(upbeat music) - [Hillary] Students from Centreville, Fairfax, and Wheaton High Schools meet today on "It's Academic."

Hello everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard.

Welcome to "It's Academic" produced by Altman Productions in association with David M Rubenstein Productions.

- [Narrator] Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following, MITRE, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

- [Narrator] The world is full of challenges and at MITRE, we're committed to solving them, from aviation and health, to cyber and national security.

Our people know we are called to do more.

MITRE, solving problems for a safer world.

- And now it's time to meet the teams.

We begin with Centreville High School from Clifton, Virginia.

Akhil, Devon, Annette, great to see you on "It's Academic."

Hi.

- Hello.

- Great to be here.

- Hello.

- Glad to have you.

From Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia.

Sami, Connor, Boyi, great to have you with us today.

Hey guys.

- [All] Hello.

- Hi.

And from Wheaton High School in Montgomery County, Pari, Victoria, Vijay, awesome to have you with us.

Hi.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Hello.

- Okay, let's dive into this opening round where questions are worth 20 points, nothing off for a wrong answer, which is great.

Centreville, you are up first.

Akhil, Devon, Annette, here we go.

Don't make dents.

Hidden in this sentence is the name of what garden where Adam and Eve first lived?

- Eden.

- Eden is right.

Retaliation, revelation, rejuvenation.

Which of these is implied in the word reprisal?

- Retaliation.

- Yup.

You got it.

Oat to ox.

You check this volume of an old encyclopedia to read about what mythical Greek man who mistakenly killed his father and married his mother?

- Oedipus?

- Yes.

Albert Einstein, Joseph Priestley, Neil deGrasse Tyson, here you have three noted scientists.

Please arrange them in chronological order.

- Joseph Priestley, Albert Einstein and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

- You are right.

"Rome is an eternal thought in the mind of God."

This is a line of dialogue from a movie about what Roman gladiator who led a slave revolt in the first century BC?

- Spartacus?

- Spartacus is right.

Nicely done, Centreville.

200 points.

All right.

It's time for Fairfax High School.

Sammy, Connor, Boyi, here's your first question.

Jim, John or Wayne.

Hidden within this list is the name of what Scandinavian country that shares a long border with Sweden?

- Conferring, Norway?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

It's Norway.

- Norway is right.

Plagiarism, infringement, slander.

If a person steals someone else's writing and passes it off as his own, that person is guilty of which of these offenses?

- Conferring.

Plagiarism?

- Plagiarism.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

Final answer.

Plagiarism.

- Plagiarism.

- Yes.

Mann to Mysore.

You can check this volume of an old encyclopedia for information about what galaxy in which our solar system is located.

- Conferring.

Milky Way?

- Milky Way.

Yeah.

- Milky Way is correct.

Pikes Peak, Mount Whitney, Mount Denali, here are three notable mountains.

Can you arrange them in order of height, starting with the highest?

- Oh, Mount Denali's, the tallest.

- [Connor & Sami] Then Pike's Peak, then Mount Whitney?

- The answer is Denali, Whitney, and then Pike's Peak.

"I am now a Bloated Eastern Manufacturer."

This was the self-deprecating description of what inventor, whose patents would include the movie camera and the incandescent light bulb?

- Conferring.

Does anyone have a idea?

- [Hillary] I need an answer in three.

- Okay.

- Edison?

- Yeah.

You got there.

It's definitely Thomas Edison.

Nicely done.

180 points, Fairfax.

Okay, onto team three from Wheaton High School in Montgomery County.

Pari, Victoria, Vijay, here is your first question.

Arctic or near East, hidden in this geographical phrase is what word for the transparent part of the human eye that can be transplanted.

- Conferring.

Cornea?

- Cornea.

Yeah.

- Cornea.

Final answer.

- Yep.

Apathetic, discordant, altruistic.

A person who is unselfish and charitable can be best described by which of these words?

- [Pari & Vijay] Conferring.

Altruistic?

- Altruistic.

Final answer.

- You've got it.

Xylophone to zygote.

It's in this volume of an old encyclopedia that you'd find a listing for what south of African tribal group that Shaka united in the early 19th century?

- Shosa?

- Shosa?

I think.

- [Hillary] Answer?

- Victoria's.

Victoria, say the answer.

- Final answer is Shosa?

- No, it's Zulu.

Prohibition.

Trial by jury.

18-year-old voting age.

Each of these items was the subject of a constitutional amendment, please arrange them chronologically by date of ratification.

