-Students from Falls Church, George C. Marshall... and Bullis meet today on "It's Academic"!

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hello, everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard.

Welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest-running TV quiz show, produced by Altman Productions, in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions and WETA.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following.

George Mason University -- all together different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from.

-Where we're going.

-And how we think.

-But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility.

-To inspire.

-To think fearlessly.

-To protect and to heal the planet.

-We know the world will change.

-Together... -We will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different.

-All... -...together... -...different.

♪♪ -Hey, we're really glad you're with us today to see these students compete here on "It's Academic."

And we begin with a fast start.

Questions are worth 10 points up or down in this round.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

The students don't see what you do on your screens.

Here we go, teams.

Fifth in Line.

People usually want to come in first, including on "It's Academic," but these questions are all about people and things that are fifth.

Please identify the following.

-Bullis.

-Ja-- -Answer?

-James Monroe.

-That is right.

-Yep, Falls Church.

-Budapest.

-No, Vienna.

Yep, Marshall.

-Taney.

-Yeah, that's good.

Bullis.

-Phoenix.

-Phoenix it is.

Yep, Falls church.

-G. -Yeah.

Yep, Marshall.

-Elizabeth.

-Elizabeth is right.

Yep, Falls church.

-Boron.

-Correct.

Falls Church.

-Hercules.

-Hercules is right.

Nicely done, everybody.

Let's recap those scores.

Falls Church, 120 points... George C. Marshall, 120 points... and Bullis, 120 points.

Let's hear it for them.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Well, this is where we dive into the Mix & Match round.

But as you know, we like to meet these students first.

We begin with Falls Church High School, actually from Fairfax County.

Hiya, Eleanor.

What should we know about you?

-Hi.

One thing you should know about me is that I really like basketball.

-Yeah.

Are you on a team?

-I manage our girls' varsity team.

-How long have you been doing it?

-I've been doing it since my freshman year, so... -Wow!

That's awesome.

Well, it's great to have you.

Hiya, Khai.

-Hello, hello.

My name is Khai Davis.

And one thing that you should know about me is I love coding.

In fact, I am making my own game right now in the language of Python and teaching myself unity, as well.

-Wow!

That's really cool.

Can you tell us about your game?

-Yes.

Of course, because it's still in planning, I can't say a lot.

However, if you guys know the game, "Super Smash Bros.," I plan to make a game very similar to that, however, make a unique twist to hopefully be the number-one competitor of the "Super Smash Bros." franchise.

-Wow!

So yours is better?

-It will be, yes.

-Hi, Jayden.

How you doing?

-Hi.

I'm Jayden Nguyen, a junior at Falls Church High School, and I like science.

-Yeah.

What kind of science do you prefer?

-Any except for physics.

-Except for physics.

Ha ha.

Okay, guys, here we go.

Halt Wars a While.

Hidden in this bit of pacifist advice is the name of what Polish capital that suffered greatly in World War II?

-Warsaw.

-Warsaw.

-Warsaw.

-Warsaw is right.

And you don't even have to buzz.

-Yes, ma'am.

-This is just for you.

Please rearrange the letters here to name what Pennsylvania site where Revolutionary War soldiers spent a cold winter in 1777 to '8?

-Valley Forge.

-Valley forge is right.

Had the Internet been available back then, this might have been a website for what American who invented the telephone?

-Graham Bell.

-Grendel.

-Graham Bell.

-Graham Bell.

-Graham Bell.

-Alexander Graham Bell is right.

No, that's not right.

Can you correct one word and make it so?

-Blood.

-Correct.

To complete this statement by a French general, place in the blank what kind of long blade that soldiers once attached to the end of rifles?

-A bayonet.

-Bayonet is right.

Nice, Falls church.

220 points.

And now to George C. Marshall High School, which is from Falls Church.

Hiya, Charlotte.

How are you doing?

-I'm good.

How are you?

I'm Charlotte.

I'm a Girl Scout and I'm working on my Girl Scout Gold Award.

-Oh, fabulous.

Tell us about that.

-My plan is to have a series of workshops to encourage young girls to get more civically engaged and specifically to run for public office.

-Wow!

Good for you.

And why do you find this so important?

-Because even in Fairfax County, which is comparatively quite a liberal county, we only have 2% representation in our Board of Supervisors, and 50% of Fairfax County is female, so I would like to see some equal representation.

-Alright, more women all the way around, no matter what party they belong to.

Charlotte, thank you so much.

-Hiya, Tim?

-Good.

I'm passionate about swimming, which I've been doing for quite a long time now.

I swim for my school and some other teams in the winter and the summer?

-Cool.

What's your best event?

