This program brought you, in part, by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

-Coming up, it's Bishop Gorman... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Clark!

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] Hello and welcome.

This is the 56th season of Varsity Quiz.

We've got the best and the brightest high school students matching wits in this unique academic competition.

I'm your host, Nathan Tannenbaum.

Hey, we hope you know we actually have two separate Varsity Quiz leagues now in each season's competition.

We crowned a Blue League champion a few weeks ago.

Now the road to the Silver league title continues.

We've got Bishop Gorman taking on Clark.

So we started with 18 schools in this Silver League, three different divisions.

Gorman has a record of 4-1 in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

We have Logan.

Hi, Logan.

-Hi.

-There's Joseph, Antonio, and Keval.

And the coach for Gorman, Shawn Choi.

Ladies and gentlemen, Bishop Gorman!

[cheers and applause] Now, Clark High School, with a record of 4-1 in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

There's Axel.

Hey, Axel.

Michu.

-Hello.

-Theo.

-Hey.

-And Aaron.

-Hi.

-And the coaches for Clark, Amber Thacker and Lonnie Robbins.

Ladies and gentlemen, Clark High School!

[cheers and applause] -Students ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

What country got Northern Transylvania from the Second Vienna Award and was overthrown by the Nazis in 1944?

That's Bishop Gorman, Logan: Romania -Incorrect.

Clark, Aaron: Hungary -Yes.

Points on the board for Clark.

We move on.

Next question.

The polonaise and the mazurka are folk dances from what country that was home-- We'll go with Clark, Theo: Poland -Yes.

A capital "omega" is used to denote what SI unit also used for impedance and resistance?

That's Clark, Michu: the ohm -I think we can take that, Yes.

Next question.

What kind of conditioning is a learning method that employs rewards and punishments for behavior?

Gorman, Joseph: classical conditioning -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for operant conditioning.

No points.

We move on.

Jealousy over a sacrifice causes which Biblical figure to kill his brother-- Clark, Theo: Abel -No.

That's incorrect.

--to kill his brother, Abel?

Gorman, Antonio: Cain -Yep.

He was one or the other.

Points on the board for Gorman.

We keep going.

What romance language was brought to Mexico by conquistadors?

And that's Gorman, Keval: Spanish -Correct.

Next question.

Given the constraint of constant vertical deceleration, the equation for horizontal velocity times time is maximized at what angle, the optimal launch angle for a projectile?

Clark, Michu: 45 degrees -Yes.

Next question.

One of these locations in Guangzhou is now the Museum of the King of Nanyue.

Statues of turtles and a spirit way are common features of what locations?

Clark, Theo: pagoda -No.

Gorman, Antonio: museums -No.

We were looking for tombs or mausoleums.

No points.

Next question.

What monarch addressed his nation in what was called the Jewel Voice Broadcast-- Clark, Theo: Hirohito -Yes.

Next is a calculation question, students.

Answer the following about a right triangle whose legs have lengths of 4 and 7 meters.

What is the volume of a pyramid whose base has the shape of that triangle and whose height is 13.5 meters?

I'll repeat.

This is about a right triangle whose legs have lengths of 4 and 7 meters.

What's the volume of a pyramid whose base has the shape of the triangle and whose height is 13.5 meters?

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] Just before the buzzer.

Clark, Theo: 322 -Incorrect.

So we were looking for 63 cubic meters.

Next question.

Vincent van Gogh copied this artist's depiction of a plum garden.

Name this member the Utagawa school, who painted The Fifty-three Stations of the Tkaid.

Clark, Theo: Hokusai -No.

Gorman, Logan: Suzuki -No.

We were looking for Hiroshige.

Next question.

What country's myths of the Fenian cycle feature the poet Ossian and was known as Fionn Maccumhail or "Finn McCool."

That's Clark, Aaron: Ireland -Yes.

Name this Romantic poet who addressed the title "blithe spirit" in "To a Skylark."

Clark, Theo: Shelley -Yes.