- Conferring.

Trial by jury.

Prohibition.

18-year-old voting age, or is it?

- Yeah.

- I think so.

- Okay.

Final answer, trial by jury, prohibition, 18-year-old voting age.

- [Hillary] That's it.

"The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next."

This bit of wisdom comes from what American woman who overcame the twin handicaps of blindness and deafness.

- Conferring.

Helen Keller?

- Helen Keller.

- Yeah.

- Helen Keller.

- Yes.

Helen Keller.

Well done, Wheaton.

180 points.

And that's the end of the opening round, Picture Perfect up next.

- I'm David Rubenstein.

From the Kennedy Center and the National Archives to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, I've been pleased to support many important organizations and historic sites linked to American history, art, culture, education and more.

I believe giving back to our country isn't just an idea, it's an action, a patriotic action that involves all of us and it begins with education and learning about our nation's past so that we, the people can make a more perfect union for the future.

We can do it together.

Please read, learn, get involved and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - All right.

Let's play Picture Perfect.

In this round, answers are worth 20 points up or down.

10 points off if you pass.

Centreville, you're up first.

Here's the first question, Akhil, Devon, Annette.

There were no photographers around, just artists at the 1807 treason trial of what former vice president who had dueled with Alexander Hamilton?

- Conferring, Aaron Burr.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- All right, final answer, Aaron Burr.

- Yes, it was.

"I would've been bored if I hadn't been there."

This mocking quote comes from what French author of "The Three Musketeers?"

- Conferring, Alexander Dumas.

- Yes.

Yeah.

- Final answer, Dumas.

- You got it right.

This is a scene from what 19th century US war that ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.

- Conferring, Mexican?

- Mexican American war.

- Yes.

- Final answer.

Mexican American war.

- Yes.

It was!

Really nice job, Centreville, you've got 260 points.

Okay, Fairfax High School, your turn to play.

Sami, Connor, Boyi, here we go.

Flowers such as these attract what tiny birds that can fly 60 miles an hour and whose species include the ruby throated?

- Conferring, hummingbird?

- Yeah, I think so.

- Okay.

Final answer.

Hummingbird.

- Yeah.

Right.

They're so amazing.

"All opinions are not equal."

This was the opinion of what British author of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."

- Ah.

- You guys have an idea?

- Yeah, I know it.

I know it.

- [Hillary] In three, two.

- We'll go with Leo Tolstoy.

- [Hillary] Douglas Adams.

- Douglas Adams!

- Right, yeah.

I know you know that.

This scene called "Building the Boats" is from what embroidered work chronicling the Norman conquest of England?

- Conferring.

Guys.

- [Hillary] Answer in three, two, one.

- England?

- No, it's the Bayeux Tapestry.

Nice job though Fairfax, you have 160 points.

Okay, Wheaton High School, you're up.

Pari, Victoria, Vijay, here we go.

This was the engine of the first powered aircraft flown in 1903 by what brothers who invented the airplane?

- Conferring.

Wright Brothers?

- The Wright Brothers?

- Wright Brothers, final answer.

- Yep.

You got it.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

This extravagant quote comes from what Anglo Irish author of "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

- Oscar Wilde?

- Conferring.

Wilde, yeah.

Wilde, final.

- Yes.

Oscar Wilde.

The ladybug is the official insect of what first state to ratify the constitution?

- Conferring.

- Delaware?

- That that was the first state, not the first to ratify.

I think it was like Pennsylvania or New York maybe.

- [Hillary] Need an answer.

- Pennsylvania.

- Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania.

Final.

- Guys.

It was Delaware.

Wheaton, nice job.

200 points.

That's it for the Picture Perfect round.

Stay here because in just a minute we're gonna learn more about our amazing students and dive into the Packet Round.

But first here is something pretty interesting.

- Hello, I'm David Rubenstein, did you know that during World War II in 1944, Jackie Robinson was court marshaled for refusing to move to the back of a military bus?

He was charged with insubordination and refusing to obey the order of a superior officer.

Jackie was acquitted of all charges.

I'm David Rubenstein reminding you to read, learn, get involved and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - Hey, it's halftime, which means it is time for the Packet Round.

As you know in this round, correct answers are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer and if you get every answer right, there's a 25 point bonus.

Team one, you are up.

But before we begin the round, we'd really like to learn a little more about you.

So Centreville, we'll start with Akhil because you're the captain.

Akhil, what should we know about you?

- I'm currently interested in bioengineering and I'm hoping to pursue that in college.

