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

Coming up next on Varsity Quiz, it's A-Tech... (cheers and applause) Taking on Bishop Gorman.

This is Varsity Quiz!

(crashing sound) ♪♪♪ (cheers and applause) (Nate Tannenbaum) Hello, and welcome to the 53rd season of Varsity Quiz where the best and the brightest high school students match wits in this unique academic competition.

As we hope you know, there are two Varsity Quiz leagues in each season's competition.

Tonight the road to the Blue League championship begins with A-Tech facing Bishop Gorman.

Let's go ahead and meet tonight's players.

Now, A-Tech was undefeated in their division, and their starters are Sovannjet.

Hi, Sovannjet.

-Hello.

-Carlo.

Hi, Carlo.

-Hi.

-Jackie.

Hi, Jackie.

-Hi.

-And there's Wade.

Hi, Wade.

-Hi.

-That is A-Tech.

Glad you guys are here.

(applause) Now, for Bishop Gorman, also undefeated in their division, their starters are-- we start with Zain.

Hey, Zain.

-Hey.

-Michael, howdy.

-Hi.

-Joey, how's it going?

-Pretty good.

-And Dominik.

-Hi.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Bishop Gorman.

(applause) Let's play Varsity Quiz.

According to some of the conspiracy theories, the former leader of which South American nation was directly connected to some of the software used to rig the 2020 U.S. elections?

Bishop Gorman, Joey: Venezuela.

Yes.

Next question.

The body of Joseph Stalin shared Lenin's Tomb in Moscow's Red Square until his denouncement by which Soviet leader?

A-Tech, Carlo: Nikita Khrushchev.

Yes.

Next question.

General Motors' brands offer customers a progression of cars from a younger person's first new car purchase to an older person's last luxury sedan.

So which of the brands, with models like Nova and Malibu, represents the first step of the GM-- Gorman, Joey: Chevrolet.

Yes.

Moving on.

On the periodic table, elements 21 Landium, 39 Yttrium, and 57 Lanthanum through 71 Lutetium form a group of elements essential for many modern technologies including electronics, communications, energy and defense industries.

What describes this category of elements?

A-Tech, Wade: Transition metals.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Dominik: Alkaline metals.

Incorrect.

We were looking for rare earth minerals.

So no correct answer and we move on.

Which region of Asia has been a constant source of conflict between India and Pakistan since the partition in 1947-- Gorman, Joey: Bangladesh.

Incorrect.

And let me finish the question.

--Under Prime Minister Moody, India ended the area's relative autonomy.

A-Tech, Jackie: Kashmir.

Yes.

Next is a calculation question: To the nearest tenth, what is the acceleration of a dune buggy that speeds up from 11 meters per second to 50 meters per second in 10 seconds?

A-Tech, Sovannjet: 3.9 meters per second squared.

That is correct.

Points for A-Tech.

What kind of chemical reaction occurs when one molecule loses a number of electrons while an adjacent molecule gains the same number?

Gorman, Dominik: Covalent.

Incorrect.

A-Tech, Carlo: Redox.

Judges, can we accept that?

Yes.

Okay.

Moving on.

On July 7, 1865, the United States hanged Mary Surrat and seven others, marking the country's first execution of a woman.

Whose death justified the use of this maximum punishment?

Time is up.

We were looking for Abraham Lincoln.

No points, next question.

Which British partnership produced 14 major works including The Mikado, The Yeoman of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance?

Oh, you gotta get up on your Gilbert and Sullivan.

Next question.

In the comic strip Peanuts, who acts as catcher on Charlie Brown's baseball team?

He also plays the piano.

Gorman, Joey: Snoopy.

No.

We were looking for Schroeder.

Next question.

Which family's dynasty ruled Russia for more than three centuries beginning-- Gorman, Michael: Romanov.

Yes.

Where on a U.S. map would you find the Mason-Dixon Line?

Gorman, Dominik: The Maryland- Pennsylvania border.

