>> Students from Montgomery Blair, Jefferson, Blake meet today on "It's Academic."

[ Cheers and applause ] [ 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.

>> 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.

>> What happens when the right people connect?

Diversity challenges convention, mentors inspire greatness, and passions drive innovation.

From health to transportation and national security, cyber and AI, to space and back, Mitre connects the power of government, academia, and industry to meet our nation's challenges together Mitre connects.

>> Hey, we are so happy to see you for our first semifinal match, so we are ready to jump in with this fast start.

Questions, as you know, are worth 10 points up or down.

Are you ready?

Yes.

Okay, here we go.

All answers here will involve a reference to a family member, relatively speaking.

Ready?

Blake?

Answer three, two... >> Huckleberry Finn.

>> Tom Sawyer.

Blair?

>> Uncle Sam.

>> Yeah.

Blair?

Answer three, two, one.

Priam.

Blake.

>> Chekhov.

>> Chekhov is correct.

Blake.

>> Hippocrates.

>> Correct.

Blake?

>> Pocahontas.

>> Pocahontas is right.

Jefferson.

>> Answer.

>> Donald Duck.

>> Donald Duck, yeah.

Blair.

In three, two... >> Obama.

>> Obama's right.

>> Brothers.

>> Brothers is correct.

Blake?

>> Mothership.

>> Mothership is right.

And that is the end of our very fast fast start.

Awesome job, teams.

And now of course, we get to meet them.

You've met them before.

Blair, Jefferson, and Blake.

We're going to begin with Montgomery Blair.

Hello, Justin.

How you doing?

>> Hello.

I'm doing well.

Thank you.

My name is Justin Rosentover.

I'm a sophomore at Montgomery Blair.

And I'd really like to thank the rest of our quiz bowl club at Blair, who really helps us practice for all these matches.

>> Wonderful.

And now that we're heading into summer, you have any plans?

>> Yeah, I'm going canoeing this summer with the scouts in Minnesota.

>> Wonderful.

Up toward the Great Lakes?

>> Yeah, the boundary waters.

>> Oh, nice.

I can't wait to hear about that.

Good to see you.

Hello, Gus.

>> Hey.

>> What's going on?

>> Not much.

I'd like to thank our coaches, Mr. Rada, Mr. Schafer, Mr. Hammond, and Ms. Partin for helping us prepare and to improve our quiz bowling abilities.

>> Well, you didn't have a lot to improve upon, but okay.

So do you have any plans going into summer?

>> I'm going to be going to Ireland for a week.

>> Nice.

Are you touring?

>> Going to be going all over, starting in Dublin, going to Galway and, uh, further south and stuff.

>> Have you been there before?

>> I have not, but I'm a big fan of Irish history and literature, so I'm excited to go there.

>> Cool.

And just flying over Ireland, it is electric green, beautiful.

>> Emerald Isle.

>> Yeah.

> Good to see you, Gus.

And, Uriel, hi.

>> Hello.

>> What's going on with you?

>> Honestly, not much.

I mean, I'm just... >> [ Laughing ] >> I'm really just trying to hold out this year and then go off to college next year.

Um, well, I'd like to thank our proud principal, Renay Johnson, who I'm sure is watching this as soon as it airs.

>> Yeah.

And how about you?

Summer things going on?

>> Not really.

I'm just trying to relax and get everything -- Just get everything finished.

>> All right.

Sounds good.

I have some questions for you guys.

And as you know, they're worth 20 points up.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Rehab hut and go.

Instead of leaving, please find in this phrase the name of what small Asian kingdom where Thimphu is capital.

>> Bhutan.

>> Yeah.

Sententious.

Sanctimonious.

Salubrious.

If you feel healthy after exercising, you might use which of these words to best describe your feeling of well-being?

>> Salubrious.

>> Salubrious.

>> Salubrious is right.

Iron.

Nitrogen.

Cerium.

Combine the chemical symbols for these elements and you can name what sort of barrier?

>> Fence.

>> Fence?

Yes.

Ruble.

Rial.

Bolivar.

Here you see units of currency used in three different countries.

Which one is used in Venezuela?

>> Bolivar.

>> Yeah.

These are the words of what man who led Cuba's 1959 revolution and then headed Cuba's government until 2008?

