General Knowledge Quiz 416

Questions

1. What iconic Moscow theatre reopened in 2011 after major refurbishment and earlier decades of neglect?

2. The Saltire is which country's flag?

3. The UK's most senior civil servant has traditionally held what post?

   1. Cabinet Secretary
   2. Speaker
   3. Black Rod
   4. King/Queen

4. Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in prison after appearing in an Australian film critical of what country, her homeland?

5. Yulia Tymoshenko, controversially jailed for seven years in 2011 for exceeding her authority in signing a Russian gas deal, was prime minister of which country?

6. Name the English 1960s playwright (of Loot and Entertaining Mister Sloane), imprisoned with (and later murdered by) boyfriend Kenneth Halliwell for defacing library books in 1962?

7. Name the Israeli corporal released in October 2011 by Palestinian Hamas militants, held hostage since June 2006?

8. The 30 October 2011 F1 Grand Prix is which nation's first hosting of the event?

9. Spell?

   1. Ambivolent
   2. Ambivolant
   3. Ambivelant
   4. Ambivalent

10. What sea lies directly south of the Irish Sea, bounded by England, Wales, Ireland and Brittany?

11. How many grooves are on one side of a standard 33RPM vinyl LP record?

12. From an old saying, a popular modern term for an advance booking discount is an 'Early (what)'?

13. The stern of a ship is its?

    1. Front-end
    2. Back-end
    3. Underside
    4. Deck

14. What is the darkly common name for the plague which killed 30-50% of Europe between 1347-52?

15. From Greek for gadfly, what is the sex hormonal substance which maintains/develops human female body characteristics?

16. What was the population of the world at 31 Oct 2011 according to the United Nations?

    1. 4 billion
    2. 5bn
    3. 7bn
    4. 9bn

17. What incendiary gel weapon takes its name from its napthenic and palmitic acid constituents?

18. Lumia is a product brand of which phone company?

19. Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Audemars Piguet are all notable what?

    1. Watchmakers
    2. Racing Drivers
    3. Footballers
    4. Sculptors

20. What country features centrally and ironically in a map of Europe on the reverse face of Euro coins?

21. Kaun Banega Crorepati is loose Hindi translation and an Indian version of what popular TV gameshow?

22. What military leader's name is an arm-lock applied from from behind, typically used in wrestling?

23. What grammatical sign takes its name from the Greek words 'under' and 'one'?

24. What is the Christian service or ceremony, named from Greek meaning grateful, commemorating the Last Supper?

25. Horology is the study of the measurement of what?

26. Cristina Kirchner was re-elected president of which country in October 2011?

27. What national population is projected (as at 2011) to overtake China in 2020 as the largest in the world?

28. What French term, meaning 'high dressmaking', refers internationally to expensive designer clothing, typically of leading fashion houses?

29. The word desultory means?

    1. Rude and obscene
    2. Humble and modest
    3. Disconnected and unmethodical
    4. Cooling and sobering

30. Traditional UK government terminology for the persuasion of ministers to vote according to party policy is called?

    1. Prod
    2. Poke
    3. Push
    4. Whip
    5. Lash