40, 100, and 400 times are settings on what devices that are used to look at samples on glass slides-- Clark, Michu: microscopes -Yes.

Name this 1618 event where three Catholic officials were thrown out a window-- Clark, Aaron: Defenestration of Prague -I don't think we can take that.

[confers with judges] That's incorrect.

--sparking the Thirty Years War.

[bell chimes, time expires] It was the Second Defenestration of Prague.

That's what we needed.

Next question.

What constant increases when reversible reactions "shift right," denoted capital K?

Clark, Michu: the rate constant -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] -That was after the buzzer.

It's the equilibrium constant.

Next question.

What Windows computer key can switch between tabs when pressed with the Tab key and can start Task Manager-- Clark, Michu: Alt -Yeah.

Next question.

These characters chant, "double, double toil and trouble" and prophecy kingship for a Scottish thane.

Name these magical characters from Macbeth.

And that's Gorman, Keval: the witches -Yep.

Next question.

What insect model organism has the species name Drosophila-- And that's Clark, Michu: fruit fly -Yes.

This property describes the orientation of the oscillation of light waves and is made use of by sunglasses.

Clark, Michu: polarization -Yes.

In one song, she raps that she'd "rather be famous instead."

What-- And that's Gorman, Joseph: Doja Cat -Yeah.

You know your rappers.

Let's go!

Calculation question next, students.

Find this sine of angle A in right triangle ABC, given that side AC is the hypotenuse and measures 35 units.

Side AB measures 21 units.

And that's Gorman, Keval: four-fifths -Yes.

Next question.

What popular resort city on the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula lies on the Caribbean Sea in Mexico?

Clark, Theo: Cancún -Yeah.

I wish I was there.

What term for the medusa phase of some cnidarians refers to their gelatinous structure?

Gorman, Logan: jellyfish -Yes.

I think we can take that.

Yeah.

Next question.

Name this man who marries Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice.

And that's Gorman, Logan: Mr. Darcy -Yes.

So we've come to the end of the first round.

How about a round of applause for both teams.

[applause] But don't go anywhere.

We're going to take this opportunity to learn more about our players.

We're starting with Gorman.

Here we have senior Logan.

Hi, Logan.

-Hi.

-Nice to have you.

What does it mean to be a National Qualifying Thespian?

-So in high school theater, there's-- every year there's a regional theater competition, and you could split multiple categories for different pieces.

And if you get a high enough score, it's called a "superior," then you are qualified to go compete at the national tournament at the University of Indiana in Bloomington.

I was lucky enough to be a state champion doing a one-act my freshman year.

Then I qualified for monologues my sophomore year and this year.

And I believe I was a state champion this year, or I qualified to compete at the state tournament.

It's a little unclear exactly how that one works, but I was top 15% for monologues in our state.

-Well, congratulations, and good luck with that.

There you go.

And good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Logan.

Here's senior Joseph.

Hi, Joseph.

-Hi.

-Nice to have you.

This says that one of your hobbies is boxing?

-Yeah, I like to box.

-Are you at a certain weight category, or is this just for fun?

-Just for fun.

I don't box at a certain weight.

-Okay.

Well, stay healthy, and good luck with that, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's senior Antonio.

Hi, Antonio.

-Hey, Nate.

-Nice to have you.

This says you have a particular favorite movie series.

What is that?

- Star Wars.

-And why is that?

-It's just, it's the best.

I love watching the story of Anakin slowly transform into the dark side-- -Oh, there you go.

- --then watching him go back to the light.

I think it's a very interesting series.

-There's an arc.

-Yeah.

-Aren't there like 5,000 Star Wars movies now?

-Um, there's about like 12 of them.

-Okay.

-Eight of them are canon-- -All right.

- --because-- -Well, then they'll make more.

-Yeah.

-Good luck, and good luck at Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Antonio.

Here's a sophomore, Keval.

Hi, Keval.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you.

You wrote something that you have never had.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-Yes, I've never had McDonald's before.

