JOE HANSON: Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

It's the quarterfinals, with Belmont High School... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Buckingham Browne and Nichols School.

(cheers and applause) That's next on "High School Quiz Show"!

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) Hi, everybody, and welcome to "High School Quiz Show."

I'm Joe Hanson, your host.

We have had some incredible matches, and today's second quarterfinals match features two past "Quiz Show" champions.

We start, as always, with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth ten points.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers.

And players, you may confer.

All right, teams, if you're ready, good luck.

Here we go.

Generally considered a prequel to the "Odyssey," what epic poem begins, "Sing, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles"?

Daniel.

- The "Iliad."

HANSON: Correct.

As a symbol of friendship between the people of Japan and the United States, in 1912, what Japanese city gifted 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C.?

Dean.

- Tokyo.

HANSON: Yes.

Who is the only human character in the original "Winnie the Pooh" stories?

Peter.

- Christopher Robin.

HANSON: Yes.

For the movie "Wicked," Cynthia Erivo wore a custom shade of green makeup called Cynthia green, specifically created for her role as which character?

Daniel.

- Elphaba.

HANSON: That's right.

For our next question, take a look at your monitors.

Pictured here is Sharon Lokedi.

In 2025, she won the Boston Marathon with a time of two hours, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds, breaking the women's course record by over two minutes.

Lokedi is from which country?

You-Yan.

- Kenya.

HANSON: That's right.

In "Star Trek: The Original Series," Spock usually wears what color uniform to indicate his affiliation with the science division?

You-Yan.

- Blue.

HANSON: That's right.

You don't have to be European to enter the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 1988, what French Canadian singer known as the Queen of the Power Ballads competed for Switzerland and won?

Dean.

- Celine Dion.

HANSON: That's right.

The Diet of Worms was a pivotal imperial assembly in 1521, where what German theologian was summoned to recant his writings against the Catholic Church?

Daniel.

- Martin Luther.

HANSON: That's right.

In 2025, what golfer from Northern Ireland became the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam, winning The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S.

Open, and the Open Championship?

You-Yan.

- Rory McIlroy.

HANSON: That's right.

Our next question comes from a special guest.

Take a look at your monitors.

Hi, I'm Michelle Wu, mayor of Boston.

I'm a classical piano enthusiast and sometimes play the piano in my City Hall office.

So here's a music question for you.

The Boston Pops always perform the "1812 Overture" at the grand finale of the annual July 4 Fireworks Spectacular.

Tchaikovsky wrote this piece to commemorate Russia's defeat of what invading country in 1812?

HANSON: Andreas.

- France.

HANSON: That is correct.

The flags of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Brazil all feature what star constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere?

Dean.

- Southern Cross.

HANSON: Yes.

Before she was prime minister, Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry at Oxford.

Her supervisor was what brilliant crystallographer who later won a Nobel Prize?

Was it Dorothy Hodgkin, Marie Curie, or Stephanie Kwolek?

You-Yan.

- Hodgkin.

HANSON: Yes, Dorothy Hodgkin.

On September 16, 1974, which U.S.

president signed a proclamation announcing a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam-era deserters and draft evaders?

Daniel - Ford.

HANSON: Gerald Ford is right.

"I come not to be served, but to serve."

King Charles III said this at his coronation in 2023 at what London church, where nearly all English monarchs have been crowned since 1066?

Peter.

- Westminster Abbey.

HANSON: Yes.

What national team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup the most times, with four titles?

Dean.

- U.S.

HANSON: United States is right.

We are off to a great start, but let's take a moment to thank the folks who make "High School Quiz Show" possible.

Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

- Welcome to another edition of New England Survivalists, the game we all get to play.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance and learn more at the resource center at SafetyInsurance.com.

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

- 29,200.

That's how many days most of us have here on Earth.

If we see a better future, it's on us to lead the way.

At UMass, be the future you want to see.

Be revolutionary.

(cheers and applause) HANSON: Okay, welcome back.

The score is Belmont with 60 points.

BB&N with 90 points.

Let's get back to the game.

Suhoor is the early morning meal eaten before fasting begins at sunrise during what ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar?

You-Yan.

- Ramadan.

HANSON: Yes.

A device for storing static electricity, a Leyden jar is typically made of what material: porcelain, plastic, or glass?

Andrew.

- Glass.

HANSON: Yes.

