-Students from St.

Paul VI, Walter Johnson, and Wheaton meet today on "It's Academic."

♪♪ ♪♪ Hello, everybody.

Welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest-running TV quiz show, now in its 65th season, Produced by Altman 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.

[ Applause ] -Hello again, guys.

We are so happy that you are here with us today for another edition of "It's Academic."

We begin, as we always do, teams, with the Fast Start round.

Questions are worth 10 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go -- The Birds and the Beasts.

Animals come in all sizes, but the ones we're asking you about all have five-letter names.

Please identify the following.

St.

Paul.

-Mouse.

-Yes.

This, small, green G-initialed lizard is a symbol -- -Gecko.

-Gecko is right, St.

Paul.

The American buffalo is more properly given -- -Bison.

-Bison is right, St.

Paul.

-Yes, Wheaton.

-Robin.

-Robins.

Right.

Wheaton.

-Goose.

-Yeah.

St.

Paul.

-Trout.

-Trout's right.

Wheaton.

Answer, three, two -- -Dingo.

-Dingo.

Ooh, just got it in!

Yes, Walter Johnson.

-Um... -Answer is...shrew.

This mammal sometimes does a handstand dance before squirting a foul smelling spray -- Walter Johnson.

-Skunk.

-Skunk is right.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong said this bird "has landed," referring to the Apollo -- Wheaton.

-Eagle.

Eagle is right.

Wow, that was great.

Let's check these scores.

St.

Paul VI, 140 points.

Walter Johnson, 100 points.

Wheaton Knights, 140 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Let's meet these really fast teams.

We begin with St.

Paul VI from Chantilly in Fairfax County.

So tell us a little bit about yourself, Finn.

Hi.

-Hi, I'm Finn, I'm a senior at Paul VI.

This is my first year doing "It's Academic," and I'm in the choir at my school.

-Good to have you.

Hi, Ethan.

-Hi, I'm Ethan.

I'm a senior at St.

Paul VI, and one of the classes I'm taking this year is anatomy and physiology and I really like it because I think it's so interesting how the form of the human body follows the function and how they're all interrelated.

-Isn't it amazing that it works?

[ Laughs ] It's just crazy.

Good to have you.

Hi, Indra.

-Hi, my name is Indra, and I'm a junior at St.

Paul VI, and I have been playing piano for 11 years.

-Wonderful.

Guys, I have some questions for you.

They're worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Look carefully at this phrase and see if you find hidden in it the last name of what Spanish explorer who reached the Pacific Ocean in 1513?

-Balboa.

-Yeah.

Which of these words is the best synonym for perilous?

-Dangerous?

Dangerous.

-Dangerous it is.

What same word fits both spaces to complete titles of a pamphlet by Thomas Paine and a novel by Jane Austen?

-Sense.

-Sense.

It's a good thing.

You'd check this volume of an old encyclopedia to learn about what German physicist who invented and named the common laboratory burner.

-Oh, Bunsen.

-Bunsen.

Yeah.

These three men are linked to technological innovations that had widespread impact.

Please arrange them in chronological order.

-Watt, Edison, Jobs.

-Edison, Jobs.

-Watt, Edison, Jobs.

-You are right.

You can complete this quotation from H.G.

Wells with what word for the radiant circle of light over the head of an angel.

-Halo?

-Halo.

Halo.

-Isn't that great?

"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."

Nicely done, St.

Paul.

260 points.

To Walter Johnson High School from Bethesda in Montgomery County.

Hi, Uli.

What should we know about you?

-Hi, I'm Uli.

I'm a senior at Walter Johnson High School.

And right now I'm really enjoying running our school's geography club.

-Yeah.

That's wonderful.

Hello, Alice.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Tell me something about yourself.

-My name is Alice.

I'm a junior, and I also co-founded the Disease Awareness Club at my school.

-That's awesome.

Hi, Connor.

-Hi.