>> Castro.

>> Castro is right.

Nicely done, Montgomery Blair.

220 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] How about we meet this team from Jefferson, huh?

We begin with Sanjay.

How are you doing, Sanjay?

>> I'm doing good.

I'm a senior at Thomas Jefferson, and I'd like to thank our coach and sponsor, Miss Fu, for helping us, like, make it this far.

>> All right, and what are your plans looking ahead?

>> I'm going to India this summer, just to visit relatives and all that.

>> Nice.

Where are you going?

>> Um, down in Tamil Nadu.

>> Oh, I haven't been there.

Oh, well, yes, I know where it is, but I haven't been there.

But I have been twice, I love it.

Oh, it's really good to see you again.

Hello, Alec.

>> Hello.

My name is Alec.

I'm a senior at Thomas Jefferson, and I am on the ultimate Frisbee team.

>> Ultimate Frisbee team?

That is so fun, right?

>> Yeah, it's been pretty fun.

>> How long have you been doing it?

>> I just picked it up this year.

I thought it looked fun, and it was.

>> It's amazing how difficult it is to throw a Frisbee well.

>> Yeah, there's a lot of different, like, techniques and everything that you don't really know until you join.

But it's been pretty fun to start learning everything.

>> All right, well, good to see you, Alec.

And hello, Dylan.

>> Hi.

I'm Dylan.

I'm a senior at Thomas Jefferson.

And a fun fact about myself is I like listening to electronic music.

>> Oh, really?

And what got you started on electronic music?

>> Uh, I think I've been listening to it ever since I was a little kid, and yeah, just really exciting.

>> Good to dance to.

>> Yeah.

>> Do you dance, too?

>> I don't really dance that much, but I'd love to learn.

>> All right, guys, let's do this, huh?

Here's your first question.

Label a Russian.

Hidden here is the name of what country?

A neighbor of Russia whose capital is Minsk.

>> Belarus.

>> Yeah, I heard you already got that.

With alacrity, with repugnance, with malevolence.

If you took care of an errand promptly, you would be acting in which of these ways?

>> Alacrity.

>> Correct.

Chromium.

Oxygen.

Tungsten.

Combine the chemical symbols for these three elements, and you'll get the name of what bird?

>> Crow.

>> Crow?

Yes.

Defender of the Faith.

Holy Guardian.

Friend of the Papacy.

Though they later had a falling out, the Pope bestowed which of these titles on England's Henry VIII in 1521?

>> Friend of the Papacy.

>> No.

Defender of the Faith.

This statement by England's Queen Victoria was echoed during the 1982 Falkland Islands War by what other woman, England's first female prime minister?

>> Thatcher.

>> Margaret Thatcher is right.

Jefferson, 190 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And now to Blake High School.

Hiya, Fred.

Good to see you.

>> Hey, good to see you, too.

I'd like to thank our parents and teachers for preparing us for today.

And something about myself, I would like to do rock climbing.

>> I think you mentioned that last time, right?

>> Uh, yeah.

>> Yeah, yeah.

Where do you rock climb?

>> I rock climb at Movement Gym in Rockville.

>> Nice.

And rock climbing is tough.

>> Yeah.

>> You think it's easy to just scale those things, but it takes a lot of muscle.

>> And it teaches perseverance, too, which I enjoy.

>> Oh.

That's good.

Well, good to see you.

Hello, Nathan.

>> Hi.

I'm a 17 year old junior from Blake High School, and I would like to thank David Rubenstein for producing this program.

>> And what should we know about you?

>> Uh, like Gus, this past spring break, actually, I visited Ireland, as well.

>> Ah.

Did you like it?

>> Yeah, it was really amazing.

We started in Dublin and toured the whole island, basically, and it was beautiful.

>> Favorite place?

>> I would say the Cliffs of Moher.

>> Mm, one day I'll get there.

Good to have you.

And, Nikhil, hello.

>> Hi.

I'm Nikhil.

I'm a 16-year-old junior at Blake.

And I'd like to thank our social studies teachers, Miss Loveland and Mr. Mendenhall.

>> What should we know about you, Nikhil?

>> Um, I play tennis for my school team.

>> Yeah?

>> And it's really fun.

I really enjoy it.

