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The New Filipino Private School Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

QUIZ QUESTIONS

Quiz Bee 2015 “Spread knowledge, share The Youngest”

High School Questions Easy Questions

1. ENGLISH LITERATURE: Who is the author of the tragedy ‘Othello’? (Mar 2015, p. 25) a. Jane Austen b. Charles Dickens c. George Orwell d. William Shakespeare

* The ‘Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice’ is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written in the year 1603, and was based on the short story ‘Un Capitano Moro’ by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, which was first published in 1565. Other popular works of Shakespeare are ‘Hamlet’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Julius Ceasar’, and ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

2. EARTH SCIENCE: What do you call a piece of land almost surrounded by water? (Jan 2015, p.24)

a. archipelago b. island c. isthmus d. peninsula

* An archipelago is a cluster of islands, an island is a piece of land totally surrounded by water, while an isthmus is a thin strip of land connecting two large masses of land.

3. CHEMISTRY: Who formulated the Periodic Table? (Oct 2014, p. 48)

a. Niels Bohr b. Pierre Curie c. Dmitri Mendeleev d. Ernest Rutherford

* In 1869, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev started the development of the periodic table, arranging chemical elements by atomic mass. He predicted the discovery of other elements, and left spaces open in his periodic table for them.

4. SPELLING: Which is the correct spelling for the word that means ‘deserving of praise and commendation’? (Apr 2015, p. 17)

a. laudable b. loadable c. loudable d. ludeable

* The word laudable is an adjective used to describe that an object is capable of being loaded, while the words loudable and ludeable do not exist in the English language.

5. MATHEMATICS: Solve for 16 / 4 x 3 / 2. (Feb 2015, p. 33)

Answer: 6

* To answer long mathematical sentences, the correct order of operations (PEMDAS) must be followed. The first step is to divide 16 by 4 since multiplication and division, when on the same level or group, must be executed from left to right. Then, the quotient 4, must be multiplied by 3 to produce 12. Finally, the product 12 must be divided by 2 to get 6.

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6. SOCIAL STUDIES: Which country does the flag below represent? (Nov 2014, p. 43)

a. Algeria b. France c. Russia d. Luxembourg

* The national flag of France is a tricolor flag featuring three vertical bands colored royal blue (hoist side), white and red. It is known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour (Tricolore in French).

7. HISTORY: Queen Elizabeth I of England belongs to which dynasty? (Oct 2014, p. 39)

a. Normandy b. Stuart c. Tudor d. York

* Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

8. EARTH SCIENCE: Gasoline is produced by refining which fossil fuel? (Dec 2014, p. 52)

a. coal b. natural gas c. petroleum d. propane

* Gasoline, also known as petrol, is a transparent, petroleum-derived liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives; a 42-gallon barrel of crude oil yields about 19 gallons of gasoline, when processed in an oil refinery.

9. LIFE SCIENCE: Which illness has no commonly used vaccine? (Mar 2015, p. 36)

a. cold b. mumps c. smallpox d. tetanus

* The common cold (also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza, head cold, or simply cold) is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract which primarily affects the nose. Effective ways to reduce the spread of cold viruses are physical measures such as hand washing and use of facemasks. In the healthcare environment, gowns and disposable gloves are also used. Vaccination has proved difficult as there are so many viruses involved and they mutate rapidly. Creation of a broadly effective vaccine is thus highly improbable.

10. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: On a normal computer keyboard, with which number does the symbol asterisk * share a key?

(Feb 2015, p. 27) a. 7 b. 8 c. 9 d. 0

* Sometimes referred to as the ‘star’ or ‘big dot’, the asterisk * is a symbol commonly found above the numeric key for 8 on standard United States keyboards. The asterisk represents a wildcard or wild character with computers. For example, when typing *.TXT in a search or find field, the computer would look for any file ending with .TXT.

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Average Questions

1. WORLD HISTORY: Who was the king of France during the French Revolution? (Oct 2014, p. 39) a. Charles IX b. Charles XV c. Louis XV d. Louis XVI

* Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793), also known as Louis Capet (pronounced as ká-pe), was King of France from 1774 until his deposition in 1792, although his formal title after 1791 was King of the French. He was executed during the French Revolution. His father, Louis, Dauphin of France, was the son and heir apparent of Louis XV of France. As a result of the Dauphin's death in 1765, Louis succeeded his grandfather in 1774.

