Episode 8 University Challenge

Asking the questions,

Jeremy Paxman.

Hello. Around 100 questions and the best part of half an hour stand between tonight's two teams

and a place in the second round. Winners go through automatically,

losers could qualify to play again.

Imperial College, London, used to be part of the University of London,

until it gained independence in 2007

and it now has a student body drawn from around 125 nationalities,

which in the past has included HG Wells, who studied Biology under TH Huxley,

Roger Bannister and the future Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.

Imperial is one of the finest scientific institutions in the world and doesn't offer any arts courses,

but tonight's team are determined not to be "nerds who can fix a computer,

"but can't appreciate a good novel." With an average age of 21 and representing around 13,000 students,

let's meet the Imperial team.

Good evening. My name is Pietro Aronica. I come from Brescia, Italy, working on my PhD in Biochemistry.

Hello. My name's Dominic Cottrell, from London, reading Medicine.

-Their captain...

-Hello. My name's Martin Evans, from Oxfordshire, studying Pharmacology.

Hello. I'm Henry Guille, from Kent, reading Material Science.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Jesus College, Cambridge, was founded on the site of a derelict nunnery by the Bishop of Ely

in 1496. It began as a seminary for the Church of England and was content

to remain relatively small and poor. It expanded greatly in the 19th century.

Notable Jesuans include Thomas Cranmer, the author of Tristram Shandy Laurence Sterne,

the poet Coleridge and, more recently, philosopher Roger Scruton and novelist Nick Hornby.

Representing around 700 students and with an average age of 19,

let's meet the team from Jesus College, Cambridge.

Hello. I'm Alistair Bolger from Newcastle, reading Medicine.

Hello. I'm Thomas Wood from Northamptonshire, and I'm reading Russian and French.

-And their captain...

-Hello. I'm Alex Kite from Cambridge, reading Maths.

Hi. I'm Nina Fetherston from Chester, reading Spanish and Russian.

APPLAUSE

OK, the rules, as ever: 10 points for starters, 15 for bonuses,

starters are solo efforts, bonuses are team efforts.

Here's your first starter for 10.

Why Orwell Matters, Letters To A Young Contrarian...

-Christopher Hitchens.

-Correct.

Your bonuses are on queens and their lovers, Imperial.

David Riccio was an Italian courtier murdered at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, in 1566,

when he was suspected of being the lover of which queen?

-Mary, Queen of Scots.

-Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper were accused of being the lovers

of which English queen, who was executed in 1542?

Anne Boleyn.

-Lady Jane Grey.

-No, it was Catherine Howard.

Which English king, who ruled from 1302, is believed to have been murdered by his wife, Isabella,

and her lover, Roger Mortimer, in 1327?

-Edward II.

-Correct. Another starter question now.

Its name thought by some to derive from the Arabic for fountains or baths,

the Alfama is one of the oldest areas in which European capital?

Largely spared in the earthquake of 1755...

-Lisbon.

-Lisbon is correct, yes.

These bonuses are on non-violence.

Derived from Sanskrit for "without injury", which Buddhist and Hindu doctrine expresses the principle

of respect for all living creatures and urges the avoidance of violence?

-We don't know.

-It's ahimsa. Giving its name to an opera by Philip Glass

what term was used by Mahatma Gandhi for his policy of non-violent resistance to British rule?

-Nominate Cottrell.

-Koyaanisqatsi?

No, Satyagraha. And, finally, in April, 1930, after a 240-mile march,

what commodity did Gandhi and his followers gather at Dandi as one of their protests?

-Salt.

-Correct.

Another starter. A flat layer of carbon atoms, tightly packed into a two-dimensional honeycomb,

which material is both the thinnest and the strongest...

-Graphene.

-Graphene is correct, yes.

Your bonuses are on scientific laws.

Born in Ireland in 1627,

which scientist gives his name to a law that states that at constant temperature,

the volume of a given mass of gas is inversely proportional to pressure?

-Boyle.

-Two German-born physicists give their names to the law of photo-chemical equivalence,

stating each quantum of radiation absorbed in a photo-chemical process causes a single reaction.

One is Einstein. Who's the other, a leader of the pro-Nazi Deutsche Physik movement?

-Einstein-Boltzmann.

-No, it's Johannes Stark.

Using modern terminology, whose first law proposes that during meiosis

the two members of any pair of alleles possessed by an individual

will separate to different gametes and subsequently different offspring?

-Mendel.

-Correct. Another starter. In the Oxford English Dictionary,

definitions of what word include a gummy, thread-like substance found in the head of a sperm whale,

an entanglement or complication, a teller of tales,

a condition of tremulous excitement or a state of agitation...

-Spin?

-No, you lose 5 points. ..and the continuous chirping of a bird?

