1st and 3rd periods. In these periods, your team will choose a category and be read ten questions for you to complete in ninety seconds. After each response, the moderator will indicate whether or not it was correct.

Bonus Category: Declaration of Independence In Depth

1. In what year was the Declaration of Independence signed?

answer: 1776

2. The declaration was addressed to what king of Britain, the third of his name?

answer: George III Hanover

3. In what city's Independence Hall was the meeting to sign it held?

answer: Philadelphia

4. The resolution was proposed by Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from what southern state?

answer: Virginia

5. The meeting that passed the declaration was the Second type of what Congress?

answer: Second Continental Congress

6. Who signed the declaration with large letters "so the King could see"?

answer: John Hancock

7. The declaration's signing is depicted on the back of which not-common dollar bill?

answer: $2 dollar bill

8. Finish this phrase: "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of [BLANK]".

answer: happiness (must be exact)

9 and 10. Name any two of the five people on the committee that drafted the Declaration.

answer: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Livingston, Roger Sherman

Bonus Category: Science Fiction

Given an author and a plot summary, name these books and films of science fiction.

1. Frank Herbert: families fight over the desert planet Arrakis and the spice found there.

answer: Dune

2. Arthur C. Clarke: named for a recent year, A monolith is found on the Moon and the computer HAL tries to thwart the investigation.

answer: 2001: A Space Odyssey

3. Douglas Adams: The earth is blown up for construction and Arthur Dent must use a book to travel the stars.

answer: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

4. Jules Verne: Captain Nemo takes the Nautilus on an underwater trek.

answer: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (accept: The Mysteryious Island, its sequel)

5. Various film writers: Autobots and Decepticons fight over control of the All-Spark.

answer: Transformers

6. H. G. Wells: A man uses a namesake machine to go 800,000 years in the future to help the Eloi against the Morlocks.

answer: The Time Machine

7. Lewis Padgett: A scientist sends toys like a rabbit back through time, found by Lewis Caroll's Alice and some other children who become smarter.

answer: "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" (accept: The Last Mimzy, which is the film adaptation)

8. Stan Lee: The Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and Thing meet the Silver Surfer.

answer: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

9. Chris Van Allsburg: Two boys find a game that takes them and their house to outer space where they fight Zorgons.

answer: Zathura

10. H. G. Wells: Aliens invade the earth with three-legged machines, but end up dying of a bacteria.

answer: The War of the Worlds

Bonus Category: Sports Leagues

Given a set of teams, name the league or organization to which they belong. We are looking for the entire league, not a division or conference.

1. Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

answer: MLB or Major League Baseball

2. Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm

answer: WNBA or Women's National Basketball Association (prompt on partial answer)

3. New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Saint Louis Rams

answer: NFL or National Football League

4. New England Revolution, Red Bull New York, D.C. United

answer: MLS or Major League Soccer

5. San Jose Stealth, Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings

answer: National Lacrosse League

6. Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings

answer: NHL or National Hockey League

7. Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders

answer: CFL or Canadian Football League (prompt on partial answer)

8. New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies

answer: NBA or National Basketball Association

9. Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester United

answer: Barclays Premier League of English Soccer (accept either and football)

10. Grand Rapids Rampage, Austin Wranglers, Philadelphia Crush

answer: AFL or Arena Football League (prompt on partial answer)

Bonus Category: Dinosaurs

1. What dinosaur has a name meaning "tyrant lizard" and weighed over five tons?

answer: T Rex or Tyrannosaurus Rex

2. Dinosaurs were characters in what cartoon set in Bedrock about a "modern Stone Age family" that included Fred and Wilma?

answer: The Flintstones

3. What do you call a scientist that studies prehistoric life, including the dinosaurs?

answer: paleontologist

4. With a name meaning "three-horned face", what dinosaur also had a large bony frill?

answer: triceratops

5. Dinosaurs lived during what part of the Mesozoic Era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous Periods?

answer: Jurassic Period

6. Velociraptors are bipedal, which means they walk on how many feet?

answer: 2

7. What series of films has included The Secret of Saurus Rock, The Great Longneck Migration, and The Great Day of the Flyers?

answer: The Land Before Time

8. What author of the Sherlock Holmes tales wrote The Lost World about a valley of Dinosaurs?

answer: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

9. Stegosaurus reached up to 39 feet in length. If there are three feet in a yard, how many yards is this?

answer: 13 yards

10. What term describes Scutellosaurus and other dinosaurs that only ate plants?

answer: herbivore or herbivorous

Bonus Category: The Mystery Category

All of the answers in this category are related. Solve the mystery and you'll know the answer to number ten.

