Latest questions: 6 July 2021

These questions have been gleaned from those set for use in Weeks 11, 12 and 13 of the 2011–12 season in Stockport Quiz League, by the Fingerpost (Questions 1 to 9), the Tame Valley (10 to 28) and the Printers (29 to 43).

On which Japanese island is the city of Hiroshima?		Honshu
Derry–born Neil Hannon is the creator, front man, singer, songwriter, multi–instrumentalist, and only constant member of which "chamber pop" band, whose biggest singles hit was National Express – reaching No. 8 in the UK in 1999?		The Divine Comedy
San Quentin (opened in 1852) and Folsom (1880) are the two oldest prisons in which state of the USA?		California
The cartoon character Scooby Doo is often said to be named after a nonsense phrase sung by Frank Sinatra in his recording of which Burt Bacharach song?		Strangers in the Night
In the name of the American multinational technology company, with headquarters in Silicon Valley, which two words is 'Intel' short for?		Integrated Electronics
In the standard UK version of Monopoly, what's the only property whose name includes all of the letters in the word Monopoly?		Electric Company
Which song won Bruce Springsteen an Oscar in 1994 (as well as four Grammys)?		Streets of Philadelphia
What's the world's shallowest sea (according to Wikipedia), with an average depth of 14 metres or 46 feet?		The Sea of Azov
In Association croquet – the most advanced version of the sport – how many hoops are there on a court?		Six
Which footwear brand was introduced in 1958 by Wolverine World Wide Inc. of Rockford, Michigan?		Hush Puppies
Count Ladislaus de Almásy – based on the real–life explorer László Almásy – is the title character of which award–winning novel, first published in 1992 and made into an award–winning film four years later?		The English Patient
Which prolific screenwriter and children's author created the rebellious teenager Marmalade Atkins, who appeared in two television series, first broadcast on ITV between 1981 and 1984?		Andrew Davies
Who wrote the poem Havisham, first published in 1993, whose opening lines read "Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then / I haven't wished him dead"?		Carol Ann Duffy
Which Soviet sprinter won both the men's 100 metres and 200 metres gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich?		Valeriy Borzov
Thought to refer to the union of England, Scotland, and either Ireland or France, Tria Juncta in Uno (meaning "three joined in one") is the motto of which British order of knighthood (founded in 1725 by King George I)?		Order of the Bath
Which 1888 painting by John William Waterhouse, on an Arthurian theme, was inspired by an 1832 poem of the same title by Alfred, Lord Tennyson		The Lady of Shalott
Which 1893 painting by John William Waterhouse was inspired by an 1819 poem by John Keats, of the same (French) title, about a fairy femme fatale?		La Belle Dame Sans Merci

In musical notation, col legno is an instruction to the player of a stringed instrument, to play in what manner?

With the back (wooden part) of the bow

Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are the two largest islands in which US state?		Massachusetts
Which American novelist made cameo appearances in several of his works, as a character named Vivian Darkbloom – an anagram of his actual name?		Vladimir Nabokov
Which Shakespearean title character suggests The Mousetrap as the title of a 'play within the play', which is actually called The Murder of Gonzago?		Hamlet
"A little bit of bread and no cheese" is a phrase used as an aide–memoire for recognising the song of which native British bird, in the bunting family?		The yellowhammer
What's the somewhat misleading name (in French) of the oldest surviving bridge across the Seine in Paris?		Pont Neuf (New Bridge)
What do snooker players have to do, that Hollywood actors had to do between 1934 and 1968?		Keep one foot on the floor
In the British army, the black beret is the (almost) exclusive preserve of which regiment, formed in 1916?		The Royal Tank Regiment
Who scored 5 goals for Middlesbrough, in the club's biggest ever win – a 9–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in 1958?		Brian Clough
Reflecting on the cost of the 1980 film Raise the Titanic, of which he was the Producer, who said "It would have been cheaper to lower the Atlantic"?		Lew Grade
'Nighthawk' was the code name, and the radio call sign, of which popular television sitcom character?		René Artois (in 'Allo 'Allo!)
What type of creature is Yoshi, a character that first appeared in the Nintendo video game Super Mario World (1990) as a sidekick of the Mario brothers, going on to appear in various Mario games and spin–offs?		Dinosaur
With a population of just over 144,000 in 2010, Bridgeport is the largest city in which US state?		Connecticut
Which epic World War II film, released in 1977, was based on a book of the same title by Cornelius Ryan, and boasted an all–star cast including Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Laurence Olivier, Ryan O'Neal, and Robert Redford?		A Bridge Too Far
The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Directory, published in 1754, was a trade catalogue that established the reputation of which English furniture maker?		Thomas Chippendale
The founder of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who was the eldest son of the Biblical patriarch Jacob?		Reuben
Which 1975 film – based on a short novel by Rudyard Kipling – stars Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot, Michael Caine as Peachy Carnehan, and Christopher Plummer as Kipling?		The Man Who Would Be King
Which 1999 film stars Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as two "disassociated personalities" of the same character?		Fight Club
In physics, what name is given to the property of a body that causes it to resist changes in its rotational velocity?		Moment of inertia
What was the name of the dog whose exploits chasing deer in Richmond Park (pursued by his hapless owner) went viral on YouTube in 2011?		Fenton
What novelty item is created by the larva of the moth Cydia Saltitans inside the seed of the Sebastiana pavoniana tree?		The (Mexican) jumping bean
Which country crossed the International Date Line (from east to west) at midnight on 29 December 2011, going straight to the 31st?		Samoa
What was the first name of Theodore Roosevelt's second son – born in 1889 – who fought a lifelong battle with depression, and committed suicide by gunshot to the head while serving in the US Army in Alaska during World War II?		Kermit
Who narrated 52 previously unbroadcast episodes of The Magic Roundabout for Channel 4 in 1991, following the death of Eric Thompson – in a "pastiche" of his style?		Nigel Planer
Which progressive rock group, formed in Amsterdam in 1969, featured Thijs van Leer on flute and keyboards and Jan Akkerman on guitar? (They are still going, and Thijs Van Leer is still a member)		Focus
Which archaeologist led excavations at the Iron Age hill fort of Maiden Castle, in Dorset, in the 1930s, and became a household name in Britain in the 1950s through his appearances on television and radio, particularly on the historical panel game Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?		Sir Mortimer Wheeler

© Haydn Thompson 2021