Questions mostly by the CWRU crew with Michael Napier, Michael Swick, John Kilby, and everyone else
1. He left school at age fifteen and went through jobs at a drug store, on a ranch, and as a reporter and columnist for the Houston Press. He was accused of embezzling money from his bank, fled to Honduras to avoid charges, and was convicted when he returned to the US in 1897. He wrote the first of his many short stories in prison: Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking. After getting out of prison he moved to New York City where he produced short stories such as The Last Leaf and The Caballero’s Way. FTP name this writer of The Gift of the Magi and The Ransom of Red Chief.
Answer: O Henry (accept William Sydney Porter)
2. The founding of this nation has its roots in the leader Mieszko’ decision to convert the country to Christianity in 966. This nation became independent in 1024 under its first king, Boleslaw Chrobry. It weathered attacks by the Tartars, Swedish, and the Teutonic Knights and became powerful during the 16th and 17th centuries, culminating when it defeated the Turks at Vienna in 1683. However its power waned after this until it was partitioned in 1772 by Austria, Russia, and Prussia. For ten points what is the European nation whose more successful history has largely been eclipsed by its defeat at the hands of Germany and Russia in World War 2?
Answer: Poland
3. At about 1027 BC, the last Shang ruler was overthrown by the chieftain of a tribe that had settled in the Wei Valley of the modern Shanxi province. The capital of the new dynasty was established at Hao, near present day Xian. In 771 BC, the ruling court was sacked, splitting the dynasty into Western and Eastern periods. For ten points, what Chinese dynasty in its latter periods saw the flourishing of Chinese culture and philosophy, including Confucianism and Daoism?
Answer: Zhou or Chou Dynasty
4. It dilates the pupils, stimulates tear glands, inhibits salivation, increases sweating, dilates bronchi, accelerates heart rate, decreases digestive functions of the stomach, pancreas, and intestines, inhibits bladder control, and secretes adrenalin. FTP, name this part of the autonomic nervous system which activates the body’s energy resources to deal with threatening situations.
Answer: sympathetic nervous system (prompt on nervous or autonomic nervous system)
5. He won Mr. Football Indiana in 1998, after he set state records for season completions, yardage, and touchdown passes. He red shirted in 1999 and the next year beat out the nation’s top quarterback recruit for his school’s starting job and became the first freshman to win MVP honors in the SEC championship game. In 2001 he finished second in Heisman balloting to Eric Crouch and after playing one year for Ron Zook, was drafted by the Chicago Bears. FTP, name this current starting Bears quarterback.
Answer: Rex Grossman
6. This computer language was written in the mid-80's by Bjarne Stroustrup (Be-ar-neh Strov-strup). It adds many syntactical features to its precursor, such as the scope resolution operator and double slash comments, but its major new features resolved around object-oriented programming. FTP, name this computer language that in development was called “C with classes.”
Answer: C++ [sorry, can’t accept or prompt on just “C”]
7. He commented on the Song of Solomon at Fossanova in 1274, shortly after experiencing a sudden change in December 1273 which caused him to leave his magnum opus unfinished. His treatise De veritate [“ver-ih-TAH-te”] contains 253 scholastic disputations, and he defended Aristotle against both Averroists and Augustianians in 1269. FTP, name this student of Albertus Magnus whose most prominent work was the massive Summa Theologica.
Answer: St. Thomas Aquinas
8. In 1897, while studying to be a physician, he wrote his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a story of London’s slums. Because of the book’s success, he never practiced medicine. One of his best known novels, The Moon and Sixpence, was based on the life of French painter Paul Gauguin. FTP, name this writer famous for the novels Of Human Bondage and The Razor’s Edge.
Answer: W. Somerset Maugham
9. This toxic chemical is produced in the bodies of land animals to neutralize ammonia, a more toxic chemical. High levels of it in the bloodstream are often indicative of kidney problems. FTP, what is this chemical, the first organic compound to be synthesized from non-organic reactants?
Answer: urea
10. Conceived in the 1930’s and first becoming operational one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor, this civil defense organization provided coastal patrol, defense, and rescue operations during World War II. Incorporated by Congress in 1946 as a non-profit, private organization, it was designated as the civilian auxiliary to the US Air Force. FTP, what is this now peacetime organization, whose task today is to provide emergency services, a cadet program, and aerospace education?
Answer: Civil Air Patrol
11. While applications of it have led visual scientists to create the notion of a “background” and a “foreground,” it actually states that objects are grouped according to similar features, and as a result, one that is different items will tend to “pop out” to the human eye. FTP, name this principle that states that the human visual system collectively recognizes similar objects as one large object.