It is also the name of a social networking and micro-blogging service.

-Twitter.

-Correct.

Right, these bonuses are on the plays of Arthur Miller.

About which play did he write, "I believe the reader will discover here the essential nature

"of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history"?

-The Crucible.

-He made his name with which play, first performed in 1947,

about a businessman responsible for selling faulty airline parts?

-All My Sons.

-Which of his plays ends in a darkening cemetery with the character Linda repeating,

"We're free"?

-Death Of a Salesman.

-Correct. We'll take a picture round.

You're going to see a map showing the confluence of two major rivers.

For 10 points, please give me the names of both rivers.

-Murray and Darling.

-It is the Murray and the Darling, yes!

Right. You're away. Your picture bonuses are maps showing three more confluences of rivers.

Again, in each case name both the rivers.

Firstly...

-Mississippi and Missouri, do you think?

-Er...

-The Mississippi and the Missouri?

-No, Mississippi and Ohio. Secondly...

-Ganges and Brahmaputra?

-No, the Ganges and the Yamuna. And, finally...

The Rhine and the... What's round there?

-The Rhine and the Mosel?

-Correct!

Another starter question now.

With a Greek-derived name meaning "Earth apple" because of the smell of its flowers,

which European plant of the daisy family bears white and yellow flowers used in making an infusion?

-Dandelion?

-No. Jesus?

-Camomile?

-Camomile is correct, yes.

These bonuses are on the internet, Jesus College.

A precursor to the modern-day internet, what 7-letter acronym

is the name of the world's first operational packet switching network?

-Any idea? No idea.

-It was the ARPANET.

Which British computer scientist invented the world wide web

and was the author of the first web client and server at CERN in 1990?

-Tim Berners-Lee?

-Correct. From a Hawaiian word meaning quick,

what four-letter word did Ward Cunningham apply to software enabling any user of a website

to edit its contents?

-Wiki.

-Wiki?

-Correct.

10 points for this. According to one explanation by its author, the title of which novel of 1962

is a metaphor for "an organic entity, full of juice and sweetness..."

-Clockwork Orange.

-Correct.

These bonuses are on a symbol, Imperial.

Which region of France gives its name to the double-barred cross used by Free French forces in WWII?

-Lorraine.

-A red shield with a white double-barred cross appears on the flag of which EU member state?

Switzerland... >

Croatia, isn't it?

- Croatia...? - Oh, Slovakia!

-Slovakia.

-Correct. The coat of arms of which EU member state includes a white double cross on a red base,

situated inside a small golden crown?

Is that Bosnia?

Spain?

-Spain.

-No, it's Hungary.

10 points for this. In biochemistry, which group of aromatic, hetero-cyclic, pyrole derivatives

are capable of combining with a variety of metals and form part of the structure of molecules...

-Porphyrins.

-Porphyrins is correct, yes.

Right, these bonuses are on physics.

From Greek for "throw", what name is given to the study of the propulsion and motion of projectiles?

-Ballistics.

-Correct.

If a projectile is launched with vertical speed V and the acceleration due to gravity is G,

what is the maximum height of the projectile in terms of V and G?

Er...

I don't know.

-V times G.

-VG?

No, it's V squared over two G. At what angle should the projectile be launched to maximise its range

if air resistance is neglected?

-45 degrees.

-Correct.

Another starter question now.

Appearing on the edge of a commemorative £5 coin, "Be daring, be first, be different, be just,"

is attributed to which businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner

who died in 2007?

-Anita Roddick?

-Correct.

Your bonuses are on shorter words that can be made using any of the 10 letters of the word "absolutely".

In each case, give the word from the definition. A large pill or small, rounded mass of chewed food?

-Bolus?

-Correct. An administrative division of the Russian Republic, such as Samara, Rostov or Tomsk?

-Oblast.

-Finally, a three-letter word denoting a highly-alkaline solution used for washing or cleansing?

-Soda?

-No, lye. 10 points for this.

Which Shakespeare play was originally known and performed under a title that begins,

"The first part of the contention betwixt the two famous houses of Lancaster and York..."

-Richard III?

-No, I'm afraid you lose 5 points. "..with the death of the good Duke Humphrey"?

-Henry VI Part...Three?

-It's Henry VI Part Two! Bad luck!

Another starter question. Answer as soon as you buzz.

At zero degrees Celsius and one atmosphere,

what, in litres, is the standard volume of one mole of an ideal gas?

-One litre?

-No.

Anyone from Imperial?

One decimetre cubed?

It's 22.4 litres. Another starter question.

New Math, 3.14 Apple Pi, My Whole Family and I'm Bo Yo are songs...

-Bo Burnham.

-Correct, yes.

Right, these bonuses are on hop varieties.