1. La Gioconda is another name for what painting of a woman by Leonardo da Vinci?

answer: The Mona Lisa

2. Fission and fusion are methods of creating what kind of energy with atoms?

answer: nuclear or atomic energy

3. In wrestling, this hold is executed from the back and comes in quarter, half, and full varieties.

answer: nelson

4. What did the "M" stand for in the name Richard M. Nixon?

answer: Milhous

5. What colorful term is used for plants that maintain leaves year round, the opposite of deciduous?

answer: evergreen

6. What above-ground house does the Swiss Family Robinson build after they are shipwrecked?

answer: treehouse

7. What city names the third most populous in Missouri and the capital of Illinois?

answer: Springfield

8. In George Orwell's Animal Farm, this white-colored pig is the rival of Napoleon.

answer: Snowball

9. This region of Belgium is right next door to France and people who live here speak Flemish.

answer: Flanders

10. "I did not see Elvis", "I will not call my teacher Hot Cakes", and "I am not here on a fartball scholarship" are phrases seen on the blackboard in the beginning of what show?

answer: The Simpsons

2nd period: This period contains twenty tossups worth 10 points each. When you think you know the answer, signal with your buzzer and your team will have five seconds to respond.

TOSSUPS:

1. On what continent is Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness set, as it tells about the ivory trade and a trip up the Congo River?

answer: Africa

2. What term describes a religious official in charge of a Diocese, or a chess piece that can move diagonally?

answer: bishop

3. What is the reciprocal of the fraction 3/4?

answer: 4/3 or 4 over 3

4. It eradicated at least a third of the population and was carried by fleas borne on rats. What was this disease that ravaged Europe in the 14th century?

answer: Black Death or Black Plague or Bubonic Plague

5. Correct the split infinitive in this sentence: "Meg seems to always do it that way".

answer: Meg always seems to do it that way (accept equivalents)

6. What unit of volume is approximately equal to 3.78 liters and is used to sell milk?

answer: 1 gallon

7. It contains the incredibly crooked Lombard Street and North America's oldest Chinatown. Cities across its bay include Oakland and San Jose. What is this California city, home to the Golden Gate Bridge?

answer: San Francisco

8. A roller coaster at Six Flags Texas is called his Big Spin. His inventions are called the Stalefish and Madonna, and he is said to be the first to land a 900. Video games attached to his name include Project 8, Downhill Jam, and Pro Skater. Who is this skateboarder?

answer: Tony Hawk

9. A caldera is the roughly round depression at the mouth of what conical shaped source of lava?

answer: volcano

10. He often will step across the line, even though it causes him to fall down a cliff or mineshaft. "There's gold in them-thar hills" and "Where in the sam hill did that little bugger run off to" are two phrases you might hear him say. Who is this hot-tempered cowboy outwitted by Bugs Bunny, whose name is partially inspired by a national park?

answer: Yosemite Sam

11. Pencil and paper ready. Erik has enough to make 43 small Swedish meatballs and 17 large ones. If the medium size is the average of small and large, how many medium Swedish meatballs can Erik make?

answer: 30 medium

12. Daisy wheel, dot matrix, dye sublimation, liquid inkjet, toner, and laser are types of what computer hardware used for hard copies of documents?

answer: printers

13. The capital of the Tuscany region, the Medici family ruled what Italian city whose name means "flourishing"?

answer: Florence

14. What is the most common surname in Spain and the second most common in Mexico, a surname shared by a Columbian writer Gabriel Marquez, and a Lost actor named Jorge [HOR-hay]?

answer: Garcia

15. Newton's First Law is about what tendency for objects at rest to stay at rest, and for objects in motion to continue moving until acted on by outside forces?

answer: inertia

16. In art, it contains the vanishing point and is where all the parallel lines in the painting seem to meet. What is this term, that might be the boundary between the ground and the sky, as far as you can see?

answer: horizon

17. It occurred after Samuel Adams spoke at Old South Church. Dressed as Mohawks a group of activists lifted 342 casks over the sides of ships. What was this New England event in 1773?

answer: Boston Tea Party

18. The author who created him also created Squirrel Nutkin, Tom Kitten, and Mrs. Tittlemouse. He is more adventurous than Flopsy and Mopsy, but when he goes to Mr. McGregor's garden, he loses his shoes and coat. Name this Beatrix Potter character, who is a naughty rabbit.

answer: Peter Rabbit

19. What term describes a swimming race in which the legs include butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle, or describes a set of songs played together?

answer: medley

20. The element with atomic number 90 is named after this god. He uses his power to protect Asgard and Migard, and his hammer Mjolnir [MOLL-nir] always returns to him. Who is this son of Odin and Jord, a Norse god that lent his name to the fourth day of a school week?

answer: Thor or Tor (accept: Thorium)

4th period: This period contains twenty tossups worth 15 points each. When you think you know the answer, signal with your buzzer and your team will have five seconds to respond.

