Latest questions: 5 September 2023

These questions were inspired by the General Knowledge section of those set for use in Week 18 of the 2022–3 season in Macclesfield Quiz League, by the Plough Horntails.

In which sport might you be said to have "won by a canvas"?		Rowing
What word, derived from the Latin for 'scattered', is used in English to indicate that a reference will be found in several places throughout a text?		Passim
The Old Age Pensions Act of 1908 introduced pensions for single people aged at least how many years, and married couples where the husband was at least that age?		70
What name (referring to a domestic appliance) is used informally to refer to the controversial police tactic in which officers control crowds during demonstrations or protests by forming large cordons that then move to contain the crowd within a limited area?		Kettling
Which musical instrument was described by Danny Kaye's character in the 1947 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as "an ill wind that no one blows good"?		The oboe
Which Bob Dylan song was the title track on The Byrds' debut album, their second single, and first hit (reaching No. 1 in both the UK and USA)?		Mr. Tambourine Man
Which Latin word, meaning 'having completed [one's] service', is used as an honorary title, granted to someone who has retired from a position of distinction – especially in academia?		Emeritus (or emerita)
What title was shared by two films released in 2022 – one of which (directed by Guillermo del Toro) won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, while the other (Robert Zemeckis) won a Razzie for Worst Remake, Rip–Off or Sequel?		Pinocchio
Which character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was based (according to Douglas Adams) on Andrew Marshall – a comedy scriptwriter, best known for the 1990s BBC sitcom 2point4 Children?		Marvin, the Paranoid Android
Which British newspaper was founded in 1821 as The New Observer? It changed to the Independent Observer nine weeks later, and to its current title in 1822.		The Sunday Times
Who was the main presenter of the BBC One early–evening magazine–style current affairs programme Nationwide, for its first eight years (1969–77)?		Michael Barratt
Which Californian bank, offering services specifically aimed at tech start–up companies, collapsed in March 2023 following a hike in interest rates and a run on its deposits?		SVB (Silicon Valley Bank)
The 12 Days of Christine, The Riddle of the Sphinx and Dead Line are among the critically acclaimed episodes of which black comedy series, broadcast on BBC2 since 2014 – written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, one or both of whom normally star?		Inside No. 9
Which London borough was granted Royal status in 2023 to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II?		Greenwich
Poorly received on its release in 1955, the only film directed by Charles Laughton is now considered to be a classic of the film noir thriller genre and even one of the best films of all time. It stars Robert Mitchum as a serial killer, who poses as a preacher and charms an unsuspecting widow (Shelley Winters) to get his hands on $10,000 in stolen bank loot, hidden by her executed husband. What's the title of the film?		The Night of the Hunter
At which Olympic Games were separate events first held for the butterfly stroke?		Melbourne, 1956
The American actor and former rodeo rider Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (1919–83) was mainly known for cowboy roles; he also appeared in Dr. Strangelove – riding the atomic bomb to its target in the closing sequence. What was his stage name?		Slim Pickens
In Herman Melville's Moby–Dick, who is the only survivor of the wreck of the Pequod?		Ishmael
Who won both the women's 800 metres and 1500 metres at the Athens Olympics, in 2004?		Kelly Holmes
Which English potter, tile designer and novelist (1839–1917) was the son of a distinguished mathematician and a lifelong friend of William Morris, and married the painter Evelyn Pickering?		William De Morgan
In which year did Jack Nicklaus finish second in the US Open as a 20–year–old amateur – turning professional the following year?		1960
What kind of creature is the weka – a native of New Zealand?		A (flightless) bird
In which European city are the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation?		Geneva
In chemistry, what can be defined as "the formation of an aqueous solution (typically of a salt) by absorption or adsorption of water from the surrounding environment"?		Deliquescence
The fictional town of Clanton, Missouri is the setting for several novels by which prolific American author, born in 1955?		John Grisham
Which two–word Latin phrase literally means 'of its own kind' – hence 'in a class of its own' or 'unique'?		Sui generis
Who was the anchor man on ITV's World of Sport, from 1968 to 1985? He died in February 2023, aged 94.		Dickie Davies
Who replaced Sue Barker as lead presenter of BBC television's Wimbledon coverage in 2023?		Clare Balding
In which US state is the village of Kalaupapa, which served as a leper colony from 1866 to 1969?		Hawaii
Who designed the High Level Bridge, which links Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne by both road and rail?		Robert Stephenson (son of George)
Which garden shrub, known for its bright yellow flowers, is named after the Scottish botanist who was head gardener to King George III?		Forsythia (William Forsyth, 1737–1804)
The name of which colour (in English) is the French word for the mole, because it's the colour of its fur?		Taupe

The American entomologist Justin Orvel Schmidt (who died in February 2023, aged 75) won an Ig Nobel Prize in 2015 for creating and giving his name to a scale that measures the intensity of the pain resulting from what?
	Insect stings (specifically those of the hymenoptera – bees, wasps, ants and sawflies)

© Haydn Thompson 2023