Firstly for five points, which large group of traditional hop varieties shares its name

with the author of Pincher Martin and Lord Of The Flies?

-Golding.

-Golding is right. Which traditional variety has a name that rhymes

with words meaning "adroitly balance several activities" and "move into a warm, cosy position"?

WHISPERING

-Cask.

-No, it's Fuggle. Finally, dating to the 1970s,

which hop variety shares its name with the deepest known point in the oceans?

WHISPERING

Trench? You've got the options.

-What?

-It shares its name.

-It shares its name? Shares its name?

-Just go with Trench.

-Trench?

-No, it's Challenger - the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.

We'll take a music round now. For your starter, you'll hear an excerpt from the overture to an opera.

For ten points, all you have to do is name the composer.

MUSIC STARTS

Mozart.

No. You can hear a little more, Imperial.

LIVELY PIECE PLAYS

-Is that Wagner?

-It is Wagner, yes.

It's the Overture to Tannhauser.

It's the most frequently performed piece of all time at the Proms,

having been performed 683 times since the first Prom in 1895.

Your bonuses are three more of the most frequently performed pieces at the Proms.

All you have to do is give me the name of the composer.

GENTLE CLASSICAL PIECE

WHISPERING

Dvorak.

-What is it?

-Dvorak.

-Dvorak.

-No, that's Tchaikovsky from the Pathetique. Secondly, the composer of this ballet suite?

DRAMATIC CLASSICAL PIECE

Rossini?

-Rossini?

-No, that's Massenet. And finally...?

LIVELY PIECE PLAYS

-It's Beethoven.

-Beethoven.

It is Beethoven, yes, the Eroica. Right, ten points for this.

With a population of 2.6 million people spread over an area more than six times that of the UK,

which Asian country...

-Mongolia.

-Mongolia is right.

The world's lowest population density.

And your bonuses this time are on chemical solvents.

What natural product is obtained by distillation of the resin of pine trees

and is used as a solvent of oil-based paints?

- Is it turpentine? Turpentine? - Could be.

-Turpentine.

-Correct.

With the molecular formula C2Cl4,

what volatile solvent is used as a dry-cleaning fluid?

Carbon tetrachloride.

-Carbon tetrachloride.

-No, it's perchloroethylene or perchloroethene or just perc.

What sweet-smelling ester with the molecular formula C4H8O2 is used in non-acetone nail varnish remover?

- Acetone? - Non-acetone.

WHISPERING

-Diphenyl ether.

-No, it's ethyl acetate.

Another starter question. What is the common name of the garden weed Equisetum arvense?

It reproduces by means of spores and has invasive, deep...

-Dandelion.

-No, you lose five points.

..and has invasive, deep-rooted rhizomes which make it difficult to control?

Why should you be gardeners? It's horsetail. Another starter question.

The period of constitutional monarchy in France from 1830 to 1848 is known by what two-word term...

The Second Republic?

No, lose five points, I'm afraid.

..after the month in which the Bourbon King Charles X was overthrown?

-The July Monarchy.

-Correct.

Imperial, these bonuses are on novels.

Firstly, James Ellroy's American Tabloid and Don DeLillo's Libra

are among novels that offer accounts of which event of November 1963?

-The assassination of JFK.

-Correct.

The Assassination Of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered As A Downhill Motor Race is a story

in The Atrocity Exhibition, an experimental collection by which British novelist who died in 2009?

-JG Ballard.

-Correct.

Combining the Kennedy assassination with the theme of time travel,

11/22/63 is a novel of 2011 by which popular US author?

-Stephen King.

-Correct. We're going to take our second picture round now.

For your starter, you will see a photograph of an Olympic stadium.

Ten points if you can identify the city in which it is located.

-Seoul?

-No. Imperial, one of you like to buzz?

-You may not confer.

-Berlin?

No, it's Athens. So, picture bonuses shortly. Another starter question.

Which major city shares its name with that of the most populous county in the United States

with nearly ten million inhabitants?

It's Los Angeles. Ten points for this.

Despite the expectations of Mark Antony, which great-nephew of Julius Caesar was named by him

in his will as both his adopted son...

-Octavius.

-Octavian or Gaius Octavius is correct, yes.

-So you get the picture bonuses.

-APPLAUSE

Three more stadia used for Summer Olympic Games.

In each case, name the host city and the year of the Games. Firstly...?

WHISPERING

- Atlanta '96? - Try that.

-Atlanta '96.

-No, it's Munich in 1972. Secondly...?

- That's Montreal. - It's Montreal.

'78? No, '76. Montreal '76.

- Munich was '76. - Hmm?

Munich was '76, so it will be '72.

Montreal '72.

-Montreal '72.

-No, it was 1976. And finally...?

-Beijing.