Yes.

You're at a college football game at Nyland Stadium.

The people around you are screaming for the Vols, and the band's playing Rocky Top.

You're on the campus of which university?

Gorman, Joey: University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Yes.

Which holiday is celebrated annually in Great Britain and many of its former possessions on December 26?

Gorman, Joey: Boxing Day.

Yes.

Next is a calculation question: The arithmetic mean of seven integers is -1.

What's the smallest positive number that can be added to these seven integers so the new arithmetic mean will be a positive integer?

Gorman, Joey: 15.

Yes.

Next question.

Four individuals and one organization have won two Nobel Prizes.

One organization got three for its work for promoting the principles of the Geneva Convention in cooperation with the United Nations in 1963.

Name this triple winner-- A-Tech, Wade: Red Cross.

Judges, can we accept that?

Yes.

Okay, moving on.

On July 1, it's noon in Las Vegas.

What time is it in Tucson, Arizona?

A-Tech, Jackie: 1:00 p.m.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Joey: 12:00 p.m.

Yes.

Next question.

According to the American Kennel Club, what's the most popular breed of dog in the United States?

A-Tech, Jackie: Golden Retriever.

I don't think that's correct.

No.

According to the AKC, it has held that title for 30 consecutive years.

Gorman, Dominik: German Shepherd.

No.

It's a Labrador Retriever.

Peter is not feeling well.

His primary care doctor refers him to a nephrologist.

What does the doctor think is ailing him?

It's his kidneys.

Next question.

Restate the following sentence replacing the infinitive with a gerund: "I started to write songs."

A-Tech, Sovannjet: "I started writing songs."

Yes.

Next question.

One symptom of a vaccine-preventable disease: Within two to three days, tissues in the back of the throat or nose die.

They turn gray and form a pseudo-membrane that makes swallowing and breathing difficult.

What's the name of this illness which the DPT prevents?

A-Tech, Wade: Lymph nodes.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Joey: Influenza.

No.

We were looking for diptheria.

One of the regular panelists on Shark Tank, that reality TV investment program, is Mark Cuban.

He's also famous as the owner of which "Big 4" professional-- Gorman, Joey: Dallas Mavericks.

Yes.

Reminiscent of a stalk of threshed grain, which idiom means the most recent in a series of annoyances or disturbances that cause someone to lose hope-- A-Tech, Sovannjet: The last straw.

Yes.

We have a calculation question now.

Carmen is 12 years older than David.

Five years ago, the sum of their ages was 28.

How old are they now?

Gorman, Dominik: 23 years old and 11 years old.

That's incorrect.

Time?

Okay.

So Carmen is 25 and David is 13.

One more question.

Listen to the following sentence: "Leon passed Maggie the ice cream cone."

What or who was the indirect object?

A-Tech, Sovannjet: Maggie.

Yes.

So that's the end of round one.

Before we stop play and move on, we want to get to know our players.

So great job on round one.

Give these kids a round of applause.

(applause) So we want to meet our players.

We're going to start with A-Tech and say hello to junior Sovannjet.

Hi, Sovannjet.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

It says here that you play a couple of musical instruments, but you may be looking to play another one somewhere down the road.

Tell us what you play and what you might want to play.

-I currently play piano and guitar, and I'm looking one day to play violin.

-Wonderful.

Well, good luck with the musical instruments and here on Varsity Quiz.

Good to have you, Sovannjet.

-Thank you.

-Next is a freshman, it's Carlo.

Hi, Carlo.

-Hi.

-It says here you participated in a robotics competition.

For folks who may not know, what happens in a robotics competition?

-Well, those robotic competitions, it was a Lego kind of thing.

You had to make a kind of robot using these Lego things, and it has to follow a certain track.

-Was it a team thing or an individual thing?

-It was a team thing.

-Awesome.

Well, I hope you're still interested in robotics, or not.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

That's Carlo.

Thank you, sir.

Let's meet senior Jackie.