After "The Fellowship of the Ring," what is the second title in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy?

Peter.

- "The Two Towers."

HANSON: Yes.

What current chancellor of Germany was elected in 2025?

Dean - Schultz.

HANSON: No-- Belmont, you have a chance here.

Andrew - Merz.

HANSON: Yes, Friedrich Merz.

Author of the books "My Life With the Chimpanzees" and "Reason for Hope," what renowned researcher and animal advocate passed away in 2025 at age 91?

Daniel - Goodall.

HANSON: Jane Goodall is right.

"The lady doth protest too much" is a famous quote from which Shakespeare tragedy?

Andreas.

- "Hamlet."

HANSON: Yes.

The U.S.

Food and Drug Administration recommends that healthy adults consume no more than 400 milligrams per day of what stimulant found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks?

Daniel.

- Caffeine.

HANSON: That is right.

Which of the following state capitals is located farthest south: Nashville, Montgomery, or Columbia?

Andreas - Um, Montgomery.

HANSON: Yes.

In 1895, while using a Crookes tube to study cathode rays, what physics professor in Wurzburg, Germany, accidentally discovered X-rays?

Daniel - Thompson.

HANSON: No-- BB&N, you have a chance.

Andreas.

- Roentgen.

HANSON: Roentgen is right, Wilhelm Roentgen.

"The loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean."

Mark Twain once said this about what present-day U.S.

state?

Andreas.

- Hawaii.

HANSON: Correct.

What American author is best known for her tales of fantasy and science fiction, including the "Earthsea" fantasy series and "The Left Hand of Darkness"?

Peter.

- Le Guin.

HANSON: Yes, Ursula K. Le Guin.

Known for his four namesake equations, what Scottish scientist was the first to propose that light is an electromagnetic wave?

Dean.

- Maxwell.

HANSON: Yes, James Clerk Maxwell.

Home to some of the oldest rainforests on Earth, what island is politically divided among Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei?

Andrew - Borneo.

HANSON: Yes.

When President Lincoln was killed by an assassin's bullet, what secretary of war is reported to have said, "Now he belongs to the ages"?

Andreas - Stanton.

HANSON: Yes, Edwin Stanton.

(bell rings) And that is the end of the round.

The score is Belmont with 130 points.

BB&N has 160 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Last week, Mansfield beat Milton Academy in our first quarterfinal match.

In today's match, Belmont and Buckingham Browne and Nichols are both hoping to advance to the semifinals.

The head-to-head round is next.

But first we're going to take a minute to get to know the players a little bit better.

Belmont, start with you.

Andrew, I hear your favorite class is economics.

- Yeah, I really do like econ-- it's something unlike anything I've done in school before.

And I really like my teacher, Mr.

Streit.

HANSON: You think economics helps you kind of figure out how the world works in a different way?

- Yeah, for sure, it, it's, like, a lot of common sense, and it applies to a lot of situations today.

HANSON: So any great secrets you can share with us?

- I would say you'd have to take an economics class to get those secrets.

(audience laughing) HANSON: All right-- Peter, you look like a nice... A nice person.

(audience laughs) Friendly.

- Thank you.

HANSON: But I hear you had a little run-in with the police.

- Yeah, that's right-- when I was around eight, I was walking home from Belmont Center, which was, like, half-a-mile to a mile.

And some people that were walking behind me thought I was just too young to be walking alone.

So they called the police on me, and I was driven home in a police car.

HANSON: Did you get to turn the lights on and sirens and stuff?

- Unfortunately, no.

I don't think my arms were long enough.

HANSON: I have to wonder, what did your parents say when a police car pulled up in front of the house and you got out of the back?

(audience laughs) - Thankfully, I was riding in the passenger seat.

HANSON: Okay.

- A lot more comfortable.

HANSON: Good-- Daniel, you've been taking some backpacking trips.

- Yeah, a year and a half ago, I went backpacking through the White Mountains for about 60 miles.

HANSON: 60 miles!

How did that go?

- It was a lovely experience, but I did have a hole in my shoe for the entire time, which, so, my feet were kind of cold and my toes got pretty calloused.

HANSON: So, for the entire time, so you knew there was a hole in your shoe before you went on a 60-mile hike.

- Yeah, maybe a foolish decision to not get new shoes, but... HANSON: Did you get new shoes afterwards?

- I did, yeah.

