>> JOE HANSON: Coming up on High School Quiz Show, it's the quarterfinals with Weston... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Acton-Boxborough.

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

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

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

Safety Insurance offers a variety of home insurance products to cover your home's increased value.

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 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, Mansfield defeated Hopkinton to move on to the semifinals.

In today's third quarterfinal match, we welcome back Acton-Boxborough High School and Weston High School.

On the Acton-Boxborough team we have: Ishaan, Wilson, Theresa, and Zayd, with alternate Joel and coach Dana Homer.

(cheers and applause) Competing for Weston we have: Finley, Lachlan, Gabriela, and Ben, with alternate Claire and coach Alison Langsdorf.

(cheers and applause) The competition has four rounds: toss-up, head-to-head, category, and a 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 before buzzing in.

Teams ready?

Let's have a great match.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union Army troops announced to enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, that they were free.

It came almost three years after what executive order issued by President Lincoln?

Lachlan.

>> Emancipation Proclamation.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

What star-- the brightest in the night sky-- twinkles so much that it's often reported as a U.F.O.?

Ishaan.

>> Sirius.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Known for hit songs like "Motion Sickness" and "Scott Street," what American singer-songwriter was a supporting act for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour?

Finley.

>> Phoebe Bridgers.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In 1989, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest was protected by which amendment?

Zayd.

>> First amendment.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Take a look at your screens.

Pictured here is the Nobel Prize-winning English chemist Dorothy Hodgkin.

In 1969, she discovered the chemical structure of what hormone that lowers blood sugar?

Gabriela.

>> Cholesterol.

>> HANSON: No.

Acton-Boxborough, opportunity?

Ishaan.

>> Insulin.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Moving on.

During World War II, the U.S. Army purchased 150 million pounds of what non-perishable food item that's now a pop culture icon thanks to Monty Python?

Lachlan.

>> Spam.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

What famous novel by George Orwell begins, "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"?

Zayd.

>> 1984.

>> HANSON: Correct.

What Thracian gladiator famously led the Third Servile War, a revolt of more than 100,000 slaves against the Roman Empire using guerrilla warfare?

Lachlan.

>> Spartacus.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In 2023, just six seasons after its founding, what Las Vegas NHL team won the Stanley Cup?

Zayd.

>> Golden Knights.

>> HANSON: That's correct, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Take a look at your screens.

We have a video question from a special guest.

>> Hi, I'm Kaz Dube, a wildlife safari guide from Zimbabwe.

Here is my question: most big cats lead solitary lives.

What is the only big cat that lives, hunts, and raises cubs together in groups?

>> HANSON: Zayd.

>> Lion.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

The decay of uranium gives rise to almost all other radioactive elements in nature, before its final decay into what common heavy, stable element?

Finley.

>> Iron.

>> HANSON: No.

Acton-Boxborough, opportunity for you?

Theresa.

>> Lead.

>> HANSON: Lead is correct.

A magnitude 9.2 earthquake-- the largest ever recorded in North America-- took place in 1964 in which city: A, San Francisco; B, Anchorage; or C, Vancouver?

Theresa.

>> Anchorage.

>> HANSON: Anchorage is correct.

>> (whispering): Nice.

>> HANSON: In a runoff vote in 2023, who won Turkey's presidential election and extended his rule into a third decade?

Gabriela.

>> Erdogan.

>> HANSON: Yes, President Erdogan.

A follow-up to his bestselling debut The Kite Runner, what 2007 novel by Khaled Hosseini follows Mariam, an Afghan teenager who is forced into marriage?

(buzzer) Looking for A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Mount Corno is the highest peak of what mountain range that stretches about 870 miles through central Italy?

Finley.

>> Apennines.

>> HANSON: The Apennines is correct.

After 11 seasons, in 2022, what post-apocalyptic horror TV series ran its final episode, titled "Rest in Peace"?

Zayd.

>> The Walking Dead.

>> HANSON: Correct.

About 2,000 years before the Egyptians started using it, the Chinchorro people of Chile came up with what process for preserving their dead?

Ishaan.

>> Mummification.

>> HANSON: Mummification is correct.

Lipids are fatty compounds that help with moving and storing energy, absorbing vitamins, and making hormones.

Which part of the cell is the main site for lipid synthesis: A, the Golgi apparatus; B, the endoplasmic reticulum; or C, the nucleus?

Zayd.

>> B.

>> HANSON: B, the endoplasmic reticulum is correct.

Meaning "union," what German word refers to the 1938 annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany?

Finley.

>> Anschluss.

>> HANSON: The Anschluss is correct.

