Ready for a challenge? Take this year's Nichols quiz
You’ve taken the PSAT, the SAT, the ACT and the AP exams. Why not try the GIT? Just for fun? Yes, it’s time to take your shot at answering the 100 questions in the 2009 Maisel General Information Test from Nichols School.
The GIT is compiled from questions submitted by faculty and given to Upper School students just for fun. Senior John Clinton was the 2009 winner with a score of 68. The highest score of record is 81, earned by four-time winner George Binette, ’78. The GIT is created and coordinated by English teacher Richard Stratton. (Find answers on Page 8.)
1. Kathleen Sebelius, designated Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Obama’s Cabinet, is a two-term governor of ____________. a) Iowa b) Kansas c) Minnesota d) Nebraska e) Wisconsin
2. Vice-President Joe Biden represented this state for 36 years in the U.S. Senate: __________________.
3. Of what African nation is NAIROBI the capital?
4. Aside from Harry Truman, who succeeded him, Franklin Delano Roosevelt had two other vice presidents during his four terms in office. Name them. (Half-credit possible.) a) John Nance Garner b) Harry Hopkins c) Cordell Hull d) Henry Stimson e) Henry Wallace
5. CHARLES DARWIN and ABRAHAM LINCOLN were both born on the same day, Feb. 12, ________.
6.“An American in Paris,” “Porgy and Bess” and “Rhapsody in Blue” were all composed by which of these musical giants? a) George Gershwin b) Scott Joplin c) Cole Porter d) Richard Rodgers
7. A vaccine developed by Jonas T. Salk successfully combated what crippling disease in the United States?
8. The 119 extra-base hits struck by ______________ in 1921 (44 doubles, 16 triples and 59 home runs) still stands as a Major League record.
9. Exaggeration for poetic effect is called ____________. a) antithesis b) cliche c) hyperbole d) oxymoron e) tautology
10. A CYGNET is a young ____________. a) fox b) hawk c) partridge d) swan e) zebra
11. In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” ___________ is the father of Laertes and Ophelia.
12. In Homer’s “Iliad,” ___________ is the heroic son of the Trojan King Priam, who is slain in hand-to-hand combat by Achilles.
a) Aeneas b) Diomede c) Hector d) Paris e) Troilus
13. A HABA–ERA is a Cuban ______________. a) brothel b) city-dweller c) dance d) feast e) weapon
14. Which of the following musical instruments does not belong to the WOODWIND family? a) bassoon b) clarinet c) flute d) oboe e) trombone
15. Which European country’s flag consists of three vertical bars colored green, white and orange?
16. Which European country’s flag consists of three vertical bars colored green, white and red?
17. When it is 12:00 noon in Buffalo, what time is it in San Francisco?
18. Which of these Spanish explorers was the first European to travel extensively through the present day states of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas?
a) Coronado b) Cortez c) De Soto d) Friar Escalante e) Pizarro
19. Author of “Beloved,” “Song of Solomon” and “Sula,” among other novels, ___________ _____________ is the only African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature.
a) Maya Angelou b) Gwendolyn Brooks c) Toni Morrison d) Alice Walker
20. How many syllables are contained in a regular line of ANAPESTIC TETRAMETER?
21. Born SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA, he lived from c. 563 to c. 483 and founded a great world religion. By what name is he more familiarly known?
22. Name the religious society founded by George Fox in the late 17th century which numbered William Penn among its early converts.