>> And how competitive are you in tennis?

>> Uh, I'm pretty competitive, but, like, it gets pretty, pretty competitive a lot, but it just adds to how fun it is.

>> All right, guys, here are your questions.

Try to Google it.

Try to find here the hidden name of what West African country whose capital is Lomé.

>> Togo.

>> Correct.

Icosahedron.

Dodecahedron.

Octahedron.

Of these three dimensional geometric shapes, which one is a figure with 20 faces?

>> The first one.

>> Yeah.

Barium.

Sodium.

Sodium.

Combine the chemical symbols for these elements and you will spell the name of what tropical fruit?

>> Banana.

>> Banana, yeah.

>> Arcturus.

Beagle.

Calypso.

If you know the ABC's of oceanographic research, you can identify which of these ships as the one that in 1925 charted the Sargasso Sea.

>> The third one.

>> No, the first one.

Arcturus.

These were the words of what Scottish economist who wrote "The Wealth of Nations"?

>> Smith.

>> Yeah.

That's right.

Blake, 230 points.

>> Nicely done.

>> [ Cheers and applause ] That's it for our mix and match round.

But hey, stay where you are.

Picture Perfect is 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.

[ Cheers and applause ] >> Hey welcome back.

We are going to jump into a Picture Perfect round where questions are worth 20 points up or down.

But first we are going to check the scores, and we have one score correction.

Here they are.

Montgomery Blair, 220.

Jefferson, 190.

And Blake, 210.

Now the questions.

This 20th century Kandinsky painting Sweet Pink was completed in what sour year that saw the collapse of the stock market leading to -- Blake?

>> 1929.

>> 1929 is right.

This flag was designed by -- Blake?

Philippines.

>> Philippines.

Good.

George Washington is greeted with flowers as he arrives for his first inauguration in -- Blair?

>> New York.

>> New York is right.

What is the least common denominator?

Blake?

>> 45.

>> 45.

Yeah.

Edvard Munch's painting -- Blake?

>> Tuberculosis.

>> Tuberculosis.

Very well done.

We were asking for the sickness.

In 1965, astronaut Edward White became the first -- Blair?

Answer.

>> Space walk.

>> No.

Project Gemini.

Became the first American to take a spacewalk as part of what project?

This piano concerto by Liszt was first performed at an 1855 concert in what German city?

Blair?

Answer.

Three... >> Berlin.

>> No.

We were looking for Weimar Republic.

This is a drawing of a water screw -- Blake?

>> Archimedes.

>> Archimedes.

>> Watch your step.

30 different kinds of snakes inhabit what swamp on the Georgia-Florida -- Blake?

>> Okefenokee.

>> Yeah.

And that is the end of the Picture Perfect round.

[ Cheers and applause ] Here's that score recap.

Montgomery Blair, 200 points.

Jefferson, 190.

And Blake, 330 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] So we have reached the packet round.

And as you know in the packet round, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

It's a very exciting part of the game.

But before we do that, you're going to have to wait for that excitement.

We're going to meet the coaches that helped these students prepare for "It's Academic."

And of course, we begin with Montgomery Blair from Silver Spring.

Gus, you're the captain.

Tell us about your coach.

>> Our coach is Mr. Rada.

He's an English teacher at our school.

Yeah, he helps us prepare a lot.

We have a lot of coaches who help us, but every practice, he reads for us.

Generally very, very helpful.

>> All right.

He's the prime guy.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Very good.

It's always good to have him.

And over to Jefferson from Fairfax County.

Alec is the captain.

Alec, what do you want to tell us?

>> Our principal is Dr. Bonitatibus, and she's kind of helped us out with "It's Academic", and she just helps us stay motivated and stay ready for the competition.

>> And she always shows up for you.

>> Yeah.

>> Tell us about your coach.

>> Uh, our coach, Miss Fu, she works at a different school, but she coaches us throughout "It's Academic", helps us study, gives us tips, and just helps us in general.

>> And she loves the show.

And I know that because she was on the "It's Academic" team for Eleanor Roosevelt.

Is that right, Miss Fu?

Yeah.

I won't tell you what year, but in the past.

Thank you so much, Alec.

And over to Blake, also from Silver Spring.

Nathan is the captain.