Hi, Jackie.

-Hi.

-I understand you like musicals.

-Yes.

-Do you have an all-time favorite or is that even possible?

-I think my favorite would be-- it's a little obscure, but it's been on Broadway.

It's called Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.

-Wow, I don't think I know that one.

I'll look that one up.

Keep enjoying musicals, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Jackie.

Here's a junior, Wade.

Hi, Wade.

-Hi.

-You like watching movies?

-I do, quite a bit.

-Is it possible to have an all-time favorite?

-I do have a guilty pleasure movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Even though it's not really that good, I like it anyway.

-Oh, no, that's great.

So good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Once again, our team from A-Tech.

(applause) We're going to meet our players now from Gorman.

We'll start with sophomore Zain.

Hi, Zain.

-Hi.

-I understand that you play lacrosse.

-Yes, at Bishop Gorman.

So how are you guys doing?

Have you had your season yet?

-No, the season is going to start in a few weeks, actually.

-So you guys are practicing right now.

-Yes.

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

Thanks, Zain.

Next is a junior, it's Michael.

Hi, Michael.

-Hi.

-It says you've played the piano since you were a youngster.

-Yes.

-Are you still playing it?

-Yes.

-Do you participate in competitions or is this just for fun?

-I used to go to a recital every year, so that's about it.

-But now it's just for fun.

-Yes.

-Awesome.

Well, good luck with that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Michael.

-Thank you.

-Here's senior Joey.

Hi, Joey.

-Hi.

-Good to have you here.

You have one of the most interesting hobbies that I think I've seen on a Varsity Quiz player's card here.

It says something about an NFL team.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-Yes.

So I'm originally born in New York.

I'm a fan of the New York Jets.

We lose a little too often, but I still enjoy watching every single game.

-Yes.

Well, you wrote here you enjoy watching the Jets lose.

-I mean, watching football is really what I love to do.

-There you go.

Good luck to the Jets, and good luck to you, sir, here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Joey.

-Thank you.

-And we have junior Dominik.

Hi, Dominik.

-Hi.

-Maybe folks know this, but I'm not sure.

What is an investment club?

What do you guys do?

It's an investment club at Gorman that's essentially teaching people about stocks and what's going on in investing markets, teaching people how to be able to work with those strategies and vocabulary.

-Wow.

Okay, we'll come to you for some advice in the future.

In the meantime, good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, the team from Bishop Gorman.

(applause) Coming up next on Varsity Quiz, our bonus round.

(crashing sound) The score going into round two, it's close.

A-Tech has 35 points to Gorman's 40.

Now for new players, A-Tech is keeping all the same players.

We have two new players for Gorman.

Let's meet Nina.

Hi, Nina.

-Hi.

-And Jared.

Welcome aboard.

Now, this round is timed at six minutes and starts when I begin this first question.

Which U.S. state has the shortest coastline?

A-Tech, Jackie: Delaware.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Dominik: New Hampshire.

Yes.

Bonus questions now for Gorman only.

Answer the following about coastlines: First, according to the world atlas, which U.S. state has the longest coastline at 33,904 miles?

Second, which nation's coastline extends the longest at 125,567 miles?

First answer, Alaska; second answer, Australia.

Alaska is correct so you get some bonus points, and the second one is Canada.

So some bonus points.

Next is this question for both teams.

Which famous television program debuted on November 10, 1969?

That day it was brought to you by the letter W. A-Tech, Jackie: Sesame Street.

Yes.

Bonus questions now for A-Tech only.

Answer the following questions about Sesame Street: First, which character, visible only to Big Bird and the audience, disappeared whenever adults appeared at least for the first 14 years?

Second, what is the Count's full name?

First answer, Snuffleupagus; second answer, Count Calcula.

-Well, Snuffleupagus is correct.

And by the way, he has a first name, it's Aloysius.

And Count von Count.

So we can't give you the second one, but we'll give you the first one.

Next question for both teams.