-That's astonishing.

-Yes.

-You plan to keep it that way?

-Well, I made this oath when I was four years old, and I plan to keep it till I die.

-You're sticking with it?

-Yes.

-Good luck with that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

-Those are our players from Bishop Gorman.

[applause] All right.

Let's meet our players from Clark.

We start with a sophomore, Axel.

Hi, Axel.

-Hello.

-Good to have you.

This says that you like to-- one of your hobbies is playing with something that you turn around and have to flip it around, or what is that?

-Rubik's Cubes.

-Yeah.

What's your best time?

-Around 12 seconds.

-Okay.

Do you play in competitions, or is this just for fun?

-Just for fun.

-Well, good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's sophomore Michu.

Hi, Michu.

-Hello there, Nate.

-This says that you are on the verge of acquiring a piece of paper that's going to allow you to do something that's really cool.

You know what you wrote?

-Yeah.

I'm about one year away from my, from my private pilot's license.

-That is awesome!

Where do you fly out of mostly?

-Right now I've been flying mostly out of North Las Vegas Airport, but soon I'll be heading over to Henderson.

-Right on, man.

Good luck with that.

-Yeah, thank you.

-Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's a junior, Theo.

Hi, Theo.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you with us.

You wrote that there is some particular animal that you really like.

-I really, really like cows.

[laughter] -And is there a reason for that, Theo?

-Oh, I especially like the really small ones, those small, fluffy cows.

I forgot what they're called, but they're absolutely adorable.

-Well, you go.

-I don't know.

-It's all right.

-I just want them so bad.

-That is a "mooving" story.

[laughter] That's "udderly" ridiculous, and we're done now, Theo.

Good luck with the cows, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Let's see.

Here's sophomore Aaron.

Hey, Aaron.

-Hi.

-This says that you have a couple of pets and that they have names.

Who are your pets?

-Yeah.

I've got two guinea pigs.

They're my sister's, technically, but I still come and like, cuddle them occasionally.

They're named Mordecai and Simcha out of-- after-- well, my sister named them, but they're named after Hebrew words.

-Okay.

What is the lifespan of a guinea pig?

-Like five years.

-Okay.

So they're hanging in there?

-I'll be in college before they die, so it'll be okay.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with the guinea pigs, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Those are our players from Clark High School!

Stick around.

The bonus round is next.

-Going into Round 2: Bishop Gorman has 35 points to Clark's 50.

Before we start our bonus round, we have a couple new players.

For Gorman we have AJ.

Hi, AJ.

Nice to see you.

Welcome aboard.

And Clark has one new player.

It's Jake.

Hey, Jake.

Good to see you.

All right.

This is a timed round at six minutes, and that begins as I read this first question: What sport is played by Shohei Ohtani-- And that's Gorman, Keval: baseball -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Gorman only about baseball.

First, which Las Vegas native was one of baseball's most successful pitchers?

He was the first to win four consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1992 to 1995.

Second, name the Las Vegas native who played his college ball at UNLV, selected by the Phillies in the first round of the 2019 Major League draft.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-First answer, Greg Maddux; second answer, Bryce Harper.

-Maddox is correct.

The other one is Bryson Stott.

So some bonus points, but not all.

And we move on to this question for both teams: In this modern day country, the empires of Aq Qoyunlu and Qara Qoyunlu arose.

In what region did the Ottomans create an empire?

Gorman, Keval: Turkey -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Gorman about history.

First, Corazon Aquino succeeded a man from this family, the target of the People Power Revolution.

Second, Idi Amin was deposed after a failed annexation of this country's Kagera Region.

Julius Nyerere formerly led this African country.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-First answer, no answer; second answer, Uganda.

-That's incorrect.

We're looking for the Marcos family for the first one and Tanzania is the second one.

No bonus points, but you got the points for the original question.

And here we have a question for both teams.

North of the Channel Islands are what state's cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles?

Gorman, Keval: California -Yes.

Bonus geography questions only for Gorman now.

