THE 32nd QUIZ

Apologies for the delay; I've been very busy. Here goes:


1. Which hystricognath rodent, the sole member of the family Dinomyidae in the infraorder Caviomorpha, is sometimes known, quite wonderfully in my opinion, as 'Count Branicki's terrible mouse'?
2. In August 2007, 14 convicted prisoners escaped from which detention centre in Oxfordshire?
3. Which Neil Young song did Kurt Cobain quote in his suicide note?
4. Which bandy-legged dwarf of Egyptian mythology was the god of pleasure, jollity, music and childbirth?
5. Which country uses the Convertible Mark as its unit of currency?
6. Which female ballet dancer defected to the West while dancing with the Kirov Ballet in London in 1972?
7. The capital city of which island group is located on New Providence Island?
8. In September 2006, after the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which stated that double jeopardy should be abrogated where "fresh and viable" new evidence came to light, who became the first person to be convicted of murder after previously being acquitted? He had twice previously been tried for the murder of Julie Hogg in Billingham in 1989, but two juries failed to reach a verdict and he was formally acquitted in 1991. When the new law came into effect he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
9. The 1997 film 'Jackie Brown' was adapted from the novel 'Rum Punch', written by which American author?
10. Which King of Scotland was the father of Mary, Queen of Scots?
11. Which Greek mythological figure was driven mad and pursued by the Furies after he murdered Aegisthus and his mother, Clytemnestra?
12. Six new species to science, a horseshoe bat, a rodent, two shrews and two species of insects, were discovered in a forest in which country in August 2007?
13. Who was the first white rapper to have a number 1 single in the USA?
14. In 1958, which English explorer led the first expeditionary team to complete an overland crossing of Antarctica?
15. In which city is the Imperial Crypt, which was used as the principal place of entombment for the Habsburg dynasty and hereditary Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire?
16. For what did the K stand in the name of the author Jerome K Jerome?
17. Which is the northernmost town on the British mainland?
18. In 1935, who became the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth established under American tutelage?
19. The Islets of Langerhans are a feature of which organ in the human body?
20. Who was the American engine driver and folk hero on the Cannonball Express who died in 1900 trying to prevent his train from crashing into a freight train?
21. Which racing trainer achieved the record of the most National Hunt winners during the 20th Century?
22. In August 2007, which San Francisco Giants baseballer hit his 756th career home run, passing Hank Aaron as the all-time leader in Major League Baseball?
23. Which southern African breed of dog is also known as the 'African lion hound'?
24. What was the first name of Mr Cruft who established the famous dog show in 1886?
25. The ancient cities of Apollonia, Butrini and Krujë are all tourist attractions in which country?
26. Which poem by Richard Lovelace contains the famous line, “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage”?
27. Inhabitants of which American state are known as 'cornhuskers'?
28. Which French politician was President of the European Commission between 1985 and 1995?
29. What kind of creature is Smoochy in the 2002 film 'Death to Smoochy'?
30. The Salarian Way was a Roman road that linked Rome to which city?
31. What is the scientific name given to the ability of some animals, such as lizards, to self-amputate a part of their body in order to elude a predator?
32. TrES-4 is the largest known planet in the universe and was discovered in August 2007 in which constellation?
33. Reaching number 28 in the UK charts in 1980, which group's first hit was entitled 'Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu'?
34. In which American state were the Seminole Wars fought from 1835 to 1842?
35. Which German-Dutch alchemist and chemist, who was the first person to produce hydrochloric acid, is known as 'the German Boyle'?
36. 'The Age of Anxiety' is the nickname of which composer's 2nd Symphony?
37. In which African country would you find the Toubkal National Park?
38. In September 1956, which singer became the first person to have four UK number 1 singles when 'A Woman in Love' reached the top spot in the charts?
39. What was the name of the naturalist and explorer, known as the 'Father of Biogeography', who proposed a theory of natural selection in his books 'The Malay Archipelago' and 'Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection'?
40. What was the name of the ship that was supposed to sail to America with the Mayflower but had to return to Plymouth because of a leak?
41. In 1975, who became the first English player to be sent-off in a rugby union international match?
42. Riots occurred in which country in August 2007 after it was announced that Xanana Gusmão would become the next Prime Minister?
43. At 87 hours long, which 1987 Lee Groban film is listed by the 'Guinness Book of Records' as the longest film ever made?
44. Which once common household item was invented by Melville R Bissell in 1876?
45. What does a laclabphilist collect?
46. What is the title of Arthur C Clarke's 1948 novel upon which the film '2001: A Space Odyssey' was based?
47. Which sea, an arm of the Mediterranean, separates Tuscany from Corsica?
48. The expression 'Cloud-Cuckoo-Land' is taken from a line in which play by the Greek dramatist Aristophanes?
49. Which Scottish football team is the only one to have played in both English and Scottish FA Cup finals?
50. Who was the King of Greece during World War II, who went into exile after the German invasion in 1941?


And the answers:


1. PACARANA
2. CAMPSFIELD HOUSE
3. HEY HEY, MY MY (INTO THE BLACK)
4. BES
5. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINIA
6. NATALIA MAKAROVA
7. BAHAMAS
8. WILLIAM DUNLOP
9. ELMORE LEONARD
10. JAMES V
11. ORESTES
12. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
13. VANILLA ICE
14. VIVIAN FUCHS
15. VIENNA
16. KLAPKA
17. THURSO
18. MANUEL QUEZON
19. PANCREAS
20. CASEY JONES
21. MARTIN PIPE
22. BARRY BONDS
23. RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK
24. CHARLES
25. ALBANIA
26. TO ALTHEA, FROM PRISON
27. NEBRASKSA
28. JACQUES DELORS
29. RHINOCEROS
30. ANCONA
31. AUTOTOMY
32. HERCULES
33. BAD MANNERS
34. FLORIDA
35. JOHANN RUDOLF GLAUBER
36. LEONARD BERNSTEIN
37. MOROCCO
38. FRANKIE LAINE
39. ALFRED RUSSELL WALLACE
40. SPEEDWELL
41. MIKE BURTON
42. EAST TIMOR
43. THE CURE FOR INSOMNIA
44. CARPET SWEEPER
45. CHEESE LABELS
46. THE SENTINEL
47. LIGURIAN SEA
48. THE BIRDS
49. QUEENS PARK
50. GEORGE II