-Butterfly.

-Alright.

Good to have you.

And Henry, hi.

-Hi.

I coach youth basketball for fun and I also run cross country.

-Alright, guys, here we go.

Forget real estate and see if you can find in this phrase the name of what largest French-speaking city in Canada?

-Montreal?

Montreal.

-Montreal is right.

Rearrange the letters in this anagram to name what Kansas capital city named in the historic Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit?

-Topeka.

-Topeka is correct.

When he became the first man to walk on the moon, what astronaut might have texted this remark instead of saying it?

-Neil Armstrong.

-Yeah.

"One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

No, he wasn't.

Can you change one word to make that right?

-Uh... -He was known as the... Answer is March King.

To complete this advice on how to live to be 200, place in the blank space what pulmonary organs of the body?

-Lungs?

-Sure.

-Lungs.

-Lungs is right.

Nice job, George C. Marshall.

200 points.

[ Applause ] And now to the Bullis School from Potomac, Maryland.

First, we get to greet Benjamin.

How you doing, Benjamin?

-I'm good.

How are you?

-I'm good.

-I'm Benjamin.

I'm a senior at Bullis.

I play soccer, golf, and I love science.

-Favorite science?

I love asking the -- -Probably chemistry.

Chemistry?

Why?

-I don't know.

I just find it interesting to learn about the periodic-table trends and how it works.

-Wonderful.

Good to have you.

Hello.

How you doing, Ravi?

-Hi, Hillary.

I'm good.

I'm Ravi Rengert.

I'm a senior at the Bullis School.

I'm captain of the boys ' varsity soccer team and I play football during the fall.

-That's nice.

How long have you been doing those sports?

-I've been playing soccer since I was 2 years old and I started football this past year.

-Alright.

Oh, great.

That's wonderful.

And finally, Joseph.

Hello, Joseph.

-Hi.

How are you?

-Good.

So, what should we know about you?

-I'm Joseph.

I'm a senior at Bullis.

I play tennis, and my favorite subject is social studies.

-Social studies?

Why?

-I just think it's a very interesting way to -- lens to look through the world.

-Yeah, I think so, too.

Here we go, guys.

You can clutch 20 points if you find in this phrase the name of what African country whose capital is N'Djamena?

-Chad.

-Chad.

-Chad.

-Chad it is.

Well, this time, you can store up some points if you rearrange these letters to name what carved stone that provided the key to Egyptian hieroglyphics?

-Rosetta.

-Rosetta.

-Rosetta is correct.

"Who you callN dwarf plnt?"

might have been an angry text from what celestial body, once the ninth planet in our solar system?

-Pluto.

-Yeah.

She did not write that.

Can you correct the title and make it correct?

-Sings.

-Yeah.

To complete this complaint from a tired actor, add what royal title associated with Shakespeare's characters Lear and Duncan?

-King.

-King is right.

Well done, Bullis.

220 points.

Stay with us, because we have the Picture Perfect round coming at you 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.

-Now a question for you.

The answer is happy people.

Goats are really social animals and can actually tell the difference between a happy face and an unhappy one.

They prefer happy.

Back to the game.

[ Applause ] It's time for the Picture Perfect round.

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

Once again, the first team that buzzes in gets to answer.

Teams, here, you see a painting of a Moroccan street scene in Tangier, just a few miles across the Mediterranean from what rocky British outpost?

Yep, Marshall.

-Gibraltar.

-Gibraltar is correct.

"His theory of germs is a ridiculous fiction."

With these words, a 19th century professor dismissed the theories of what French scientists?

Yep, Marshall.

-Pasteur.

-Pasteur is right.

Nicely done.

This old temple is in Bali, one of the many islands of what -- Yes, Marshall.

-Indonesia.

-Indonesia is right.

What is the value of X if X is an element of the set -- Falls church.

-1.

-1 is right.

Nice.

Frying Pan Lake, where temperatures can reach up to 140 degrees, is in what country Whose capital is Wellington?

Yep, Bullis.

-New Zealand.

-Yes.

"He scored 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115."

Mark Twain was not in a kind mood when he wrote this about what other author who wrote "The Last of the Mohicans?"

The answer is James Fenimore Cooper.

Alligators spend much of their time basking in the sun, since they are cold-blooded members of what class of animals?

Yep, Falls Church.

-Reptile.

-Reptiles it is.

Sometimes called a ram's horn, this plant is also named for what legendary one-horned equine animal popular in medieval folklore?

Yes, Falls Church.

-Unicorn.

-Unicorn is right.

Well done.

Let's look at these scores, huh?

Falls church, 280 points... George Marshall, 260 points... Bullis, 240 points.