What river flowed into Lake Michigan until 1900, when engineers permanently reversed its flow and diverted its polluted water into the Mississippi River instead?

Gabriela.

>> St. Lawrence.

>> HANSON: No.

Acton-Boxborough, opportunity?

Theresa.

>> The Missouri River.

>> HANSON: No, it's the Chicago River.

Famously used in The Wizard of Oz in 1939, what revolutionary technology to show color in film was developed by a company founded in Boston by M.I.T.

grads?

Ishaan.

>> Technicolor.

>> HANSON: Technicolor is correct.

Though he became fluent in French, Napoleon's classmates, and later his soldiers, purportedly mocked him for his distinctive accent from what Mediterranean island?

Wilson.

>> Corsica.

>> HANSON: Corsica is right.

The TV series Kindred follows Dana, a young Black woman in 1970s California, who is suddenly pulled back in time to an antebellum plantation.

It's based on the science-fiction novel of the same name by what author?

(buzzer) Octavia Butler is the author.

Which country is home to Mount Aconcagua, commonly cited as the highest point in the Americas: A, Ecuador; B, Chile; or C, Argentina?

Zayd.

>> Argentina.

>> HANSON: Argentina is correct.

William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury is titled after a famous soliloquy by what Shakespeare character?

(buzzer) Macbeth is that character.

What Scottish actor played James Bond in seven films, beginning with 1962's Dr. No?

Lachlan.

>> Sean Connery.

>> HANSON: Sean Connery is correct.

Home to the headquarters of the U.N. Commission for Africa as well as the African Union, what Ethiopian city is broadly considered the diplomatic and political capital of Africa?

Lachlan.

>> Addis Ababa.

>> HANSON: Yes, Addis Ababa.

What beautiful, idyllic place is mentioned in the first line of the poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge?

Theresa.

>> Jerusalem.

>> HANSON: No.

Weston, opportunity for you if you like.

Gabriela.

>> China.

>> HANSON: No, Xanadu.

Known for songs like "Cookie," "Attention," and "Hype Boy," in 2023, what became the first K-pop girl band to play at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago?

Ishaan.

>> BLACKPINK.

>> HANSON: No, it's not BLACKPINK.

Weston, opportunity for you if you like.

Finley.

>> TWICE.

>> HANSON: No, it's NewJeans.

Author of Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House, what Norwegian playwright is known as the "Father of Modern Drama"?

Gabriela.

>> Ibsen.

>> HANSON: Henrik Ibsen is correct.

(bell ringing) That is the end of the toss-up round.

And the score is Acton-Boxborough, 140 points; and Weston has 100 points.

Close game on our hands.

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.

Acton-Boxborough, we'll start with you.

Ishaan, what is one thing we should know about you and why?

>> I love cooking and eating food.

>> HANSON: You're a good friend to have.

I like that.

Wilson, what about you?

>> I have a black belt in karate.

>> HANSON: You're also a good friend to have, okay.

(laughs) Theresa.

>> I'm a big fan of puns and dad jokes.

>> HANSON: Same.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: Right here.

(Theresa laughs) Zayd.

>> I love cooking shows.

Anything with food, I'll watch it.

>> HANSON: All right, Ishaan, maybe you can help him out in a few years.

(laughter) Finley, what about you?

>> I'm an avid baseball fan.

Other than, you know, being a nerd.

That's-that's what I do in my spare time.

>> HANSON: Both great things.

Lachlan, how about you?

>> My favorite book series of all time is Dune.

>> HANSON: I'm with you.

Just finished that first one.

Love it.

Gabriela.

>> I like to run cross country and pole vault.

>> HANSON: That's a dangerous one, but I am-- better you than me.

Ben, how about you?

>> Recently, I've been rebuilding an antique Vespa.

>> HANSON: That is really cool.

I'd like to see some pictures of that.

All right, teams, it's time to go head to head.

(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.

Shake hands.

>> (quietly): Good luck.

>> (quietly): You too.

>> HANSON: Okay, here we go.

What Canadian province is located on the north shore of Lake Erie?

>> Ottawa.

>> HANSON: No, Ontario.

What ancient Greek physician is known as the Father of Medicine?

(buzzer) Hippocrates.

Located 11,800 feet above sea level, what city is the administrative capital of Bolivia?

>> La Paz.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In film, Frankenstein's monster is often portrayed as pyrophobic, meaning he has a fear of what?

>> Fire.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What poet read "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's first presidential inauguration?

(buzzer) Maya Angelou.

Located on the Belize-Guatemala border, El Pilar is the site of a great city of what ancient Mesoa-- >> Mayan.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 1972, what superhero appeared on the first regular issue of Gloria Steinem's Ms. magazine?

