>> JOE HANSON: Coming up on High School Quiz Show, it's North Quincy... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Lexington.

(cheers and applause) Coming up next on High School Quiz Show.

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>> Home renovations can increase the value of your home.

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You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance.

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>> HANSON: Additional funding is provided by the Museum of Science.

♪ ♪ (crowd cheering and applauding) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Hi, everybody, and welcome to High School Quiz Show.

I'm your host, Joe Hanson.

Last week, Weston defeated BC High to move on to the quarterfinals.

Today we welcome Lexington High School and North Quincy High School.

Both schools have won two High School Quiz Show championships.

On the Lexington team we have: Aditya, Elias, Owen, and Atreya with alternates Andrew and Alan, with coaches Andrew Baker and Josh Olivier-Mason.

(cheers and applause) Competing for North Quincy we have: Parker, Belle, Tristan, and John with alternates Catherine and Amy and coaches Peggy Farren and Mera Kriz.

(cheers and applause) The competition has four rounds: toss-up, head-to-head, category, and our lightning round.

We start with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth ten points.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers, and players, you may confer.

So, teams, if you are ready, let's have a great match.

Here we go.

According to the ancient Greek poet Homer, what legendary conflict began when a prince named Paris kidnapped Helen, the queen of Sparta?

Atreya.

>> The Trojan War.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In February 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. had "no doubt" that a balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina was part of a surveillance program conducted by what country?

Tristan.

>> China.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, who tells Scout, "Shoot all the blue jays you want, "if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird"?

Owen.

>> Atticus.

>> HANSON: Atticus Finch is correct.

Built on a lagoon that provided a natural defensive barrier against invaders, what city in northern Italy floods about a hundred times a year?

Atreya.

>> Venice.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Okay, take a look at your screens.

Pictured here is a section of the Berlin Wall.

It was built in 1961 by communist East Germany, and it came down in what year?

Belle.

>> Um... 19... (buzzer sounds) >> HANSON: Lexington?

Owen?

>> 1989.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

Moving on.

Major League Baseball implemented some rule changes for the 2023 season.

In an effort to quicken the pace of play, a pitch clock is now set to how many seconds between batters?

Owen.

>> 20.

>> HANSON: No.

North Quincy to you.

Tristan.

>> 45.

>> HANSON: No, it is 30 seconds, the pitch clock.

In the fictional world of Star Trek, what type of torpedo is named after the elementary particle that's the basic unit of light?

Owen.

>> Photon.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In 1924, Congress passed a measure guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within U.S. territorial limits.

It was signed into law by which president?

Parker.

>> Uh... (buzzer) >> HANSON: Lexington, opportunity?

Aditya.

>> Coolidge.

>> HANSON: Calvin Coolidge is correct.

Now take a look at your screens, we have a question from a special guest.

>> Hi, I'm Jeff Riley, K-12 Commissioner of Education in Massachusetts, and here's my question.

The G.I.

Bill has helped qualifying veterans and their families pay for college, graduate school, and training programs.

It was signed into law under which president: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Lyndon Johnson?

>> HANSON: Owen.

>> Harry Truman.

>> HANSON: No, North Quincy, your opportunity.

Parker.

>> Lyndon B. Johnson.

>> HANSON: No, it was Franklin D. Roosevelt.

What Chilean author of The House of Spirits is one of the most successful novelists from Latin America?

Elias.

>> Allende.

>> HANSON: That's right, Isabel Allende.

Solids that have an organized, regular, repeating structure are called which of the following: amorphous, crystalline, or colloidal?

Elias.

>> Crystalline.

>> HANSON: Correct.

In June 2023, what Republican governor of New Hampshire said he would not run for president in 2024?

Atreya.

>> Chris Sununu.

>> HANSON: Correct.

The Springboks are South Africa's national team in what sport?

Atreya.

>> Rugby.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

In 2019, who released The Testaments, a sequel to her dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale?

John.

>> At...wood.

>> HANSON: That's correct, Margaret Atwood.

An unsuccessful candidate for president in three general elections, what U.S. statesman known as the "Great Compromiser" warned that annexation of Texas would provoke war with Mexico and worsen tensions between North and South?

Tristan.

>> Henry Clay.

>> HANSON: Correct.

What poem read by Amanda Gorman at President Biden's inauguration was banned by a Florida elementary school after a parent complained it carries hate messages?

Owen.

>> "The Hill We Climb."

>> HANSON: Correct.

Meaning "to stand by things decided," what two-word Latin term refers to the judicial principle that well-established legal precedent should be followed: stare decisis, a priori, or quo ante?

Aditya.

>> Quo ante.

>> HANSON: No.

North Quincy, to you?

Tristan?

>> Stare decisis.