Answer: Gestalt principle
12. An ambitious bourgeois merchant dreams of becoming a nobleman. However, Dorante tricks him into thinking that he has been made into a Turkish nobleman by his daughters fiancé, whom he believes to be the son of a great Turkish leader. The play ends without him ever finding out the truth about either man, though the rest of the characters are able to secure a happy ending for themselves. FTP, what is the name of this Molière play which denounces both the nobility and the bourgeois who want to become like them?
Answer: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme or The Would-be Gentleman
13. This substance has the chemical name of sildenafil citrate. Though it was once the only widely available product of its kind, it now has legitimate competitors such as Levitra. Of course, less trustworthy alternatives to this product have been appearing in spam mail for years. For ten points, what is this drug that comes in a trademarked blue diamond tablet?
Answer: Viagra
14. In 2000, he was overwhelmingly defeated by Vojislav Kostunica in his country’s elections, though he still insisted that the votes were too close and a runoff was needed. His ultimate goal was to create a completely Serbian country, resulting in his attempts to ethnically cleanse his country. FTP, name this ex-president of the former country of Yugoslavia, nicknamed “The Butcher of the Balkans.”
Answer: Slobodan Milosevic
15. When a certain frame of reference is not at rest with respect to the observer’s fixed frame, normal Newtonian laws do not apply. The situation becomes even more difficult if the moving frame is traveling at relativistic speeds. FTP, give the name for the set of operations that are applied to normal Galilean transformations to compensate for length contraction and time dilation at relativistic speeds.
Answer: Lorentz transformations
16. One of this painter’s more famous paintings depicts three figures. The painting is dark, except for a strong light coming in from our left. One figure in the top center holds down a fearsome bearded man, who struggles as a third figure, a woman, wears an expression of determination as she slices off the bearded man’s head, spewing jets of blood. Perhaps one the more graphic depictions of the subject matter, for ten points, identify this female Baroque artist, painter of Judith and Holofernes.
Answer: Artemisia Gentileschi
17. In ancient Rome, she had a temple on the Aventine Hill, where she was worshipped together with Liber and Libera. A Homeric Hymn to this goddess telling of the loss of her daughter is also an explanation for the existence of the seasons. FTP, what is the Roman name for the goddess of agriculture and fertility?
Answer: Ceres [sorry, not Demeter – 1st clue rules her out]
18. In this play, it is hard to tell who is the hero. Supposedly it is the duke, but he behaves rather poorly, and in the end is scorned in his bid for the hand of she whom he sought. Angelo, the Jerry Falwell of the city, certainly receives his comeuppance when he tries to seduce the upright Isabel -- Angelo, a man who has deserted his own wife. But since no one is killed and most ends either happy or unclearly, the play is considered a comedy. FTP, name this Shakespeare dark comedy whose title implies reciprocity.
Answer: Measure For Measure
19. After taking his office, this man vetoed legislation for a national banking act and almost the entirety of the Whig agenda, getting expelled from his own party in only a few months. He was a fervent state’s righter, appointing John C. Calhoun as secretary of state and supporting the secession of the south after his presidency was over. This president is best known for his completion of the Webster-Ashburton treaty and the annexation of Texas. For ten points name this tenth president of the United States who became president after the death of William Harrison.
Answer: John Tyler
20. The characteristic circular motion of these natural phenomena is produced by the simultaneous forces of friction due to wind and gravity. This type of movement may not be observed however, as their properties change when they approach the less deep area where most people will see them. At this area these objects may break in spilling, plunging, or surging forms. They distribute and sort sediments along this area, giving it its distinctive character. For ten points what are these energy carrying objects responsible for creating beaches?
Answer: Waves
21. It’s in the title of four Edgar Allen Poe works, especially where one occurs within one, and they’re frequently used as the basis of his stories. The main character of Invisible Man tells the reader of how a girl told him of one where she lay in the center of a large room. Barbara Kingsolver wrote about ones in animals. Philip K. Dick wrote about their potential in androids. FTP, what is this, the most famous one being Dorothy’s trip through Oz?
Answer: dreams
22. Its name comes from the French for “essential ardor.” The painter Robert Henri was an ardent supporter of this concept, believing that true artists could infuse their brushes with it by sheer force of will. Its primary proponent, author of The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1927. It is a hypothetical force thought to cause the evolution and development of organisms. FTP, name this concept most closely associated with Henri-Louis Bergson.
