1. In the New Testament:
a) Who was the woman from whom Jesus cast 7 demons? ____________________
b) Often seen on signs at football games, how does the quote from John 3:16 begin?
2. In the Old Testament:
a) Who was the husband of Jezebel? _________________________
b) As mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, what was Deborah�s occupation? ___________
3. A deficiency of what vitamin or mineral causes each of these illnesses?
a) pellagra ___________________
b) rickets ___________________
c) scurvy ___________________
d) goiter ___________________
e) beriberi ___________________
f) night blindness ___________________
4. St. George, patron saint of England, was from what country/area?
5. Name:
a) The general who called his Commander in Chief a �well-meaning baboon� and �the original gorilla.� _________________________________________
b) The man to whom he was referring. __________________________
6. Draw the Greek letters alpha and omega (upper case). (one indivisible point)
a) Alpha ________
b) Omega ________
7. In ancient Egypt, how did the gods of the afterlife determine whether the deceased�s soul had lived a blameless life?
8. Who was the only American praised by Hitler in Mein Kampf?
9. Name four of the activities that are forbidden to Muslims from dawn until sunset during the month of Ramadan.
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
10. Who was the first black woman to travel in space?
11. Ancient Egyptian gods were often depicted with the head of an animal. Which head did the following gods most often have?
a) Thoth _____________
b) Bast _____________
c) Anubis _____________
d) Hathor _____________
12. With which philosophy are Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu associated?
13. What are the contemporary names for these former Roman cities/towns?
a) Lutetia ____________
b) Londinium ____________
c) Neopolis ____________
d) Aquae Sulis ____________
14. Which famed children�s author was an accomplished amateur mycologist?
15. What are the members of the United Society of Believers in Christ�s Second Appearing better known as?
16. Name the 8 major islands of Hawaii.
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
e) ___________________
f) ___________________
g) ___________________
h) ___________________
17. What symbol is depicted on the state flag of New Mexico?
18. What color is frequently used on national flags to symbolize Islam?
19. Sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye is most famous for depicting what subjects?
20. What is the round hole at the center of the Pantheon�s dome called?
21. Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, given for outstanding achievement in what profession?
22. Who is the subject of Whistler�s painting entitled:
a) �Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1�? ___________________________
b) �Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 2�? ___________________________
23. In 10 to 12 words, state Parkinson�s Law.
24. In music, what is another name for twelve-tone technique?
25. Although this composer wrote 10 operas, only �Rusalka� was successful. Name him.
26. Which 3 Shakespeare plays has Akira Kurosawa adapted for the Japanese cinema; what are the names of the films?
a) play__________________________ d) film___________________________
b) play__________________________ e) film___________________________
c) play__________________________ f) film___________________________
27. How long/much is a:
a) fortnight? ___________________
b) score? ___________________
c) grain? ___________________
d) astronomical unit? ___________________
28. Concerning the only opera about a Herman Melville character:
a) Who wrote it? ______________________
b) What is the name of this opera? ______________________
29. So far, only one movie has ever been made in Esperanto. What is its title?
30. Regarding Easter Island:
a) What are the giant statues there called? ________________________
b) What is the natives� name for this island? ______________________
31. Who is called the Matriarch and Queen Mother of Black Dance?
32. What is the two-word phrase coined by economist Thorstein Veblen to describe the ostentatious display of wealth made by the nouveau riche?
33. Who was the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for music?
34. What is the literary form of Alice Walker�s novel, �The Color Purple�?
35. Which Shakespeare play features the following lesser-known characters?
a) Fluellen, Pistol, Bardolph: _____________________________
b) Cassio, Roderigo, Emilia: _____________________________
c) Maria, Feste, Sebastian: _____________________________
d) Leonato, Don John, Dogberry: _____________________________
e) Count Paris, Nurse, Escalus: _____________________________
36. Concerning the phrase �Dulce et decorum est��:
a) Complete the phrase: ___________________________
b) and c) With which two poets is this phrase associated?
___________________ and _______ ___________________
37. What do the following things symbolize in Christian art?
a) lamb ___________________
b) palm ___________________
c) clover ___________________
d) cockleshell ___________________
e) rabbit ___________________
38. Which war was known as:
a) �Mr. Polk�s War�? _______________________________
b) �Mr. Madison�s War�? ____________________________
39. Of his many accomplishments, which three did Thomas Jefferson select to be carved on his tombstone?
a) _________________________________________________________
b) _________________________________________________________
c) _________________________________________________________
40. For each Civil War battle, indicate whether it was a victory for the Union (U) or the Confederacy (C); and the state where the battle took place (USPS abbreviations okay).