>> HANSON: It is stare decisis.

Correct.

The traditional radio show sound effect of coconut shells is used to create the sound of galloping horses in what 1975 Monty Python film that parodies the story of King Arthur?

Owen.

>> Holy Grail.

>> HANSON: That's right.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Also known as the Great Indian Desert, the Thar desert forms a natural border between India and what country to the west?

Atreya.

>> Pakistan.

>> HANSON: Correct.

What actor who passed away in 2022 at age 71 won an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman, starred in The Big Chill, and played Thaddeus Ross in five Marvel films?

(buzzer) Looking for William Hurt.

On May 29, 1953, Tibetan mountain guide Tenzing Norgay and what New Zealand explorer became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest?

Atreya.

>> Hillary.

>> HANSON: That's right, Sir Edmund Hillary.

A tropical paradise, what U.S. state has been called the "Endangered Species Capital of the World" because it's home to hundreds of varieties of threatened plants and animals?

Parker.

>> Hawaii.

>> HANSON: Correct.

In 2022, astronomers discovered a record-setting collapsed star 2.35 times the mass of the sun.

The collapsed core of a massive supergiant star is classified as which of the following: quasar, neutron star, or red dwarf?

Owen.

>> Neutron star.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Kate Warne, the nation's first female detective, thwarted a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration in 1861.

She worked for what famous private security company?

Elias.

>> Pinkerton.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Pinkerton.

Archeological and genetic evidence suggests that the first humans arrived in North America between approximately 25,000 and 16,000 years ago.

They crossed over a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska that is today what body of water?

Aditya.

>> Bering Strait.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

An Arrhenius acid is a substance that dissociates in water to form ions of what chemical element?

Tristan.

>> Hydrogen.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Inspired by the mass hysteria of Elvis Presley's teenage fans when Presley was drafted into the army, what 1960 Broadway hit was adapted into a film starring Ann-Margret?

(buzzer) Bye Bye Birdie.

Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises describes the annual Running of the Bulls in what Spanish city?

Elias.

>> Pamplona.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Though he later became an antiwar activist who opposed nuclear proliferation, what German scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944 for discovering that the atom could be split, which paved the way for the nuclear bomb?

Belle.

>> Oppenheimer.

>> HANSON: No, Lexington?

Owen?

>> Heisenberg.

>> HANSON: No.

Looking for Otto Hahn.

(bell ringing) And that is end of our toss-up round.

The score is Lexington, 180 points; and North Quincy, 60 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) The head-to-head round is next, but first, we're gonna take a few minutes to get to know our players, and we do that with a question.

Lexington, we'll start with you.

What is your favorite line from any book or movie and why?

Aditya?

>> So mine is from Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension.

And Doofenshmirtz in this movie says, "If I had a nickel "for every time I've been doomed by a puppet, "I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."

And I just love this line because I-- you hear that saying a lot, but it's very rare that someone explains it out like they do.

>> HANSON: Exactly like you did, obscure, but I like it.

Elias.

>> Mine's from The Lord of the Rings.

"Not all those who wander are lost."

And I like the line because, well, one, I like The Lord of the Rings.

And two, I believe in the spirit of adventure.

>> HANSON: I could put that on a throw pillow, I think, that would, that would sell.

Owen.

>> My favorite quote would be the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42.

And I really love the quote because it is such a question that 100% all of us have been wondering.

>> HANSON: And now we know the answer.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: Atreya.

>> Mine's from Nike founder Phil Knight's memoir Shoe Dog, and it goes, "How can I leave my mark on the world if I don't get out there first and see it?"

It really resonates with me 'cause I would love to go out and travel the world in the future.

>> HANSON: And it would be a footprint if you're wearing Nikes.

Parker.

>> Mine's from The Godfather.

It's "Great men are not born, they grow great."

I think it really emphasizes the value of working hard and really going after what you want.

>> HANSON: I like that.

Belle?

>> Mine is from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

And I believe it's the last line of the book.

And it is, "I am haunted by humans."

Um, I like it a lot because it ties the story up so well, and I think it has a beautiful ring of irony to it, and yeah, it's just a very beautiful quote.

>> HANSON: All right.

That's good.

Tristan.

>> Mine would probably be from... by Han Solo.

(chuckling): "Never tell me the odds."

'Cause I'm the kind of person where when I'm faced with a challenge, I try to succeed and do the best I can.

>> HANSON: All right.

We'll talk about Greedo later.

John?

>> Um, mine is from Star Wars too.

It's "Do or do not, there is no try."

And I just chose this 'cause I like Star Wars.

(laughter) >> HANSON: Hey, you know, you're in a good club there.

All right, teams, it is time to go head to head.