Answer: Elan vital
23. Despite the general opinion of this ruler, he was quite an open-minded person in his youth. He traveled widely, played the guitar, and enjoyed masked balls. He had many foreign friends, and was close to his daughters and wives. Unfortunately, his instigation of the Spanish Inquisition, problems with the Netherlands, as well as the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 forever marked him as a not so nice guy. For ten points, who is this ruler, the son of Charles V and ruler of Spain from 1556 to 1598?
Answer: Philip II
TOSSUPS – SHOOTOUT #3 DENNIS HASKINS OPEN 2004 – UT-CHATTANOOGA
Questions by UTC with help from the CWRU crew, Raj Dhuwalia, Saurabh Vishnubhakat, Gaius Stern, and various freelance contributors
1. The U.S. Department of the Navy can be said to owe its existence to this event, as it was funded in 1798 to construct vessels to capture the ships of a certain European nation by order of Congress. The British were delighted and provided shot and shells as well as training by its own officers to help the Americans harass French shipping. All of this was in response to French bribe requests made to a diplomatic party of C.C. Pinckney, Elbridge Gerry, and John Marshall. FTP what name is given to this event in which three French diplomats insulted U.S. agents?
Answer: XYZ Affair
2. This substance is different from epinephrine in that it selectively activates only the beta 2 receptors in the sympathetic nervous system, which avoids the side effect of an elevated heart rate while retaining the desired effect of bronchial dilation. FTP, identify this chemical commonly administered in inhaled form to asthma patients during an attack.
Answer: albuterol
3. Though few of his works survive unaltered, this architect had a significant influence on his contemporaries. His preferred styles were a reliance on classical geometric designs, a lack of exterior decorations, and techniques that exaggerated the apparent size of buildings. Some of his famous works include the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie and the Tempietto San Pietro. He was also hired to reconstruct St. Peter’s Church but died before he could implement many of his ideas. FTP who was this Renaissance architect?
Answer: Donato Bramante
4. The first one in the U.S. series was released on October 27, 1998, and featured Hanson’s “MMMBop” and “Zoot Suit Riot” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Sheryl Crow and Britney Spears were featured on both the second and the fifteenth; the former appeared in July 1999 and hit #1 on the album chart, ” while the latter will hit the stores this coming Tuesday (March 23, 2004.) FTP name this pop music compilation series.
Answer: “Now That’s What I Call Music”
5. Subtitled “The Unique Magazine,” this publication was first printed in 1923 by J. C. Henneberger, "to give the writer free rein to express his innermost feelings in a manner befitting great literature." Contrary to the “Roaring 20’s” sentiment present at its conception, the publication produced compilations of dark and surreal literature, exploring uncertainties and fear in the human psyche. For ten points, name this pulp magazine, which earned its claim to fame with stories by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft.
Answer: Weird Tales
6. It was developed in 1957 by Canadian chemist R.J. Gillespie. This theory is based on the way that electron pairs try to maximize the distance from each other to minimize repulsions. Examples of structures that can be generated from it include linear, tetrahedral, and trigonal bipyramidal. FTP, identify this theory that can be used to predict the shapes of molecules.
Answer: VSEPR Theory (can pronounce it “vesper”) or Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
7. From 1951 to 1956 he served as West Germany's foreign minister and earlier he had served as Lord Mayor of Cologne and was a member of the Catholic Center Party in the Weimar Republic. He opposed the rise of Hitler, and in 1944 was sent to a concentration camp for that oppostition. For 10 points name this German Chancellor from 1949 to 1963, under whose rule West Germany became a part of NATO and the European Economic Community.
Answer: Konrad Adenauer
8. Some of its novels include Cesar Birotteau, The Cure (kyoor-ay) of the Village, and In Search of the Absolute. Better known novels in the group are Cousin Bette, Les Chouans (show-ahn), and The Country Doctor. Comprising all the novels by the author written between 1829 and 1850, FTP this is what body of novels that also includes Eugene Grandet and Pere Goriot, all works by Honore de Balzac?
Answer: The Human Comedy (acc. Le Comedie Humaine from smartypants)
9. Addressed to Theophilus "it tells of all that Jesus began both to do and teach..." and it describes how lots were drawn between Justus and Matthias to determine who would take the place of Judas Iscariot. Chapter 2 describes the events of the Pentecost. FTP, name this book of the Bible, which details the exploits of Christ's followers after his death, the fifth book of the New Testament.
Answer: Acts of the Apostles
10. The Greek mathematician Apollonius of Perga was the first to study this family of curves, to which the graphs of all quadratic functions belong. FTP what is the generic term for these curves, which include the circle, ellipse, parabola
(pa-RAB-o-la), and hyperbola (high-PER-bo-la)?
