Round One Sample Tournament Questions


1	TOSS-UP	MATHEMATICS / GEOMETRY
What is the name given to a line that touches a circle at just one point?
Ans:	a tangent

1	BONUS	SCIENCE / BIOLOGY / ANATOMY
Give the scientific names for these parts of the body:
1.  the tailbone
2.  the cheekbone
Ans:	1.  coccyx		2.  zygoma

2	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / US HISTORY
On May 9th and 10th, 1775, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold commanded the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga in which state?
Ans:	New York

2	BONUS	FINE ARTS / ART
Identify the following terms about painting as defined below:
1.  paintings done on walls
2.  the merging of colors into each other while wet; this term applies mostly to watercolors
Ans:	1.  mural		2.  bleeding

3	TOSS-UP FINE ARTS / MYTHOLOGY
Who was the Roman ruler of the gods?
Ans:	Jupiter

3	BONUS	MATHEMATICS / ALGEBRA	(20 seconds)
Find the slope of the lines passing through the following points:
1.  (3,4) and (10,-10)
2.  (29,106) and (-29,-68)
Ans:	1.  -2		2.  3

4	TOSS-UP MISCELLANEOUS / INVENTORS
In 1654, Robert Bissaker invented what tool used for making precise calculations?  This tool was widely used up until about 25 years ago.
Ans:	slide rule

4	BONUS	SOCIAL STUDIES / US GEOGRAPHY
Give the capitals of these U.S. states:
1.  Vermont
2.  South Carolina
Ans:	1.  Montpelier		2.  Columbia

5	TOSS-UP 	SCIENCE / HEALTH
The prefix  C E P H  means "pertaining to the head".  What does the medical term "cephalalgia" mean? 
 (pronounced:  sef uh LAL jee uh)
Ans:	headache

5	BONUS	MISCELLANEOUS / GRAMMAR
1.  “A” and “an” are examples of which type of article?
2.  “The” is an example of which type of article?
Ans:	1.  indefinite		2.  definite

6	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / WORLD GEOG
French and Creole are the principal languages of the country on the western part of Hispaniola.  Name this country.
Ans:	Haiti

6	BONUS	FINE ARTS / LITERATURE
Who wrote the following books?
1.  Cyrano de Bergerac
2.  The Great Gatsby
Ans:	1.  Edmond Rostrand	2.  F. Scott Fitzgerald

7	TOSS-UP 	MISCELLANEOUS / SPELLING
Spell the word [BYOO ruh krat].
Ans:	B U R E A U C R A T

7	BONUS	SCIENCE / EARTH SCIENCE
1.  Moraines are deposits of rock, gravel, and dirt that have been left behind by what kind of natural feature?
2.  Name the ocean current that makes it possible for coral to form as far north as the Bermuda Islands.
Ans:	1.  glaciers	2.  Gulf Stream

8	TOSS-UP 	SCIENCE / ASTRONOMY
Which planet is presently the farthest away from the sun?
Ans:	Neptune

8	BONUS	MATHEMATICS / GEOMETRY
Answer these questions, and include the correct units in your answers.
1.  Find the volume of a cube with a side length of four inches.
2.  Find the area of a trapezoid with bases 5 inches and 9 inches and a height of 8.6 inches.
Ans:	1.  64 in3		2.  60.2 in2

9	TOSS-UP 	FINE ARTS / LITERATURE
Who wrote the plays Witness for the Prosecution and Ten Little Indians?
Ans:	Agatha Christie

9	BONUS	MISCELLANEOUS / VOCABULARY
1.  What 12-letter word means “pertaining to the president”?
2.  What 13-letter word means “pertaining to the governor”?
Ans:	1.  presidential	2.  gubernatorial

10	TOSS-UP 	MATHEMATICS / ALGEBRA
Find all values for x in the equation below:  4 x squared minus 16 equals zero.
Ans:	+2 and -2 (both answers must be given)

10	BONUS	SOCIAL STUDIES / WORLD GEOG
Identify the following countries from their nicknames:
1.  “The Emerald Isle”
2.  “The Land of the Rising Sun”
Ans:	1.  Ireland		2.  Japan

11	TOSS-UP 	SCIENCE / BIOLOGY
James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of what organic molecule?
Ans:	DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

11	BONUS	MISC / AMERICAN POLITICS
1.  Who was the 1996 presidential candidate for the Reform Party?
2.  Who was this person’s running mate?
Ans:	1.  Ross Perot	2.  Pat Choate

12	TOSS-UP 	FINE ARTS / ART
What American sculptor is most famous for his work on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota?
Ans:	Gutzon Borglum

12	BONUS	MATHEMATICS / ALGEBRA	(20 seconds)
Consider the line connected by the points (-3,5) and (16,-10).
1.  Find the slope of this line.
2.  Find the y-intercept of this line.
Ans:	1.  -15/19
	2.  2 12/19  (also:  0, 2 12/19)  (2 12/19 = 50/19)