- Beautiful.

Nice to have you with us, Akhil.

Devon, tell us about yourself.

- My interests now are linguistics and computer programming.

- Wow, and are you going to combine them in some way?

- It's what I'm thinking about doing.

- Yeah, that's very cool.

Hello, Annette.

- Hi.

I enjoy playing chess and playing tennis with my friends.

- Beautiful.

Well, it's great to have you.

And now of course we'd love to meet the people who are supporting you.

So who are they?

Akhil?

- Yep, so this is our captain, Ms. Croot.

- I'm so thankful to be here and I'm just so proud of them.

- Aw, well, we are too.

Thank you so much for being here and now that we've done all of the introductions, we can start to ask you some questions.

Here we go Centreville.

If you see a capital D on a quarter, you'll know it was minted in what mile high Rocky Mountain city.

- Conferring, Denver?

- Yeah, I think so.

- Final answer, Denver.

- Yes.

Over a thousand archeological sites were flooded by the time the Three Gorges dam was finished on what longest Chinese River?

- Yangtze?

- The Yangtze.

- Final answer, the Yangtze?

- Yes.

Nice.

Here's your science question.

Negative one, positive one, positive two.

Alkaline metals are characterized by which of these valent states?

- Conferring.

Positive one?

- Yeah, I think so.

- Final answer, positive one?

- Positive one is right.

The first person to win two Nobel Prizes was what Polish-born woman honored for her work with radium.

- [Akhil & Annette] Conferring, Marie Curie?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Final answer.

Marie Curie.

- Yeah.

If you're looking for a good book, you might read the two similarly named novels by Ralph Ellison and HG Wells whose titles both name what invisible entity?

- Conferring.

- "The Invisible Man."

- "The Invisible Man," right, yeah.

Final answer.

"The Invisible Man."

- Man is right.

Here's your math question.

How much is a 4% sales tax if the purchase price is $90?

- Conferring?

$3.60?

- Yeah.

3.6, yeah.

- Okay.

Final answer, $3.60?

- It is.

A village near the Tallapoosa River was the birthplace of what early 19th century Native American who led the Seminoles in battle against the US forces?

- Conferring.

Anyone have an idea?

- No.

- [Hillary] All right.

I need an answer in three, two, one.

- Wampanoag?

- Sitting Bull?

- No, it's Osceola, but hey, Centreville, you did a really nice job in that round.

380 points.

Time to meet the team from Fairfax High School, we start with Sami, who's the captain of this team.

Sami, what's up?

- Hello, my name is Sami and I'm a junior at Fairfax High School and I'm on the Fairfax High School tennis team.

- Nice.

Well, it's really good to have you, Sami.

How about you, Connor?

What's your story?

- In my free time, I like to play guitar and pole vault.

- Nice, pole vaulting must be fun.

- Yeah.

- Never done it.

Finally, Boyi, tell us about yourself.

- In my free time, I like doing competitive programming and playing the piano.

- Oh, lovely.

Well, it's really nice to have you guys and a couple of musical people too.

We would love to meet your new coach.

Sami, can you introduce us?

- Yeah, so with us today, we have our wonderful new coach, Ms. Loomis, and our alternate, Henry.

- Hey, it's great to have you guys.

Thanks for being here.

- Hi.

We're so happy to be joining you guys today.

- Awesome.

And now of course, we're going to get to see what this team can bring in the Packet Round.

You guys ready?

Here we go.

Sami, Connor, Boyi.

A man named Joseph Strauss who wrote a senior thesis about building a bridge between Siberia and Alaska later became project engineer on what landmark bridge in San Francisco?

- [Connor & Sami] Conferring, Golden Gate Bridge?

- Yeah.

Final answer.

Golden Gate Bridge.

- Yes.

To supply the allies with gasoline following D-Day, more than 20 oil pipelines were laid across what body of water that separates France from Britain?

- Conferring.

Is it the Thames River?

Is it?

Conferring?

Sorry, it's.

- [Hillary] I do need an answer.

- We'll go with Thames River.

- No, it's the English Channel.

Here's your science question.

Bromine, fluorine, chlorine.

Which of these halogens is the most active?

- Conferring?

Is it fluorine, guys?

- Conferring chlorine, maybe?

- Yeah.

Final answer, fluorine.

- Yes, it is.

American colonists came unglued when even marriage licenses were required to carry what seal of approval that named a British act of 1765?

- Conferring.

Is it the Stamp Act?

- Yes.

