The Answers

Round 1: Popular Culture

1.         In which Stately home would you find Mr Bates and Mrs Patmore amongst the staff?    Downton Abbey   

2.         Surely you all remember Cagney & Lacey but what were their first names ? Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey

3.         TOWIE, CNN, CSI. & TOTP are acronyms associated with US and UK tv. What do TOWIE and CNN stand for? The Only Way is Essex and Cable News Network

4.         Which American cultural icon said “if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way." Homer Simpson

5.         Which Soap opera was created by Tony Warren and first broadcast in 1960?  Coronation Street

6.         A well known board game has American editions famous for its stylish box art. Can you name the six murder weapons and what the game is called in the US ? lead pipe, revolver, candlestick, rope, dagger, wrench (spanner)

7.         Who is the head cheerleading coach William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio ?  Sue Sylvester

8.         Los Angeles, London, Manchester and New York all have a Chinatwon district. But can you name the 6 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. All 12 for a bonus point? rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep/ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig

9.         Julia Roberts won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2001, but for which film?   Erin Brokovich

           

10.       Which seaside town is famous for its boardwalk and gambling New Yorkers? Atlantic City

Round 2: Sport

1.     How many more gold medals did the US win than team GB at the London Summer Olympics (not Paralympics)?  Margin error of 2. US - 46 GB - 29 Answer: 17

2.     Michael Phelps golds, plus Chris Hoy golds ( margin of error 1 either side) ? Phelps - 18 and Hoy - 6 = 24

3.     Which cities host the 4 tennis grand slams? London, Paris, Melbourne, New York

4.     Red Sox, White Sox – In which cities are they based ? Boston and Chicago

5.     Who played the winning putt in this years Ryder Cup? Martin Kaymer, Europe

6.     A number of famous footballers have had stints playing soccer stateside but which 3 teams did

Rodney Marsh, David Beckham and Pele play for ( all 3 for1 point) ? LA Galaxy, New York Cosmos, Tampa Bay Rowdies

7.     Who won last weeks US Grand Prix and in which state was it held ( 1 point for each) ? Lewis Hamilton, Texas

8.     When Tony Hawk performs an Ollie or a kickflip which sport is he participating in? skateboarding

9.     How old was Mike Tyson when he became the World Heavyweight Champion? 20

10.  Who won the World Table Tennis Championship in 1929 and then went on to become one of Britain’s most successful and well known sportsmen and then became a naturalised US citizen? Fred Perry

Round 3: The written word

1.    Which Manchester born journalist linked the US and the UK 2,864 times over 58 years ? Alistair Cookies Letter from America

2.    A Street Care Named Desire and Glass Menagerie are plays by which American dramatist ? Tennessee Williams

3.    Maya and Sylvia. Can you give the surnames of these three highly regarded American poets ? Angelou and Plath

4.    Which author created the detective Phillip Marlowe who appears in The Big Sleep, Farewell my Lovely amongst other novels? Raymond Chandler

5.    Whose cook books include Toast and Appetite? Nigel Slater

6.     In which century was the phrase 'what the dickens' first used? 17th (first used by Shakespeare)

7.     What is the first name of the author of The Great Gatsby? Francis (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

8.     The title of which 1961 Joseph Heller novel has passed into common usage ? Catch 22

9.     Name the Caribbean home of spy turned novelist Ian Fleming. Goldeneye

10.  Which fat, good-natured braggart appears in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I and II and The Merry Wives of Windsor? Falstaff

Round 4: Thanksgiving

1. When was the first Thanksgiving? 1421, 1521, 1621 or 1721 1521

2. In what city and/or state was the very first Thanksgiving? Plymouth, Massachusetts 

3. What other country celebrates Thanksgiving and in which month (2 marks) ? Canada / October

4. Name three traditional side items for the Thanksgiving meal ( 3 marks). cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, stuffing

5. Which president set Thanksgiving as a National holiday? Abraham Lincoln

6. Each year at Thanksgiving, the president performs a special act. What does he do? pardons a turkey

7. Which department store sponsors the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade that happens each year in New York City? Macy's

8. The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US. What is it called? Black Friday

9. Which long running US series always had a special thanksgiving episode and why? Friends because it aired on Thursday evenings

 Round 5: Young at Heart

1. Which children’s characters friends include Tutter, Pip and Pop and Treelo? Bear in the Big Blue House

2. In which year was the first episode of Jackanory aired? 1965

3. What is the usual American word for nappies and dummy ? Diapers and pacifiers

4. What is the name of the 12 year old hero of the Beast Quest series of books? Tom

5. On which website would you collect Puffles? Club Penguin

6. All the royalties of which famous children’s book go to Great Ormond Street Hospital? Peter Pan

7. What was the name of Morph’s cheeky cousin? Chas

8. What sort of animal is Curious George? monkey

9.Which model turned chef became the heroine of The BFG? Sophie Dahl

Round 6: People and Places

1. Which American's influential life is celebrated with a national holiday in January? Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. The statue of Liberty was a gift from which country? France

3. What is the place Americans remember for a December day as the “day that will live in infamy”? Attack on Pearl Harbor

4. In what year did seamstress Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, thereby helping to initiate the US Civil Rights movement? 1951, 1955, 1959, 1961 1955

5.  Singer Alicia Keys gave birth to her first child last October. After which country did she name it? Egypt

6. Can you name five of Michael Jackson’s nine siblings? Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon, Steven and Janet

7. General knowledge… Which conflicts are the following Generals most associated General Lee and General Schwarzkopf. American Civil War, Gulf War

8. Who famously said "Where there is discord may we bring harmony, where there is despair my we bring hope".  Margaret Thatcher on taking office

9. Five of the world's growing economies are know by the acronym of the BRICK nations. Can you name them all? Brazil, Russia, India, China, Korea

10. Which British town has just launched its own perfume, which is said to have hints of Marmite and Branston Pickle? Burton on Trent

STATE TO STATE, COAST TO COAST “Picture Round”

1. Which state are the Twilight stories set in? Washington

2. What state did Forest Gump call home? Alabama

3.  “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “Oh! What a Beautiful Mornin’” and “The Farmer and Cowman.” Which State? Oklahoma

4. Where is the rock ‘n roll hall of fame? Cleveland, Ohio

5.Which state always holds the first primaries of the US election? Iowa

Which states mottoes:

6. Live free or die New Hampshire

7.The Sunshine State Florida

8.Hope Rhode Island

9. With God all things are possible Ohio

10. North to the Future Alaska

11.     What is the oldest state? Delaware

12.     What is the newset state? Hawaii

13.     Which state has the largest population? California

14.     Which state has the smallest population? Wyoming

15.     Mt. Rushmore, the mountainside with the carvings of president’s faces is found in which state? South Dakota

16.     Which state was Liberty Bell the first slot machine created? Nevada

17.  Which states does Route 66 start and end in? California and Illinois

18. Which State does Bill Clinton come from ? Arkansas

19. In which state was the first cheeseburger served in 1934 ? Kentucky

20. Which state was named in honour of Elizabeth 1? Virginia

So, how did you do?