HANSON: Okay.

Ruizhao, you've got an interesting hobby I've heard about-- you like exploring metro systems of the world.

- Yeah, I like trains.

I like, like, all forms of trains, so streetcars, trams, subways-- everything.

HANSON: Okay, favorite metro system.

It's time to lay it down here.

Stake your claim.

- Um, I, I think it's Paris.

My favorite is Paris because it's a really extensive system, but it's also really cool because they have rubber-tired trains, which is unlike a lot of other systems in the world.

HANSON: I like that.

Also on the Belmont team, we have alternates Alex and Vedanth and coaches Michael Gao and Meghan Newcombe.

(cheers and applause) Now over to BB&N.

Andreas, I hear you compose classical music.

- Yep, that's right.

HANSON: How do you get into composing classical music?

- So, first started in sixth grade.

I played, like, the piano back then, so, like, I wanted to, like, get to know how people, like, compose music, how those, like, great people like Beethoven and Mozart, like, wrote their own music.

So I started taking composition classes.

And yeah, I've been having, like, a lot of fun with it.

HANSON: What's your goal?

Do you hope to, to make something that other people can play?

- Yeah, I've made some stuff that other people have played.

So I went to, like, a Tanglewood camp over last summer and the summer before that, and I wrote two string quartets, which were then played at the end of camp by, like, some professional string quartets.

So, yeah, I've been happy with that.

HANSON: Okay.

You-Yan, you had a really cool celebrity sighting.

One of my favorite soccer players, I hear-- Lionel Messi.

- Indeed, it was, I think I was in third grade at the time, and it was the Copa América, I think, which was here in the U.S.

And Messi actually visited an Argentinian restaurant in Arlington, where I'm from, so got to see him.

HANSON: Did you get the picture?

- Unfortunately not, I think he was... He was, he had a security, you know, entire, like, team around him as he was walking into the restaurant.

So not many people got many photos.

HANSON: They're an intimidating bunch.

- Yeah.

HANSON: Dean, you've also had an interesting soccer sighting.

- I saw Mbappé, actually.

HANSON: Did he look back at you, like, "Why is this guy staring at me?"

- I think it was just normal for him.

Like, he was just, like, getting stared at all around.

HANSON: Did you go up for the autograph, the photo, or anything like that?

- No.

HANSON: Take him one on one?

- I wish I would have, yeah.

(audience laughs) HANSON: Alec, I hear you do improv, in addition to "Quiz Show."

- Yes, I do-- I do it outside of school.

So I'm in an improv group that has a lot of people from BB&N, as well, but it has shows at the Arlington Regent Theatre every month.

HANSON: I hear improv can really kind of expand your, your creativity in some fun ways.

What are the biggest benefits you've gotten from doing improv?

- It certainly makes it easier to go on stage without a plan.

HANSON: I know that feeling.

- Yeah.

HANSON: Do you do, mostly do comedy?

Is it, or kind of dramatic scenes?

What sort of improv do you do?

- It's mostly comedic.

Sometimes we can do more dramatic scenes, but the goal is always make the audience laugh.

HANSON: Nice.

And rounding out the BB&N team are mascot Bucky, alternates Peilin and Seth, and coaches Chip Rollinson and Sam Crihfield.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) It's time for the head-to-head round.

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.

How about a quick handshake?

Okay, good luck.

Here we go.

The Amazon rainforest is located in which... - South America.

HANSON: Yes.

In 2021, who became the first female vice president of the United States?

- Kamala Harris.

HANSON: Yes.

Latin for "wise man," what is the scientific name for modern humans?

- Homo sapiens.

HANSON: Yes.

By 2002, what currency had replaced many national currencies... - Euro.

HANSON: Yes.

"Gonna Fly Now" is the theme song of what 1976 film about a small-time boxer?

(buzzer sounds) That's "Rocky."

Except for trace elements that can affect color and shape, diamonds are a pure form of... - Carbon.

HANSON: Yes.

At about three million square miles, which is the smallest of the seven continents?

- Europe.

HANSON: No, Australia.

What Roman goddess of wisdom is often compared to the Greek... - Minerva.

(buzzer sounds) HANSON: Yes.

With the release of "Black Panther" in 2018, who became the first Black director of... - (clicks tongue) No.

(sighs) (buzzer sounds) HANSON: Ryan Coogler.

By a wide margin, which country has the most lakes in the world?