- Okay.

We'll go with Stamp Act, final answer.

- Yeah.

Glad you did.

"The Primrose Path" was an early horror story by Bram Stoker whose literary career came into full bloom with what 1897 horror novel?

- Conferring, "Dracula."

- Yeah.

Okay.

Final answer.

"Dracula."

- "Dracula" is right.

Here's your math question.

What is the average of these three expressions?

- Is it five, guys?

- I was thinking five.

Yeah.

- Okay.

Final answer, or is it negative five?

- [Hillary] The answer?

- Final answer, five.

- No, it's Y minus five.

Because he couldn't be bribed, the nickname "The Incorruptible" was given to what man who led the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution?

- Conferring Napoleon?

- Yeah, we can go with that.

Are you guys okay with that?

Okay.

Final answer, Napoleon.

- No, it was Robespierre.

Fairfax High School, 240 points.

And finally, last, but certainly not least, Wheaton High School from Montgomery County.

Pari, what are you up to?

- In my free time, I like to play volleyball and I'm a second degree at karate.

- Oh, wow.

So you're tough.

- I guess.

- Okay.

That's awesome.

Hiya, Victoria, tell us about yourself.

- I'm very interested in civil engineering and in my free time I like to volunteer at my local animal shelter.

- Oh, that's beautiful.

We'd love to hear a little more about that.

And finally, Vijay, what are you up to?

- In my free time, I really love rock climbing.

- Oh, that's awesome.

All right guys, we would love to meet the team behind the team.

So Pari, can you introduce us?

- So at my right is Mr. O'Neil, our coach.

Take it away.

- Thanks for being here, Mr. O'Neil.

Good to see you.

- Thank you for having us again, Hillary.

Always look forward to this.

- Of course.

Of course.

Well, here we go to jump into this Packet Round.

Let's do it.

Pari, Victoria and Vijay.

"Jefferson still lives," were the last words of what second president who actually died several hours after Jefferson.

- Conferring Adams.

- [Victoria & Vijay] Yeah.

- Adams, final answer.

- Yeah.

When Bogota, the capitol of Colombia, was founded in the 16th century, it had what other name later given to the capitol of New Mexico?

- [Pari & Vijay] Conferring.

- Albuquerque?

- That's not the capitol.

Santa Fe.

Santa Fe.

- Not sure.

- Yeah.

That's your answer?

- Santa Fe, final.

- Good.

It's Santa Fe.

Here's your science question.

Fission, fusion, budding.

Yeast plants are unicellular and reproduce asexually by which of these methods?

- [Pari & Vijay] Conferring, budding?

- Budding, right.

Okay.

Budding, final.

- Yeah.

- The last French criminal to be publicly guillotined was executed in 1939 near what French palace where the World War I Treaty was signed?

- Conferring, Versailles.

- [Pari & Vijay] Yeah.

- Versailles, final answer.

- Absolutely.

If you like speeches, you'll love the Shakespeare play where both Marc Antony and Brutus give orations after the death of what title character?

- Conferring.

Cleopatra?

- Caesar?

- Are you sure?

- I'm sure it's Caesar.

- Is it Caesar?

Okay.

- I think Caesar.

- I think so.

- [Hillary] Answer?

- Caesar, final answer?

- Yes, it is.

Here's your math question.

What is the value of this expression taking positive roots?

- Conferring.

36.

- Yeah.

- 36 final.

- Correct.

"Crossroads of Freedom" is a book about what 1862 Maryland battle called "The Bloodiest Day of the Civil War?"

- Conferring, Antietam?

- Antietam, yeah.

- Yeah.

Okay.

Antietam, final answer.

- Antietam, it is.

You know what, Wheaton, you kind of knocked it out of the park.

Got 'em all right and a 25 point bonus with a score of 365 points.

And that was the Packet Round.

Next, we're turning up the temperature because you know we're going to have the Lightning Round, so stay where you are.

(upbeat music) Okay.

It's time for some lightning in this Lightning Round, where you've got 45 seconds to answer up to 10 questions, they're worth 20 points up or down, no penalty if you pass.

Team one, Centreville, let's do this.

Your answers here must all be numbers, not words, but numbers.

In three, two, one.

There are this many planets in our solar system.

- Eight.

- Yes.

An Olympic decathlon has this many events.

- 10.

- 12.

- Yes.

Shakespeare's King Lear had this many daughters.

- [Devon] Three.

- Yes.

In two years, there are this many weeks.

- 104.

- Yes.