TOSSUPS:

1. The bestselling Magic Tree House #36 was about a blizzard of a blue one. The calendar might list waning, waxing, half, new, and full varieties. What is this body in the night sky?

answer: moon (accept: Blizzard of the Blue Moon)

2. It is Swahili for "first fruits" and the seven days are dedicated to principles. A Long Beach professor designed it to follow African harvest festivals. What is this holiday from December 26 to January 1?

answer: Kwanzaa

3. What number between 500 and 510 is a multiple of nine, remembering that the digits of multiples of nine always sum to nine or a multiple of nine?

answer: 504 [56 x 9 = 504]

4. What was explorer Ferdinand Magellan attempting to do when died in the Philippines in 1521?

answer: a circumnavigation of the globe (accept equivalents like go around the world)

5. You can use these in bibliographic citations, or when writing exponents in numerical form. What is this formatting used on characters, which is the opposite of subscripts?

answer: superscript (accept word forms)

6. It shows a man scaling stairs and is divided into eight sections including Oils, Meat and Beans, and Grains. What is this guide for healthy eating published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture?

answer: MyPyramid or the Food Pyramid

7. The river by this name flows from the East to the Hudson and separates Manhattan from the Bronx. The neighborhood by this name was named after a Dutch town and saw a Renaissance of culture including Langston Hughes. What is this place that lends its name to a basketball team called the Globetrotters?

answer: Harlem

8. The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and Larry King Live are shows on what channel that reports information about current events?

answer: CNN or Cable News Network

9. What class of organisms have backbones and four-chambered hearts, are warm-blooded, and include whales, bats, and humans?

answer: mammal(s)

10. He appeared in Cider House Rules and Wonderboys, and also appeared as a jockey in the film Seabiscuit. Who is this actor best known for portraying Peter Parker in the Spiderman films?

answer: Tobey Maguire

11. Pencil and paper ready. The moon orbits the earth every 27 days. If a year has 365 days, what is the maximum number of full moons during a year, meaning two months had two full moons?

answer: 14 full moons [it makes about 13.5 orbits]

12. Poll ones are forbidden by the 24th amendment. People who sell stock can pay a capital gains one. Delaware does not have a sales one on items you buy. What are these monies collected by the government?

answer: tax(es)

13. This conflict was the subtext of the U.S. invasion of Grenada, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. What was this ongoing struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in which relations between the countries were at freezing temperatures?

answer: Cold War

14. Found in coffee shops, a latte is one third espresso and two-thirds what other drink?

answer: milk

15. The term can either mean the gradual developments from simple to more complex organisms, or the adaptation of species to their environment. What is this theory championed by Charles Darwin whose teaching in schools is sometimes controversial?

answer: evolution

16. Mendelssohn wrote an Italian and Tchaikovsky a Polish one. Haydn wrote over 100 and his later ones are called London. Beethoven wrote nine, including Eroica, the Pastoral, and Choral. What are these pieces of music played by an orchestra?

answer: symphony

17. Warning: two answers required. They left St. Louis in 1804 and began a journey up the Missouri River. What is this pair sent by Jefferson to explore the American west?

answer: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

18. Doctor Livesey, Squire Trelawny, Ben Gunn, Billy Bones, and Jim Hawkins are all characters in what Robert Louis Steveson work about pirates and the gold they covet on a place surrounded by water?

answer: Treasure Island

19. The Winnipeg Victorias drank champagne from it, and water placed in it has been used for baptisms. In 2004, Air Canada officials delayed its delivery to Tampa Bay when they took it off a flight due to weight restrictions. Often, each member of the winning team skates one lap with it over his head. What is this trophy awarded to the champion of the NHL?

answer: Stanley Cup

20. On the "Most Wanted" deck of playing cards, he was the ace of spades. A native of Tikrit, he was a Sunni leader in a majority Shiite country, and he continually provoked war with neighbors, including an eight-year war with Iran. Who is this leader executed for war crimes in 2006, a longtime leader of Iraq?

answer: Saddam Hussein