Um, I'm a senior at Walter Johnson, and I just wrapped up my Eagle project documenting the oral history of veterans, um, with the Library of Congress.

-Beautiful.

Well, I've got some question for you guys.

It's no secret that you'll get 20 points if you can find in this phrase what light-sensitive membrane that lines the inner eyeball.

-The retina.

-Yeah.

A person who has squandered a fortune has done which of these?

-Wasted it.

-Wasted it is right.

What same word here will complete titles by Michael Crichton and Aldous Huxley?

-World.

-World.

Yeah.

You'd check out this volume of an old encyclopedia for information on what chemical element whose symbol is not T but W.

-Tungsten.

-Tungsten.

-Tungsten it is.

These three events all took place in December, but, obviously, in different years.

Can you place them in correct chronological order?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Um, uh, Louis Pasteur born, then Prohibition, then heart.

-Well done.

To complete this quote from President Theodore Roosevelt, add what kind of political administrative system that in the Gettysburg Address is "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Congress.

-No, just government.

Just government.

Nicely done, Walter Johnson.

200 points.

And now to Wheaton High School from Wheaton, Maryland, in Montgomery County.

How are you doing, Sebastian?

-I'm doing pretty good.

I'm a junior at Wheaton High School.

Uh, this is my third year at "It's Academic," and I'm particularly very interested in human psychology.

-I love that.

Hi, Asher.

-Hi.

-What's going on?

-I'm a senior in the biomed magnet program at Wheaton High School.

This is my third year with "It's Academic," and I'm writing my college essay on "It's Academic."

-Okay, well, you'll have to let us know.

We hope it's good.

Hello, Solomon.

It's very good to see you.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-I'm a senior.

This is my fourth time on "It's Academic."

Um, I guess my big interest would be abstract algebra.

-And that leads to?

-More math.

-[ Laughs ] More math, okay.

Here we go, guys.

Hidden in this phrase is the name of what cape located at the tip of South America?

-Horn.

-Yeah.

If a person's life is totally without order, that person's lifestyle can best be described by which of these adjectives?

-Chaotic.

-Yes.

James was an early novelist, and Peter built the first steam locomotive in the United States.

What same last name did they share?

-Cooper.

-Yes.

In this volume of an old encyclopedia, you'd read about what Italian scientist who created the first astronomical telescope and discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter?

-Galileo.

-You are right.

Rearrange this list of animals in order of their speed of motion over a short period of time, beginning with the slowest.

-Sloth, rabbit, cheetah.

-Yes.

To complete this quote from Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, place in the blank what official national flower of the United States.

-Roses.

-It is a rose.

Nicely done, Wheaton.

260 points.

That does it for Mix and Match.

[ People cheering ] Stay with us.

Picture Perfect is next.

In 1961, nine high school students walked into a TV studio in Washington, D.C., to film the very first episode of "It's Academic."

-Good evening, and welcome to "It's Academic," the weekly program... -Little did they know that over the course of the next 65 years, thousands of high school students would follow them onto the set and into broadcast history.

-I think what has kept "It's Academic" on the air for so long, you have strong support from the schools, and we've had a strong community support.

-There aren't a ton of outlets to, like, be competitive in an academic setting.

-It teaches composure, knowledge, wisdom.

-And it's, like, an engaging, fun quiz show, but it also teaches you so much about the world and so many different facets.

-Today, "It's Academic" is celebrating 65 years and is the world's longest-running TV quiz show.

Thank you, students, schools, viewers, and fans.

And remember -- It's academic!

[ Applause ] Hey, students, are you ready for some pictures?

-Yeah.

-Yeah!

Perfect.

Because this is the Picture Perfect round.

Questions are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in, once again, gets to answer.

Here we go.

This 19th-century painting is titled "Still Life with Strawberries and" a cup made from the egg of what largest bird?

St.

Paul.

-Ostrich.

-Ostrich is right.

The flag of Nauru reflects Nauru's geographical position just south of what -- Walter Johnson.

