Latest questions: 14 July 2020

This week's questions have been gleaned from those set for use in Weeks 6 and 7 of the Interdivisional matches in the 2019–20 season in Stockport Quiz League, by the Little Horse & Farrier (Questions 1 to 19) and the Alexandra (Questions 20 to 33).

What first name is shared by Bruce Wayne's mother and Superman's adoptive (Earth) mother?		Martha
Which British pop singer was born Reginald Leonard Smith in 1939?		Marty Wilde
Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga are the three most important varieties of which highly–prized foodstuff?		Caviar
In the 2007 film Mr. Bean's Holiday, hilarity ensues when Mr. Bean enters a raffle, and wins a trip to which French city?		Cannes
On Thursday the 9th of July 2020, Stephen Cottrell replaced John Sentamu (after a short period when Paul Ferguson stood in) in which position?		Archbishop of York
The introduction in 1836 of the Marsh test led to a decline in the use of which chemical element in murders?		Arsenic
Miles Archer was an assistant to which fictional detective? He was murdered early in the plot of the only full–length novel in which either of them appeared.		Sam Spade
What's the second longest river in South America? Formed in Brazil by the confluence of the Paranaiba River and the Rio Grande, it joins the Uruguay River to form the River Plate (estuary); the Paraguay River is one of its major tributaries.		The Paraná River
What collective title was given to the three pagans, three Jews and three Christians who were listed in a late mediaeval narrative poem as personifying the ideals of chivalry established in the Middle Ages?		The Nine Worthies
What's the largest city in the German state of Saxony (but not the capital)?		Leipzig
Which village near the Forest of Fontainebleau, just outside Paris, gave its name to a realist art movement of the mid–nineteenth century, whose leaders included Théodore Rousseau and Jean–François Millet?		Barbizon
Which famous violin, said to be one of the best–preserved Stradivari instruments still in existence, is named after the daughter of Ada Lovelace (and thus grand–daughter of Lord Byron) who owned it in the late 19th century?		The Lady Blunt
"You better not never tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy", is the opening line of which novel, first published in 1982?		The Color Purple (by Alice Walker)
Which English city gives its name to one of the four major codices of Anglo–Saxon literature, which was donated to the library of its Cathedral in the year 1072 by Leofric, its first bishop?		Exeter
Which company was founded in New York in 1886, traded as the California Perfumes Company from 1892, and changed to its current, familiar name in 1939? In 2016, it sold off its North American interests and moved its headquarters to London		Avon
Which fruit has varieties named Bing, Lambert, and Royal Ann?		Cherry
From which language did English get the word 'palaver' – meaning a conference or discussion, or unnecessary fuss?		Portuguese
In which city are the EU's two tallest buildings, after Brexit – as they also were before the completion of London's Shard?		Frankfurt
Father of Pepin the Short and grandfather of Charlemagne, and sometimes described as the founder of the Carolingian dynasty, who was the de facto ruler of the Franks from AD 718 until his death in 741, as the power of the Merovingian kings waned?		Charles Martel
What's the name of Paddington Bear's aunt, who lives in a home for retired bears in Peru?		Aunt Lucy
What is the claim to fame of Marshall Meadows Bay, on England's North Sea coast?		England's northernmost point
Which British rower – ranked No. 1 in the world, and an Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016 – married the naturalist, explorer and broadcaster Steve Backshall in 2016?		Helen Glover
Who set a British record for the 400 metres hurdles, in winning bronze at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 – which still stands today?		Kriss Akabusi
In which Canadian province are Jasper and Banff National Parks?		Alberta
Which vegetable has cultivars that include Belstar, Blue Wind, Coronado Crown, Green Goliath, and Romanesco?		Broccoli
In which 1948 film, directed by John Huston, are Humphrey Bogart as army veteran Frank McCloud, Edward G. Robinson as gangster Johnny Rocco, and Lauren Bacall as war widow Nora Temple, among a number of Florida hotel guests seeking shelter from an approaching hurricane?		Key Largo
Which English coastal town was a favourite holiday destination of the artist L. S. Lowry (at least in the 1930s), and now boasts a Lowry Trail?		Berwick–upon–Tweed
Complete this popular American children's counting rhyme, dating from at least 1806: Vintery, mintery, cutery corn / Apple seed and apple thorn / Wire, briar, limber lock / Three geese in a flock / One flew East, one flew West, and ...		One flew over the cuckoo's nest
In which British city are the Cabot Circus shopping centre, The Tobacco Factory (a residential and leisure complex) and The Watershed (the UK's first dedicated media centre)?		Bristol
A likeness of which popular sitcom character sits on a bench overlooking the Little Ouse river in Thetford, Norfolk – where many of the outdoor scenes from the series in which he featured were shot?		Captain Mainwaring
Which Italian winter resort has been selected, along with the city of Milan, to host the 2026 Winter Olympics? It also hosted them in 1956, having been selected to host the 1944 Games which were cancelled due to World War II.		Cortina (d'Ampezzo)
In which month of the year is Chelsea Flower Show traditionally held by the Royal Horticultural Society?		May
Which county cricket club was runner–up five times in the first seven years of the official County Championship (1890–6), before finally winning the title for the first time in 1897?		Lancashire

© Haydn Thompson 2020