So, it's time for the Packet round.

First, as always, we get to meet the team behind the team, the folks who help prepare these students for competition.

And we begin with Falls Church High School.

The captain is Khai.

Khai, tell us who's with you.

-Yeah, so, with us, we have Mr. Bermingham, our amazing coach, who put this all together.

And so without him, we would not be on the show, so thank you, Mr. Bermingham.

-Thank you, Mr. Bermingham.

Good to have you here.

And over to Marshall.

Hey, Tim.

-Today, we have Miss Campbell who organizes our practices.

And we also have our principal, Mr. Litz.

-Awesome.

Love when administrators show up.

Thank you so much for being here.

And to Bullis.

Who is with you, Ravi?

-We have Mr. Hanson, our great coach and history teacher at Bullis, and we also have our alternate, Graham.

-Wonderful.

Good to have all of you here.

Thanks so much.

And now I get to ask all of you some questions.

We are going to begin with Falls Church High School, and, Marshall, you get to pick which packet they'll answer questions from -- 1, 2, or 3.

-2.

-2.

And, of course, if you get all of the questions right, there's a 25-point bonus, so it's a good thing to do.

Here we go, guys.

"A river in the ocean" is the way one oceanographer described what warm ocean current that crosses the Atlantic from the West Indies to Europe?

-El Niño?

-Answer.

-Say it.

-El Niño.

No.

The Gulf Stream.

In 1867, at a price of only 2 cents an acre, the U.S. got a great deal when it bought what huge Northern Territory that critics called Seward's Folly?

-I know this.

-I know you know it.

Ready?

-I don't know the name.

-Okay.

It is Alaska.

Yeah.

From 1800 to 1809, the state of Illinois was under the jurisdiction of what 1787 ordinance with a geographical name?

-Northwest.

-Yeah, there you go.

Here's your science question.

Most substances will do which of these?

-Contract when cooled.

-Yep, that's it.

Over 40 objects resembling both planets and comets have now been identified between Saturn and what seventh planet from the sun?

-Neptune.

-No, Uranus.

The imaginary world of Middle Earth provides the setting for "The Lord of the Rings," a trilogy by what English author?

-J.R.R.

Tolkien.

-You got it right.

Here's the math question.

Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as an integer.

-84.

-Yep, that's it.

The story of four news photographers who died during the Vietnam War is told in a book titled "Lost Over..." what country where Vientiane is capital?

-Laos.

-Laos is right.

Nice, Falls Church.

380 points.

Now we get to go to Marshall.

They're going to answer questions.

Bullis, will they answer questions from packet 1 or packet 3?

-Packet 1.

-Packet 1.

Alright, Marshall.

In Florida, there's a Hall of Fame for what sport in which Katie Ledecky is a champion?

-Swimming.

-Swimming.

-Yeah.

You'd know all about that, right?

A World War II Army training plane had what name indicating the school year between freshman and junior?

-Sophomore.

-Sophomore it is.

Founded in 1526, a Spanish colony named San Miguel existed briefly in the area that is now what U.S. state whose capital is Columbia?

-Missouri.

-Missouri.

-No, South Carolina.

Here's your science question.

Which of these terms refers to experimental work involving the use of individual atoms or molecules as components of minute machines?

-Nanotechnology.

-That is right.

In Mexico City, the Great Cathedral directly adjoins the ruins of a temple built by what Indian Empire ruled by Montezuma and overthrown by Cortés.

-Aztecs.

-Yeah.

-Jonathan Swift never surfed the net, but he did coined the term Yahoo in what satiric novel involving Lilliputians?

-"Gulliver's Travels."

-That is right.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

What you got?

-2.5?

-No.

The answer is 5.

In 1912, as part of the so-called Banana Wars, U.S. Marines landed in what Central American country where Managua is the capital?

-Nicaragua.

-That is right.

Nice.

George C. Marshall, 380 points.

Yay!

And now we have packet number 3 for you guys at Bullis.

Pennsylvania's Moraine State Park contains several lakes formed thousands of years ago by what huge masses of slowly moving ice?

-Glaciers.

-Glaciers.

I've hiked a couple.

During World War II, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were sent for safekeeping to what Kentucky fort where the U.S. keeps much of its gold?

-Knox.

-Yeah, that's it.

Fort Knox.

Called the Battle of the Coral Sea, this World War II Pacific encounter took place partly in what neighboring sea named for a wise biblical king?

Answer is Solomon.

Here's your science question.

There are 20 common amino acids.

Among them is which of these?

-Acetic?

-No, it's the third one, glutamic acid.

Among the Chinese symbols for good luck is the flower named for what mythical Greek youth who fell in love with his own reflection?