13	TOSS-UP     MISC / WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
What measure of volume is approximately equal to 3.78 liters?
Ans:	the gallon

13	BONUS	SCIENCE / CHEMISTRY
1.  Which element’s Latin name is “ferrum”?
2.  Which element’s Latin name is “argentum”?
Ans:	1.  iron		2.  silver

14	TOSS-UP MATHEMATICS / GENERAL MATH
Evaluate the following Roman numeral:  MDCCCLV.
	Ans:	1855

14	BONUS	FINE ARTS / MUSIC
1.  What was the first number one song released by the Beatles in 1963?
2.  Which member of the Beatles was killed in 1980?
Ans:	1.  “Love Me Do”	2.  John Lennon

15	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / US GEOGRAPHY
Which state is known as the "Silver State"?
Ans:	Nevada

15	BONUS	SOCIAL STUDIES / AMERICAN HISTORY
In which states did the following Revolutionary War battles take place?
1.  Battle of Savannah
2.  Battle of Yorktown
Ans:	1.  Georgia		2.  Virginia

16	TOSS-UP 	MISCELLANEOUS / TRIVIA
Most broadcast radio stations in the United States are located in the FM band.  What does FM stand for?
Ans:	Frequency Modulation

16	BONUS	FINE ARTS / LITERATURE
Name the authors of these books:
1.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame	2.  Frankenstein
Ans:	1.  Victor Hugo		2.  Mary Shelley

17	TOSS-UP 	FINE ARTS / MOVIES
Who directed ET, the first film to exceed 200 million dollars in box-office receipts?
Ans:	Steven Spielberg

17	BONUS	MATHEMATICS / GENERAL MATH
Multiply these numbers:
1.  365 x 97		2.  8134 x 402
Ans:	1.  35,405		2.  3,269,868

18	TOSS-UP 	MATHEMATICS / ALGEBRA
Solve for x in the following equation:  x minus 1/2 equals 2 x minus 5/4.
Ans:	x = 3/4

18	BONUS	SCIENCE / GENERAL SCIENCE
What are the names given to the following fields of study?
1.  the study of viruses		2.  the study of spiders?
Ans:	1.  virology	2.  arachnology

19	TOSS-UP SCIENCE / BIOLOGY / ANATOMY
Rhinology is the study of what?
Ans:	the nose

19	BONUS	SOCIAL STUDIES /US GOVERNMENT
Which article of the U.S. Constitution discusses the following?
1.  the legislative branch
2.  the executive branch
Ans:	1.  the first	2.  the second

20	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / US GOVERNMENT
The Library of Congress is considered to be a part of which branch of the federal government?
Ans:	Legislative

20	BONUS	MISCELLANEOUS / SPELLING
Spell the following words, both of which begin with the letter “A”.
1.  [uh BIS]		2.  [af ro DEE zee ak]
Ans:	1.  A B Y S S	2.  A P H R O D I S I A C

21	TOSS-UP MATHEMATICS / GENERAL MATH
What is the largest square number less than 93?
Ans:	81

21	BONUS	SOCIAL STUDIES / WORLD HISTORY
1.  In 1911, who became the first person to reach the South Pole?
2.  From what country was he?
Ans:	1.  Roald Amundsen	2.  Norway


22	TOSS-UP 	FINE ARTS / LITERATURE
What book by Jonathan Swift features the land of Lilliput?
Ans: 	Gulliver's Travels

22	BONUS	SCIENCE / PHYSICS
1.  The equation “force equals mass times acceleration” is used with which of Newton’s Laws?
2.  “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” is used to describe which of Newton’s Laws?
Ans:	1.  the Second		2.  the Third

23	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / AMERICAN HISTORY
Which president appointed the most U.S. Supreme Court justices?
Ans:	George Washington (he appointed them all)

23	BONUS	FINE ARTS / LITERATURE
1.  What story by Mark Twain includes the characters Tom Canty and Edward, Prince of Wales?
2.  What short novel by Ernest Hemingway includes the characters Manolin and Santiago?
Ans: 1. The Prince and the Pauper	
         2. The Old Man and the Sea

24	TOSS-UP 	SCIENCE / CHEMISTRY
An alpha particle is synonymous with the nucleus of which element?
Ans:	Helium

24	BONUS	MATHEMATICS / TRIGONOMETRY
1.  What is the value of the sine of 30 degrees?
2.  What is the tangent of 30 degrees?
Ans:	1.  1/2		2.  square root of 3 over 3

Replacement Toss-Up Questions

RT-25.	TOSS-UP SOCIAL STUDIES / WORLD GEOG
What official language of Brazil reflects its European heritage?
Ans:	Portuguese

RT-26.	TOSS-UP 	FINE ARTS / MUSIC
What 1950's singer and pianist was famous for the song "Blueberry Hill"?
Ans:	Fats Domino	

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