b <NO_N Q_CúA_Cú 1Apart from television, what is "the thief of time" ? Procrastination - Edward Young, 'Night thoughts' 2What is an 'epicure' ? A person with refined tastes, especially in food and drink 3The 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, 49ø North 4.... 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 5.... and which Great Lake does this border not transit ? Lake Michigan 6I like to be independant, but how's my spelling ? Not good. It should be independent - all the Es 7Which is the longer, the river Severn or the river Shannon ? Shannon, 240 miles versus 220 miles 8In which countries does the Mekong river begin and end ? Tibet, Vietnam 9.... and how long is it ? (to the nearest 100 miles) 2702 miles 10What is an euphemism ? An inoffensive word or phrase substituted for an unpleasant or hurtful one e.g. 'He passed away', for 'he died' 11What is the longest gestation period for any animal ? The Asiatic elephant, 609 days (20 months) 12What is an 'aye-aye' ? A Madagascan nocturnal primate, related to a lemur. It is an endangered species 13A 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 16Who discovered penicillin and were Nobel Prize winners in 1945 ? Fleming, Chain and Florey 17What does the binary number 1001 represent as a decimal number ? 9 18What is a sextet ? A group of six musicians 19What is a sestet ? A group of six lines of verse 20What is the name of the Russian Parliament ? The Duma 21What is the name of the Israel Assembly ? The Knesset 22What was the name of the man who managed to get into the Queen's bedroom in 1982 ? Michael Fagan 23What is to Filibuster ? To 'talk out' a bill by prolonging debate until time allocated expires 24What was the estimated population of Australia in 1995 (to the nearest million) ? 18 million 25The area of France is 2¬ 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 26In 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 28Which religious order was founded by a monk who has given his name to a liqueur still made in a French abbey ? Benedictine 29The poet's first names were Thomas Stearns. What was his surname ? Eliot 30The poet's first names were Gerard Manley. What was his surname ? Hopkins 31What is the capital of Pakistan ? Islamabad 32What is the capital of Indonesia ? Jakarta 33Which European country invaded and conquered Ethiopia between 1935 and 1937 ? Italy 34What was James Butler Hickock's nickname ? Wild Bill Hickock 35Sherriff Pat Garrett killed a young outlaw who had previously been his friend. Whom ? Billy the Kid 36For 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 38Which spiritual leader was forced to leave his homeland in 1959 ? The Dalai Lama (Tibet) 39Who is a 'True Blue' ? A Conservative supporter 40What company is nicknamed 'Mr Blue' ? IBM 41In 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 42Who plays 'Lovejoy' on television ? Ian McShane 43With which sport do you associate Ray Reardon ? Snooker 44What is the maximum possible break at Snooker ? 147 45How many red balls are on the table at the beginning of a frame of snooker ? 15 46For what has Ogden Nash achieved fame ? Humorous poetry 47What organ is defective in diabetics ? The pancreas gland 48Injections of what are often used to treat diabetics ? Insulin 49Insulin is a drug. True or False ? False. It is a hormone 50What 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 51What is the meaning of 'critical mass' in marketing jargon ? The minimum size required to start a thing off, or to keep a thing going 52What is a burgee ? the flag of a sailing club, or the small triangular flag carried by a sailing dinghy 53What is mascara ? A cosmetic for darkening the eyelashes 54What is Muscadet ? A French dry white wine 55Where is the Mason-Dixon Line ? In the USA, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania 56Which is the odd one out : Grandfather, Sibling, Brother-in-law, Mother, Aunt ? Sibling - all the others refer to a specific sex 57If a sundial is the timepiece with the fewest moving parts, which timepiece has the most moving parts ? An hourglass 58What does RPN stand for ? Reverse Polish Notation - an electronic calculator input system 59How can you recognise a calculator that uses RPN ? There is no = key, it has an 'Enter' key instead 60What is hyperbole ? The deliberate use of exaggeration for emphasis