>> Wonder Woman.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What is the only internal organ in the human body that can actually regenerate itself?

(buzzer) The liver.

The Punic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic-- >> Carthage.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In the 1858 midterm election, Abraham Lincoln won national acclaim, but lost his campaign to become a U.S. senator from what state?

>> Illinois.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What Stephen Sondheim musical is a modern twist on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales?

>> Into the Woods.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What is the chemical symbol for gallium?

>> Ga. >> HANSON: Yes.

Ga is correct.

What Washington Irving story-- (bell ringing) We were looking for "Rip van Winkle" there.

That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Acton-Boxborough has 170 points and Weston has 140 points-- a close one.

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

(cheers and applause) Next up, the category round, with the following categories: Yeti or Not, Constellation Prize, More Cowbell, Big in Japan, Gardens of Stone, and The Short List.

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.

>> HANSON: Players, you are able to confer.

Acton-Boxborough, who's your spokesperson?

Theresa.

Weston, how about you?

Finley.

All right, Weston, you've got a little bit of ground to make up.

You get the first category.

>> We'll take More Cowbell.

>> HANSON: More Cowbell.

Questions in this category are about classic rock.

For ten points: the Beatles were the first band to have their drummer sit higher than the others in concert.

In 1962, who replaced Pete Best as the Beatles' new drummer?

>> (quietly): Ringo Starr.

>> (quietly): Ringo Starr.

>> Ringo Starr.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: in the 1970s, what British rock icon adopted a stage persona of a glam-rock space alien called Ziggy Stardust?

>> (quietly): Davie Bowie.

>> (whispering): David Bowie.

>> David Bowie.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

For 20 points in More Cowbell: widely considered the greatest electric guitar player of all time, in 1967, who released his debut album Are You Experienced, which includes the tracks "Purple Haze" and "Hey Joe"?

>> (whispering): Jimi Hendrix.

>> Jimi Hendrix.

>> HANSON: Jimi Hendrix is correct.

For 25 points: "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Piece of My Heart" were recorded by what American singer who rose to fame in the 1960s with her powerful, blues-inspired vocals?

>> (whispering): Janis Joplin.

>> (whispering): You sure?

>> (quietly): Yeah.

>> Janis Joplin.

>> HANSON: Janis Joplin is correct.

For 30 points: "Us and Them" and "Money" are tracks on what 1973 Pink Floyd concept album that continues to hold the record, by far, for most weeks on the Billboard 200?

>> (whispering): Dark Side... >> Dark Side of the Moon.

>> Dark Side of the Moon.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Acton-Boxborough, your first category.

>> (whispering): This one.

This one.

>> We're gonna go with Yeti or Not.

>> HANSON: Yeti or Not.

In this category, questions are about mythical creatures.

For ten points: in Greek myth, Athenians had to periodically sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to Crete.

They were thrown into the Labyrinth and devoured by what monster that was half man and half bull?

>> (whispering): Minotaur, right?

>> (whispering): Minotaur.

>> (whispering): Yes.

>> Our answer is the Minotaur.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: Spanish for "goat sucker," what vampire-like creature from Latin American folklore is said to attack and drain the blood of livestock?

>> (whispering): Chupacabra?

>> (whispering): Yes.

>> Our answer is the chupacabra.

>> HANSON: El chupacabra is correct.

For 20 points: also known as the King of the Serpents, what giant reptile that can kill with a single glance appears in classical mythology and in the Harry Potter series?

>> Our answer is the bask... basilisk.

>> HANSON: The basilisk is correct.

For 25 points in Yeti or Not: what female spirit of Irish mythology heralds the death of a family member, usually by shrieking or wailing?

>> Our answer is the banshee.

>> HANSON: Correct.

And for 30 points: derived from the Hebrew meaning "shapeless mass," what creature from Jewish folklore is made from clay or mud and brought to life by ritual incantations?

>> (whispering): Yes.

>> Our answer is golem.

>> HANSON: Golem is correct.

>> (whispering): Nice.

>> HANSON: Weston, next category's yours.

>> (whispering): What do you guys like?

>> (whispering): Big in Japan.

>> (whispering): Okay.

>> Big in Japan.

>> HANSON: Big in Japan.

Questions in this category are about Japan.

For ten points: sumo wrestling includes certain rituals, such as the tossing of salt in the ring before a bout, that are handed down from what ancient faith of Japan?

>> (whispering): Shinto.

>> (quietly): Yeah.

>> Shinto.

>> HANSON: Shinto is correct.

For 15 points: Boston's Sister City since 1959, what city was the capital of Japan for more than a thousand years?

