01 What is the full name of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" ? "The Hobbit or There and Back Again" 02 What is Trinity House ? The organisation responsible for lighthouse administration in England and Wales 03 What is an allegory ? a story, play, poem or picture in which the meaning or message is represented symbolically 04 What does nobody want, but nobody wants to lose ? False teeth 05 If New York is nicknamed the "Big Apple", what city is called the "Big Easy" ? New Orleans 06 ....and what famous sportsman is also nicknamed the "Big Easy" ? Ernie Els the golfer 07 In what sport would you find a Popping Crease ? Cricket 08 What is a panacea ? An universal remedy 09 What is tautology ? The repetition of the same thing in different words e.g. 'They arrived one after the other in succession' 10 What does an 'Achilles heel' mean ? A weakness 11 At September 1998, who is the world Open Squash champion ? Peter Nichol of Scotland 12 What is the difference between a north wind and a north road ? The wind is coming from the north but the road is going to the north 13 On the back seat of a car lies a spirit level. When the car goes round a sharp bend which way will the bubble in the level move, in towards the curb or out towards the middle of the road ? Inwards 14 If the cost of 1 is £1 and the cost of 10 is £2, what is the cost of 200 ? £3 - house numbers 15 What was the nationality of Roget, of Roget's Thesaurus fame ? English. Peter Mark Roget born January 18 1779 in London, died September 12 1869 in West Malvern, Worcestershire. His Thesaurus was first published in 1852 16 Two fathers and two sons went into a bar for a drink together. They spent £15, and each spent the same amount. How much did each man spend ? £5. The men were a grandfather, his son and his grandson 17 How many times can you subtract the number 2 from the number 38 ? Once ; after that you are no longer subtracting from the number 38 18 If a cockney said "Lend 'im a quid, e's 'arts" what was he ? Broke (Hearts of Oak) 19 3 boxes hold 2 marbles each, black or white a)BB b)WW c)BW - but all box labels are wrong. By taking 1 marble from 1 box you can always tell the contents of all 3 boxes. Which box ? Always take a marble from the box labelled 'BW'.Think about it 20 After eating, 3 diners, unaware the bill is £25, each give the girl £10. She pockets £2 of the change and gives £1 to each diner. 3x9=£27, plus £2 stolen, where is the other pound ? Nowhere. The £30 is irrelevant. £25 for the meal, plus £2 stolen = £27 21 If a cockney said "I'm joining the Kate" what was he doing ? Joining the army (Kate Karney) 22 The suspect said that he had found the suicide note in the library, between pages 7 and 8 of Roget's Thesaurus. How did the detective know that the suspect was lying ? Even-numbered pages are always printed on the back of the previous page 23 If it is now 1998, what year was it 2000 years ago ? 3 BC. There was no year 0 : the year before 1 AD was 1 BC 24 If a cockney said "She's got lovely minces" what would he mean ? Eyes (Mince pies) 25 If I save 1p on the first day of January, 2p on the second, 4p on the third and continue, each day saving twice as much as the day before, how much will I have saved by 31st January (to the nearest £1,000) ? £19,005 26 In the Smith family each girl has as many sisters as brothers and each boy has twice as many sisters as brothers. How many children were there ? 3 boys and 4 girls 27 What is the currency of Kenya ? The Kenya shilling 28 What is the currency of Mauritius ? The Mauritian rupee 29 Who was the United Kingdom Prime Minister in 1954 ? Sir Winston Churchill 30 Who was the President of the United States in 1954 ? Dwight D. Eisenhower 31 In what year did Bangladesh become an independent state ? 1971 32 What is a monologue ? A long speech by a single performer in a drama 33 Who is the only Nobel Prize winner to appear in the cricketer's almanac, Wisden ? Samuel Beckett 34 Where was Samuel Beckett born ? Ireland 35 It's not right and it's not fair. What is it ? A black man's left leg 36 What is 'scat' singing ? Improvised jazz singing, using sounds imitating instruments 37 What nationality was Hercule Poirot ? Belgian 38 What do Americans call the season that we term Autumn ? The Fall 39 En route for Inverness, Jock meets identical twins at a fork. One is truthful and one lies. What 1 question can he ask either, and be sure of the correct road ? "If I ask your twin the way to Inverness, what will he say ?". He then goes the opposite way 40 We call it the car 'boot'. What do Americans call it ? The trunk 41 We call it a 'shirt'. What do Americans call it ? A vest 42 What is the biggest-selling single of all time ? Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby 43 Which group have had the most hit singles ? The Bee Gees with 35 hits 44 Which country has the most land boundaries ? China, 15 (Was 16 with Hong Kong) 45 Who wrote 'The Water Babies' ? Charles Kingsley 46 .... and which English public school did Charles Kingsley attend ? King's College School, Wimbledon 47 What is the definite article ? 'The' 48 .... and the indefinite article ? 'A' or 'An' 49 What nationality was Gustav Holst ? An English composer and music teacher, he was born at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in 1874, of an English mother and a Swedish father 50 .... and what is his most famous work ? The Planets 51 Who wrote 'Bonfire of the Vanities' ? Tom Wolfe 52 What is nicknamed the 'funny bone' ? The elbow 53 .... and what is the origin of that nickname ? It is a pun on 'humerus' , the Latin name for the arm bone 54 What does 'obsolete' mean ? Antiquated, out of date 55 .... and what does 'obsolescent' mean ? Becoming obsolete, going out of date 56 What is a feisty person ? A spirited person, one who is aggressive 57 What is the oldest species of tree known to man ? The gingko, known to be at least 350 million years old 58 Who ate the first sandwich ? Lord Sandwich, so that he could continue gambling without interruption 59 What is a 'wet blanket' ? A spoilsport - one who dampens down a fire, or enthusiasm 60 Where is Brakspear's Brewery located ? Henley-on-Thames