2. SOCIAL STUDIES: What are the six official UN languages? (Jan 2015, p. 31)

a. Arabic, French, German, English, Italian, Spanish b. Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, English, French, Russian and Spanish c. Russian, English, German, Chinese Mandarin, Hebrew, French d. English, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, French, Spanish

* The six UN languages are used at meetings of various UN organs, particularly the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council. Each representative of a country may speak in any one of these six languages, or may speak in any language and provide interpretation into one of the six official languages. The UN provides simultaneous interpretation from the official language into the other five official languages, via the United Nations Interpretation Service. The six official languages are also used for the dissemination of official documents. Until a document is available in all six official languages, it is not published. Generally, the texts in each of the six languages are equally authoritative.

3. SPORTS: The famous athlete Rafael Nadal is related to which sport? (Nov 2014, p. 37)

a. badminton b. cricket c. football d. tennis

* Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked world No. 5. He is widely regarded as one of the finest clay court players in history and has been nicknamed "The King of Clay."

4. HISTORY: In which city was the first skyscraper built? (Aug 2014, p. 44)

a. Chicago b. Hong Kong c. New York d. London

* Chicago's 138-foot (42 m) tall Home Insurance Building, which opened in 1884, is considered today’s first modern skyscraper. The number of these towering buildings grew rapidly and by 1888 they were labeled ‘skyscrapers’.

5. EARTH SCIENCE: Which of these is made from limestone? (Dec 2014, p. 43)

a. cement b. clay c. sand d. brick

* Cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens and can bind other materials together. The word ‘cement’ traces to the Romans, who used the term ‘opus caementicium’ to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick supplements that were added to the burnt lime, to obtain a hydraulic binder, were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cäment, and cement.

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6. LITERATURE: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul,” is the concluding line from which poem? (Mar 2015, p. 27)

a. ‘Invictus’ b. ‘My Way’ c. ‘Out of the Night’ d. ‘Thoughts on a Life’

* ‘Invictus’ is a short Victorian poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). It was written in 1875 and published in 1888 — originally with no title — in his first volume of poems, Book of Verses, in the section Life and Death (Echoes). Its concluding line “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul,” is one of the most popular in English literature.

7. LIFE SCIENCE: Which wavelengths of light are essential for plant growth and flowering? (Nov 2014, p. 36)

a. blue and green b. blue and red c. green and red d. orange and red

* The visible light spectrum emits light in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet colors. The most important blue wavelengths are from 430 to 450 nm (nanometers). This part of the spectrum is also known as cool light. These wavelengths encourage vegetative growth through strong root growth and intense photosynthesis. The longer wavelengths of light are red in color. The most important wavelengths in the red spectrum are from 640 to 680 nm. As the warm light, these wavelengths encourage stem growth, flowering and fruit production, and chlorophyll production.

8. EARTH SCIENCE: What is a tropical cyclone called in the Atlantic Ocean? (Feb 2015, p. 40)

a. hurricane b. monsoon c. twister d. typhoon

* A hurricane or tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean, usually in the summer or fall. Tropical cyclones can be categorized by intensity. Tropical storms have one-minute maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (miles per hour), while hurricanes have one-minute maximum sustained winds exceeding 74 mph. Most North Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes form between June 1 and November 30.

9. GEOGRAPHY: What is generally considered to be the largest island on Earth? (Apr 2015, p. 39)

a. Australia b. Greenland c. Madagascar d. New Guinea

* Greenland is the world's largest island covering 2,175,597 square kilometers. Although Australia is larger than Greenland, it is not considered the largest island because it is a continent, not an island.

10. LITERATURE: ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ was written by: (Mar 2015, p. 26)

a. F. Scott Fitzgerald b. Herman Melville c. Mark Twain d. Rudyard Kipling

* ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived.

Difficult Questions

1. LIFE SCIENCE: What vitamin is necessary for blood clotting? (Oct 2014, p. 64) Answer: Vitamin K

* Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is most well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting. However, vitamin K is also absolutely essential to building strong bones, preventing heart disease, and crucial part of other bodily processes.

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2. SPORTS: Which famous boxer said, ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; the hands can't hit what the eyes can't see'? a. Joe Frazier b. Mike Tyson c. Muhammad Ali d. Rocky Marciano

* Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history. In 1963, Clay fought against Sonny Liston. He was a 7–1 underdog. Despite this, Clay taunted his opponent during the pre-fight buildup, dubbing Liston as ‘the big ugly bear’. He declared that he would ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’, and, summarizing his strategy for avoiding Liston's assaults, said, ‘Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see.’

3. WORLD HISTORY: In which European country did the Industrial Revolution start? (Oct 2014, p. 39)

Answer: England or Great Britain

* The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, and spread to Western Europe and North America within a few decades. The precise start and end of the Industrial Revolution is still debated among historians, as is the pace of economic and social changes.

