Latest questions: 12 July 2022

These questions were inspired by those set for use in Week 14 of the 2021–2 season in Macclesfield Quiz League, by the Chester Road Tavern (Questions 1 to 9) and the Sutton Mutton (10 to 25).

Billy Gibbons (guitar and vocals) and Dusty Hill (bass guitar and vocals) were the two spectacularly bearded members of which American rock band?		ZZ Top
In which former Soviet republic is the Baikonur Cosmodrome – the launch site for all Soviet and Russian manned space flights (including the one that took Briton Tim Peake to the International Space Station in 2015)?		Kazakhstan
Which Italian Renaissance painter is best known by a nickname that translates into English as 'little barrel'?		Botticelli
In the 1993 film Philadelphia, who plays the lawyer that represents Tom Hanks's character in his wrongful dismissal case?		Denzel Washington
The Assumption of the Virgin, a fresco in the cupola of the dome of the cathedral in Parma, in northern Italy, is one of the best–known works of which Late Renaissance painter?		Antonio da Correggio
Who has been named as the captain of the American team in the next Ryder Cup competition, scheduled to be played in 2023?		Zach Johnson
Which city of Greek classical antiquity gave its name to the Eastern Roman Empire, which lasted until the fall of Constantinople (as the city came to be known in late antiquity) to the Ottoman Empire in AD 1453?		Byzantium
Who coined the Sanskrit word satyagraha to refer to his form of non–violent protest?		'Mahatma' Gandhi
In Dickens's Great Expectations, what's the name of Miss Havisham's beautiful adopted daughter, who represents the life of wealth and culture for whom Pip (the central character) strives?		Estella
In the classic Victorian novel Lorna Doone, what's the name of the violent and uncontrollable heir of the Doones – the 'foil' to the narrator, John Ridd?		Carver Doone
Bobotie (buh–BOO–tee) – a dish of spiced, minced meat with an egg–based topping – is sometimes described as the national dish of which country?		South Africa
Gremolata – a green sauce, made with chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic – is the standard accompaniment to which classic Milanese stew?		Osso buco
What was the name of the Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, and was the great–great–great–grandfather of William the Conqueror?		Rollo
In American football's National Football League (NFL), how many players are allowed on each team's "active roster" (i.e. not counting the 16 practice squad players)?		53
How many member states does the United Nations currently have (since South Sudan joined in 2011 – and not counting the two observer states, Palestine and the Holy See)?		193
April Dancer, played by Stefanie Powers, was the title character of which spy drama television series, first broadcast in 1966–7?		The Girl from UNCLE
On what date does the UK tax year end?		5 April
Who designed Birkenhead Park, on the Wirral (now in Merseyside) – opened in 1847, and generally acknowledged (according to Wikipedia) to be the world's first publicly–funded civic park?		Sir Joseph Paxton
In which Welsh seaside town is the scrapyard operated by Woodham Brothers Ltd., where (according to Wikipedia) 297 withdrawn British Railways steam locomotives were sent – 213 of which were rescued for the preservation movement?		Barry
Havarti is a semi–hard cheese, which (according to castellocheese.com) "has become a staple" in the cuisine of which European country?		Denmark
Which famous writer was married to Nora Barnacle for the last ten years of his life (1931–41)?		James Joyce
Kellingley Colliery – Britain's last deep coal mine, closed in December 2015 – was just outside the town of Knottingley, which is part of which city in Yorkshire?		Wakefield
Which root vegetable was developed, probably in the 16th century, as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip, and is related to oilseed rape?		Swede (rutabaga)
Which building at the southern end of Kingsway, in London, was home to the BBC World Service from 1941 until 2012?		Bush House
Which black grape, considered a unique American variety despite its European origins, was the most widely planted red wine grape in California, until overtaken in 1998 by Cabernet?		Zinfandel

© Haydn Thompson 2022