From: pete.gayde@gmail.com   
      
   Mark Brader wrote:   
   > These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 2023-11-27,   
   > and should be interpreted accordingly.   
   >   
   > On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give   
   > both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.   
   > Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,   
   > based only on your own knowledge.  (In your answer posting, quote   
   > the questions and place your answer below each one.)  I will reveal   
   > the correct answers in about 3 days.   
   >   
   > All questions were written by members of the Usual Suspects and   
   > are used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have   
   > been retyped and/or edited by me.  The posting and tabulation of   
   > current-events questions is independent of the concurrent posting   
   > of other rounds.  For further information please see my 2023-05-24   
   > companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition   
   > (QFTCI*)".   
   >   
   >   
   > We wrote the Final entirely in pairs, allowing teams to select what   
   > order the pairs were used in.  There was no Canadiana category,   
   > but Canadiana pairs were distributed through the different rounds.   
   > In this set I wrote 8 of the 12 pairs.   
   >   
   >   
   > ** Round 2 - Geography   
   >   
   > * A. South American Cities   
   >   
   >     A1. Name the city of about half a million in Peru's part of the   
   >         Amazon basin that is the largest city in the world that   
   >         *is not* on an island, but has *no access* by road.   
      
   Cuzco   
      
   >   
   >     A2. In which country would you find El Alto, meaning "the   
   >         heights"?  It's the second-largest city in the country,   
   >         larger than the capital of which it was once a part, and   
   >         has the distinction of being the largest mostly-indigenous   
   >         city in all of Latin America.   
      
   Bolivia   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * B. A is the Only Vowel   
   >   
   > In these questions the "name" of a country means its usual short   
   > name in English, like "France" or "Germany".   
   >   
   >     B1. In North and South America, including their associated   
   >         islands, there are three countries where the only vowels   
   >         in the name are instances of A.  Name *either one* of the   
   >         *other two*.   
      
   Bahamas   
      
   >   
   >     B2. In Africa, including its associated islands, there are four   
   >         countries where the only vowels in the name are instances   
   >         of A.  Name *any one*.   
      
   Chad   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * C. Population and Spelling   
   >   
   > Again, in these questions the "name" of a country means its usual   
   > short name in English.   
   >   
   >     C1. What is the world's most populous country with a Z in   
   >         its name?   
      
   Zaire   
      
   >   
   >     C2. What is the world's most populous country with an X in   
   >         its name?   
      
   Mexico   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * D. Canadiana: Ontario County Seats   
   >   
   >     D1. Owen Sound is the county seat of which county?  Hint:   
   >         The name resembles a well-known sports trophy.   
   >   
   >     D2. Orangeville, Ontario, is the county seat of which county?   
   >         Hint: The name resembles a major street in Toronto.   
   >   
   >   
   > * E. Lakes at Interesting Elevations   
   >   
   >     E1. This body of water in Venezuela is sometimes called the   
   >         largest lake in South America, but it's practically at sea   
   >         level and receives ocean water at high tide, so arguably   
   >         it's not a lake at all.  In any case, what's its name?   
   >   
   >     E2. The other candidate for the largest lake in South America   
   >         is so far above sea level that it's the world's highest   
   >         lake navigable by large ships.  What's its name?   
      
   Titicaca   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * F. Artificial Lakes   
   >   
   >     F1. Lake Mead was created by damming what river?   
      
   Colorado   
      
   >     F2. Lake Nasser was created by damming what river?   
      
   Nile   
      
   >   
   >   
   > ** Round 3 - Miscellaneous   
   >   
   > * A. Culinary Terms   
   >   
   >     A1. What word means to lightly coat uncooked food with a dry   
   >         mixture, typically flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs?   
      
   Dredge   
      
   >   
   >     A2. What word means a thick creamy soup, with a base of strained   
   >         broth of shellfish or game?   
   >   
   >   
   > * B. The Exception to the Pattern   
   >   
   >     B1. Sue Grafton wrote 25 novels about Kinsey Millhone.  The   
   >         first and last titles were "A is for Alibi" and "Y is for   
   >         Yesterday", and most of the rest followed the same pattern   
   >         in alphabetical order.  But the 24th book, in 2015, did   
   >         not fit the pattern.  What was its full title?   
   >   
   >     B2. Once the term "Super Bowl" became official, it became   
   >         customary to refer to the annual instances of the game using   
   >         Roman numerals in sequence, for example "Super Bowl XIV".   
   >         But again, in 2015 an exception to the pattern was made.   
   >         What did they call the game that year?   
      
   Super Bowl 50   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * C. Crossword Words   
   >   
   > These questions were stolen from a recent "Toronto Star" crossword.   
   > If you disagree with the clue, please take it up with the "Star".   
   > In each case, we give you the clue, the number of letters, and   
   > one letter you're supposed to have already filled in in the grid.   
   > You give the exact answer that would go into the puzzle solution.   
   > Example: we say "Add yeast, 6 letters, 2nd letter is E"; you   
   > say LEAVEN.   
   >   
   >     C1. "Ancient port near Carthage or a town in New York State."   
   >         5 letters, 2nd letter is T.   
      
   Utica   
      
   >   
   >     C2. "Put in chains."  7 letters, 3rd letter is S.   
      
   Ensnare   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * D. Gaza   
   >   
   >     D1. The Gaza Strip has been much in the news in recent weeks.   
   >         What is its area, within 5% of the true number in either   
   >         direction?   
      
   40 square miles   
      
   >   
   >     D2. In 2005 Israel withdrew from military occupation of Gaza,   
   >         including the removal of settlers.  Which Israeli prime   
   >         minister proposed, and was eventually able to implement,   
   >         the withdrawal?   
      
   Sharon; Barak   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * E. Prizes Established   
   >   
   >     E1. What year, within 5, were the first Pulitzer ["PULL-it-zer"]   
   >         Prizes given out?   
      
   1910; 1921   
      
   >   
   >     E2. What year, within 5, were the first Nobel Prizes given out?   
      
   1890; 1901   
      
   >   
   >   
   > * F. Indian Numbers   
   >   
   >     F1. In India they generally do not express large numbers   
   >         in millions.  What we call a million, they would call how   
   >         many lakhs?   
   >   
   >     F2. In India, one crore [rhymes with "bore"] equals how many   
   >         lakhs?   
   >   
      
   Pete Gayde   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)