Battle Victor State
Vicksburg a)_____ b)__________
First Bull Run (Manassas) c)_____ d)__________
Gettysburg e)_____ f)__________
Chickamauga g)_____ h)__________
Shiloh i)_____ j)__________
41. Concerning Shakespeare characters:
a) Which character has the same given name as the wife of a famous assassin?
b) Which character has a name that is Hebrew for �lion of God�?
c) In �The Winter�s Tale,� what happens to the character who exits, �pursued by a bear�?
d) What is the name of the merchant of Venice?
e) Who are the �merry wives of Windsor�? (two names, one indivisible point)
42. The gladiator known as a �retiarius� used what object as a weapon?
43. By what name is El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz better known?
44. Name the first and last emperors of China.
a) first: _________________________________
b) last: _________________________________
45. In Celsius degrees, if the subtrahend is normal body temperature and the minuend is absolute zero, what is the difference? (round answer to whole numbers)
46. Under Article Two of the Constitution, what are the three principal qualifications to be eligible for election as President of the United States?
a) __________________________________________
b) __________________________________________
c) __________________________________________
47. Which two U.S. Presidents paid a substitute to fight in his place in the Civil War?
a) ________________________________
b) ________________________________
48. What commodity is the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme meant to prevent the sale of? (specific two-word answer)
49. What is believed to have been the loudest sound ever heard?
50. Landmines:
a) Which continent is the most mined? ____________________
b) Which country is the most mined? ____________________
51. U.S. Surgeon General:
a) Who was the first woman/first Hispanic to hold this post? ___________________
b) Who was the first African-American to hold this post? _____________________
52. Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery is reserved for whose burial?
53. Who was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
54. Paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge proposed what theory of evolution? (two words)
55. What are the five kingdoms currently used to classify living organisms?
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
e) ___________________
56. How many of the planets in our solar system have rings?
57. What do these �CSI� acronyms stand for?
a) CODIS ________________________________________
b) AFIS ________________________________________
c) PCR ________________________________________
d) GCMS ________________________________________
58. The ampullae of Lorenzini enable sharks to do what?
59. More insects belong to which order than any other?
60. What is the common name of Apis mellifera? (be specific)
61. Which regular polygon has internal angles of 120 degrees?
62. In geology:
a) What is it called when one tectonic plate sinks under another? _______________
b) What does the presence of shocked quartz, tektites, and iridium indicate?____________________________________________
63. What is the 3-word term synonymous with �apoptosis�?
64. What are the four strokes necessary to run an internal combustion engine?
a) _____________________
b) _____________________
c) _____________________
d) _____________________
65. The immune system:
a) What are the 2 main types of immune system lymphocytes? (one indivisible point)
b) Levels of which lymphocyte are measured to indicate the strength of the immune system in AIDS patient?
66. Define �formication.�
67. The Sabin vaccine:
a) How is it administered? _________________
b) Which disease is it meant to prevent? ____________________
68. Which of these years are leap years? Circle your answer(s). (one point for each correct answer; minus one point for each incorrect answer)
1300 1600 1900 2200
1400 1700 2000 2300
1500 1800 2100 2400
69. Which is longer, a nautical mile or a standard mile? (you may circle your answer)
70. What is the name of dwarf planet Eris�s moon?
71. There is a brief period of time after serious trauma, beyond which the likelihood of an accident victim�s survival without treatment drops off dramatically. What do traumatologists call this period?
72. What is teratology the study of?
73. Not just for men: who is the NFL�s all-time leading rusher, and a heckuva dancer?
74. Name four common, commercially-grown plants that belong to the nightshade family.
a) _____________________
b) _____________________
c) _____________________
d) _____________________
75. What is the formula for �body mass index� (BMI)?
76. Name the animal that is the source of the fiber:
a) angora: ______________
b) cashmere:______________
c) merino: ______________
d) mohair: ______________
e) qiviut: ______________
77. Only 2 mammals cannot synthesize vitamin C. One is human beings. What is the other?
78. Which two gigantic statues were blown up by the Taliban? (two-word name; one indivisible point)
79. Which State Quarter depicts a person who was a prolific author, anti-war activist, lecturer and socialist?
80. Identify the geographic �Triangles� associated with the following descriptions:
a) �mysterious� ship and airplane disappearances: _______________Triangle
b) illicit opium cultivation in S.E. Asia: _____________ Triangle
c) area of California Coast noted for shark attacks: _____________ Triangle
d) Pacific Ocean area of enormous biological diversity: ____________ Triangle
e) Iraqi area of intense insurgent resistance: ____________ Triangle
81. What do you do with it? A = eat/drink it. B = wear it. C = spend it. D = play it. E = speak it.
a) Cloche ____
b) Ringgit ____
c) Baryton ____
d) Tomalley ____
e) Senet ____
f) Miniver ____
g) Dari ____
h) Ngultrum ____
i) Peruke ____
j) Turducken ____
82. Who is the most famous sculptor of ancient Greece?
83. Name the four parts of Wagner�s Der Ring des Nibelungen.
a) _____________________________
b) _____________________________
c) _____________________________
d) _____________________________
84. Who was the only jockey to win Thoroughbred Racing�s Triple Crown twice?
85. Translate the following words of Cockney rhyming slang:
a) loaf : _________
b) trouble: _________
c) titfer: _________
d) khyber: _________
86. Name the first female self-made millionaire who developed and marketed a hugely successful line of beauty and hair-care products for black women.