4. MATHEMATICS: Mr. Jones is 28 years older than his son. In 11 years, he will be 3 times as old as his son. How old are they now?

Answer: Mr. Jones is 31 years old. His son is 3. 3 (x + 11) = x + 28 + 11 3x + 33 = x + 39 3x – x = 39 – 33 2x = 6 x = 3

5. ARTS: Who was the first famous artist of the Italian Renaissance? (Aug 2014, p. 21)

a. Mantegna b. Masaccio c. Michelangelo d. Leonardo da Vinci

* Masaccio (December 21, 1401 – autumn 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance.

6. SOCIAL STUDIES: Which Alpine peak is taller than the others? (Dec 2014, p. 64)

a. Dufourspitze b. Finsteraarhorn c. Matterhorn d. Mont Blanc

* Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco, both meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest peak in Europe outside of the Caucasus range. It rises 4,810 m above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence.

7. LIFE SCIENCE: What bacteria live in soil and may enhance your mood and make you smarter? (Mar 2015, p. 36)

a. Escherichia coli b. Mycobacterium vaccae (may-co-bac-TE-rium VA-key) c. Rhizobiaceae (ray-zo-bi-YEY-zi-yi) d. Yersinia pestis

* Mycobacterium vaccae is a nonpathogenic species of the Mycobacteriaceae family of bacteria that lives naturally in soil. Its name originates from the Latin word, vacca, since it was first cultured from cow dung in Austria. There are scientists who believe that exposure to Mycobacterium vaccae may work as an antidepressant because it stimulates the generation of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.

8. ANATOMY: What are the ridges or folds in the cerebral cortex of the brain called? (Aug 2014, p. 35)

a. gyri b. lobes c. pons d. sulci

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* A gyrus (plural, gyri) is a ridge on the cerebral cortex. It is generally surrounded by one or more sulci (depressions or furrows; singular, sulcus).

9. SPORTS: How many hurdles are there in a 400-meter hurdles race? (Nov 2014, p. 39)

Answer: 10

* The 400-meter hurdles race is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. Runners stay in their lanes the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly spaced around the track

10. LIFE SCIENCE: The itchy red bumps from mosquito bites are caused by: (Apr 2015, p. 48)

a. the mosquito’s sharp mouth parts b. the tiny hairs on the mosquito’s antennae c. an allergic reaction to the mosquito’s saliva d. an allergic reaction to pollen carried on the mosquito’s legs

* The bump left on the victim's skin after a mosquito bites is called a wheal, which is caused by histamines trying to fight off the protein from the saliva of the attacking insect.

Clincher Questions

1. LIFE SCIENCE: How many chambers does a human heart have? (Oct 2014, p. 64) Answer: 4

* A heart valve normally allows blood to flow in only one direction through the heart. The four valves commonly represented in a mammalian heart determine the pathway of blood flow through the heart. A heart valve opens or closes incumbent on differential blood pressure on each side.

2. HISTORY: Who was the first Roman Emperor? (Oct 2014, p. 38)

Answer: Augustus (Octavian)

* Augustus (Octavian), the first Roman Emperor of the Principate Era whose ascension ended republic rule at Rome. The Roman Emperors were men who ruled the Roman Empire and wielded power over its citizens and military.

3. EARTH SCIENCE: What is the only kind of rock that floats on water? (Dec 2014, p. 43)

Answer: pumice

* As the gas bubbles escape from the lava, it becomes frothy. When this lava cools and hardens, the result is a very light rock material filled with tiny bubbles of gas. Pumice is the only rock that floats on water, although it will eventually become waterlogged and sink.

4. MATHEMATICS: Simplify 6 + 3 (72 / 32 – (2 x 3 – 4)2) + 12 / 4 (Mar 2015, p. 51) Answer: 21 6 + 3 (72 / 9 – (2 x 3 – 4)2) + 12 / 4 6 + 3 (72 / 9 – (6 – 4)2) + 12 / 4 6 + 3 (72 / 9 – (2)2) + 12 / 4

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6 + 3 (72 / 9 – 4) + 12 / 4 6 + 3 (8 – 4) + 12 / 4 6 + 3 (4) + 12 / 4 6 + 12 + 12 / 4 6 + 12 + 3 18 + 3 21

* In simplifying mathematical expressions, PEMDAS must always be followed.

5. SOCIAL STUDIES: What is the citadel or fortress of Moscow called? (Aug 2014, p. 44)

Answer: Kremlin

* The Moscow Kremlin, is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The name Kremlin means “fortress inside a city”, and is often used as a metonym to refer to the government of the Russian Federation.