01 Apart from television, what is "the thief of time" ? Procrastination - Edward Young, 'Night thoughts' 02 What is an 'epicure' ? A person with refined tastes, especially in food and drink 03 The border between the USA and Canada extends over several thousand miles. For much of this distance, how is it defined ? By the 49th parallel of latitude, 49 degrees North 04 .... and does this border pass to the north or to the south of the so-called Great Lakes, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario ? Neither, it passes through the centre of each 05 .... and which Great Lake does this border not transit ? Lake Michigan 06 I like to be independant, but how's my spelling ? Not good. It should be independent - all the Es 07 Which is the longer, the river Severn or the river Shannon ? Shannon, 240 miles versus 220 miles 08 In which countries does the Mekong river begin and end ? Tibet, Vietnam 09 .... and how long is it ? (to the nearest 100 miles) 2702 miles 10 What is an euphemism ? An inoffensive word or phrase substituted for an unpleasant or hurtful one e.g. 'He passed away', for 'he died' 11 What is the longest gestation period for any animal ? The Asiatic elephant, 609 days (20 months) 12 What is an 'aye-aye' ? A Madagascan nocturnal primate, related to a lemur. It is an endangered species 13 A phobia is an irrational fear of an object, situation or organism. What is a fear of animals ? Zoophobia 14 .... and of water ? Hydrophobia 15 .... and of meat ? Carnophobia 16 Who discovered penicillin and were Nobel Prize winners in 1945 ? Fleming, Chain and Florey 17 What does the binary number 1001 represent as a decimal number ? 9 18 What is a sextet ? A group of six musicians 19 What is a sestet ? A group of six lines of verse 20 What is the name of the Russian Parliament ? The Duma 21 What is the name of the Israel Assembly ? The Knesset 22 What was the name of the man who managed to get into the Queen's bedroom in 1982 ? Michael Fagan 23 What is a Filibuster ? To 'talk out' a bill by prolonging debate until time allocated expires 24 What was the estimated population of Australia in 1995 (to the nearest million) ? 18 million 25 The area of France is 2¼ times greater than UK, yet the populations are the same. True or False ? True. France 213,000 sq miles, UK 94,500 sq miles. Population of both (1995) = 58 million 26 In which story do we hear about Never-Never Land ? Peter Pan 27 .... and what were the two reasons why Peter Pan was different from other boys ? 1) He never grew up 2)He could fly 28 Which religious order was founded by a monk who has given his name to a liqueur still made in a French abbey ? Benedictine 29 The poet's first names were Thomas Stearns. What was his surname ? Eliot 30 The poet's first names were Gerard Manley. What was his surname ? Hopkins 31 What is the capital of Pakistan ? Islamabad 32 What is the capital of Indonesia ? Jakarta 33 Which European country invaded and conquered Ethiopia between 1935 and 1937 ? Italy 34 What was James Butler Hickock's nickname ? Wild Bill Hickock 35 Sherriff Pat Garrett killed a young outlaw who had previously been his friend. Whom ? Billy the Kid 36 For what event in Berlin is 1989 remembered ? The removal of the Berlin Wall 37 .... and for what event in China is 1989 remembered ? The Tiananmen Square massacre 38 Which spiritual leader was forced to leave his homeland in 1959 ? The Dalai Lama (Tibet) 39 Who is a 'True Blue' ? A Conservative supporter 40 What company is nicknamed 'Mr Blue' ? IBM 41 In the film '2001 a Space Odyssey' the computer that took over was called 'HAL'. What is the significance of this name ? The three letters are each those that come immediately before 'IBM', respectively 42 Who plays 'Lovejoy' on television ? Ian McShane 43 With which sport do you associate Ray Reardon ? Snooker 44 What is the maximum possible break at Snooker ? 147 45 How many red balls are on the table at the beginning of a frame of snooker ? 15 46 For what has Ogden Nash achieved fame ? Humorous poetry 47 What organ is defective in diabetics ? The pancreas gland 48 Injections of what are often used to treat diabetics ? Insulin 49 Insulin is a drug. True or False ? False. It is a hormone 50 What is a metaphor ? A figure of speech in which one person or thing is described in terms of another e.g. He's a cunning fox 51 What is the meaning of 'critical mass' in marketing jargon ? The minimum size required to start a thing off, or to keep a thing going 52 What is a burgee ? The flag of a sailing club, or the small triangular flag carried by a sailing dinghy 53 What is mascara ? A cosmetic for darkening the eyelashes 54 What is Muscadet ? A French dry white wine 55 Where is the Mason-Dixon Line ? In the USA, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania 56 Which is the odd one out : Grandfather, Sibling, Brother-in-law, Mother, Aunt ? Sibling - all the others refer to a specific sex 57 If a sundial is the timepiece with the fewest moving parts, which timepiece has the most moving parts ? An hourglass 58 What does RPN stand for ? Reverse Polish Notation - an electronic calculator input system 59 How can you recognise a calculator that uses RPN ? There is no = key - it has an 'Enter' key instead 60 What is hyperbole ? The deliberate use of exaggeration for emphasis