Nathan?

>> We have two of our great coaches here, Mr. Caulfield and Mr. Kalina.

And we could not be here without their great help coaching and preparing us for today.

>> Yeah.

Okay, guys.

All right, so the packet round, what I didn't say earlier, and I know all of you know this.

There's a 25 point bonus if you get all the questions correct.

Yay!

And we have special guest questioners, as well.

So we have the three packets.

1, 2, 3.

Blair, you answer first, Jefferson, you decide which packet they answer from.

>> We'll give them one.

>> One.

Blair.

To date, more than 260 books have been written about what scandal that brought down the Nixon administration in the 1970s?

>> Watergate.

>> Yeah.

Ever since the ancient Phoenicians created an alphabet, the one letter that has remained virtually unchanged in shape is what fourth vowel of our own alphabet?

>> O.

>> Yeah.

O.

Although it has towns called Sterling and Leadville, it was gold that lured miners to what state in 1891 were tourists now flock to Pikes Peak?

>> Colorado.

>> Colorado is correct.

Here's your science question.

Zoospore, zygote, genome.

Which of these terms identifies as ciliated or flagellated plant spore?

>> Zoospore?

>> Yes.

As punishment for the Boston Tea Party, the British imposed a series of laws that colonists gave what name, implying they were unendurable?

>> Intolerable Acts.

>> Correct.

Richard Wright took his rightful place in literary history when he wrote what novel about Bigger Thomas?

>> "Native Son."

>> Correct again.

Here's your math question.

Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as an integer.

>> 1.

>> 1 is right.

And now we have a special guest questioner.

It's PBS News Weekend anchor John Yang.

>> The 1914 Battle of the Bees got its name when British and German troops were both attacked by swarms of angry bees while fighting for control of a town in what modern African country, where Dar es Salaam and Dodoma are major cities?

>> Tanzania.

>> Tanzania is the right answer.

And with that, you get a 25 point bonus.

Great, Montgomery Blair!

Now it's going to be packet 2 or 3 for Jefferson.

Blake, what's it going to be?

>> Two, please.

>> Two.

All right, Jefferson.

Giggling is the reaction you get when you tickle the babies of what small rodents who name a computer accessory?

>> Mouse.

>> Yeah.

Though technically a fruit, what main ingredient of ketchup was defined as a vegetable by the Supreme Court in a tax case?

>> Tomato.

>> Tomato.

Ancient civilizations had their version of calculators as reflected in what Asian counting device involving beads on a wire?

>> Abacus.

>> Yeah.

Here's your science question.

Pound of gold.

Pound of silver.

Pound of lead.

Which of these has the greatest volume and lowest density?

>> Pound of silver.

>> You are right.

As a young man, Christopher Columbus worked in the Azores Islands as a buyer of what commodity?

whose general formula is C12H22O11?

>> Sugar.

>> Sugar is right.

Not even tech support could save the crew from the malfunctioning series 900 computer with what name in Arthur Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey"?

>> HAL.

>> HAL.

Scary HAL.

Here's your math question.

If angle X equals 89 degrees and 40 minutes, what is the size of its complement?

>> 20 minutes.

>> 20 minutes is right.

And here is your question from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

>> After ordering all Turkish citizens to take family names, Mustafa Kemal was given what surname, marking him as the founder of modern Turkey?

>> Ataturk.

>> Ataturk is right.

We've got another 25 point bonus for Jefferson.

[ Cheers and applause ] And now we go to Blake High School.

Fred, Nathan, Nikhil, here we go.

To commemorate certain anniversaries, emeralds and rubies were added to the trophy awarded the winner in what first event of horse racing's Triple Crown?

>> Kentucky Derby?

>> Yes.

A mint julep, please.

Among the most popular birds imported into the U.S. are what yellow songbirds whose name sounds like that of a group of islands in the Atlantic?

>> Canary.

>> Yeah.

A cryptographer deals with ciphers and codes, but a cartographer deals with what charts found in an atlas?

>> Maps.

>> Yes.

Here's your science question.

Temperature.

Volume.

Entropy.

Every spontaneous process in nature is characterized by an increase in which of these properties.

>> The third one.

>> Yes, it is.

According to Ptolemaic theory, what planetary body was thought to be at the center of the solar system?