23. The ORKNEY and HEBRIDES islands lie off the northern and western coasts of what European country?
a) Denmark b) Finland c) Ireland d) Norway e) Scotland
24. Which of these North African countries has been ruled for more than 25 years by MUAMMAR GADHAFI?
a) Algeria b) Libya c) Morocco d) Sudan e) Tunisia
25. MITTWOCH is the German word for which day of the week?
26. The Italian plural word COGNOSCENTI may best be translated as _________________.
a) Comedians b) Experts c) Journalists d) Swindlers
27. This year’s Academy Award for best male actor went to _______________ for his portrayal of Harvey Milk in the film “Milk.”
a) Clint Eastwood b) Tom Hanks c) Sean Penn d) Brad Pitt
28. Mount _________, located in the Adirondacks, is the highest peak in New York State.
29. “If music be the food of love, play on,” is the opening line of which Shakespearean comedy?
a) “As You Like It” b) “Much Ado About Nothing” c) “The Tempest” d) “Twelfth Night” e) “The Winter’s Tale”
30. At the conclusion of “Hamlet,” the stage is littered with corpses. Which of these characters is the only one still alive?
a) Claudius b) Gertrude c) Hamlet d) Horatio e) Laertes
31. Which two states produced the first six U.S. presidents?
32. Which of these female vocalists was a great operatic soprano? a) Joan Baez b) Ella Fitzgerald c) Leontyne Price d) Kate Smith
33. Which of these large Texas cities lies furthest north?
a) Austin b) Dallas c) El Paso d) Houston e) San Antonio
34. What type of American music is closely identified with BEALE STREET in Memphis?
35. CUNEIFORM was a type of _________ which emerged in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley prior to 3000 BC.
36. In 1987 she became the first British Prime Minister in the 20th century to win a third consecutive term. Name her.
37. What name did the Romans give to DEMETER, the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility?
38. What still-active Catholic religious order was founded by IGNATIUS LOYOLA in 1534?
39. What government regulatory agency is designated by the initials SEC?
40. Which of these terms is the opposite of PARSIMONY?
a) Conservatism b) Generosity c) Patience d) Quiescence e) Rage
41. XENOPHOBIA is a hatred of ____________.
42. On what mountain did Moses receive the Ten Commandments?
43. How many stars did the United States flag contain in 1940?
44. MELANOMA is a type of __________ cancer.
45. Among this recently deceased film actor’s most notable roles were “The Hustler,” “Hud” and “Cool Hand Luke.” Name him.
46. What mark of punctuation is used to connect two independent clauses?
47. A HOMILY is a kind of _________.
a) Carpet b) Omelet c) Query d) Quiz e) Sermon
48. NUMISMATICS is a science dealing with _________.
a) Coins b) Folklore c) Numerology d) Sleep e) Tombs
49. What large island is separated from LABRADOR by the STRAIT OF BELLEISLE?
50. What is the collective name for the first 10 Amendments of the U. S. Constitution?
51. With what country is the song “Waltzing Matilda” associated?
52. Which two of these languages do not belong to the SEMITIC language family? (Half-credit possible.)
a) Arabic b) Ethiopic c) Hebrew d) Kurdish e) Persian
53. In Book III of “Gulliver’s Travels,” Gulliver visits the FLYING ISLAND of _________, whose inhabitants are devoted to abstract science, mathematics and music.
a) Balnibarbi b) Brobdingnag c) Laputa d) Lilliput e) Luggnagg
54. Which of these terms is most similar to PECULATION? a) Acupuncture b) Embezzlement c) Forgery d) Perjury e) Sadism
55. Which Latin poet wrote both “The Metamorphosis” and “The Art of Love?”
a) Catullus b) Horace c) Ovid d) Propertus e) Virgil
56. An INGENUOUS person is most likely to be ___________. a) Brilliant b) Crafty c) Evasive d) Naive e) Vain
57. AG is the chemical symbol for __________. a) Antimony b) Argon c) Iron d) Potassium e) Silver
58. Of what university was Woodrow Wilson president before he became president of the United States?
59. What is the state university of New Jersey?
60. Jerome Kern’s “Old Man River” was first sung in the 1927 musical, “Show Boat,” by the legendary black athlete, actor, singer and political activist, Paul ___________.
61. Who wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner?”
62. ZONKER, B.D., UNCLE DUKE and HONEY are among the “regulars” in G. B. Trudeau’s comic strip ________.
63. By what name is Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov better known to history?
64. “Over the Rainbow,” composed by Buffalo’s Harold Arlen, was first sung by Judy Garland, as Dorothy, in what classic film of 1939?