(cheers and applause) In this round, correct answers add ten points to the team total, and wrong answers result in a ten-point deduction.

The clock is set at 90 seconds.

Let's shake hands.

Here we go.

What dystopian novel ends with the line "He loved Big Brother."

>> 1984.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Name the only substance that exists in the atmosphere as a solid, liquid, and gas?

>> Water.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What annual celebration honors Mexico's victory over French forces at the-- >> Cinco de Mayo.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Also known as Ursus americanus, what is the only bear species that's native to New England?

>> Black bear.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Widely considered to be harmful to the environment, "mountaintop removal" is a controversial method of mining what?

>> Coal.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Second only to California's 54 votes, which U.S. state is allotted... >> Texas.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In Greek myth, King Minos of Crete commissioned what ingenious... (buzzer) The Labyrinth.

In 1888, what South American country became the last nation in the Western Hemisphere to formally abolish slavery?

>> Brazil.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In the children's novel Charlotte's Web, what kind of animal is Charlotte?

>> Spider.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The Battles of Bull Run were known by what name among the Confederates?

(ringer chimes, buzzer sounds) Did he make it?

Yes.

>> Manassas.

>> HANSON: Correct.

On January 1, 2023, the minimum wage for most workers in Massachusetts was raised to how many... >> $14.50.

>> HANSON: No, $15.

The Waikato River flows into the Tasman Sea and is the longest river in what... >> New Zealand.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What 1964 children's book by Shel Silverstein has just two characters: a boy and a tree?

(buzzer) The Giving Tree.

What country is known as... (bell ringing) We were looking for Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun.

That is the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Lexington High as 230 points; North Quincy High has 90.

Still a lot of game to play.

Let's have a round of applause for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Next up, the category round, with the following categories: Top 10, The Blue and the Gray, Frankly, My Dear, Life of the Pâté, Thanks for the Memories, and The Floor Is Lava.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

Teams will choose two five-question categories each, and have the option to toss one question per category to the other team that the other team must answer.

Players are able to confer.

Lexington, who's your spokesperson?

Owen.

North Quincy, your spokesperson?

Parker.

All right, North Quincy, you've got some ground to make up.

You pick the first category.

>> (whispering): Floor Is Lava.

>> The Floor Is Lava.

>> HANSON: The Floor Is Lava.

In this category, the questions are about volcanoes.

For ten points: the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by the eruption of what volcano in 79 A.D.?

>> (quietly): Vesuvius.

>> Mount Vesuvius.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points: the world's largest active volcano, what volcano in Hawaii erupted in 2022 for the first time in almost 40 years?

>> Um... Kilauea.

>> HANSON: No, Mauna Loa.

For 20 points: what is the only continent without an active volcano on its mainland?

>> (whispering): Antarctica?

>> (whispering): I thought it was Australia.

>> (whispering): I don't think it's Australia.

>> HANSON: We'll need an answer.

>> Uh... uh... Antarctica.

>> HANSON: No, Australia.

>> (whispering): Sorry.

>> HANSON: For 25 points: volcanoes aren't found only on Earth.

Which planet is home to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in our solar system?

>> Mars.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points: more than 36,000 people were killed in 1883, when what volcanic island in Indonesia erupted with 13,000 times the power of an atomic bomb and sank into the boiling depths of the sea?

>> Uh, Krakatoa.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Lexington, next category to you.

>> We pick The Blue and the Gray.

>> HANSON: The Blue and the Gray.

Questions in this category are about the American Civil War.

For ten points: after the Civil War, what president of the Confederate States of America was imprisoned for two years and indicted for treason but never tried?

>> Jefferson Davis.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points: what 1857 Supreme Court decision stripped all African Americans of their citizenship, and intensified national divisions over the issue of slavery?

>> Dred Scott.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 20 points in The Blue and the Gray: President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre just five days after Robert E. Lee surrendered at what Virginia courthouse?

>> (whispering): Appomattox.

>> (whispering): Appomattox.

>> Appomattox.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 25 points: the deadliest single-day battle in American history, the Battle of Antietam was a decisive engagement that halted the Confederate invasion of what U.S. state?

>> (whispering): Maryland.

>> (whispering): Maryland.

>> Maryland.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points: in 1863, what Confederate general was accidentally shot and killed by his own men at the Battle of Chancellorsville?

>> Stonewall Jackson.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

North Quincy, next category to you.

>> (whispering): Thanks for the Memories.

>> Thanks for the Memories.

>> HANSON: Thanks for the Memories.

These are questions about memoirs and autobiographies.

For ten points: who secretly wrote his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom while imprisoned on Robben Island by South Africa's apartheid regime?

>> (quietly): Nelson Mandela.

>> Nelson Mandela.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: in 2016, what American rock star released a highly anticipated memoir titled Born to Run?