>> Earth.

>> Earth is right.

"I Never Came To You in White" is a novel about what real life woman, a poet who lived in Amherst,Massachusetts and always dressed in white?

>> Dickinson.

>> Yeah.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

>> 8.

>> 8 is right.

And now your guest questioner, Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

>> After three partitions in the 18th century, what Eastern European country was eliminated entirely, reopening only after World War I?

>> Poland.

>> Poland is right.

Can you tell this is a semi-final?

We have a third 25 point bonus for Blake.

Stay with us because the grab bag is next.

It will be fast, and it will be fun.

>> Hello.

I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know researchers have now decided that the chicken came before the egg?

So that's one thing we no longer have to worry about.

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

>> All right, here we go.

Into the grab bag round.

Questions are worth 20 points up or down.

Once again, the first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Guys, counting votes, not calories, is the focus of the diet in what far eastern -- Blake.

>> Japan.

>> Japan is right.

Charles Darwin once studied the male to female ratio of what fish -- Blake.

Answer.

3, 2, 1.

Trout.

In 1821, a letter criticizing treatment of the Seneca Indians was sent by Chief Red Jacket to what New York -- Blair?

Answer, three, two... >> Clinton.

>> Clinton is it.

On your screens.

This Hungarian postage stamp depicts the circulation of blood, first demonstrated what 17th -- Blake?

Answer.

>> Harvey.

>> Harvey is right.

The Golden Gate Straight, which gave its name to the Golden Gate Bridge, was itself named by what American explorer who became the first Republican presidential nominee.

>> Fremont.

>> Fremont.

Yeah.

If the circumference and the area of a circle are numerically equal -- Blake?

>> Two.

>> Two.

In his poem The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser -- Blair?

Answer.

>> Queen Elizabeth.

>> Yeah, you got it.

Queen Elizabeth.

On your screens.

These were the words of what Ethiopian emperor?

Blake?

>> Selassie?

>> Yeah.

Because his mother had been tried for witchcraft, what 17th century German astronomer was cautious -- Blake?

>> Kepler.

>> Kepler.

Yep.

Even if you don't know the last word in the New Testament, you can guess that it's what word meaning "so be it," usually uttered at the end.

Jefferson?

>> Amen.

>> Amen.

Yeah.

The French Revolution had as its representative in Washington what -- Blair.

>> Citizen Genet.

>> You are right.

On your screens.

This 16th century mosque was designed by the great architect Mimar Sinan for what Turkish sultan?

Blair?

Answer.

>> Suleiman the Magnificent.

>> Just before the buzzer.

You got it.

And that is the end of the grab bag round.

Stick around.

We will be right back.

>> 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.

>> Hi.

My name is Stephanie.

I'm a senior at National Cathedral School, and for the past year or so, I've been collecting and donating toys, books, and arts and crafts supplies to the Sunshine School in Darius House in Arad, Romania, which are a special education school and home for children with special needs and disabilities.

This has been a really beautiful way for me to connect to my Romanian roots, and when I visited, I got to see just the amount of joy that these crafts and arts and books bring these children.

And it was very special.

>> 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.

>> Hey, these scores are official, and we begin with Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County.

Sanjay, Alec, Dylan, 395 points.

From Silver Spring, Montgomery Blair.

Justin, Gus, Uriel, 465 points.

And coming back for the championship game, we have Blake High School from Silver Spring.

Fred, Nathan, Nikhil, 615 points.

Way to go, guys.

All of these teams got their 25 point bonus.

They are extraordinary teams, and we are really grateful for all of you.

Hey, stick around.

We'll be right back.

>> Support for "Its Academic" has been provided by the following.

Mitre -- a not for profit research and development company working in the public interest.

>> What happens when the right people connect?

Diversity challenges convention, mentors inspire greatness, and passions drive innovation.

From health to transportation and national security, cyber and AI, to space and back, Mitre connects the power of government, academia, and industry to meet our nation's challenges together.

Mitre connects.

>> That does it for our first semifinal match of this season.

I'm Hillary Howard.

So glad you were with us.

Please watch next week when we have McLean, Rockville, and Richard Montgomery High School.

See you then.

Bye, everybody.

[ Cheers and applause ]