-Equator.

-Equator is it.

Yeah.

World War I recruitment posters like this attracted thousands of men, allowing the United States to enter World War I in what year?

Paul?

-1917.

-That's it.

What is the y-intercept of the line whose -- St.

Paul.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Negative two.

-Negative two is right.

Nicely done.

Choice.

This painting, "Woman at the Piano," is by what French Impressionist painter -- Renoir -- St.

Paul.

-Go for it.

-Monet.

-No.

It's Renoir.

That's very smart.

Here you have folk wisdom from what Southeast Asian country where Hanoi is the capital?

-Vietnam.

-Yeah, nice job, St.

Paul.

Choice.

The small oscillations of a simple pendulum may be said -- Wheaton.

-Simple harmonic.

-You're right.

Nice.

This music from Debussy's Clair de Lune is meant to suggest the light from what -- Yes, Walter Johnson.

-Moon.

-From the moon.

Very nice.

And that does it for the Picture Perfect round.

Let's recap these scores.

St.

Paul VI, 320.

Walter Johnson, 240.

Wheaton, 280 points.

We're going to meet the coaches in just a second, but, first, we have a question for you.

This is true.

While you're thinking about it, let's meet these coaches.

We begin with St.

Paul VI, home of the Panthers.

Ethan, who's with you?

-So today here with us is Dr.

Campbell, our coach; and our alternate, Gus.

I also want to thank our head of school, Mrs.

Swenson, and our principal, Dr.

Opfer.

All of them have been really supportive of our team.

Dr.

Campbell, he's making 150 new questions every week for us to practice, and overall a wonderful coach for us.

-That's wonderful.

Well, you can see.

That's great.

Good to have you, of course.

Over to Walter Johnson.

And Alice, who's standing behind you?

-Here we have Miss Meyer, our coach, and in the audience we also have our alternate, Milan, and our administrator, Miss Maturano.

-Great.

What makes your coach so good?

-Um, she knows a lot about history, and she reads very loudly, which is very good.

-[ Laughs ] That's wonderful.

And finally to Wheaton.

Asher, who's standing behind you?

-So we have our coach, Mr.

O'Neil; and our assistant principal, Mr.

Dunn.

And in the audience we have our other sponsor, Mr.

Safford; and our parents.

And it's actually my mom's birthday.

-Oh, happy birthday!

Yay!

Um, well, it's so good to have all of you here here supporting your teams.

Thank you so much.

All right, now that we've met all the coaches, we have the answer to that question about where Bigfoot is a protected species -- and it's against the law to kill it, by the way -- is Washington State.

The penalty is $1,000 fine and a year in jail.

All right, here we go.

It's time for the Packet round.

We have these three lovely packets.

St.

Paul, you answer questions first.

Walter Johnson, which packet will they answer questions from?

-Number three.

-Number three.

St.

Paul, packet number three.

If you get all the questions right, there's a... -25-point bonus.

-Yes, sir.

Here we go.

Legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett died in 1836 trying to defend what San Antonio mission from Mexican troops?

-The Alamo.

-Yeah.

The 21st century began with the birth of five little pigs produced from a single cell in what same process that had earlier produced a sheep named Dolly?

-Cloning.

-Yes.

Many people suffer from depression after the holidays, and that included what German mercenaries captured by George Washington at Trenton on December 26, 1776?

-The Hessians.

-Yes.

Here's your science question.

Which of these phrases refers to a gigantic storm over 15,000 miles long on the Planet Jupiter?

-Great Red Spot.

-Yeah.

The 17th-century French playwright Racine wrote a drama about what Macedonian king known as the Great, who had lived 2,000 years earlier?

-Alexander the Great.

-Yes, it is.

It was back in 1949 that the novel "1984" was published by what English author who also wrote "Animal Farm"?

-Orwell.

-Orwell is right.

And he wrote it from the desolate island of Jura off of Scotland.

Here's your math question.

Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as a positive integer.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -72.

-72 it is.

Vice President George Clinton served under two presidents -- Thomas Jefferson and what immediate successor?

-Madison.

-Madison is right.

25-point bonus, St.

Paul VI.

Awesome, guys.

Walter Johnson, your turn to answer.

Wheaton, which packet will they answer questions from?

-Two.

-Two.

Okay.

Johnson, what colonial statesman from Philadelphia gave his most electrifying performance while holding the string of a kite during a thunderstorm?

-Benjamin Franklin.

-Yes.

Medieval peasants weren't slaves but were bound to the land and usually described by what term that, like slave, begins with S?

-Serf.

-Yes.

In addition to the abolition of slavery, British women like Charlotte Brontë campaigned for what other cause with which Susan B. Anthony is primarily associated?

-Women's suffrage.

-Yeah.

Science.

Which of these are blood cells that contain hemoglobin and transport oxygen?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Um, axillaries?

-Nah, it's erythrocytes.

These 1742 Battle of Bloody Marsh assured the survival of what Southern colony founded by James Oglethorpe?

-Georgia.

-Georgia.

-Georgia is right.

After spending months in the Pacific, Rupert Brooke wrote a poem called "Waikiki" in what traditional verse form that has 14 lines?

-Haiku.

-Nah, sonnet.

Here's your math question.

What is the area of this parallelogram?

-60.

-60 is right.

Of the six secretaries of state who became president, the last to hold that distinction was what 15th president?

-Buchanan.

-Yeah, Buchanan.

Well done, Walter Johnson.

360 points.

Here we have it.

[ Imitates dramatic fanfare ] Packet number one for Wheaton.

Guys, the title of Ernest Hemingway's novel "Across the River and Into the Trees," was based on the dying words of what Confederate general nicknamed Stonewall?

-Jackson.

-Yes.

In 64 A.D., much of Rome was destroyed by what same type of disaster that would later devastate Chicago in 1871?

-Fire.

-Yeah.

What lepidopterous insects, such as the monarch, possess an ability to taste that is 200 times stronger than humans?

-Butterfly.

-Yeah.

Isn't that amazing?

Here's your science question.

The distance of a planet from the sun will vary at different points in its orbit.

Which of these reflects the orbital speed of a planet in relation to the sun?

-Faster when close.

-Yes.

Allen Dulles, who later headed the CIA, was only eight years old when he wrote a history of what South African war involving the Afrikaners and the British?

-Boer?

Boer.

-Boer War.

He was only eight, but that's pretty impressive.

Miranda and Ferdinand are the gentle lovers in which Shakespeare play whose title suggests a violent storm?

-"The Tempest."

-Yes.

Here's your math question.

Please perform the indicated operation.

-80.

-Yeah.

After a woman told him she had bet she could get him to say at least three words, what 30th president replied -- -Coolidge.

-Yeah.

Wait, wait.

You got to wait for it.

You got it right.

What 30th president replied, "You lose"?

[ Laughs ] Calvin Coolidge.

Yes.

Well done.

25-point bonus for Wheaton, for 165 points.

That does it for the Packet round.

The Grab Bag round is next.

Stay where you are.

Did you know about 250 million chocolate chips and 25 million candy kisses are made each day?

And since Americans consume almost half the world's chocolate supply, most of them do not go to waste.

Thank goodness.

Now you know.

[ Applause ] And it all comes down to this -- the Grab Bag round, where anything can happen.

Let's recap the scores before we dive in.

St.

Paul VI, 505 points.

Walter Johnson, 360 points.

Wheaton, 465 points.

Good job, guys.

All right.

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

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

Teams... To relieve student stress during final exams, the University of Maine once brought in what animals represented -- Wheaton?

Answer, three -- -Dogs.

-No, goats.

Cute goats.

I love goats.

Kentucky's state motto, "United we stand, divided we fall," is actually taken from one of the fables by what Ancient Greek -- Walter Johnson.