87. Name three members of the Algonquin Round Table.
a) _______________________________________
b) _______________________________________
c) _______________________________________
88. What is the title of the only ballet score written by Beethoven?
89. Where is the oldest continuously-inhabited residential street in the U.S.?
90. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry:
a) Who was the colonel in command of this infantry in 1863?
b) Who made up the bulk of this regiment?
91. One of the most highly-decorated units of the U.S. Army in WWII, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was composed mainly of what type of soldier?
92. The flag of Nunavut displays a particular kind of rock pile or cairn that is an Inuit cultural symbol. It has also been chosen as the symbol for the 2010 Winter Olympics. What is it called in its native language?
93. Who was married to Martha Washington�s great-granddaughter Mary Custis?
94. Which vice-president declined to campaign in inner cities, saying, �If you�ve seen one ghetto, you�ve seen them all�?
95. Who said it?
a) �One useless man is a disgrace, two a law firm, three or more a Congress.�
b) �No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.�
c) �We are made of star stuff.�
d) �It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.�
e) �If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. �Many a man dated his ruin from some murder or other that perhaps he thought little of at the time.�
96. Which country has the highest percentage of its population incarcerated?
97. What two famous cipher machines, one German and one Japanese, were used in WWII?
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
98. Ripped from the scary headlines: what do these public health acronyms stand for?
a) MRSA _________________________________________________
b) XDRTB _________________________________________________
c) SARS _________________________________________________
99. How many years elapsed between the first modern Olympic games set in Athens and the second in that city?
100. Ancient Societies:
a) Which ancient society outlawed money, disposed of its weak children, and encouraged male homosexuality?
b) What two adjectives has it given to the English language? (two words, one indivisible point)
________________________ and _______ ___________________
101. In finance, what does DRIP mean?
102. What weapon was used to neutralize the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog?
103. What is the formula for converting Centigrade temperature into Fahrenheit?
104. Who coined the phrase, �survival of the fittest�?
105. What are the four basic forces which act on an airplane in flight?
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
106. When are crepuscular animals primarily active?
107. Name the five events of the modern Olympic Pentathlon.
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
e) ___________________
108. Who electrocuted an elephant to prove the dangers of alternating current?
109. Which two species of shark are the largest?
a) ______________________
b) ______________________
110. Identify this animal: it has twelve legs, ten eyes, and the ability to see in the UV spectrum of light. It has blue blood that is used in biomedical research. Its eggs are an important source of food for migratory birds. Its species has been around for half a billion years or so.
111. Poison:
a) What poison is derived from the castor bean? ________________
b) Who was the Bulgarian defector killed with this in the �Poison Umbrella Case�?
112. What is the study of fungi called?
113. Smoke Detectors:
a) Which radioactive substance is used in smoke detectors? ________________
b) What type of radiation does it emit? ________________
114. What are the four stages of mitotic cell division?
a) _______________________
b) _______________________
c) _______________________
d) _______________________
115. Perhaps the most important prayer in Judaism, it is written on mezuzot scrolls; observant Jews aspire to have it be the words they utter with their last breath. What is this prayer called?
116. Fill in the blanks below: (a) the number of faces of an icosahedron, minus (b) the number of faces of a dodecahedron, divided by (c) the number of faces of a tetrahedron, equals (d).
a) ________
b) ________
c) ________
d) ________
117. What are the four possible causes of a tsunami?
a) _____________________________________
b) _____________________________________
c) _____________________________________
d) _____________________________________
118. Draw:
a) The symbol for Yin-Yang
b) The symbol for the bass clef
119. Arrange these items in a quincunx: o o o o o
120. Where was the world�s largest multiple-aircraft disaster?
121. Write the letters from the map next to the names listed below:
Arafura Sea _____ Northern Territory _____
Bass Strait _____ Queensland _____
Coral Sea _____ South Australia _____
Great Australian Bight _____ Tasmania _____
Great Barrier Reef _____ Tasman Sea _____
Gulf of Carpentaria _____ Timor Sea _____
Indian Ocean _____ Western Australia _____
New South Wales _____ Victoria _____
122. What two-word phrase is used for the Plains Indian battle practice of touching an enemy and then retreating unharmed?
123. Which 1991 movie, which swept the Oscars for Best Picture, Actress, Director and Adapted Screenplay, also featured one of the shortest Best Actor-winning roles to date?
124. Give the specific names for the male and female of the following animals:
Male Female
coyote a)_____________ b)_______________
peafowl c)_____________ d)_______________
swan e)_____________ f)_______________
rabbit g)_____________ h)_______________
ass i)_____________ j)_______________
Tie Breaker: Name the Nine Muses:
a) ___________________
b) ___________________
c) ___________________
d) ___________________
e) ___________________
f) ___________________
g) ___________________
h) ___________________
i) ___________________
Mensa’s Culture Quest 2008
5 people – 90 minutes – No references