First, the Aral Sea lies between Kazakhstan and this country, the most populous in Central Asia.

Its capital is Tashkent.

Second, Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley lies west of this river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -First answer, Uzbekistan; second answer, Potomac.

-Uzbekistan is correct.

The second one is Susquehanna.

You get some points, but not all.

And we have this question for both teams: People with this disease foam at the mouth due-- And that's Gorman, AJ: rabies -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Gorman only about science.

First, this equation is used to protect allele frequencies in a population, assuming that they stay constant from generation to generation.

Second, what greenhouse gasses are commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems for their increased ability to absorb heat from the surrounding environment?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-First answer, Hardy-Weinberg; second answer, CO2.

-The first one is correct.

The second one is Hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs.

So some bonus points, not all.

Question for both teams: Calculation question, students.

Find the interquartile range of the following set of numbers: 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 11, 14.

Clark, Michu: 6 through 8 -No.

Gorman, Keval: 8 -No.

We were looking for 3.5.

Next question for both teams.

Colonel Cathart keeps raising the number of required flight missions in what novel about John-- Clark, Theo: Catch-22 -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Clark only about literature.

First, this title character of a Leo Tolstoy novel finds herself excluded from society in St. Petersburg after having an affair.

Second, the narrator of this story is confined to a "nursery" and forbidden by her husband, John, to write.

The title object of this story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman has a "sickly" color and a bizarre pattern that drives the narrator mad.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the first one, Anna Karenina; and the second one, "The Yellow Wallpaper."

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams: What country's cuisine, the origin of butter chicken, makes frequent-- And that's Clark, Theo: India -Yes.

Bonus questions about India now for Clark only.

First, which country was brought into being at the time of the partition of British India in response to the demands of Islamic nationalists?

Second, what portmanteau is used for the filmmaking industry in India?

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the first answer, Pakistan; and for the second answer, Bollywood.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

We have a question for both teams.

What French composer's Suite Bergamasqe contains-- And that's Clark, Theo: Debussy -Correct.

Bonus questions for Clark only about music.

First, this Act 1 aria from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen opens with a descending melody named for a Cuban dance.

In the aria, Carmen declares that "Love is a rebellious bird."

Second, this interval is often referred to as the "Devil's Interval" because of its dissonance.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the answer, "Habanera."

For the second answer, tritone.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Time?

All right.

So, hey, that is the end of the bonus round, and the speed round is next.

Going into Round 3, here's our score: Gorman, 70 points, and 95 for Clark.

Now, before we get going, we do have a returning player for Gorman.

Joseph is back.

Hi, Joseph.

Good to have you back.

Clark has two new players.

Rabjot, nice to see you.

And Jack.

Hey, Jack, welcome aboard.

Let's get this party started.

What Democrat, former US senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013, lost the 2004 Presidential election to George-- And that's Gorman, Logan: John Kerry -Correct.

What elements have properties in between those of metals and non-- That's Clark, Michu: semimetals -Yes.

We would have taken metalloids.

Next question.

This book declares that every virtue is the middle ground of two vices in its Doctrine of the Mean.

Name this text by Aristotle, named for his son.

[bell chimes, time expires] Nicomachean Ethics.

Next question.

What 2024 summer hit by Sabrina Carpenter features the lyrics "thinkin' bout me, every night"-- Clark, Theo: "Espresso" -You got your Sabrina Carpenter going on.

What nearly massless particles oscillate between electron, tau, and-- And that's Clark, Michu: neutrinos -I think we can take that.

Yes.

There was a little stumble, but we got you.

Next question.

Name this French poet who described "the furious lashing of the tides" in "The Drunken Boat."

And that's Clark, Theo: Baudelaire -Pardon me?

-Baudelaire.

-Incorrect.

Gorman, Logan: Rousseau -No.

It was Rimbaud.

Next question.

As a verb, the word means to feel or show fear.

As a noun, it's a small game bird with a curved topknot.

What's the word?