(buzzer sounds) Canada.

What Scottish economist wrote "The Wealth of Nations"?

- Smith.

HANSON: Yes.

In 1970, what California city began hosting Comic-Con?

- Los Angeles.

HANSON: No, San Diego.

In what year did the United States officially enter World War... - 1941.

HANSON: No, 1917.

Pip and Estella are major charac... - "Great Expectations."

HANSON: Yes.

In the year 1500, which European country began colonizing Brazil?

- Portugal.

HANSON: Yes.

Stretching from India to China, what mountain range gets... - Himalayas.

HANSON: Yes.

(bell rings) That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Belmont has 180 and BB&N has 170 points.

We got a close one here, folks.

Let's give it up for both teams.

(cheers and applause) All right, it's time for the category round.

Today's categories are: Heart to Heart, The Fifty Nifty, Going Viral, Hakuna Matata, Greetings From St.

Peter's, and Off on a Tangent.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

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

Players, you are able to confer.

All right, Belmont, who's your spokesperson?

- Me.

HANSON: Andrew?

BB&N, how about you?

Andreas.

All right, BB&N, you have a little ground to make up.

First category goes to you.

- We're going with The Fifty Nifty.

HANSON: The Fifty Nifty.

These are questions about the 50 United States of America.

For ten points: larger than California and Texas combined, which state is by far the largest in geographic area?

- Alaska.

HANSON: That's correct.

For 15 points: which state is named after the French monarch known as the Sun King?

- (whispers): Louisiana.

- (aloud): Louisiana.

HANSON: Louisiana is right, after Louis XIV.

For 20 points: which state is home to several major national parks, including Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands?

- Utah.

HANSON: Yes.

For 25 points in The Fifty Nifty: which state is the birthplace of two presidents on opposite sides of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis?

- Kentucky.

HANSON: Yes.

For 30 points: what was the first state to abolish slavery after it broke away from New York and became an independent republic in 1777?

- (whispers): Vermont.

- (aloud): Vermont.

HANSON: Yes.

Belmont, your category.

- Off on a Tangent, please.

HANSON: Off on a Tangent.

These are questions about math.

For ten points: if two legs of a right triangle are six inches and eight inches, what is the length of the hypotenuse?

- (softly): Ten-- ten inches.

- (aloud): Ten.

HANSON: Ten inches is right.

For 15 points: how many minutes are in one day?

(pencils writing) - (softly): 1,420?

- (softly): 1,440.

- 1,440-- 1,440.

- (aloud): 1,440.

HANSON: 1,440 minutes is right.

For 20 points: Spike eats three cans of dog food per day and Fluffy eats two cans per day.

How many cans do they eat in total in 12 days?

- (softly): 60?

- 60, right?

- 60 cans.

- 60 cans.

- (aloud): Yeah, 60 cans.

HANSON: Yes.

For 25 points in Off on a Tangent: in square centimeters, what is the area of a trapezoid with a height of 16 centimeters and bases of five and seven centimeters?

(pencils writing) (team speaking softly) - (softly): 96?

- Yeah.

- (aloud): Okay-- 96 square centimeters.

HANSON: That's correct.

For 30 points: named after a famous French mathematician, what triangle is an array of numbers where each number on the interior of the triangle is the sum of the two numbers directly above it?

- Pascal's triangle.

HANSON: That's correct.

BB&N, your next category.

- We're going for Heart to Heart.

HANSON: Heart to Heart.

All answers in this category include the word heart.

For ten points: what Edgar Allan Poe short story ends with the narrator confessing, "I admit the deed!

"Tear up the planks!

"Here, here!

It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

- "The Tell-Tale Heart."

HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points: inspired by a newspaper story about a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window, what 1956 release was Elvis Presley's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100?

- "Heartbreak Hotel."

HANSON: Correct.

For 20 points in Heart to Heart: set during the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola's film "Apocalypse Now" is loosely based on what Joseph Conrad novella set in the late-19th-century Congo?

- "Heart of Darkness."

HANSON: Yes.

For 25 points: written by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, what 1938 jazz standard is one of the easiest and most popular piano duets of all time?

- (whispers): Pass?

- Yeah.

- Pass.

- (aloud): We'll pass.

HANSON: That is "Heart and Soul."

For 30 points: featured in the film "Rocketman," what 1976 pop duet was the first U.K.

chart-topper for both Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee?