There are this many contiguous US states.

- [Devon] 48.

- Yes.

A spider has this many legs.

- Eight.

- Yes.

This is the atomic number of helium.

- [Akhil] Two.

- Yes.

Ali Baba had to deal with this many thieves.

- Pass.

- 40.

A full set of adult human teeth is this many.

(buzzer sounding) - Pass.

32, 32 teeth in most of our mouths.

You did a really nice job there, Centreville.

520 points.

All right, team two, you're up.

Fairfax High School.

Sami, Connor, Boyi, here we go.

All answers in this round are numbers.

In three, two, one.

There are this many carved heads on Mount Rushmore.

- [Connor & Sami] Four.

- Yes.

The planet Mars has this many moons.

- Two.

- Seven?

- Yes.

"Around The World" in this many "Days" is a Jules Verne title.

- [Connor] 180 - [Boyi] 50 - [Sami] 80, 80, 80, 80.

- Yes.

Ancient Rome was built on this number of hills.

- Three?

- Seven.

There are this many inches in a yard.

- [All] 36.

- Yes.

There are this many New England states.

- [Connor] Eight.

- Six.

This is the atomic number of oxygen.

- Eight.

- Yes.

In baseball, a grand slam brings in this many runs.

- [Sami] Four.

Yes.

There are this many feet in a mile.

(buzzer sounding) - [Sami] 2005.

- Oh, well, the answer, of course, 5280 feet in a mile.

Fairfax, you've got 320 points.

Wheaton, time to play the Lightning Round.

Pari, Victoria, Vijay, here we go.

Your answers here must all be numbers, not words, but numbers.

In three, two, one.

A leap year has this many days.

- 364.

- Pass.

- 366.

An NFL field goal is worth this number of points.

- Three.

- Yes.

The Roman God Janus had this number of faces.

- [Victoria] Three.

- Two.

There are this many eggs in five dozen.

- [Victoria & Vijay] 60.

- Yes.

This is the minimum age for a US president.

- 35.

- Yes.

This is the atomic number of hydrogen.

- [All] One.

- Yes.

The Bill of Rights has this many amendments.

- [Victoria] 10.

- Yes.

A dodecagon has this many sides.

- [All] 12.

- Yes.

There are this many pennies in $5.

- [Victoria] 500.

- Yes.

Time is considered this number dimension.

(buzzer sounding) Yeah, you knew it.

The fourth dimension.

Wheaton, man, really nice in that round, 485 points.

All right.

The Lightning Round is done.

Now the judges are going over the scores, and in just a minute you will learn what they are and who's coming back for the playoffs.

But first, we would really love for you to consider giving back to your community, like some of our really impressive students.

- I'm David Rubenstein, and I believe giving back is something we all can do.

Students are getting involved in their communities in many important ways.

I've asked them to share with us how they're making a difference.

- Hi, my name is Elijah Pelton.

I'm a high school senior at Meridian High School in Falls Church, Virginia.

One of the wonderful organizations that I work with is World Central Kitchen.

I have been provided with a wonderful opportunity to help them at Dulles Airport, welcoming Afghan refugees.

This really opened my eyes into how I can use my life and experiences to help other people.

They were coming to this country with nothing but the clothes on the back, and I had a wonderful opportunity to provide them with a fresh meal when they got here.

- Like these students, you too can help improve the lives of so many people by volunteering in your town and community.

Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - The scores are now in the book.

First congratulations go to Fairfax High School from Fairfax County, Sami, Connor, Boyi, 320 points.

And congratulations to Wheaton High School from Montgomery County, Pari, Victoria, Vijay, 485 points.

And coming back for the playoffs, Centreville High School from Clifton, Virginia, Akhil, Devon and Annette, 520 points.

Way to go.

Way to go for all of you.

Let's hear it for our awesome teams and you, our pretty awesome viewers, really happy you were with us today to match wits with our students.

- [Narrator] Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following, MITRE, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

- [Narrator] At MITRE, we're committed to solving some of our biggest challenges in national security, cyber, aviation, and health.

And our dedication to service starts at home, working to fight hunger, serving people in need, protecting public health and supporting our civic institutions.

This is serving the public.

This is MITRE, solving problems for a safer world.

- Please join us next time when we have Blake, Parkdale and Wood Grove High Schools competing right here on "It's Academic."

I'm Hillary Howard, see ya then.

Bye everybody.

- [David] I'm David Rubenstein reminding you to read, learn, get involved and make a difference.

(upbeat music)