65. Which of these is not a salt-water fish? a) Cod b) Haddock c) Mackerel d) Pickerel e) Scrod
66. In what classic English novel does every character visited by the local doctor (named Kenneth) die soon afterward?
67. What species of creature is called a SIDEWINDER in the American West?
68. Which of these exercises is not regarded as AEROBIC? a) Cycling b) Rowing c) Swimming d) Walking e) Weight lifting
69. Muriel weighs 128 pounds. Glenda weighs 9 stone. Which woman is heavier?
70. The Opium War of 1839-1842 involved which two nations?
71. The recent popular musical, “Les Miserables,” was adapted from the epic 19th century ___________ ___________.
a) Gustave Flaubert b) Andre Gide c) Victor Hugo d) Jules Verne e) Emile Zola
72. FRIAR TUCK, LITTLE JOHN and WILL SCARLET were among the Sherwood Forest outlaws under the leadership of _________ _________.
73. In geometry, an angle greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees is called ___________.
74. A SCARABAEUS or SCARAB is a species of ___________. a) Beetle b) Crab c)Raptor d)Rodent e) Spider
75. Who was the famous son of Philip of Macedon?
76. What religion and system of healing was founded in the late 19th century by Mary Baker Eddy?
77. Of what South American country is CARACAS the capital?
78. The state of MAINE shares a border with only one other U. S. state. Which one?
79. LUCY, LINUS, SCHROEDER and French novel by CHARLIE BROWN were characters in what comic strip by the late Charles Schulz?
80. Which of these basketball players scored the most total points in his NBA career?
a) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b) Wilt Chamberlain c) Michael Jordan d) Karl Malone e) Jerry West
81. By what name are the former Sandwich Islands known today?
82. What Shakespearean character accused her husband of being too full of “the milk of human kindness?”
83. During what war did “The Charge of the Light Brigade” occur?
a) Boer b) U. S. Civil c) Crimean d) Franco-Prussian e) World War I
84. Which of these words would best describe a “PYRRHIC” victory in a military battle?
a) Accidental b) Costly c) Decisive d) Glorious e) Meaningless
85. What does a LEPIDOPTERIST collect?
86. In what European city is the ABBEY THEATER located?
87. In what Indiana city is the University of Notre Dame located?
88. Which of these natural phenomena best describes a SAVANNA? a) Grassland b) Hills c) Rainforest d) Tundra e) Wetland
89. In what field did the Frenchmen Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin and Camille Pisarro gain fame?
90. Which Greek mythical hero slew the minotaur? a) Bacchus b) Hercules c) Theseus d) Tithonus
91. 72 percent of eligible voters go to the polls. A candidate gains 5/9ths (55 percent) What percentage of the total eligible vote has he won?
92. This Sioux chieftain was victorious over General Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Name him.
a) Cochise b) Crazy Horse c) Geronimo d) Pontiac e) Tecumseh
93. Who served as vice-president during Dwight Eisenhower’s two terms as U. S. president (1953-1961)?
94. Which of these Spanish cities is located on the Mediterranean seacoast? a) Barcelona b) Cordova c) Madrid d) Seville e) Toledo
95. What is the capital of the Canadian Province of MANITOBA?
a) Calgary b) Edmonton c) Fredericton d) Regina e) Winnipeg
96. The operettas “The Mikado” and “The Pirates of Penzance” are two of many popular works composed by the British musical team of Sir William ________ and Sir Arthur ___________.
97. This small country shares the Iberian peninsula with Spain and was known as LUSITANIA by the Romans.
98. Which of these notable southern writers was not born in Mississippi? a) William Faulkner b) Flannery O’Connor c) Eudora Welty d) Richard Wright
99. A GALLIARD is a kind of _________. a) Cocktail b) Dance c) French Pastry d) Witticism e) Womanizer
100. Once the third largest city in the former Soviet Union, KIEV is now capital of the independent nation of ___________. of these votes.
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