The mysterious explosion aboard the USS Maine started the Spanish American War.

What class of ship was the Maine?

I believe he got in in time.

So they think it was late, so that will be no response.

So we'll move on.

Actually, it was a battleship.

But we move on to a calculation question for both teams.

A city of 200,000 people reported 5,000 violent crimes last year.

What is the rate of violent crime per 1,000 people?

Gorman, Dominik: 50 per 1,000.

Incorrect.

A-Tech, Sovannjet: 1 per 40.

That's incorrect.

We were looking for 25.

We move on to the next question for both teams.

Who predicted in 1932 that if Franklin Roosevelt became president, "Grass will grow in the streets "of 100 cities and a thousand towns.

"The weeds will overrun the fields "of thousands of farms."

(bell rings, time expires) That's time?

Okay, we were looking for Herbert Hoover.

If you fly due south from Sri Lanka, the first continent you'll fly over is which one?

A-Tech, Carlo: Antarctica.

Yes.

Bonus questions for A-Tech.

Answer the following about geography: First, both landlocked South American countries are adjacent to two other countries.

One is Brazil; what's the other?

Second, Easter Island, famous for its stone heads, is a possession of which nation?

First answer, Argentina; second answer, the United States.

Argentina is correct, so some bonus points.

The other one is Chile, so no bonus points for that one.

Now this question for both teams.

In 1994 which Nobel Prize did the mathematician John Nash share for his work concerning game theory?

A-Tech, Carlo: Economics.

Yes.

Bonus questions for A-Tech.

Answer the following about awards: First, which prize is frequently considered to be the Nobel Prize in mathematics?

Second, what term or title is used to name individuals who win a Nobel Prize?

For the first answer, a bell prize; second answer, a Nobel Laureate.

The second is correct.

The first one is the Fields Medal.

So again, some bonus points.

Next question for both teams.

What city, important in the colonial era, is known as the "City of Brotherly Love?"

A-Tech, Jackie: Philadelphia.

Yes.

Bonus questions for A-Tech.

Answer the following about U.S. cities: First, on May 4, 1886, a rally in Haymarket Square became a riot after somebody threw a bomb in which city?

Second, which West Coast city now constitutes the home of the aerospace industry in the United States?

First answer, Boston; second answer, San Francisco.

Both are incorrect.

We were looking for Chicago and Seattle.

Okay.

We're out of time, so that is the end of our bonus round.

The speed round is next.

Now the score entering round three: A-Tech with 70, Gorman has 50.

This is a close match.

For A-Tech, they're keeping the same four players.

We have two new players for Gorman.

We say hello to Ara.

Hi, Ara.

-Hello.

-And there's Jackson.

Hey, man, what's up?

-Hi.

-Let's do this.

What figure of speech did Isaac Asimov use in this line: "Oh, for a pin that would puncture pretension!"

A-Tech, Sovannjet: Alliteration.

Yes.

The Andes stretch through seven South American countries including Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and-- A-Tech, Wade: Brazil.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Dominik: Bolivia.

Yes.

On January 10, Alabama and Georgia met for the College Football National Championship.

What team did the Georgia Bulldogs beat to reach the title game?

Gorman, Joey: University of Michigan.

Yes.

On which part of a yellow jacket's body will you find its wings?

A-Tech, Jackie: Th abdomen.

Incorrect.

(bell rings, time expires) We were looking for the thorax.

What is the most southern state capital in the Continental United States?

A-Tech, Sovennjet: Tallahassee.

That's incorrect.

Did he get in in time?

Okay.

Gorman, Jackson: New Orleans.

Incorrect.

We were looking for Austin, Texas.

In which year will the United States next host an Olympic Games?

A-Tech, Wade: Los Angeles.

That's incorrect.

Gorman, Dominik: 2028.

Yes.

If you arrange the additive primary colors alphabetically, which is first?

A-Tech: Sovannjet: Blue.

Yes.

Now a calculation question.