-Narcissus.

-Yeah, you've got it.

Shakespeare has been called not only the Bard of Avon, but also what bird of Avon that provides Bella's last name in the "Twilight" series?

The answer is Swan.

Here's your math question.

Which of these has the least value?

-3 squared.

-3 squared is right.

Because the rulers banned printing presses, it wasn't until 1806 that books were printed in what European country where Sofia is the capital?

-Bulgaria.

-Yeah, you've got it!

Nice, Bullis.

340 points.

That does it for the Packet round.

You know what's next.

It's the Grab Bag.

See you in a minute.

[ Applause ] -Hello.

I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that an African-American named Garrett Morgan prevented thousands of casualties in World War I with his invention of the gas mask?

He later saved thousands more with his invention of the three-way traffic signal.

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

[ Applause ] -Welcome back to our super-duper close game.

Let's recap those scores.

Falls Church, 380... George Marshall, 380 points... and Bullis, 340 points.

[ Applause ] A lot of times, I say anything can happen in the Grab Bag round.

It's true today.

Absolutely anything can happen in the Grab Bag round.

Questions in this point, guys, are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go.

In spelling the names of all 50 U.S. states, the only letter not included is which letter?

Yes, Falls Church.

-J.

-No, it's letter Q.

In 1883, almost 40,000 people drowned in tsunamis that followed the eruption of what K-initial volcano?

Yeah, Marshall.

-Krakatoa.

-You've got it.

Able to go from 0 to 45 miles per hour in seconds, what fastest land animal gets -- Yep, Marshall.

-Cheetah.

-Cheetah it is.

On your monitors, this is what American best known for inventing the numerical library classification system?

Falls Church.

-Dewey.

-Yeah.

A biography titled "Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy" describes the secret adventures of what American author who wrote "A Farewell to Arms"?

The author was Ernest Hemingway.

If the length of the side of a square is doubled, how many times larger is the area of the new?

Yeah, Marshall.

-Four.

-Four is right.

19th century detective stories by Anna Green were once used as a teaching tool in law-school classes at what university in New Haven, Connecticut?

Yeah, Falls Church.

-Yale.

-Yes.

On your screens, "I gez I blu it @ Munik" might have been a text from -- -Chamberlain.

-Marshall.

Yeah.

Neville Chamberlain.

Very well done.

What legendary Greek slave earned a lion's gratitude by removing a thorn from the lion's paw.

The answer is -- Yeah, Falls Church.

-Spartacus.

-No, Androcles.

After the Civil War, Kentucky was the last of the border states to restore what legal right, the writ whose two-word Latin name means -- Marshall.

-Habeas corpus.

-You are right.

"You have the body."

You'd go to what Western state if you wanted to climb Crazy Peak in the Crazy Mountains and also visit the site where Indian leader Crazy Horse helped defeat Custer?

Yep.

-North Dakota?

No, I'm so sorry.

Montana, actually.

This is the Belgian city of Bruges, a town whose name means "City of..." what structures that can be cantilever or suspension?

Yep, Falls Church.

-Bridge.

-That's right.

In June of 1944, newsreels showed a G.I.

barbershop on the beaches of what French province that the allies invaded on D-Day?

-Bullis.

-Normandy.

-Normandy is right.

What is 40% of 30% of 100?

[ Buzzer ] Oh, it was after the buzzer, so that's it.

That does it, the end of the game.

Stick around.

We're going to have the official scores in just a minute.

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

Many students are getting involved in their communities in important ways.

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

-Hello.

My name is Christian Clarke, and I go to Gonzaga College High School.

I serve at the McKenna Center, which is our local food kitchen and pantry right on campus.

I go two times a week and I just feel immensely grateful to be serving the homeless and giving back to our community.

-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.

-The scores are now official.

We begin with the Bullis School from Potomac, Maryland, home of the Bulldogs -- Benjamin, Ravi, and Joseph.

360 points!

[ Applause ] From Falls Church High School in Fairfax County, Eleanor, Khai, and Jayden -- 400 points.

[ Applause ] And coming back for the playoffs, George C. Marshall from Falls Church, home of the Statesmen -- Charlotte, Tim, and Henry.

460 points!

[ Cheers and applause ] We are so very happy that all of you guys were here with us today.

We'll see you next week.

And everybody remember... -It's academic!

-Bye.

♪♪ -Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following.

George Mason University -- all together different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from.

-Where we're going.

-And how we think.

-But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility.

-To inspire.

-To think fearlessly.

-To protect and to heal the planet.

-We know the world will change.

-Together... -We will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different.

-All... -...together... -...different.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