Answer, three -- -Aesop.

-Yeah.

That's it.

What number constitutional amendment is called the "lame duck amendment" because it deals with -- yes, Paul.

Answer -- -12th Amendment.

-No.

20th Amendment.

On your screens.

This is what general who -- Yes, Paul?

-Douglas MacArthur.

-Yes, you're right.

Nice.

A trick, not a treat, awaited readers of "The Halloween Tree," a work by what science-fiction author who also wrote "The Martian Chronicles"?

St.

Paul.

-Bradbury.

Yeah.

Choice.

Yeast plants are unicellular and can reproduce asexually by grafting, budding, or seeds?

Yes, Walter Johnson.

Answer?

-Budding.

-Yeah!

That's it.

Fossils indicate that a thousand-pound guinea pig lived eight million years ago, and, like today's guinea pig, was a member of what order of -- Walter Johnson.

Answer.

Three, two -- -Rodents.

-Rodents it is.

On your screens.

This is Howard Pyle's fanciful illustration of what magical sword returned to the Lady -- St.

Paul.

-Excalibur.

-Excalibur.

Yeah.

One of the British ships involved in the Boston Tea Party had what same name as a modern Ivy League college in New Hampshire?

Yeah, Paul.

Answer.

-Dartmouth.

-Dartmouth is right.

Led by a man who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ -- St.

Paul.

-The Taiping Rebellion.

-No, that was our clue.

We were looking for Manchu.

Yeah.

Sorry.

Frederick the Great of Prussia enjoyed playing what musical instrument that is magic in the title of -- Wheaton.

-The flute.

-You are right.

On your screens.

These messages to the Virgin Mary were left near her home in Ephesus, a Turkish city near what sea separating Turkey and -- Walter Johnson.

Answer.

Three -- -Aegean.

-That's it.

If the logarithm of x is nine, what is the logarithm of the cube root of x?

Yes, Wheaton.

-Three.

-Yeah!

In India, the bansuri is a musical instrument made from what tall, hollow grass that's a -- Yes, Wheaton.

-Bamboo.

-That's right.

In Morse code, three dots stand for what letter?

-S.

-S is right, St.

Paul.

On your screens.

This is what Scottish author whose adventure novels include "Treasure Island" and -- -Stevenson.

-Yes.

That's right, St.

Paul.

When Lady Macbeth cries, "Out, damned spot!"

she's referring to what kind of stain that police now check -- St.

Paul.

Answer.

-Blood.

-Blood it is.

Yeah.

Whitcomb Judson knew he was on the right track when in 1893 he invented what sort of Z-initialed slide fastener used on clothing?

St.

Paul.

-Zipper.

Zipper is right.

[ Buzzer ] And that's the end of the game!

[ Applause ] We're going to tally up these scores and be right back.

Stay with us.

[ Applause ] As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, here are some things you should know.

James Madison lost the 1777 election to Virginia's House of Delegates because he refused to hand out free whiskey to voters on Election Day, as was customary at the time.

Learn more about America's founding -- Stream "The American Revolution," a new documentary from Ken Burns, premiering November 16th on WETA+, a brand-new, free, and easy-to-use streaming service created specifically for D.C.-area viewers like you.

For more information, go to weta.org/wetaplus.

[ Applause ] The scores are now official.

We begin with Walter Johnson High School from Bethesda in Montgomery County.

Uli, Alice, Connor -- 440 points.

[ Applause ] From Wheaton High School in Wheaton, also in Montgomery County, Sebastian, Asher, and Solomon took that 25-point bonus with a total of 505 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And coming back for the playoffs, St.

Paul VI, home of the Panthers.

Guys, you blew it out of the water.

Finn, Ethan, Indra -- 625 points, winning that bonus.

[ Applause ] We are so happy that you were with us today.

Can't wait to see you next time.

Remember, everybody... It's academic!

-It's academic!

Bye.

See you.

See you next week.

-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.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