Answer: conic sections
11. Born in 1519, this Spaniard commanded the plate fleets bound carrying plundered treasures back to Spain from the “New World.” On one of these missions he also brought Tristan De Luna, the commander of a failed colonization attempt in Florida, back to Spain to be tried for treason, which prompted him to write a letter to King Phillip II telling him that Florida could never be colonized. By 1565 he had changed his mind and led a colonization attempt of his own. FTP name this founder of St. Augustine, who is not related to Lyle or Erik.
Answer: Pedro Menendez de Avilez
12. Research suggests that almost 8 percent of the general population experiences this psychological disorder. Following an automobile accident, the risk of it occurring is 8 to 41 percent, depending on the severity of the accident. FTP, name this anxiety disorder which occurs in some individuals who have experienced or witnesses distressing events, characterized by intense emotional distress, re-experiencing of the event, and avoidance of persons or situations that trigger flashbacks.
Answer: PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
13. Back in 1974, when it was first created, it was pictured only in the sitting position, its head fully facing the viewer. Soon, due to its popularity, the design moved to a standing position in 1976. Quickly after, the design expanded, including more poses, outfits, and new characters. Oddly enough, even though the character was created in Japan, her nationality is actually British. For ten points, name this famous iconic Japanese cat that is currently the trademark of the Sanrio company.
Answer: Hello Kitty
14. Dependent on energy, but not flux, of incident radiation, the core of this principle states that emission energy is directly proportional to frequency of the incident light times Planck’s constant. FTP, what is the name of this effect, for which Albert Einstein earned the 1921 Nobel Prize in physics?
Answer: Photoelectric effect
15. Set in Amsterdam, it follows a conversation between a Frenchman and his newfound drinking partner. The former Parisian lawyer tells the stranger of his successive – and failed – explorations of charity and debauchery in order to win his own self-esteem. FTP identify this 1956 work about the judge-penitent’s title act in forestalling personal judgment, a novella by Albert Camus.
Answer: The Fall
16. His chief literary work contends that comedy is an imitation of characters of a lower type, that beauty depends on magnitude and order, and that perfect tragedy has a complex plan but a single thread of plot. He argues that six critical elements of tragedy are plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song, and he contends that “errors” such as hamartia and hubris are essential to a tragic plot. FTP, name this Greek author of the one of the first works of literary criticism, the Poetics.
Answer: Aristotle (prompt on early “Poetics” despite the pronouns)
17. Commandeered by an aged Nevada senator from a Congressional legislative group including a young Richard Nixon, it called for the fingerprinting and registration of all “subversives” in the United States and authorized the establishment of concentration camps during times of national emergency. Although Truman vetoed it, his veto was overriden with an 89% majority. FTP identify this post-WWII act of Congress.
Answer: McCarran Internal Security Act
18. While working at a Western Union telegraph office in his youth, he took his boss’s advice and wrote a book about messengers, Clipped Wings, a spectacular failure which inspired him to learn about writing as a craft. He was variously supported by his five wives until he established himself at the forefront of the bohemian avant-garde with works such as The Colossus of Maroussi and The Air-Conditioned Nightmare. FTP identify this often-banned writer who penned the Rosy Crucifixion trilogy.
Answer: Henry Miller
19. It was first studied in detail after an Austrian ornithologist realized that his wading boots had garnered some very intense attention. The sexual variety formed the basis for a debate between Freud and Westermarck and is closely related to the development of fetishes. FTP identify this general process by newborns come to recognize their biological parents.
Answer: imprinting
20. Studied on the same scale as the Mississippi and the Nile rivers, it originates at Mt. Kailash near the holy lake of Mansarovar and flows some 3000 km, known through most of its route as the Tsangpo river. Twisting back on itself, it forms a gorge still unnavigated to the present day and continues as the Dihong river until it crosses from Tibet into Arunachal Pradesh in India. FTP identify this river which empties into the Bay of Bengal.
Answer: Brahmaputra River
21. Bibles are given a BS designation, while Shakespeare is given a PS designation. Cookbooks can be found in the TX section, and a book about Physics would be located in the QC section. For 10 points, name this cataloguing system for books found in academic libraries that is named for a Washington, D.C. institution.
Answer: Library of Congress system
22. As usual, Robert DeLeo wrote the music. A guitar-driven piece typical of the band’s sound, it demands answers of a significant other and parallels the Marshall Tucker Band with references to abandoning the relationship on a “southern train.” FTP identify this 1994 song, the fourth of eleven tracks on the album Purple, whose name suggests a long-distance relationship for lyricist and singer Scott Weiland.
Answer: “Interstate Love Song”
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