We don't repeat them in the third round.

All the gold that has ever been mined in human history would occupy about 9,261 cubic meters.

That's equivalent to a cube that's how many meters on a side?

Did they get in in time?

Okay.

Gorman, Joseph: 79 meters.

Incorrect.

We were looking for 21 meters.

The virus Herpes Zoster causes two different diseases.

Name either one.

(bell rings, time expires) That was after the buzzer.

We were looking for chickenpox or shingles.

Next, before the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, what was the team's home?

Gorman, Joey: Brooklyn.

Yes.

Last August, the California Board of Pardons and Parole recommended parole for Sirhan Sirhan.

Who was he convicted of murdering in 1968?

Gorman, Dominik: Robert F. Kennedy.

Yes.

How many eggs make up a gross?

A-Tech, Wade: 60.

No.

Did he get in?

Gorman, Dominik: 64.

Incorrect.

It's 144.

A gross is a dozen dozen.

You learned something today.

Next is a calculation.

Two angles are adjacent and form an angle of 130 degrees.

The larger is 30 degrees less than three times the smaller.

What's the measure of the larger angle?

Gorman, Joey: 80.

Incorrect.

(bell rings, time expires) We were looking for 90 degrees.

The battles of White Plains, Kings Mountain, Monmouth, Cowpens and Princeton were part of which U.S. war?

A-Tech, Jackie: The Civil War.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Jackson: War of 1812.

Incorrect.

It was the American Revolution.

The mineral at the top of the Mohs Hardness Scale is a diamond.

What is its number on the scale?

Gorman, Dominik: Ten.

Yes.

"An organ or body part with no apparent function "that is residual from past ancestors" is the definition of what?

A-Tech, Jackie: Vestigial.

Yes.

What is Nevada's third-largest city by population?

Gorman, Jackson: Henderson.

Incorrect.

A-Tech, Wade: Boulder City.

Incorrect.

It's Reno.

What long, flat bone that supports the clavicles forms the median portion of the anterior wall of the thorax?

A-Tech, Jackie: Th sternum.

Yes.

Named for how they are formed, what kind of "ites" are the following minerals: Sylvite, gypsum, dolomite, halite and calcite?

I believe he got in in time.

Gorman, Dominik: Stalagtites.

Incorrect.

And so time.

That is evaporites.

Which American company, named for the inventor of the passenger elevator, was hired to design the Eiffel Tower's elevator system?

(bell rings, time expires) It's the Otis Elevator Company.

The torque vector points along the axis of what?

A-Tech, Sovannjet: Rotation.

Yes.

In 1941, five years after it was occupied by Italy, Emperor Haile Selassie returned to which capital city?

Gorman, Dominik: Tirana.

Incorrect.

(bell rings, time expires) We were looking for Addis Ababa.

Words such as biathlon and pentathlon were derived from the Greek word "athlon" meaning what?

A-Tech, Jackie: Race.

Incorrect.

Gorman, Joey: Game.

No.

It's prize.

What's the popular name for a type of carbon called C60 that looks like a geodesic dome?

We need to clear the responses.

And we're open.

A-Tech, Sovannjet: Buckminster.

I don't think we can accept that.

(bell rings, time expires) We were looking for buckyball.

Next, which name described the person who targeted universities and airlines for a series of explosions in the 1970s and '80s?

A-Tech, Carlo: Ted Kaczynski.

Judges?

No.

Gorman, Dominik: Theodore John Kaczynski.

No.

Time.

Oh, we're out of time.

And what was your-- tell me your answer one more time.

-Theodore John Kaczynski.

-No.

We were looking for Unabomber.

Okay, so let's find out who won.

(crashing sound) The final score: A-Tech 95, Gorman 80.

Thanks to both teams for an excellent match, and congratulations to A-Tech for the win.

So A-Tech will be facing the winner of next week's match between Arbor View and Silverado.

We hope you'll tune in for another exciting night of Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.

Good night.

♪♪♪