- (whispers) - (aloud): "Cold Heart."

HANSON: No.

That song is "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

Belmont, your final category.

- We're gonna go with Greetings From St.

Peter's.

HANSON: Greetings From St.

Peter's.

These are questions about the papacy, the office of the pope.

For ten points: in May 2025, the world learned that a new pope had been chosen when white smoke blew from the chimney of what chapel in Vatican City?

- (softly): Sistine Chapel.

It is-- Sistine Chapel.

- You sure?

- (speaking indistinctly) - It's the Sistine Chapel.

- Okay.

(aloud): Sistine Chapel.

HANSON: The Sistine Chapel is right.

For 15 points: winner of an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, what 2024 film starring Ralph Fiennes is about the secretive process of selecting a new pope?

- (softly) "Conclave."

- "Conclave."

- That's it.

- (aloud): "Conclave."

HANSON: "Conclave" is right.

For 20 points: Pope Francis passed away in 2025 at age 88.

The soccer-loving, Spanish-speaking pontiff was the first from Latin America, from which country?

- (softly): Argentina-- Argentina.

- (aloud): Argentina.

HANSON: Argentina is right.

For 25 points in Greetings From St.

Peter's: in May 2025, on the second day of the conclave, Robert Francis Prevost became the first U.S.-born pope.

What papal name did he choose for himself?

- (softly): Pope Leo.

- We just need Leo.

But what's the number?

- No, it... - Leo... - XIV.

- Do you want to say "Pope Leo" first?

- It's not the, it... Just say, just say Leo.

- (aloud): Leo.

HANSON: Pope Leo is right, Leo XIV, more specifically.

And for 30 points: the Great Schism of 1378 was a split within the Catholic Church.

Rival papacies ruled from Rome and from what city in Southern France?

- (softly): Avignon-- Avignon.

- (aloud): Avignon.

HANSON: That is right.

(bell rings) And that is the end of the category round.

The score is Belmont with 380 points.

BB&N has 285.

How about a round of applause for both 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.

The clock is set-- here we go.

What 1851 novel has one of the most famous opening... You-Yan.

- "Moby Dick."

HANSON: Yes.

What is the most abundant element in the universe... Andreas.

- Hydrogen.

HANSON: Yes.

John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" is an official song of which U.S.

state?

Andrew.

- Colorado.

HANSON: Yes.

What color is the centerline in an ice hockey rink?

Andreas.

- Um, red.

HANSON: Yes.

In 2025, Zoë Saldaña won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for what film set in... You-Yan.

- Um... "Emilia Pérez."

(buzzer sounds) HANSON: Yes.

What island nation in the Pacific includes Bikini Atoll, the U.S.... Ruizhao.

- Kiribati.

HANSON: No, the Marshall Islands.

The term "renal" refers specifically to which organ in the human body?

Andrew.

- Kidney.

HANSON: Yes.

Typically starting in mid-January, what is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament?

Andreas.

- Australian Open.

HANSON: Yes.

What is the nationality of children's author Hans Christian Andersen?

Andrew.

- He's Danish.

HANSON: Yes.

Mauritius is an island nation in which ocean?

Andreas.

- Indian Ocean.

HANSON: Yes.

The 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to what author of "The Grapes of Wrath"?

Andrew.

- Steinbeck.

HANSON: Yes.

According to Rodgers and Hammerstein, "the wind comes sweeping"... Andrew.

- "Oklahoma!"

HANSON: Yes.

During the English Civil War, what English king was defeated by Oliver Cromwell?

Alec.

- George.

HANSON: No, King Charles.

Author and illustrator Theodor Geisel is better known by what pen name?

Andreas.

- Dr.

Seuss.

HANSON: Yes.

What is the heaviest naturally occurring noble gas?

Peter.

(buzzer sounds) That's radon.

What is the northernmost of Japan's four main... Andreas.

- Hokkaido.

HANSON: Yes.

In the late 18th century, what became the main language... Andreas.

(bell rings) - Um... French.

HANSON: Yes.

(cheering) And the winning team this week is Buckingham Browne and Nichols, with a final score of 445 points.

Belmont finishes with 440 points.

An incredible match.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

Buckingham Browne and Nichols now moves on to the semifinals to play Mansfield.

Join us next week for our third quarterfinal match between Natick and Sharon.

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

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