-Yeah, Beijing 2008.

-Beijing 2008.

-Correct, the Bird's Nest. Another starter question.

In fluid dynamics, the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability occurs

at the interface of two fluids differing in what property?

Viscosity?

Nope.

-Kinematic viscosity?

-No, it's density. Ten points for this.

The Jacobean stage work 'Tis Pity She's A Whore, the 1915 novel The Good Soldier

and the modern novels Independence Day and The Sportswriter are works by authors who share what...

-Brown.

-No, I'm afraid you lose five points.

..who share what surname?

-Ford.

-Ford is correct. John Ford, Ford Madox Ford...

And Richard Ford. OK, Imperial College, your bonuses are on British Overseas Territories.

The most northerly of the Leeward Islands, which Caribbean island's capital is The Valley?

WHISPERING

What was the name of the capital?

- The Valley. - The Valley?

Let's have it, please.

-Just go for one.

-We don't know.

-It's Anguilla.

Also including Henderson and Ducie Islands, which territory in the south-central Pacific Ocean

has its only settlement at Adamstown?

-The Virgin Islands?

-Yeah, it could be.

The Caicos Islands?

No, those are...

Let's have one, please.

-Virgin Islands.

-Pitcairn Islands. The Virgin Islands are somewhere completely different.

Located in the western North Atlantic Ocean,

which archipelago of seven main islands has Hamilton as its capital?

-Falklands?

-No, sorry.

WHISPERING

-Come on, let's be having you.

-St Helena?

-No, it's Bermuda. Ten points for this.

In which present-day country

are the cities formerly known as Alexandretta, Nicomedia, Smyrna and Angora?

-Turkey.

-Turkey is correct.

Your bonuses, Jesus, are on zoology.

Calamus, rachis and barbules are features

on which specialised epidermal structures of some vertebrates?

WHISPERING

-Worms.

-No, feathers. To which bone of a bird's wing are secondary flight feathers attached?

-No idea.

-It's the ulna. Finally, in avian anatomy, which large muscles are attached to the humerus

and are responsible for the downstroke of the wings, thus supporting the bird in flight?

-No.

-They're attached to the pectorals. Another starter question.

Which two colours link the flags of Scania in Sweden, Northumberland, Catalunya and the US...

-Red and yellow.

-Correct.

Your bonuses, Jesus, are on public figures,

specifically those that have a separate Wikipedia page devoted to their death.

In each case, name the person from the date and place of death.

Memphis, April 4th, 1968?

-Martin Luther King.

-Correct.

Tel Aviv, November 4th, 1995?

WHISPERING

-Golda Meir.

-No, that was Yitzhak Rabin.

Finally, Los Angeles, August 5th, 1962?

1962...

-Los Angeles.

-Los Angeles...

Elvis?

-Elvis?

-No, it's Marilyn Monroe.

Right, another starter question.

"Wo ai ni", "te dua" and "t'estimo"

are the respective Mandarin, Albanian and Catalan equivalents

of which three-word English sentence?

"How are you?"

No. Imperial?

-"I love you."

-Yes!

Right, your bonuses are on the works of John Milton, Imperial.

Which early poem by Milton is dedicated to a fellow student

who was drowned when his ship sank in the Irish Sea?

-Lycidas.

-Lycidas is correct. A companion piece to Il Penseroso,

which of Milton's poems concludes with the line, "Mirth with thee, I mean to live"?

WHISPERING

-We don't know.

-It's L'Allegro.

In a work of 1671, which title character does Milton describe as "eyeless in Gaza"?

WHISPERING

-Come on.

-Lucifer.

-No, it's Samson, as in Samson Agonistes.

Ten points for this. In Paradise Lost, which polysyllabic word did Milton invent

for the "high capital of Satan and his peers"?

-Pandemonium.

-Pandemonium is right.

These bonuses are on molecular biology.

In DNA, which two complementary bases are linked by three hydrogen bonds?

-Cytosine and guanine.

-Correct.

DNA polymerases add free nucleotides to a newly forming DNA strand.

In which direction do these enzymes operate?

-5' to 3'.

-Five prime to three prime, yes.

If the DNA codon of an amino acid is GAT,

what is the complementary anti-codon on messenger RNA?

CTA.

-CTA.

-No, it's CUA.

-CUA.

Ten points for this. Meaning furiously angry, which short word...

-GONG

-At the gong, Jesus College have 80 and Imperial College have 225.

You were just unlucky with a few buzzers there and the questions didn't fall right for you, Jesus,

so we'll be saying goodbye to you.

Imperial College, look forward to seeing you in Round 2.

-Join us next time for another first round match, but until then, it's goodbye from Jesus College.

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye from Imperial College.

-Goodbye.

-And goodbye from me.

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