>> (whispering): Kyoto.

>> Kyoto.

>> HANSON: Kyoto is correct.

For 20 points: around the year 1200, what branch of Buddhism became popular in Japan, especially among samurai?

>> (whispering): Theravada or Mahayana, which one?

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

>> (quietly): I think Mahayana is the more popular.

I don't know.

>> (whispering): Go with that one then.

>> HANSON: We'll need an answer.

>> Mahayana.

>> HANSON: No, it's Zen Buddhism.

For 25 points in Big in Japan: Ainu is a Japanese heritage language that's unrelated to any other language family.

It's spoken by a handful of elders on what northernmost island of Japan?

>> Hokkaido.

>> HANSON: Hokkaido is correct.

For 30 points: written in the early 11th century by Lady Murasaki, a lady-in-waiting in Japan's imperial court, what tale of a handsome and gifted young prince is generally considered the world's first novel?

>> (whispering): Tale of Genji?

>> (quietly): Yeah.

>> The Tale of Genji.

>> HANSON: Yes, The Tale of Genji.

Acton-Boxborough, final category is yours.

>> We're gonna go with The Short List.

>> HANSON: The Short List.

In this category, the questions are about abbreviations.

For ten points: the first peacetime military alliance the United States ever entered into, NATO is an acronym that stands for what?

>> (whispering): North Atlantic Treaty-- >> Our answer is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points: in 2022, Ted Lasso won a SAG award for best comedy series ensemble.

What does SAG stand for?

>> Our answer is Screen Actors Guild.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 20 points: in a famous scene in the film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin explains that "ABC" stands for what aggressive sales technique?

(indistinct chatter) >> (whispering): Yeah, we should, I think we should toss.

>> (whispering): Toss?

>> (whispering): Toss.

>> We're gonna toss this one.

>> HANSON: Weston, question goes to you.

>> Um... (soft chuckle) (quietly): Advertise, bother-- no, I have no idea.

>> HANSON: We'll need an answer.

>> Advertise, bother, convince.

>> HANSON: It could work, but we're looking for "always be closing."

Acton-Boxborough, for 25 points in The Short List: in an email or memo, the abbreviation "bcc" stands for what?

>> (whispering): Blind carbon copy.

>> (whispering): Blind carbon copy?

Our answer is blind carbon copy.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points: cell phones and many other types of electronics use a highly efficient, long-lasting light source called an L.E.D., which stands for what?

>> (whispering): Light emitting diode.

>> Our answer is light emitting diode.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

(bell ringing) And that's the end of the category round.

The score is Acton-Boxborough, 350 points; and Weston has 280 points.

This is still anyone's match.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we are 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.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, is currently led by what former governor-- Finley.

>> Charlie Baker >> HANSON: Charlie Baker's correct.

Poison control centers sometimes get calls about ingestion of what plant that was fatal to Socrates?

Ishaan.

>> Hemlock.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In a 2023 lawsuit, the Federal Trade Commission accused what company of tricking consumers into subscribing to Prime?

Finley.

>> Amazon.

>> HANSON: Yes.

With A Wrinkle in Time, who became the first-- Finley.

>> Madeleine L'Engle.

>> HANSON: No, Ava DuVernay.

On the periodic table, what is the only metallic element that is naturally antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal?

Wilson.

>> Copper.

>> HANSON: Copper is correct.

In his first inaugural address, what U.S. president said, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government--" Finley.

>> Reagan.

>> HANSON: Reagan is correct.

In the Harry Potter books, Luna Lovegood belongs to which house-- Theresa.

>> Ravenclaw.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What city in the Peruvian Andes was the capital of the Inca Empire un-- Lachlan.

>> Cusco.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The first college football game took place in 1869, when Princeton was defeated by what-- Ben.

>> Yale.

>> HANSON: No, Rutgers.

The platypus and the spiny anteater belong to what order of egg-laying mammals?

Ishaan.

>> Monotremes.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What word that begins with the letter C refers to the meeting house of the ancient Roman senate?

Finley.

>> Curia.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who ran for president under the platform of taking control of the entire Oregon territory, using the slogan "Fifty-four forty--" Zayd.

>> Polk.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The island of New Guinea is located in the western Pacific Ocean and-- >> Indonesia.

(bell ringing) >> HANSON: No, we were looking for Australia, it sits just north of Australia.

That is the end of our game.

And the winning team this week is Acton-Boxborough with 450 points.

Weston finishes with 320 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a fantastic game.

Acton-Boxborough now moves on to the semifinals.

Join us next week for our last quarterfinal matchup between Lexington and Somerville, right 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) ♪ ♪