[buzzer] [bell chimes] Did he get in in time?

That's Clark, Jack: Chicken -No.

It's a quail.

Next question.

This composer set Wilhelm Mueller's poetry to music in his Wintereisse song cycle.

What Austrian composer wrote the Trout Quintet and an "Unfinished" 8th Symphony?

Gorman, Logan: Mozart -No.

Clark, Theo: Hayden -No.

It was Schubert.

Next question.

What convenience store chain is the largest in both Japan and the US-- And that's Gorman, Keval: 7-Eleven -Yeah.

Oh, thank Heaven.

Next question.

What nation fought at the Battle of Monte Castello during the Gothic Line campaign, joined the Allies against Germany under its Estado Novo regime led by Getúlio-- And that's Clark, Theo: Portugal -No.

--Getúlio Vargas.

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] After the buzzer?

[confers with judges] Yeah.

So we can't take you.

We were looking for Brazil.

Next question.

Vampire bats detect the blood of hosts by sensing what part of the EM spectrum that animals generally use to find-- We'll go with Clark, Michu: infrared -Yes.

What precious metal was mined at Potosi and was often used-- Clark, Theo: silver -Yes.

This author wrote about the Pevensie children and a lion named Aslan.

Who wrote the Chronicles-- Gorman, Logan: C.S.

Lewis -Yes.

Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela were prisoners on what island-- Clark, Theo: Robben Island -Yes.

I have a calculation question.

In Round 3 we do not repeat, so listen closely.

In Texas Hold'em, players are dealt hands of two cards each.

What's the probability that a player's two cards are the same suit?

Gorman, Keval: 1 in 16 -I don't think that's correct.

[confers with judges] Clark, Jack: 1 in 26 -No.

We were looking for 12/51 or 12 in 51.

No points.

Next question.

What US Vice President resigned after pleading guilty to tax fraud-- Gorman, Logan: Spiro Agnew -Yes.

Pewter, brass, and bronze are examples of what materials that are mixtures-- Clark, Michu: alloys -Yes.

Name the object that's used to transport the title character from Omaha in The Wizard of Oz.

Gorman, Logan: hot air balloon [confers with judges] -There was a stumble, so we'll take that as an incorrect answer.

Clark, Michu: a tornado -No.

We needed hot air balloon.

Right out of your mouth, there was a little stumble there.

You're all good.

Next question.

What woman was recently selected to be the youngest ever White House press secretary?

[bell chimes, time expires] Karoline Leavitt.

Next question.

The St. Anthony Falls bridge collapsed in 2007 in what city, whose Northstar line terminates at Target Field?

Gorman, Logan: Minneapolis -Yes.

Name this singer of "We Didn't Start the Fire"-- And that's Gorman, Logan: Billy Joel -Yes.

What country served as a base for attacking Vichy French Syria and was ruled by Faisal II before his overthrow in the 14 July Revolution?

Clark, Theo: Tunisia -No.

Gorman, Keval: Jordan -No.

It was the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq.

Next question.

What South Dakota US senator has replaced Mitch McConnell as majority leader?

Gorman, Logan: John Thune -Yes.

What philosopher, who heavily influenced Karl Marx, created the concept of the dialectic in The Phenomenology of Spirit?

Clark, Theo: Hegel -Yes.

In 2024, name the activist group that offered the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club a giant gold coin to free Punxsutawney Phil.

Gorman, AJ: PETA -Yes.

The conquest of Canaan was led by what Israelite leader who succeeded-- Gorman, Logan: Aaron -Incorrect.

--who succeeded Moses?

Clark, Theo: Joshua -Yes.

All right.

We're out of time.

Let's find out who won.

What a match!

The final score: Bishop Gorman, 105 points.

Clark High School, 140.

A round of applause for both teams.

Great match.

[applause] Congratulations to Clark High School moving on to the semifinals, but we invite you to tune in next week for our first semifinal.

It'll be Palo Verde taking on A-Tech.

That's going to be another exciting match of Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.