>> (quietly): Springsteen.

>> Bruce Springsteen.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 20 points in Thanks for the Memories: in her book Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence, who recounts her history-making 1991 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony accusing Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment?

>> (whispering): Toss?

Toss it?

>> (whispering): Or pass.

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: Anita Hill is the answer.

For 25 points: "You're not in competition with other women.

You're in competition with everyone."

What Saturday Night Live alum wrote this in her bestselling memoir Bossypants?

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: Tina Fey.

For 30 points: what American tennis legend titled his autobiography Some People Think I'm a Shoe?

>> (whispering): What do you wanna do?

Toss?

>> (whispering): Do you want to toss or pass?

>> (whispering): I don't care.

>> Uh... pass.

>> HANSON: Stan Smith.

Lexington, final category to you.

>> (whispering): Top 10.

>> (whispering): Which one?

>> (whispering): Top 10.

>> We're going to go with Top 10.

>> HANSON: Top 10.

All answers in this category are ten-letter words.

For ten points: what scientific term refers to any variation, such as camouflage or hibernation, that can help an animal survive in its environment?

>> (whispering): Adaptation.

>> (whispering): Adaptation.

>> (whispering): Right, A-D-A-P... >> (whispering): Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Adaptation.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: found below the surface of the Arctic tundra, what permanently frozen ground occupies about a quarter of the entire Northern Hemisphere?

>> Permafrost.

>> HANSON: Yes.

For 20 points: each year, one in six Americans gets sick from food poisoning.

What type of bacteria causes a common form of food poisoning as well as typhoid fever?

>> (whispering): E. coli?

>> (whispering): No, that's not ten letters.

>> (whispering): Should we pass or toss?

>> Pass.

>> (whispering): Salmonella?

>> (whispering): Sal-- oh.

Salmonella.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

>> (whispering): Yeah, good job.

>> HANSON: For 25 points: one of the most luminous stars in the night sky, what red supergiant is the second-brightest star in the constellation Orion?

>> Betelgeuse.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points in Top 10: invented by Bell Labs in 1947, what tiny device regulates current or voltage flow and acts as a switch or gate for electrical signals?

>> Transistor.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

(bell ringing) That is the end of the category round.

The score is Lexington, 430 points; and North Quincy, 145 points.

Let's hear it for both of our teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we're heading into the final round of play, the lightning round.

Correct answers add 20 points to the team total, and there is a 20-point deduction for incorrect answers.

Clock is set, here we go.

What European capital city is the headquarters of the European Union?

Atreya.

>> Brussels.

>> HANSON: Yes.

"The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Tortoise and the Hare" are fables ascribed... Belle.

>> Aesop.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In taxonomy, mildew and mold belong to what kingdom named after the... Owen.

>> Fungus.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What is the minimum age requirement to serve in the U.S. Senate?

Owen.

>> Thirty... five.

>> HANSON: No, 30.

Moussaka is a traditional eggplant casserole that's a national dish of what country?

Atreya.

>> Greece.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 1820, Massachusetts lost over 30,000 square miles of land when what present-day state joined the Union?

Belle.

>> Maine.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What word that begins with the letter "O" refers to black glass produced by volcanoes?

Owen.

>> Obsidian.

>> HANSON: Yes.

A decade before Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson became the first prominent Black player in what sport?

Atreya.

>> Tennis.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Brunei and Oman are independent countries that still use what Islamic title for their monarchs?

Aditya.

>> Sultan.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What superlative military title was used by Spanish ruler Francisco Franco?

Atreya.

>> Conquistador.

>> HANSON: No, Generalissimo.

Prohibition in America lasted from 1920 until what year?

Aditya.

>> 1933.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What peninsula forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong?

Atreya.

>> Kowloon.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which is the most common of the eight elements that make up 98% of all the rocks in the world?

Owen.

>> Silica.

(bell ringing) >> HANSON: No, oxygen.

And the winning team this week is Lexington with a final score of 530 points.

North Quincy finishes with 185 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

Lexington moves on to play the winner of next week's match between Phillips Academy and Somerville.

We'll see you right back here on High School Quiz Show.

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ Major funding for High School Quiz Show is provided by Safety Insurance.

>> Boston traffic is the worst.

Safety Insurance offers auto insurance policies designed to help for when the worst happens.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance.

Safety Insurance: we'll help you manage life's storms.

>> HANSON: Additional funding is provided by UMass Amherst.

>> At the University of Massachusetts Amherst... >> ...a revolutionary spirit runs through our veins.

>> As pioneers... >> Builders... >> Unconventional doers... >> We dream bigger... >> ...reach higher... >> ...and commit ourselves to the relentless pursuit of progress.

♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