's First Term at Malory Towers.
13:9 Jack Donahue was an Australian bushranger, transported there from Ireland. There are several ballads about him, at least one of which seems to have originated in Ireland. That's all I've got.
14:6 There was a rider called Jack Sirett who suffered a puncture in the second lap of the 1911 Isle of Man TT Race, where he did indeed ride for the Indian team (Indian being a make of motorcycle). What, if anything, he manufactured I don't know.
18:4 Almost certainly a reference to the UK soccer clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest. A relegation issue, perhaps?
[Full disclosure: I had quite a bit of help from Google in answering these.]
posted by Paul Slade at 2:11 AM on December 24, 2023
Are these similar to the questions they use on University Challenge?
They're more like the ones on BBC radio's Round Britain Quiz.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:18 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
They're more like the ones on BBC radio's Round Britain Quiz.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:18 AM on December 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
re: 4:10 This is a cricket question. What Percy scored 5 in 6 while wearing saffron, or perhaps opposing Walden Saffron, or something like that? Percy Pocock was wearing brown (I think) when going 5 for 6 against Sussex in 1972. The Indian team has taken some abuse for saffron warm-up jerseys. There's an answer here somewhere.
posted by CCBC at 4:58 PM on December 26, 2023
posted by CCBC at 4:58 PM on December 26, 2023
I've just accidentally deleted the answer to question 4:7 on the spreadsheet - very many apologies. Could someone who knows that one re-enter it, please?
CCBC's suggestion of cricket as the key to 4:10 sounds very plausible to me. The theme of that group is Sussex - does that help at all?
posted by Paul Slade at 7:36 AM on December 28, 2023
CCBC's suggestion of cricket as the key to 4:10 sounds very plausible to me. The theme of that group is Sussex - does that help at all?
posted by Paul Slade at 7:36 AM on December 28, 2023
Well done, Whoever-Got-4:10. I got turned around on that one.
posted by CCBC at 6:49 PM on December 31, 2023
posted by CCBC at 6:49 PM on December 31, 2023
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posted by snakeling at 11:31 AM on December 22, 2023